Sorry, but this is going to be off topic sorta. I just figured lots of Final Fantasy players are on this site so I'll just ask. Should I play FF13 or FF13-2? I know I shouldn't be asking you guys because you'll say stuff like "research it yourself" or something, but I trust everyone here and not people on ign because of the score KH2 received (and other reasons)...those bastards, but anyway I want to ask what people think of the games. I know lots of people hated 13 but I've heard 13-2 was better and vice versa. So, would anyone recommend either of the two? I want to know the flaws and strengths of them. Now I don't want every single one, just ones that bug you or things you really like about it. Big things. Thanks!

Edited April 29, 201213 yr by Stigma

I covered most of the "struggling inside" under the section where I referred to the immense amount of angst. About the Vanille flirting thing, she just seemed to have a really flirty behavior and threw herself at both Hope and Sazh on multiple occasions. It wasn't that she necessarily liked either of them or that she wanted to be with them, she just acted very flirty around them. I thought that she seemed incredibly flirty around the entire cast, but that may have just been my perceptions.

 

 

 

 

I certainly hope you meant the "first" and not the "worst". If so, then you're very welcome. If not then I apologize.

 

OH MY GOD IM SORRY!!!!!! How did I type THAT?!?!? I did mena first wtf's wrong with me?

^lol

 

But seriously, FF XIII was my first FF game. Here's what I thought...

 

I was mindblown. From the first ride on the train during the Purge, I was stunned by the graphics and emotion. I got the game two Christmases ago, and for the next few days, all I wanted was complete control of the PS3.

 

Gameplay

The battle system was quirky at first, but when you reach the Lake Bresha (roughly an hour or two into the game) they add the Paradigm System. Then the gameplay is thrown through a loop. Different "Roles" are introduced and, while confusing at first, you get the hang of it quickly and realize that each character is good at their own thing. Lightning's the best at combos, Vanille is good with status and healing, Snow's the best defender, Sazh boosts the team up, and Hope is A GOD great at Magic and healing. The game is linear (pay attention to this word) in leveling up by restricting you to only boosting up to certain levels at a time (to compare to Pokemon, it's as if you couldn't even pass level 15 until you beat the second gym leader). While many cried foul over this, I thought it was a nice way of making sure people didn't grind and then blow through the game. The level up system is complex, but an online guide could easily clear up any problems. In battle, all the action was fast paced and relied heavily on making sure you were in the right Paradigm at the right time. In my opinion, "Autobattle" didn't take away any of the fun, as said before, because Paradigm shifts were key. The name of the game is combo till they stagger, and then sweep them. There are six roles that function differently and each character can excel in different ones (Commando-Attacker, Ravager-Comboer, Medic-Healer, Sentinel-Defender, Sabeutour-Status infliction, Synergist-Status Boosts). Diversity is key in the game, and it never gets tedious. The levels are linear, so most dungeons are hallways. But these hallways are creatively designed so that the characters are jumping over crevices, climbing mountains, or taking elevators. Many criticized this, but I found that it was refreshing and helped in staying focused.

 

 

Story

If I lost both of my arms and could never play, I would watch someone play this game anyway. The story is touching. Each character experiences loss, but how they grow from it makes them who they are. Yes, there is angst, but watching them overcome their struggles is so worthwhile. Lightning loses her sister, and Snow his fiancee. Fourteen-year-old Hope has to deal with the loss of his mother and thoughts of revenge. Sazh loses his son. Vanille and Fang are mysterious, so I won't spoil anything about them. But everyone grows. The cast is very enjoyable to watch interact, be it Vanille's teasing of Sazh, Lightning's bickering with Snow, or Fang just pissing everybody off. The storyline involves around fighting fate to extreme ends. Not wanting to spoil much, I'll just say that there are constant twists and turns that take the characters to the ends of the earth (or Gran Pulse).

 

Graphics

Buy it. Just for this. Buy it. But really, the graphics are more beautiful than real life. The CGI scenes are few, but all greatly detailed and such a sight to behold. The ingame graphics are equally stunning. Wow.

 

Music

I almost bought the soundtrack, and I don't have a CD player. It's that good. It rivals (if not surpasses) KH music. Especially the title theme, battle theme, and Hope's theme. When I first booted up my PS3, I sat in awe at the title screen as my heart melted when the music hit it's first couple of notes.

 

Replayability

Good, but not amazing. The linearity of the game doesn't allow for retreading footsteps, so collect all the treasures when you can. You can't go back to earlier locations. The only revisitable locations are after Chapter 10, but these places are large and creative. There is a mission-mode style that includes 60+ missions, so completing them all is a challenge. I very much enjoyed this.

 

Overall

I loved XIII. If not for KH2 and Smash Bros, this would be my favorite game. The story moved me, the gameplay was addicting, and I just wanted more. Definitely a must-have.

