Final Fantasy XIII

[Tom4784]

There is an FF thread somewhere but oh well this is specifically about XIII anyway. Who's got it? Wants it? ETC?

I had it today, I haven't got that far (This Crystal lake part about 2 hours into it) but it's left a good impression on me so far. The story's a slow burner but the graphics and the gameplay are amazing, it's definately got one of the better battle systems of the series (although you got to wait a while for it to open up). It's kind of reminding me of FFX a lot, how you level up the characters is very similar to the sphere grid.

I like the characters so far but I think Vanille's gonna become very annoying, that strange English/Australian/Smurf accent is going to irk me I think.

So what's your thoughts on it those who have played it? If you're past the first few parts it might be a good idea to use the spoiler tags if you talk about any storyline points.

[*spoiler] [*/spoiler] Remember those are the spoiler tags minus the stars.

[Stu]

I love Vanille. She satisfies some camp gay urge in me. Token negro with the chocobo in his afro steals the show though. He is incredibly likeable and realistic. Come to think of it, the entire cast is likeable, except for that emo boy.

I'm on Chapter 4 now. Last one of the disc, apparently, but the other discs are far longer.

[Tom4784]

I love Vanille. She satisfies some camp gay urge in me. Token negro with the chocobo in his afro steals the show though. He is incredibly likeable and realistic. Come to think of it, the entire cast is likeable, except for that emo boy.

I'm on Chapter 4 now. Last one of the disc, apparently, but the other discs are far longer.

She might grow on me but I'm not sure yet, she's definitely got one of the most bizarre weapons. I quite like Hope really though, although it won't let me use him yet although he's in my team which is annoying me. I love Sazh though 'Run! I meant AWAY not towards it!'. I'll get a few more hours on it tommorow though and will be able to say more about it.

[Stu]

Fanboy Orgasm #1 - Shiva is apparently a transformer who can become a motorbike at will.

Seriously.

Anyway, this shiz is far too linear. I'm already at that stage where I am itching to beat it purely to trade it in. How can so many smart people in a development team be so dumb? It's just lazy I think. You can still have your great story and graphics. Give me some towns, you tools.

[Tom4784]

Fanboy Orgasm #1 - Shiva is apparently a transformer who can become a motorbike at will.

Seriously.

Anyway, this shiz is far too linear. I'm already at that stage where I am itching to beat it purely to trade it in. How can so many smart people in a development team be so dumb? It's just lazy I think. You can still have your great story and graphics. Give me some towns, you tools.

Yeah all the summons channel the Transformers in this one, I haven't got far enough to use one yet but it's something I'm looking foward to.

I don't mind a linear game really, non-linear's becoming a bit of a fad I think. As long as there's one or two sidequests and the story is good then I don't mind linearity.

[Novo]

I really want to read this thread but at the same time i don't want to see Spoilers

So am just going to wait til i get the game and come back

[Stu]

Yeah all the summons channel the Transformers in this one, I haven't got far enough to use one yet but it's something I'm looking foward to.

I don't mind a linear game really, non-linear's becoming a bit of a fad I think. As long as there's one or two sidequests and the story is good then I don't mind linearity.
Linearity is one thing, this just takes the piss though.

Thankfully the beauty of the game and the story have kept me going thus far, but I doubt it's going to last for long.

Even that sphere grid knock off is linear. Character progression is an illusion.

I just don't understand Square's rationale this time around, omitting so many loved features. It just reeks of laziness in my opinion. They had this wonderful game engine that I'm sure cost them an obscene amount of money to develop so they concentrated on a linear story and left the rest to rot.

[Tom4784]

Linearity is one thing, this just takes the piss though.

Thankfully the beauty of the game and the story have kept me going thus far, but I doubt it's going to last for long.

Even that sphere grid knock off is linear. Character progression is an illusion.

I just don't understand Square's rationale this time around, omitting so many loved features. It just reeks of laziness in my opinion. They had this wonderful game engine that I'm sure cost them an obscene amount of money to develop so they concentrated on a linear story and left the rest to rot.

So far I don't think it's any worse then FFX really, that was basically a straight path until the end when you got the airship and from what I heard this is a similar deal. I do like the level up system but I do agree it's saddeningly linear although I'm guessing it might open up later like FFX when you can choose to learn roles and stuff for characters that they wouldn't normally have.

I think the only thing that's really annoying me at the moment is that it's not letting me pick my own teams when there's more then enough in the group so I hope I unlock that feature soon.

[Tom4784]

I really want to read this thread but at the same time i don't want to see Spoilers

So am just going to wait til i get the game and come back

Any storyline points will be in spoiler tags so it should be safe really.

[Enid]

I haven't got it. Want it but meh. I can wait till 2nd hand/

[Damaris]

I got it last night.

My Brother took the ps3 controller round his friends i cant wait to play

[Stu]

Second disk.

Slowly loosing the will to play.

[Tom4784]

Second disk.

Slowly loosing the will to play.

I'm in the scrap place, Vile Hills or something. I'm on Chapter 4 now. It's quite a slow burner of a game I think so far.

[Stu]

I'm in the scrap place, Vile Hills or something. I'm on Chapter 4 now. It's quite a slow burner of a game I think so far.
Aye, that's near the end of disc 1. Slow burn is being generous :blush:.

I really wanted to like this game. It's hardly as if I am a troll of the series, because I love every other title in the series, but apart from upgrading my weapons and switching paradigms every now and then for a difficult fight [and once you figure out which paradigm to use and when, Odin is flattened in 20 seconds] this game is completely uninvolving.

Honestly, negro with a chicken in his head is still the high point for me.

I'll probably trade it in tommorow when the value is high for it. Pointless playing on just to feel like I am getting my moneys worth.

Still undecided should I pull an all nighter tonight and ebb a few more hours out of it purely for the sake of it.

All hail Bioware - king of the RPG.

[Enid]

So, not a scratch on FFX? :(

[Stu]

So, not a scratch on FFX? :(
Not a chance. People are saying that FFX was linear, but it was GTA compared to this farce. At least in X you could run around anywhere you wanted getting into battles to level up, spend points on a sphere system that didn't actually go in a straight line and get a sense of exploration. X worked because as you went in a straight line you discovered more about the characters and Spira.

This is just ... just ...

http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1859/Final-Fantasy-XIII/p1/

[Tom4784]

I'm about 10 minutes into the second disc now, It's not perfect but I do like it although the first disc seemed to be just an elongated tutorial. Hopefully the pacing gets better soon and the story kicks into high gear (and it allows me to choose my own teams).

In times when it gets a bit to repetitive though I just think of FFXII and III and the game becomes flawless in comparision :laugh:

So far I'd say 8.5/10.

[Amanda.]

want. this. so FREAKING MUCH.

[Tom4784]

I'm starting to get into it a lot more now, the pacing is better and the team isn't changing every five seconds.

Did you get rid of it in the end Stu?

[Damaris]

I love it im in monority i think.I love the story.

[Tom4784]

I love it im in monority i think.I love the story.

Yeah same here, in terms of linearity and such it's no worse then FFX without Blitzball. How far you got in it?

[Amanda.]

Supposedly, there are NO towns at all in the game.

[Tom4784]

Supposedly, there are NO towns at all in the game.

There are, it's just there's not many and they're not very Town-y.

[Amanda.]

I never liked the towns very much anyway. I mean, it gets kind of lame talking to NPC's who are wondering where Stan went with the cows or some such.

[Tom4784]

I never liked the towns very much anyway. I mean, it gets kind of lame talking to NPC's who are wondering where Stan went with the cows or some such.

Having town sections like that doesn't really make much sense for the story really either. One thing I do like though is when everyone has voice acting, If you do coem across someone looking for Stan and his cows they'll say so which is a cool little detail.

[Enid]

Hmm this is what happens when they give us the release date too soon. Everybody hypes up the game and in the end are just disappointed when it didn't meet their expectations, which to be fair, were probably too high in the first place. I will definitely give this game a go at some point. Just gonna wait till trade in.

[Stu]

Sold it this morning. I'm sorry, but to say it's no more linear than FFX, whatever your opinion on it, is just crazy. Every Square fanboy has been saying this, in addition to such oddities as 'all those sidequests we have been playing for years were pointless, anyway!' in an attempt to defend the game from people who - *gasp* - don't like it.

X's map was linear, yes, but it had a purpose. It was exciting, faced past, and had the old style battle system. You didn't spend five hours per area running a bit, running into an enemy, running a bit more, and running into a cinematic. Rinse, wash and repeat.

Also the sphere grid was far superior and freeform to Chrystalis, which is not actually a character advancement system in the slightest. Merely the illusion of one. Think about it.

