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Final Fantasy XIII |OT|

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Diablos

Member
D23 said:
the music is so much better than FF12
FF13's OST is probably the best in the enitre series, and not to mention one of the best game OST's period. I cannot think of any other FF that has one as good. Maybe Final Fantasy Tactics... maybe.

I've been listening to it constantly. I can't tell you the last time I listened to video game music this much, and it isn't because of hype. :lol
 

ACE 1991

Member
Is Kotaku doing a review of the NA version of FFXIII? I read the Japanese impressions article, but I'm surprised we haven't seen an official review yet.
 

Synless

Member
fernoca said:
:mad:
Why everyone getting faceplates is not even getting an Xbox 360..or the Xbox360 game!
:mad:

:p
Because I have a 360 and a PS3. I figured why not customize my 360 with some FFXIII love while still being able to play the best version of the game on the PS3. Its a win/win situation that way.
 

Amir0x

Banned
B-Dex said:
I really like the OST.

My fav track is probably Nautilus but that's just because of the epic beginning.

The part of Nautilus I love most is the part that starts playing at 2:36, the quiet melancholy little number. really great
 

fernoca

Member
Synless said:
Because I have a 360 and a PS3. I figured why not customize my 360 with some FFXIII love while still being able to play the best version of the game on the PS3. Its a win/win situation that way.
Again... ":p"
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
I love the OST. One of my favorite things about it--and about many Hamauzu games-- is the sheer number of battle tracks. The main battle theme ("Blinded by Light") has been seriously played out, but there are like five or six other battle tracks, including unique battle themes for many of the major encounters. And they're all so, so good.

It's an interesting contrast going from XII with Sakimoto--who was designing these very dynamic pieces that were responsible for characterizing entire chunks of the game world-- to XIII with Hamauzu, who's composition style is grander despite his scope being a bit more intimate. If that makes sense. Probably not.

The score is great. It's risky in ways not even Uematsu and his "Otherworld" were, but it could really be the cornerstone for a number of new Final Fantasy musical motifs for a long time to come. The Prologue totally casts out the old prelude theme (sadly), but the new one is seriously excellent and paced marvelously.

Hamauzu's instruments have a beautiful timbre to them. So pure and clear...
 

InfiniteNine

Rolling Girl
Synless said:
I'll have you know that it looks horrid on my green Halo 3 edition 360 though, :lol I'm leaving it on anyways.
That thing is ugly as all hell anyways, so I doubt anything would help it. :lol
 

fernoca

Member
Synless said:
I'll have you know that it looks horrid on my green Halo 3 edition 360 though, :lol I'm leaving it on anyways.
Oh wow..eeww.. :p ....if I get one, I'll just leave it on it's plastic decorating the desk right next to my Ezio figure. Plus when exchaging faceplates, I feel like I'm breaking something.
 

Diablos

Member
My favorite tracks with some random commentary, even though I think all of these are epic in their own ways (I'll use a spoiler tag since I know some people are sensitive to this type of thing):

The Promise
The Vestige
- When I heard this during my first listen, I immediately knew this OST was way above what's to be expected.
Ragnarok
The Pulse L'Cie
Glory's Fanfare ->
Battle Results - Not too thrilled that they
ditched the traditional fanfare totally
, but the battle results music is so cool. Seems to be in the vein of FFVII's battle results, just sounds less cyberpunk and more polished.
A Brief Respite
March of the Dreadnoughts
- Grand.
The Pulse L'Cie
Atonement
Nautilus
- I love the transition into the quiet part. Epic track.
Test of the L'Cie
- Such a rush, I can only hope it's played during an epic battle/set of battles
All The World Against Us
Game Over - Has a Game Over song ever freaked you out so bad? It sounds like music meant to convey the feeling of going to a dark and scary place for an eternity. :lol Seriously though, it's so eerie.
Mysteries Abound
Dust to Dust -
A perfect example as to why FFXIII's OST blows everything else out of the water.
Start Your Engines
Eden Under Siege
Fabula Nova Crystallis

But yeah, if I was making my own soundtrack selection, it would look something like that.
 

hateradio

The Most Dangerous Yes Man
Mitsuto Suzuki is severely underused in this OST, he needs to be used more: "The Vile Peaks" is a fucking amazingly good electronic track with the vocals. He needs more work.
 

Diablos

Member
Alucrid said:
Where can I pick up the OST? I looked at SE's site but it's out of stock there.
Everyone seems to be sold out. Unless, of course, you want to pay $80-100 on eBay :p

Did you try Amazon?
 
Favourite tracks from the OST are:
Prelude to Final Fantasy XIII, Nautilus, March of the Dreadnoughts, Sunleth Waterscape, and Fabula Nova Crystallis.

Seriously, XIII's OST is probably my favourite in the series. It's so damn...clean in a way. Kinda hard to describe but it matches the game perfectly.
 

Amir0x

Banned
avatar299 said:
You bought the OST but aren't buying the game?

I love Hamauzu. I own the SaGa Frontier II soundtrack too. But I don't own the soundtrack yet. I just listened to it on youtube. I will probably buy the soundtrack when it gets cheap.

Good soundtracks often come from bad games or bad movies. It's not a shocking thing.
 

careksims

Member
My Final Fantasy XIII: The Complete Official Guide [Collector's Edition] (Hardcover) got shipped from Amazon. I didn't think it'd sell out like that.
 

Diablos

Member
Aljosa said:
Favourite tracks from the OST are:
Prelude to Final Fantasy XIII, Nautilus, March of the Dreadnoughts, Sunleth Waterscape, and Fabula Nova Crystallis.

