You have got to be fucking kidding me.... Barthandelus is a rigged son of a bitch. I mean I follow what you guys say and even the guide and the asshole does Destrudo about every 2-3 minutes. I can't even get a good chain started... To make matters worse, he casts Doom on me when I still only had him at about 50% or 215k HP left.... HOW THE FUCK IS THAT FAIR?! Sorry, but I am pretty damn pissed after blowing 20+ minutes each try to be screwed over by that damn Destrudo ray....
Hope gets Haste, dunno about Aussie 2. I like Aussie 1/Aussie 2/Hope because I tend to use buffing, debuffing, and magics a whole lot.
It's all good; I've learned to love alternate perspectives on things I love (or hate), and you at least tend to back yours up with well-reasoned points even if you have a, ah, rather brusque style of posting. It's always interesting to see how vastly different reactions can be to a game - Heavy Rain being a recent example which I completely agree with you on, but which must have struck a chord with some people that I just don't get.
at least the conversation tends to be worth the struggle - i like the back and forth in these divisive topics. Like you, it's the alternative perspectives that most fascinate me. I don't like people who just agree with everything I think. Not very interesting that way, you know?
I've held out this long because I really want to see Gran Pulse. I want to play it. Maybe it'll capture a little of that Final Fantasy spirit that's gone from this game, make me real excited for the possibilities in the future FF titles. It's the carrot at the end of that stick, driving me ever forward.
But I'm not going to lie... it's been difficult. The first ten chapters are just inconceivable bits of game design to me. It's like everything that is wrong with a game, let alone an RPG. But I respect some people like that sort of thing. I just...wow. not for me. Gran Pulse sounds like it's for me.
Rez said:
I don't understand it. Then posting paragraphs consisting of mostly the same content you provided FFXIII topics prior to even playing the game.
You make some good points usually, but I don't see why you need to do this in this case.
Post about the points, not if you care to hear the points made. Otherwise, move on. All topics always get derailed by the whiners, not the critics.
This same general point is the same in all topics. People post positive things on repeat forever, people are allowed to post their negative things on repeat forever. Respond to what you find compelling to discuss, ignore what you don't. That's about all that needs to be said. I've detailed my issues enough that there's plenty of substance for you to discuss or ignore if you choose.
I've just unlocked the weapon upgrade option, but the explanation for this feature is so vague.
What am I supposed to do? Just waste all my items converting them into upgrades for any weapon? (Gladius seem to be the best weapon for Lightning now). Is there any way to know which item should be used or not? And what weapon should I focus my upgrades on?
Sorry if it's an stupid question but it really didn't make any sense to me.
Here's the system in a nutshell (spoilered in case people don't want to know):
Organic items generally have low XP values but cause the hidden multiplier stat on the item you're trying to upgrade to increase. When you reach a new multiplier (1.5X, 1.75X, or 2X) the game will let you know.
Inorganic items generally have high XP values but cause the hidden multiplier stat to to decrease.
So, the general strategy is to use a bunch of organic items to increase the multiplier on your item, then dump a huge stack of high XP inorganic items to level up in the most efficient manner.
Once they reach level *, your item has reached its max level and sometime can be transformed into a new item by using a "catalyst" item - usually the gemstones or minerals.
Finally, any item can be dismantled, which will return you some components for use in further upgrading - note that there are some items which can only be obtained from dismantling others.
Bayo has a decent scoring system, but unfortunately stuff like Kilgore Glitch, Pulley's Butterfly, and to a lesser extend Evil Harvest Rosary makes scoring pretty easy.
The highest rank is Pure Platinum where you get a platinum on time, combo, and no damage.
Haha... yeah... I will never get that ranking without cheaty items. But I can feel good about getting regular platinums, at least! Got a trophy for it and everything.
To simplify, just use 36 Sturdy Bones for instant 3x multiplier, and move on to the inorganics to push your weapon forward. There's a few out there that give mucho weapon exp too, for purchase or drop off enemies.
