• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 |OT| Change the Future

Cheska

Member
But damn, im having a hard time finding the medical kit of that girl on the beach. Where is it?

I had a hard time finding this too, mainly because I wasn't looking that far. Still in New Bodhum and I'm already a level 20 for both my main roles. If there's one thing I think this game has so far, it's charm. I know you guys think some of the lines are cheesy, and while they may be, there's also subtle things they included that I'm finding enjoyable.

EDIT: Freakin' love Team NORA. There's a scene with them in New Bodhum that was just so cute.

Ugh, estimated delivery date Feb 8th :(. Dammit Amazon!

Whyyyyy so late? Free shipping?
 
I really like this game, but I honestly can't help thinking about how much Noel looks like he stepped straight out of a Kingdom Hearts game into this one.
 
I really like this game, but I honestly can't help thinking about how much Noel looks like he stepped straight out of a Kingdom Hearts game into this one.

Espcially during the intro when he's falling through the time stream. Reminded me of when Sora is falling through water in KH.
 

Teknoman

Member
Is that your answer for both of my questions?

I figured it would since the backgrounds don't look as good as the ones in FF13 and the models have slightly lower poly counts.


Would you say its better than 13? I played like 20 hours of that and stopped because it was just tedious to run through map after map, the plot was a mess with things being cryptic for no reason and the script was just terrible with every other line making me cringe.

I cant say whether its better as a whole since i've just had time with the demo, and just finished the intro...but so far it's had much better intro and tutorial than XIII did. The whole subject of time travel probably would have been a nice focus since there are only a few FF titles that do so (VIII, X, XI, and I guess XIV).

Still think her summoner garb outfit should have been the default, especially looking at Noel.
 

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
Those are the quickest five trophies I've unlocked in an RPG. Huh. Haven't even left Bodhum yet.

Edit: pretty sure I would've unlocked Clock Stopper by now if it weren't for those damned running wolves in tight spaces. Screw those things.

SpaceBridge said:
Espcially during the intro when he's falling through the time stream. Reminded me of when Sora is falling through water in KH.
When Noel was first revealed, my boyfriend was pretty quick to point out that Noel reminded him of Sora. lol.
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
I just realized the "hero blah blah" line appeared in this game again. Blech.
 
Man, there's definitely a lot more exploration than in XIII. I spent a lot of time wandering around in the second area before figuring out where I needed to go next. I'm kind of surprised that I'm enjoying the Cinematic Actions as much as I have been so far.

If I was to describe my experience with the game so far, I would say 'fun'. This game is just a blast to play, and the more lighthearted elements have been pretty nice. They've improved on XIII's strengths and added in a lot more to do.
 
Those are the quickest five trophies I've unlocked in an RPG. Huh. Haven't even left Bodhum yet.

Edit: pretty sure I would've unlocked Clock Stopper by now if it weren't for those damned running wolves in tight spaces. Screw those things.


When Noel was first revealed, my boyfriend was pretty quick to point out that Noel reminded him of Sora. lol.

830px-Noel_in_the_Hisrtoria_Crux.png


CG%20falling%20sora.JPG
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Those are the quickest five trophies I've unlocked in an RPG. Huh. Haven't even left Bodhum yet.

Edit: pretty sure I would've unlocked Clock Stopper by now if it weren't for those damned running wolves in tight spaces. Screw those things.


When Noel was first revealed, my boyfriend was pretty quick to point out that Noel reminded him of Sora. lol.

You know the intro part where Yeul was being submerged in the beach by Caius? Yeah that felt like a KH moment for me.
 

Teknoman

Member
KuwabaraTheMan said:
Man, there's definitely a lot more exploration than in XIII. I spent a lot of time wandering around in the second area before figuring out where I needed to go next. I'm kind of surprised that I'm enjoying the Cinematic Actions as much as I have been so far.

If I was to describe my experience with the game so far, I would say 'fun'. This game is just a blast to play, and the more lighthearted elements have been pretty nice. They've improved on XIII's strengths and added in a lot more to do.

Exactly. Whenever Versus XIII or FFXV hits, I hope they do what they've always done with past FF titles and bring the strengths of the previous games while introducing a new/newish battle system, and of course a drastically different world/storyline.

Of course I hope they try not to make the storyline a little closer to the games previous to VII as far as the storyline goes. Too many of the recent games make no sense until the credits roll.


EDIT: I think XIII's story would have been better if it started off in XIII-2 like environments (New Bodhum) and then then to the characters having to travel to the past to unravel the secret of the giant crystal structure that we know is Cocoon, in order to change the timeline and prevent some catastrophic disaster. Would have been great since most wouldnt expect the past to be much more high tech looking than the present. First half of the game could have been running around pulse style environments and ruins, second half through cocoon and its artificial environments...with Caius actually controlling Barthandelus (I dont know of Caius's actually role in XIII-2 yet, but he seems like the main enemy so far).
 

