Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

[AvecAloes]

Cool. I think those chaps are hideous, though.

 

[Selphie Tilmitt]

So we're going to have dark gothic lesbians yes?

Did Rachel/Georgia let loose any new info about Fang/Vanille?

You promised everybody would be happy Kitase, no lesbians, no happy

 

[Arianna]

Cool. I think those chaps are hideous, though.

I'm tired of seeing Lightning's panties!

Gods, Bhunivelze (Square)! Geez!

Really, it irks me ... I guess this is a discussion for another place.

lol I just noticed this

Is that an Odin tattoo on her lower back?

Spoiler

(Photobucket shrunk my picture. Click here to see a bigger one)

Well that's why I said Bhunivelze's a perv.

He got her on the back above the butt, on her clothes on the butt, and then the inside thigh (all in that picture!)

Although, we don't know if she had that tattoo before even becoming a l'Cie.

(Is it true that she has a navel ring? Not part of my complaint.)

 

[AvecAloes]

(Is it true that she has a navel ring? Not part of my complaint.)

Mmhmm, you can see it in her original FFXIII outfit.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I actually like the "chaps" outfit. Surprising.

 

[AvecAloes]

Really?

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Aye. 'Tis quite sexy.

 

[Fangu]

tbh I can't take my eyes off that render (I already posted it twice! ) because I think she looks so cool! I was a slight fan of the first outfit; this one is glorious

The "winged" one I am less excited about though.

 

[AvecAloes]

I think I like the first outfit better than the chappy one I like everything from the waist up on this one, though, but I don't really like the lower half - what is going on with her underwear/whatever semblance of a skirt she's wearing? And of course the chaps. Just not for me

 

[ForceStealer]

What was wrong with this again?

Oh that's right, nothing.

 

[Splintered]

I dun like any of them. The first might be a little better for me just because in motion in looks kind of cool, but the second has a really cool render. Still wondering about all the tatoos though, she's got a barcode on her leg. The third looks like a clusterfuck. I'm holding out that there are much better, more streamlined outfits later.

Also there has been some more info released. I wasn't going to post it because I am almost positive that disasterific is someone on this forums but since it's been awhile

• Novus Partus has been renamed as Nova Chrysalla
• Lightning acts as a crime scene investigator, questioning Luxerion’s residents regarding the serial murders that are happening in the city. Hope guides her from an unknown location.
• Lightning can sprint, but doing so depletes her stamina (ATB bar).
• In the preview, “ the player has Lightning tail the white-cloaks by ducking behind structures placed gingerly throughout the city streets, including trees and street-corners to avoid detection. They eventually elude her after she observes a ritual, revealing that Lightning needs to uncover a code to gain access to where they’ve escaped. Taking to the streets again, Lightning uses the world and people around her to search for clues.”
• Noel is now known as the Shadow Hunter, and is seen engaging a battle with Lightning (with the battle system)
• The NPCs behaviors change accordingly with the time, and side-quests are taken through certain NPCs and on quest boards.
• Items, abilities (such as magic spells) can be bought in various shops, and Toriyama claims that LRFFXIII will feature the biggest variety of shops the Final Fantasy series has seen since.
• You can purchase food in taverns and restaurants to replenish your HP, implying it won’t go back to full points automatically after battles as it was in its predecessors.
• The Stagger system of previous XIII games has now been changed to the Knockdown system, where you need to discover and attack the enemy’s weak points in order to knock it down.
• “During the presentation, we were told that this build of Lightning Returns was an early build — so early that Toriyama pointed out this was the earliest build of a Final Fantasy game that has been showed publically. It definitely showed in-game, with many placeholder assets, models, and music being substituted in.”
• Two other continents were revealed in the presentation:
• “Wildlands, featuring vast and open forests, plains, and mountains. There are many places to visit here, including small villages in the wilderness and even dungeons for Lightning to explore. One of the early dungeons Lightning navigated through looked similar to something you’d imagine for a classic Final Fantasy dungeon but remade for a high definition production.”
• Dead Dunes. This desert-like continent had Lightning sliding down massive sand-dunes like a cloth-person from Journey.

