Director: Final Fantasy XIII Criticism 'Was Fair'

[QUOTE="NeonNinja"]

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

Well, for the 1st half of the game it's more about making due with sets of 2. Ie. making do with just ravagers (Sazh and Vanille), etc. The 1st half of the game provides scenarios that the 2nd doens't because of the limited party.

With the 2nd half of the game, employing buffing and/or debuffing is a must. It's more simple than switching between simply switching between attacking and healing, because of the break gauge. If you stop to heal, you can lose or fail to make use of the progress you've made.

Throughout the game I definitely employed different strategies for different enemies and that's why I enjoyed it.

hakanakumono

That's true, though I personally felt that combat flowed better with a 3 man team.

I agree. But if the game had been a 3 person team throughout, it truly would have been redundant. Square's next step should be to expand upon the system, but I don't think QTEs are the means of doing that ...

Yeah, I'm a bit iffy on XIII-2 at the moment. The QTEs are kind of off-putting. Still, hopefully they don't detract from the experience and we'll see how they try to improve the combat.

[QUOTE="musalala"]

[QUOTE="IcyFlamez96"]What did you guys not like about the story? You didnt like the actual plot or you just didnt like the wat it was presented and how everything was in the data logs? The story itself was one of my favorite stories in videogames, well at least until the end. The end was kinda whack, they just rushed it. But the plot was definitely very creative,finalfantasy94

A combination the dialogue was embarassinlgy bad to the point of nausea, the characters were poorly fleshed out and unlikeable, the plot was poorly paced and poorly told.I Think they spent waaay to much time on the visuals to the detriment of everything else

The only character that came off unlikeable to me was vanile and even then it was less on her and more of her voice I didint care for. I really enjoyed lighting. I thought she was a good female main character.

snow vanille and hope, the holy trinty..I am not ashemd to say that I secreatly held a burning desire for all 3 to die.

[QUOTE="IcyFlamez96"]What did you guys not like about the story? You didnt like the actual plot or you just didnt like the wat it was presented and how everything was in the data logs? The story itself was one of my favorite stories in videogames, well at least until the end. The end was kinda whack, they just rushed it. But the plot was definitely very creative,musalala

A combination the dialogue was embarassinlgy bad to the point of nausea, the characters were poorly fleshed out and unlikeable, the plot was poorly paced and poorly told.I Think they spent waaay to much time on the visuals to the detriment of everything else

It's not like the writers work on the graphics.

The problems with the story are a combination of bad direction, bad writing, and a bad translation. The translation in this game is bad to the point of being disingenous.

[QUOTE="finalfantasy94"]

[QUOTE="musalala"]

A combination the dialogue was embarassinlgy bad to the point of nausea, the characters were poorly fleshed out and unlikeable, the plot was poorly paced and poorly told.I Think they spent waaay to much time on the visuals to the detriment of everything else

musalala

The only character that came off unlikeable to me was vanile and even then it was less on her and more of her voice I didint care for. I really enjoyed lighting. I thought she was a good female main character.

snow vanille and hope, the holy trinty..I am not ashemd to say that I secreatly held a burning desire for all 3 to die.

I can understand of wanting a character to die in a game iv felt it to,but I just dont agree this time around.

[QUOTE="musalala"]

[QUOTE="IcyFlamez96"]What did you guys not like about the story? You didnt like the actual plot or you just didnt like the wat it was presented and how everything was in the data logs? The story itself was one of my favorite stories in videogames, well at least until the end. The end was kinda whack, they just rushed it. But the plot was definitely very creative,finalfantasy94

A combination the dialogue was embarassinlgy bad to the point of nausea, the characters were poorly fleshed out and unlikeable, the plot was poorly paced and poorly told.I Think they spent waaay to much time on the visuals to the detriment of everything else

The only character that came off unlikeable to me was vanile and even then it was less on her and more of her voice I didint care for. I really enjoyed lighting. I thought she was a good female main character.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

[QUOTE="NeonNinja"]

That's true, though I personally felt that combat flowed better with a 3 man team.

NeonNinja

I agree. But if the game had been a 3 person team throughout, it truly would have been redundant. Square's next step should be to expand upon the system, but I don't think QTEs are the means of doing that ...

Yeah, I'm a bit iffy on XIII-2 at the moment. The QTEs are kind of off-putting. Still, hopefully they don't detract from the experience and we'll see how they try to improve the combat.

I see FFXIII-2 as FFX-2 all over again - except this time people are asking for the gameplay to play out like FFX-2. It will probably be a collection of boring quests more than anything. It'll be "nonlinear" with "options," none of which will be compelling.

