True Series Progress?

[Laddy]

I am glued to FFXIII information leaks. It looks like it might turn out to be my favorite FF, making it my fav game. The combat looks like it's going to be a blast, the story is intensely intriguing, and the voice acting is excellent.

Which makes me think, is FFXIII becoming more international? The characters looks far more realistic and less anime-like, the English voicework is very interesting as well, the actors sound like they are voicing a European or American product, as the voices aren't exageratted and there are multiple accent types. FF is getting better and better as the series grows, becoming less of some zany world-trotting RPG boredom, and is looking to actually be more sophisticated and mature, while still remaining charming enough to feel whimsical.

So, is the more mature and less anime-esque vibe appealing to you or do you feel in detracts what Final Fantasy is all about?

[Fynn]

Besides X-2, Final Fantasy never seemed to be heavilly influenced by anime to me. Well, there was the voice acting in X... But look at XII for example! That one was more like a movie, rather than anime.
I mean, the series did seem similar to anime to me before... But I played Persona 3 lately. Really, FF doesn't have so much to do with anime...

Anyway! I LOVE how XIII looks

[Wolf Kanno]

Realistic, non-anime vibe?

Are we seeing the same game? Over-the-top wire-fu with a combat system that has your party DMC style juggling opponents in the air? A summon that turns into a motorcycle that Snowe can ride into battle? A world that is one part Compilation Midgard, one part 2nd Milita (Xenosaga II), and one part extra unused dungeons from FFX?

I don't see any realism except in the characters faces. The game reeks of anime cliches and designs. Hell, at this point it looks more like a spin off title for Devil May Cry than the next Final Fantasy.

I'm not saying the game is going to be bad but I can't say I really seem much progress in terms of design but rather just in technical aspects like audio and visual. The game to me still feels like nothing more than a rehash of elements used in the Nomura, Kitase, and Nojima era FFs.

[Bolivar]

I might agree, although I may have different measurements than you do. To me they try something different everytime, especially with the last 3 FF's getting rid of ATB (FFX), going online (FFXI) or breaking down pretty much every convention it used to have (FFXII). FFXII is one of my favorite RPG's of all time, if I was stuck on an island and could only bring 5 games, XII would be one of them. Each new game may not necessarily be better than what came before it, but it goes in a different direction and that gets incorporated as a learning experience for making future games.

It's always exciting when a franchise makes its way onto a new platform, so we'll see how it does. I don't really know what to make of FFXIII as of late, but I'm really hoping on it being another epic adventure.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Absolutely everything we've been shown of FFXIII has been scalp-deep in the usual Nomura neon anime Shibuya schlock. There is nothing mature or transcendental about it. Tell me you're putting me on.

[Zerokku]

Realistic, non-anime vibe?

Are we seeing the same game? Over-the-top wire-fu with a combat system that has your party DMC style juggling opponents in the air? A summon that turns into a motorcycle that Snowe can ride into battle? A world that is one part Compilation Midgard, one part 2nd Milita (Xenosaga II), and one part extra unused dungeons from FFX?

I don't see any realism except in the characters faces. The game reeks of anime cliches and designs. Hell, at this point it looks more like a spin off title for Devil May Cry than the next Final Fantasy.

I'm not saying the game is going to be bad but I can't say I really seem much progress in terms of design but rather just in technical aspects like audio and visual. The game to me still feels like nothing more than a rehash of elements used in the Nomura, Kitase, and Nojima era FFs.

Absolutely everything we've been shown of FFXIII has been scalp-deep in the usual Nomura neon anime Shibuya schlock. There is nothing mature or transcendental about it. Tell me you're putting me on.

This. The more I see of XIII, the less excited I am for it. At this point I'm actually looking forward to Dragon Quest IX a lot more then I am FFXIII.

[Bolivar]

Holy Crap:

Absolutely everything we've been shown of FFXIII has been scalp-deep in the usual Nomura neon anime Shibuya schlock. There is nothing mature or transcendental about it. Tell me you're putting me on.

^ Translation: "I disagree with your ideas to such a great extent that I ask you to go back and state that they were made in sarcasm."

I think the level of pretension by some of the senior members in this forum can be directly correlated to the declining activity in gaming discussion subforums. Do you really think the original poster Laddy enjoys coming here when her opinions are received with such little respect?