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
Mmm... I'm about to turn in, but I think my experience with the 'game' part of the game is alright so far. Sucks that I can't switch leaders right from the get-go, and it does feel like the balancing is thrown out a bit as I level up some. I have 96 potions, 5 Iron Bangles and 3 Power Wristbands, so... the drop rate is good. @_@

Um, I don't like how they've adjusted target times and rankings. To get a 5-star rank, most of the time, you have to land a pre-emptive strike. In FFXIII, Target Time, and thus 5-starring, was dependent on your stats, equipment, and the watch. I think XIII-2's way of doing it's a little silly, personally. They've taken Points Per Second and made them static, meaning that unless you one-shot enemies, you won't get enough points-per-second to hit 5-star without the 2000 point Preemptive Strike bonus. It's rather cheap.

I've seen the story and I know most of what happens, so I don't think I'll comment on it during my playthrough. English Noel is pretty awesome, though. I like him a lot, and the voice actor reads his lines pretty well.

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120122172425/finalfantasy/images/thumb/6/6b/Noel_in_the_Hisrtoria_Crux.png/830px-Noel_in_the_Hisrtoria_Crux.png[IMG]

[IMG]http://www.freewebs.com/destinyisle/CG%20falling%20sora.JPG[/IG][/QUOTE]
Even the way they fall is almost the same. :lol

We had a running joke that Noel was essentially a grown-up Sora when we first saw him in a trailer, but gosh.
 

PK Gaming

Member
As an aside, I really dig Noel's characterization. He's one of the closest "normal" FF characters in the series. I remember nodding my head IRL when he told Serah that story about his friend who kept "using him."

Shitty circumstances aside, he's a really likeable character.
 

duckroll

Member
Wow, I'm actually shocked the game has that much of a sense of humor.

I've been saying it, the game is fucking hilarious if you play it as a comedy RPG. It's certainly mostly written as one, and mostly intentionally too. The marketing really tries to hide this by focusing on the serious drama and the Lightning stuff, but that simply seems like a sort of a narrative frame for what is otherwise a carefree teenager comedy adventure game like FFX-2.
 
After eight hours put into it today, I am totally smitten. I loved FFXIII, this is clearly better from a gameplay perspective.


I am very, very, very happy with this game. I know the internet at large hates it but fuck em, this game is fantastic.
 

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
Chipmink Serah is best Serah.
This is how the dialogue should have been in the first place.

duckroll said:
I've been saying it, the game is fucking hilarious if you play it as a comedy RPG. It's certainly mostly written as one, and mostly intentionally too.
Y'know, I think I'm going to adopt this perspective as I go through the game. The game totally works when you think of it this way.
 
What. The. Fuck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywMHnJJ-KpM

I'm really digging this new Serah.

Well shit, I chose the boring "He's my fiance" option. Fuck me.

Okay, so what did you guys use your first Crystarium expansion on? I picked Increase ATB Gauge in the demo and I'm tempted to pick it here too, because let's face it, nothing else is better than getting that except for some reason I don't have Medic at this stage of the game like I did in the demo.
 

kayos90

Tragic victim of fan death
Well shit, I chose the boring "He's my fiance" option. Fuck me.

Okay, so what did you guys use your first Crystarium expansion on? I picked Increase ATB Gauge in the demo and I'm tempted to pick it here too, because let's face it, nothing else is better than getting that except for some reason I don't have Medic at this stage of the game like I did in the demo.

I get the roles as I need them and just put my upgrades in ATB or Role Boosts. I rarely find the need for accessories.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
The package design of the CE is nice.. but I'd almost say that the Best Buy package with the novella is a better CE. The "art" in the actual CE is just a couple of pages, and the soundtrack is hardly an elusive item. A storybook, on the other hand... Plus it comes with the normal PS3 game case, which I know a lot of people might prefer.
 
I've been saying it, the game is fucking hilarious if you play it as a comedy RPG. It's certainly mostly written as one, and mostly intentionally too. The marketing really tries to hide this by focusing on the serious drama and the Lightning stuff, but that simply seems like a sort of a narrative frame for what is otherwise a carefree teenager comedy adventure game like FFX-2.

You get chests based on your Mass Effect Dialogue Wheel choices, does this change if you always choose the comedy option in dialogues?
 

Thoraxes

Member
The package design of the CE is nice.. but I'd almost say that the Best Buy package with the novella is a better CE. The "art" in the actual CE is just a couple of pages, and the soundtrack is hardly an elusive item. A storybook, on the other hand...

