But they made so many changes seemingly in direct response to fans complaints about XIII, and most of them seem to have been changes for the better based on the demo and on the reviews I've read.
-
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
- Thread starter Kagari
- Start date
But they made so many changes seemingly in direct response to fans complaints about XIII, and most of them seem to have been changes for the better based on the demo and on the reviews I've read.
Perfo
Thirteen flew over the cuckoo's nest
I think also the shrinking console market in Japan plays a part.
"Fixing the small issues while the big ones got worse."
What were the big ones that got worse? Haven't really read any reviews.
Perhaps you should read my review. No spoilers: http://www.rpgsite.net/reviews/349-final-fantasy-xiii2-import-review
Seems like the battle system is still the main reason someone might want to play this. I didn't think FFXIII's story was horrible or anything, how much better (or worse) is XIII-2's story?
It starts off fine but there's so many holes and unresolved characters. Anyone going in expecting any resolution for ANY character will be disappointed.
So would you say that the game is fairly skipable? Or at least not necessarily worth the day 1 purchase?
Perfo
Thirteen flew over the cuckoo's nest
It seems the game's plot really ends up earlier than expected... waiting for XIII-3 resolution will kill me T.T
SpaceBridge
Member
So based on Kagari's and others impressions, the actual story line campaign is about 30 hours? And if you do the side quests its bumps up to 60? And you can go back after the credits roll to complete side quests and unlock areas?
I don't know if I would say it's worth skipping, but I don't see myself replaying it anytime soon.
As for the campaign, I beat it in 25 hours, not even rushing. 65 hours total to 100%.
The only other thing I'd ask is did the game ever feel like a chore to play through? I know people didn't exactly like the design of XIII but at no point did I ever really feel like it was a chore to play. Though that may be because I really liked the battle system and that was basically all you did.
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Two questions please..
I've ordered the Crystal Edition from GAME who is also offering
This
and other stuff if you pre-order the with them, but as the crystal edition has sold out & has no product page, I ain't got a clue if I'll get a steel case too?
any ideas?
@Kagari
30/40 hours?
I PLAY my Final Fantasys and that seems really really short, like half a game short is that playing or ya reckon I'll get my 70 hours from it?
I've ordered the Crystal Edition from GAME who is also offering
This
and other stuff if you pre-order the with them, but as the crystal edition has sold out & has no product page, I ain't got a clue if I'll get a steel case too?
any ideas?
@Kagari
30/40 hours?
I PLAY my Final Fantasys and that seems really really short, like half a game short is that playing or ya reckon I'll get my 70 hours from it?
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
Ha ha, I concur, but I didn't like FFXIII's CSB very much in the main game. The battle system was boring for the majority of FFXIII, and then they finally included some harder battles in late-postgame that actually started making battles interesting.
The majority of the main game, to me (and I'm emphasizing this as I am in the small minority who think this way), battle-wise was a yawnfest, particularly because there was only so many Optima that you can assign with a two-person party while having limited choice in the amount of roles you have access to. This in turn makes the game a little easier as strategies become more obvious to the player due to the roles that the game lets them use. There was little reason to exert yourself as a player tactically because the game was essentially: boost Break Bar, Break, switch to Optima that allows you take advantage of the Staggered monster (usually Com/Com, Com/Rav, Com/Sab), battle end.
Late postgame--and the Bart battles, I might add--are the only parts of the game that let the player choose what he or she wanted to do in terms of given roles, strategizing against attack and efficiency. Finally being able to exert the battle system was pretty neat. If only they had more difficult battles like that in the main game, maybe I would have enjoyed CSB a little more.
At least Switch Leader is now an option to make battles feel more fluid. I like Switching Leader in between animations. It's fun.
Technically you did, since you throw him around and Serah uses him as her sword to whack things.SpaceBridge said:
Big Papa Husker
Member
Anyone know what the Best Buy Novella looks like? Which do you guys think is the best place to preorder?
It's not worth almost $70, right? I plan to get the game someday, but I'm going to wait until it has a price drop. I'm not paying full price for the game.
same. i'll pick this up when it's under $20, hopefully in 2-3 months.
Perfo
Thirteen flew over the cuckoo's nest
Kagari imported the game for full price, put on it 70 hrs of her life, its her first platinum game, rated it with 8/10 and considered it overall a better game than XIII. You can figure out that the game is worth playing if... you like Final Fantasy, you like jRPGs and your conscious enough in realizing that Final Fantasy XIII-2 is still the only AAA jRPG you're gonna getting in this generation while waiting for Versus. I really can't see a lover of the genre and the series wanting to skip on this so lightly.