[QUOTE="finalfantasy94"]

[QUOTE="musalala"]

A combination the dialogue was embarassinlgy bad to the point of nausea, the characters were poorly fleshed out and unlikeable, the plot was poorly paced and poorly told.I Think they spent waaay to much time on the visuals to the detriment of everything else

IcyFlamez96

The only character that came off unlikeable to me was vanile and even then it was less on her and more of her voice I didint care for. I really enjoyed lighting. I thought she was a good female main character.

Voices wouldn't be so bad if they could just get decent voice direction. There is no reason the English VAs shouldn't be able to match their Japanese counterparts.

[QUOTE="finalfantasy94"]

[QUOTE="musalala"]

A combination the dialogue was embarassinlgy bad to the point of nausea, the characters were poorly fleshed out and unlikeable, the plot was poorly paced and poorly told.I Think they spent waaay to much time on the visuals to the detriment of everything else

IcyFlamez96

The only character that came off unlikeable to me was vanile and even then it was less on her and more of her voice I didint care for. I really enjoyed lighting. I thought she was a good female main character.

Fang was actually the best too bad she had very little screen time, Sazh was your stereotypical black guy there to crack jokes and they even gave him a gun :roll: really didnt like him at all. Lightning was saved by the voice actor ( who also played Liara from mass effcet) but she was pretty crap.

[QUOTE="IcyFlamez96"][QUOTE="finalfantasy94"]

The only character that came off unlikeable to me was vanile and even then it was less on her and more of her voice I didint care for. I really enjoyed lighting. I thought she was a good female main character.

FPSfan1985

Voices wouldn't be so bad if they could just get decent voice direction. There is no reason the English VAs shouldn't be able to match their Japanese counterparts.

hakanakumono

this a thousand times!!!!!! It was like watching anime in english...so so bad. Star ocean on the ps 3 was saved and made playable when they added the Japanese VA

[QUOTE="FPSfan1985"][QUOTE="IcyFlamez96"] Lightning was tight Snow was Okay Sazh was kinda tight Hope was a well developed character but I didnt think much of him Vanille was annoying Fang was good. Of course thats my opinion but the pacing of the story was fine until the end. And sooo many videogames have bad dialogue that IDK why people complain about that. Especially in an FF game.....IcyFlamez96

[QUOTE="IcyFlamez96"][QUOTE="finalfantasy94"]

The only character that came off unlikeable to me was vanile and even then it was less on her and more of her voice I didint care for. I really enjoyed lighting. I thought she was a good female main character.

musalala

Fang was actually the best too bad she had very little screen time, Sazh was your stereotypical black guy there to crack jokes and they even gave him a gun :roll: really didnt like him at all. Lightning was saved by the voice actor ( who also played Liara from mass effcet) but she was pretty crap.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

Voices wouldn't be so bad if they could just get decent voice direction. There is no reason the English VAs shouldn't be able to match their Japanese counterparts.

musalala

this a thousand times!!!!!! It was like watching anime in english...so so bad. Star ocean on the ps 3 was saved and made playable when they added the Japanese VA

[QUOTE="IcyFlamez96"][QUOTE="finalfantasy94"]

The only character that came off unlikeable to me was vanile and even then it was less on her and more of her voice I didint care for. I really enjoyed lighting. I thought she was a good female main character.

musalala

Fang was actually the best too bad she had very little screen time, Sazh was your stereotypical black guy there to crack jokes and they even gave him a gun :roll: really didnt like him at all. Lightning was saved by the voice actor ( who also played Liara from mass effcet) but she was pretty crap.

I did not feel this way at all. Sazh is first and foremost a father in the storyline, and that is definitely not the "black guy" stereotype. Sazh isn't even the comic relief. That would be Vanille. His prerelease novel is the strongest out of them all and he is treated in terms that the Japanese can identify with.

[QUOTE="IcyFlamez96"][QUOTE="finalfantasy94"]

The only character that came off unlikeable to me was vanile and even then it was less on her and more of her voice I didint care for. I really enjoyed lighting. I thought she was a good female main character.

musalala

Fang was actually the best too bad she had very little screen time, Sazh was your stereotypical black guy there to crack jokes and they even gave him a gun :roll: really didnt like him at all. Lightning was saved by the voice actor ( who also played Liara from mass effcet) but she was pretty crap.