Who knows, Final Fantasy XIII might have gotten better, but I doubt it. After ten hours of playing X I knew who the main badasses were, why they were, who the good guys were, what kind of world we were living in - every detail really that you should know after playing ten hours of any game.

It's definately some peoples thing, sure, but advancing a story by walking in a straight direction for sixty hours isn't my idea of a game. It's absoloutely astounding that the development team spent years working on this game without once questioning the fact that they were going to piss a lot of people off. It's just lazy all around. They had an amazing game engine that cost a bundle to develop for so they concentrated on a nice, linear story. To hell with everything else.

To hell with Square too.

All hail Bioware and Bethesda.

[Tom4784]

Sold it this morning. I'm sorry, but to say it's no more linear than FFX, whatever your opinion on it, is just crazy. Every Square fanboy has been saying this, in addition to such oddities as 'all those sidequests we have been playing for years were pointless, anyway!' in an attempt to defend the game from people who - *gasp* - don't like it.

X's map was linear, yes, but it had a purpose. It was exciting, faced past, and had the old style battle system. You didn't spend five hours per area running a bit, running into an enemy, running a bit more, and running into a cinematic. Rinse, wash and repeat.

Also the sphere grid was far superior and freeform to Chrystalis, which is not actually a character advancement system in the slightest. Merely the illusion of one. Think about it.

Who knows, Final Fantasy XIII might have gotten better, but I doubt it. After ten hours of playing X I knew who the main badasses were, why they were, who the good guys were, what kind of world we were living in - every detail really that you should know after playing ten hours of any game.

It's definately some peoples thing, sure, but advancing a story by walking in a straight direction for sixty hours isn't my idea of a game. It's absoloutely astounding that the development team spent years working on this game without once questioning the fact that they were going to piss a lot of people off. It's just lazy all around. They had an amazing game engine that cost a bundle to develop for so they concentrated on a nice, linear story. To hell with everything else.

To hell with Square too.

All hail Bioware and Bethesda.

The FFX comparisions are extremely fair, FFX was a straight line until you got the airship which was basically before the final area. Also the Sphere grid was basically a straight line too until you completed one characters path and then you could follow another character's straight path after, the only exception to this was Kimarhi who could choose to do Lulu's or Auron's after a short while. The Sphere Grid was basically 8 straight lines which after completing one character's you could choose to move that character to another part. The Crystarium isn't much difference, you can choose to fill up parts of each roles' Crystarium in any order you want. FFX is just as linear as FFXIII it just managed to create the illusion of choice better.

One of the mistakes FFXIII made though was not having sidequests and such earlier, Blitzball was good for breaking up FFX and there's no minigame/diversion equivelant in FFXIII, well not until later on in the game. The one of the only choices you had in FFX was the weapon customisation which is admitedly better then FXIII's Upgrade System (unless you get a choice what you want your weapon to transform into....I haven't got a weapon that levelled up yet so I'll have to wait and see on that point).

The pacing is quite slow I'll give you that and the initial 10 hours is basically focused on the characters then the overall story. I can't comment on it fully yet, it's not the greatest FF so far but it's not the worst (Say Hi FF3, 11 and 12). I'll see how I feel by the end of the game though to see if my opinion's changed.

[Stu]

That's the whole point though. To create the illusion of freedom. Virtually all games are linear to an extent, even older Final Fantasy games with world maps, but they successfully created a great sense of freedom and that's down to good old fashioned creative game development. Yoshinori Kitase and his team were obviously entirely unconcerned with this - they as much as admitted it when they said they wanted the first half of the game to play through like a FPS. Having to play through multiple discs just to get to the point where you can branch off and do your own thing - and that's only for a limited number of time - is just an absurd creative descicion and it's pissed a lot of people off.

Also, I remember the sphere grid being a lot more freeform than chrystalis. I'm still not a fan of it, and it's still also incredibly linear, but there were a lot more branching out opportunities. Not just the occasional dip to the side for 10 extra health points. I should know. I absoloutely sucked at which paths I took the first time around and blew it halfway through the game. Chrystalis simply won't let you do that. At least not until the very late stages of the game.

In my opinion this is certainly the worst Final Fantasy I have ever played. XII wasn't my cup of tea but it excelled at what it did. IMO III was fine for it's time, and miles better than II which was just full of overly bizarre conventions. I won't even bother comparing anything to XI. It sucked in it's own way and after eight hours of fighting bees to try and get somewhere I called it a day.

It's amazing to think that they are going back to give MMO's one more shot with XIV. Take the XIII engine and make an old school Final Fantasy for the fans who have felt disenfranchised by Square Enix's woes over the past few years, that's what I say. Give it to a seperate development team who will develop it alongside the next games in the series.

That, or just use the engine to remake VII. No more spin off's please. Just remake the finest game of all time or let it die a peaceful death in the hearts and minds of those who remembered a time when the name Squaresoft meant something.

[Tom4784]

That's the whole point though. To create the illusion of freedom. Virtually all games are linear to an extent, even older Final Fantasy games with world maps, but they successfully created a great sense of freedom and that's down to good old fashioned creative game development. Yoshinori Kitase and his team were obviously entirely unconcerned with this - they as much as admitted it when they said they wanted the first half of the game to play through like a FPS. Having to play through multiple discs just to get to the point where you can branch off and do your own thing - and that's only for a limited number of time - is just an absurd creative descicion and it's pissed a lot of people off.

Also, I remember the sphere grid being a lot more freeform than chrystalis. I'm still not a fan of it, and it's still also incredibly linear, but there were a lot more branching out opportunities. Not just the occasional dip to the side for 10 extra health points. I should know. I absoloutely sucked at which paths I took the first time around and blew it halfway through the game. Chrystalis simply won't let you do that. At least not until the very late stages of the game.

In my opinion this is certainly the worst Final Fantasy I have ever played. XII wasn't my cup of tea but it excelled at what it did. IMO III was fine for it's time, and miles better than II which was just full of overly bizarre conventions. I won't even bother comparing anything to XI. It sucked in it's own way and after eight hours of fighting bees to try and get somewhere I called it a day.

It's amazing to think that they are going back to give MMO's one more shot with XIV.

XII was one I actually gave up on, I avoided it for years as I heard it was dodgy but I borrowed it a few weeks back and I just despised it. I hated the battle system and I just didn't care about the characters or story really. I can't comment on the original FF3 since it was never released outside of Japan but the remake was sh*tacular and the less said about MMO's the better.

They're only doing FFXIV to cash in on FFXI's success. I'm just gonna ignore it and focus on FFXIII Versus whenever that comes out.

[Stu]

I was lucky enough to play III through emulation - a very well known translation version exists. The port was pretty terrible alright.

Might go back and give XII another bash.

[Tom4784]

I was lucky enough to play III through emulation - a very well known translation version exists. The port was pretty terrible alright.

Might go back and give XII another bash.

I think the remake just put me off for life :laugh:. I dunno why but something about XII irritates me although Vaan probably has a lot to do with it.

[BB_Eye]

I'm about eight hours into the game and am quite annoyed by FFXIII's excessive linearity like everyone else. You expect it all to stop at some point, but it just goes on. The general lack of freedom in the game's early stages, in both movement and customisation, gets positively claustrophobic. I still think this is an excellent game in spite of all that and certainly much more fun than some of the mediocre crap I've played in the past year (*cough*Ghostbusters). There's only one way to find out how the game will change later on.

[Tom4784]

I'm about eight hours into the game and am quite annoyed by FFXIII's excessive linearity like everyone else. You expect it all to stop at some point, but it just goes on. The general lack of freedom in the game's early stages, in both movement and customisation, gets positively claustrophobic. I still think this is an excellent game in spite of all that and certainly much more fun than some of the mediocre crap I've played in the past year (*cough*Ghostbusters). There's only one way to find out how the game will change later on.

I'm 13 hours into it, the linearity hasn't let up yet but the story's kicked up a bit more. I still think it's a great game though, the battle system just gets better and better as you go along.

[Damaris]

Yeah same here, in terms of linearity and such it's no worse then FFX without Blitzball. How far you got in it?

Not that far haha.

Its hard getting on the ps3 ive just gotten past the ice bit.

[Damaris]

Yeah same here, in terms of linearity and such it's no worse then FFX without Blitzball. How far you got in it?

Not that far haha.

Its hard getting on the ps3 ive just gotten past the ice bit.

[Damaris]

Snow,Vanille and Hope have sorta been pissing me of so far.
Snow is really whiney.
Vanille's voice
Hope generally being a ******.

[Damaris]

XII was horrible.Its the only Final Fantasy i have ever stopped playing.

I have only played the new one 4 hours ish and already itching for a hard battle.Everything has been so easy.

[Tom4784]

Vanille becomes less annoying and I quite like Hope really. The game will soon pick up the difficulty, It becomes surprisingly challenging at parts so savour the easiness :laugh: and for the love of god save your Deceptisols/Fortisols/other Sols.

