Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Still looks like shit! I hope Nintendo releases Bravely Default the same day and it outsells this

and Square Enix executives crrrryyyyy and insist they're going to improve the company by continuing the tactics that got them where they are

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Finch

Bravely Default

---

Why wasn't I told about this!

I made a thread about it and posted an English-translation video a bit down!

http://www.the-nextlevel.com/tnl/thr...ravely-Default

buraveree defaurutsu

http://kotaku.com/lightning-returns-...k-so-514945566

Quote:

---

"If I were to describe the gameplay," said Yoshinori Kitase, producer of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII said, "I'd say that there are some elements [in Lightning Returns] with the severity of [a game like] Dark Souls."

---

Quote:

---

In an interview with Weekly Famitsu, Kitase and director Motomu Toriyama said that there are a limited number of slots for items you can carry in the game which adds an element of inventory management. Also, combat does not yield experience points or money, so while you can go to inns to heal up, you might not want to resort to that option unless you really need it. Said Toriyama, "Thinking economically is very important in this game!"

So, not only will the world end in a limited time – during which you have to run around and fight alone against monsters and former allies – but you also have to watch your purse strings and how much you can carry? Is this Final Fantasy or Resident Evil?

Oh, and that time limit of thirteen days? You actually start out with only seven, but can extend it up to thirteen days by completing missions.

Currently, the game has been completed to the point where it is possible to play from beginning to end and the developers are tweaking the game balance.

---

http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-conte...j-laughing.gif

This is the gaming equivalent of my Warren Moon flow chart:

Japan? Yes
RPG? No
Mikami? No
Pass

edit: In all seriousness though, SE has bought themselves a second look from me with their amazing western PC versions.

Sounds good to me.

I'm sure making a Dark Souls comparison will give people the wrong idea, but the details mentioned sound pretty cool.

Quote:

---

Is this Final Fantasy or Resident Evil?

---

Really? RPGs have a long history of limited inventories and funds and the first thing this idiot goes for is a completely different genre? Oh Kotaku, never change.

Resident Evil: Majora's Mask

All of this sounds fine to me. The game still looks like shit and i'm still expecting it to be Not Great, but that's because it's New Square Enix, not because of limited inventory.

I don't even get the Dark Souls comparison (save for "people love Dark Souls"). Inventory space and time limits? Isn't that more like Dead Rising?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tain

I don't even get the Dark Souls comparison (save for "people love Dark Souls"). Inventory space and time limits? Isn't that more like Dead Rising?

---

He said it would be more punishing than previous entries, to be closer to a game such as Dark Souls. Not that it would play similar.

This is what I meant by the statement confusing people.

Dark Souls is the only difficult video game ever

To bratlings hyping it up across the interwebs it probably is. That's what happened with Monster Hunter. All these little kids were like, "Oh, crap. Games can be hard?!" Then rode its nuts like they were waiting for chicks to hatch out because it was the first video game to ever give them a sense of reward and satisfaction. Never mind MH is mostly pants.

Lightning Returns will be like Dark Souls plus Uncharted plus Angry Birds times Call of Duty to the power of whatever else is cool these days.

What was the last legitimately difficult Final Fantasy? The proper version of IV?

from magic box.

Quote:

---

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII character designer Nobuhiro Goto confirmed with Famitsu that with Lightning's increase cup size, she will be able to "jiggle" when she wears certain types of costumes; such as the ones that exposes her l'Cie mark on the chest. Note that Japanese D cup is equivalent to C cup in North America.

---

Well my interest has increased.

Never heard of dick rigidity being called interest.

Boob physics is important. It's probably a 300 level class in game school.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Some Stupid Japanese Name

from magic box.


Well my interest has increased.

---

day one

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by No One

What was the last legitimately difficult Final Fantasy? The proper version of IV?

---

Some of 12's hunts are borderline madness.

The demo is up. I really like the battle system.

I've heard a lot of good things about it, and that it's a pretty goofy game overall. I'll pick it up whenever I get around to finishing the second one.

I liked the battle system too, I had no idea what was going on with the story but as always with SE games top notch presentation.

I have the first two on PS3 so I'll most likely get this on that platform as well but I have to get through those first.

I just bought the 2nd one because it was like $6 and I had $1.51 for whatever reason in my MS Account. By the time I finish that, this one should be bargain binned out.

That's basically my thought process.

i'll buy it one day, but Bravely Default coming before it makes buying it right away not at all necessary. as slightly interested as i am and as unlikely as it is, i still hope Bravely Credit Swap Default spanks Lightning's butt (◡ ᴗ ◡ ✿)
note to SE, please make a game about spanking the butts of Final Fantasy characters

FFX/X-2 HD spanked Lightning's butt in japan. Imagine that means FFXII HD and mebbe Crisis Core HD at some point.