But like anything once you use enough of them their value decreases and you gotta use another inorganic after a time... unless you wanna upgrade reaaally slowly
But like anything once you use enough of them their value decreases and you gotta use another inorganic after a time... unless you wanna upgrade reaaally slowly
Not only that but later in the chapter you fight low level enemies that drop them as rare items AND who are in an area that you can farm a decent amount of CP in (30+k per trip).
Yeah that was a pain, I had to star her weapon since I wasn't using her before the fight. Definitely use a sab/com or sab/sab paradigm at the beginning, those debuffs and your starred weapons will be the edge you need to reach gesalt in time.
When I equip the Connoisseur Catalog do I only have the rare item drop increase or will it also have the normal drop increase of the Collector Catalog?
I've held out this long because I really want to see Gran Pulse. I want to play it. Maybe it'll capture a little of that Final Fantasy spirit that's gone from this game, make me real excited for the possibilities in the future FF titles. It's the carrot at the end of that stick, driving me ever forward.
But I'm not going to lie... it's been difficult. The first ten chapters are just inconceivable bits of game design to me. It's like everything that is wrong with a game, let alone an RPG. But I respect some people like that sort of thing. I just...wow. not for me. Gran Pulse sounds like it's for me.
I'm one of those people that really enjoyed pretty much the whole the package. I really didn't like the way that FFXII just sort of dumped me into a brown area after about an hour and said "go find yourself some fun, kid" (while sticking me with Pennelo and littering random chests about the world which upon opening would cause me to lose out on one of the game's best weapons 40 hours later). I didn't find the linearity here to be any worse than FFX, which was every bit as much on rails as this. FFX had Blitzball as a diversion available at pretty much any time, but I didn't enjoy it very much and especially didn't like how it shoehorned itself into the main story gameplay. Assuming you liked FFX, if Square had put some sort of mini-game on the Save points, would that have appeased you? Because other than that, I honestly can't see much difference in the game structure.
As far as combat and "fixed parties" go, you've still got a selection of jobs available - why does it matter so much who does them? Hating characters is one thing to me, hating using them in battle is another. Yeah, Vanille is annoying as fuck for 3/4 of the game, but she healed like a mofo so I kept her around most of the time (once given a choice). I also found the limited paradigm configurations to offer a sort of testing ground for different tactics. How do you take out a high damage dealing target w/o a Sentinel to soak up the damage? How do you keep your chain gauge up w/o a Commando? Things like that, all the while mixing up the enemy combinations (here's one of A, here's one of B, now here's one of A and B together, now OH GOD two of A and two of B). For the most part, it kept my attention and interest throughout the linear sections. It also helps that I thought the story was pretty good from Chapter 7 onward.
Is Gran Pulse going to change your mind? I doubt it - but it does offer limited ability to go and do whatever you so choose for about 10-20 hours worth of missions. I enjoyed it most by tackling it in a linear fashion - starting from Mission 1 and completing things until they led me back onto the main plot path and into the next area. It also had the side benefit of unlocking
Here's the system in a nutshell (spoilered in case people don't want to know):
Organic items generally have low XP values but cause the hidden multiplier stat on the item you're trying to upgrade to increase. When you reach a new multiplier (1.5X, 1.75X, or 2X) the game will let you know.
Inorganic items generally have high XP values but cause the hidden multiplier stat to to decrease.
So, the general strategy is to use a bunch of organic items to increase the multiplier on your item, then dump a huge stack of high XP inorganic items to level up in the most efficient manner.
Once they reach level *, your item has reached its max level and sometime can be transformed into a new item by using a "catalyst" item - usually the gemstones or minerals.
Finally, any item can be dismantled, which will return you some components for use in further upgrading - note that there are some items which can only be obtained from dismantling others.
Thanks for the help. Still don't understand one thing: should I waste all items I have now in one weapon or should I wait to get a better one later (guess I'll never know what weapon is a keeper, but...)? That's considering dismantling won't give me back all items spent.
Thanks for the help. Still don't understand one thing: should I waste all items I have now in one weapon or should I wait to get a better one later (guess I'll never know what weapon is a keeper, but...)? That's considering dismantling won't give me back all items spent.