Considering the price of the OST, if you want just that as an extra, the CE is worth it because the OST is expensive.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Considering the price of the OST, if you want just that as an extra, the CE is worth it because the OST is expensive.

I suppose.. but they're gonna be selling that OST for years and years to come. The English version of that book is an exclusive item.
 

Eusis

Member
I suppose.. but they're gonna be selling that OST for years and years to come. The English version of that book is an exclusive item.
You could always ask at BB if they still have any CEs to sell if you didn't pre-order, that's what I did and I got all of it!
Just hope that really WAS an unclaimed CE...
 

Dunan

Member
EDIT: I think XIII's story would have been better if it started off in XIII-2 like environments (New Bodhum) and then then to the characters having to travel to the past to unravel the secret of the giant crystal structure that we know is Cocoon, in order to change the timeline and prevent some catastrophic disaster.

This would have been a fantastic idea.
 

kayos90

Tragic victim of fan death
Put around 16 hours into this game so far and from a gameplay perspective, like many said before, is much better. Diversity is what makes this game. Sadly I feel like some of the diverse gameplay stuff is padding or completely stupid. Temporal Rifts? Sorry, but line connecting and get all the jewels on the grid is really really dumb and doesn't even take skill. The clock one, holy hell, was hard. That's the only good thing. I like little changes I can make with my paradigms but having to choose from only 3 monsters in a pack makes me feel a bit limited in what I can do, not that I use all the paradigm slots anyway. Just go Triple Rav and Triple Com; watch the game win it for you. Normal battles are not fun and only the boss battles are interesting and enjoyable, though i'm sad it's a bit toned down from XIII. Story is a miss. I always feel like it's a hit when Noel and Serah says something really cool and heartfelt but then is ruined by some dumb one-liner/cheesy dialogue. I really don't understand it. Characters are really nice and the interactions between Noel and the world around him is really fascinating. This game is freaking bipolar though. It spoonfeeds you like crazy on the most obvious plot points and expects you to read about the points that you want answers about. I don't understand the logic in this. I get more story from the damn datalog than i do from actual cutscenes. Also, Live triggers are tacked on but too funny to say it's worthless. All in all, good game, definitely better than the first but suffers from certain lacking areas of the game
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
You could always ask at BB if they still have any CEs to sell if you didn't pre-order, that's what I did and I got all of it!
Just hope that really WAS an unclaimed CE...

I have BOTH versions already ;)

<--------- Whore
 

Cheska

Member
I feel like the jumping and Mog clock are hit and miss. Like, they don't always work for me, especially the mog clock. I'll have to try and hit an enemy more than once before it actually "hits".
 

kayos90

Tragic victim of fan death
I feel like the jumping and Mog clock are hit and miss. Like, they don't always work for me, especially the mog clock. I'll have to try and hit an enemy more than once before it actually "hits".

It's just a silly excuse to have random encounters in my opinion. I'm glad that they did away with the enemies on the screen but at the same time I'm not to fond of the random encounters as well.
 

duckroll

Member
You get chests based on your Mass Effect Dialogue Wheel choices, does this change if you always choose the comedy option in dialogues?

I find that half the time ALL FOUR are comedy options. Which clearly indicates the humorous tone in the game is intentional. Sometimes an option doesn't seem like a nonsense reply either, but after you pick it, the delivery is kinda nutty anyway.

In many ways, FFXIII-2 feels like what Infinite Undiscovery would be if IU's game design didn't suck balls.
 

kayos90

Tragic victim of fan death
On my first unlock, Serah was offered Saboteur and Noel was offered Synergist. No Medic was offered. I just picked Extra ATB Bar for both.

Oh, then it might be the next. I know that Medic was the first role I did unlock out of all the choices though.


I find that half the time ALL FOUR are comedy options. Which clearly indicates the humorous tone in the game is intentional. Sometimes an option doesn't seem like a nonsense reply either, but after you pick it, the delivery is kinda nutty anyway.

In many ways, FFXIII-2 feels like what Infinite Undiscovery would be if IU's game design didn't suck balls.

After realizing that "Yell at Hope" was the correct answer for killing the boss. Yeah, the game tries to juggle both humor and seriousness at the same time. Sort of annoying actually.
 

eldoon

Member
Played it around 1.5 hrs today and im pretty bored already
i hope it gets better but the leveling system upset me so i turned it off
 
D

Deleted member 20920

Unconfirmed Member
Ugh, estimated delivery date Feb 8th :(. Dammit Amazon!

Lol..Just realised my estimated date is 24th Feb...And it's supposed to be Expedited International Shipping...

Should have just bought my CE from the local stores and forgo Omega.

Oh well...No hurry anyway.
 
Top Bottom