Final Fantasy XIII Catch-All

Puce Moose wrote:

Thanks for the lengthy write-up. Could someone clarify a couple of points for me on the combat system?

Ask away!

I've done mostly a media blackout on the game, but I got excited when I heard that the battle system was a return to FFX - I love true, non-ATB combat. However, I read a tidbit that said it was more like FFX-2 - which I couldn't play for more than an hour because I really didn't like the ATB system. Is it indeed true turn-based (like FFX) or is it a return to the ages-old 'little bars that build' system? If so, is there a way to change it in the options to 'pause' or 'wait' when it's your turn so the game stops automatically when it's one of your character's turns?

Huh: It's not like FFX. It's ATB combat, pure and simple. In FFX, you can be in any battle (other than Sin maybe, which has timed events) and walk away for a few minutes without hitting pause or anything. This is more similar to FFX-2, with some caveats:

It's little bars that build up. There is no pause/wait option. There is only Speed: Normal or Slow.

Also, note that there is no "one of your character's turns": You only really control your leader character and direct (through switching optima/paradigms/combat roles) the other two characters in your party. So they'll continue to act even if you wait.

Might sound like a bum time, but the Slow speed == VERY slow, in comparison to Normal. I started playing on normal, and there were a few battles early on where I switched it back to Slow in order to think clearly about my next moves. But after some time, I found it really easy to do my actions normally even in big boss battles with Normal speed, to the point that Slow feels almost Too Slow.

However, if you like to think clearly about what you're doing and prep your strategy carefully as your turn approaches, the Slow Mode is totally what you're looking for. It's the closest you can get to Pause without breaking the mechanics of the fight. I'm thinking it'll satisfy.

Ulairi wrote:

Hopefully Square announces a new DQ game for the consoles this year.

Yeah, not another handheld one. Gah! Give me another DQ8 style game for the PS3 / Xbox360!

less than a month to go!

A buddy of mine has imported, and is enjoying it, albeit that he doesn't speak or read a word of Japanese. His official estimation is that it's a great game, looks incredible but isn't the best Final Fantasy.

I'm most definitely looking forward to it.

trueheart78 wrote:

Does FFXIII continue with the boss battles that have become standard? (IE: Find the weakness and exploit it or die trying?)

I enjoyed that method when I was younger but with battles that can take literally take 30min and you can still fail because of this style is another reason FFX is on the pile, un-played for months. When the beauty of Dragon Age allows me to progress with my awesome skills or because I was able to just wail on the main enemy with my weapons (maybe doing less damage at a time) but wasn't being held back, I simply can't see myself enjoying the battles that penalize me a lot because I didn't *get* the method they wanted me to use.

Oh man, this is why I never finished FFVII on the PSX...It's so frustrating to keep battling a boss for a 1/2 hour, night after night, only to lose yet again!

So is everyone going with the PS3 version on this one? I'm making the assumption that the PS3 is going to be "better" simply because it's the platform of choice for this one. I know that isn't always the case...

I've been reading quite a bit about how this is a 'flop' in Japan, both in terms of reception and sales (FF XIII already in the discount bin?). Probably just hype backlash. I'm sure it's not the greatest game of all time, but I'll probably still pick it up... 360 version though.

I can't bring myself to buy it. I might GameFly it, but I won't be spending cash on it. I've yet to beat a single FF game newer than the SNES, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon.

I'm getting it on PS3, getting it on xbox might feel dirty.

JC wrote:

So is everyone going with the PS3 version on this one? I'm making the assumption that the PS3 is going to be "better" simply because it's the platform of choice for this one. I know that isn't always the case...

Well, buzz from recent press events indicates that people who have played the Japanese (PS3) version aren't seeing much difference in the 360 version, so that's a good sign for those without a PS3. Simply by virtue of the storage medium the 360 version might suffer from over-compression on some elements, but being spread across multiple discs should help prevent that from being a huge issue. However, no one has really compared them side by side yet, so at this point no one really knows one way or the other what the differences will be.

Personally, my rule of thumb is that when all things are seeming equal on a multi-platform game that does not feature a multiplayer element it is always wise to buy a game on the lead development platform -- there are so often a few little touches that don't quite translate well when ported. As such, I will almost certainly being buying the PS3 version of this game.

Clemenstation wrote:

I've been reading quite a bit about how this is a 'flop' in Japan, both in terms of reception and sales (FF XIII already in the discount bin?).

via: http://gamerant.com/final-fantasy-xi...