Thanks for the help. Still don't understand one thing: should I waste all items I have now in one weapon or should I wait to get a better one later (guess I'll never know what weapon is a keeper, but...)? That's considering dismantling won't give me back all items spent.
Nearly all weapons are "keepers" (don't sell them, though all are available for purchase eventually). Each character only has something like 8 weapons, each with different characteristics. Weapons with positive secondary effects (like +ATB regen or +Stagger Duration) tend to have lower Str/Mag stats to compensate. Some have negative effects that are offset by having higher Str/Mag. Most are worth upgrading for one reason or another, though it is not necessary to upgrade a single weapon or item to beat the game.
I'm one of those people that really enjoyed pretty much the whole the package. I really didn't like the way that FFXII just sort of dumped me into a brown area after about an hour and said "go find yourself some fun, kid" (while sticking me with Pennelo and littering random chests about the world which upon opening would cause me to lose out on one of the game's best weapons 40 hours later). I didn't find the linearity here to be any worse than FFX, which was every bit as much on rails as this. FFX had Blitzball as a diversion available at pretty much any time, but I didn't enjoy it very much and especially didn't like how it shoehorned itself into the main story gameplay. Assuming you liked FFX, if Square had put some sort of mini-game on the Save points, would that have appeased you? Because other than that, I honestly can't see much difference in the game structure.
People keep saying this but it's not true. FFX had lots of breathing moments in between long "dungeons" - little towns with stores, buildings, secrets, sidequests, mini-games. It also had a greater variety of enemies and NPCs to interact with. So there were more variety to preoccupy your time.
I had issues with FFX in much the same way I do with FFXIII, but its battle system didn't take forever to unlock, the limits on Sphere Grid were so much different, and you controlled each of your party members and swapped them out as you deemed necessary, allowing me the type of micromanaging I demand from my RPGs.
So in that way, I can say I definitely enjoy FFX's battle system more as well as the fact it had a lot more to do in between.
Giolon said:
As far as combat and "fixed parties" go, you've still got a selection of jobs available - why does it matter so much who does them? Hating characters is one thing to me, hating using them in battle is another. Yeah, Vanille is annoying as fuck for 3/4 of the game, but she healed like a mofo so I kept her around most of the time (once given a choice). I also found the limited paradigm configurations to offer a sort of testing ground for different tactics. How do you take out a high damage dealing target w/o a Sentinel to soak up the damage? How do you keep your chain gauge up w/o a Commando? Things like that, all the while mixing up the enemy combinations (here's one of A, here's one of B, now here's one of A and B together, now OH GOD two of A and two of B). For the most part, it kept my attention and interest throughout the linear sections. It also helps that I thought the story was pretty good from Chapter 7 onward.
You've got a cherry picked selection of jobs available during most of Chap 1-9. And even as the case goes, when you have Afroman as Synergist you have Haste, but when you have Aussie 2 as Synergist you don't. And you frequently only have two characters, limiting your options even more. And on top of that, you only control the lead character, making your selections of jobs even more shallow, essentially turning your options into bare bones deck shuffling.
it's maddening. I can see the actual battle system of FFXIII brought to its logical conclusion, and it's amazing... but they simply never do it. They're always trying to hold the game back. A few big tweaks and it could have been one of the best.
I understood the entire battle system of FFXIII by the end of Chapter 3. At that point, it should have been hands off... but it wasn't. It went on and on and found new ways to prevent the player from exploiting all aspects of the system. This is compounded by the fact, once again, that you're missing things like basic A.I. gambits for your allies, continuing the steamlined, "hands-off" approach that is so unappealing to me.
Giolon said:
Is Gran Pulse going to change your mind? I doubt it - but it does offer limited ability to go and do whatever you so choose for about 10-20 hours worth of missions. I enjoyed it most by tackling it in a linear fashion - starting from Mission 1 and completing things until they led me back onto the main plot path and into the next area. It also had the side benefit of unlocking
I'll just go where my heart desires! I wanna get killed by all manner of nasty beasts! Feel the wind in my hair! Roam the expanses of the veldt slaying all manner of monster for my goal to be the greatest monster hunter EVER!
