Arianna
Holy, Personified
- AKA
- Katie; Seta.
Sadly... ^ Yes. I do wonder this too.
Or, like others have said, perhaps it's one big advertisement:
To be continued...
Remember to buy XIII-3!
Final Fantasy XIII-2 (Spoiler Thread)
- Thread starter Shakarian
- Start date
Sadly... ^ Yes. I do wonder this too.
Or, like others have said, perhaps it's one big advertisement:
To be continued...
Remember to buy XIII-3!
Celes Chere
Banned
- AKA
- Noctis
Once again, terrible music ruins what should have been sad moment. 
What this ending is telling me is:
"Way to fuck up, guys!"
yay there will be an ffxiii-3 instead of something we actually want I'm so excited. At this point, the story line is beyond repair so I really have no more hope left for it.
What this ending is telling me is:"Way to fuck up, guys!"
yay there will be an ffxiii-3 instead of something we actually want I'm so excited. At this point, the story line is beyond repair so I really have no more hope left for it.
Lumina
a pokémon.
- AKA
- Bayleef, Jessica
Well so far I've liked the game. I haven't found Snow yet but my shipper heart can't tand still. I also found adorable when Alyssa teases Hope at 10 a.f . So far I'm enjoying the game . Those who talked about XIII beig easy well... This one isn't that easy that's for sure.
If there's a XIII-3 I'd buy it too. I want my happy ending.. And I wonder what happened to Masashi? He did suh a good work wih the ending theme of ffx
If there's a XIII-3 I'd buy it too. I want my happy ending.. And I wonder what happened to Masashi? He did suh a good work wih the ending theme of ffx
Celes Chere
Banned
- AKA
- Noctis
Also anyone should know it's common sense to not fuck with time.
Arianna
Holy, Personified
- AKA
- Katie; Seta.
I think what would make a 'happy ending' is subjective.
Personally, I would like an ending other than the two worlds become unbalanced, chaos takes over all, and 'ta-dah!' it's all over. I would be happy with an ending even if it meant not everyone comes back'; meaning, Lightning has to stay in Valhalla for some reason, Snow is gone forever or not, Hope has a different future from the game (what I've seen in streams and trailers, as I haven't gotten that far in the game.) These things would be sad, of course (at least Lightning and Snow's outcome, Hope would still have hope to make a good life in the future), but at least Gran Pulse and Cocoon are safe, and will remain safe, at least for the time being.
I think the only two I can say that I really wish to see back are Vanille and Fang. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the thought of Serah without Snow forever, or Lightning stuck in Valhalla, where it seems she is alone. Still, it seems a lot of the future is formed by mistakes that are made by Hope (and Alryssa?) from the direction of Serah and Noel. The only catch to this is the erasure of demi-fal'Cie Adam, who Serah actually keeps Hope from making by sending a message via her powers - or so I have been told and read. But then again, I'm not sure if those events are in the 'regular' time line or a paradox in and of itself.
Anyhow... I started the game. I just got to Bresha 5 AF.
I will say that the English title to the ending (song, mainly, but...) is just blunt: The Goddess is Dead.
Personally, I would like an ending other than the two worlds become unbalanced, chaos takes over all, and 'ta-dah!' it's all over. I would be happy with an ending even if it meant not everyone comes back'; meaning, Lightning has to stay in Valhalla for some reason, Snow is gone forever or not, Hope has a different future from the game (what I've seen in streams and trailers, as I haven't gotten that far in the game.) These things would be sad, of course (at least Lightning and Snow's outcome, Hope would still have hope to make a good life in the future), but at least Gran Pulse and Cocoon are safe, and will remain safe, at least for the time being.
I think the only two I can say that I really wish to see back are Vanille and Fang. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the thought of Serah without Snow forever, or Lightning stuck in Valhalla, where it seems she is alone. Still, it seems a lot of the future is formed by mistakes that are made by Hope (and Alryssa?) from the direction of Serah and Noel. The only catch to this is the erasure of demi-fal'Cie Adam, who Serah actually keeps Hope from making by sending a message via her powers - or so I have been told and read. But then again, I'm not sure if those events are in the 'regular' time line or a paradox in and of itself.
Anyhow... I started the game. I just got to Bresha 5 AF.
I will say that the English title to the ending (song, mainly, but...) is just blunt: The Goddess is Dead.
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
It is in the standard timeline (or at least the one that leads to the end of the game, lolz time travel). Though it wasn't really any power Serah used, she just shouted at Hope with the idea that, if he could see what was happening/the future could effect the past (like Adam creating itself). Serah and Noel fighting Adam was recorded on the device that Yuel's people used to record their predictions (what is the English name for 時詠み? and I think 予言の書 has a strange/different name as well), with Serah shouting at Hope recorded on it which is what stop them from going on with the project.
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
I don't know if the novel said anything about it. Except that little clip you see of Noel and Yeul going to hug each other in a field or something, the most you get is him holding her while she dies about a dozen times. So I don't think there's anything explicit or aught. I just kind of thought that it was more because she was someone special for their people, he was her guardian, and they were the last people alive.
