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[Perfect Blue]

All I know is I haven't yet seen a pic of the US version in the wild (I've seen a couple Canadian ones), while I have seen 20-30 pics around the web of people with euro copies.

I confess I'm jealous.. I'm waiting until Tuesday for my non-CE, non shiny/no inside art Canadian version.. It's like being the last in the world to the least appealing edition....

You and me both pal.

 

[Diablos]

Excellent OP and thread as usual, Kagari.

btw, what is up with FFXIII's localization? I think they tried too hard. For example, when describing the Saboteur role -- when's the last time you heard anyone say "enfeeble"? :lol "Weaken" would have been more appropriate, I would think. I dunno, it just seems like they're using unique descriptions for otherwise simple things.

I should hopefully have the game in my hands on Wednesday, thanks to free overnight shipping from Gamestop. I can't wait.

 

[hitsugi]

It's always a strange feeling to me when I pre-order a game.. and then get release date shipping or I'm expecting to walk in and grab it on the release date feeling like a million bucks, right?

and then - people get their hands on copies 5-6 days in advance just by walking into some hole in the wall game store.

would have been PERFECT for this weekend D: why a tuesday?!?! I guess now I have the whole weekend to hype / obsess over something I can't play till then, but I'd rather have the game now.

 

[Diablos]

It's always a strange feeling to me when I pre-order a game.. and then get release date shipping or I'm expecting to walk in and grab it on the release date feeling like a million bucks, right?

and then - people get their hands on copies 5-6 days in advance just by walking into some hole in the wall game store.

would have been PERFECT for this weekend D: why a tuesday?!?! I guess now I have the whole weekend to hype / obsess over something I can't play till then, but I'd rather have the game now.

Eh, doesn't bother me really. Gave me enough time to finish Heavy Rain, and now I'm chewing on the Valkyria Edy DLC that was only in Japan for the longest time.

 

[Kagari]

Excellent OP and thread as usual, Kagari.

btw, what is up with FFXIII's localization? I think they tried too hard. For example, when describing the Saboteur role -- when's the last time you heard anyone say "enfeeble"? :lol "Weaken" would have been more appropriate, I would think. I dunno, it just seems like they're using unique descriptions for otherwise simple things.

I should hopefully have the game in my hands on Wednesday, thanks to free overnight shipping from Gamestop. I can't wait.

Yeah I agree. The original terms were fine... and in English.

 

[Mandoric]

There's definitely some trying too hard going, but I'm pretty sure enfeeble is used to describe debuff magic series-wide. Definitely is in 11.

 

[Dead Prince]

Dream-crusher. D:

lie and say you got the call for monday afternoon. see how that goes.

 

[Castor Krieg]

13 hours in, Chapter 7. Impressions concerning the characters:

Spoiler

Lightning - not bad, not great either. I would say average, although Chapter 7 has emo moments with Hope, really pisses me off.

Snow - as somebody mentioned, dudebro. Stupid grin and restless energy.

Sazh - the best so far. The actor tried to making him sound mature (probably due to his age), and he succeeds. I know Satz is supposed to be a comedic relief in the JP version, but I like him in the English one. Very composed character.

Vanille - sexy accent She is a bit too "yay!" and moe, but nothing too bad.

Fang - very little yet. From what I saw it seems she will be a good character, a bit like Satz.


Hope - die, die, die. HONESTLY! FFS, the amount of anime angst and emo is huge with Hope. First panic, then anger, then resignation, then some more emo moments. Then more emo moments in Chapter 7, really poor writing and he made Lightning feel bad as well. Need to ditch him when I get the chance.

So far Sazh wins hands down. Really like him as a character.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Just wanted to say great work on the thread Kagari.

I was wondering though about the encyclopedia, does it have any art or anything, or is it just text?

 

[Castor Krieg]

I was wondering though about the encyclopedia, does it have any art or anything, or is it just text?

You mean the in-game one? It has some screens next to each entry.

 

[Kagari]

13 hours in, Chapter 7. Impressions concerning the characters:

Spoiler

Lightning - not bad, not great either. I would say average, although Chapter 7 has emo moments with Hope, really pisses me off.

Snow - as somebody mentioned, dudebro. Stupid grin and restless energy.

Sazh - the best so far. The actor tried to making him sound mature (probably due to his age), and he succeeds. I know Satz is supposed to be a comedic relief in the JP version, but I like him in the English one. Very composed character.

Vanille - sexy accent She is a bit too "yay!" and moe, but nothing too bad.

Fang - very little yet. From what I saw it seems she will be a good character, a bit like Satz.


Hope - die, die, die. HONESTLY! FFS, the amount of anime angst and emo is huge with Hope. First panic, then anger, then resignation, then some more emo moments. Then more emo moments in Chapter 7, really poor writing and he made Lightning feel bad as well. Need to ditch him when I get the chance.