Wait... what? Team Fang/Vanille is the best! Team GRAN PULSE STYLE all the way. How might such a glorious thing get one banned? Spoiler police? Homophobia? :lol
Giolon said:
I didn't find the linearity here to be any worse than FFX, which was every bit as much on rails as this. FFX had Blitzball as a diversion available at pretty much any time, but I didn't enjoy it very much and especially didn't like how it shoehorned itself into the main story gameplay. Assuming you liked FFX, if Square had put some sort of mini-game on the Save points, would that have appeased you? Because other than that, I honestly can't see much difference in the game structure.
It's funny, I feel like 13 is really similar to 10 in some ways, except that I like everything in the former so much more except for maybe the way in which background information for the world is given... at least you don't have to hunt down a translation of a prequel book on the internet for that fucking game.
I desperately hope I'm nearing the end of Chapter 10. This is boring and awful.
Those 3-packs of bird enemies that have carpets for arms gave me more trouble than any boss so far. Motherfuckers :lol Had to bust some Eidolon on them.
It's funny, I feel like 13 is really similar to 10 in some ways, except that I like everything in the former so much more except for maybe the way in which background information for the world is given... at least you don't have to hunt down a translation of a prequel book on the internet for that fucking game.
Wait... what? Team Fang/Vanille is the best! Team GRAN PULSE STYLE all the way. How might such a glorious thing get one banned? Spoiler police? Homophobia? :lol
former = Final Fantasy XIII. But you're right, I phrased it poorly. I meant that I like everything better about 13, compared to 10, except for the fact that so much information regarding the world is either tucked away in the datalog or only available in some kind of outside source. 10 did a pretty good job of presenting its world FWIW.
There's a prequel novel of sorts if you want to read it, although it's pretty spoilerific in spots (if that actually bothers you).
Yeah, if you're still having trouble there's a spot you can grind before that fight if you need more bomb cores or CP.
Go all the way back to the 1st group of guard robots w/ the phalanx near the save point. From there kill them, go back and take a right into the path leading to a juggernaut. You can kill the enemies before that event point and run back and forth in that path (enemies will respawn). Easy grinding if you use a sab/syn/med paradigm and finish with a com/rav/com paradigm (sometimes off the bat for the bomb enemies)
All right, so heres my little review. I doubt anyone here really cares, but Im also posting this on my blog, so I got nothing to lose by posting it here as well.
Story: Easily one of the more enjoyable ones in the series for me. After XIIs no-story, this one is a breathe of fresh air. The world is interesting and the plight of the Lcie kept me going until the end. Pretty much every post-6 chapter got an emotional response out of me. I even began to tear up a bit during chapter 8.
That being said, it isnt without its problems. While I had absolutely no problem deciphering the plot without any need for the datalog, I feel like many aspects of the story couldve been made clearer. I blame this on the directing. There was also A LOT of wasted potential.
Characters: Im a bit torn on the characters. On one hand, I consider this to be the strongest main cast in the series and one of the strongest in gaming period. While they may be tropes, they also grow in a believable way and they may even do a 180 on you in terms of whether you like them or not. Hope has one of the best character development Ive ever seen in a story driven game. Vanilles cheery attitude in the face of danger fascinated me and I wanted to know why she was like that. Snow is the typical hero wannabe thats actually quite selfish and even a bit cowardly. Fang seems to be the reliable type but is actually just as flawed as the rest of the group as made apparent by her habit of jumping the gun. Lightning is the tough girl thats actually really conflicted and hides her emotions because she probably thinks they make her look weak. Sazh is easily the most believable of the bunch and might end up being my favorite character in the series.