Celes Chere
Banned
- AKA
- Noctis
Wasn't that Yeul in the ending?? Where he was all like i just want her to live and she's about to hug him? IDK that seems pretty shippy to me.
Celes Chere
Banned
- AKA
- Noctis
LOL are they really like siblings? I don't know much about it.
roku
Pro Adventurer
Spoilers from the Guide Book:
Snow's Story
Wantanabe: "Snow's story up to when he met a Fal'Cie will be revealed in an official novel to be published soon in Japan. The later part of his journey is detailed in the game in the form of texts made available as the player retrieves Fragments"
Sazh's Story
Wantanabe: "At some point, Sazh and his son Dajh got caught in Serendipity, but they came out out alive having won a gamble of fate. The full details of this story will be revealed in a planned DLC release."
Snow's Story
Wantanabe: "Snow's story up to when he met a Fal'Cie will be revealed in an official novel to be published soon in Japan. The later part of his journey is detailed in the game in the form of texts made available as the player retrieves Fragments"
Sazh's Story
Wantanabe: "At some point, Sazh and his son Dajh got caught in Serendipity, but they came out out alive having won a gamble of fate. The full details of this story will be revealed in a planned DLC release."
Alex Strife
Ex-SOLDIER
I was the one who said it 
And yes, I keep agreeing with myself... err, you. It's nice to know all these new and expanded universe stuff. But I have the feeling it's just done like that so they can earn money. Otherwise, they'd just put everything in the game. Meh.
I started playing a while ago, still at New Bodhum.
And yes, I keep agreeing with myself... err, you. It's nice to know all these new and expanded universe stuff. But I have the feeling it's just done like that so they can earn money. Otherwise, they'd just put everything in the game. Meh.
I started playing a while ago, still at New Bodhum.
Arianna
Holy, Personified
- AKA
- Katie; Seta.
Okay, I'm going through Bresha 5 AF -
got through Atlas and spoken with Alryssa at the gravesite. She says something interesting, paraphrased to be, that she was sorry she was just so scared it was her name really on the marker; but, she is also sorry that Noel and Serah's names are on it?! Bad translating, misunderstanding on my part or different timeline?
Last edited:
roku
Pro Adventurer
Final Fantasy XIII-2 Strategy Guide Interview
What is the moment in Final Fantasy XIII-2 that the team is most proud of from a visual perspective?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "I believe the continuous battle sequences between Lightning and Caius in the opening sequence is one of the most spectacular scenes in the game. This sequence is a fusion of cutscene, combat and cinematic action. In a sense, this offers a sample of all the battles to come in the game."
What gave you the idea of time travel as a main concept in Final Fantasy XIII-2?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "With Final Fantasy XIII-2, we wanted to design a story where the main characters travel through time to fix the course of a long history, and rebuild the world as they knew it following the events of Final Fantasy XIII. The players has to interact with various people from multiple time periods, and eventually determine whether the events -- as they are described by Lightning following the end of Final Fantasy XIII -- are real or not."
Why is Serah the only character who remembers the original events as seen at the end of FFXIII?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "Final Fantasy XIII-2 reveals that the goddess Etro saved Serah during the final scenes of FF XIII, releasing her from her crystal stasis. Through her interactions with Etro, Serah acquired certain powers normally non-accessible to humans. This is why she can time-travel when passing through the Gates (like Noel or Snow). This is also how she received the gift of the "Eyes of Etro", enabling her to see changes in the timeline, as does Yeul. It is also for this reason that she has a special bond with monster, allowing her to tame them in their crystal form and use them as allies."
Are Atlas and the Royal Ripeness the largest enemies you have ever created?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "In Final Fantasy XIII, we were unable to implement a fight against the giant fal'Cie, Titan, in the Archylte Steppe -- he was simply too big. This was an issue we wanted to address in FFXIII-2. As a result the player is often confronted in the game by very large monsters, such as Atlas, or the Royal Ripeness. As a rule, all of these bosses are just as tough as they are big."
To what extent did you re-design locations that already existed in Final Fantasy XIII?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "All regions across the time periods were redesigned with different gameplay concepts and objectives in Final Fantasy XIII-2. The locations as they existed in Final Fantasy XIII have gone through an entirely new level design process in order to offer a new experience to the player. This ensures that those who played Final Fantasy XIII still have a lot to rediscover in this game, both through exploring locale variations in the future and by enjoying the new featured in terms of playability."
Why are there no inhabitants in any time period in Oerba? Is this supposed to be a ghost town?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "Fang and Vanille, who were both born in Oerba, attacked Cocoon in the War of Transgression, which you will remember occurred hundreds of years before the events of Final Fantasy XIII. When the war ended, the environment on Pulse was in ruins and consequently all human survivors had no alternative but to leave. This is how Oerba became deserted -- a ghost town. Centuries later, the Academy established a protected zone in and around Oerba, forbidding anyone to enter. This is the reason Oerba was never repopulated, across all time periods.
From a design perspective, Oerba holds a strong symbolic value in Final Fantasy XIII as it signifies the end of the main protagonists' journey. We therefore felt uncomfortable in repopulating Oerba or making it busy, We chose to leave it desolate."