I was about to complain that I wanted to see the other areas, that's too bad because I enjoy complaining.

I'm kind of sad that the two other places aren't actually big towns, but hey, Archetype Stepp was as fun as any place. I'm interested in the small towns, and I'm not really sure what they mean by a classic Final Fantasy dungeon, design wise.

So between Luxerion, the Sand Dunes, and the Wildlands, the only place that looks like its left is the island with the castle.

Oh also New!Cocoon. I wonder if we get to head on that.

Descriptions of the ATB system make it seem like that it's pretty much nonstop hitting, since each outfit has their own ATB system and when one depletes, you just switch to the other, and the ATB system from the other outfit slowly rebuilds.

Also apparently, one of the victims in the town is a woman that looks like Lightning, the murderers are trying to find Lightning or something. I don't know how you can miss her in that outfit and huge fucking sword though. I guess chaos makes you blind too.

Toriyama said there's no spheregrid/crystarium system, it mostly relies on the before mentioned buying of different abilities which we kind of already knew. At first this kind of made me meh, but thinking on it- it's better, this way we don't have to worry about grinding and powerups come with story related moments instead.

Ah man, time management is the worst though. I always enjoy wasting copious amounts of time exploring every little detail and talking to every NPC multiple times.

 

[Ghost X]

So between Luxerion, the Sand Dunes, and the Wildlands, the only place that looks like its left is the island with the castle.

Oh also New!Cocoon. I wonder if we get to head on that.

You forgot the clouds, maybe you can go on the clouds... and the ocean!

 

[Arianna]

You forgot the clouds, maybe you can go on the clouds... and the ocean!

And the Chaos! We can't forget our 'friend' the nothingness!

 

[Zee]

ill pray 4 u

there's a group of people we can both pray for: those that believe lumina is lightning and hope's child

You can purchase food in taverns and restaurants to replenish your HP, implying it won’t go back to full points automatically after battles as it was in its predecessors.

why does this make me more excited than anything

it's the little things in life

 

[Strangelove]

there's a group of people we can both pray for: those that believe lumina is lightning and hope's child

that would be a waste of time, those people are beyond help

for them there is no...

hope

 

[Zee]

AWWWWWWWWW YEAAAAAAAAAAAAH

also i really like her shadow dust outfit

idk like considering some of nomura's designs this is actually not as over the top ridiculous and PANTS HOLY SHIT FUCKING THANK YOU

 

[Splintered]

Hoperai D: *just kidding Hope/Lightning fans* *Maybe* *Well almost just kidding* *But seriously no Lightning/Hope pls*

why does this make me more excited than anything

it's the little things in life

I missed Inns :'> That said I heard a rumor they are doing away with healing specific classes and relying on the inns and potions for healing. Which tbh makes me worried, but I haven't seen a source for that.

That and it looks like stores are making a strong comeback, for some reason Toriyama really emphasized them.

that would be a waste of time, those people are beyond help

for them there is no...

hope

*slow clap*

 

[Mwynn]

@Splintered yes, I am dissasterrific of Tumblr.

 

[Fangu]

Spoiler: Hoperai rant

Hoperai D: *just kidding Hope/Lightning fans* *Maybe* *Well almost just kidding* *But seriously no Lightning/Hope pls*

You know, I'm one of those who used to scream EWW NO every time that pairing came up; at least when we're talking the romantic, under-the-Highwind, communicating their feelings kinda relationship. (A romantic and sexual one for those who aren't following )

Originally I meant to just say "hey, let's not be hostile leading to Hoperai shippers feel like they're being booted out of the thread." But then I started thinking real life scenarios, because that's what I do when I spend too much time thinking of the possibility of a non-canon ship.