On the other hand, all the side characters were clearly given the shaft. Some show up and are never heard from again while others are severely underused. While I was mostly satisfied with how the villains turned out with the exception of one (those who beat the game should know who Im talking about), even they couldve been fleshed out more. I honestly think its a fair trade-off with how well the main cast turned out, but there needs to be a balance and I hope thats something they work on for the next game.
Gameplay: The linearity didnt bother me at all. In fact, I actually vastly prefer it over the more open world of XII. Not only were the complaints way overblown, but the game actually didnt feel too linear when you turn the mini-map off. As long as Im not walking in a straight line for 25 hours (shut up everyone, YOU ARENT), Im happy.
As for the dungeon length, I say it was pretty acceptable. In RPGs, my motivation to play is ALWAYS to see the next cutscene. That isnt to say that everything in between isnt important, but having the action interrupted every 10-20 minutes for the first few chapters and then every hour or so after that is the perfect balance imo.
Battle system: Im going to say right now that I will almost never choose a battle system with A.I. controlled characters over one where you can control everyone. That being said, it was a step up from FFXII in every way for me. In traditional JRPGs, I only ask for 3 things; transitions, characters arranged in some kind of formation even if theyre moving around, and a lack of free movement. Am I shallow for wanting something that only affects the aesthetics of the system? Probably. However, it really helps with creating the atmosphere and atmosphere is only below gameplay on my list of priorities in the medium.
The paradigms and speed of the battles really makes it so you have to pay attention at all times. Not even X-2 gave me this sense of urgency and it was definitely something I had fun with. Being able to narrow down what everyone can do in battle is a great way to keep the strategic aspect without getting rid of the speed. While I couldnt trust my teammates 100% of the time, I definitely think this is a step in the right direction for A.I. controlled characters. Of course if it was up to me, Id make everyone controllable, but I consider this the next best thing.
Music and Graphics: I dont think I really need to say much here. Both are amazing. The game has beautiful environments. Its definitely clear these guys have been working on the game for 4 years.
This coupled with FFXs soundtrack really make Hamazu stand out as one of the best composers in the industry. While it isnt my favorite ost in the series, its definitely up there.
Minor annoyances: No game is without flaws. Some just bother people more than others. These are the ones that bothered me a bit but didnt change my overall opinion of the game.
-Cant switch your lead: Seriously, why cant we do this? There are two free shoulder buttons that wouldve been perfect for this.
-Lead dead=game over: It makes sense in Persona, but it doesnt here. Everyone is a capable Lcie that doesnt need to rely on one interchangeable leader.
-No compass/rotating map: FUCK the map. Im going in one direction after checking it, then turn around to look at the pretty floating planet thing in the sky and what do I see when I check my map again; EVERYTHINGS ALL FUCKED UP. A compass on the field might notve fully solved this problem but it wouldve been nice.
-Pacing goes to hell once you reach Pulse: That ones pretty self-explanatory. I got to Pulse at around the 30 hour mark and didnt see another important cutscene until around the 45 hour mark. Yeah, fooling around was fun, but I was beginning to lose steam when I just wanted to continue the plot. Even heading toward your destination took a long ass time.
Overall, I would say IGN US was spot on with their score objectively. I probably wouldve bumped it up to a 9.0, but still. However, for me, this is a perfect 10. Its been 9 years since Ive enjoyed a mainline FF game and this one delivers.
If I were to rank the games now, it would look something like this:
7>8>6=10>13>9>4>1>3>5>2>12
As you can see, I really like the Kitase FFs. Despite is total inability to give interviews, I trust him and hope to see more mainline games from him. I just hope he decides to slow down the battle system and speed up development next time.
Fang nonchalantly looks at Vanille's thigh (up her skirt, practically) while everyone else looks away all embarrassed. :lol Oh game, you're such a tease! I still don't know whether that relationship is canon, but the game is so unclear on it that I'll just pretend it is.
Dresden said:
I thought it was called Episode Zero or something.
Fang nonchalantly looks at Vanille's thigh (up her skirt, practically) while everyone else looks away all embarrassed. :lol Oh game, you're such a tease! I still don't know whether that relationship is canon, but the game is so unclear on it that I'll just pretend it is.