Seriously, XIII's OST is probably my favourite in the series. It's so damn...clean in a way. Kinda hard to describe but it matches the game perfectly.
It's not just that it's "clean" and, while I can't attest to this yet, matches the game. To me it takes game music to a completely different level.

hateradio said:
Wouldn't you risk getting a bootleg from there?
Probably. You can always ask the seller... assuming they are honest :D
 
I'm reading that the battles are extremely difficult? WTF


I'm all for a challenge but I'd like to be able to beat the game also without having to replay battles 100x
 
Is it just me or is the story strangely understandable? Maybe that's Western influence :lol Seriously, I'm 20 hours in, and so far everything clicks, and there is a believable explanation for every action. Ofc you have typical FF/jRPG drama, but I was surprised that those moments are really few and far between (mostly during Chapter
7
but I kinda understand why, lots of things come to a boil then). I'm writing this because I didn't experience this in any FF apart from X and XII (although X started nonsense near the end) - with all due respect, plots of VII/VIII/IX were just rubbish, a mix of theories and philosophies all thrown together aka Voodoo shit.:D

Anyway, props to S-E for the idea of
Fal'Cie, L'Cie, two worlds living in fear of each other
. Again, this is nothing revolutionary, but jRPGs so frequently don't get this right. FFXIII is grounded in reality, and so far I'm loving it.

One last question concerning my progress: I'm in
Chapter 9
. Is
Gran Pulse in the next chapter? Will I be able to visit a number of locations during my stay there if I follow the main story? I would love to see the world as presented as Cocoon was
.


Ken Masters said:
I'm reading that the battles are extremely difficult? WTF


I'm all for a challenge but I'd like to be able to beat the game also without having to replay battles 100x

You have to think during battles and react. You cannot level your way over. Switching Paradigms is the key. Even if you could, you will be bored to death before you manage.
 

I'm an expert

Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
Castor Krieg said:
Is it just me or is the story strangely understandable?

Nah, it's not you. Because of the focus on the story and the characters, the game never gets lost. Things are explained and justified, and the pacing carries the rest. I keep trying to tell people that with all the fat of a JRPG gone the story just flows better, but usually I get beat over the head with the 'linerarity/gimme mah townz' hammer.
 

Jeels

Member
worldrevolution said:
Nah, it's not you. Because of the focus on the story and the characters, the game never gets lost. Things are explained and justified, and the pacing carries the rest. I keep trying to tell people that with all the fat of a JRPG gone the story just flows better, but usually I get beat over the head with the 'linerarity/gimme mah townz' hammer.

Well, it's good to know people are noticing what this game accomplishes.
 

Shouta

Member
Ken Masters said:
I'm reading that the battles are extremely difficult? WTF


I'm all for a challenge but I'd like to be able to beat the game also without having to replay battles 100x

Can be really hard, can be really easy. Lots of folks seem to have had trouble at points where I didn't and vice versa for example. It's a crapshoot at times though. This is one of my complaints with the game's battle system, It's pretty poorly balanced across the entire game. Without a customization system that can be adjusted on the fly, it makes the only option to get through certain things either a lot of trial and error or grinding until you're strong enough to make it through. That's a helluva big annoyance when the game is as linear as 13 is.
 

Oli

Registered User
Dangit Brad :(

21cyw3m.jpg



Two more days...
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Shouta said:
Can be really hard, can be really easy. Lots of folks seem to have had trouble at points where I didn't and vice versa for example. It's a crapshoot at times though. This is one of my complaints with the game's battle system, It's pretty poorly balanced across the entire game. Without a customization system that can be adjusted on the fly, it makes the only option to get through certain things either a lot of trial and error or grinding until you're strong enough to make it through. That's a helluva big annoyance when the game is as linear as 13 is.

Honestly, Shouta, i really don't agree. in 13, I did find a few sticking points, but all that was involved in finding the rhythm of a battle was switching up Optimas/Paradigms and giving it another a crack. The fact that you can restart right before the battle justifies this kind of tactic.

It's hardly a crapshoot. Also, I don't think I ever grinded in 13.
 

I'm an expert

Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
Shouta said:
Can be really hard, can be really easy. Lots of folks seem to have had trouble at points where I didn't and vice versa for example. It's a crapshoot at times though. This is one of my complaints with the game's battle system, It's pretty poorly balanced across the entire game. Without a customization system that can be adjusted on the fly, it makes the only option to get through certain things either a lot of trial and error or grinding until you're strong enough to make it through. That's a helluva big annoyance when the game is as linear as 13 is.

I think it's a mistake to lump the Optima shifts into the battle system and not the customization system. You can customize on the fly - the Optima system. Keeping your Crystarium up to date makes that customization more effective.

The game is difficult in that you have to find out the right optima setup and gimmick of a fight. But once you find that out, you really can't lose save for not being quick enough in changing your Optimae or getting hit with a death spell. I never thought I was 'underleveled' or too weak in the game, I just felt I didn't know the right times to change my setup and the right time to attack/buff/heal whatever. So I don't really understand how the difficulty isn't balanced throughout the game? The fact that people use different Optima setups for different fights even proves there are multiple ways of tackling the same fight. But in a sense, every enemy has a script and you have to figure out how to dance to it.
 

Shouta

Member
thetrin said:
Honestly, Shouta, i really don't agree. in 13, I did find a few sticking points, but all that was involved in finding the rhythm of a battle was switching up Optimas/Paradigms and giving it another a crack. The fact that you can restart right before the battle justifies this kind of tactic.

It's hardly a crapshoot. Also, I don't think I ever grinded in 13.

It's a crapshoot because there isn't a consistent level of difficulty, not that the battles are a crapshoot (though there is one or two like that). You find one area difficult, I don't. I find one area difficult, you don't. That's pretty random.

I had to grind a few times in the game myself and I almost never grind. Regardless though, there aren't many ways out of a situation if your optimas are right but you're still losing.
 
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