How difficult was it to design a "grown-up" Hope, starting with his younger persona from Final Fantasy XIII?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "At the beginning of Final Fantasy XIII, Hope is an inexperienced and naive youth, but as we all know, he matures throughout the storyline, which essentially depicts his development from a child to a young man. As a consequence, it was quite natural for us to show how Hope matured from a young man to an adult in Final Fantasy XIII-2."
Why are the events of the Sunleth Waterscape location largely focused on Flan creatures?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "We are aware that most episodes in the game are very serious. So we thought that the Sunleth Waterscape location offered an opportunity to introduce a humorous note and the Flan creatures are perfect for this purpose."
How can Snow travel through time? Is this related to his new l'Cie mark?What is the story behind this?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "After the events of Final Fantasy XIII and the disappearance of Lightning, Snow firmly believed in Serah's memory. As a consequence, he set out to save Lightning, Fang and Vanille and intentionally approached a l'Cie, anticipating this would enable him to travel through time. He then found a Gate and set forth on his long journey.
Snow's story up to when he met a fal'Cie will be revealed in an official novel to be published soon in Japan. The later part of his journey is detailed in the game in the form of texts made available as the player retrieves fragments."
The Archylte Steppe is once again the ultimate hunting ground in this game, and features some very tough monsters. Was this intended as a bonus for Final Fantasy XIII players?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "The idea behind the Steppe is certainly to offer a large area with many missions and we believe that this will please many Final Fantasy fans. In XIII-2, we introduced an additional factor through the weather, which we believe adds a new layer in terms of hunting and exploration."
Did you intend for Serendipity to evoke the Gold Saucer in Final Fantasy VII?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "Yes, it is fair to say that we designed Serendipity as an homage to the richness of earlier Final Fantasy installments. With its wealth of minigames, especially the Chocobo races, Serendipity is intentionally reminiscent of the Gold Saucer in Final Fantasy VII. You might have noticed that we set the camera distance back from the level itself to recreate the atmosphere of the Gold Saucer."
How do Sazh and Dajh travel through time and appear in the final scenes?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "At some point, Sazh and his son Dajh got caught in Serendipity, but they came out alive having won a gamble of fate. The full details of this story will be revealed in a planned DLC release."
The Academia map is completely new and certainly looks very impressive. Is there a version (400 AF or 4XX AF) that you focused on first, or were both designed in parallel?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "The large Cocoon as it appears in Final Fantasy XIII was built on fal'Cie technology. In Final Fantasy XIII-2, however, the power of the fal'Cie is no more, and Academia is a futuristic city based entirely on human technology. We have experimented here with some visionary architecture, suggesting perhaps how city planning may appear on earth in the future.
When you first visit Academia, many battles occur under very dramatic conditions. These are designed to take place in the evening and in the rain in order to enhance the sense of tragedy. We consider this setting a visual reference, a symbol of Final Fantasy XIII-2."
Youji Iio, Environment Technical Artist: "Initially, we started on the day version of the map, called 4XX AF, as this is where you have access to all city areas. We soon realized that a large metropolis with glittering lights and skyscrapers can be very visually impressive in the evening so we moved on to the 400 AF version in order to work on the lightning. From a production standpoint I think we just continued on this and implemented the rain and all of the finer details and features. So in the end. the 400 AF version was in fact finished first."
Final Fantasy XIII-2 features a tower with multiple floor levels, just like Taejin's Tower in Final Fantasy XIII, and the Pharos in Final Fantasy XII. Do you see this as a staple of a Final Fantasy game?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "We believe it is an important process to go through a complex dungeon in the middle of the storyline as this acts both as a trial and a story turning point before the player reaches the climax at the end of the adventure. This takes the form of Augusta Tower in Final Fantasy XIII-2, a futuristic dungeon peppered with puzzles. The player has to search the whole Historia Crux in order to access the heart of the tower. This makes it a difficult challenge, one which cannot be completed by just visiting the area itself."
Is there one particular monster in FFXIII-2 that the team has a special affinity towards?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "You can recruit in excess of 150 monsters in the game, each with its unique battle style. Naturally each member of the development team has their own, personal favorite. That said, I think the most popular monster amongst the team -- and the one most frequently found in Paradigm Packs -- is probably the Flanitor, a Medic."
Why did Alyssa betray her friends and accept Caius's offer by booby-trapping the Gate in Academia 4XX AF?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "Alyssa actually died during the Purge that occurs at the beginning of Final Fantasy XIII. Her "survival" is due to the course of history having been altered when Etro decided to save those who fought to defend Cocoon. She can only exist in this warped timeline, her very existence being a paradox of sorts. As Serah and Noel solve all the inconsistencies that alter the true course of events, Alyssa feels increasingly threatened. She is aware the the restoration of the timeline will lead to her demise. She eventually chooses to favor her own survival, by accepting Caius's offer even when this means betraying her friends."