[Enid]

Despite all the negativity so far, I'm really itching to play this game. I'm hoping my house mate will buy it so I can nick it off him.

[Tom4784]

Despite all the negativity so far, I'm really itching to play this game. I'm hoping my house mate will buy it so I can nick it off him.

I'm 20 hours into it now and it is really good, might even by one of my favourite FF's so far. All I'll say is that it does start off quite slow but once it gets going it really takes off.

[Damaris]

Vanille becomes less annoying and I quite like Hope really. The game will soon pick up the difficulty, It becomes surprisingly challenging at parts so savour the easiness :laugh: and for the love of god save your Deceptisols/Fortisols/other Sols.

Haha i do like Hope but he is so depressed constantly.I mean i understand because of his mum still he brings the mood down.Vanille again i like her but at the moment lol.Is she australian?.

Hahahaha i will :hugesmile:

[Damaris]

Despite all the negativity so far, I'm really itching to play this game. I'm hoping my house mate will buy it so I can nick it off him.

I really love it!

But people are bound to be critical with Final Fantasy because its such a well loved series and people are die hard fans.

:hugesmile:

[Tom4784]

Haha i do like Hope but he is so depressed constantly.I mean i understand because of his mum still he brings the mood down.Vanille again i like her but at the moment lol.Is she australian?.

Hahahaha i will :hugesmile:

Yeah she's meant to be Australian I think although it's quite a bizarre version of it. Hope's probably my favourite character really, he really grew on me.

[Damaris]

Yeah she's meant to be Australian I think although it's quite a bizarre version of it. Hope's probably my favourite character really, he really grew on me.

I assuming Hope picks up a bit then.

[Tom4784]

I assuming Hope picks up a bit then.

Yeah and plus he kicks ass in fights :laugh:

[Damaris]

Yeah and plus he kicks ass in fights :laugh:

Seriously? Haha.

Thats sounds impossible to me right now cus i have only played it for a little bit and he has his airwing thing!

When are you allowed to change your team?

[Tom4784]

Seriously? Haha.

Thats sounds impossible to me right now cus i have only played it for a little bit and he has his airwing thing!

When are you allowed to change your team?

He's a great magic user, learns attack spells quicker then most of the team.

Around 20 hours into it. It's one thing about the linearity I did hate since at times you'll have more then enough people to switch your team around but it won't let you until all the characters are together.

It's good in a way though I suppose since it forces you to learn each characters skillsets and such and plus everyone developes equally really which is good.

[Damaris]

He's a great magic user, learns attack spells quicker then most of the team.

Around 20 hours into it. It's one thing about the linearity I did hate since at times you'll have more then enough people to switch your team around but it won't let you until all the characters are together.

It's good in a way though I suppose since it forces you to learn each characters skillsets and such and plus everyone developes equally really which is good.

Awesome i guess have to wait for that hehe.

I guess that can be a good thing because theirs nothing worse in Final Fantasy in not knowing how to use a character properly.

What do you think of Snow?

[Tom4784]

Awesome i guess have to wait for that hehe.

I guess that can be a good thing because theirs nothing worse in Final Fantasy in not knowing how to use a character properly.

What do you think of Snow?

I like him, I don't think he is as developed as other characters yet but he's good. He's quite a good character in battle too, very strong can draw attacks away from his team mates and can attack with magic as well.

He is in my team at the moment.

[Damaris]

I like him, I don't think he is as developed as other characters yet but he's good. He's quite a good character in battle too, very strong can draw attacks away from his team mates and can attack with magic as well.

He is in my team at the moment.

He is very good in battle.
He has a very Whiney personallity though.
I love Lightning didnt think i would.

[Tom4784]

He is very good in battle.
He has a very Whiney personallity though.
I love Lightning didnt think i would.

Lightning's great, she's one of my favourites along with Hope. She's balanced and basically kicks ass with any role :joker:. She's very similar to Snow really although he is more of a physical characters while Lightning's great with everything.

[Damaris]

Lightning's great, she's one of my favourites along with Hope. She's balanced and basically kicks ass with any role :joker:. She's very similar to Snow really although he is more of a physical characters while Lightning's great with everything.

Yup she so good!

I havent got the other girl yet is she good?

[Tom4784]

Yup she so good!

I havent got the other girl yet is she good?

Yeah she's like Snow really without the Ravager role. She's very useful though.

[Damaris]

Yeah she's like Snow really without the Ravager role. She's very useful though.

Ah awesome!

Im really into the storyline!Im wondering how its gonna end :hugesmile:

[Tom4784]

Yeah it's a good storyline, it's different from most really as the first ten hours is spent on character development, the next ten hours are amazing though.

[BB_Eye]

Still plodding on with FFXIII.

The level of depth in the combat system is pretty astonishing actually. Even the irritating linear structure of the game serves a certain purpose in that it prevents you from overlevelling and forces you to think tactically in your battles.

48 hours of my life wasted so far. :D

[Tom4784]

I'm 25 hours into it and I'm on Chapter 11. The bosses are starting to get quite tough which is quite refreshing for an FF title although I don't like the overuse of the Doom Spell really, That should only be used in Eidolon Battles. I'm starting to really love the Crystarium system, I think it eventually becomes as deep as the Sphere Grid as the prices just rocket up and everything becomes more of a choice.

I don't wanna leave Pulse at all I love it :laugh:

[Scarlett.]

I got this today, just got past the Ice/crystal place near the start, its very enjoyable and by what Dezzy says, this is a good long game, something that is missing nowadays

[Ramsay]

Should i get this ?
Final Fantasy 7,8 and 10 are my favourites:)

[BB_Eye]

I got this today, just got past the Ice/crystal place near the start, its very enjoyable and by what Dezzy says, this is a good long game, something that is missing nowadays

Yeah, Final Fantasy has this effect on you in that it makes you realise how ho-hum most games are. :tongue:

[BB_Eye]

Should i get this ?
Final Fantasy 7,8 and 10 are my favourites:)

Prrobably yeah... the story is very FFVIII-esque I think.

[Scarlett.]

Yeah, Final Fantasy has this effect on you in that it makes you realise how ho-hum most games are. :tongue:

Indeed, this makes up for the mess XII was already, I LOVE this game xD

[Stu]

My hat's off to you all. I have no idea how you can swallow the exact same Square Enix RPG character stereotypes again and again and again.

[Scarlett.]

So what? Its good spending £40 on a game that you know you cannot complete in one or two days, I mean half the games that come out nowadays are what...six hours long?

[Stu]

So what? It's a big problem for me, sorry. I judge games on other things other than lenght ...

[Scarlett.]

I do too, but I find FFXIII's story interesting, and the characters interesting, so...yeah...its worth the money

[Stu]

And I didn't :wink:.

[Scarlett.]

Edit: lol :p

Though, maybe you could be looking at the game different from me, since I have only played the post "X" games (X-2 and XII, and I didnt bother completing XII) so...I have only played two FF games, where as your could have possibly played more :]

[Tom4784]

The game has it's faults but I think it definately rolls with the best FF titles. All the characters are excellent (although Vanille is grating at first), The story is something new and the battle system is great and constantly improves as the game goes on. The only 'bad' point (depending on your outlook) is the linearity which I don't really mind. Non-Linearity is heavilly overrated.

[Scarlett.]

I agree Dezzy, this is the first FF game I have enjoyed since 10 (though there has only been two in between), the linearity is done well and makes sense to the story, rather than flying around willy nilly in some skyship

[Tom4784]

To be fair though when you do get to the non-linear part it's pretty fun, I'd hate to admit it but Leona Lewis was right. You do want to spend ages just running around because it's HUGE!!!

[Scarlett.]

Chapter 4 spoiler

I finally reached a 'town'.....ahhhhhh xD

[Scarlett.]

Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XIII has become the fastest-selling title in the series in the UK.

Official sales figures are yet to be released, but it was previously confirmed that the game has set similar records in other territories, selling faster than any other title this year.

"It's great to see Final Fantasy XIII hitting the top of the UK charts and setting the pace as the fastest-selling game of the year," said UK marketing director Jon Brooke.

"With high profile TV spots playing out beyond Easter and branded buses still travelling the country I'm positive this title is only going to get bigger and bigger."

The RPG has shipped 5 million units worldwide since it was released last week. The series as a whole has shipped 96 million units since the first game arrived on consoles over two decades ago.

Digital Spy

[Scarlett.]

I'm 15 hours in...and I officially LOVE this game

[Tom4784]

I'm 15 hours in...and I officially LOVE this game

I'm past the 30 hour mark now, It's a great game.

[Scarlett.]

