Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

[Ffxiii1ll]

FFXIII delivered a half-decent story with the most terrible of gameplay. FFXIII-2 delivered a wacky and unstructured story with a lot of fantastic gameplay. I will pick FFXIII-2 any day of the week.

Both gameplays aren't so different from the ancient FF when you think about it. All that Square did was adding a stagger point and paradigms.

 

[Splintered]

The battle system wasn't fundamentally changed, but the entire philosophy behind it is. It's so much more fun to be able to chose and manipulate your own stats, monsters, etc. The problem is, it's way too easy to break that game. Being able to level up from quests limited grinding but also made it really easy to max out your crystarium compared to the mountains of effort needed in XIII. You had more choices in how you wanted to build your third member, but at the same time things like syns and sabs lost their relevance except in a select few cases.

It boils down to what kind of gameplay you prefer. The only things I can consider a real upgrade rather than just a shift in styles is getting rid of that first paradigm animation shift, chosing AI targeting, and saving your paradigm stacks.

I don't remember who brought up this point first, I think it was Splintered in the XIII-2 thread? Excellent observation btw.

I think a lot of people did. The only arguments I've seen against Noel is that he's too much of a "safe" character but, with only two protagonists there's nothing wrong with that. Especially if you have a wacky story, it's better to have grounded characters anyway. Zack's a safe character too, imagine playing Crisis Core when your only character is a douchebag.

The characters are completely different because, well, the philosophy behind the characters are different too. I always maintain that XIII's characters were suppose to be slightly unlikable when you first meet them. Meanwhile their call to the Hero's Journey is confusing, frustrating, they have no freedom whatso ever and it's less an adventure then it is a survival. Serah and Noel's is much more "conventional," mysterious boy takes girl on a mission to save the world.

. I remember reading that instead of NPC's giving you the background story, they introduced the Datalog instead. I wanted to read the Datalog, but my boyfriend kept saying "those things are just for the extra curious people, you shouldn't have to read that to know what's going on". In a way, he was wrong.

That's XIII's big problem, world building was in datalog and cutscenes, and cutscenes were a problem because they worked off characters that already knew terms that weren't familiar like cieth, l'cie, and fal'cie. When exposition was done, it was short and easily missable.

I understand that the characters can't interact with NPCs too much, but hell even a Mass Effect dialogue option where you can ask different characters subjects would be more natural. Mass Effect does a whole bunch of exposition drops that are necessary for a first play through, but the writing is good enough and the characters are so well realized that it's not a chore.

XIII-2 story is much better in just that respect, you can gather bits of information just by listening to conversation and sidequests. And the datalog was sort of necessary, but it wasn't a dictionary/encyclopedia that was necessary to understand the fundamental issues of the world. And they were more fun to read in general, because they were more like snipets of diaries than entries in wikipedia.

I really do like XIII's story better, but the execution made it difficult to understand first playthrough (like Fangu said). XIII-2s story was a mess, but it was better told, more freedom, interaction with the world, sidequests that make you get to know some of the issues better (there's a whole Academy versus Cocoon loyalists storyline that's done entirely in sidequests, NPCs convos, and an alt ending), and just better word choice.

 

[Arianna]

Some news:

1. The band Language is going to be creating/remixing some songs for Lightning Returns.

Via John @ http://squareportal.net/2013/05/10/language-will-be-making-lightning-returns-remixes/

2. The paradox endings from XIII-2 may influence Lightning Returns. (I'm figuring either DLC or in-game side stories, perhaps quests? LR story focuses on the main ending.)

Via FFDream, copied @ http://lightning-returns-news.tumbl...-endings-may-influence-the-story-of-lightning

3. The Colliseum will most likely feature in Lightning Returns, but not in the same way as in XIII-2.

Via http://lightning-returns-news.tumblr.com/post/48551666084/colliseum-is-confirmed-for-lr

 

[Groodon]

http://www.justpushstart.com/2013/05/lightning-returns-final-fantasy-xiii-factsheet-revealed/
So the last sentence in this article, anyone know what it means? Is there an example of a game that have used this before? Just to get a grip of what it COULD be.

"A CONNECTED EXPERIENCE

Stay connected to FINAL FANTASY and its characters, with unique features that link the in-game world to the real world."

