Staggered Game Review: Final Fantasy XIII – 48 Hours In
OK – so I’m going to try something a little different here – that isn’t strictly a review. I’m going to do updates of my thoughts about the newest Final Fantasy experience as I play through, so that hopefully those of you who also got it on release day might be able to share your thoughts as we all play through together! It sounds so utopian dunnit?
Anyway, a straight up review would likely be nothing less than gushing, given my history and love for the series, so would probably be pointless. So let me know if you agree/disagree with what I’m saying as we go through it.
5 hours in:
Well the first five hours have been a bit of a thrill ride so far. even though I could have completed Call of Duty in that time, I feel like I’m still kind of in the intro. Which is amazing. There have been some truly stunning moments, and the crystal lake is one of the most epic and beautiful locales I’ve ever witnessed in a computer game.
However, I still don’t really feel like I know what’s going on. I mean, what exactly is a Fal’cie? How do Pulse Fal’cie differ from Cocoon Fal’cie? How come only certain people can occupy certain roles in battle? Why is there a chocobo living in Sazh’s head? So many unanswered questions.
I am enjoying getting to know the characters, with only Vanille’s little noises really bothering me. When she is not talking she squeaks, which I could do without. But generally the voice acting is great. And Lightning is nails.
The much-maligned linearity isn’t really bothering me to be honest, I just don’t know if there will be much replay value. I just can’t wait to get back to Snow so I can unleash the Shiva sisters!
11 Hours In
OK, so the pace has slowed quite dramatically, with the introduction of sections where Hope and Lightning are wandering arund a very repetitive and fairly boring forest, with apparently no connection to the story or any real relevance. Just a lot of Hope moaning about how he must be stronger and stuff like that.
However, I am really starting to dig the Paradigm system. There is something really satisfying about kicking off in Slash and Burn to slow the chain, switching up to Dualcasting to pump the chain to stagger, back to Slash and Burn to nail the guy and then into War and Peace to heal a bit. It’s all designed to make you feel like a master tactician. However, just as I felt I had the paradigm system under my belt, I used a summon for the first time only to find a whole new system. Balls.
18 Hours In
I’ve had to slow my pace somewhat, as my puny, battle-evading party got completely munched by a boss, and I had to level up a bit to get them there. The game seems to be opening up ever so slowly, I can now choose who is in my party, have them learn any role and use any paradigm. The linearity is starting to bite a little though, and a sidequest, or minigame or a tiny bit of exploration wouldn’t go amiss. I really hope stagnation does not set in, as I have thoroughly enjoyed what I have played so far. I am even starting to like Snow, although I do wish he would just burst into a version of Informer at some point.
34 Hours In
Ok – so I’ve had some serious WiFi issues since my last update due to a move of house so apologies for the delay in posting this.
I’ve been in Pulse for some time now and the game has indeed opened up in the way that I’ve been craving for but the sudden switch reveals some of the games most criminal flaws. The level to with the game has opened up is such a contrast of tone from the first half of the game, that it’s almost like a different game. There are missions to complete, and treasure to dig up with Chocobos. These sidequests become pretty much the focus of your attention to the point where you unsure, plot-wise, why the group are in Pulse, what they are to achieve there, and where you are to go next. So you just plump for the next mission.
The lack of a central bad guy is starting to prove a bit of a problem too. There is no shadowy threat, like a Sephiroth, Kafka or Seifer who may be lurking around the next corner. Just a massive faceless organisation that is conspiring to take down well, everyone it seems.
Having said that, I am enjoying working through the missions and they give some meaning to the levelling up that you inevitably have to do once you land on Pulse. The world of Pulse itself is pretty stunning too, with gargantuan beasts roaming the plains in the fog. We’ll see where the game goes from here. If I can tear myself away from the missions.
48 Hours In
OK, so I am in the final chapter of the game, and had the option to go into the final boss battle, but went back to Pulse instead to get back to the missions. The missions are arguably the main bit of the game, as I have now been doing them for so long, that I have pretty much forgotten what’s going on in the main story, and the characters have become merely tools that I use in my battles. It’s disappointing that it’s gone that way, and although I am enjoying the battles and the missions, Final Fantasy should be about more than that, it should be about great storytelling.
It probably didn’t help that I played Heavy Rain during my playing of FFXIII, because it made the frozen, staid JRPG style seem hugely archaic and irrelevant. I hate to say it…but I think the JRPG might be dead. Unless a game comes out in the next year or two that completely revolutionises the genre, we may have seen the glory days of the JRPG.
Very excited, i shall start it soon. Glad to hear that the linear gameplay is not bothering you. I was worried about that. I can’t help but feel that they are continuing to move away from the final fantasy style that i loved, i guess it is the natural progression.
