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[Red Scarlet]

No, you're going to play L4D2 and you are going to RESCUE ME when I am next to you instead of trying to make a stupid jump.

 

[Dresden]

I like how both Nolan North and Yuri Lowenthal are Cocoon Inhabitants.

A man's gotta feed his family, yo.

Absolutely. Grandia is one of my favorite series and I always felt bad about not finishing the first one.

I hope 4 is on the way :/

I dunno man, after how awful 3 was I'm not sure about 4.

 

[Crash Station]

A man's gotta feed his family, yo.




I dunno man, after how awful 3 was I'm not sure about 4.

It still had a top notch battle system. The series is one of the rare cases where it can survive on battle system alone for me as long as the story is better than the recent non ROF Tri-Ace outings.

 

[Dresden]

It still had a top notch battle system. The series is one of the rare cases where it can survive on battle system alone for me as long as the story is better than the recent non ROF Tri-Ace outings.

Grandia 3 had a worse story than Star Ocean 4, though. You controlled some tranny pilot guy with a dumb elf chick as the romantic interest, whose too-young mother is dating some goat guy. All the while the dumb elf chick's bro is trying to kill the tranny pilot guy while the elf chick is like no he's not bad just misguided.

I dunno, 3 killed the series for me.

 

[Crash Station]

Grandia 3 had a worse story than Star Ocean 4, though. You controlled some tranny pilot guy with a dumb elf chick as the romantic interest, whose too-young mother is dating some goat guy. All the while the dumb elf chick's bro is trying to kill the tranny pilot guy while the elf chick is like no he's not bad just misguided.

I dunno, 3 killed the series for me.

I actually didn't think it got to the levels of "SO4 bad" until the end when we find out the main goal of the villain is to

Spoiler

erase all the love in the world or something

. The characters were definitely more tolerable than SO4.

But yeah, it would be great if 4 had the overall quality of 2 or even 1. 2 was one of my top games of the last decade.

 

[Red Scarlet]

HHAHAHAHA

I mean it.

 

[Mandoric]

So what's everyone's XIII post-recovery game going to be?

It wasn't really post so much as interleaved, but I alternated DQ9 and the storyline of FFXI Chains of Promathia. Wanted to try RoF, but the demo just left me feeling completely lost and understanding why people have a hard time adjusting to RPGs.

Is Vanille really that bad in the English version? In Japanese she sounded a bit off in the beginning, but was fine otherwise. I guess it's harder to tell because half of the time "anime voice" voice direction in English comes out "make it sound like the character itself is trying to do an anime voice" anyway, and doubling down on octave shifts and dramatic pauses just smacks of cheapness.

 

[toastyToast]

So what's everyone's XIII post-recovery game going to be?

Playing FF XIII has given me a real hankering to replay XII especially during Taejin's Tower. I watched the final battle against Vayne and wow were his moves spiffy.

Next game on my plate is Bayonetta then Mass Effect 2 maybe.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Are you watching opening day tomorrow?

Let's play the parish after the game. I should be done with FF13 by then.

Baseball?

 

[Dresden]

I actually didn't think it got to the levels of "SO4 bad" until the end when we find out the main goal of the villain is to

Spoiler

erase all the love in the world or something

. The characters were definitely more tolerable than SO4.

But yeah, it would be great if 4 had the overall quality of 2 or even 1. 2 was one of my top games of the last decade.

yeah, i really liked 2. you had a douche for a lead but he was pretty pimp for a douche.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Haha, she sounds awesome.

Oh, didn't know it started tomorrow. I'll watch starting Monday. Go Red Sox!

 

[Crash Station]

The problem with Vanille isn't her voice, the problem with her is her personality in general. Either she is autistic or psychotic no one knows, but it's not realistic to show genocide that is seen in the beginning of the game and a character who farts sunshine and rainbows.

This shows the disparity between eastern and western tastes. People don't dislike Vanille because of her voice.



Yeah. MLB!

I think the problem isn't Vanille but rather everyone's reaction to her. There's absolutely nothing wrong with putting on a strong front even in the face of a crisis like the purge despite some inner demons. It's everyone else that's at fault for not saying "what the fuck is wrong with you". It's one thing to be extreme but people aren't that understanding or discerning.