"You might think that they are dumping copies because the game wasn’t selling well, but that isn’t the case; the game sold over 1.5 million copies in Japan during its first week. The sales are most likely because retailers misjudged initial demand, so they simply have too many copies on hand. It could also be that most of the people that planned on buying the game went ahead and purchased it during the first weeks of availability."

I don't think that the sales pattern is different from any other big name release. It's just under heavier scrutiny being a Final Fantasy game. For example, ME2 sold 2 million copies *worldwide* in it's opening week. FFXIII was released in Japan only.

I'll be there March 9, money in hand for my 360 version. I don't own a ps3 and can't really justify buying one for FFXIII. True, I justified buying a ps2 for FFX, but that was a grand total of $160. Not so with PS3. And from what I gather, the only real difference is that the ps3 version has a Japanese vocals with English subtitles option. No biggie in my opinion.

BishopRS wrote:

"You might think that they are dumping copies because the game wasn’t selling well, but that isn’t the case; the game sold over 1.5 million copies in Japan during its first week. The sales are most likely because retailers misjudged initial demand, so they simply have too many copies on hand. It could also be that most of the people that planned on buying the game went ahead and purchased it during the first weeks of availability."

I don't think that the sales pattern is different from any other big name release. It's just under heavier scrutiny being a Final Fantasy game. For example, ME2 sold 2 million copies *worldwide* in it's opening week. FFXIII was released in Japan only.

Ahhh yes, that's the link I was looking for. Well it still looks like the game hasn't met or exceeded retail expectations (presumably informed by Squeenix estimates). Then again, I'm not so sure that putting a relatively new AAA title on sale within a few months of release is the admission of failure that it once was.

Grenn wrote:

I'll be there March 9, money in hand for my 360 version. I don't own a ps3 and can't really justify buying one for FFXIII. True, I justified buying a ps2 for FFX, but that was a grand total of $160. Not so with PS3. And from what I gather, the only real difference is that the ps3 version has a Japanese vocals with English subtitles option. No biggie in my opinion.

I bought my ps3 on friday due to this game coming out. My boyfriend bought me FF13 of my b-day...so I will be receipt in hand on March 9th I do not care what anything says, I so can not wait!

Cheeto1016 wrote:

...so I will be receipt in hand on March 9th I do not care what anything says, I so can not wait!

Heck yeah! Go Bucs

JC wrote:

So is everyone going with the PS3 version on this one? I'm making the assumption that the PS3 is going to be "better" simply because it's the platform of choice for this one. I know that isn't always the case...

If I had a PS3, that's probably the route I'd go, although if reviews start to come in saying that there's precious little difference between the two platforms, I'd revert to the 360 for sweet, sweet cheevos.

It's all moot though - I had thought that 2010 would the be year a PS3 makes it into my home, but instead I'm buying the home itself, so probably won't be splurging on needless electronics.

Jonman wrote:
JC wrote:

So is everyone going with the PS3 version on this one? I'm making the assumption that the PS3 is going to be "better" simply because it's the platform of choice for this one. I know that isn't always the case...

If I had a PS3, that's probably the route I'd go, although if reviews start to come in saying that there's precious little difference between the two platforms, I'd revert to the 360 for sweet, sweet cheevos.

It's all moot though - I had thought that 2010 would the be year a PS3 makes it into my home, but instead I'm buying the home itself, so probably won't be splurging on needless electronics.

If you aren't including electronics as part of your home buying experience, you're doing it wrong!

I think I'll be going with the PS3 version. I prefer the PS for single player, with it being a bit quieter - although I may be playing with headphones anyway. Playing Final Fantasy on anything other than a Playstation just seems... wrong.

Aries wrote:

Playing Final Fantasy on anything other than a NES/SNES just seems... wrong. :)

FTFY

trueheart78 wrote:
Aries wrote:

Playing Final Fantasy on anything other than a NES/SNES just seems... wrong. :)

FTFY

:old:

QFT!!

trueheart78 wrote:
Aries wrote:

Playing Final Fantasy on anything other than a NES/SNES just seems... wrong. :)

FTFY

:old:

I endorse this Old Man Fix™.

Aries wrote:

I prefer the PS for single player, with it being a bit quieter

I'll be playing it on 360 for this reason. Install to HD = no disc spin = quieter than the PS3 (I have a phat model). Plus I'm hoping that being able to do a full install will reduce the load times.