Apparently I'm going very fast though the game D: I'm on the 17th hour now and have just begun chapter 9

So, now I will do every battle in the game to make it go slow xD

[Tom4784]

Apparently I'm going very fast though the game D: I'm on the 17th hour now and have just begun chapter 9

So, now I will do every battle in the game to make it go slow xD

It's about the normal pace I think, I got to Chapter 11 around 20-21 hours so you're doing well I think. All I'll say is be ready for a spike in the difficulty :bigsmile:.

Where abouts on Chapter 9 are you? Best answer that in spoiler tags if it's spoil-y.

[Scarlett.]

Chapter 9 spoiler

I just got the whole team together

[Scarlett.]

Flanitor - Best ever name for a Flan

[Tom4784]

Chapter 9 spoiler

I just got the whole team together

Ah who are you using?

and I agree the Flanitor is a mighty name.

[Scarlett.]

Ah who are you using?

and I agree the Flanitor is a mighty name.

Light, Snow and Vanille

[Tom4784]

Light, Snow and Vanille

Interesting combination, I'm still at it with my Light/Hope/Fang team though.

[Scarlett.]

I think I'm going to have to level up before this certain boss that I am facing :p

[Tom4784]

I think I'm going to have to level up before this certain boss that I am facing :p

He's hellish, I only beat him by the skin of my teeth. My advice is to use Sentinel when he goes to use Destrudo until the attack's completely done since he tends to cast Doom as soon as it ends. For the first bit when he still has his armour keep Vanille on healing duty while Light and Snow take out the pieces as a Ravager and Commando. It's a tough boss but he's not completely difficult with the right strategy....apart from his Doom Spell.

[Scarlett.]

He has doom? ****

I got his armor down last night using Vanille as the Medic and Snow and Light as Commando's then did a considerable amount in his none armor battle...till he used that destructo thing, thinking back, I should have made sure everyone was on full health instead of attacking

[Tom4784]

He has doom? ****

I got his armor down last night using Vanille as the Medic and Snow and Light as Commando's then did a considerable amount in his none armor battle...till he used that destructo thing, thinking back, I should have made sure everyone was on full health instead of attacking

In the Armour stage have Lightning or Snow be a Ravager so you can focus on taking them down one by one quickly. You'll fly through them then as the parts are easy to stagger.

With Destrudo switch to a paradigm with a Commando/Sentinel/Medic that way you can keep his stagger bar up while healing and defending. Destrudo takes ages to charge so if you switch Paradigms as soon as you see him charging you'll be fine. Keep Sentinel on until you've healed up though as he'll sometimes cast Doom. If you're gonna use a summon I'd save it until you've been hit with Doom and are down to the last 200 hundred or so.

For Parardigms I'd reccomend:

Medic/Ravager/Commando - For general fighting.
Ravager/Commando/Commando - For when he's been staggered.
Medic/Commando/Sentinel - For Destrudo
Medic/Medic/Sentinel - For when you're getting a serious lamping.

It might be a good idea to switch Vanille out for Sazh/Hope as Synergist is quite useful and Status effects aren't effective.

[Scarlett.]

thing about Hope is his hp is waaay too low for the battle :P

[Tom4784]

thing about Hope is his hp is waaay too low for the battle :P

Silver/Gold equipment my dear Chewy. Plus he has the protect and shell spells as a Syn to keep up his defense. Sazh's haste is also quite good and he can boost attack, I'd say go with Hope as he's a beastly ravager and Healer but it's upto you. Also if you use Sentinel you don't need to worry about Hope as he'll survive Destrudo.

Do what suits you best but if you're having trouble switch around your team, some strange team choices that i never would use have lead me to victory in this game.

The team I used personally for this fight was Snow/Light/Hope.

[Scarlett.]

I'll try it with Hope, god this battle is waaaaaaaaaaay to hard

[Tom4784]

I'll try it with Hope, god this battle is waaaaaaaaaaay to hard

Have you got any Fortisols or Aegisols? They'll save you some time and allow you to do the first part quickly, Sentinel is your best friend in the second part of the battle. Have you looked at any guides or videos? They might have some tricks if you have any more trouble.

He's a tricky bastard though, easily the most difficult boss I've encountered.

[Scarlett.]

I think I have one of them xD

I looked on FFXIII.net (which is ran by one of my other forum friends :3) and it seems you are right Synergists help a lot especially when they use Haste, so I will use Hope (because I cant be arsed using Light to heal xD)

[Tom4784]

You'll want Light to be focused on attacking anyway. Is the chrystarium leveled up as far as you can? The stat boosts might help.

[Scarlett.]

lol I'm doing them all up :P

[Ross]

Oh this is cute. I wish I was a gamer nerd too.

No, seriously. Final Fantasy looks good but I'm so confused by it all.

[Scarlett.]

Oh this is cute. I wish I was a gamer nerd too.

No, seriously. Final Fantasy looks good but I'm so confused by it all.

lol its not confusing :p

[Tom4784]

Oh this is cute. I wish I was a gamer nerd too.

No, seriously. Final Fantasy looks good but I'm so confused by it all.

Ah it's not a tough game to get to grips with really, it pretty much tells you how to do everything throughout the game.

[Scarlett.]

Argh! Even with all the boosts Destructo beat me

[Tom4784]

Argh! Even with all the boosts Destructo beat me

I'm not sure what's going wrong then :conf: With all the boosts even Hope should be able to survive it, especially if you're using Sentinel as I THINK by then Fang and Snow learn an ability which cuts attacks aimed at the whole group by half. When he is charging try a paradigm consisting of Rav/Com/Sen and then the second the attack hits switch to Com/Sen/Med in order to keep the stagger gauge up and heal. If you do enough damage to him while he's charging Destructo should only do half the damage it normally would.

[Scarlett.]

I'm not sure what's going wrong then :conf: With all the boosts even Hope should be able to survive it, especially if you're using Sentinel as I THINK by then Fang and Snow learn an ability which cuts attacks aimed at the whole group by half. When he is charging try a paradigm consisting of Rav/Com/Sen and then the second the attack hits switch to Com/Sen/Med in order to keep the stagger gauge up and heal. If you do enough damage to him while he's charging Destructo should only do half the damage it normally would.
I see...I'll try that, I was doing pretty well until he attacked, I might buy Light a titanium accesory thing too

[Yuna]

I love FFXIII to death.

[Scarlett.]

I love FFXIII to death.

Me too :3 though the Pope is doing my head right in

[Yuna]

Me too :3 though the Pope is doing my head right in

You has to kill the Poppy, GO GO GO!

[Scarlett.]

lol I'll have another go later on :P

[Tom4784]

Once you beat him though the bosses aren't so difficult from what I can tell.

I got to Chapter 12 today, It's positively epic.

[Scarlett.]

Awesome :)

[Yuna]

Once you beat him though the bosses aren't so difficult from what I can tell.

I got to Chapter 12 today, It's positively epic.
Are you kidding me, I got to gran pulse and it's hard as ****.

[Tom4784]

Are you kidding me, I got to gran pulse and it's hard as ****.

Train good, train hard. Sentinel's your best friend. It's a tough place to get used to but fight the yellow robots in cave area as they give loads of CP and good components. It gets easier.

[Yuna]

Train good, train hard. Sentinel's your best friend. It's a tough place to get used to but fight the yellow robots in cave area as they give loads of CP and good components. It gets easier.
Yeah, I'm in that place trying to max out everything i can @-@

[Tom4784]

Yeah, I'm in that place trying to max out everything i can @-@

Hope's a good leader for that place as you can just Thundara/Thundaga everything to death in seconds.

[Yuna]

Hope's a good leader for that place as you can just Thundara/Thundaga everything to death in seconds.
He's my lil mage yesh. lol

[Tom4784]

He's my lil mage yesh. lol

I love him, he's my favourite character. He just DESTROYS everything 0_0

[Scarlett.]

Killed the bastard last night xD

[Tom4784]

Killed the bastard last night xD

Rejoice because there's no really as-tough bosses for a while.

[Scarlett.]

I'm not sure how to survive Fang's summon's attacks xD

[Tom4784]

I'm not sure how to survive Fang's summon's attacks xD

As is the answer for the next few bosses, Sentinel is your best friend. Treat him kindly, don't neglect him or blow him off when he wants to hang out. What I did was start of with a Sab/Sab/Medic and use a few spell chains to build up a guage and then I switched to a Rav/Sen/Rav (or Commando) to build up the chain guage, if you need to heal switch to a Med/Sen/Commando.

He killed me once or twice but he's quite easy once you get used to his attacks and such.

[Scarlett.]

Okay, thanks! :]

[Scarlett.]

Done it!

[Tom4784]

Done it!

Ah you've got the real fun parts coming up now, endless training and development and a sh*tload of places to explore!

[Scarlett.]