 

[Mandoric]

The problem with Vanille isn't her voice, the problem with her is her personality in general. Either she is autistic or psychotic no one knows, but it's not realistic to show genocide that is seen in the beginning of the game and a character who farts sunshine and rainbows.

This shows the disparity between eastern and western tastes. People don't dislike Vanille because of her voice.

I guess it could be that, then. I know GAF is far more negative about her than most places I read, and it's the only one in English I bother with.
Personally, I just took it as a far cuter and slighly more realistic version of (that unrealistic guy, his summon, and vague hints at Vanille's past, wow it feels funny remembering someone in-thread hasn't played :lol )

Spoiler

Snow's issues. They both clutch to the idea that everything's going to turn out all right as a way of avoiding reality, but Vanille's running from something far darker and is okay with general optimism rather than the mental images you know Snow has of Shiva Punch! Shiva Kick! And posing in the sunset over a collapsed pile of rubber suit.

 

[Dresden]

i thought vanille had really nice thighs for a 3d character, best thighs ever, probably

that's all i cared about

 

[Mandoric]

Spoiler

I felt Snow's resolve was more "realistic", if such a thing is possible. I find Vanille the complete opposite as she continuously gets in people's face, tells them how to think and feel and what they should do, she acts like nothing is at stake. "Ciao!" *shudder*

Spoiler

Oh, I don't have any problem with his resolve per se. Men will do things that dumb for even less romance. But if he had gone on about heroes one more time we would've seen the fashion faux pas of red spandex with belts and zippers.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Spoiler

I felt Snow's resolve was more "realistic", if such a thing is possible. I find Vanille the complete opposite as she continuously gets in people's face, tells them how to think and feel and what they should do, she acts like nothing is at stake. "Ciao!" *shudder*

This is not the case.

There is a difference between hiding inner demons and acting like a complete child in the face of danger. If you what happened in the game actually happened, I doubt anyone would react the way Vanille did. Rikku, for example, had an upbeat and optimistic personality and yet still didn't stray from normalcy.

I bet Vanille is cool, you're just an angry person.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Try to record some crap before you sell it so I can make avatars.

 

[Papercuts]

I like how even though all kinds of shit is going down in chapter 12, Vanille randomly just has a winquote and goes "Yay us!", feels so out of place. :lol

 

[BocoDragon]

No comment from our faction at this time.

 

[Crash Station]

This is not the case.

There is a difference between hiding inner demons and acting like a complete child in the face of danger. If what happened in the game actually happened, I doubt anyone would react the way Vanille did. Rikku, for example, had an upbeat and optimistic personality and yet still didn't stray from normalcy. Same thing for Yuffie and Selphie. Selphie's Garden gets bombed and this makes her bummed out despite her optimistic personality. If it happened to Vanille, I don't know how she'd react.

But that's the thing. She's not normal. She's a total psychopath; at least temporarily. Every other optimistic girl in the series knew when it was appropriate to act the way they did. Vanille doesn't differentiate because she has convinced herself "there is absolutely nothing wrong with this situation".

There's actually an article on a psychological problem like this somewhere. I need to find it. It's pretty much the reverse of paranoia.

 

[BocoDragon]

But that's the thing. She's not normal. She's a total psychopath; at least temporarily. Every other optimistic girl in the series knew when it was appropriate to act the way they did. Vanille doesn't differentiate because she has convinced herself "there is absolutely nothing wrong with this situation".

There's actually an article on a psychological problem like this somewhere. I need to find it. It's pretty much the reverse of paranoia.

happiness?

 

[Dresden]

But that's the thing. She's not normal. She's a total psychopath; at least temporarily. Every other optimistic girl in the series knew when it was appropriate to act the way they did. Vanille doesn't differentiate because she has convinced herself "there is absolutely nothing wrong with this situation".

There's actually an article on a psychological problem like this somewhere. I need to find it. It's pretty much the reverse of paranoia.

i actually like vanille, but let's be honest here, i doubt the developers and the writers thought to themselves, 'yes, vanille's impossible outlook on life originates from a psychological pathology dealing with post traumatic stress events.' they were prolly just like lol fuck we need a happy chick for all the genki fans lets get this girl some fucking fur boots

 

[Papercuts]

But that's the thing. She's not normal. She's a total psychopath; at least temporarily. Every other optimistic girl in the series knew when it was appropriate to act the way they did. Vanille doesn't differentiate because she has convinced herself "there is absolutely nothing wrong with this situation".