So far Sazh wins hands down. Really like him as a character.

Spoiler

Hope is a good party member though. My final party ended up being Light/Hope/Vanille.

 

[krameriffic]

I don't see whats wrong with a linear game. Its like a while ago, lots of games were penalized (by stupid people and fanboys) for not having multiplayer. Would Oblivion really benefit from multiplayer? I mean, really? Now in the world of big mass open games EVERYTHING needs to be completely driven by freedom. You know what I say?

Fuck that.

I'm glad the game is more linear. Balancing college and a job, I don't have enough time to navigate my way through every little bit of the game world just so I get the best upgrades or whatever. Thats why I didn't get into Dragon Age, I just didn't have enough time to invest in it.

Thumbs up for linear gameplay!

There's not so much a problem with linearity as there is a problem with 40+ hours of linearity and the inherent repetition that follows along with it. The phrase "dumbed down" gets tossed around a lot this console generation, but there is often something to it. From what I've seen, it doesn't contain the optional "extracurricular" aspects that FF games generally have. It's not necessary to have sandbox zones like ME has, but at least give me a chance to do something more than the plot.

 

[Castor Krieg]

Spoiler

Hope is a good party member though. My final party ended up being Light/Hope/Vanille.

True, he packs quite a punch as a Ravager.

 

[Kagari]

True, he packs quite a punch as a Ravager.

Spoiler

I recommend eventually (once the party member options open up) to set a few Paradigms to RAV/RAV/RAV and MED/MED/MED . Fast enemy breakage + fast healing = win.

 

[RPGCrazied]

You mean the in-game one? It has some screens next to each entry.

thats kinda cool.. thanks

 

[joesmokey]

I can't believe this game comes out next week! It feels like we've been waiting forever for it in NA land. Regardless of what people have been saying about it, I'm still just as excited for it as when I ordered the Advent Children demo.

And it releases a day before my birthday, can't be all that bad!

 

[Castor Krieg]

Spoiler

I recommend eventually (once the party member options open up) to set a few Paradigms to RAV/RAV/RAV and MED/MED/MED . Fast enemy breakage + fast healing = win.

Thanks, will keep that in mind. Also, can you help me with Upgrades?

Spoiler

I just try to evenly level the weapon-of-choice and accessories. For example, I recently made a Star-grade Silver Bangle for Light and Hope, but I cannot seem to transform it yet. Gladius is lvl. 7, Hope's boomerang lvl. 5. Should I just go with my hunch, or is there a moment later, when it becomes very difficult to continue without certain accessories. I guess a guide would've helped a lot by listing which components are best used on what items, but alas no LE guide yet.

 

[MCermak]

I haven't finished a FF game since VII (or VI if you count replays.) Maybe the series is no longer for me. I saw the commercial today, (i'm in the US) and I must say that it did absolutely nothing for me. The pop music, the clips of gameplay with no context, the ambiguous "the battle within begins" at the end....Also, It only made mention of the 360 version.

Maybe the PS3 version of the commercial (if such a thing exists) will be better. It makes me think back to how great the VII & VIII commercials were. They may be a bit dated now, but at least they told me something about the product and why I should be excited about it.

From watching trailers I know better, but what were they thinking with that commercial?

I'm not sure if I'll get the game or not, but I'm excited for everyone that it is finally coming out.

 

[CruxisMana]

The commercial is just awful. I wouldn't judge anything on it.

There is no PS3 advert though.

 

[Gamer @ Heart]

The hype for this almost made me buy FF1 for iphone. I came close several times last night.

 

[MCX]

Excellent OP and thread as usual, Kagari.

btw, what is up with FFXIII's localization? I think they tried too hard. For example, when describing the Saboteur role -- when's the last time you heard anyone say "enfeeble"? :lol "Weaken" would have been more appropriate, I would think. I dunno, it just seems like they're using unique descriptions for otherwise simple things.

That's the terminology used in FFXI, so maybe they're at least trying to remain consistent? I agree with you, though.

 

[Alex]

Excellent OP and thread as usual, Kagari.

btw, what is up with FFXIII's localization? I think they tried too hard. For example, when describing the Saboteur role -- when's the last time you heard anyone say "enfeeble"? :lol "Weaken" would have been more appropriate, I would think. I dunno, it just seems like they're using unique descriptions for otherwise simple things.

Moe: Garage? Hey, fellas, the garage. Well, ooh la-di-da, Mr. Frenchman.
Homer: Well, what do you call it?
Moe: A car hole.