Hoping/praying Bravely Default does well in NA.

All the Bravest to it

Bravely Default looks awesome, but the battle system in this game really feels like something special, at least from the demo.

Yeah, it seems a shame that this new game looks to be doing a bunch of good stuff but is getting overlooked for a remake of a shitty game.

Yet not surprising.

i played the demo and wow is this some silly shit

i can appreciate that. maybe i'll get it after all

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Finch

It's because the Square side of Square Enix is the type of company that announces the announcement for a non-existent Final Fantasy while they already have 3 Final Fantasy games being made: the third game in a series that no one cares for (that really looks awful), an update to a game that received the worst reaction in the series since Westerners figured out how to play FFII, and a game that no one really believes actually exists. And then they cry about how hard it is to succeed with console games and how iOS games more profitable, so they release "All the Bravest", a game that could appropriately described as "shitting on the biggest fans of the series".

---

wow a year ago

FFXIV: The New Version is a nice looking thing i wish i had the time for
FFXIII Versus is FFXV is real
And Lightning Returns is so stupid it might actually be good. If FFXV takes a journey to silius i might be able to get into that too...

as much as i hate Square-Enix recently, there are actually THREE SE games coming out this year that i'm looking forward to now, and only one of those has "Final Fantasy" in the name. I still don't like the new guy, but maybe FFXIV was really the plug that stopped up the works and this new era will bring some actually good stuff.

I like the XIII games. Obviously they are a radical departure from the old games, but you can get into a good flow with them. The battle system is good, etc.

I'll check this out at some point. I wish there was a XO/PS4/PC version though.

I would say I'm sure there will be, but I think they said they're done with that engine and none of the others have been ported to at least PC.

I played through the demo and found the battle system to be interesting, although I didn't completely get the hang of staggering enemies in that short experience. I liked the battle system of XIII a fair amount, I thought it was fun and worked well, and I'm still leery if this new system will measure up.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Andrew

I don't care about Lightning and her stupid friends and their stupid made up vocabulary. This makes, what, 6 years since we've had a new Final Fantasy worthy of the name. And counting.

I hope it fails miserably. But it won't. And I'll be part of the problem.



Don't. Give. Them. Ideas.

VI is the best of the series, and it's made better by the fact that it hasn't been whored out ad nauseam. Aside from the revised text in the GBA port, Square Enix hasn't messed with perfection--a rare and respectable show of restraint. If you want to play VI, you can play it as it was meant to be played on any number of machines.

---

WHAT HAVE I DONE?!

Yeah I knew it was a matter of time until they tarnished the grail. What makes it even sadder is the amount of people I've seen defend that horrible Android port of the game. I'll bet you anything those are the same people that like Kingdom Hearts a little *too* much.

Also Homestuck.

Fucking Homestuck...

I've seen a bunch of homestruck.and.still have no idea what it is?

It's in your best interest to keep it that way.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Diff-chan

I like the XIII games. Obviously they are a radical departure from the old games, but you can get into a good flow with them. The battle system is good, etc.

---

I didn't hate FF13 for its linearity, thought the story was okay, the characters weren't as terribad as something out of FFX, but the combat...? I abhor the combat in the series. Hit Auto to win, switch Roles when you need to, hit Auto some more. Hope that you brought in the right role sets before you get in a fight. Only Ravager, Commando, and Medic matter. This approach took me through the entire game, and I only had to retry 2 bosses toward the end. I know some people say that the Gran Pulse side hunt whatevers are challenging, but that's like saying, "play this system that feels ridiculous and chaotic (not in a good way) for about 30 hours, THEN you'll see how it's really a strategic thing"

(It also bothers me that FF13 is hailed as having great combat when it's only FF12 But Much Worse, and FF fans hated 12.)

I was really interested in Lightning Returns because it seemed the same bombastic, stupid, absolutely ridiculous nonsense of FF13-2 with none of the broken combat. I tried the demo am now really turned off to it. They were playing up that it was more action oriented, but in fights you move incredibly slow and have zero mobility that doesn't eat at the ATB. So it's like Final Fantasy 13: The Edition Where You Hit Buttons Instead of Auto But Its Basically the Same Thing

Realistically, I played the other two so I'm sure I'll get this when it's like $10 but...am I missing something? Is there a really good action game in the demo that I couldn't coax out?

Yeah given how much they've talked up the battles I expected something more free form so I was a bit disappointed on that end. Seems kind of shallow with the whole costume switch system but hopefully the demo isn't "What you see is only what you get".

Still, I had a good time with the demo nevertheless.

