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[silentspork]

Quick question... don't know if you its a spoiler but just in case.

Spoiler

I'm about 16 hours in to the game and at I'm pretty sure I'm about to wrap up Chapter 7

, am I just slow or is that about the right pace?

 

[BocoDragon]

THIS is what I've been trying to say since I joined this damn place. Thank you so much BocoDragon.

Thanks.. Sometimes these rants get me into big trouble @_@ but as long as one person understands, it was worth it.

 

[DarkKyo]

I only want to play as Lightning. Snow is bearable, but the other characters are not only weak, but they are annoying. Hate playing as Sazh.

You know you have the ability to make any character powerful, right?

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Thanks.. Sometimes these rants get me into big trouble @_@ but as long as one person understands, it was worth it.

I feel the same way about that, too, and you put it into words better than I think I could have. There's just something enjoyable about that style of storytelling.

 

[Alex]

I think what makes jRPG stories so good is that they aren't afraid to get melodramatic, sappy, even naively optimistic.

They are DRAMAS, and like US soap operas or Korean dramas, part of what makes them so good to the narrow fanbase will happen to turn off people who aren't of that mindset.

It's not "bad writing".. Well, that's subjective. I wouldn't really fault someone for thinking that.. It certainly isn't realistic. But on the other side of the coin, a lot of what people call "bad" is actually the sinfully sweet appeal of the whole thing, and they're actually going after this style on purpose. I like idealistic, pretty heroes who make grandiose speeches, cutesy girls oblivious to the epic plot unfolding around them, and one dimensional villains using ancient powers to take over the world. Is it realistic? No, but it does say FANTASY in the title.

.. And of course jRPGs needn't adhere to this style forever. But when they do, while some may cringe, rest assured that someone out there probably finds these stories delicious (me!)

It's bad writing, objectively bad when characters like Vanille and Hope hit the screen and take up 15 minutes of your time with nothing but awkward angst and misunderstandings that no other human being can relate to.

You might like bad, you might find it a guilty pleasure, that's fine, but don't try to make some big equality spiel to 10, 15, 20 year genre vets who find their own things to enjoy in the games and make it some catch all for the anime addled teens.

I like JRPGs, I've liked them since I was a kid. I like this game and it's world mythos and a few characters, it's fun, but really dont want to be included into this "It's OK to make your game as fucking reprehensible as possible COZ JRPG FANS LIEK IT ^_^" gig.

The creepy modern moe watching crowd does not equal the entire JRPG crowd. Certain elements are just poor, pandering form and shouldnt be in the game (Vanille, Vanille, Vanille).

But in some parts, It's probably just a lot easier to throw in a pigtailed idiot with loli themed antics or a blockade of extremely senseless character "development" than genuine charm or color. That's what needs to be recovered. No one cares when a JRPG is a JRPG, they care when it tries to reach out to the slums of the anime crowd.

 

[K' Dash]

You get to choose whether to move onto chapter 12.

Chapter 11 spoilers, (everybody must know that by now, but anyway....)

aaaahhh, just the answer I was looking for, I must say

Spoiler

Gran Pulse is fucking big

, I'm a little lost right now :lol

 

[Willectro]

You know you have the ability to make any character powerful, right?

Yea, I know I have chosen to make some of them weak. Just not enjoying the random pairings.

 

[Firestorm]

The shroud that gives you Haste and the two other buffs is invaluable right now.

 

[Ricker]

Come on now. Lightning has to stop punching people.

I was wth as well when this happened...not as surprised as when Cooke slapped Mack in LO but pretty close hehe...

 

[eznark]

I'm enjoying the game (about 4 hours in) but I'm not really sure why. The game is as beautiful as the characters are terrible. Lightning is ok, the black dude (still no clue his name) is good but the rest are atrocious. Hope hasn't talked much but every time he does I want to stick a fork in his throat. On the subject, Hope and Snow are the most feminine male names since Cloud.

That said, I'm liking the battle system. I can see where it is going and the few "boss-ish" battles (the ones that took more than 15 seconds) were cool. I'm hoping the story gets a bit more depth here soon.

Spoiler

for clarification, the woman Snow drops in the beginning is Hope's mom right?

 

[DOBERMAN INC]

Wow Chapter 5

Spoiler

Aster Protoflorian

boss fight was fun/crazy. Also made me see how useful summons are, while not being overpowered.

Can you use any party member's summon, or do they have to be the leader?

I've been stuck at that bastard for the past hour :lol

 

[Rpgmonkey]

Hm, Lightning/Fang//Sazh is pretty good...

About as good as my Lightning/Hope/Sazh team, though having to switch myself to magic roles now has thrown me off a bit.