The "dream" events that occur in the Void Beyond in Episode 5 offer an interesting change of pace. What were the reasons behind this?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "The 'dream' events offered an opportunity to both tell the story via cutscenes and to actually present it, thus enabling players to experience this for themselves. We therefore designed Episode 5 in such a way that the character can experience "dreams" or "pasts" together with the player. We also wanted to give a sense of the true strength of Caius, which Noel is aware of from the start."
The Oracle Drives seem to have been created by the Farseers. If their civilization was indeed so advanced, could they still exist somewhere on Pulse?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "The Farseers do in fact still exist in the days of Final Fantasy XIII-2, and even in the time period that Noel comes from. They live hidden, far away from all other human beings. They are aware of the prophecy that warns of potential conflicts between humans; they therefore avoid contact with modern civilization and choose never again to use technology like the Oracle Drives."
Is there a meaning to the throne of Etro that is seen at various moments in The Void Beyond?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "The throne of Etro that appears in The Void Beyond is empty for most of the game. This symbolizes the ever diminishing power of Etro. However, in the ending, Lightning sits on the throne. This symbolizes that the world's very existence relies on her to embody the divine will. AS Lightning wants to maintain Hope, she enters the crystal stasis in order to protect the will of her sacrificed sister, Serah. We are planning a DLC release to reveal the background to this."
When you decided that party members could jump in Final Fantasy XIII-2, did you already have the Academia 500 AF "Labyrinth of Chaos" in mind?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "Once we decided to allow the main character to jump, we knew that we wanted a game location where the level design would offer a unique platform challenge. We believed we could increase this effect by having this occur in Academia 500 AF as this is the final dungeon in the game."
Why doesn't time flow in Valhalla?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "Valhalla exists on a different reality plane, one that lies between the real world and nothingness. Time doesn't flow in Valhalla because it is a timeless, lifeless place. With Etro fading from the real world, Valhalla is her only refuge: it is a "middle world" where she waits until she dissolves completely."
Is Caius less objectionable than classic "bad guys" in order to unsettle the player?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "This is a very interesting question. Caius is a unique villain throughout the game in that his goal is not to destroy the world, but to save Yeul, and nothing will deter him from that objective. He has unshakable will power. This means that he doesn't necessarily appear as a "bad" person. This wasn't so much to confuse player, but rather to put them in front of a bewildering enemy.
Although Caius dies in the final battle, we see him alive in the secret ending,. This does not mean that there are multiple version of Caius that have been manipulating events from a different timeline. Quite the opposite: the Caius that 'dies' in Valhalla (a timeless place) is the same one that we see in the secret ending. His is a paradoxical existence that already knows how the battle ends and will still not stop until he reaches that end. His 'death' only strengthens his resolve, as even this did not alter the course of events. The goddess died nonetheless, which is what he fought for all along."
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "I believe the continuous battle sequences between Lightning and Caius in the opening sequence is one of the most spectacular scenes in the game. This sequence is a fusion of cutscene, combat and cinematic action. In a sense, this offers a sample of all the battles to come in the game."
What gave you the idea of time travel as a main concept in Final Fantasy XIII-2?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "With Final Fantasy XIII-2, we wanted to design a story where the main characters travel through time to fix the course of a long history, and rebuild the world as they knew it following the events of Final Fantasy XIII. The players has to interact with various people from multiple time periods, and eventually determine whether the events -- as they are described by Lightning following the end of Final Fantasy XIII -- are real or not."
Why is Serah the only character who remembers the original events as seen at the end of FFXIII?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "Final Fantasy XIII-2 reveals that the goddess Etro saved Serah during the final scenes of FF XIII, releasing her from her crystal stasis. Through her interactions with Etro, Serah acquired certain powers normally non-accessible to humans. This is why she can time-travel when passing through the Gates (like Noel or Snow). This is also how she received the gift of the "Eyes of Etro", enabling her to see changes in the timeline, as does Yeul. It is also for this reason that she has a special bond with monster, allowing her to tame them in their crystal form and use them as allies."
Are Atlas and the Royal Ripeness the largest enemies you have ever created?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "In Final Fantasy XIII, we were unable to implement a fight against the giant fal'Cie, Titan, in the Archylte Steppe -- he was simply too big. This was an issue we wanted to address in FFXIII-2. As a result the player is often confronted in the game by very large monsters, such as Atlas, or the Royal Ripeness. As a rule, all of these bosses are just as tough as they are big."
To what extent did you re-design locations that already existed in Final Fantasy XIII?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "All regions across the time periods were redesigned with different gameplay concepts and objectives in Final Fantasy XIII-2. The locations as they existed in Final Fantasy XIII have gone through an entirely new level design process in order to offer a new experience to the player. This ensures that those who played Final Fantasy XIII still have a lot to rediscover in this game, both through exploring locale variations in the future and by enjoying the new featured in terms of playability."
Why are there no inhabitants in any time period in Oerba? Is this supposed to be a ghost town?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "Fang and Vanille, who were both born in Oerba, attacked Cocoon in the War of Transgression, which you will remember occurred hundreds of years before the events of Final Fantasy XIII. When the war ended, the environment on Pulse was in ruins and consequently all human survivors had no alternative but to leave. This is how Oerba became deserted -- a ghost town. Centuries later, the Academy established a protected zone in and around Oerba, forbidding anyone to enter. This is the reason Oerba was never repopulated, across all time periods.
