[01/09] Lightning Returns: FFXIII Makes Major Changes to the Series’ Formula, Ends Trilogy

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I have certain things I like, and certain things I dislike so far:

Like:
+ Doomsday concept. I haven't played Majora's Mask which a lot of people have brought up, but the concept sounds really awesome.
+ Customization: Dresspheres, anyone? I may be one of the few people to like the dresspheres of X-2. I liked the various jobs you can switch into in battle. I guess most people didn't like the emphasis on the girlyness and sex appeal....but the concept was awesome and a sort of throw back to the old school job system. With Lightning Returns they can improve upon it. Hopefully not make it all about fan service.
+ World Driven: Sounds intriguing
+ Open world: Self explanatory.


Dislikes:
- MGS, Prince of Persia, Assassin's Creed rip off mechanics. These games are awesome, do not get me wrong. But I do agree that this is Final Fantasy. It's an RPG, specifically a JRPG. The fact that SE is trying to move away from JRPGs and trying to get into the world of more western Action-oriented games saddens me.
- Is there any real connection to XIII and XIII-2. If not, what is the point of this game? Seriously.
- Only being able to play as Lightning.
- It'll come out before Versus.

Yeah, I had to go there.
 
The thing that bugs me most about this, is how it just seems to be a formula for a game... with Lightning dropped into it. Will this have ANYTHING to do with Final Fantasy XIII? I think the story that game established was great, and had a satisfying ending. XIII-2 took a step away from it, but now this just seems to be an alternate universe with Lightning thrown into the picture. WHERE is this world?

This just looks like an unnecessary cash-sucking sour milk-fest. This project receives my full disapproval.
 
I'm looking forward to this...while FF13 was terrible, I thought 13-2 was a large improvement. There's less time to play in the world of FF13-3 than in Majora's Mask by the looks of things (let's face it, Majora's Mask had infinite time with the Song of Time), so it's gonna feel more restricted; this is probably gonna make the trophies interesting. Maybe something along the lines of: "complete the game in a day" for example.

The fact that it's the last of the proper FF13 games is also a bonus. I'd like something new...something un-announced...something happier and brighter with more colour. Screw realism. I don't buy games to effectually watch a movie...unless it's from Quantic Dreams which makes me a damn hypocrite :/

ANYWAY! Can't wait to play a demo :)
 
Hey can everyone can step back from the ledge?

There is no indication that the game has or doesn't have parties, or other playable characters. They never said it was going to be an RPG. And 2nd story is getting praised from everywhere for including game mechanics like wall-hugging and ducking, but SE incorporates it here and its a horrible idea?

I am going to wait till there is much more content presented till I judge, one way or the other.
 
A scenario

Final Fantasy fans want more open world, more dynamic gameplay, more control over characters, focus on the less annoying characters, adds more customization

Square Enix obliges and does so

Final Fantasy Fans *bitch bitch, complain, groan, whine*

Doesnt surprise me. They need to stop listening to the "fans" and just make the games. Seriously, this thread is almost beyond a joke.
 
BUT WHAT ABOUT VERSUS :rage:

I haven't even finished playing FF13 and I am too poor to go out and buy 13-2, so of course I won't be getting this game. So I guess I don't really care, except for the fact that it's getting the same treatment as FF7. We all know which one is a better game :jimberry:

The only real thing that annoys me is that it actually comes out before Versus. I was shocked that 13-2 came out before it, and now this does? All I want is Noctis :(
 
That presentation is just the most embarrassing thing I have ever seen from Square-Enix. The awkwardness is just indescribable. So instead of revealing - I dunno - a trailer with gameplay footage to the public so we can see how these ideas on paper will look like in execution, they release an unnecessarily lengthy infomercial of rubbish. And Toriyama essentially treating Lightning as his waifu, while talking about hope and roses and a whole bunch of other embarrassing rubbish.
 