This game's pretty easy. Getting a little repetitive.

 

[RSLAEV]

It's bad writing, objectively bad when characters like Vanille and Hope hit the screen and take up 15 minutes of your time with nothing but awkward angst and misunderstandings that no other human being can relate to.

You might like bad, you might find it a guilty pleasure, that's fine, but don't try to make some big equality spiel to 10, 15, 20 year genre vets who find their own things to enjoy in the games and make it some catch all for the anime addled teens.

I like JRPGs, I've liked them since I was a kid. I like this game and it's world mythos and a few characters, it's fun, but really dont want to be included into this "It's OK to make your game as fucking reprehensible as possible COZ JRPG FANS LIEK IT ^_^" gig.

The creepy modern moe watching crowd does not equal the entire JRPG crowd. Certain elements are just poor, pandering form and shouldnt be in the game (Vanille, Vanille, Vanille).

But in some parts, It's probably just a lot easier to throw in a pigtailed idiot with loli themed antics or a blockade of extremely senseless character "development" than genuine charm or color. That's what needs to be recovered. No one cares when a JRPG is a JRPG, they care when it tries to reach out to the slums of the anime crowd.

Thank you. This whole "It's good if I like it/FUCK THE HATERS "bullshit drives me up the wall. If people keep praising crap, all we're ever going to get is crap!

 

[Crash Station]

It's bad writing, objectively bad when characters like Vanille and Hope hit the screen and take up 15 minutes of your time with nothing but awkward angst and misunderstandings that no other human being can relate to.

You might like bad, you might find it a guilty pleasure, that's fine, but don't try to make some big equality spiel to 10, 15, 20 year genre vets who find their own things to enjoy in the games and make it some catch all for the anime addled teens.

I like JRPGs, I've liked them since I was a kid. I like this game and it's world mythos and a few characters, it's fun, but really dont want to be included into this "It's OK to make your game as fucking reprehensible as possible COZ JRPG FANS LIEK IT ^_^" gig.

The creepy modern moe watching crowd does not equal the entire JRPG crowd. Certain elements are just poor, pandering form and shouldnt be in the game (Vanille, Vanille, Vanille).

But in some parts, It's probably just a lot easier to throw in a pigtailed idiot with loli themed antics or a blockade of extremely senseless character "development" than genuine charm or color. That's what needs to be recovered. No one cares when a JRPG is a JRPG, they care when it tries to reach out to the slums of the anime crowd.

As a "genre vet", you should probably know that the anime crowd and the JRPG crowd is the same.

Also, Hope is a lot more relatable than you seem to think especially for the target demographic. Something you and pretty much everyone else on this forum seems to forget that the 18-35 demographic is not the only one that exists. Hell, there should be more teens playing this than adults.

 

[CruxisMana]

I've been stuck at that bastard for the past hour :lol

Really? I thought it was pretty straight forward if you've got the right Paradigms.

Spoiler

Make sure to use Libra it so the auto-battle automatically knows what element it shifts to.

Just get Lightning to heal as soon as your health hits yellow whilst Hope buffs.

The the usual; Com/Rav till 50% stagger, then break out out Rav/Rav to stagger and back to Com/Rav so Lightning can use Launch.

 

[archnemesis]

Spoiler

for clarification, the woman Snow drops in the beginning is Hope's mom right?

Yes.

 

[MechaX]

I just got to Gran Pulse. Jeezus, this place is absolutely overwhelming. After spending the last 22 hours in tubes and corridors, I almost forgot what free-roaming like this was like. Just imagine, with more technology, FFXII would have been like this throughout. But anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself here.

My main game plan is to actually start leveling up my weapons right now. I have gotten so far without touching any weapons or accessories, but I know that won't go much farther in the game. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to start leveling up weapons in Gran Pulse?

 

[Thrakier]

Chapter 4?

Spoiler

Man, that beach scene with snow...what a tease! Damn you Square-Enix! I want a real FF with overworld etc.

Can someone explain me the material system in a nutshell? I just ran around a lot just to get some stupid items. I know I can use them to level up my weapons, but there are so many....I don't get it.

 

[Luth1en]

I just started the game and got through the first five hours with no break in-between. It was a slow burn at first but now I'm starting to enjoy the story and I've already fallen in love with the battle system. I hope that it keeps picking up the pace and doesn't send me grinding a la FFXII any time soon.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Chapter 4?

Spoiler

Man, that beach scene with snow...what a tease! Damn you Square-Enix! I want a real FF with overworld etc.

Can someone explain me the material system in a nutshell? I just ran around a lot just to get some stupid items. I know I can use them to level up my weapons, but there are so many....I don't get it.

