Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)

[JustLikeHeaven]

This should be in the "Still Playing" forums, since I first started this game roughly 6 years ago! At one point I gave up and didn't play it for years. Earlier this year I decided to start it all over again. I made it to roughly 25 hours in before I sort of lost interest again. Now, I'm back playing and determined to finish it. We'll see how it goes.

This is such a weird game. I've run through an entire emotional gamut with it...ranging from hating it, loving it, respecting it, and overall coming away feeling mostly ambivalent towards it.

Up until XV this was easily the most non-FF style game that Square had ever created. I've since gotten over that and begun to appreciate the game for what it is, instead of what it isn't. I've come to really admire the Paradigm Shift battle system. It's hectic, rewarding, and makes grinding less of a chore. It takes a long time to get used to, but the system isn't so much about inputting certain attack or spells, but rather using the correct formation at the right time. I'm constantly tinkering around with it and finding ways to improve in battle. This coupled with the deep leveling/upgrading system gives a nice sense of character progression.

Another thing I no longer mind is the straight corridors and linearity of the first 60% of the game. I actually think this was a deliberate design choice meant to tie into the story, themes and what the characters are experiencing. If that was the case it's actually kind of brilliant.

The characters are all likable in their own ways and I'm invested enough to care what happens. My main gripe is with the main story which is a little too confusion at times. There are certain times when the game spews out TONS of exposition that it's hard to take it all in and process it. Luckily you can go back and read all the important details if you're crazy enough.

Finally for a game that came out almost 6 years ago it still looks and sounds FANTASTIC. There is a timeless quality to the game and it might be one of the prettiest games of that generation.

I know this game gets a ton of crap on the internet, but I don't think it's nearly as bad as the masses would lead you to believe. It's far from perfect, but it's much better than its reputation.

[DaHeckIzDat]

I don't hate this game either. Is it the best? No, but it's bad by any means either. I made it through, I'd say, three quarters of it, and eventually gave up on the Barthandelus fight on Gran Pulse. I could fight that guy for thirty minutes, barely whittle away a quarter of his health, and then he'd instakill my entire party because apparently the fight is set on a timer.

[ptdebate]

JustLikeHeaven,

I'm glad you decided to give FF13 another chance! It's really a good game--it's just not what people were expecting from the next Final Fantasy, especially after something like FF12.

The plot is confusingly told, but then again, that's practically a hallmark of the series.

I just wanted to chime in on the game's visuals. I'm currently working on 100% completion for the PC version of the game. I have all of the graphics settings cranked up including the resolution, which defaults to 720p on consoles.

This game is so freaking gorgeous. It looks like so much work went into each individual environment. Maybe certain parts of the story seem confusing or forced because they didn't want to edit down or cut any content and waste beautiful art.

Compared side by side, FFXIII actually looks better than both of its successors in the series!

Are you planning to continue with FFXIII-2 next?

I don't hate this game either. Is it the best? No, but it's bad by any means either. I made it through, I'd say, three quarters of it, and eventually gave up on the Barthandelus fight on Gran Pulse. I could fight that guy for thirty minutes, barely whittle away a quarter of his health, and then he'd instakill my entire party because apparently the fight is set on a timer.

The timer you're referring to is a death spell. This fight isn't that hard. Try again--you can do it!

[BlasteroidAli]

I am playing Titan Quest. THQ Nordic gave it an update 10 years after it was first out. Great game. Plus best of the new version is totally free. Have a look at it on steam if you have the time.

I played 13 for about 9 hours and gave up... shame.

I have part 2 and have played it for about 5 hours but just cannot get into it.

[JustLikeHeaven]

JustLikeHeaven,

I'm glad you decided to give FF13 another chance! It's really a good game--it's just not what people were expecting from the next Final Fantasy, especially after something like FF12.

Are you planning to continue with FFXIII-2 next?

I do plan on playing FFXIII-2 at some point. Lightning Returns too. I will probably play something else right after FFXIII though.

I just got done beating some boss named Dahaka in Gran Pulse. He was a pain in the ass until I grinded for a solid hour or two. Then I went back and crushed him. I'm sure there was probably some simple way to kill him, but my mind always tells me to grind in these situations.

I'm really going to make a push to finish the game soon. I'm very curious to see what happens.

[BlasteroidAli]

Oh when you get to ff13 part 2 you are gonna love the fact that quite a lot of the game is not on the disc. That is right loads and loads of dlc that you have to pay for to play the game. Or to add value as some people say.

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/List ... le_content

This site give you a list of the content and an idea of how much it is going to cost.

[DaHeckIzDat]

13-2 is better than 13. Better story, fewer corridor-like locations, faster paced combat, and nowhere near as needlessly punishing. Kaius makes for a far better villain than Bart Statueman. Sure there's DLC that keeps you from accessing parts of the game without paying for it, but these are unimportant parts of the game like the coliseum and the casino, places I never went in the first place. I didn't like Lightning Returns, though. It's way too clunky for all the ambitious stuff they tried.

[ptdebate]

13-2 is better than 13. .... Sure there's DLC that keeps you from accessing parts of the game without paying for it, but these are unimportant parts of the game like the coliseum and the casino, places I never went in the first place.

Oh when you get to ff13 part 2 you are gonna love the fact that quite a lot of the game is not on the disc. That is right loads and loads of dlc that you have to pay for to play the game. Or to add value as some people say.

My experience is similar to DaHeckIzDat...I played through the whole game on PS3 just fine without purchasing DLC. If completion is important to you, however, be advised that the PC release includes all DLC released for the game.

I just got done beating some boss named Dahaka in Gran Pulse. He was a pain in the ass until I grinded for a solid hour or two. Then I went back and crushed him. I'm sure there was probably some simple way to kill him, but my mind always tells me to grind in these situations.

My advice would be to try not to use grinding as a crutch. I've fought battles in FF13 where the boss totally wiped the floor with me when I had a suboptimal paradigm deck, only to have me rip them to shreds when I took a little pause to think of a better strategy. The late, late game bosses in this game are going to feel insurmountable even if you have high or max stats. That's where really knowing the paradigms is going to come into play. As I'm sure you've already noticed, buffs and debuffs are critical, not optional like in some past FFs. You have to intimately know the boss's strengths, weaknesses, and timing/characteristics of attacks. FF13 is significantly more difficult to master than most other 3D Final Fantasy games, but very rewarding of smart play. This is the part where I think Square Enix really knocked it out of the park.

I'm really going to make a push to finish the game soon. I'm very curious to see what happens.

I think you'll be pleased with how they set up the final boss. There are three forms and it's a genuine challenge. After you clear the game, you'll unlock stage 10 of the crystarium which will allow you to level up your characters even further should you wish to pursue optional superbosses.