Nocturne said:
A scenario

Final Fantasy fans want more open world, more dynamic gameplay, more control over characters, focus on the less annoying characters, adds more customization

Square Enix obliges and does so

Final Fantasy Fans *bitch bitch, complain, groan, whine*

Doesnt surprise me. They need to stop listening to the "fans" and just make the games. Seriously, this thread is almost beyond a joke.
Click to expand...

You are my bloody knight in shinning armour to be honest, it sums up this fanbase all together to be honest. I know it's never let go of the past, but things must evolve and like you rightly said. You asked for those things and they are giving them to you.

On the topic at hand, I feel after reading up on this new battle system it does feel like Kingdom Hearts in some way and it would also mean that Versus when you watch the gameplay video way back it looks like that as well. Yet people have to bash it about because it is not versus....I like FFXIII, maybe no where near as much as the PS1 classics but I still liked it none the less. I like Lightning as a character and I want to see her Journey end.

On a more stranger note, have you seen the concept for the city in this game, it starts to look a bit more 'reality' now, which makes me feel more intrigued in that it could link into FFVersus because of the shrine of etro in the back of this new world etc. I don't know what do you think?
 
Nocturne said:
A scenario

Final Fantasy fans want more open world, more dynamic gameplay, more control over characters, focus on the less annoying characters, adds more customization

Square Enix obliges and does so

Final Fantasy Fans *bitch bitch, complain, groan, whine*

Doesnt surprise me. They need to stop listening to the "fans" and just make the games. Seriously, this thread is almost beyond a joke.
Click to expand...


I understand your frustration with some fans who seem like nothing will ever please them.....but I don't see anyone complaining about the open world aspect.
 
Ok, so to everyone who keeps going on about how there's no connection between this game and the other two...am I the only one that thinks it's bloody epic for everyone but one character to die and for her to have to adapt to living in and working with a world full of complete strangers hundreds of years post XIII and XIII-2? That's creative storytelling if you ask me!

And I have to echo what .Mosh said about Nocturne's post. Square Enix has just become the "love to hate" company of a lot of Final Fantasy fans. They're trying to listen to what fans want and put it into their games, and the sales figures are pretty telling that it works for a lot of people. I know that what a lot of fans want right now is Versus XIII, but this is SE's show, really. Getting a voice in it is a privilege, not a right. If they've put the work into crafting this character and they want to finish it out in their own way--by all means, let them. They've confirmed multiple times in the last couple of months that Versus XIII is still on its way, and if reports are true and the game really didn't enter full production until 2011, it's not all that unreasonable for it not to be finished yet.

Ok, I feel better now :)
 
Looking at this now it seems another aspect that couldveade both 13 and 13-2ore enjoyable is ging to be on this one. Lightning returms title isnt that greati dont have any interest in playing this game. However i will say the gameplay at least sounds decent enough to play but the story i will have to waot amd see...
 
Just wrote a big post about this in another thread so just going to quote myself 'cause I'm lazy ;)

Sheechiibii said:
I actually think it looks really decent. I hope it has absolutely no references to XIII (or as little as possible) because if it doesn't I'll buy it. If it does this will be another FF I won't be getting unless the reviews and opinions are off the roof :(

I really think it looks amazing though. The idea of the 4 worlds (islands), sounds a bit like KH. I wholeheartedly hope it has as little reference to XIII and XIII-2 as physically possible. They did say it can be played as a stand alone piece, so I'm crossing my fingers they mean it. I think they rate Lightning way higher than they should, they seem to believe she's a god to the series and the best character they've ever written and the most loved character too which is just so untrue. "now that I've spoken about the world, let's move on to something more exciting: Lightening" - how could she possibly be more exciting than talking about this brand new world with all these new features we've never seen before? Overrated much. I didn't hate her, to be honest I can't actually remember that much about the characters of XIII so it makes me quite neutral to them.

