Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

[Fangu]

Okay got to watch the gameplay on my phone. I was thinking of staying up last night but the guys on Skype said all the LR stuff would be tomorrow

Mr Hope sounds funny coming from her.

Yeah I guess it's just some formalities they have to get out of the way, the game being Japanese and all that. (Is Lightning talking to The Director that way? Gasp!) Hope is the Big Man now after all I'm glad they go back to the 'Hope' and 'Light' informals though (I can't remember what the Japanese versions to that is/ would be, in XIII it was 'Hopu' and 'Raitu-san' wasn't it?)

It is by far the most confused emotional response to a gif set ever. Like half of it is like FAPFAP and the other is like BURN SQUEENIX TO THE GROUND. A good portion has both reactions.

My thoughts as well I saw your gif before I saw the video, and my first thought was NNNOOOOOO, but at the same time I went 'damn, Lightning <3' I mean I've done poses like that when I feel good about myself And also that "arms behind the head" is usually a pose reserved for younger, cocky males in games and anime from what I've seen (first example that comes to mind is Vaan, since I'm playing XII atm) so even though it might appear sexy and nothing else, it might 'mean' more than appear to the Western eye. Also her victory poses changes according to what outfit she has on when you end the battle. The other one looks far more 'butch'.

But yeah first impression was definitely 'wtf'

 

[Arianna]

And also that "arms behind the head" is usually a pose reserved for younger, cocky males in games and anime from what I've seen (first example that comes to mind is Vaan, since I'm playing XII atm) ... But yeah first impression was definitely 'wtf'

You know, I thought that one pose was just stupid; but you bring up a point, with the 'cocky young males' comment. I never thought of that. Eh - I still feel it's stupid, but... Nice point.

 

[Splintered]

Okay so

Okay, I&#8217;m re-reblogging this because I found out something sad after listening to the &#12473;&#12463;&#12456;&#12491;&#12385;&#12419;&#12435;&#65281; radio broadcast for &#8220;Lightning Returns&#8221;. This victory pose is for E3 ONLY!! Director Toriyama wanted this pose to be official, but it was rejected due to it being overly &#8220;sexy&#8221; and OOC. So he decided to show this rejected pose off at E3, but unfortunately, the official game will feature a different victory pose for this outfit

The meltdowns were for nothing. Toriyama only wanted to troll the fanbase, and it worked. So now I can be amused without feeling guilty about OOCness

 

[Celesta]

The pose is out of character unless this is some drunk version of Lightning. It is quite comical however she isn't the cute and sexy type. I think Toriyama has special taste.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

As much as I appreciate the pose, I think rejecting it was the way to go. Sex appeal has never been Light's angle, despite the fact that I would probably be tripping over myself to chat her up if I encountered someone like her for real.


I'm glad Hope will have a significant role in all this, by the way. Still holding out for Clope. Keep hope alive! Haha, puns.

 

[Kuja9001]

http:// http://www.finalfantasy.net/lrff13/lightning-returns-demo-interview/

At this week’s E3 in Los Angeles, Famitsu sat down with Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase and director Motomu Toriyama for an interview about the upcoming finale to the XIII trilogy. The demo is currently playable at the Square Enix booth as per the video above. Around fifteen minutes in length, the demo involves a pursuit to catch Snow in the city of Yusnaan and an encounter with Lumina.

The city of Yusnaan is very important to the crumbling world of Nova Chrysallia, and so is Snow Villiers. He has become a l’Cie again, and is charged with protecting the fal’Cie responsible for keeping the world together in its final days. By this task, he has become the de facto leader of Yusnaan. While he has become a l’Cie, it seems he is struggling with his desire to reunite with Serah, perhaps even in death. However, his obligations to the fal’Cie via his Focus may prevent him from doing anything rash. The axe he wields is covered in ice, and is meant to convey his change to a more harsh and serious character.

Yusnaan is a different place than Luxerion, and not only in appearance. While the people of Luxerion quietly wait until the end of the world, the citizens of Yusnaan celebrate with decadent parties as the fal’Cie has my resources to provide. The two cities represent different mindsets when it comes to the end. Yusnaan is inspired by a mix of Renaissance and middle-Eastern cultures.

Lightning starts her journey in Yusnaan as the opening cinematic of the game concludes. However, the game is being designed in an open-world fashion in which the player does not have to progress through the story in a linear fashion. Toriyama refers to parts of the game as “Episodes”.

Since Lightning Returns will have one playable character, the team has redone many abilities so that they will feel fresh for those who have played the previous two games. Famitsu remarked that “Blizzara” in particular looked great. Enemies will have vulnerabilites that Lightning can exploit such as Zaltys (the boss in the demo) having a weakness to electricity. Use Thunder or Electric Slash enough and you’ll build up the Stagger Wave and ultimately break the enemy’s defenses.