Nothing wrong with flowering up the text. Too bad they rarely seem to apply it to the dialogue outside of XI and XII (and to be fair the remakes of the classical titles)

 

[Vanille]

Spoiler

Hope - die, die, die. HONESTLY! FFS, the amount of anime angst and emo is huge with Hope. First panic, then anger, then resignation, then some more emo moments. Then more emo moments in Chapter 7, really poor writing and he made Lightning feel bad as well. Need to ditch him when I get the chance.

Spoiler

To be fair, Hope is probably the most realistic of all the party members and the only one really reacting correctly to the circumstances surrounding them. He does eventually mature by the end of the game and I really liked his bond with Light.

 

[7Th]

Spoiler

He does eventually mature by the end of the game and I really liked his bond with Light.

Spoiler

If you know what I mean.

 

[Tiduz]

I am in love with this game.

holy shit battle system is FUN

 

[Zeouterlimits]

Considering how much Square Enix kissed Europe's ass with the CE, their retailers sure don't seem to be respecting street dates..

Could someone list what countries have being selling it before the street date?

 

[Curufinwe]

You know review scores aren't used to create a single ranking of all videogames relative to eachother. With those scores they aren't saying that FFXIII is worse than DW6, they are saying that FFXIII is an average rpg whereas DW6 is a good character action game.

What the 5 from Edge is saying is that FFXIII is a worse JRPG than Infinite Undiscovery, which they gave a 6.

Yeah.

 

[Cep]

Spoiler

I recommend eventually (once the party member options open up) to set a few Paradigms to RAV/RAV/RAV and MED/MED/MED . Fast enemy breakage + fast healing = win.

Sounds sane, like changing phases.

But should someone not still be maintaining break on the enemies?

What the 5 from Edge is saying is that FFXIII is a worse JRPG than Infinite Undiscovery, which they gave a 6.

Yeah.

It does not mean that at all. Reviews are not written in order to be compared.

Too many people make that mistake.

 

[MechaX]

What the 5 from Edge is saying is that FFXIII is a worse JRPG than Infinite Undiscovery, which they gave a 6.

Yeah.

Remember, review standards go up over time. A game that got a 6 two years ago wouldn't necessarily still be a 6 today!

It does not mean that at all. Reviews are not written in order to be compared.

Too many people make that mistake.

That, and different reviewers also throws things into disarray.

Bottom line though, don't put too much stock in reviews. With that said, they can still be good sources of info when written well.

 

[Firestorm]

What the 5 from Edge is saying is that FFXIII is a worse JRPG than Infinite Undiscovery, which they gave a 6.

Yeah.

What is Edge's last name?

Spoiler

Maverick?

 

[Castor Krieg]

But should someone not still be maintaining break on the enemies?

Spoiler

Once you break enemies the timer kicks in - you cannot extend the Stagger time. I guess using Commando can delay it a bit (not sure, at least it works while trying to Stagger the enemy - start with Commando for the bar diminishing slower) but Ravagers are dishing crazy damage, so it evens out.

 

[The Elite]

See you cats later!

 

[Cep]

Remember, review standards go up over time. A game that got a 6 two years ago wouldn't necessarily still be a 6 today!



That, and different reviewers also throws things into disarray.

Bottom line though, don't put too much stock in reviews. With that said, they can still be good sources of info when written well.

Completely agreed.

It is absolutely astounding how many people use review scores in a comparative way. I mean, I can certainly understand using the text and content(after placing them in context), but the scores mean jack in the greater sense.

 

[fernoca]

Weird thing about all the pics of the "canadian version"..is the shrinkwrap. All pics I've seen so far, show the "cheap wrapping" that many people complain that stores when selling opened copies of games. Or ..are all games over there wrapped like that?

 

[Curufinwe]

So now comparing the scores given by one magazine to two JRPGs released by the same company within 18 months of each other is not allowed? You guys are so funny. :lol

 

[BocoDragon]

If anyone has the US copy.. Show me the inside cover art. Still haven't seen any photo proof yet.

Weird thing about all the pics of the "canadian version"..is the shrinkwrap. All pics I've seen so far, show the "cheap wrapping" that many people complain that stores when selling opened copies of games. Or ..are all games over there wrapped like that?

Yeah. It's the french manual usually which causes it to be double shrinkwrapped and look funny. The game is printed, sealed, then the french manual is added to the back and a second layer of wrap goes overtop.

 

[Empty]

So now comparing the scores given by one magazine to two JRPGs released by the same company within 18 months of each other is not allowed? You guys are so funny. :lol

It's not that it isn't allowed, it just seems like a rather pointless task. The FFXIII review isn't suddenly irrelevant or discredited because 18 months ago a potentially different person decided that it was his opinion that Infinite Undiscovery was an above average RPG for the time period that it was released in. As i said, outlets don't assign scores with the intent of creating a timeless objective ranking of all games relative to eachother.

 

[robotzombie]

No one has yet to provide proof of the US copy being released early, correct?