Moving around in battle a first for the series? Have they forgotten FFXII already? I love the idea of the doomsday clock, it sounds so different and should up the tension for how long the world has left if you don't stop it. I take it there will be a game over if the clock runs out, not just if you are defeated in battle which adds a whole new layer to the gameplay. I think they stole the idea of the ever moving world from Versus because we know in that world time passes and we have day time and night time. The way time passes and things change means that sometimes you'll have to wait for something to change before you can gain access to where you want to go, but time passing also means you need to gain that time back again.

It looks like there might be a lot of exploration up for grabs but at the same time it looks like it's a heavily populated world and that everywhere you go is a city or a town. From what we've seen there doesn't seem to be much in the way of roaming fields or uninhabited land. Have no idea what they mean by connection to facebook, there's no way I'm connecting facebook to my game so lets hope it's an optional thing. It sounds like they're trying to mix MMO with consol and I'm not too sure the idea appeals to me.

The customisation thing looks very interesting, it reminds me of the idea in X-2 where changing costume meant different abilities and styles of attack. Instantanious equipment changing during battle - that sound like what could be done in X where you could change armour and weapons during a fight. Interesting ideas but there's nothing mentioned that I can see about how Lightening levels up, but I'm sure we'l hear about that at some point.

So I'm pretty impressed with the information given and just hope like hell that the storyline doesn't have much to do with XIII and XIII-2.

See? Some FFXIII haters can be reasonable and not bash a new title simply for its name.
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Nocturne said:
A scenario

Final Fantasy fans want more open world, more dynamic gameplay, more control over characters, focus on the less annoying characters, adds more customization

Square Enix obliges and does so

Final Fantasy Fans *bitch bitch, complain, groan, whine*

Doesnt surprise me. They need to stop listening to the "fans" and just make the games. Seriously, this thread is almost beyond a joke.
Click to expand...

Well the thing is, the fans didn't want more FF13. If they did this with a new game, that'd be great! But instead they are trying to improve on a flop, while they should have just left it alone for the people who did like it. They are adding and adding to Lightning when there is really nothing to add.

Tbh I don't think it will matter how great this new Lightning game is, but the fact that it's a part of Lightning's story will make fans dislike it. They want those things you listed in a new game, not in more Lightning. And one of the BIGGEST things fans want is just simply a good story, and for me that is something 13 lacks, and so a new chapter in the story will not make me like it.
 
And I had some hope for this game, hoping maybe it would be the one that felt more like Final Fantasy. Gotta say I'm disappointed with what I read and saw.

I'm sure this title will sell like hotcakes upon its release, but honestly, it's completely unnecessary. Kitase and co. needed to move it on to something else, rather than milking the "Lightning cow."
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This. So much this.
 
ultimadream said:
I have a problem with it and I can justify why. At the minute I am picturing this something like GTA or Infamous, it has a Sandbox world with plenty of texture. While the 4 area may be very well details the land lacks scope. Take Final Fantasy X for example, a game that is absent of a world map. Still however it manages to gather a great many locations in the party's travels. From Besaid to Kilika to Luca to Guadosolam etc. It takes you through the world and you feel the scale through your journey. In a game like GTA or Infamous, while the city is big yes, you soon map everything it gets old quick, I especially felt this to be true with GTAIV.

So instead of having a world map or a story which progresses through many different area we have a game which is structured around 4 areas. I fail to see this game having the sense of progression even XIII-1 had. I am now seeing Lighting scouting around the town slapping crooks on the wrist for spray painting the walls or other daft things - What I mean Is I can see Lightning getting drowned in constant side-quests to the point where it will be like Fallout 3 or Borderlands where you cannot tell the different between a side-quest and the main story.