From a design perspective, Oerba holds a strong symbolic value in Final Fantasy XIII as it signifies the end of the main protagonists' journey. We therefore felt uncomfortable in repopulating Oerba or making it busy, We chose to leave it desolate."
How difficult was it to design a "grown-up" Hope, starting with his younger persona from Final Fantasy XIII?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "At the beginning of Final Fantasy XIII, Hope is an inexperienced and naive youth, but as we all know, he matures throughout the storyline, which essentially depicts his development from a child to a young man. As a consequence, it was quite natural for us to show how Hope matured from a young man to an adult in Final Fantasy XIII-2."
Why are the events of the Sunleth Waterscape location largely focused on Flan creatures?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "We are aware that most episodes in the game are very serious. So we thought that the Sunleth Waterscape location offered an opportunity to introduce a humorous note and the Flan creatures are perfect for this purpose."
How can Snow travel through time? Is this related to his new l'Cie mark?What is the story behind this?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "After the events of Final Fantasy XIII and the disappearance of Lightning, Snow firmly believed in Serah's memory. As a consequence, he set out to save Lightning, Fang and Vanille and intentionally approached a l'Cie, anticipating this would enable him to travel through time. He then found a Gate and set forth on his long journey.
Snow's story up to when he met a fal'Cie will be revealed in an official novel to be published soon in Japan. The later part of his journey is detailed in the game in the form of texts made available as the player retrieves fragments."
The Archylte Steppe is once again the ultimate hunting ground in this game, and features some very tough monsters. Was this intended as a bonus for Final Fantasy XIII players?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "The idea behind the Steppe is certainly to offer a large area with many missions and we believe that this will please many Final Fantasy fans. In XIII-2, we introduced an additional factor through the weather, which we believe adds a new layer in terms of hunting and exploration."
Did you intend for Serendipity to evoke the Gold Saucer in Final Fantasy VII?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "Yes, it is fair to say that we designed Serendipity as an homage to the richness of earlier Final Fantasy installments. With its wealth of minigames, especially the Chocobo races, Serendipity is intentionally reminiscent of the Gold Saucer in Final Fantasy VII. You might have noticed that we set the camera distance back from the level itself to recreate the atmosphere of the Gold Saucer."
How do Sazh and Dajh travel through time and appear in the final scenes?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "At some point, Sazh and his son Dajh got caught in Serendipity, but they came out alive having won a gamble of fate. The full details of this story will be revealed in a planned DLC release."
The Academia map is completely new and certainly looks very impressive. Is there a version (400 AF or 4XX AF) that you focused on first, or were both designed in parallel?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "The large Cocoon as it appears in Final Fantasy XIII was built on fal'Cie technology. In Final Fantasy XIII-2, however, the power of the fal'Cie is no more, and Academia is a futuristic city based entirely on human technology. We have experimented here with some visionary architecture, suggesting perhaps how city planning may appear on earth in the future.
When you first visit Academia, many battles occur under very dramatic conditions. These are designed to take place in the evening and in the rain in order to enhance the sense of tragedy. We consider this setting a visual reference, a symbol of Final Fantasy XIII-2."
Youji Iio, Environment Technical Artist: "Initially, we started on the day version of the map, called 4XX AF, as this is where you have access to all city areas. We soon realized that a large metropolis with glittering lights and skyscrapers can be very visually impressive in the evening so we moved on to the 400 AF version in order to work on the lightning. From a production standpoint I think we just continued on this and implemented the rain and all of the finer details and features. So in the end. the 400 AF version was in fact finished first."
Final Fantasy XIII-2 features a tower with multiple floor levels, just like Taejin's Tower in Final Fantasy XIII, and the Pharos in Final Fantasy XII. Do you see this as a staple of a Final Fantasy game?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "We believe it is an important process to go through a complex dungeon in the middle of the storyline as this acts both as a trial and a story turning point before the player reaches the climax at the end of the adventure. This takes the form of Augusta Tower in Final Fantasy XIII-2, a futuristic dungeon peppered with puzzles. The player has to search the whole Historia Crux in order to access the heart of the tower. This makes it a difficult challenge, one which cannot be completed by just visiting the area itself."
Is there one particular monster in FFXIII-2 that the team has a special affinity towards?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "You can recruit in excess of 150 monsters in the game, each with its unique battle style. Naturally each member of the development team has their own, personal favorite. That said, I think the most popular monster amongst the team -- and the one most frequently found in Paradigm Packs -- is probably the Flanitor, a Medic."
Why did Alyssa betray her friends and accept Caius's offer by booby-trapping the Gate in Academia 4XX AF?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "Alyssa actually died during the Purge that occurs at the beginning of Final Fantasy XIII. Her "survival" is due to the course of history having been altered when Etro decided to save those who fought to defend Cocoon. She can only exist in this warped timeline, her very existence being a paradox of sorts. As Serah and Noel solve all the inconsistencies that alter the true course of events, Alyssa feels increasingly threatened. She is aware the the restoration of the timeline will lead to her demise. She eventually chooses to favor her own survival, by accepting Caius's offer even when this means betraying her friends."