JESUS ****ING CHRIST ALMIGHTY ON EARTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The graphics in this game are ****ING EPIC

[Tom4784]

JESUS ****ING CHRIST ALMIGHTY ON EARTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The graphics in this game are ****ING EPIC

I know, Chapter 11's epic.

[Scarlett.]

Gah...having trouble with Vanille's summon now >_<

[Scarlett.]

Never mind, I beat it :p

[Tom4784]

Gah...having trouble with Vanille's summon now >_<

Hers is a toughie, have you been training up? I didn't really carry on with the story until my character's roles were LV4. Making a start on the L'Cie missions is also a good idea. Like I said to Yuna the first cave's a good place to train as the monsters die quickly, just keep running inbetween the two save points and you'll build up a whole load of CP and get a few useful components for upgrading weapons.

As for Vanille's Summon, I started off with two Saboteurs and used them to build up the bar a bit since they can do it quite well. I also had a Paradigm with a Medic and a Commando for building up the bar with chain guage and the healing effect (healing yourself builds up the summon bar as does using saboteur skills). If you are taking a beating remember to use Sentinel to take the heat away from Vanille and remember that Renew can heal your team completely.

[Scarlett.]

I accidentally ended up going ahead lol, but my characters are pretty well equipped and trained up :P

[Tom4784]

I accidentally ended up going ahead lol, but my characters are pretty well equipped and trained up :P

Ah good good.

[Scarlett.]

Though, I just found a way back :p so I shall do moar levlling now

[Tom4784]

Though, I just found a way back :p so I shall do moar levlling now

Always recommended :spin:

It's starting to get quite tough again now where I am, I hope I can go back to You-know-where soon to level up a bit.

[Scarlett.]

I'm busy doing

Chapter 11 spoiler

The Cie'th missions

now :3

[Tom4784]

I'm busy doing

Chapter 11 spoiler

The Cie'th missions

now :3

Ah cool, it's always a good idea to do the first ten or so in Chapter 11. I'm in Chapter 13 now but I've just gone back to that place to train as it's starting to get tough again.

[Scarlett.]

I'm heading to chapter 12 now, discovered everything in chapter 11 :p

[Tom4784]

I'm heading to chapter 12 now, discovered everything in chapter 11 :p

You'll be breathing down the back of my neck soon :joker: I'm just training loads before I carry on with the final part.

[Scarlett.]

Uh....
POPE EPISODE II!!??!?!?!!?!?

[Yuna]

I'm trying to ... fix Vanille's robo pet.

[Damaris]

Im loving this game!

<3

[BB_Eye]

I played Chapter 11 up until the until the last Cie'th mission before the Titan Trials. A wise decision I think. Now I've left the Orphan's Cradle via that portal to go back to Pulse just to give Mission 55 a whirl (the one where you get the growth egg-double crystarium points). It's obvious I am severely underlevelled for it. Even by spamming Vanille's death move, when I finally manage to finish him off, his (admittedly cute) minions end up annihilating me and my party. :( Maybe I should just move on and get on with the final boss or maybe I should keep level-grinding by killing those Adamanchelids (baby Adamantoises).

[Scarlett.]

I'm trying to ... fix Vanille's robo pet.

I love that little thing <3

[BB_Eye]

I'm trying to ... fix Vanille's robo pet.

Look at your map. It points to every single part you need.

[Scarlett.]

What's peoples timings?

I think I'm around 45 hours in now :p

[Tom4784]

I'm trying to ... fix Vanille's robo pet.

Ah it's well worth your time, you get like 500,000 gil's worth of sellable items.

Uh....
POPE EPISODE II!!??!?!?!!?!?

Yeah

I found him very easy, apart from his constant spamming of status effects but like with most enemies a good sentinel paradigm does him over....at least until he's staggered and then it's open season :joker:

I played Chapter 11 up until the until the last Cie'th mission before the Titan Trials. A wise decision I think. Now I've left the Orphan's Cradle via that portal to go back to Pulse just to give Mission 55 a whirl (the one where you get the growth egg-double crystarium points). It's obvious I am severely underlevelled for it. Even by spamming Vanille's death move, when I finally manage to finish him off, his (admittedly cute) minions end up annihilating me and my party. :( Maybe I should just move on and get on with the final boss or maybe I should keep level-grinding by killing those Adamanchelids (baby Adamantoises).

Apparently you're not meant to really finish the missions off before the end of the game as you unlock the rest of the crystarium after completing the game....or something like that I'm not entirely sure

What's peoples timings?

I think I'm around 45 hours in now :p

Somewhere between 45-48 hours I think.

[Scarlett.]

Yeah

I found him very easy, apart from his constant spamming of status effects but like with most enemies a good sentinel paradigm does him over....at least until he's staggered and then it's open season :joker:

Lol that's all well and good...but the bastard has 3 million HP! O_O xD
I'll try levelling up a bit and trying different teams

[Scarlett.]

I wonder what would have happened if the game turned out like this?

http://www.chroniclesofawriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Final-Fantasy-XIII-21.jpg

[Tom4784]

3 Million sounds worse then it is, I used Lightning, Fang and Hope against him and used Med/Sen/Syn (For the Beginning of the battle to set up defense), Rav/Sen/Rav (For building up the Stagger Gauge) Com/Sen/Med (If I needed to heal while building up the gauge), and I just went all out with two Coms and a Rav when he became staggered.

If you've been saving up the Aerosols it might be a good idea to use an Aegisol and Fortisol so that you don't have to waste time setting up your defenses at the start of the battle. I would reccomend training up though and getting to Lv4 in all three roles as it'll help a lot with the next chapter as well.

[Scarlett.]

Okay :p thanks for the advice :)

I will have to level up I guess xD glad I have an idea of what team to use now though :]

[Tom4784]

I wonder what would have happened if the game turned out like this?

http://www.chroniclesofawriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Final-Fantasy-XIII-21.jpg

It looked a mess to me, having the ATB split into sections is much more accessible then having every action cost a certain amount of points. It's often suggested though that the early battle screens and gameplay weren't really as they were quite flashy and it showed Lightning using her Anti-Gravity device and more cinematic attacks. It's generally believed to be pre-rendered.

[Scarlett.]

It looked a mess to me, having the ATB split into sections is much more accessible then having every action cost a certain amount of points. It's often suggested though that the early battle screens and gameplay weren't really as they were quite flashy and it showed Lightning using her Anti-Gravity device and more cinematic attacks. It's generally believed to be pre-rendered.

Yeah I agree, its a lot better set up now :p

and it definately looks pre-rendered xD

[BB_Eye]

Apparently you're not meant to really finish the missions off before the end of the game as you unlock the rest of the crystarium after completing the game....or something like that I'm not entirely sure

Yes, this is true. I think you can only get to Stage 9 or 10 in your 'crystarium' before you have defeated the final boss, then it opens up completely. I'm not too keen on this to be frank. I'm a bit OCD about fully upgrading my characters and unlocking everything before finishing an RPG, but I'm sure I'll have fun with it anyway.

[Tom4784]

Okay :p thanks for the advice :)

I will have to level up I guess xD glad I have an idea of what team to use now though :]

Ah who you thinking of using? I think I'm gonna stick with my tried and true team for the moment although I might have Fang or Hope as the leader instead. I've started to learn a fourth role for the characters now too although I'm focusing on the main ones for the moment.

[Scarlett.]

Not sure yet, I tried Light, Snow and Vanille, but that didnt do much good, I think I'll take Sazh as he has haste, I might use Fang...but that would leave Light doing the healing once more

[Tom4784]

Yes, this is true. I think you can only get to Stage 9 or 10 in your 'crystarium' before you have defeated the final boss, then it opens up completely. I'm not too keen on this to be frank. I'm a bit OCD about fully upgrading my characters and unlocking everything before finishing an RPG, but I'm sure I'll have fun with it anyway.

I suppose it's good for length though, as you'll spend a few more hours finishing off the Crystarium and Cie'th missions.

Oh yeah as a general reminder to everyone remember spoiler tags if you're speaking about storyline events and the ending and such.

[spoiler*] [/spoiler*]

Remove the stars and put any spoilers inbetween them. :spin:

[Ramsay]

Ahhhh
i really want this game:bawling::bawling:

[Tom4784]

Not sure yet, I tried Light, Snow and Vanille, but that didnt do much good, I think I'll take Sazh as he has haste, I might use Fang...but that would leave Light doing the healing once more

Sazh is a good all rounder but remember to upgrade and choice his weapons carefully as they apparently impact a lot on his abilities? Same for Vanille. Snow's a walking Tank, He has the highest HP out of everyone so he makes a great Sentinel but I find his Ravager role to be a bit pointless really. Vanille gets all the best healing spells quickly and she's a good all round mage. Lightning's great at everything but her summon's only really useful if you use it at the right time while the other's are generally more powerful, I think she's too powerful not to have but maybe not always the best one to control. Hope's easily the best Ravager in the game and he makes a great Medic and Synergist (Although it takes him a bit too long to learn Haste and Raise). Fang's a good choice although she misses out on Ravager.

