seiferalmasy didn't actually play the game, he admitted it.
seiferalmasy didn't actually play the game, he admitted it.
Just because you haven't played the game...
doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't be able to complain about what may appear to be obvious flaws in the game.
I haven't played it either.
The difference is I don't believe I can call it a "bad or "terrible" game imo without playing it.
If I ever get to play it then I will issue my own opinion about the game in its entirety.
I feel the game should have had towns and npc interaction and like I said laziness or incomptence were the reasons.
I would bet that Square will have "fixed" the problem by the time FFXV roles around and will of course claim credit for a job well done.
Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan
I think you missed the part where he pointed out the thing he pointed out that you missed while you were all busy pointing out that you thought he missed that one part.
Summoner, I'm sorry, but you really are just making excuses. I know for sure if I was a fugitive from Baron in FFIV, say, I wouldn't be waltzing around the city of Baron and walking up to the front door of the castle, but that's an acceptable and necessary suspension of disbelief to relieve a bit of the stress that the narrative's built up.
In short: BAD design flaw, "justified" by the story or not
the dog is sad
I think that the lack of conventional towns and NPCs in FFXIII hurt the overall experience,
HOWEVER
I don't think that it was a completely bad idea for SE to give it a try. It was an attempt at a new way to tell a story, something different from the bread and butter RPG method. The lynch pin of the whole 'FFXIII concept' was to create a world where you felt isolated. Having your characters actually be isolated was a bold step to this end.
Though I don't feel the concept worked in practice at all, I do respect SE for trying it.
EDIT: The dog looks more happy than sad.
It's called "priorities".
Nothing about FFXIII's development was lazy. Flawed, and costly, yes, but lazy? Not even close.
Well the point he was making was that the developers stated they couldn't do certain things (in the 5 years they had), because HD would be too hard with those elements...and he stated that it HAS been done on other games this generation.
If that is true then something is wrong...
I can see TSoL's point and agree with it. It made me feel like a fugitive rather than just being one in "the story" alone. I genuinely felt like a fugitive throughout much of the game. Having said that, it would have been nice that, upon reaching Pulse, we met an NPC or two, although one can argue that would be misleading also given that Pulse is supposed to be devoid of humanity. Maybe it would have been neat to at least be able to play a few games in the City of Dreams. That seemed like the ideal point in the story to do such a thing. However, they would probably have been pretty crappy games a la Wonder Square.
Bow before the mighty Javoo!
The problem is that your party actually does get to visit a town and go unnoticed, Nautilus. I think what makes the whole "fugitive" element not work is that its not until Chapter 7-9 that the identities of the l'Cie are given to the public in a transmission. Your party could easily hide their tattoos (especially Lightning since hers seems to be in a sensitive area) and there are even scenes later in the game where Snow goes a bit unnoticed til he starts showing off and makes his tattoo noticeable.
Even the scene with Hope giving the girl her Carbuncle doll back, the towns folk only knew they were l'Cie cause Snow purposely told them and started a ruckus to get the people to riot earlier in that chapter. I really feel the game should have tried to be more forward with the player about explaining that everyone in Cocoon knew their identities. The idea they couldn't hide that fact gets crushed in Chapter 8 when Sazh and Vanille waltz into Nautilus like they didn't have a care in the world.
Ultimately, I think the lack of towns and NPCs definetly hurt the title. It does create a sense of isolation but at the same time it hurts the players ability to have empathy for Cocoon and the events going on. When your party starts to talk about "Let's save Cocoon" I keep asking why? I only got to see the ugly side of Cocoon and personally I feel the place does deserve to be destroyed. I had no emotional attachment to the world, and I blame this on the fact that I never really got a chance to see the softer side of Cocoon. Your party has but the player never gets to experience it and I feel it hurts the story overall.
I can understand what you are getting at that the lack of proper towns and NPC's was planned for story purposes, but I definetly have to say after playing the game, it was a very flawed and not well implemented idea.
True beauty exists in things that last only for a moment.
Current Mood: And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe. Maybe this year will be better than the last. I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself. To hold on to these moments as they pass...