The "dream" events that occur in the Void Beyond in Episode 5 offer an interesting change of pace. What were the reasons behind this?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "The 'dream' events offered an opportunity to both tell the story via cutscenes and to actually present it, thus enabling players to experience this for themselves. We therefore designed Episode 5 in such a way that the character can experience "dreams" or "pasts" together with the player. We also wanted to give a sense of the true strength of Caius, which Noel is aware of from the start."
The Oracle Drives seem to have been created by the Farseers. If their civilization was indeed so advanced, could they still exist somewhere on Pulse?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "The Farseers do in fact still exist in the days of Final Fantasy XIII-2, and even in the time period that Noel comes from. They live hidden, far away from all other human beings. They are aware of the prophecy that warns of potential conflicts between humans; they therefore avoid contact with modern civilization and choose never again to use technology like the Oracle Drives."
Is there a meaning to the throne of Etro that is seen at various moments in The Void Beyond?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "The throne of Etro that appears in The Void Beyond is empty for most of the game. This symbolizes the ever diminishing power of Etro. However, in the ending, Lightning sits on the throne. This symbolizes that the world's very existence relies on her to embody the divine will. AS Lightning wants to maintain Hope, she enters the crystal stasis in order to protect the will of her sacrificed sister, Serah. We are planning a DLC release to reveal the background to this."
When you decided that party members could jump in Final Fantasy XIII-2, did you already have the Academia 500 AF "Labyrinth of Chaos" in mind?
Motomu Toriyama, Director: "Once we decided to allow the main character to jump, we knew that we wanted a game location where the level design would offer a unique platform challenge. We believed we could increase this effect by having this occur in Academia 500 AF as this is the final dungeon in the game."
Why doesn't time flow in Valhalla?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "Valhalla exists on a different reality plane, one that lies between the real world and nothingness. Time doesn't flow in Valhalla because it is a timeless, lifeless place. With Etro fading from the real world, Valhalla is her only refuge: it is a "middle world" where she waits until she dissolves completely."
Is Caius less objectionable than classic "bad guys" in order to unsettle the player?
Daisuke Watanabe, Lead Writer: "This is a very interesting question. Caius is a unique villain throughout the game in that his goal is not to destroy the world, but to save Yeul, and nothing will deter him from that objective. He has unshakable will power. This means that he doesn't necessarily appear as a "bad" person. This wasn't so much to confuse player, but rather to put them in front of a bewildering enemy.
Although Caius dies in the final battle, we see him alive in the secret ending,. This does not mean that there are multiple version of Caius that have been manipulating events from a different timeline. Quite the opposite: the Caius that 'dies' in Valhalla (a timeless place) is the same one that we see in the secret ending. His is a paradoxical existence that already knows how the battle ends and will still not stop until he reaches that end. His 'death' only strengthens his resolve, as even this did not alter the course of events. The goddess died nonetheless, which is what he fought for all along."
Splintered
unsavory tart
Up to chapter 4 now, my brain is leaking out of ears because I'm playing so long and I regret nothing.
I dunno about the difficulty setting, I'm on normal and almost is way too easy for me. I thought the original game had an interesting difficulty curve, but here it seems a lot less diverse. Not bad, just not as well considered in XIII. I kinda felt that the monsters on XIII were extremely well planned, there was a use for every role. Here I can get by with just com/com/com, only a few monsters actually need staggering and most of them don't need any debuffing at all. But I guess that it kind of makes sense, there's much less control and more freedom, and you have to rely on differed monsters for other abilities like the good SAB ones- so it would be unfair for them to require them for normal enemies.
Out of curiosity, which monsters are you using? I managed to get my red/green/purple chocobo combination so I'm starting to use them. I've switched out my medic for a synergist because I almost never use my med and weirdly enough... Noel is actually a better medic than most.
I was getting kind of irritated because I didn't know which COM I should use since you get tons and I'm super indecisive about who I use, and i was pretty much down to my red chocobo and behemoth for A10X eclipse area, I heard to red chocobo was better but my behemoth has got a feral link that buffs the party. But before I needed to chose and my current com became useless I found my pichuu. Which is an amazing COM, it decimates everything. Now I'm probably just going to feed my behemoth to it and make my red chocobo become a racer. Which I'm kind of curious how chocobo racing works because it seems weirdly complicated.
I don't know which is a good RAV for my team though, they all look about the same <___< I'm still using my same RAV that I got in the 05 Bresha Ruins and he works nicely.
All in all, the story gets silly sometimes but it really is a seriously fun game. And I can appreciate how it gets intentionally ridiculous at times, like the miniflan missions in Sunleth Waterscape.