See I liked XIII-1. mainly because the structure of the story, unlike XII which all I remember is landscapes I see XIII-1 as a game which progressed, every 30 minutes or so you would get a cutscene progressing the story, in XII you'd be lucky to get that progress every 5 hours, whenever you entered a new town, nothing happened. I would accept a linear method like X, if it meant the story was well paced.
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Well if depends on what we mean by open world. Are we talking about Open world like GTA or Infamous? Are we talking about open world like in the earlier FF's and FFXII? Are we talking about Open world like Elder Scrolls? To me, there's different kinds of open world games....if this game is going to be a sandbox game like GTA then I would be against it. If it's going to be like the old school FF or more like XII....I wouldn't mind it as much. But I see your point.
 
PhoenyxAngel said:
Well if depends on what we mean by open world. Are we talking about Open world like GTA or Infamous? Are we talking about open world like in the earlier FF's and FFXII? Are we talking about Open world like Elder Scrolls? To me, there's different kinds of open world games....if this game is going to be a sandbox game like GTA then I would be against it. If it's going to be like the old school FF or more like XII....I wouldn't mind it as much. But I see your point.
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Open world isnt the isue. The issue is havimg the optikn to get side tracked. Theres nothing wrong with it. Though i completely understand if its a sandbox with no direction but that is rarely the case with final fantasy. In fact its what helps level up, to choose to get side track and level grind or discover areas and towns and towns people.

No one should be annoyed or angry for having that option. Most RPG have been set up like that. And why? So you can experience the world these characters live in. Not read about it in an endless ammount of reports.

I doubt it will be like gta because gta offers very little. But like final fantasy? Who would be against a system that works wonders?
 
http://andriasang.com/con2l3/lightning_returns_details/

A few new details on Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII have surfaced from an interview in this week's Famitsu. Here are some of the key points:

  • The game is currently 30% complete
  • This will be Lightning's last game and will end with a happy ending. The game has just one ending.
  • The first FFXIII was story driven, meaning that the story pulled the player along. FFXIII-2 was player driven, meaning players selected the story. Lightning Returns is World Driven, meaning players have to consider how they interact with the changing world.
  • The game's in-game time works out to one day being the equivalent of one to two hours of real time. There will be increases and decreases in time.
  • The game is meant to be played and cleared multiple times. The volume is not such that it will take many tens of hours to clear once.
  • People from XIII-2 haven't died. Because of the effects of the chaos (I'm not sure if this is the proper English word), people have stopped aging and don't get old.
  • The Novus world has four continents, two natural and two city-type.
  • Depending on your actions, the remaining life of the world could decrease, and the game could end before the 13 day limit.
  • There are some times when helping someone will decrease the life of the world.
  • Defeating some enemies and clearing some quests will increase the life of the world.
  • Lightning is all by herself in battle, allowing you to concentrate more than when you had to control a party.
  • Lightning has become a considerably more refined person.
  • You can freely move around during battle. Some elements of the battle system are timing-based.
  • The battle system is close to action. There's an ATB gauge.
  • During battle, you don't select menu commands. Instead, you select abilities which have been assigned to buttons.
  • Hope will give guidance to Lightning via wireless com.
  • The city has clocks everywhere showing the constant progression of time.
Click to expand...

New details

The only think I really dont like is the happy ending thing. If it was to always have had a happy ending, fine, but it seems to me like they want to just because the ending of FFXIII-2 was so bleak. I felt that to be a nice change of pace. I really REALLY hate it when developers change the story because fans complain
 
Lightening is going to be even more refined?
Characters from XIII are going to be in it?
They've told us the ending will be happy - effectively ruining the point of trying to save the world?
It's not going to last tens of hours...so it's going to be short?

...My excitement for this game just died a tragic death:damon:
 
Sheechiibii said:
Lightening is going to be even more refined?
Characters from XIII are going to be in it?
They've told us the ending will be happy - effectively ruining the point of trying to save the world?
It's not going to last tens of hours...so it's going to be short?

...My excitement for this game just died a tragic death:damon:
Click to expand...

FFXIII-2 wasnt tens of hours either. You could really beat the game quick if you didnt do all the extras
 
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