Haha, one of the first females in the franchise to have that area actually covered up, and Anima was kind enough to put it there for her.
i wasn't bothered with the doing away of conventional towns in this game. i almost never even thought of it once. the fact is, there are people to talk to, saying there isn't is just ignorant. i mean, going into someone's house you don't know, harassing them for information and then taking their belongings never made sense. and it most certainly wouldn't make sense given the characters situation in FFXIII. it wasn't something i took for granted in other FFs, and it's not something i criticize this one for lacking. as for minigames, there are a few, and to say there are none also would be ignorant. but fortunately, minigames were never something i was concerned with in other FFs or rpgs either. Blitzball? only played what the story forced me to. Gold Saucer? only to get cloud's ultimate weapon. i don't think ive ever even rode the shooting coaster, and i couldn't care less. i don't look for these things in a game to justify me playing it or thinking that it's a quality experience. obviously there are people who do look solely for that sort of thing, and that's fine. to each his own. what the developer's did wasn't lazy - they trimmed away the fat and presented a streamlined and enjoyable experience, slightly flawed as it may be. but almost every game has flaws - i have yet to play one that doesn't have one. whether you choose to enjoy the experience is up to you, but i for one am a fan.
this is the first HD final fantasy, and there were some things that had to be sacrificed in order to a)retain the overall quality of the project, b)make sense within the game's world and sutuation and c)release it sometime within this decade because we all would've whined more if they didn't. they're working on trying different things in VERSUS because the designers will have had more experience in working in this medium and with crystal tools. i mean, look at the significance in the change of graphics and features from FFVII to FFVIII! Astounding. it's about trial and error and learning to utilize the engine to the best of its abilities with each new game. so...i dont really know where im going with this, but ya either like this game or ya dont!
yes, i'm a FFXIII fan.
Well said, finaloblivion. I agree with you, the lack of towns and NPCs didn't bother me at all. A lot of the time, it was justified by the fact they were l'cie and everyone hated them, but even when it couldn't be justified (like at Nautilus), it's still a barely noticeable omission. I didn't really get that same sense of isolation that Kanno got, but maybe that's because I was super-immersed with the graphics (my PS3 is quite new to me) and that's how I got that element of emotional attachment with Cocoon.
In terms of it deviating from the FF-formula of the old days, it's barely feels like an FF title any more, but I was still able to enjoy the game on it's own terms.
Some people, myself included would prefer lower graphics with more substance and that is exactly all this arguement is about. If you liked the game without ton sof the things that made the series great, fine, but I would have preferred being given the choice and I will take that over graphics any day.
Graphics do not make a game. HD does not make a game. Dolby surround does not make a game.
In 10-20 years time, this game will stand and fall based on story and on gameplay because by then it will look primitive. And sorry, but this game is going to sink faster than a lead balloon.
Last edited by seiferalmasy2; 04-15-2010 at 05:00 AM.
I guess I won't be very popular agreeing with you...
but I do..for the most part.
I think Square made a conscious effort to correct what they felt were the deficiencies in FFXII..but went too far in the opposite direction.
While the technical limitations prevented them, or so they claim from adding towns and more areas...and they ignored npcs as being unimportant.
Of course FFXII didn't have enough cut scenes/fmv movies while it appears this game, from the discussion has too many.
Too linear for the most part and you can't even return to areas you previously visited.
Of course there are going to be folks who think this game is the best FF ever, just like there are folks, fewer it seems than there once were but still some it appears who believe FFXII is the best FF ever.
Shrugs..we have to accept they have a right to their opinions even when it doesn't make sense to some of us.It doesn't mean they are wrong, just their opinions are at variance with those others of us hold.
I hope we get some more info about Verses soon and I hope that Square makes it more of a complete game than FFXIII evidently is.
I hope they consult and work with someone to add /flesh out the game and make it more complete than FFXIII seems to be.
For the record, I wasn't saying I wouldn't prefer that. I just think the game was fine.
Also, HD is here to stay. So it's inevitable that developers are going to have to spend more and more time working on the graphics. Graphics may not make the game, as you've said, but you need to them to look up-to-date enough so that it doesn't come across as ancient. I don't know how hard they're cracking the whip with the guys in charge of Versus, but I personally can't imagine it being a return to the FFs we all know and love since it's still on the latest gen consoles. It'll probably be much the same as XIII.
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