EDIT:
I dunno about the difficulty setting, I'm on normal and almost is way too easy for me. I thought the original game had an interesting difficulty curve, but here it seems a lot less diverse. Not bad, just not as well considered in XIII. I kinda felt that the monsters on XIII were extremely well planned, there was a use for every role. Here I can get by with just com/com/com, only a few monsters actually need staggering and most of them don't need any debuffing at all. But I guess that it kind of makes sense, there's much less control and more freedom, and you have to rely on differed monsters for other abilities like the good SAB ones- so it would be unfair for them to require them for normal enemies.
Out of curiosity, which monsters are you using? I managed to get my red/green/purple chocobo combination so I'm starting to use them. I've switched out my medic for a synergist because I almost never use my med and weirdly enough... Noel is actually a better medic than most.
I was getting kind of irritated because I didn't know which COM I should use since you get tons and I'm super indecisive about who I use, and i was pretty much down to my red chocobo and behemoth for A10X eclipse area, I heard to red chocobo was better but my behemoth has got a feral link that buffs the party. But before I needed to chose and my current com became useless I found my pichuu. Which is an amazing COM, it decimates everything. Now I'm probably just going to feed my behemoth to it and make my red chocobo become a racer. Which I'm kind of curious how chocobo racing works because it seems weirdly complicated.
I don't know which is a good RAV for my team though, they all look about the same <___< I'm still using my same RAV that I got in the 05 Bresha Ruins and he works nicely.
All in all, the story gets silly sometimes but it really is a seriously fun game. And I can appreciate how it gets intentionally ridiculous at times, like the miniflan missions in Sunleth Waterscape.
EDIT:
I was confused too, but I don't think she was talking to Serah or Noel, she was probably just talking to the gravestone, like to a friend that DID die in the purge and Serah and Noel happen to hear her say it.
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Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
What is the name of that robot near the start, Hoplite? I used him for a while until I found the Gold Chocobo (as in find in a chest, you don't see them wild and assume only get one). I assume Omega would be even better but I just never get him. I was kind of hoping Odin would be awesome, but I still need to level him up for that. The trouble is with so many monsters, I end up not focusing on just one and then taking ages to level up them all.
I have to agree that I don't like the difficulty curve as much as FFXIII's. There, you could beat most enemies by changing strategy (barring when it opened up on Pulse). But I guess with going so open-ended compared to FFXIII the same staggered difficult might not work out or something.
Though I think I've gotten a lot more use out of the Defender role than I did in FFXIII. Maybe I just wasn't using good strategies for that, though
I still need to do racing for some of the prizes, but I'm still not sure about how it all works. So far I've learnt that that if you look at the other chocobo's strategies before the race (those four chocobo heads next to the names) that can give you an idea of which strategy you ought to use?
Though my Gold Chocobo is fully levelled and still struggles with the final class of races. I don't really know what I do except just hope he wins, or feed him a load of monsters until he is unstoppable.
I have to agree that I don't like the difficulty curve as much as FFXIII's. There, you could beat most enemies by changing strategy (barring when it opened up on Pulse). But I guess with going so open-ended compared to FFXIII the same staggered difficult might not work out or something.
Though I think I've gotten a lot more use out of the Defender role than I did in FFXIII. Maybe I just wasn't using good strategies for that, though
I still need to do racing for some of the prizes, but I'm still not sure about how it all works. So far I've learnt that that if you look at the other chocobo's strategies before the race (those four chocobo heads next to the names) that can give you an idea of which strategy you ought to use?
Though my Gold Chocobo is fully levelled and still struggles with the final class of races. I don't really know what I do except just hope he wins, or feed him a load of monsters until he is unstoppable.
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
Most are. The ones that aren't are:
- Black is in the Vile Peaks AF010
- White is in Oerba AF300
- Green is in Yashas AF100
- Purple in the Bilge Ruins AF300
... actually, most aren't?
Blue is in the steppe when it's cloudy (possibly rainy too?), but it's near that watery area you need either a chocobo or the anti-grav jump skill to get to
White is my current healer, after retiring Green.
- Black is in the Vile Peaks AF010
- White is in Oerba AF300
- Green is in Yashas AF100
- Purple in the Bilge Ruins AF300
... actually, most aren't?
Blue is in the steppe when it's cloudy (possibly rainy too?), but it's near that watery area you need either a chocobo or the anti-grav jump skill to get to
White is my current healer, after retiring Green.
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
That final attack thing is supposed to work, but never seems to for me. I don't know if it's ever worked, even once.
edit: also what the hell, special chocobo:
- Gold is in a treasure chest (pod?) in the Dying World AF700
- Silver is in Academia AF4XX in the room with Hope and Alyssa, got by throwing Mog into that green globe thing
edit: also what the hell, special chocobo:
- Gold is in a treasure chest (pod?) in the Dying World AF700
- Silver is in Academia AF4XX in the room with Hope and Alyssa, got by throwing Mog into that green globe thing
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Splintered
unsavory tart
I'm at the stage where I don't want to progress until I do more side missions. But for the life of me I can't find any more wild artefacts. Guess it's time to hit up youtube for a faq or something >__>
I also like how you get to see a whole bunch of stories with the fragments. You get to see a little bit about Snow's journey and how he's like IMMA SAVE VANILLE AND FANG, and then Vanille's fragment is something to the fact that, "Snow, that idiot, we're fine in our lesbian crystal paradise, you're going to hurt yourself."
