FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 |OT| Change the Future
- Thread starter Kagari
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BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I believe it's been confirmed that the CE doesn't come with a "real game case."
But to make things difficult for you: I don't think the Best Buy CE will come with the book.... only the standard edition in a BB-exclusive bundle of game + novel.
(^ This may be for Canada only. The US site implies that the book will come with the CE.)
Gah.
I have like 4 CE pre-orders at different places. I need to cancel 3 of them. I guess I'll cancel the BB CE order. I'm in Canada and BB up here sucks for pre-order bonuses. So I'm worried I just won't get it at all if I order now.
I'm getting CE for sure so...
But I am tempted to order a standard edition at Best Buy for the book... I mean... it's only $59.99 ($67.19 after taxes)............... I hate myself sometimes.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
^ You know what? Scratch that. The CE listing on the .CA site does imply you get the book.....
Why is there a whole separate SKU for "best buy exclusive" standard edition packed with the book, though? Perhaps all CEs come with the book, but only "BB exclusive" standard edition comes with the book.
Why is there a whole separate SKU for "best buy exclusive" standard edition packed with the book, though? Perhaps all CEs come with the book, but only "BB exclusive" standard edition comes with the book.
Best Buy lets us refund in store right? So if I get it and it doesn't come with the book, I can just refund it locally? Then I can keep both my BB and FS orders and decide when they both get here.
I'll probably cancel the orders for the DLC pre-order stuff. I don't really care about digital things. I want trinkets I can add to my collection of other worthless game-trinkets.
Perfo
Thirteen flew over the cuckoo's nest
Your score is expected, their is just ridiculous. And to think they scored XIII better and even that mountain of shit of Dragon Age II...
Bah. I have more respect for the 6 given by Edge.
UberTag
Member
13-2 executes a lot of things better than FFXIII does.
That doesn't necessarily make it a better game or deserving of a higher score.
brandonh83
Banned
Anyone know if the standard case actually comes inside the NA CE? I'm about to go pay off my preorder so just looking for more info.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Kagari said nope.
brandonh83
Banned
Cool, saves me $20. No standard case, no actual packaging for the soundtrack and the art book bound inside... no thanks.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I hear you. I think I'm mostly getting the CE for the idea of getting a CE*... the actual goodies don't really interest me, and the lack of the real case is blah.
<----*whore
brandonh83
Banned
lol that's usually how I am too, but after the shittacular Castlevania LOS CE I learned that they're not always necessarily better.
6 from EDGE? where? I have seen the latest issue nothing in it. next one isn't out yet.
Perfo
Thirteen flew over the cuckoo's nest
It's listed in the topic kagari posted about XIII-2's reviews. Maybe a fake?
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Someone mentioned Kagari has a podcast? I'd be interested in subscribing. Link? Can't find on her site...
Yup. Actually I'm totally off the CE kool-aid for nearly every series except FF. Even MGS I don't bother anymore.
Yup. Actually I'm totally off the CE kool-aid for nearly every series except FF. Even MGS I don't bother anymore.
Zoe
Member
I wouldn't say the story is missing at times though unless you want to count the optional areas. There's just not any urgency to move forward with the plot like with the first game.
So what kind of case is included for the game in the CE? Do we know?
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
The music was awesome. And yeah, I get the feeling what the Barthandelus battles, Chapter 10 jump, and Chapter 11 jump were intended to be were little tests or little assignments which made the player explore choices that weren't limited to COM, RAV, HLR and DEF. Debuffing and buffing became important and they made battles much easier on the player as opposed to merely sticking with the first four roles listed. Given that a lot of people I know had difficulties with these chapters makes me think that although CSB is a good system and was somewhat defined in the game, the strengths of system just weren't supported very well by the game a lot of the time to force players to experiment and come up with alternative solutions to their struggles (since emphasis in the chapters prior were to increase the Break Gauge and then pile on the enemy, while healing every now and then).
I was hoping we'd have tougher battles that took advantage of CSB in FFXIII-2, but it doesn't appear to be the case given that it doesn't feel like it has the same balancing (which is what the level caps in XIII were intended to be). :/
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I think we don't really know (we will tomorrow).... But I imagine it's a digipak-style deal?
like so:
I dunno, but Kagari can tell us tomorrow when the embargo is up.
I knoooooooow!
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Don't you think that's very X-2 like? It's what I expect from a -2 FF sequel. Less of an emphasis on the overall conflict with the antagonist, more of an emphasis on smaller events in the various settings.
APZonerunner
Member
The time travel aspect, relatively light-hearted rapport between Noel/Serah and the ability to travel through time and go back to things you missed, probably. Time travel in this isn't like Chrono Trigger, or, say, Doctor Who, were the plot moves on around you. In those universes the characters can't change their own pasts heavily especially with regards to their adventure, whereas in XIII-2 Noel and Serah cross their own timelines as much as the player wants. When you do, momentum is lost.
Kagari touches on this in her review.
Kagari's doing a specific article on the changes in the localization, which are, I understand, plentiful. There'll be that and a EN version review at 9pm GMT tomorrow.
Zoe
Member
In the first game they were racing against the clock or else they would turn into Cie'th.
This time, the story's about time travel. They're jumping around through time periods, so when they leave time just stops until they return to that era. If they fail, rewind the clock.
jimmypython
Member
maybe they mean the plot is all over the place that they cannot put the pieces together.=_=||
I think we don't really know (we will tomorrow).... But I imagine it's a digipak-style deal?
like so:
Not to be one of those people who cancel a pre-order because they don't like something absolutely trivial about the game... like the box art or intro music... but I may have to downgrade to the standard edition. I like being able to keep all of my games stacked neatly next to my xbox and putting a different sized box with the rest of my stuff is annoying.
