Why I LOVE FFXIII :)

Yes it's true, I have to admit that I am totally hooked on this game:twisted: Besides a few minor issues, it is IMO, a revolutionary jrpg.

I must first say though that I have the Asian version which of course is only in Japanese, with 99% of the menu in Japanese as well. I have been studying and know a tiny bit of the language and can read a little of it. So I decided that I would play the game mainly for the battle system for now. I plan to learn Japanese so that I can later play the game and get the full story experience.

So thus far I have pretty much skipped all cut-scenes and have only really played the battle system. This review will basically be about the battle system and the gorgeous graphics;)

I will start by saying that I like change and FFXIII represents lots of change from the standard jrpg(including previous FF games). I know there have been some complaints about the game, but I give credit to the devs for taking a lot of risks in order to make something fresh and new.

On a side note: Some of the (negative)changes seem to have been made in order to make the game work on multi-discs on 360, but that is a whole other issue that I will probably make another topic about later:?

So, onto the game:)

I know you've all heard about the compaints so I will address those first.

The game is quite linear for the first half or so which I did notice, but it didn't bother me too much. And yes, you do not get to choose your party for most of the game, but it seems obvious to me that the decision was made because your characters are constantly splitting up into groups of 2 or 3 people to achieve goals within the context of the story. You also only have direct control over one pre-chosen party leader in battle, although you do somewhat control all the members with the Optima system(called Paradigm shift in the US and UE version).  

You CAN avoid enemies(which I have done alot) so rest assured on that one, although you can't flee a battle.

I also heard complaints about there being very few different weapons and accesories available? Huh? I have come across so many different weapons, accesories and raw materials to alter the items with it's ridiculous. For those of you who love to collect all kinds of crap, it's there. And you can make more crap by combining raw materials with your current crap:P

One odd thing that does bother me is that if your party leader dies, it's game over. It's not too annoying, but I really don't understand why the other characters couldn't throw you a phoenix down? It would also have been nice to be able too switch the party leader(controlled character) during battle. This wasn't much of a problem for me, but they are odd design decisions:|

And LOL at those who complain about not being able to level up. It is REALLY obvious to me that the Crystalium system is a way of leveling up. It just doesn't have the usual 1-99 label that we're used to. As you progress you raise your characters max HP, attack power, magic power, etc. Sound familiar???

And I've heard that there is no strategy and all you do is attack until the battle ends??? WTF? Are we playing the same game? I could type a 20-page article about the strategy of the battle system! 

OK, so now that that's out of the way..........................

I can tell you that even after playing MGS4, Killzone, and Uncharted......FFXIII is freakin beautiful:oops: I mean the detail in every level is amazing and some environments are very vibrant and HUGE. The lighting, vibrant color, and sharp contrast are superb. Each environment looks amazing until you see the next one that looks even better! And the environments are so diverse. Probably the most memorable scene so far takes place on the outer docking platform of a massive airship in flight. You can see endless sky, clouds, and other airships in all directions. The way the wind blows and the realistic sunlight blasting through the clouds as you fight many enemies in this enormous area is so exilarating!(think Cloud City from Empire Strikes Back) Also one of the graphic highlights is the chocobos??? Seriously, they are so detailed and lifelike, it's almost kind of creepy:shock:

So in short, the game is GORGEOUS.

Also the music is superb. I know it's not Uematsu, but every single track I've heard has been great. It'a a good variety from piano, orchestra, techno, and even some really cool jazz that even plays during battle!

I am seriously just blown away with the production value of this game. If I didn't know better, I'd assume it had a budget as big as Avatar:shock:

But how does it play???

IMHO I can tell you that the battle system is hands down, the best(and most fun) rpg battle system I have ever played:D(fyi, I have played FF VII,VIII,IX, and XII). I am not joking. I have no idea what some of these other people are talking about. They either didn't play the game for more than 10 minutes, or they just plain didn't get it(maybe this is the problem when people import a game and can't read the menu, LOL):P

In short, the battle system is fast, frantic, engaging, and filled with TONS of strategy options. The ATB system is revolutionary and makes battles very dynamic. The Optima change system is also a great addition and works wonderfully. At first, like any rpg that attempts to brake the mold, the system will take a little getting used to. Once I got the hang of it, it became extremely fun, at many times challenging, and always very rewarding! Sometimes the battles get so hectic I don't even know what to do:o and that's a good thing. I also notice that a spectator such as a friend (or maybe even a girlfriend) can really become drawn in because of the pace of the battles(and the visuals don't hurt either).