No, I was talking about Episode Zero. I need to stop writing with such fruity language, I guess.
Story: Easily one of the more enjoyable ones in the series for me. After XIIs no-story, this one is a breathe of fresh air. The world is interesting and the plight of the Lcie kept me going until the end. Pretty much every post-6 chapter got an emotional response out of me. I even began to tear up a bit during chapter 8.
Really? Aside from the poor delivery of several lines in the game and lack of blood (I got shot in the arm....and it's really really sore) that scene in chapter 8 didn't click with me at all. The one thing I will give credit to the story for is clearing up some of the subplots early in the game. The "Hope" puns nearly made me shutdown my PS3 though...ugh.
Oh and the example I used above occurs in chapter 1, kinds sets the mood for game and it's target audience I guess.
[edit]Yes, I know Kibo means hope. The play on Japanese names having meaning doesn't stop me from rolling my eyes when they spend an entire cutscene shoving the pun down your throat.
Really? Aside from the poor delivery of several lines in the game and lack of blood (I got shot in the arm....and it's really really sore) that scene in chapter 8 didn't click with me at all. The one thing I will give credit to the story for is clearing up some of the subplots early in the game. The "Hope" puns nearly made me shutdown my PS3 though...ugh.
Oh and the example I used above occurs in chapter 1, kinds sets the mood for game and it's target audience I guess.
Really? Aside from the poor delivery of several lines in the game and lack of blood (I got shot in the arm....and it's really really sore) that scene in chapter 8 didn't click with me at all. The one thing I will give credit to the story for is clearing up some of the subplots early in the game. The "Hope" puns nearly made me shutdown my PS3 though...ugh.
Oh and the example I used above occurs in chapter 1, kinds sets the mood for game and it's target audience I guess.
[edit]Yes, I know Kibo means hope. The play on Japanese names having meaning doesn't stop me from rolling my eyes when they spend an entire cutscene shoving the pun down your throat.
Well it was more than just the dialogue that got a response out of me. It was the music and atmosphere and picturing what I would do if I was in his shoes. I mean think about it.
You truly believe that you've lost your son. The person indirectly responsible for it has just run off. Even if you know it isn't entirely her fault, you're gonna want to put the blame on somebody. I thought the way Sazh handled himself was fantastic and believable. Only part I didn't like was the "sugar and rainbows" bit. You don't say something like that after you're son just "died".
Anyway, I'm the target audience for stories like this, so I don't expect you or even many of the people in this thread to understand. I thought it was a very heavy scene and it's fine if the majority of people just rolled their eyes at it.
Also, I don't really remember too many Hope puns. All I remember is Lightning bringing it up once and Hope saying something along the lines of
"it's my name, not what I represent"
or something. I guess I didn't think anything of them if I don't remember.
Well it was more than just the dialogue that got a response out of me. It was the music and atmosphere and picturing what I would do if I was in his shoes. I mean think about it.
You truly believe that you've lost your son. The person indirectly responsible for it has just run off. Even if you know it isn't entirely her fault, you're gonna want to put the blame on somebody.
Anyway, I'm the target audience for stories like this, so I don't expect you or even many of the people in this thread to understand. I thought it was a very heavy scene.
Also, I don't really remember too many Hope puns. All I remember is Lightning bringing it up once and Hope saying something along the lines of
"it's my name, not what I represent"
or something. I guess I didn't think anything of them if I don't remember.
I just found it oddly convenient that he was there and just became that at that moment for maximum dramatic effect. It just felt contrived.. I know, it's Final Fantasy.
I had Lighting and Vanille as MED and Fang as SAB the entire battle. That set-up kept everyone with health in the green and it filled up the Gestalt bar pretty quickly.
I just found it oddly convenient that he was there and just became that at that moment for maximum dramatic effect. It just felt contrived.. I know, it's Final Fantasy.
Team Fang/Vanille is the best! Team GRAN PULSE STYLE all the way. How might such a glorious thing get one banned? Spoiler police? Homophobia? :lol