Plus if I ever trade the game in it's nice being able to keep all of the collector's edition. I guess I could trade the game in without the case but that seems wrong.
Then again thanks to the 5 game deal BB had recently I got a $100 gift certificate and I HAVE to spend it all at once. I might as well keep the CE just so I can go over the $100 mark when the guide is added to it.
Perfo
Thirteen flew over the cuckoo's nest
So it doesn't have anything to do with the script but just with the player's freedom to advance at his own pace. Doesn't sound negative, I guess if I want to move fast in the story and enjoying a good pacing with it I can still do it. Or else I'm given the chance to play around and doing something else.
I'll look forward to it.
APZonerunner
Member
Japanese and early reviews seem to indicate that it's everything to do with the script, as it's deliberately constructed in a way that's loose and consequence free to encourage you to not be scared to go back, making it a vacuum devoid of urgency.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
This doesn't sound like a good thing...
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Does anyone else think that the reasoning for localization changes are often just pulled out of people's asses?
I'm not talking about the loss of the rap vocals... that's kind of intuitive. And I'm not talking about creative English translation of Japanese.
But in XIII, the changes to the name of the paradigms in the Western version? That has got to be a combination of the clueless Japanese executives over-estimating how different western taste is from their own, and the western employees of Square Enix justifying their job and seizing the opportunity to put their stamp on it with all kinds of arbitrary changes.
Not for a second do I think that many of these changes actually reflect different Western and English tastes. It's mostly arbitrary.
I'm not talking about the loss of the rap vocals... that's kind of intuitive. And I'm not talking about creative English translation of Japanese.
But in XIII, the changes to the name of the paradigms in the Western version? That has got to be a combination of the clueless Japanese executives over-estimating how different western taste is from their own, and the western employees of Square Enix justifying their job and seizing the opportunity to put their stamp on it with all kinds of arbitrary changes.
Not for a second do I think that many of these changes actually reflect different Western and English tastes. It's mostly arbitrary.
Electivirus
Member
I dunno, the Western paradigm names sound a lot more natural to me than the Japanese names. I much prefer them over the originals, honestly.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
I think they changed them to sound more like military units as opposed to job names. I suppose it was an aesthetic/cosmetic-based change. If you look at the international versions of the game, they don't use the same names for the roles as the JP or ENG version of the game at all. For example, Synergist/Enhancer is Augmentor in German (or better yet, in Spanish it was called Inspirador (inspirer)!).
I think in E3 2009, they were still coming up with names for them. Commando/Attacker was called Gladiator, Synergist/Enhancer was Augmenter, and Jammer/Saboteur was Tactician (and those who played the French version would know that that's the name used for the Synergist in that version - Tacticien).
Optima Change/Paradigm Shift, though, I can't tell ya. I like the Optima Change better because it fits in with all the use of Latin in the game (Optimus/Optima/Optimum - "best", adj.; changing the settings for battle and using the best thing available to you). "Paradigm Shift" just makes me think of science and scientific research...
RPGCrazied
Member
Yeah. I'm hoping the NA CE has a digipak style case. Kagari said it was fine, so I trust her. We will see more about it tomorrow.
I guess if they are stacked discs, I'll be downgrading myself, even though my order is already paid off.
I guess if they are stacked discs, I'll be downgrading myself, even though my order is already paid off.
brandonh83
Banned
Seriously. An 8 is very good and the review more than justifies it by being upset about the story or lack of a resolution. It's not like they praise it front to back and then slap a 6 on it. The score makes sense based on the overall review. Great gameplay and presentation that fixes some problems people had with the original, but then it turns around with an even more lackluster to non-existent plot without much of an ending.
In fact I'd say an 8 is pretty generous from the sounds of things.
RPGCrazied
Member
I bet gametrailers will give it an 8 too, or close to that. GameSpot I'm sure will end up giving it a 7 or 7.5. They have been iffy lately.
Dead Prince
Banned
7.5/6
FateBreaker
Member
For the IGN review, I think it might be because the same guy reviewed XIII and gave it an 8.9, which apparently means the game is much worse than the original. That is not what that really means, but people like to run with ideas. I am happy with the 8 score, too, Kagarai. I am NOT happy with how consistent the negative story/character feedback for the game is. I really have to prepare myself for the worst in that department, I guess. :/
The story/character stuff is pretty bad. I hope SE realizes this.
As for the scores... a bunch of outlets scored FF13 a bit too high, imo... and this is the result. GameInformer is guilty too... they gave 13 a 9.25 yet 13-2 is an 8, even though they say 13-2 is better in almost all ways.
It's sad that some people can't form their own opinions and have to rely on others and archaic scores to decide if they should like playing a game or not.
I've really enjoyed your discussion of XIII-2 Kagari. Really smart and I agree, but my question is: is the story so bad it's hilarious?
Honestly... it's so bad in a sad sort of way. You know, they listened to all this feedback and made changes based on user wants while still ignoring a major component of the game.
Like it or not, a lot of people still play Final Fantasy games for the story... heck, I still do. FF13-2 had a lot of good ideas but they all fall on their face part way through and you're either left searching the datalog for answers, or waiting for eventual DLC...
It feels very incomplete in that aspect.