And let me add, speaking of how much is worth a game, any game, changes depending on the person and his tastes. Skyrim for me is not worth more than 20 euros, still the game gets much love around; at the same time I don't have problems putting 240 euros on two Crystal Editions of XIII-2, and I didn't have any problems buying too limited copies of XIII too, for me it was worth 'till the end. It depends on the player and what you generally like to play
Two questions please..
I've ordered the Crystal Edition from GAME who is also offering
This
and other stuff if you pre-order the with them, but as the crystal edition has sold out & has no product page, I ain't got a clue if I'll get a steel case too?
any ideas?
Yes you still get the pre-order bonus' with the Crystal Edition from GAME
This sort of sentiment kills me. I'd never call myself a lover of any videogame but FF games hold a proverbial special place in my heart due to the 1000s of hours of enjoyment i've had with them. Not because i had to "settle for what i got" but actually because the games ranged from great to exceptional, imo of course.
I don't exactly feel "entitled" to ask for/demand better but i am entitled to simply not pay for worse
Perfo
Thirteen flew over the cuckoo's nest
Everyone stated that this sequel is better than the original so it's not the case. We're also not speaking of the sequel of a broken shitty game that got scored everywhere 4/10 and sold like crap because of so; with all the hate it could get, XIII remains a solid title, a solid RPG and a solid Final Fantasy. Missing expectations don't have anything to do with the quality itself of one game, and XIII was good enough to deserve the attention of most rpg players. You can say you didn't like it, but stating that it's a bad game is just unfair and simply not true.
D
Deleted member 20920
Unconfirmed Member
Digital Foundry compares the demos.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-final-fantasy-13-2-demo-analysis
Also some info on space used for FMVs
We're told that the disc structure of both versions is much the same, allowing for direct comparisons. A movie folder accounts for 1.64GB of data on PS3 (down from around 32GB on FF13, which tells its own story), while the 360 equivalent is just 188MB, indicating that while video sequences are sparse on the new game, they'll almost certainly look a whole lot better on the Sony console. However, this still doesn't account for the majority of the difference in data utilisation, which is centred on level assets. Uncompressed audio could may make a difference - but we'll be reserving judgement here until we've had a chance to get an extended playtest on both versions.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-final-fantasy-13-2-demo-analysis
Also some info on space used for FMVs
We're told that the disc structure of both versions is much the same, allowing for direct comparisons. A movie folder accounts for 1.64GB of data on PS3 (down from around 32GB on FF13, which tells its own story), while the 360 equivalent is just 188MB, indicating that while video sequences are sparse on the new game, they'll almost certainly look a whole lot better on the Sony console. However, this still doesn't account for the majority of the difference in data utilisation, which is centred on level assets. Uncompressed audio could may make a difference - but we'll be reserving judgement here until we've had a chance to get an extended playtest on both versions.
You wouldn't know it if you frequent GAF enough. Popular opinion here seems to be FFXIII is the worst thing ever created. For some people, if you hear it enough, you start to believe it.
So does that mean there are less pre-rendered cutscenes and more in-game? Or does it mean there are less cutscenes overall?
I know it's not popular opinion on GAF but... I really enjoy cutscenes in my Final Fantasy.
jimmypython
Member
correct me if i'm wrong, but i think the total number of pre-rendered cutscenes is
2 (opening and ending)
change the camera angle in any of them after getting a certain skill
no in-game engine pre-rendered/recorded cutscens (like most of FF13 cutscenes) what so ever
BTW, trust me, the quality of those real-time cutscenes is very high, just not as beautiful as FF13's in-game engine ones.
Perfo
Thirteen flew over the cuckoo's nest
Oh crap, does this mean I'm risking to fall for it too?
Speaking of XIII-2, does it include a Theater Mode this time?
Maybe you mean pre-rendered/recorded's ones? Because the in-engine cutscenes of XIII-2 are clearly superior to XIII's ones for what I've seen.
turnbuckle
Member
Damn, I've always loved the cutscenes too.
jimmypython
Member
yes. i mean in-game engine ones not CGI
Zoe
Member
There are a few more than what you put down, but the number is in fact very small.
Such is the consequence of allowing changeable costumes and weapons.
She imported the game to write a review for a site she writes for. I'm sure they either gave her the money to import or reimbursed her for it. XIII was my least favorite Final Fantasy ever. To me, the game had no redeeming qualities at all. That's why I'm hesitant to spend almost $70 on a sequel that shouldn't exist.
lowhighkang_LHK
Member
I played the demo and enjoyed it. I'm a bit bummed out that the game is so easy though (according to Kagari's review). I would think since this is a dedicated sequal in which the target audience is probably the bigger fans of 13 - they'd make the game harder. Maybe I should try hard mode?