I just entered chapter 5, following the strategy guide, it seems to still suggest worrying about generating and upgrading the items later.

Ironically, on a side note, it appears that chapter 5 has a "farm" section, lol, to accumulate thousands of CP.

 

[Rpgmonkey]

Does anybody have any suggestions on how to start leveling up weapons in Gran Pulse?

Do Missions and do them well.

You'll get decent junk, and you'll also unlock new shops on occasion. The towards your next objective is a good place to get mechanical junk, which lets you build up a lot of EXP after the multiplier.

Even got an accessory that increases the the drop rate from one of them.

 

[Vampire Baseball]

Stick with it mate, some coffee and 3 more hours game time and you will be firing on all cylinders.

I'm in the same boat as he is, and I hope you're right because the first hour is giving me buyers remorse.

 

[SixStringPsycho]

is there an upgrade later in the game that makes the action bar fill faster? like in final fantasy xii where you could spend license points and there were some that cut action time by a %?

 

[marathonfool]

is there an upgrade later in the game that makes the action bar fill faster? like in final fantasy xii where you could spend license points and there were some that cut action time by a %?

If you're referring to auto-haste, then I think you can make an accessory with it.

 

[K' Dash]

Do Missions and do them well.

You'll get decent junk, and you'll also unlock new shops on occasion. The towards your next objective is a good place to get mechanical junk, which lets you build up a lot of EXP after the multiplier.

Even got an accessory that increases the the drop rate from one of them.

By "do them well" you mean get five stars? I can slay the bastards (most of the time), but probably won't get the 5 star rating for most of them...

 

[Peff]

is there an upgrade later in the game that makes the action bar fill faster? like in final fantasy xii where you could spend license points and there were some that cut action time by a %?

A combination of items lets you fill it 10% faster. Also, Sazh has Haste, which is applied in combat, and eventually everyone can get it.

 

[Lady Bird]

I think what makes jRPG stories so good is that they aren't afraid to get melodramatic, sappy, even naively optimistic.

The feeling I get from playing those JRPGs is that their writers don't have the notion of what makes good storytelling, and are all trying too hard to make things epic, emotional or happy the way they idealize. And then things get more cheesy or melodramatic than what they were expecting or even than what they were aware of.

I like idealistic, pretty heroes who make grandiose speeches, cutesy girls oblivious to the epic plot unfolding around them, and one dimensional villains using ancient powers to take over the world.

One dimensional character development, much like melodrama, is not a narrative style or a preference. Both of them are words/ expressions with negative meanings. There's no such thing as good melodrama or good one-dimensional villains, because the very moment they become good, they stop being one-dimensional/ melodramatic.

Is it realistic? No, but it does say FANTASY in the title.

Fantasy comes from imagination/ creativity, not from bad quality.

 

[survivor]

I just entered chapter 5, following the strategy guide, it seems to still suggest worrying about generating and upgrading the items later.

Ironically, on a side note, it appears that chapter 5 has a "farm" section, lol, to accumulate thousands of CP.

I actually farmed there. I fully upgraded both my characters and then kept going. By the time I was almost done the chapter, I had way too much CP. Now when Chapter 6 began, I just mass upgraded my characters.

BTW, should I use CP on Commando for Sazh? He seems to have higher magic, plus his Commando upgrades seem just terrible compared to Lightning. I'm on Chapter 6, so should I upgrade or just wait until I can use Snow again or get Fang.

 

[Chamber]

Chapter 8

Spoiler

What's the trick for Sazh's summon?

 

[Sacha]

Chapter 8

Spoiler

What's the trick for Sazh's summon?

Start with Saboteur/Synergist, then spam ice spells with two Ravagers.

 

[Ferrio]

Oh god....

Music Spoiler

Spoiler

They put lyrics to the chocobo theme..... WHY WHY WHY? Also do you even get to ride a chocobo?

 

[Sacha]

Oh god....

Music Spoiler

Spoiler

They put lyrics to the chocobo theme..... WHY WHY WHY? Also do you even get to ride a chocobo?

Yes, when you reach chapter

Spoiler

11

.

 

[marathonfool]

Chapter 8

Spoiler

What's the trick for Sazh's summon?

I had tons of trouble with this.

Spoiler

Buff/debuff. Attack the weakness. Heal. Pray you do enough damage before the doom counter.


Below are more specific tactics.


Weakness is Blizzard. You got to start with Synergist/Saboteur. Cast Haste ASAP and Enfrost on Sazh. Also buff with Bravery and Faith. I also used Vigilance. Let Vanille cast Deprotect and Deshell.