[QUOTE="musalala"]

[QUOTE="IcyFlamez96"] Lightning was tight Snow was Okay Sazh was kinda tight Hope was a well developed character but I didnt think much of him Vanille was annoying Fang was good. Of course thats my opinion but the pacing of the story was fine until the end. And sooo many videogames have bad dialogue that IDK why people complain about that. Especially in an FF game.....IcyFlamez96

Fang was actually the best too bad she had very little screen time, Sazh was your stereotypical black guy there to crack jokes and they even gave him a gun :roll: really didnt like him at all. Lightning was saved by the voice actor ( who also played Liara from mass effcet) but she was pretty crap.

You knoiw the joke about the token black guy, the guy in teen movies who is there for the lulz but doesn"t really do much Sazh is basically like that, Though near the end he did become beter with his whole saving my son story.But the afro the whole jive talk was very very streotypical.

Yeah, that explanation just doesn't work with me. The game was practically over story wise by the time you could do everything, and you spent far too much time in early section for no particularly good reason. Hell, my first run through I spent multiple hours BEFORE I COULD EVEN LEVEL UP!! WTF is that *bleep*?! I ended up still finding some enjoyment out of it, but pacing was atrocious, arguably the worst I have ever experienced in a game.DerekLoffin

[QUOTE="DerekLoffin"]Yeah, that explanation just doesn't work with me. The game was practically over story wise by the time you could do everything, and you spent far too much time in early section for no particularly good reason. Hell, my first run through I spent multiple hours BEFORE I COULD EVEN LEVEL UP!! WTF is that *bleep*?! I ended up still finding some enjoyment out of it, but pacing was atrocious, arguably the worst I have ever experienced in a game.IcyFlamez96

I"m still confused about the ending...how did vanille and Fang do their thing if it can only be triggered by despair? and how did they unzombiefy themsleves ?

[QUOTE="IcyFlamez96"][QUOTE="DerekLoffin"]Yeah, that explanation just doesn't work with me. The game was practically over story wise by the time you could do everything, and you spent far too much time in early section for no particularly good reason. Hell, my first run through I spent multiple hours BEFORE I COULD EVEN LEVEL UP!! WTF is that *bleep*?! I ended up still finding some enjoyment out of it, but pacing was atrocious, arguably the worst I have ever experienced in a game.musalala

I"m still confused about the ending...how did vanille and Fang do their thing if it can only be triggered by despair? and how did they unzombiefy themsleves ?

The game wasn't terrible, but it wasn't the best in the series either.....
text

yoshi_64

I completely agree, well said.

[QUOTE="DerekLoffin"]Yeah, that explanation just doesn't work with me. The game was practically over story wise by the time you could do everything, and you spent far too much time in early section for no particularly good reason. Hell, my first run through I spent multiple hours BEFORE I COULD EVEN LEVEL UP!! WTF is that *bleep*?! I ended up still finding some enjoyment out of it, but pacing was atrocious, arguably the worst I have ever experienced in a game.IcyFlamez96

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

Voices wouldn't be so bad if they could just get decent voice direction. There is no reason the English VAs shouldn't be able to match their Japanese counterparts.

musalala

this a thousand times!!!!!! It was like watching anime in english...so so bad. Star ocean on the ps 3 was saved and made playable when they added the Japanese VA

I heard some of the VO in so4 mainly a vid from an angle chick and dear sweet jebus my ears.

[QUOTE="musalala"]

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

Voices wouldn't be so bad if they could just get decent voice direction. There is no reason the English VAs shouldn't be able to match their Japanese counterparts.

finalfantasy94

this a thousand times!!!!!! It was like watching anime in english...so so bad. Star ocean on the ps 3 was saved and made playable when they added the Japanese VA

I heard some of the VO in so4 mainly a vid from an angle chick and dear sweet jebus my ears.

I have avoided Star Ocean 4 because of the voices.

[QUOTE="musalala"]

I"m still confused about the ending...how did vanille and Fang do their thing if it can only be triggered by despair? and how did they unzombiefy themsleves ?

IcyFlamez96

[QUOTE="IcyFlamez96"][QUOTE="finalfantasy94"]

The only character that came off unlikeable to me was vanile and even then it was less on her and more of her voice I didint care for. I really enjoyed lighting. I thought she was a good female main character.

FPSfan1985

No I dont. Games evolve. Theres no reason to go back. The only way I can accept no voice acting is if the devloper making it doesint have much funds for it. Im still annoyed LOZ has evoled in this way. Im not even asking link to talk but everyone els would be nice. Especially since when they open thier mouth its like a muppet and totaly kills it for me.

The ending was a matter of viewing things in a different light. Ragnarok was simply a very powerful beast that L'Cie could become. It was only seen as a destructive, negative force, so that's the light in which they viewed it. In the end they were able to see the broader picture and utiize Ragnarok as a force of creation through its destructive power. I wouldn't say the game was about "teamwork' or anything like that. It was about how people can be crippled by their thought processes. A big element in the story is Xenophobia and even general fear of what one doesn't understand.