 

If you want my opinion on XIII-2, just let me know.

Edited April 29, 201213 yr by XIIISwords

^lol

 

But seriously, FF XIII was my first FF game. Here's what I thought...

 

I was mindblown. From the first ride on the train during the Purge, I was stunned by the graphics and emotion. I got the game two Christmases ago, and for the next few days, all I wanted was complete control of the PS3.

 

Gameplay

The battle system was quirky at first, but when you reach the Lake Bresha (roughly an hour or two into the game) they add the Paradigm System. Then the gameplay is thrown through a loop. Different "Roles" are introduced and, while confusing at first, you get the hang of it quickly and realize that each character is good at their own thing. Lightning's the best at combos, Vanille is good with status and healing, Snow's the best defender, Sazh boosts the team up, and Hope is A GOD great at Magic and healing. The game is linear (pay attention to this word) in leveling up by restricting you to only boosting up to certain levels at a time (to compare to Pokemon, it's as if you couldn't even pass level 15 until you beat the second gym leader). While many cried foul over this, I thought it was a nice way of making sure people didn't grind and then blow through the game. The level up system is complex, but an online guide could easily clear up any problems. In battle, all the action was fast paced and relied heavily on making sure you were in the right Paradigm at the right time. In my opinion, "Autobattle" didn't take away any of the fun, as said before, because Paradigm shifts were key. The name of the game is combo till they stagger, and then sweep them. There are six roles that function differently and each character can excel in different ones (Commando-Attacker, Ravager-Comboer, Medic-Healer, Sentinel-Defender, Sabeutour-Status infliction, Synergist-Status Boosts). Diversity is key in the game, and it never gets tedious. The levels are linear, so most dungeons are hallways. But these hallways are creatively designed so that the characters are jumping over crevices, climbing mountains, or taking elevators. Many criticized this, but I found that it was refreshing and helped in staying focused.

 

 

Story

If I lost both of my arms and could never play, I would watch someone play this game anyway. The story is touching. Each character experiences loss, but how they grow from it makes them who they are. Yes, there is angst, but watching them overcome their struggles is so worthwhile. Lightning loses her sister, and Snow his fiancee. Fourteen-year-old Hope has to deal with the loss of his mother and thoughts of revenge. Sazh loses his son. Vanille and Fang are mysterious, so I won't spoil anything about them. But everyone grows. The cast is very enjoyable to watch interact, be it Vanille's teasing of Sazh, Lightning's bickering with Snow, or Fang just pissing everybody off. The storyline involves around fighting fate to extreme ends. Not wanting to spoil much, I'll just say that there are constant twists and turns that take the characters to the ends of the earth (or Gran Pulse).

 

Graphics

Buy it. Just for this. Buy it. But really, the graphics are more beautiful than real life. The CGI scenes are few, but all greatly detailed and such a sight to behold. The ingame graphics are equally stunning. Wow.

 

Replayability

Good, but not amazing. The linearity of the game doesn't allow for retreading footsteps, so collect all the treasures when you can. You can't go back to earlier locations. The only revisitable locations are after Chapter 10, but these places are large and creative. There is a mission-mode style that includes 60+ missions, so completing them all is a challenge. I very much enjoyed this.

 

Overall

I loved XIII. If not for KH2 and Smash Bros, this would be my favorite game. The story moved me, the gameplay was addicting, and I just wanted more. Definitely a must-have.

 

If you want my opinion on XIII-2, just let me know.

 

I'm sorry, the gameplay isn't thrown for a loop until about 7/10 through the game. You can easily five star your way through the game with autobattle and no paradigm shifts for most of the game, and shifting to healers only later on.

 

And a nitpick here, but there are TONNES of CGI scenes (So many they couldn't fit them all on one 360 disk) You probably just didn't notice because the graphics are so great already

 

And actually, I have a question. Stigma, do you have prior experience with Final Fantasy?

Comments in Green.

 

I'm sorry, the gameplay isn't thrown for a loop until about 7/10 through the game. You can easily five star your way through the game with autobattle and no paradigm shifts for most of the game, and shifting to healers only later on. True. I meant the transition from just plain Attack and Blitz to the different Roles.

 

And a nitpick here, but there are TONS of CGI scenes (So many they couldn't fit them all on one 360 disk) You probably just didn't notice because the graphics are so great already Good point! Yeah, but the ingame graphics are so good, you're right, I didn't notice a shift.

The Eidolon Attack on Eden was my favorite scene!

 

And actually, I have a question. Stigma, do you have prior experience with Final Fantasy?

 

Oh, for reference, the opening of the game: WARNING: It looks loads better in real life.

 

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlXCe1UtauE

 

EDIT: Look above and I added a music section.

Edited April 29, 201213 yr by XIIISwords

Totally agree, that scene in the spoilers is easily THE highlight of the game