 

[zoukka]

So now comparing the scores given by one magazine to two JRPGs released by the same company within 18 months of each other is not allowed? You guys are so funny. :lol

Of course it's allowed. But you still sound like an idiot if doing so

 

[VGChampion]

So hyped. Really wish I could get my hands on it today as I'll be at the beach Tuesday but I'll have that juicy game waiting for me when I get home.

 

[BocoDragon]

No one has yet to provide proof of the US copy being released early, correct?

I still haven't seen a single photo of it! 3 pictures of Canadian copies, 300+ pictures of Euro copies... that's it! :lol

 

[Fuu]

So now comparing the scores given by one magazine to two JRPGs released by the same company within 18 months of each other is not allowed? You guys are so funny. :lol

It isn't allowed in some instances, actually. Some time ago there was a "so basically A is better than B" meme of comparing review scores for different games which got out of hand and became a bannable offense on GAF.

 

[ACE 1991]

I still haven't seen a single photo of it! 3 pictures of Canadian copies, 300+ pictures of Euro copies... that's it! :lol

I was soooo close......

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=20129444&postcount=6393

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

What I can get out of all of these is EDGE reviews can be useless because context and references points of scoring is inherently random to the individual.

Yeesh, let's not allow a single review override yourself.

Meh, single reviews do really do much for me let alone EDGE, heck I haven't read 'professional' reviews in a long time, just sticking to the forums and my interests.

 

[Dice]

Okay so I was on media blackout this whole times and... the descriptions and video of the battle system worry me a great deal.

You see, I have always set every ATB FF game to "Wait" because that is just how I like to play RPGs. That is in fact why I play RPGs when I do, because they can be nice and laid back. This new system seems to have no such room, and I haven't heard anything of there being some sort of "Wait" option in this game.

What is it like? I was majorly annoyed with FFXII and this seems to be taking my issues with it a step further.

 

[Oli]

Just watched the Gametrailers review. Definitely got me hyped. The linearity (I'm convinced) will not bother me. I'll take it over the usual illusion of openness that most JRPGs offer.

 

[Curufinwe]

Okay so I was on media blackout this whole times and... the descriptions and video of the battle system worry me a great deal.

You see, I have always set every ATB FF game to "Wait" because that is just how I like to play RPGs. That is in fact why I play RPGs when I do, because they can be nice and laid back. This new system seems to have no such room, and I haven't heard anything of there being some sort of "Wait" option in this game.

What is it like? I was majorly annoyed with FFXII and this seems to be taking my issues with it a step further.

From all the reviews I've read, it doesn't sound like you'll enjoy the battle system very much.

 

[Peff]

Okay so I was on media blackout this whole times and... the descriptions and video of the battle system worry me a great deal.

You see, I have always set every ATB FF game to "Wait" because that is just how I like to play RPGs. That is in fact why I play RPGs when I do, because they can be nice and laid back. This new system seems to have no such room, and I haven't heard anything of there being some sort of "Wait" option in this game.

What is it like? I was majorly annoyed with FFXII and this seems to be taking my issues with it a step further.

You can pause the game (though that's worthless to analyze situations since it blocks the screen), but yes, the battle system is meant to be frenetic and very fast-paced, encouraging quick thinking and acting. Although maybe you can get used to it, even if it's a bit overwhelming at the beginning.

 

[Castor Krieg]

What is it like? I was majorly annoyed with FFXII and this seems to be taking my issues with it a step further.

It is faster than FFXII, you need to pay attention and switch roles on the fly. Most action-based FF so far.

 

[Llyranor]

Okay so I was on media blackout this whole times and... the descriptions and video of the battle system worry me a great deal.

You see, I have always set every ATB FF game to "Wait" because that is just how I like to play RPGs. That is in fact why I play RPGs when I do, because they can be nice and laid back. This new system seems to have no such room, and I haven't heard anything of there being some sort of "Wait" option in this game.

What is it like? I was majorly annoyed with FFXII and this seems to be taking my issues with it a step further.

Bear in mind that you only actively control *one* character, so having to input commands shouldn't be too demanding. From my understanding, the gameplay is more focused on evaluating the ebb and flow of the battle, rather than micromanaging or responding to single actions. Your focus is on realizing when you need to go from offensive to defensive, when you need to increase your party's healing duties, when to go physical or magic or inflict status effects, and so on. Your actual input will be via changing your party roles/jobs on the fly (and determining which set of roles/jobs are suited for that specific situation), rather than thinking about what specific action you'd want each character to do on an individual basis. You're acting more as a strategist than as a tactician (in the broad sense of the terms). It'll be fast-paced, but I'm not sure it'll be overwhelming, given the change in focus. In any case, it sounds like an interesting approach, and one I'm really looking forward to.