In the OP's defense, I think FFXIII takes a bold step forward in the theme of exploitation which Yoshinori Kitase introduced to the series in Final Fantasy VI. The fact that humans, not summons, not moombas are being enslaved and subjugated into different castes indicates that XIII is going to be a powerful commentary on what human beings are capable of doing to each other.

[Wolf Kanno]

In the OP's defense, I think FFXIII takes a bold step forward in the theme of exploitation which Yoshinori Kitase introduced to the series in Final Fantasy VI. The fact that humans, not summons, not moombas are being enslaved and subjugated into different castes indicates that XIII is going to be a powerful commentary on what human beings are capable of doing to each other.

My only problem with this is that its something that Square did with Chrono Trigger 14 years ago. In fact its a pretty common theme in a lot of RPGs in the PS1 and 2 eras. So for me, it might be thought of as progress for the FF series but I feel its more like "catching up".

Looking back on the series, I feel FF has slowly fallen behind in terms of pushing the boundaries of story telling and characters. Technologically, they are still the best but I find them artistically mediocre. Even XII which is one of the more mature FFs is considerably muted compared to the teams FFT and Vagrant Story entries. Even the darker themes in FFTA are a serious slap in the face compared to the best themes from the recent FF games. I look at XIII and see nothing truly groundbreaking. But this is just my humble opinion.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Holy Crap:

Absolutely everything we've been shown of FFXIII has been scalp-deep in the usual Nomura neon anime Shibuya schlock. There is nothing mature or transcendental about it. Tell me you're putting me on.

^ Translation: "I disagree with your ideas to such a great extent that I ask you to go back and state that they were made in sarcasm."

I think the level of pretension by some of the senior members in this forum can be directly correlated to the declining activity in gaming discussion subforums.

I assure you that I find your admiration for Nomura, Kitase, and company is at least as insane as you might find my dismissal of them.

[Jessweeee♪]

It is shiny and it goes zoom fastfast bang kapow. I will buy.

[Ouch!]

Holy Crap:

Absolutely everything we've been shown of FFXIII has been scalp-deep in the usual Nomura neon anime Shibuya schlock. There is nothing mature or transcendental about it. Tell me you're putting me on.

^ Translation: "I disagree with your ideas to such a great extent that I ask you to go back and state that they were made in sarcasm."

I think the level of pretension by some of the senior members in this forum can be directly correlated to the declining activity in gaming discussion subforums.

I assure you that I find your admiration for Nomura, Kitase, and company is at least as insane as you might find my dismissal of them.

As far as I'm concerned, if you're looking into Final Fantasy plots for anything beyond middle school level pseudo-philosophy told via soap opera storytelling conventions, you're doing it very, very wrong. Even the best stories in the series are frequently difficult to take seriously, most often because of how seriously they take themselves.

The closest I've ever seen a video game come to being emotionally moving or take on any particularly powerful subject matter was in Lost Odyssey, and really only in the Thousand Years of Dreams which was a collection of beautifully crafted short stories.

That's not to say that I don't find the plots of the games entertaining, but it's not exactly something one should expect to hold any sort of literary significance or have particularly well-developed social commentary. I'd love to see more of that, but it's not something I've come to expect.

[Laddy]

Holy Crap:

Absolutely everything we've been shown of FFXIII has been scalp-deep in the usual Nomura neon anime Shibuya schlock. There is nothing mature or transcendental about it. Tell me you're putting me on.

^ Translation: "I disagree with your ideas to such a great extent that I ask you to go back and state that they were made in sarcasm."

I think the level of pretension by some of the senior members in this forum can be directly correlated to the declining activity in gaming discussion subforums. Do you really think the original poster Laddy enjoys coming here when her opinions are received with such little respect?

In the OP's defense, I think FFXIII takes a bold step forward in the theme of exploitation which Yoshinori Kitase introduced to the series in Final Fantasy VI. The fact that humans, not summons, not moombas are being enslaved and subjugated into different castes indicates that XIII is going to be a powerful commentary on what human beings are capable of doing to each other.

The last paragraph is win.

Oh, and I am a dude.

[Depression Moon]

Realistic, non-anime vibe?

Are we seeing the same game? Over-the-top wire-fu with a combat system that has your party DMC style juggling opponents in the air? A summon that turns into a motorcycle that Snowe can ride into battle? A world that is one part Compilation Midgard, one part 2nd Milita (Xenosaga II), and one part extra unused dungeons from FFX?