JC wrote:

So is everyone going with the PS3 version on this one? I'm making the assumption that the PS3 is going to be "better" simply because it's the platform of choice for this one. I know that isn't always the case...

PS3 just because I have a PS3, and want a game to play on it.

Aries wrote:

If you aren't including electronics as part of your home buying experience, you're doing it wrong!

I would counter that if you spunk all your money on electronics for your new home, and as a result can't make the mortgage payment on it, thereby no longer having anywhere to put all your shiny new electronics, you're doing it wrong

zeroKFE wrote:

Personally, my rule of thumb is that when all things are seeming equal on a multi-platform game that does not feature a multiplayer element it is always wise to buy a game on the lead development platform -- there are so often a few little touches that don't quite translate well when ported. As such, I will almost certainly being buying the PS3 version of this game.

This is the attitude I'm taking. I try to research platform differences and this is the first time all things seem pretty much equal. I'll wait until the last minute to order, though, in case some issue comes to light.

Of course everyone has personal reasons, like preferring one controller, or disc noise, or achievements... or in my case, my PS3 has HDMI and my 360 is one of the pre-HDMI models.

Also, because I have a BC PS3 and the PS1 ports (FF Anthology/Chronicles) this will mean I can play every numbered Final Fantasy game on a single console. There's something geektastic about that, which is why I got all the GameCube Resident Evil ports... which was fine until RE5 came along... but I digress.

Jonman wrote:
Aries wrote:

If you aren't including electronics as part of your home buying experience, you're doing it wrong!

I would counter that if you spunk all your money on electronics for your new home, and as a result can't make the mortgage payment on it, thereby no longer having anywhere to put all your shiny new electronics, you're doing it wrong :)

Wait...what?

Vector wrote:
Jonman wrote:
Aries wrote:

If you aren't including electronics as part of your home buying experience, you're doing it wrong!

I would counter that if you spunk all your money on electronics for your new home, and as a result can't make the mortgage payment on it, thereby no longer having anywhere to put all your shiny new electronics, you're doing it wrong :)

Wait...what?

Forgot to boot up my English-American slang translation utility before posting.

'spunk up the wall' - to spend money wastefully

ahrezmendi wrote:
Aries wrote:

I prefer the PS for single player, with it being a bit quieter

I'll be playing it on 360 for this reason. Install to HD = no disc spin = quieter than the PS3 (I have a phat model). Plus I'm hoping that being able to do a full install will reduce the load times.

Well you have to install 3 or 4 discs, and FWIW my PS3 (fat and slim) are both quieter than the fan in my 360.

Happytime Harry wrote:
ahrezmendi wrote:
Aries wrote:

I prefer the PS for single player, with it being a bit quieter

I'll be playing it on 360 for this reason. Install to HD = no disc spin = quieter than the PS3 (I have a phat model). Plus I'm hoping that being able to do a full install will reduce the load times.

Well you have to install 3 or 4 discs, and FWIW my PS3 (fat and slim) are both quieter than the fan in my 360.

This used to be the case, but when I got my 360 replaced after the first one died, the new one was a lot quieter. My PS3 also ratchets up the fan after about 30 minutes of playing, becoming louder than an old model PS2.

Installing all 4 discs could be problematic, but as long as they don't return to old discs, then only one need be installed at a time. I'll take this any day over the horrendous install process that Metal Gear Solid 4 imposed on me, which I really hope Square doesn't do for the PS3 version.

Clemenstation wrote:
trueheart78 wrote:
Aries wrote:

Playing Final Fantasy on anything other than a NES/SNES just seems... wrong. :)

FTFY

:old:

I endorse this Old Man Fix™.

Ok, I concede to that... if the new one was available on a NES/SNES, I'd be all over it like a rainbow on an oilslick.

Happytime Harry wrote:
ahrezmendi wrote:
Aries wrote:

I prefer the PS for single player, with it being a bit quieter

I'll be playing it on 360 for this reason. Install to HD = no disc spin = quieter than the PS3 (I have a phat model). Plus I'm hoping that being able to do a full install will reduce the load times.

Well you have to install 3 or 4 discs, and FWIW my PS3 (fat and slim) are both quieter than the fan in my 360.

Yeah, I don't have a big enough drive on my 360 yet, so that is out.

ahrezmendi wrote:

I'll take this any day over the horrendous install process that Metal Gear Solid 4 imposed on me, which I really hope Square doesn't do for the PS3 version.

Oh man, this right here brought back memories. *shudder*