There are special enemies in Lightning Returns known as “Accent Monsters” in which your performance can be added to an online leaderboard and shared/compared with your friends. The same criteria for getting a five-star battle in previous Final Fantasy XIII games will come into account here.

Lightning’s equipment sets called Schemata can be switched in and out in battle. Each one will have a unique victory pose, as seen in the video above. There re about eighty different Schemata that Lightning can wear.

You will not recover HP after battle, so you must use your restorative items wisely. You can also dine in towns to recover health or stay at an inn, but sometimes travel conditions might hamper your ability to get back to town. This kind of gameplay will challenge players and force them to proceed cautiously, and Kitase made a comparison to the feeling you get when playing Dark Souls.

The team wants to express that the game will allow a great sense of freedom, and after the tutorial section in Yusnaan, you’ll be able to venture off in any direction you please. Different quests in the game will happen at different times, and Kitase mentioned that Hope will have missions for Lightning at 6:00am every day to save the souls of people in the world and will increase the time left before doomsday. You start out Lightning Returns with seven days remaining, but this can be increased through Lightning’s actions to a maximum of thirteen.

Kitase says that downloadable content is not yet decided, but with regard to the story, it will be entirely contained within the game you purchase. The scale of Lightning Returns is larger than you might expect, and the team is trying to push the PlayStation 3 to its limits.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Very promising. I like the comparison to "Dark Souls" and the presence of some fal'Cie -- their role in particular.

 

[Kuja9001]

http://www.finalfantasy.net/x/kitase-toriyama-talk-lightning-returns/

The interview with Toriyama and Kitase continued with Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, which is due out for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on February 11th in North America (and February 14th in Europe).

In Final Fantasy XIII, Lightning was portrayed as a physically and mentally strong character and in the sequel she transcended to an almost god-like character. However, in Lightning Returns, Lightning is portrayed as a more human character and the game will bring out more sides of the character than in previous titles. That, according to Toriyama, is something of a legacy that Lightning Returns will have — the evolution of Lightning as a character.

Toriyama said he was happy to have had a chance to create a trilogy and the character of Lightning, and is thankful for the dev team for helping him realize it and the fans for playing with them. Kitase commented that he is happy that the developer team was able to create three games over the course of four years based on evolving feedback of the games.

When asked why was Lightning chosen for trilogy treatment opposed to other characters in the Final Fantasy series, Kitase said that Fabula Nova Crystallis’s expanse was larger than one game can provide, so that’s why Final Fantasy XIII. Lightning was chosen since she has been in the Final Fantasy limelight since 2006.

So, why thirteen days in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII? Toriyama said that gameplay-wise, Lightning will have seven days left at the end of the world, but can be lengthened to thirteen hours (max) as Lightning completes certain quests. In traditional Final Fantasy, Active Time Battle is a hallmark, so with Lightning Returns, each Schemata has a set ATB gauge designed around them. The strategy is choosing each Schemata for evolving situations in combat.

How many outfits will Lightning get in the game? Director Motomu Toriyama divulged that there will be over 80 different ones that all link to her powers — similar to a job system. Outfit pieces can be colored and customized in different ways as well. Lightning’s outfits from Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be obtainable in Lightning Returns if you have save data from either two predecessors.

Other than Lightning, the rest of the cast in Lightning Returns will also return for their finale. Snow, for example, struggles with the fact that he was unable to save Serah, and wants to reunite with her.

Are there any easter eggs for those who purchase Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII? Toriyama explained a function called “Outworld Communication” where you can post screenshots from the game and interact with social networks.

Eidolons which appeared in Final Fantasy XIII and briefly in Final Fantasy XIII-2 will not appear in their original forms as they were created by Etro who is now powerless (per the ending of Final Fantasy XIII-2).

On the subject of downloadable content to expand the story, Kitase said that they are not considering story or boss DLC as they want the content to be on-disc — but outfit DLC is definitely on the table as the Black Mage and White Mage outfits were popular and well-received by fans.

To close off the interview, Toriyama commented that the team has been “very picky” with how Lightning is portrayed and they hope Final Fantasy XIII fans and new fans alike can fall in love with the character.

As a special exclusive to the stream (which PR was gracious enough to allow Kitase to show), a Yuna outfit was revealed for Lightning. The team cited that since the Final Fantasy “Legacy” outfits were popular, they decided on a Yuna costume inclusion.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I wish they would stop giving me hope for this game. After how much XIII-2 sucked, I want to hate it already, but it sounds too good.

Then again, XIII-2 sounded like it was going to be great in interviews as well. Maybe we'll still end up with a scenario like the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy, though -- great first installment and a good third one that still didn't quite justify the existence of the second.

 

[Kermitu Kleric Katie]

So I see Snow is returning. Are Sazh, Fang, and/or Vanille returning? I want at LEAST Sazh to return. Sazh is the best.