The thing you got to remember though is that you can always learn more roles for your favourite characters if you train long enough. Use who you're comfortable with really.

[Scarlett.]

I should actually give another character a go as leader, at least for this battle xD I've been playing as Lightning for most of the game xD

[BB_Eye]

I should actually give another character a go as leader, at least for this battle xD I've been playing as Lightning for most of the game xD

I change leaders all the time, but rarely venture outside of my main team of Lightning, Hope and Fang, unless I need Vanille as a Saboteur (Fang is useless in this regard).

[Scarlett.]

I change leaders all the time, but rarely venture outside of my main team of Lightning, Hope and Fang, unless I need Vanille as a Saboteur (Fang is useless in this regard).I usually keep Lightning and rotate the rest of the team, to get to know their strengths and weaknesses :p

[Tom4784]

I tend to flick over to Hope sometimes for the Leader as I like being a Ravager and Alexander is a good Eidolon. the only problem is his health. Fang would make a good Team Leader but I'm not a fan of playing as Sentinels, the computer does a much better job. Her Eidolon is quite powerful though.

[Scarlett.]

I got three health accesorys for Hope, so his HP is the same as everyone else on my team :p

[Tom4784]

I got three health accesorys for Hope, so his HP is the same as everyone else on my team :p

He's got around around a 1000 or so less then the rest of my team. I went for a Platinum Bangle (Add 400 HP) a Sorceror's Mark? (I think that's the name, but it adds 100 to a character's magic stat) and an accessory that gives him Faith from the start of a fight.

[Scarlett.]

He's fallen behind now, where as Light is now ahead

[rayheartbliss]

i finished it.

only 10% of the hunts left

[Scarlett.]

I reached Chapter 12 :D

I have been playing for 51 hours now xD

[Tom4784]

Chapter 12's epic, especially the beginning. I'm about 45-46 hours into it now, I thought I was nearly at 50 hours but I overestimated. I'm just gathering gil to upgrade my weapons.

[Scarlett.]

The opening to it was brillaint, the CG in this game is the best CG I have actually seen in anything

[Tom4784]

The opening to it was brillaint, the CG in this game is the best CG I have actually seen in anything

The graphics in general are amazing, it usually takes me a few seconds to realise that the scene I'm watching is CGI. The only thing that gives it away is the character odels at time but the scenery often looks similar to the CGI. It's definately got some of the best graphics I've seen.

[Scarlett.]

I agree, it's all very fluid, compared to Final Fantasy X's graphical switches

In - game (FFX)/Cutscene
http://i2.tinypic.com/x44tpw.jpg

CGI
http://www.britishgaming.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/tidus.jpg

[Tom4784]

Yeah, the gap in technology is less though as CGI are basically pre-rendered films that aren't really representative of a game's graphics. The fact that it was so close in FF13 astounds me.

[Scarlett.]

yeah, Lightning's CGI model looks very similar to the in game and cutscene version

[Tom4784]

Yeah, I like Light, I think she's one of the best main characters in the FF's really. They should do more female FF leads, They don't do it much but they always turn out to be great characters when they do.

[Scarlett.]

I agree, Yuna was a good character, but she wasnt protaganist material, where as Lightning.....well...she just oozes coolness xD

[Tom4784]

I agree, Yuna was a good character, but she wasnt protaganist material, where as Lightning.....well...she just oozes coolness xD

Terra from FF6 as well was a good character. I'm just glad that they are making Noctis in FFXIIIVersus a bit different to the other FF protagonists. It's boring when the leads are always either broody or overly chirpy. That's what I like about Light, she's not the deepest FF protagonist and her backstory ain't overly complicated but she's utterly believable which can be said for a lot of the cast really......except maybe Vanille :joker:

Oh that remind me SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 11!

What did you think of Lightning's name? I think Claire is probably the most normal name ever for an FF protagonist :laugh: I liked it though, I thought her name would be something silly

[Scarlett.]

Yeah, thats what I like about her too, some scenes she doesnt even talk much, but just watches xD

Chapter 11 spoiler!
I actually really like it, its not OTT, find it weird that it isnt of Japanise origin though xD

[Tom4784]

Yeah, thats what I like about her too, some scenes she doesnt even talk much, but just watches xD

Chapter 11 spoiler!
I actually really like it, its not OTT, find it weird that it isnt of Japanise origin though xD

I'm guessing her name might be different in the japanese version but then again all the characters in FFXIII have the same names as they did in the japanese version. I do like it a lot though and the moment it was revealed was one of the few parts where i was like :shocked: because I always thought you'd find out her name in the ending or something.

[Scarlett.]

Yeah lol, Serah is sort of Western too, though it could also be kinda Japanise in its spelling

[Tom4784]

Yeah lol, Serah is sort of Western too, though it could also be kinda Japanise in its spelling

It's a good name really as it's not really strange to either culture.

Have you heard the stories of a potential sequel? Digispy reported that Square was interested in a sequel and that was before it was revealed that FFXIII had the best opening week of any FF game ever.

[Scarlett.]

I wouldnt mind a sequel :D though I dont know the ending yet xD

[Tom4784]

I wouldnt mind a sequel :D though I dont know the ending yet xD

Yeah me too, if they made it less linear and such it'd be extremely brilliant. I'd like to see more of Cocoon really as you never really see much of it.

[Scarlett.]

Yeah me too, and of course, there should be towns xD

[Tom4784]

Yeah me too, and of course, there should be towns xD

Yeah and the Wipeout-esque racing could make for a brilliant Blitzball-esque diversion.

[Scarlett.]

Yeah and the Wipeout-esque racing could make for a brilliant Blitzball-esque diversion.

I was thinking the same

I ****ING loved that scene

[Tom4784]

It's great isn't it?

I reckon I'll have the game completed this week.

[Damaris]

Im hooked on this.

[Scarlett.]

It's great isn't it?

I reckon I'll have the game completed this week.

Hell yeah!

I thought I'd probably complete it by the end of last weekend

and great to hear Damaris :D

[Scarlett.]

Chapter 12 spoiler

I'm stuck on the Proudclad second battle

[Tom4784]

I can't remember how I beat him now.

However the best FFXIII-Related-Unintentional-Double-Entendre-Of-The-Week goes to my brother with 'I love it when Snow goes Commando.'

[Scarlett.]

He's hard bugger < There is your second one :p

but :laugh:

[BB_Eye]

I thought I would take a break from farming Adamantoises (money and items take AGES to collect) and have a stab at the Titan Trials. A bit easy when I'm so overlevelled, apart from that blasted Neochu. He is almost impossible to defeat without using Vanille's death spell, which I didn't want to resort to but had no choice in the end.

It feels as if I'm on my way to getting every trophy which is good, but getting five-stars on every mission is going to be a bit of a task.

[rayheartbliss]

I'm guessing her name might be different in the japanese version but then again all the characters in FFXIII have the same names as they did in the japanese version. I do like it a lot though and the moment it was revealed was one of the few parts where i was like :shocked: because I always thought you'd find out her name in the ending or something.

the japanese name is Eclair

so basically they just switched the 'e'

[rayheartbliss]

You'll want Light to be focused on attacking anyway. Is the chrystarium leveled up as far as you can? The stat boosts might help.

lol
lightning isnt an all out offence, though shes decent on that
her best role is ravanger, even if her magic stat is no where near as hope, her best skills are on that role, thats also where she gains her special ability

fang is the strongest commando, the other characters wont be able to reach her strength stat throughout the entire game, that role is also where she gains her special ability

[rayheartbliss]

I thought I would take a break from farming Adamantoises (money and items take AGES to collect) and have a stab at the Titan Trials. A bit easy when I'm so overlevelled, apart from that blasted Neochu. He is almost impossible to defeat without using Vanille's death spell, which I didn't want to resort to but had no choice in the end.

It feels as if I'm on my way to getting every trophy which is good, but getting five-stars on every mission is going to be a bit of a task.

the last mark in titans trial is one of the hardest in the game, if u felt that nochue monster was impossible, then you best go kill some more elephant/turle-giant things

[rayheartbliss]

I wonder what would have happened if the game turned out like this?

http://www.chroniclesofawriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Final-Fantasy-XIII-21.jpg

then the game would probably been the best of the series
it would also have helped if the game didnt make me walk in a narrow tunnel in 90% on the game

[rayheartbliss]

Sazh is a good all rounder but remember to upgrade and choice his weapons carefully as they apparently impact a lot on his abilities? Same for Vanille. Snow's a walking Tank, He has the highest HP out of everyone so he makes a great Sentinel but I find his Ravager role to be a bit pointless really. Vanille gets all the best healing spells quickly and she's a good all round mage. Lightning's great at everything but her summon's only really useful if you use it at the right time while the other's are generally more powerful, I think she's too powerful not to have but maybe not always the best one to control. Hope's easily the best Ravager in the game and he makes a great Medic and Synergist (Although it takes him a bit too long to learn Haste and Raise). Fang's a good choice although she misses out on Ravager.