Say you're a 22 year old woman who knows a 15 year old man, because he's a friend of someone in your family (like your cousin), etc. Of course at this age, you don't look at him as a partner. Not only has his voice barely broken, but you're in that age yourself when you think you're extremely mature and need a boyfriend who are at least 3 years older. Plus it's totally unthinkable. He's a kid. You might play video games together, that's it. He's a kid.

Fast forward several years, you are now 30 years old, having dated and gone out with several guys, they've all turned out a disappointment. You can't seem to find what you're looking for. During the last years you've dated men around your age and older, and now most men your age have already settled down, and you're not yet interested in the "recycled" divorced ones with kids and an ex-wife which has to be involved in a lot of family life decisions (vacations, holidays, etc.)

Then you meet this guy again. He's no longer 15, he's 23. He walks like a man, he smells like a man, he's still quite childish and naive at some point, but no more than some of your male co-workers at your own age. For [x] reason you spend time with this dude and he gets to you, in a way. Something makes you take interest, and you feel bad about it, because we're talking a 7 year age gap. You brush it off, go on another date with a guy your age, but during the date you keep thinking you'd rather do [insert activity you did last time with him and friends] with the 23 year old. You miss him.

People date with age differences all the time. Now here's the thing, I don't know if these were people who met when they were already at an age their relationship could actually be a real romantic one, or if it's just as normal that say a 20 year old guy knows a girl briefly from she's 13, of course doesn't see her as relationship material, then she turns 21 and all of a sudden it's different.

The point here is, if he gets with her when they're 28/21, he's not sleeping, or wants to sleep with the 13 year old. It's the grown up version he desires.

So going back to this 'Hoperai', Hope's lived through 10 years since their last encounter, when he was 14 and she was 21. He's now older than her. He's gained experience, led a company, etc. Using the real life example, I'd say:

If he starts falling in love with her now, it doesn't mean 14 year old Hope desired Lightning.

For Lightning though, the problem is for her, barely any time has passed since she last saw Hope as a 14 year old. She doesn't have the aid of the years passing. I guess the question is, does she still see him as a 14 year old, and is the premise for their communication still just friendship?

If I knew a 14 year old one day and the next day he came back all grown up, I don't know what I'd think. I'd certainly not fall in love with him on the spot. But at the same time, he's now different.

So yeah, it might not be as unthinkable as I first thought.

I still wouldn't want it in the game though, because it would be too weird to change the premise of the tie between them at this stage. It was always about Lightning being his hero, and she saw Serah in him, in a way. She had to learn to let him take the lead and fight for himself, like she never did with Serah.

tl;dr, Hoperai doesn't sound quite as strange anymore but I still think it's a road you wouldn't want to go down.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Following up Fangu's well-thought-out and detailed post with but a simple sentiment: Clope FTW.

(That's "ClairexHope," in case it wasn't clear)

 

[Drax]

Comparison:

Lumina's eyes are definitely bigger, they have a different shape, and her nose is more...buttonish? Cuter, I'd say, hahaha. But is that just because she's "younger" than Serah? Her features definitely look younger. I dunnos.

I think the big round eyes and the eery similarities to Serah and not knowing who she is exactly is what creeps me out right now. Like Serah played the Elegy of Emptiness or something.

Remember this guy? Same effect.

 

[Lex]

That was an interesting post Fangu, made me actually consider the possibility.

You know, I wouldn't actually mind it if it happened now. Not in a huge big romantic love kind of way, but in the sense that I can imagine him saying something flirty over the mission com or something. "I'm not the kid you knew" or something. Interesting.

I suppose I'm saying I wouldn't mind if it was implied, as long as it doesn't become this big love story. I don't see that happening though

 

[AvecAloes]

Still do not want. Not because of the age difference, but because I just didn't like Hope

 

[Lex]

Still do not want. Not because of the age difference, but because I just didn't like Snow

I take it you meant Hope?

 

[AvecAloes]

Oh gosh, yes, Hope It's been an early morning for me, hahaha. Will edit accordingly.


Though I didn't like Snow either