Once you're all finished buffing and debuffing. Go Commando/Ravager and go to town. Heal when necessary.

I used a buffing Shroud with Protect/Shell/Vigilance. Helped me greatly to focus on attacking.

 

[Lady Bird]

Oh god....

Music Spoiler

Spoiler

They put lyrics to the chocobo theme..... WHY WHY WHY? Also do you even get to ride a chocobo?

Yes, and another theme will play once you do that.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

One dimensional character development, much like melodrama, is not a narrative style or a preference. Both of them are words/ expressions with negative meanings. There's no such thing as good melodrama or good one-dimensional villains, because the very moment they become good, they stop being one-dimensional/ melodramatic.

Bullshit. There's absolutely nothing wrong, qualitatively, with melodrama. It's a stylistic choice, nothing more. Yes, there can be things which are melodramatic in a bad way, but it's completely possible to write something which is both melodramatic and good. The thing about melodrama is that it's more exaggerated and over the top. This is not necessarily a bad thing. If you're looking for some gritty, hyper realistic story about a hard boiled detective in 1930s New York, then melodrama is obviously going to be out of place. There are plenty of stories where employing melodrama is actually a good writing choice, however.

 

[Rpgmonkey]

By "do them well" you mean get five stars? I can slay the bastards (most of the time), but probably won't get the 5 star rating for most of them...

Yeah.

Five stars is pretty easy depending on who you use. I think Sazh is pretty essential because he has the easiest access to Haste, which makes pretty much every fight I've gotten in since learning the spell a cakewalk, especially in combination with the other buffs he can learn, and since the Rank/Score is based on your time, you need to get things done quickly.

Use Sazh, a character that a good physical damage dealer (I prefer Lightning and/or Fang, but Snow's probably just as good), and a character that can use a good variety of attack magic (Lightning, Hope, and Vanille seem to be the best at this from what I've seen, plus all three are the most capable Medics). Preferably, make a party that can make two Ravagers and one Commando.

My current group is Lightning, Fang, and Sazh, before that it was Lightning, Hope, and Sazh. Both have worked really well on everything I've encountered.

 

[MrDenny]

ehh, just spent an hour on the chapter 9 boss.
I'm doing fine until he does that one strong attack
The attack wipes out hope and leaves lightning/fang with nearly no hp.
Before I can cure with lightning, his next small attack kills my party off.
Any tips? Should I be training for cp right now?

 

[marathonfool]

Has anyone ever seen a person in real life pound their fist in frustration then start speaking? :lol

I swear, it must a be japanese thing.

ehh, just spent an hour on the chapter 9 boss.
I'm doing fine until he does that one strong attack
The attack wipes out hope and leaves lightning/fang with nearly no hp.
Before I can cure with lightning, his next small attack kills my party off.
Any tips? Should I be training for cp right now?

Hint: Look at the stagger meter.

Bigger Hint:

Spoiler

Make the stagger meter go high and the boss will react. His attack does less damage and you'll survive. Be ready to heal

 

[zero margin]

How 'bout this!

 

[Chamber]

Thanks for the help. RAV/RAV did the trick.

5 hours of playtime, a new chapter and a dying controller is probably a sign I should call it a day.

 

[Lady Bird]

Bullshit. There's absolutely nothing wrong, qualitatively, with melodrama. It's a stylistic choice, nothing more. Yes, there can be things which are melodramatic in a bad way, but it's completely possible to write something which is both melodramatic and good. The thing about melodrama is that it's more exaggerated and over the top. This is not necessarily a bad thing. If you're looking for some gritty, hyper realistic story about a hard boiled detective in 1930s New York, then melodrama is obviously going to be out of place. There are plenty of stories where employing melodrama is actually a good writing choice, however.

Well, I can see now why it can fit in some kind of situations, but most of the times, blowing out of porpotions a situation for the sake of it being more dramatic tends to be amateurish and feel forced.

 

[Crash Station]

Damn, Pulse is pretty big. I've only done two marks and I'm already starting to feel overwhelmed. The enemies are also hard as hell.

 

[Diebuster]

I had tons of trouble with this.

Spoiler

Buff/debuff. Attack the weakness. Heal. Pray you do enough damage before the doom counter.


Below are more specific tactics.


Weakness is Blizzard. You got to start with Synergist/Saboteur. Cast Haste ASAP and Enfrost on Sazh. Also buff with Bravery and Faith. I also used Vigilance. Let Vanille cast Deprotect and Deshell.

Once you're all finished buffing and debuffing. Go Commando/Ravager and go to town. Heal when necessary.

I used a buffing Shroud with Protect/Shell/Vigilance. Helped me greatly to focus on attacking.