Sorry hero you missed everything you probably shouldn't play it because you're playing in a weird universe where FFXIII has bad combat

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hero

I didn't hate FF13 for its linearity, thought the story was okay, the characters weren't as terribad as something out of FFX, but the combat...? I abhor the combat in the series. Hit Auto to win, switch Roles when you need to, hit Auto some more. Hope that you brought in the right role sets before you get in a fight. Only Ravager, Commando, and Medic matter. This approach took me through the entire game, and I only had to retry 2 bosses toward the end. I know some people say that the Gran Pulse side hunt whatevers are challenging, but that's like saying, "play this system that feels ridiculous and chaotic (not in a good way) for about 30 hours, THEN you'll see how it's really a strategic thing"

(It also bothers me that FF13 is hailed as having great combat when it's only FF12 But Much Worse, and FF fans hated 12.)

I was really interested in Lightning Returns because it seemed the same bombastic, stupid, absolutely ridiculous nonsense of FF13-2 with none of the broken combat. I tried the demo am now really turned off to it. They were playing up that it was more action oriented, but in fights you move incredibly slow and have zero mobility that doesn't eat at the ATB. So it's like Final Fantasy 13: The Edition Where You Hit Buttons Instead of Auto But Its Basically the Same Thing

Realistically, I played the other two so I'm sure I'll get this when it's like $10 but...am I missing something? Is there a really good action game in the demo that I couldn't coax out?

---

If you're hitting Auto in every battle you aren't really playing the game. Just saying.

Also the Sentinel role is very useful, and was a major part of my strategy in both games so far.

Really looking forward to Lighting Returns.

All I know is that when I was playing, Auto beat queuing up commands 95% of the time. In combat, the time it would take me to pick the abilities I want, I'd eat hits or have the positions of enemies change and require redoing those commands. Whereas with Auto, it would pick pretty much the same skills I was going to anyway, and instantly.

I guess Sentinel works when you need to pull aggro from other players, but that also means you lose 1/3 of your stagger potential. Getting 5 stars for me has almost always relied on just hammering down on enemies til they stagger, and then obliterate them. Which makes Auto even more vital - if I wanted to keep the stagger bar up, it meant pulling off attacks as fast as possible. No room for strategy, just hit Auto because it'll guess right nearly every time.

The story & characters weren't that bad but you hated the combat?

You're weird.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hero

I guess Sentinel works when you need to pull aggro from other players, but that also means you lose 1/3 of your stagger potential. Getting 5 stars for me has almost always relied on just hammering down on enemies til they stagger, and then obliterate them. Which makes Auto even more vital - if I wanted to keep the stagger bar up, it meant pulling off attacks as fast as possible. No room for strategy, just hit Auto because it'll guess right nearly every time.

---

1. Auto only "guesses right" if you've done the attacks that stagger already (hence why Libra is important).
2. It's much easier to keep the stagger bar up if you're doing the right attacks

He's not wrong though, I did auto battle the whole time and got 5 stars on the boss at the end of the demo.

Edit: Wait, maybe I did auto after stagger. That must have been it.

I want that to be real...

That is pretty cool.

I can't even follow the recap. So the cops knew internal affairs was setting them up?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hero

All I know is that when I was playing, Auto beat queuing up commands 95% of the time. In combat, the time it would take me to pick the abilities I want, I'd eat hits or have the positions of enemies change and require redoing those commands. Whereas with Auto, it would pick pretty much the same skills I was going to anyway, and instantly.

I guess Sentinel works when you need to pull aggro from other players, but that also means you lose 1/3 of your stagger potential. Getting 5 stars for me has almost always relied on just hammering down on enemies til they stagger, and then obliterate them. Which makes Auto even more vital - if I wanted to keep the stagger bar up, it meant pulling off attacks as fast as possible. No room for strategy, just hit Auto because it'll guess right nearly every time.

---

I also used Synergist and Saboteur a lot in FXIII. But in FXII-2 they weren't nearly as useful.

Using Sentinel, while other chars are in Syn/Sab/Medic is very very useful. You can also have a strong Sent to absorb all attacks while the other 2 chars are in Rav to build Stagger.

Auto might work, but I had more fun messing around with the possibilities.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Finch

I want that to be real...

---

I would totally play this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FirstBlood

The story & characters weren't that bad but you hated the combat?

You're weird.

---

As far as current SE goes, yeah, the story isn't nearly as awful as I've seen in the past (I'm thinking FFX specifically but yeah). I ain't saying it's Top 10 Game Stories of All Time but...then again I'd play a game with an awful/no story if the mechanics were compelling.

Hot

The Japanese voice-over DLC is free until February 25th:

PS3
Xbox 360

Also, a mini-guide courtesy of Amazon that looks to be an informative instruction manual.