In Retrospect: Final Fantasy XIII

[Scarlett.]

A glouriously detailed game, with realistic looking character models and awe inspireing locations, what could go wrong?

1. 78 hours of pressing forward and tapping A/X furious does not equal combat
2. There's nothing to do! I know there are missions, but what is so good about taking a simple "go and kill" mission from a statue
3. There is at most 30 minutes of "village" time, when your not in this village time, you're being attacked or running
4. Character advancement is way too guided
5. Thin story, seriously, for the amout of in game movies in this game, you'd expect there to be a good story, but no
6. You have to read all the important things in the start menu, a very lazy way of storytelling, I want to play a game, not read a book
7. I dont want to waste another 72 hours of...nothing playing through this game, the first two zones last 3 hours each, which is amazingly bad, as they dont really look different as you walk through them

So yeah, in retrospect, I dont think I like XIII as much as I thought I did

[Tom4784]

It's a weird game, It's terribly flawed in places but I still really liked it and I fancied playing it again a few days back. I don't think the amount of hype around it helped.

[Scarlett.]

Yeah, I loved the first playthrough, but I know I'll never be able to put that amount of time into it again, when there is no payoff, for example, in FFX, you play through a long story, and you are rewarded with an airship and lots of FUN side quests, that arent given by hovering statues, Gran Pulse looked nice and big, but the design was lazy on the Archlight Steppes

[Tom4784]

Yeah, I loved the first playthrough, but I know I'll never be able to put that amount of time into it again, when there is no payoff, for example, in FFX, you play through a long story, and you are rewarded with an airship and lots of FUN side quests, that arent given by hovering statues, Gran Pulse looked nice and big, but the design was lazy on the Archlight Steppes

I thought Gran Pulse was one of the best parts really, it's kinda like what the Calm Lands should have been.

[Scarlett.]

it did look good, but it was waaaay to bare, and they could have come up with a more creative mission giver, the whole game felt like...it was all a facade, with nothing behind to back it up

[Novo]

Can't believe how divided people are on this game i was a bit unsure at the start myself but i have started getting into it now ( I'm on chapter 7 ) don't really like it being split into chapters though it makes it seem shorter and takes away the free roam, Also i would prefer it if they brought back the Random battles.

[Scarlett.]

Can't believe how divided people are on this game i was a bit unsure at the start myself but i have started getting into it now ( I'm on chapter 7 ) don't really like it being split into chapters though it makes it seem shorter and takes away the free roam, Also i would prefer it if they brought back the Random battles.

My main gripe about the game is that there is no big payoff towards the end

[Tom4784]

It wasn't really a traditional FF story at all really, it was totally character driven like FFX and Crisis Core but even they had more traditional elements. I did really like it though, especially the end. The overall plot was vague as hell but it's the characters that make the game worth while.....Except for Snow.....

'Blah Blah I'm a hero Blah Blah SERAH! blah blah'

[Scarlett.]

I hated Snow, he was so two dimensional, I felt parts of the game dragged out too long

For instance

Besaid in FFX lasts what, two hours? In that you get to do a lot more than fight
The crystal sea area in XIII lasted me three hours, and all I did was fight

[Tom4784]

I hated Snow, he was so two dimensional, I felt parts of the game dragged out too long

For instance

Besaid in FFX lasts what, two hours? In that you get to do a lot more than fight
The crystal sea area in XIII lasted me three hours, and all I did was fight

I really despised him, Vanille's a better character then him and she acts like a pre-teen on acid for half the game :laugh:

Yeah the first few areas were long winded the pacing of the areas got better though I thought, although the story pacing was always a bit peculiar. I do hope we get a sequel though, I'd love to play as the characters again as apart from Snow the character developement was a real triumph.

[Scarlett.]

I really despised him, Vanille's a better character then him and she acts like a pre-teen on acid for half the game :laugh:

Yeah the first few areas were long winded the pacing of the areas got better though I thought, although the story pacing was always a bit peculiar. I do hope we get a sequel though, I'd love to play as the characters again as apart from Snow the character developement was a real triumph.

A XIII-2 would be good news for me, I liked the story, I just wish there was more to it

[Tom4784]

The story was quite good if you looked at the database where it explained it all but that was the problem really it was too vague in the cutscenes.

[Scarlett.]

Yeah, and there was no main antagonist, Pope doesnt really count, as he only showed up 3 times, Cid was just quietly edged out of the story, I want to know more about the people of Cocoon

[Tom4784]

Yeah the lack of true villains hurt the story a bit, It's definately something they need to look at if they do a sequel as well as a better realised world really.

[Scarlett.]

Yeah, I didnt feel as though Cocoon was alive, I just felt like I was walking through a tunnel