 

[Splintered]

Probably some stupid social networking thing. I think they tried to implement something with it like XIII-2 where you can auto update your twitter or fb with progress in the game. Probably more of the same worthless crap.

 

[Mwynn]

My friend who goes by Leaferian here in TLS wrote up an interesting article for NovaCrystallis: http://www.novacrystallis.com/2013/...htning-returns-trailer-you-might-have-missed/

And most importantly, the screenshots he shared. So my speculation was right, the highest quality of the trailer wasn't really uploaded online. It's also like how SE refuses to upload any HQ direct-feed screens.

 

[Mwynn]

Oh and

shorts under that "skirt" of the dark muse get-up

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Oh, for fuck's sake.

 

[Arianna]

Oh, for fuck's sake.

What?

 

[Ffxiii1ll]

Oh and

shorts under that "skirt" of the dark muse get-up

Why does Lightning have a cowboy suit ? X)

 

[Roger]

Why does Lightning have a cowboy suit ? X)

As opposed to her usual, far crazier outfit?

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

What?

Shorts again.

 

[Fangu]

lol ruined it for ya there Tres?

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

It so did. =(

 

[Arianna]

I tried to decipher the barcode she has on her right inner thigh, but I couldn't find a clear enough picture. From what I could tell, and got as far as the third letter/number, it's just a letter and two numbers. In other words, random.

 

[Mwynn]

The world of Gran Pulse is sinking into the sea and what remains is now called Nova Chrysalia.
With only thirteen days remaining until the end of the world, Chaos reigns in a world that never ages. New life cannot be born. People need salvation.

As Lightning, it is your mission to save as many souls as possible so that they may be brought to the new world. Along the journey, you will encounter familiar faces and engage new foes in all new lands. You must ultimately choose which souls to save and which to abandon…and fully understand Lightning’s true destiny.

It all ends here.

Official synopsis for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

 

[Zee]

You must ultimately choose which souls to save and which to abandon

save fang and vanille screw everyone else the end goodbye

 

[Splintered]

So there's player choice involved here? Like "fuck dese assholes let em rot or save them"? That would be nice.

I'm still iffy about the "new world" thing going on. A part of me that really loved the first game wants to somehow rewind time and let them redo their life from the day Cocoon dropped.

Interesting, Lightning went from defying her fate and gods, to submitting herself to Etros and being defeated by fate, to being practically a god and deciding people's fate. huh

 

[Fangu]

What if people get the option to not save Snow and Hope

OMG some people might buy the game just for that

 

[Zee]

if this game lets me kill snow it's automatically goty

hope was pretty cool in the second game, he can stay

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I'm not putting too much stock in this "you must ultimately choose which souls to save and which to abandon" thing. Remember "What will you fight for?" with Dissidia? If you played the game at all, you fought for Cosmos.

The back of the strategy guide for that game was even more misleading:

What will you fight for?
Ten warriors have been summoned by the goddess Cosmos to do battle with the ten that have been summoned by Chaos. Will the courage, power, and skill of the heroes overcome the forces of darkness?

ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE.

I don't believe Square's marketing.

 

[Mwynn]

Interesting, Lightning went from defying her fate and gods, to submitting herself to Etros and being defeated by fate, to being practically a god and deciding people's fate. huh

That's quite a burden to carry alone, huh. But I think that's something they'll use to explore her character and also as a theme in the story. If I remember correctly, Toriyama said that we might find her initially to be even more distant and closed than before (!) and that later on her human and vulnerable side will be fleshed out more.

 

[Groodon]

I, for one, is looking forward for Serah and Snow to reunite.

 

[Selphie Tilmitt]

I hope Hawkeye is right

I don't want to read all the Vanille hate posts at GFAQs if you can choose not to save her with people posting all the mean and horrible things they did to her because OMG she makes funny noises! =/

Letting/choosing to let Vanille die would be like kicking a puppy or something I think, I mean she's such a sweetheart "To hate, to hurt, to destroy ... I couldn't do it" I mean who would want to hurt someone like that?

Anyway yeah

 

[Mwynn]

Ehren of NovaCrystallis posted more HQ screens: http://www.novacrystallis.com/2013/...tning-returns-extended-first-look-hq-trailer/