Update on a remake of vii, they are looking into it, but claim that creating the towns in the same way, would be incredibly time consuming. I didn’t really understand the guy when he explained it, but something to do with the technology being too good. Basically he says it will happen but it may be sometime away. I kind of hope that he is being coy.
Thoughts on a remake? I am usually against them, but orchestral music and improved graphics is hard to resist. Knights of the round with xiii’s graphics may blow the mind.
Cool!
Anyone else playing the game? Where are you all and how are you finding the mechanics?
Just started it and I have to say that I’m finding the ultra arcadey feel quite hard to stomach. Still, it’s Final Fantasy so you just have to forgive it for its quirks sometimes, time will tell.
Leaky bum time.
Iam maybe ten hours in and really enjoying it. The battle system is really well constructed and means battles can seem like complete carnage, when in reality they are well in hand. The linear gameplay does worry me, i have not reached a dull point yet, but the endless paths do grate. I do miss having complete control over leveling characters. The cyrstarium is really good but leaves you limited choice. I guess you do strive to get to the next level though.
Hey Guys,
The start of the game really excited me, with the gigantic white robot fights and amazing scenery. After that, the linear nature of the set-pieces disappointed me, coupled with a lack of enemy variety. Then, the junkyard area began to really get on my nerves and i considered giving the whole dam thing up (The story and talk of L’cie and Fal’Cie wasn’t really doing it for me either).
However, i had a sudden urge to play it again, after giving it a break for a week. My friend told me to stick with it and give it time (it is a slow burner) but now, as you are saying, the Paradigm system makes you feel really in control, more so than any other Final Fantasy. I was worried about it when watching it in action on certain review websites, but actually utilising it yourself makes for good times and exciting game play.
The Summons are a little disappointing, don’t get me wrong, they look great in all but they don’t reek of devastation like Knights of the Round’s exploitation of mega sword play up in your face, or Bahamut’s ‘Mega Flare.’ I’m equally unsure of them joining you in battle, anything reminiscent of Final Fantasy X, sadly, ruins my FF experience (There’s a bit of music in FFXIII that reeks of X, one of the battle themes??)
Well, where am i at now?
I have just managed to reunite Snow, and the dynamic duo consisting of Lightning and Hope, amidst the FMV of the game so far, breathtaking. The Shiva bike is out and I’m thirsty for more…
Conclusions….?
I am loving it now that i have given it time… but still find it hard to sink my teeth into the story. Unfortunately, the inclusion of text boxes in FF1-9, and in-depth story telling through this medium always gets a detailed story across more, opposed to cut scene after cut scene of melodrama. You only get tiny snippets of information, denying any possibility of connecting to the grand scheme, or maybe 13.5 hours is just scratching the surface??
Who knows? All in all, you cannot deny the graphical stature of FFXIII, every detail in the scenery is crisp.
Let’s just see Square Enix pull this kind of of visual prowess they have now mastered, together with an open sandbox world!
6 hours in – Visually the game is incredible but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m wasting my time (an existential issue with gaming in general I suppose). The lack of choice is unbelievable, I yearn for the power to decide what route I’m going to take or how my characters will progress. What I’d give for the materia system. The introduction of paradigms is pretty clever and it’s implemented pretty seamlessly but battles seem so out of my control that I barely ever pay attention to what attacks are being used. Linear in story, battle and character, the makers deserve credit for the fact that the storyline manages to sustain such an infuriatingly pre-determined experience. Hmm, this post seems far more negative than I’d originally intended.
I agree with pretty much all your points. Arron – your point about the summons in particular. I used to love the feeling of knowing that you could just whip out a beast like KOTR at any point and pretty much end a fight. Now, Odin struggles to clean up 4-5 wee flans or something.
Still, I can’t help myself but switch it on all the time, I don’t know if it’s the infuriating knowledge that it supposedly does open up after 25-30 hours or what.
I have also found myself dying quite a lot, especially at boss fights, and that’s because I can’t be bothered fighting folk, so I generally just bolt past them, leaving me cripplingly underlevelled when it comes to big fights.
What I am enjoying is that when you do reach those big fights, the paradigm system is absolutely crucial, and you need to spend a bit of time beforehand constructing the right paradigms and using them at the right times mid-battle.
I don’t know – let’s keep going and see what we think when we are done (or have given up!)
Boss fights are unusual, i have never died so many times before in ff games. However suddenly it seems to click as you discover the correct tactic and paradigm combination to win. It can almost be made quite easy, although still time consuming due to the masses of HP some of the bosses have.
I agree steve, i can’t help but turn it on and play as much as i can. Even though alot of my time is spent fighting folk. It is only through bad prior experience i try not to skip battles. But i can’t stop playing.
I like to think the summons will become really important but it does not seem that way. So far the summons just seem like a chance to throw in smart visuals and slightly unique battles. Maybe they become super powerful later, but the days of KotR seem long gone.
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