It's a bummer though that I stopped playing FF13 about 30% of the way through...before even think about getting this I'd have to finish that, and unfortunately I wasn't really enjoying it that much.
It's a bummer though that I stopped playing FF13 about 30% of the way through...before even think about getting this I'd have to finish that, and unfortunately I wasn't really enjoying it that much.
Zoe
Member
There is no hard mode. If you thought the first game was hard, this one will probably be hard. If you thought the first game was easy, this one will probably be easy.
Yeah well... maybe you shouldn't exist!
I don't mean that
In regards to cutscenes, I just want as many story things to watch as I had in FFXIII. I don't know the terminology between in-game, real time, or whatever.
I would say if that's the case... then no, probably not worth full price.
For the record, I like the CG FMVs too... was a bit disappointing that XIII-2 only has 5.
APZonerunner
Member
You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but I will say that while she made the import happen with site funds she was driven to sink as many hours entirely by whatever crazy will she has; she wanted to see everything. She wasn't asked to be so crazy thorough but she decided to herself, and she was pretty clinical about the whole thing.
I don't want to pull back the curtain too much, but I will say she had a lot of conviction for the score. Hopefully she won't mind me revealing that the first draft she submitted was a little negative, I felt, for an 8. I asked her to rethink the score or the text, and she chose to inject some more commentary on the positive aspects of the game because she believed the 8 was the right score.
I'll have a second review of the English version up the day before release when the embargo ends, so if you want a second opinion there'll be that. I'll play it more like a normal person, though - I won't be 100%ing everything. That's partly because I have little desire after how mad she was getting in places and partly as I'll be jumping straight to Amalur.
wtf that's even worse than i imagined
no way i'm buying this for more than 20 bucks now
at least Nomura still knows how to do it right
Opening, one near the opening, one in chapter 1 as a flashback, 1 about 20 hours into the game and then the ending.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
I must be in the minority, then. I don't really care about the CG scenes much. So the little number of scenes it has isn't really a problem...
I come to FF to play it, not watch it. But I take that approach to many RPGs I play now. When I was younger, I felt the opposite.
I come to FF to play it, not watch it. But I take that approach to many RPGs I play now. When I was younger, I felt the opposite.
jimmypython
Member
oh yeah that one~~i remember now....
The CG could drop to zero and I wouldn't mind in the least. I loved how Vagrant Story and FFXII were almost entirely game-engine-rendered.
(Now give us those games in HD so that said renders look even better than they first did!)
Perfo
Thirteen flew over the cuckoo's nest
Considering the quality of the ingame-cutscenes, doesn't seem that cheap to me. I think this and the fact they wanted to release the game on one DVD and use the ingame models for weapons/costumes, helped them on deciding how much CGI to use. I tend to prefer, when possible, to have everything in-engine. Then, if they need more "power", pre-recorded ones will make for it. FMVs should be used just for key moments, mostly opening and ending.
FateBreaker
Member
Yeah, me too. I remember the days of watching all of those FF8 and FF9 cinematics...awww. Now, I agree with you, I couldn't care less; I just want to play the game.
RPGCrazied
Member
I bet I'm the only one in here getting the CE game and CE guide.
Perfo
Thirteen flew over the cuckoo's nest
I bet I'm the only one in here getting the CE game and CE guide.
I'm beating you! I'm getting two crystal editions (360, ps3), one limited guide and I just got the limited japanese soundtrack few days ago. Lol.
And it doesn't end here T.T
Speaking of which... where are my Caius and Noel action figures Square >.<?
dakkumauji
Member
I bet I'm the only one in here getting the CE game and CE guide.
Already got them preordered from Amazon. Can't say no to special editions.
Zoe
Member
Probably waiting till after the game hits the West.
neoism
Member
Well there will definitely be a 13-3 then lol. But I looooooved 13 and didn't care for the story at all. The gameplay was awesome. Still sad about the 3rd character in battle being a stupid monster. :/ Can you control them at all. I want 3 characters in my battle system.
neoism
Member
I bet I'm the only one in here getting the CE game and CE guide.
me.... I'm not sure about the soundtrack though most of the tracks aren't that good. I fucking loved 13s soundtrack too. stupid vocals. :/ Is there an option in the settings in the game to turn off or at least turn the music down. I played 13 for 166 hours and never got tired of the music once. :/
damn I'm sure your a fast gamer way more than me, but that is fast. Did you 100% 13, guess I'm looking at least 100 or so.