The thing you got to remember though is that you can always learn more roles for your favourite characters if you train long enough. Use who you're comfortable with really.
sazh is not an all rounder, as a commando & ravanger, hes specialised only in fire-based battles because hes skills in those roles is specialised in fire elements, hes also got the weakest attributes, hes most usefull as a synergist, but the rest he falls flat, unless your fighting fire-weak enemies, just like when you fight those giant cactuar its almost impossible without sazh, hes a bit like snow whos specialised in water/ice offence
vanille is only usefull as a sabatour, though shes good with medic and ravanger, hope and lightning will eventually surpass her in those roles and make her useless in general
speaking of hope, hes the most superior medic, and having the highest magic stat, he can give you back thousands of hp back for every command slots (unlike vanille who focuses more on being silly rather than heal your party)
as for fang, she is the most essential in battle in the entire game, she is specialised as a commando (literally) with her high strength she maintains the chain bonus your ravanger builds, so ravanger role is not needed for her at all, shes also a brilliant sabatour and sentinel, meaning you wont need switch to vanille/snow cuz she can handle the role, making her an ultimate fighting-machine
not to mention she also summons bahamut

:)

[BB_Eye]

the last mark in titans trial is one of the hardest in the game, if u felt that nochue monster was impossible, then you best go kill some more elephant/turle-giant things

I sincerely doubt it will be. Neochu is deliberately placed so that you make use of either Vanille's death spell or the Random: Instant Chain synthesised ability, both of which are purely contingent on luck (the Hunter's Friend that you receive as a reward should be a hint). We'll see how the battle with Attacus goes. If I'm wrong I'll err... buy you a pint or something??

[BB_Eye]

sazh is not an all rounder, as a commando & ravanger, hes specialised only in fire-based battles because hes skills in those roles is specialised in fire elements, hes also got the weakest attributes, hes most usefull as a synergist, but the rest he falls flat, unless your fighting fire-weak enemies, just like when you fight those giant cactuar its almost impossible without sazh, hes a bit like snow whos specialised in water/ice offence
vanille is only usefull as a sabatour, though shes good with medic and ravanger, hope and lightning will eventually surpass her in those roles and make her useless in general
speaking of hope, hes the most superior medic, and having the highest magic stat, he can give you back thousands of hp back for every command slots (unlike vanille who focuses more on being silly rather than heal your party)
as for fang, she is the most essential in battle in the entire game, she is specialised as a commando (literally) with her high strength she maintains the chain bonus your ravanger builds, so ravanger role is not needed for her at all, shes also a brilliant sabatour and sentinel, meaning you wont need switch to vanille/snow cuz she can handle the role, making her an ultimate fighting-machine
not to mention she also summons bahamut

:)

This all depends on how you equip Sazh. Try the Betelguese Customs. Its special property is stagger maintenence. Totally unique to Sazh I believe. Also seen as you have access to the Internet, you probably already know about his cheap blitz trick that does some serious damage to a downed Adamantoise or Long Gui.

[rayheartbliss]

Sold it this morning. I'm sorry, but to say it's no more linear than FFX, whatever your opinion on it, is just crazy. Every Square fanboy has been saying this, in addition to such oddities as 'all those sidequests we have been playing for years were pointless, anyway!' in an attempt to defend the game from people who - *gasp* - don't like it.

X's map was linear, yes, but it had a purpose. It was exciting, faced past, and had the old style battle system. You didn't spend five hours per area running a bit, running into an enemy, running a bit more, and running into a cinematic. Rinse, wash and repeat.

Also the sphere grid was far superior and freeform to Chrystalis, which is not actually a character advancement system in the slightest. Merely the illusion of one. Think about it.

Who knows, Final Fantasy XIII might have gotten better, but I doubt it. After ten hours of playing X I knew who the main badasses were, why they were, who the good guys were, what kind of world we were living in - every detail really that you should know after playing ten hours of any game.

It's definately some peoples thing, sure, but advancing a story by walking in a straight direction for sixty hours isn't my idea of a game. It's absoloutely astounding that the development team spent years working on this game without once questioning the fact that they were going to piss a lot of people off. It's just lazy all around. They had an amazing game engine that cost a bundle to develop for so they concentrated on a nice, linear story. To hell with everything else.

To hell with Square too.

All hail Bioware and Bethesda.
too true

the gameplay on this one cannot support a weight of an entire world, theres only 2 locations, cocoon (a sphere of tunnels) and gran pluse, doesnt allow you to revist previous locations i mean tunnels to discover new secrets, say like the dark aeons and penance, bout 85% of it, i WATCHED the game discover things for me, many contents in the game serves no purpose, also that datalog doesnt help either, i mean is final fantasy not that big anymore that i have to READ parts of the background story, but the battle system is the best of the series, good main character, ok story (though predictable)
but without the amazing graphics the game is equal only to a storyboard of asian melodrama (=Fail)

[rayheartbliss]

I sincerely doubt it will be. Neochu is deliberately placed so that you make use of either Vanille's death spell or the Random: Instant Chain synthesised ability, both of which are purely contingent on luck (the Hunter's Friend that you receive as a reward should be a hint). We'll see how the battle with Attacus goes. If I'm wrong I'll err... buy you a pint or something??

the plant thing can be beaten without vanille, using her death ability i used only to get 5 star
but a pint sounds good

[rayheartbliss]

This all depends on how you equip Sazh. Try the Betelguese Customs. Its special property is stagger maintenence. Totally unique to Sazh I believe. Also seen as you have access to the Internet, you probably already know about his cheap blitz trick that does some serious damage to a downed Adamantoise or Long Gui.

you do this if hes ya fave and you wanna use him all the time, but stagger maintainance wont make him an all rounder(though its another way of beating giant cactuar) hes offences are still fire-based and if u decide use non element attacks hes damage wont even be half the damage lighting inflicts. fang can maintain chains without processing her speciality, and fang inflicts damage twice more than lighting during her early appearance and later she eventually becomes an all out heavy-damage dealer

lets put it this way
sazh is special

[Tom4784]

To say you're not a fan of this game you've spent enough time reading through the thread and posting in it :hugesmile:. In reply to that point about FFXIII consisting of corridors and such well, FFX's layout was even more linear then XIII's, that was pretty much corridors all the way through except the Calm Lands which was a circle.... At least with XIII you have Pulse to explore and a lot of it.



I think I'm gonna carry on with the rest of chapter 13 now, I've got my character's main roles leveled as far as I can go so I think I'll be okay, Hopefully I'll have it completed by the weekend or so.

[BB_Eye]

you do this if hes ya fave and you wanna use him all the time, but stagger maintainance wont make him an all rounder(though its another way of beating giant cactuar) hes offences are still fire-based and if u decide use non element attacks hes damage wont even be half the damage lighting inflicts. fang can maintain chains without processing her speciality, and fang inflicts damage twice more than lighting during her early appearance and later she eventually becomes an all out heavy-damage dealer

lets put it this way
sazh is special

Lol, you're talking about chain maintenence not stagger maintenence. For such an outspoken Sazh hater, you really don't have your facts right.

Oh and about Attacus. Yeah, that was quite the climactic battle. Shame he didn't kill any of my characters once.

[Scarlett.]

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn voiced Nora (Hope's mum) :eek:

[Tom4784]

Ah I completed it earlier, I enjoyed this game a lot. It's FAR from perfect but it is what it is and I enjoyed it a lot.

[Scarlett.]

I got onto Chapter 13 today :3

[Tom4784]

I got onto Chapter 13 today :3

One piece of advice, don't bother making any headway into it until you've upgraded your weapons and filled up the main roles in the Crystarium. The normal enemies are a pain.

[Scarlett.]

I kinda headed through already xD I followed all them things till I got to another colour of the thing ;) but I have nearly filled the crysta...thingy up :3

[Tom4784]

Ah lol, the enemies are harder then the boss really. the big groups take AGES.

Chapter 13's really small so I'd say you're nearly done I think.

[Scarlett.]

Really? O_O

tbh I want to finish this game now, I've been playing it for two weeks, and cant go on another until I'm done xD

[Tom4784]

Yeah, I spent a lot more time training then I did in that chapter.

[Scarlett.]

I see :) I think I might take a break once I have completed the game, I dont want to wear it out xD

[Scarlett.]