Spoiler

This was basically my strategy. I'd also recommend equipping Sazh with an accessory that buffs the potency of potions if you have it. It's not necessary but it does allow Vanille to go all out with Blizzard without having to switch to Medic. Haste/Vigilance are essential though. I don't think it's possible to beat him without them. And boy, did I try.

Edit: Looks like I'm too late :lol

 

[Llyranor]

Okay, this is pretty much my favorite FF combat system. Paradigm shifts are awesome. Just got to chapter 6. The end-boss of chapter 5 was pretty cool (died twice)

Spoiler

that elemental/plant thing

I'm also enjoying the crystallium customization thing. People are saying it doesn't give enough options, but I'm finding myself having to make some pretty tough choices in terms of where I want to develop my characters, especially since some of these things are pretty costly. Perhaps that's because I've been avoiding pretty much every battle I've been able to (even though I wouldn't actually mind fighting them all - the sign of a good battle system!), so I'm probably lagging behind in terms of CP's. It's not the deepest thing ever, but it gives enough choices and progresses at a good enough pace to be pretty enjoyable.

Re: the story/characters/VA, again I wouldn't be actually praising it, but it's actually not bad per say. Again, I wouldn't necessarily say it's worse than previous FF's in that respect. Again, maybe my perspective has gone all wonky after SO4.

 

[Thaedolus]

About 4 hours in:

I hate every character except Sazh or whatever his name is. You got Bubbly Bitch, Bitch Bitch, ANGST OMFG I WANNA KILL THIS KID, and Airhead Man. The two kids are my least favorite. Hope, I wish would just fucking die. Seriously. Look at the deer-in-the-headlights menu screen pic of his. How can you not one to punch the little whiny bitch? And redhead girl is so obnoxiously over the top happy go lucky I can't stand it.

The three adults are almost passable, especially Sazh, I'm hoping that more back story might make them grow on me some more. I'm starting to enjoy the battle system at least, now I know what reviewers were complaining about when they said you can't do shit in the first part of the game. Seriously, the first two hours are just spamming the X button and watching poorly written/directed cutscenes.

Oh, and I completely disagree with BocoDragon. The Japanese melodrama is what ruins these kinds of games, and I think why they've gone downhill so quickly. You can tell a good story, have it be deep and dramatic and emotional without resorting to cliché animu bullshit all the time. I'm kinda sad that this is what Final Fantasy has become, so far. I think it's improving so far, but I just had some Hope backstory so it's like 2 steps forward, 2 steps back...

 

[jiien]

Spoiler

This was basically my strategy. I'd also recommend equipping Sazh with an accessory that buffs the potency of potions if you have it. It's not necessary but it does allow Vanille to go all out with Blizzard without having to switch to Medic. Haste/Vigilance are essential though. I don't think it's possible to beat him without them. And boy, did I try.

Spoiler

I definitely did it without Haste, as I have yet to use Haste even once throughout the whole game. I don't know how it happened, but I just never used Haste. I'm in Chapter 11 now, and of the characters I want to use, none is a Synergist naturally, so I'm still without Haste...

Anyway, I finished that battle with something like 50 left on the Doom counter. Haste probably would have made it much easier, but I only had to retry it twice. Probably was just lucky.

 

[Llyranor]

I'm kinda sad that this is what Final Fantasy has become, so far

Has always been. Maybe the presentation/full VA makes it more apparent.

 

[Castor Krieg]

I need to give credit to Kagari and others that said Hope grows on you. It's true, the kid really matures over the course of the game and by the time you

Spoiler

go back to Cocoon

he's pretty badass. Kudos to writers that actually allowed Hope to take initiative in some conversations.

My farming team for now: Vanille (main) / Light / Hope.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

this is my favourite FF in quite a while.

even if it turns to shit post-Chapter 7, I've got 16 good hours out of it already.

I need to give credit to Kagari and others that said Hope grows on you. It's true, the kid really matures over the course of the game and by the time you

Spoiler

go back to Cocoon

he's pretty badass. Kudos to writers that actually allowed Hope to take initiative in some conversations.

My farming team for now: Vanille (main) / Light / Hope.

the characters actually have motives that change and develop over the course of the game, like an honest to goodness character arc. square are learning!

 

[Godslay]

Hey guys, I have a quick question about the collector's edition guide. I bought one with the game and they are supposed to be sequentially numbered. Of all the guides I seen online, the number appears in the front cover saying something along the lines of No. xxxxxx/xxxxxx. My guide does not have a number to be found anywhere. I bought it at gamestop, so I don't know what the deal is? Is it a misprint? By the way it is the white hardcover in case of any confusion.