I don't see any realism except in the characters faces. The game reeks of anime cliches and designs. Hell, at this point it looks more like a spin off title for Devil May Cry than the next Final Fantasy.

That's what she was referring to though if you read this line she didn't say the game as a whole.

the characters looks far more realistic and less anime-like,

I also have to disagree about the DMC spin off. None of the designs or the settings are similar to DMC which takes place in a modern/goth setting with most of the characters dressing in similar attires while XIII is set in a futuristic setting with varying clothes type from tribal to urban. Nor is the gameplay of XIII like DMC either.

I believe that Square is hoping that XIII will be the next VII. I'm not speaking in terms of story or anything like that, but to create a new standard base to the currently younger generation who would play XIII as their first FF and grow up with it being their favorite and creating another rivaling community where people would have arguments down the road that XIII is the best and the main villain is the best there is while the smaller community fans will be saying that XII or XV is the greatest.

I'm not really sure about the idea that it will be reaching a new international fan point. It all depends on how they would advertise the game because I see FF still as a genre that is not accepted by a lot of the gaming community, but I am looking forward to the game and am hoping for the best for it.

[Wolf Kanno]

Realistic, non-anime vibe?

Are we seeing the same game? Over-the-top wire-fu with a combat system that has your party DMC style juggling opponents in the air? A summon that turns into a motorcycle that Snowe can ride into battle? A world that is one part Compilation Midgard, one part 2nd Milita (Xenosaga II), and one part extra unused dungeons from FFX?

I don't see any realism except in the characters faces. The game reeks of anime cliches and designs. Hell, at this point it looks more like a spin off title for Devil May Cry than the next Final Fantasy.

That's what she was referring to though if you read this line she didn't say the game as a whole.

And my comment is about the visual style of the game, that detracts from any realism one might gleam from the game; cause no matter how realistic it looks, I'm still riding a motorcycle made from a pair of twins.

As for the character's looking realistic, they have been for years and I seriously don't see much of a leap from previous full cgi entries from SE. Thus I don't see the big deal or progress.

I also have to disagree about the DMC spin off. None of the designs or the settings are similar to DMC which takes place in a modern/goth setting with most of the characters dressing in similar attires while XIII is set in a futuristic setting with varying clothes type from tribal to urban. Nor is the gameplay of XIII like DMC either.

DMC utilizes a gothic architecture but the outfits are pure modern street design and I feel the same about XIII's. Vanille doesn't look tribal, she looks like a girl using name brand items and configure it to give the impression of "tribal" while still being very much modern. I honestly don't see much variation outside of the gaudy designs of side character and possible villain figure. Most of the clothing of the main cast could easily be replicated by going to a thrift store.

The combat system itself, reminds of DMC's, as the core appeal is juggling opponents with combos which is the same philosophy for XIII's system. Not to mention the wire-fu used in a lot of trailers doesn't help with DMC's use of wire-fu.

I believe that Square is hoping that XIII will be the next VII. I'm not speaking in terms of story or anything like that, but to create a new standard base to the currently younger generation who would play XIII as their first FF and grow up with it being their favorite and creating another rivaling community where people would have arguments down the road that XIII is the best and the main villain is the best there is while the smaller community fans will be saying that XII or XV is the greatest.

I'm not really sure about the idea that it will be reaching a new international fan point. It all depends on how they would advertise the game because I see FF still as a genre that is not accepted by a lot of the gaming community, but I am looking forward to the game and am hoping for the best for it.

I feel the same way, its like what they were doing with FFX as well. Yet I feel FF is accepted as a whole by the gaming community, its anything that doesn't have FF in the title that's out on the ropes. The appeal of rpgs have dwindled but I feel FF has taken a place as a core title much like MGS, Gran Turismo, Madden, and Mario. Its become the causal crowd's "choice" for the RPG.

[Skyblade]

I'm still riding a motorcycle made from a pair of twins.

Take this out of context, and Kanno's personal life seems so much more interesting...

I feel the same way, its like what they were doing with FFX as well. Yet I feel FF is accepted as a whole by the gaming community, its anything that doesn't have FF in the title that's out on the ropes. The appeal of rpgs have dwindled but I feel FF has taken a place as a core title much like MGS, Gran Turismo, Madden, and Mario. Its become the causal crowd's "choice" for the RPG.

This is unfortunately true.