As for the decrystalizationof the party, that's said to be the influence of a Goddess that is largely absent in the story. She's one of the gods in the game. The problem is the gods were collectively translated as "The Maker" in the English ver for god knows what reason.

The ending was a matter of viewing things in a different light. Ragnarok was simply a very powerful beast that L'Cie could become. It was only seen as a destructive, negative force, so that's the light in which they viewed it. In the end they were able to see the broader picture and utiize Ragnarok as a force of creation through its destructive power. I wouldn't say the game was about "teamwork' or anything like that. It was about how people can be crippled by their thought processes. A big element in the story is Xenophobia and even general fear of what one doesn't understand.

As for the decrystalizationof the party, that's said to be the influence of a Goddess that is largely absent in the story. She's one of the gods in the game. The problem is the gods were collectively translated as "The Maker" in the English ver for god knows what reason.

hakanakumono

Very convienient expalanations we spend the entirety of the game being told despair is the only way to trigger Ragnorok then poof quick as you please its not, not to mention being a zomie was like their most terrefying thing to become in the whole game and they were racing against time and then again poof all of a sudden its no biggie the Goddess will fix everything. very very poor story telling right here

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

The ending was a matter of viewing things in a different light. Ragnarok was simply a very powerful beast that L'Cie could become. It was only seen as a destructive, negative force, so that's the light in which they viewed it. In the end they were able to see the broader picture and utiize Ragnarok as a force of creation through its destructive power. I wouldn't say the game was about "teamwork' or anything like that. It was about how people can be crippled by their thought processes. A big element in the story is Xenophobia and even general fear of what one doesn't understand.

As for the decrystalizationof the party, that's said to be the influence of a Goddess that is largely absent in the story. She's one of the gods in the game. The problem is the gods were collectively translated as "The Maker" in the English ver for god knows what reason.

musalala

Very convienient expalanations we spend the entirety of the game being told despair is the only way to trigger Ragnorok then poof quick as you please its not, not to mention being a zomie was like their most terrefying thing to become in the whole game and they were racing against time and then again poof all of a sudden its no biggie the Goddess will fix everything. very very poor story telling right here

Well, I would agree with criticism of the position of Etro in the story, who I do not even believe is mentioned in dialogue.

But as for Ragnarok, that's sort of the point. I don't recall the game making any requirements for Ragnarok to be activated (especially when becoming Ragnarok was a duty to the Fang and Vanille who were tasked with destroying Cocoon, which would have been out of conviction). However, we are told throught the game that Ragnarok is a destructive entity that is tasked with destroying Cocoon. But just because a game tells you something doens't mean it is true. The information that you're receiving throughout the game is twisted to fit a certain interpretation. This is intentional. The truth is that Ragnarok didn't change to fit the ending. The party's perception of Ragnarok changed to allow for the ending. This is why we were only given privy to perceptions of Ragnarok, but were never allowed to see Ragnarok itself until the very end.

Without Etro, Ragnarok would have supported Cocoon via a stone pillar, but because of Etro's influence it became crystal. Perhaps because there is an actual god involved, this should have been allowed to happen. But there is no excuse for the absence of Etro in the story up until that point.

I would really like a director's cut of FFXIII. FFXIII's story does have a lot of problems (mostly an inability to provide any concrete set of rules which we can cling to), but not everything in its story was handled terribly.

Paradigm Shifts. So complex, we're forcing you to play a 20 hour tutorial. Merex760

Are Fang and Vanille a couple? serious question.Dibdibdobdobo

PR *you didn't like 13? Well imagine that: it was just the tutorial for 13-2, please please buy our our next game*

[QUOTE="Dibdibdobdobo"]Are Fang and Vanille a couple? serious question.SaudiFury

Combat and Graphics were outstanding, story, not so much.gamebreakerz__

Combat and Graphics were outstanding, story, not so much.gamebreakerz__

Artistically the game is great, but combat? I kid you not I play this game while eating. I don't even need to hold the controller, seriously.

[QUOTE="Dibdibdobdobo"]Are Fang and Vanille a couple? serious question.SaudiFury

XIII has flaws, but its still a fantastic game, cant wait for XIII-2 and Versus.

The very fact that they said this means that deep down it was a mistake.

Combat and Graphics were outstanding, story, not so much.gamebreakerz__

Previous Final Fantays were far more complex in gameplay mechnaics.

JangoWuzHere

Not a single final fantasy would I describe as complex.... FFXIII comes the closest though