There's actually an article on a psychological problem like this somewhere. I need to find it. It's pretty much the reverse of paranoia.

I don't really think they sat around and thought that through, they just made her really, really happy even though the game's plot doesn't really call for it. If she did have some condition, I'd assume SOMEONE would atleast bring it up at some point.

Lol, beaten.

 

[Crash Station]

happiness?

Pretty much.

Does anyone remember the girl in the second Phoenix Wright game? The one that acted like a child and didn't seem to mind at all that her father had just been murdered. It's like that.

Anyway, even if I'm wrong about this, I still like Vanille and will always be part of the VDF.

 

[Dresden]

Pretty much.

Does anyone remember the girl in the second Phoenix Wright game? The one that acted like a child and didn't seem to mind at all that her father had just been murdered. It's like that.

Anyway, even if I'm wrong about this, I still like Vanille and will always be part of the VDF.

best thighs of all fucking time, of all fucking time! look at those fucking thighs

 

[Red Scarlet]

I have not seen them. You are going on and on with nothing to show for it.

 

[RadioHeadAche]

:lol

Despite how I may appear online, I'm as close to one of those "upbeat" Final Fantasy characters in real life than anything else. It's due to years of ADD.

Ciao! *giggles*

*prances off*

 

[dramatis]

best thighs of all fucking time, of all fucking time! look at those fucking thighs

Can't beat Alicia's (VP2) thunder thighs.

Pretty much.

Does anyone remember the girl in the second Phoenix Wright game? The one that acted like a child and didn't seem to mind at all that her father had just been murdered. It's like that.

Anyway, even if I'm wrong about this, I still like Vanille and will always be part of the VDF.

Regina from Phoenix Wright was written with that disorder and it's explicitly referenced in the case. Vanille? You're looking for depth in a character that has little.

 

[Mandoric]

I don't really think they sat around and thought that through, they just made her really, really happy even though the game's plot doesn't really call for it. If she did have some condition, I'd assume SOMEONE would atleast bring it up at some point.

Lol, beaten.

Going back to the voice thing. In Japanese, it's near-100% obvious that she doesn't so much have issues as subscriptions. There's "cutesy schoolgirl voice" and then there's "voice the cutesy schoolgirl uses in the school play", and she's decidedly on the latter side.

 

[Thrakier]

So, let's explain-age: Why the hell is the cpu still using the weaker magic, like ice instead of icera!?

 

[Papercuts]

So, let's explain-age: Why the hell is the cpu still using the weaker magic, like ice instead of icera!?

The stronger magic seems to mainly/only get used on groups on enemies.

 

[Mandoric]

So, let's explain-age: Why the hell is the cpu still using the weaker magic, like ice instead of icera!?

More DoT.

Exact details:

Spoiler

Blizzara does 1.5x damage for 2x the ATB, and Blizzaga does 2.2x for 3x. Blizzard also raises chain by 10% + Ravager bonus, while Blizzara raises by 18% + RAV bonus and Blizzaga 26%+bonus--and the bonus, up to an extra 3.6%, kicks in every hit. There is no damage cut for AoE, though, so -ra is always slightly more efficient than -ga while -ga has a greater range (effectively useless due to no movement) and a launch effect.

 

[Rpgmonkey]

Chapter 12 boss was one of the best boss fights in the series. Now *that* was strategic. Shame such fights are few and far between.

Yay, someone else who liked it!

The fight seems to get no love, but it's my favorite one in the whole game. It was challenging and kept me interested, made the best use of balancing your attacking, healing, buffs, and debuffs out of any fight in this game, and it was just plain cool to watch.

Army Of One+Ch. 12 Boss=Insanity :lol

 

[hamchan]

In the middle of chapter 11, still liking the game but getting slightly annoyed at the lack of sidequests. Past FF games had so much variety in the sidequests. FFXIII looks like it's just monster hunts, unless there's some other side stuff I'm missing. This means the game quickly becomes boring for me after playing a couple of hours. Past FFs I could marathon for a dozen hours without getting bored

 

[firehawk12]

Going back to the voice thing. In Japanese, it's near-100% obvious that she doesn't so much have issues as subscriptions. There's "cutesy schoolgirl voice" and then there's "voice the cutesy schoolgirl uses in the school play", and she's decidedly on the latter side.