The ATB gauge works by allowing you to chain multiple commands(you start with 2 slots and can upgrade to 4 slots as you progress). I will try to explain as best I can as there are many dynamics to the strategy of using it. When you have 3 slots, you can sort through the menu to load up the commands as the time bar fills. You could for example add attack for all 3, or you could add attack, and blitz(which is a powerful attack on multiple enemies and uses 2 slots) or 3 different commands, etc. You also can, at any time, decide to execute the first 1 or 2 commands right away if the time bar is not full(by pressing traingle). Sometimes in a pinch, you will NEED to:) You can also cancel commands and add new ones as battle conditions change! I love this feature:) There's nothing worse than casting cure on an ally, only to watch them die while your gauge filled and not be able to change your mind and throw a phoenix down instead:evil:

Also every enemy has what's called a break gauge which when filled up, the enemy will take more damage and have a hard time fighting back. The dynamic of this is that the break gauge fills fast AND drops fast from magic attacks, but fills slow AND drops slow from physical attacks. A great strategy is to use at least one Blaster and one Attacker in conjunction to wail on a single enemy and "break" them, then you can launch them into the air and attack like crazy! 

I could go on and on about all the great ways to use the ATB gauge, but I don't want to spoil averything now;) I think that it's and amazing addition that allows great variety in the players strategy and it's very fun to use during these hectic battles.

The Optima system is also very nicely done. The way it works is that all characters during a battle are assigned one of 6 roles during battle. They are as follows:

Attacker: character uses mainly physical attacks

Blaster: character uses mainly magic attacks

Healer: character heals and cures party

Enhancer: character buffs party members with bravery, haste, etc.

Jammer: character casts ailments on enemies such as slow, poison, etc.

Defender: character acts as a "tank" taunting the enemy to focus on him or her

The way this works is that each character starts out with 3(later in the game each character can do all 6) of these roles and the abilities that go with it. During battle each character can only use their specific abilities, BUT you can switch(optima change) all the characters to different combinations of abilities anytime during battle. You decide in the menu before battle, the combination of characters roles. You can choose up to 6 different combinations. I know this sounds confusing so here's an example:

Let's say I set up Lighting, Snow, and Vanille with these 6 different combinations:

   Lightning  /   Snow   /  Vanille

1) Attacker  /  Blaster  /  Healer 

2) Blaster   / Enhancer /  Jammer

3) Attacker  / Blaster   /  Attacker

4) Healer  /  Defender  /  Healer

5) Blaster /  Blaster   /  Jammer

6) Healer / Enhancer  / Jammer

You will mark one of the 6 options as which one you start the battle with. Once the battle begins, at anytime you can press R1 to bring up the menu with these options and do an "Optima Change" to another set of roles for your party.

Lets say I start a battle with option 1 in order to have both physical and magic attacks and a healer for safety. But during battle, I find that magic attacks are more effective on the enemies, so I switch to option 5 to use magic attacks from 2 characters. Then all of a sudden, we're getting killed!, so I swich to option 4 with two healers to quickly heal up the party while Snow takes on the heat as defender. Then maybe I'm down to just one enemy and the party's health is full so I switch to option 3 to lay on a heavy triple attack to finish him off fast!(the faster you finish a battle, the more crystal points you get at the end).

There will be many times depending on what type of enemy or even a group of different types of enemies when you will set your Optimas up differently. In a tough battle, you might start with option 6 to buff up your party(Enhancer), ruin their party(Jammer), and keep your health(Healer) up as you do it:) So even though you can only directly control one character, you do get to choose all characters role changes in real time which is really sweet actually8)

And through the Crystarium system, you use the crystal points you earn from battles to level up your abilities(Optimas) and stats such as max HP, attack power, magic power, etc. The Crystarium system is also quite pretty looking and you upgrade by using your points on these spiral paths. Unless you want to do some grinding so that every character is stong in every role, you need to decide which characters are best for what roles and focus on leveling up those roles(for example, Fang has very strong attack power so it's good to keep leveling up her Attacker stats and upgrade her weapon with raw materials). 

