Final Fantasy XIII

[frogbeastegg]

There is no multiplayer in Crystal Bearers- it sounds like you're thinking FFCC: Ring of Fates. There's many entries in the FFCC series- covering a wide variety of gameplay.

trailer

It's a fairly short game, with many flaws- but it was different enough to be interesting. I'd recommend renting, not buying.

I was thinking of the two DS games and that one wii title which is such a basic port of the DS game it covers most of the screen in black and displays the game in two small boxes which mimic the dual DS screens, complete with DS level graphics. I wasn't aware that there was a second, not so dire wii game. So many poor games and a multiplayer focus means I stopped taking any notice.

I'll bear the recommendation in mind should I find myself stuck for an RPG. Considering the number I have to play or want to replay that's not likely to happen for some years!

[Kekvit Irae]

Finally won the game. The final boss's first form is a freakin' marathon battle. 6 million hitpoints is a testament to to patience. Thankfully, the second, and final, form is not as bad, but you're under a Doom timer, and he cant be damaged unless he's staggered. This is where Lightning, Hope, and Sazh really shine. Hope and Sazh for double buffing, and Lightning for the Army of One ability (Ravager). Army of One unleashes a string of attacks that not only increase the chain level quite a bit, but it also bypasses the boss's immunity. Once it's staggered, switch to Tri-disaster or Relentless Assault to finish it off.

The ending is surprisingly heartwarming and satisfying, a rarity in Final Fantasy games. But who cares about the ending when I've now got freeroam unlocked?

[Kekvit Irae]

Jew Wario talks about FFXIII, and isn't impressed with the linearity of the game. And I agree with him. "Freeroam" isn't available until chapter 11, and the "New Game+" mode simply starts you back at the final save point with the last crystarium level unlocked.

Here is my brief review of Final Fantasy XIII. Note that all "facts" stated below are my own personal opinions and experiences, as is the case in all reviews.



The Good

• As a standard in FF games, FFXIII has not-so-jailbait characters that are pretty to look at.
• The ending is surprisingly satisfying.
• 4channers who are drunk can make so many jokes about the portraits for the characters in the menu screen (Snow = Richard C. Mongler, Sazh = /b/lackup, etc).
• The graphics are pretty nice, but that's become a standard for Squenix.
• You can sometimes avoid enemies by running past them.
• Being able to switch classes in combat on the fly is a good thing.
• Game Over. Retry? This option has no consequence, and merely puts you back on the world map just before the battle.
• Upgrading weapons and accessories is a complex process involving math calculations and spreadsheets to get the most out of your components without waste. Similarly, Dismantling weapons and accessories nets you (sometimes) pretty sweet items if they are at their max level (such as breaking down a maxed Tetradic Tiara to get a Ribbon).
• The Sentinel is one of the most important classes in the game, second only to the Medic. Having Snow as a Sentinel means your party can (hopefully) survive big battles that would have otherwise wiped the party.
• The characters are fairly balanced, with the option to pick up secondary classes later on. Hope may have the least HPs, but his max potential Magic makes him the best mage by far. Snow excels at little except for the highest HP total in the game, making him the best Sentinel. Until latte-game when everyone else excels over her, Lightning is the best character with high balanced stats all around.
• Getting a 3, 4, or 5 star score or better in the post-combat results increases your chance of getting rare drops by 1x, 3x, and 5x respectively. Similarly, you get a 1x chance of getting a Shroud at 3 stars or better, and increases as your rating goes down, with the max at 8x chance of getting a Shroud with no stars. Getting a crap score is great if you want to farm those expensive items.

The Bad

• There are better ways of satisfying your need for not-so-jailbait characters. Ways that don't cost 60 dollars.
• Lightning has enough anger issues to write a Psychology doctorate thesis on. The worse offense is that out of the many times she abuses the other characters, she never lays a hand on characters who DO deserve a fist to the face (I'm looking at you, Hope and Vanille). Take a shot of estrogen and lay off the Duke Nukem 3D attitude, lady.
• The music is forgettable. There is no one piece that really stands out.
• The fact that this game is already in the bargain bin in Japan speaks volumes.
• The AI is a crapshoot. Sometimes your non-controllable party members will do what you want them to, and other times they will cast crap buffs like Vigilance when all you want is a Protect spell.
• The camera is your mortal enemy. It is unresponsive during movement, and doesn't even work if you're near a wall. Inside combat, the auto-camera is extremely spastic, as if Michael J. Fox was using with the left analog stick.
• The plot is confusing and doesn't explain what the hell is going on until the final two chapters.
• There is only one set path to your goal. ALWAYS. Any apparent deviation from the set path only leads to treasure spheres and/or more monsters.
• While the return of FFX's sphere grid is good, it means that you will have to manually go to the menu screen and spend your CP after every single battle. Why cant we have a system where you mark your goal on the crystarium and the game automatically spends the points for you until you hit that point?
• While it's nice that you fully recover HP at the end of battle, this means that the game is far less strategic. Potions become a crap item early in the game once you get a Medic.
• Game Over. Retry? This option has no consequence, meaning that you can bumrush through battles without planning your assault beforehand. It also makes saving a moot point unless you want to turn off the game and play something good.
• Except for that one side-quest in Oerba Village, all side quests are "go there, kill that". There is absolutely no variation.
• Vanille + the mute button on your TV's remote = awesome combination.
• Hope doesn't grow a pair until late in the game, meaning you are going to have to put up with his whiny attitude for the majority of the game.
• There is no "New Game+" mode. Loading up the post-credits save doesn't do anything except stick you back to before the final boss with the crystarium unlocked to stage 10.
• The Ribbon. In all other Final Fantasy games, the Ribbon was the crowning achievement for accessory hunters. In FFXIII, it only gives you Resilience 20% (resist debuffs) and increases 1% each level to a max of 25%. If you're already a FF fan, I should not tell you why this is a horrible thing. It also costs 800,000 gil to upgrade to a Super Ribbon (25% to start). WHY?!
• Once you hit a certain development level, you will have no more need of anyone else in your party except Snow, Vanille, and Hope. Snow can be traded out for Fang if you absolutely, positively need Slow and Curse.
• Hollywood cutscenes with big explosions and gravity-defying stunts combined with cutscenes that are an emo's fantasy does not a good game make.
• No airships or worldmap. Again.

Would I recommend this game to a FF fan? No. If you want a good JRPG, go play Persona 4. Again, this is my own personal opinion. Your mileage may vary.

[Kekvit Irae]

At long last, I fell the Long Gui. Of course I cheated by using a crapload of Elixirs and then reloading after the battle, but the Adamant Will trophy is mine. the only thing left is the never-ending grind for Master's Seal and Treasure Hunter. Ugh.