Subscriptions. I love that. :lol

 

[Unknown Soldier]

So what's everyone's XIII post-recovery game going to be?

[JesseVentura]I ain't got TIME to recover[/JesseVentura]

I'm going to start God of War III just as soon as I finish up FFXIII. I'm on Chapter 13 now. My plan is to get get through GoWIII since it's not too long, then take care of Heavy Rain really quick, then come back and grind the shit out of FFXIII and finish up the missions and whatnot. I have to get through GowIII, Heavy Rain, and tackle Resonance of Fate before Persona 3 Portable and Valkyria Chronicles 2 comes out, that is going to take up my entire summer.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

No comment from our faction at this time.

We are forming a consensus. Please try again later.

 

[Cep]

We are forming a consensus. Please try again later.

:lol

 

[Katana_Strikes]

Finished it the other night. Put it down for about 2 weeks whilst I finished through GoWIII. Suprised how easy it was to get straight back in to (I left it at half way through C11). Though I was kinda shocked how much I felt the game had almost took a graphical drop after playing GoW.

Anyways I kind of abandoned the story after trying hard to follow (and doing a decent job) up to this point. But I really just wanted to end the game now. I think I'd really started to lose interest after a boring C10. Though 11 certainly did a good job of holding my interest again, the last 2 chapters dive bombed. And the final boss was just boring (and why no CP for any of this?).

Overall I did enjoy the game, though more so earlier on and just became increasing bored/tired of the game come the end.

Gonna give it a 7/10. Though it's probably the best FF since X but a way cut below the PSone games.

 

[Styles]

In the middle of chapter 11, still liking the game but getting slightly annoyed at the lack of sidequests. Past FF games had so much variety in the sidequests. FFXIII looks like it's just monster hunts, unless there's some other side stuff I'm missing. This means the game quickly becomes boring for me after playing a couple of hours. Past FFs I could marathon for a dozen hours without getting bored

Spoiler

You get to repair a Robot later on!

 

[ShutDown202]

Reading some of the positive coments here really wants to make me start a new file. I finished the Japanese version way back in December 09 and loved every moment of it.

For those that have completed both, which version has better voice acting? i thought the japanese ones was superb. Didnt really like what i heard from the English in the trailers (Too much Austrailian VO, yuck).

Thinking about picking the PAL one up one day when its dirt cheap.

 

[Fuu]

I got the growth egg some days ago and during the

Spoiler

Titan Trials

I completely lost motivation to keep going. I was having fun with the marks but everything started feeling like wasting my time instead of properly having fun after some arbitrary point (not to mention how quickly I stopped when I tried to farm the Eden turtle, lol). Having maxed out the main classes of each character may have something to do with it.

I've been playing AA Investigations and maybe I'll come back to this one in the future but yeah, too many games to play and books to read so I'm done with it. Fun ride all in all but it certainly didn't stick with me as much as past FF.

Edit:

btw, when is this?

 

[psy18]

Noooo!! it's over.... got my plat at 95.5 hours.

Really enjoying this game. awesome music, great graphics, refreshing battle system, etc.
It also takes out some of the cumbersome elements which has made me lazy with jRPGs since a long time. Feels more cinematic and non-stop!

More of this kind of stuff, Square!

 

[Trickster]

I just reached Gran Pulse. And out of curiousity, could someone tell me roughly how far along I am at this stage in the game?

 

[ULTROS!]

I just reached Gran Pulse. And out of curiousity, could someone tell me roughly how far along I am at this stage in the game?

1/2 if you include the missions. If not... 3/5

 

[Ricker]

Spoiler

You get to repair a Robot later on!

And that seemed so out of place...it`s litteraly the only side quest in the entire game(not counting the missions) :lol

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Edit:

btw, when is this?

My best guess is during the Chapter intro cutscene to Chapter 12

Edit: or maybe it was when she got the eidolon summon in the chapter?

 

[MurkyZebra2417]

My best guess is during the Chapter intro cutscene to Chapter 12

This cutscene was awesome, but it felt a little bit out of place, I mean, WHY do they storm into Cocoon like that and disrupt the race etc? Nonsense, but awesome

 

[desverger]

Oh man, I'm never getting tired of this Chocobo riding music.

 

[Pooya]

btw, when is this?

that's from gameplay, just use Vanille's summon.