Another feature that I really like is that unlike older FF games, the characters talk to each other and express themselves during exploration and battles. In older FF games, we really only see the characters express themselves in cut-scenes. When we walk around with the party or in battle, the characters are lifeless, don't talk, and don't show any expression. In XIII, when exploring, the characters comment on things they see and such. During battle, they will tell you when they need help and thank you "Arigato":) when you heal them. It's a little touch that goes a long way imo. No matter what's going on, the characters always express their personalities. I like that.

So, I hope some of this made sense and has got some of you excited for the game!

I really love this game so far and hope you all do too! This is a FF game that breaks a few of the FF traditions and, unfortunately, some fans are not happy with the changes. But I think that if you pay so much attention to the lack of a few aspects from past FF games, you will miss out on all the new and wonderful aspects that this game brings;)

Yes I have to agree it's a great game. I can't believe you're skipping the cutscenes, the story is pretty good. You can find translated cutscenes online. 

Here's a link to the guide I'm using.

Pretty well detailed, what do I say, VERY VERY detailed :shock: . Thank you very much for sharing the info mz!. Geez that makes me want to have a PS3 so much :cry:

Anyway to points from all the ones I have:

1. I like to collect all kind of craps :P So Im really glad with this, sounds me like Star Ocean 2, now thats a game full of "craps" to collect.

2. The only thing that bothers me now is the fact that, if you gert your party leader dies then its all done. Kinda you will want to spend your points in leveling up your leader first and make him some sort of a tanker and then your other characters. Its weird :?

Anyway this game seems Impressive, and I prefer to hear the facts form good sources :P

Yes I have to agree it's a great game. I can't believe you're skipping the cutscenes, the story is pretty good. You can find translated cutscenes online. 

Here's a link to the guide I'm using.

fffan9391

Although I do pick up alot about the characters just from their emotional states and I must say I find the overall character/story package to be very strong. It feels like there is a feature length epic movie raveled into this game!

And glad you like it too. Hopefully we can dispell the myth that this game is so problem ridden:(

2. The only thing that bothers me now is the fact that, if you gert your party leader dies then its all done. Kinda you will want to spend your points in leveling up your leader first and make him some sort of a tanker and then your other characters. Its weird :?

angelbless

And even though I'm not sure why it's like this from a developer's standpoint, I certainly take battles more seriously when I know my character cannot just be constantly revived by the party.

I figure, if you were in a real battle, you would fight as though your life is on the line. It kinda does make the battle a little more intense in the game;) There is no greater motivation than the fear of death! LOL:)

And FYI, phoenix downs cost 1000gil, and gil is kinda scarce so even reviving your party members can get expensive! I usually only use phoenix downs for tough boss battles. Basically you will find that the way you set up your Optimas and knowing when to change in battle is very critical to your success:P

Woah, awesome review. Nice, long, and detailed.

I'm probably getting this when it comes out!

A PD 1000 Gils!, wow... thats expensive. Well I think thats because in return, you just appear at the side of the enemy when you die and has your Hp fully recovered after wining the fight right?.:Pangelbless

Yeah, but I have to say it makes me really strategize and never take a battle lightly;)

At first the issue of 'game over' if your leader dies and expensive PD's may piss you off. But, after getting used to it, I really pay attention to the health and status of my party alot and use the optima very well. 

And yes, if you die, you do get to start over a little before the battle. This is nice so you don't have to go do a bunch of work you already did.

Thanks for this. It makes me hyped for the game again. :D
Still not the biggest fan of the leveling up system. I prefer the old fashion way, but that could change when I play the game.

[QUOTE="angelbless"]A PD 1000 Gils!, wow... thats expensive. Well I think thats because in return, you just appear at the side of the enemy when you die and has your Hp fully recovered after wining the fight right?.:Pmztazmz

Yeah, but I have to say it makes me really strategize and never take a battle lightly;)

At first the issue of 'game over' if your leader dies and expensive PD's may piss you off. But, after getting used to it, I really pay attention to the health and status of my party alot and use the optima very well. 

And yes, if you die, you do get to start over a little before the battle. This is nice so you don't have to go do a bunch of work you already did.

Really?? :o I hated that in FF but now you don't have to so much anymore when you die.