I also like how you get to see a whole bunch of stories with the fragments. You get to see a little bit about Snow's journey and how he's like IMMA SAVE VANILLE AND FANG, and then Vanille's fragment is something to the fact that, "Snow, that idiot, we're fine in our lesbian crystal paradise, you're going to hurt yourself."
SILVER CHOCOBO HERE I COME.
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
Splintered
unsavory tart
Oh god the Wild Artefacts. I can go on with the story but I have the urge to COMPLETE ALL THE SIDEQUESTS but I can't open Oerba 400 for the last core. It leaves me sad.
That's not the most frustrating parts of the game though that's reserved for
1. That fucking time clock puzzle. I spent thirty minutes trying to solve that stupid son of a bitch before I caved in and went online to find something that would solve it for me. http://nyusuke.com/game/ff13/ff13-2puzzle.html
So much rage
2. Academia 400, the one with all the cieths. You get random encountered every thirty seconds and you can't run away from any of them.
Favorite part of the game though is the Sunleth Waterscape mission where you find all the flan. Okay the story is hokey but I think this game is best when it's deliberately silly. Finding baby flan and then Serah nagging saving the world, along with the Metal!Chocobo song playing in the background while fighting flan? Hell yeah.
I like games who don't take themselves seriously all the time and are self aware. Like that NPC in Academia who says she watches a show about an unlucky cop with weird hair and always says, "Sugar and Rainbows." It's probably just an easter egg, but if it somehow works into Sazh's dlc story that will be amazing.
That's not the most frustrating parts of the game though that's reserved for
1. That fucking time clock puzzle. I spent thirty minutes trying to solve that stupid son of a bitch before I caved in and went online to find something that would solve it for me. http://nyusuke.com/game/ff13/ff13-2puzzle.html
So much rage
2. Academia 400, the one with all the cieths. You get random encountered every thirty seconds and you can't run away from any of them.
Favorite part of the game though is the Sunleth Waterscape mission where you find all the flan. Okay the story is hokey but I think this game is best when it's deliberately silly. Finding baby flan and then Serah nagging saving the world, along with the Metal!Chocobo song playing in the background while fighting flan? Hell yeah.
I like games who don't take themselves seriously all the time and are self aware. Like that NPC in Academia who says she watches a show about an unlucky cop with weird hair and always says, "Sugar and Rainbows." It's probably just an easter egg, but if it somehow works into Sazh's dlc story that will be amazing.
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
I remember having to go through Academia AF400 to get that big Cie'th, since I didn't get him before. It's not a fond remembrance. Maybe the Field Kill skill will work on that one, though. (Then again by the time you get it there might not even be any need for going back there.)
I tried to do the time puzzles without cheating, but eventually I used the cheat for the last few in Oerba. I told myself it was because I just really wanted to see what happened with Mog.that's actually true
Does someone mention that show? I need to talk to NPCs more. I was wondering where these quiz trigger questions came from, I thought it was either stuff you just had to guess or stuff from the novel. Turns out it was just punishing me for ignoring people.
And I finished all those now too before learning this .___.
I tried to do the time puzzles without cheating, but eventually I used the cheat for the last few in Oerba. I told myself it was because I just really wanted to see what happened with Mog.
Does someone mention that show? I need to talk to NPCs more. I was wondering where these quiz trigger questions came from, I thought it was either stuff you just had to guess or stuff from the novel. Turns out it was just punishing me for ignoring people.
And I finished all those now too before learning this .___.
Splintered
unsavory tart
I don't think it's the same show that the quiz asks. Well, it could be. I don't know, I have to guess the majority of the questions because it seems out of left field. Some of them answers are definitely derived from NPCs but I dunno, I don't even know where to start from some of them. There are some questions you can guess because they are allusions though, (Wild Roses? Rebellion? I see you Firion reference).
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
Now I might actually go and talk to all these people.
Or read the novel.
All the stuff like films which won awards or were banned and children's books/stories and urban legend type stories from Neo Bodhum or chocobo delivery services just seem to have no relation to anything, but maybe I wasn't looking hard enough. Or maybe it was one of those things where they wanted people to get online and share information with each other.
Or read the novel.
All the stuff like films which won awards or were banned and children's books/stories and urban legend type stories from Neo Bodhum or chocobo delivery services just seem to have no relation to anything, but maybe I wasn't looking hard enough. Or maybe it was one of those things where they wanted people to get online and share information with each other.
Splintered
unsavory tart
I got the "which era is becoming fashionable" question because someone mentions that ever since Hope and Alyssa came back, it's become trendy again. But that's the only question I managed to get from the NPCs. Seriously... there's just too many of them and most of them are talking shit I don't care about.
Damn you instinctual drive to finish all the sidequests.
EDIT:
"Map explored: 99%" GOD... DAMNIT
Damn you instinctual drive to finish all the sidequests.
EDIT:
"Map explored: 99%" GOD... DAMNIT