The last boss is ridiculous, how long do they expect you to sit there and click "A" and "LB"

I love this game, but I really really just want to finish now :(

[Tom4784]

The last boss is ridiculous, how long do they expect you to sit there and click "A" and "LB"

I love this game, but I really really just want to finish now :(

Hang in there and play it safe don't worry about getting 5 stars on your first try, If we're both thinking of the same part Orphan? then it took me 27 minutes to beat it. Slow and steady wins the race.

[Scarlett.]

Yeah, thats the one :p

[spoiler]First form, I hear the second one was easy

and wedding dress man was easy for once xD)

[Tom4784]

Yeah Barty really let the ball drop this time :laugh:

Yeah the first form's the difficult part, I managed to 5 star the last one though, it's a breeze.

[Scarlett.]

I got it half way down, then I forgot I wasnt on the healing shift

[Tom4784]

I got it half way down, then I forgot I wasnt on the healing shift

Combat Clinic's a good one to have since you'll be able to heal up really quick if he uses the sword attack, If you use Vanille in your team then her poison spell as a sabotouer helps a lot. Syn/Sab/Med is a good paradigm as Sab spells knock up the chain gauge quite nicely and keeps it up. If yo haven't got no Sabs on your team then just remember to keep your buffs up (Veil's a life saver when Orphan gets trigger happy with the status effects).

[Scarlett.]

Combat Clinic's a good one to have since you'll be able to heal up really quick if he uses the sword attack, If you use Vanille in your team then her poison spell as a sabotouer helps a lot. Syn/Sab/Med is a good paradigm as Sab spells knock up the chain gauge quite nicely and keeps it up. If yo haven't got no Sabs on your team then just remember to keep your buffs up (Veil's a life saver when Orphan gets trigger happy with the status effects).

Okey dokey :)

[Scarlett.]

I feel a lot better about the game today, I went back (and found out that I can easily get back to the final boss) to Pulse, and found Chocobo's :D

[BB_Eye]

I feel a lot better about the game today, I went back (and found out that I can easily get back to the final boss) to Pulse, and found Chocobo's :D

One of my favourite moments of the game. "Yay, no more running 20 miles on foot"

[BB_Eye]

Ah I completed it earlier, I enjoyed this game a lot. It's FAR from perfect but it is what it is and I enjoyed it a lot.

More or less my view. I probably would have liked it a lot more if there had been a World Map from the beginning and a bigger variety of sidequests/minigames rather than just mark hunting.

It's still fantastic value for a game though. You get all the spectacle of a modern action game without it being 6 hours long.

[Scarlett.]

One of my favourite moments of the game. "Yay, no more running 20 miles on foot"

haha yeah

I think I'm ready to take on the final boss now

[Tom4784]

haha yeah

I think I'm ready to take on the final boss now

Ah good luck!

[Scarlett.]

Completed it

;_____;

[Tom4784]

Completed it

;_____;

I know, great ending apart from Leona Lewis, I didn't want Fang to go.

I really do hope they do a sequel.

[Scarlett.]

I know, great ending apart from Leona Lewis, I didn't want Fang to go.

I really do hope they do a sequel.

and I didnt want Vanille to go ;-; I didnt actually mind Leona :p

me too

[Tom4784]

and I didnt want Vanille to go ;-; I didnt actually mind Leona :p

me too

Yeah Vanille wasn't that bad in the end, by the end of the game though Snow was driving my Crazy though 'Serah This, Hero That'.

[Scarlett.]

Yeah Vanille wasn't that bad in the end, by the end of the game though Snow was driving my Crazy though 'Serah This, Hero That'.

lol yeah, he was like that all the way through

[Scarlett.]

Rebought it, I'm liking it again lol

Got a different front cover though O.o

[Novo]

I want to forget about FFXIII

[Tom4784]

I'm in the minority but I really liked it, I enjoyed it for what it was.

[Stu]

Still sucks, for me.

Atrocious, atrocious 'game'.

[Ramsay]

ah its okaaay

[Novo]

It doesn't feel like a final fantasy at all.. maybe some of the music and the character designs but that's about it.. and the battle mode is one of the worst things i have ever seen on a game.

[Scarlett.]

I hope XIII-2 is better

Looking forward to Versus more

[Tom4784]

It doesn't feel like a final fantasy at all.. maybe some of the music and the character designs but that's about it.. and the battle mode is one of the worst things i have ever seen on a game.

I thought the battle system was one of the best things about it, If they can create more of an overall story for XIII-2 instead of relying purely on character drama as well as making it less linear then XIII-2 will be a real winner I think.

That being said though I think Versus is gonna be the one to look out for.

[Novo]

I thought the battle system was one of the best things about it, If they can create more of an overall story for XIII-2 instead of relying purely on character drama as well as making it less linear then XIII-2 will be a really winner I think.

That being said though I think Versus is gonna be the one to look out for.

Their was always a certain way to beat a monster to easily from what i remember from playing it last year and their was less freedom in the battle mode because only certain magic/Attacks would be harmful so you find yourself just looking for each monsters weakness and once you find it it becomes far to easy.. i know the previous FF's are like that but i think they went over the top a bit on XIII, I think i just like the simple battle menus like the earlier Final Fantasy's

[Tom4784]

I see what you mean but I think that's the same with a lot of FF's, Once you beat a difficult boss you'll be able to do it easily forever after that. In fairness to XIII I definitely thought it was one of the most difficult Final Fantasy games. The only thing that ever gave me more trouble was the very first time I played through Final Fantasy VII and fought the Materia Keeper, God he was a swine when you first fight him.

[Novo]

I see what you mean but I think that's the same with a lot of FF's, Once you beat a difficult boss you'll be able to do it easily forever after that. In fairness to XIII I definitely thought it was one of the most difficult Final Fantasy games. The only thing that ever gave me more trouble was the very first time I played through Final Fantasy VII and fought the Materia Keeper, God he was a swine when you first fight him.

Was stuck on him for ages as well on my first play, when you first play an RPG with a good story you tend to rush it to continue the story and neglect levelling up ( I did anyway ) can remember being stuck on almost every boss because of it.. that and the fact i was about 8 or 9 and i was a terrible gamer then.. now i think i level up a bit to much on the last save i am level 50 just after coming out of Midgar :crazy::crazy:

[Stu]

Demon's Gate was the boss from hell for me.

Anyway I despised everything about XIII. I even found it odd how the battle system was lauded. It was terrible. It lacked depth and it didn't feel like I was actually doing anything, just making a small number of choices and watching them play out. I don't want to pick my battle every few minutes, I actually want to have that battle.

The linearity was just totally unforgivable. You are literally just holding up for twenty odd hours to take you to the next stomach churning, American soap opera of the future style cinematics.

[Novo]

The levelling up system was just a very very bad and easy version of the Sphere grid as well

[Scarlett.]

I'd rather Final Fantasy just dump the turned based crap now, it's got to the point where we might as well be doing the actual fighting, it works well in Dissidia

[Stu]

Keep it turn based I say, but proper turn based. Not Mickey Mouse style like in FFXIII. I'd like to see FF keep it's original roots and just expand them rather than change completely into yet another real time action RPG.

Why compromise? Not everyone likes turn based combat or random battles but that's those games to me, TBH.

[Tom4784]

Well Versus is going with a Kingdom Hearts style but given the quick turnaround of XIII-2 I reckon it'll just be the same system with improvements I think. I too would prefer it to stay turnbased but I did like how XIII presented battles. I think if you combined that presentation with the older gameplay systems then you'd be onto a winner.

[Stu]

What's the Kingdom Hearts style? I don't even think I lasted long enough in those games to have a battle.

[Scarlett.]

I'd love for them to return to the battle style of either X or VII

[Tom4784]

What's the Kingdom Hearts style? I don't even think I lasted long enough in those games to have a battle.

dupP1PjV6Qw

[Novo]

The Battle system in Kingdom hearts suited the game perfectly

[Tom4784]

They've released an FFIV collection for the PSP that has the original game, The After Years and a new story made for the PSP. I might get it when it becomes cheap as I already have it for the DS but I'm interested in the After Years.

[MeMyselfAndI]

Lol my auntie bought me this game for Easter, I have played it alot
I'm 40 hours in and on chapter 12

[Scarlett.]

You're pretty far for that time lol, I was at about 60 hours then xD

[MeMyselfAndI]

You're pretty far for that time lol, I was at about 60 hours then xD

Thanks I guess
I only did the first 3 weird missions on chapter 11 though, and im on chapter 12 im fighting a giant thing called a "Adamanchield" this game is fun, I have used Hope,Lightining and Fang throughout the whole game :)

[MeMyselfAndI]

I really need to level up as im struggiling D:

[Scarlett.]

The next chapter will let you level up loads :3