 

[Splintered]

80? 80 is too much I have a hard enough time choosing colors for clothes much less outfits. Options are good, but too many options bewilder me. But that's just me though, I know people love that stuff.

I wonder how customizable each set is? Or is each outfit set and you have to chose between each one.

80 costumes and they are all ugly as sin (at least the original ones are)

There are special enemies in Lightning Returns known as “Accent Monsters” in which your performance can be added to an online leaderboard and shared/compared with your friends. The same criteria for getting a five-star battle in previous Final Fantasy XIII games will come into account here.

I missed this about XIII-2. Stars were basically manipulated by how strong you were and you were guaranteed a 5 star rating just by being strong instead of being efficient. I wonder if the challenge will be back?

I'd love to have XIII-2 levels of customization but still be able to have a good fight without knowingly handicapping myself (or fighting Gilgamesh)

Eidolons which appeared in Final Fantasy XIII and briefly in Final Fantasy XIII-2 will not appear in their original forms as they were created by Etro who is now powerless (per the ending of Final Fantasy XIII-2).

This makes me sad. I wanted to see Odin, he's practically been there since the beginning. I liked how the party seemed to be close with their summons.

To close off the interview, Toriyama commented that the team has been “very picky” with how Lightning is portrayed and they hope Final Fantasy XIII fans and new fans alike can fall in love with the character.

Good. I think they all understood how off Lightning was in XIII-2, and hopefully they'll be able to bring her back to the character I enjoyed without completely retreading the same ground.

You start out Lightning Returns with seven days remaining, but this can be increased through Lightning’s actions to a maximum of thirteen.

They're just backtracking now. It's always been 13 days she SAYS 13 DAYS IN THE TRAILERS. It's not a big deal I guess as long as the amount of content will be the same.

Toriyama said this would be a short game with a focus on re-playability and unique playthroughs each time. I'll be interested in seeing how it pans out.

 

[Blade]

If Lightning gets a "Cloud Strife" SOLDIER outfit (Or Wolf)... So help me...

 

[Splintered]

You're a little late

Spoiler

From what I remember though, they didn't say definitely she would get this. It was more of a fun idea they were tossing around.

 

[Hisako]

80 costumes and they are all ugly as sin (at least the original ones are)

imo some of those look less like costumes and more like clothing, if you know what I mean. Like, actual, regular pants. And actual dresses. Yes please. Some of those dresses and suits look pretty awesome on her.
In any case, moar variety is good any time of the day

I lol'd at the Yuna one though

 

[Mwynn]

Y'all

Here's more info said in the Japanese interview in the stream:

TWITTER Interview - Ask Lightning Questions!!
Here&#8217;s a summarized translation of the Q&A Twitter session with Toriyama-san and Kitase-san. Here, fans asked questions about Lightning through Twitter and Facebook. Both Toriyama-san and Kitase-san were just having fun during this session, so most of their answers are pretty crack-ish. LOL
~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

- Will Lightning ever go back to her real name?
Maybe someday, when she decides to become a &#8220;normal girl&#8221; again.
- What is Lightning&#8217;s favorite food?
Mapo Doufu&#8230; Actually this is my (Kitase-san&#8217;s) favorite food. She&#8217;ll like the same thing as me, I guess. LOL But joking aside, Lightning actually likes sweet foods, but she doesn&#8217;t eat them a lot because they&#8217;ll make her fat. LOL
- What was Lightning&#8217;s salary, working in the Guardian Corps?
It wasn&#8217;t a lot, but enough to get by on. Bodhum wasn&#8217;t a very expensive place to live, so that made things nice too. XD
- Is Lightning good at cooking a certain dish?
Actually, she&#8217;s not very good at cooking at all. However, there will be a quest in the game where you will get to experience how &#8220;good&#8221; of a cook she is. LOL (Also, Toriyama-san commented on one of his favorite scenes in FFXIII. After her ruined birthday party, you see Lightning washing the dishes with her gloves still on. During this moment, Lightning was so shocked and flustered about her fight with Serah that she forgot to take her gloves off before washing the dishes. XD)
- What is the size of her bust?
Strangely, in the first game, Lightning was a C-cup. Now Lightning is a D-cup. She &#8220;developed&#8221; a bit. LOL

Uegh at that answer they gave regarding her real name. *rolls eyes* Looks like we'll be cooking in some way in LR, haha.

As for her washing the dishes with gloves on... so that's why. I think it's pretty nice they thought of that.

*rolls her eyes again on the topic of her bust size*

If you're not interested in Hopurai, don't click:

Spoiler

TWITTER Interview - The HopeXLightning Question
After watching the original interview, I noticed that Toriyama-san and Kitase-san talked quite a bit before and after the question about Lightning&#8217;s feelings for Hope. Here is a little more detailed, translated summary of their answer and discussion.
~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

- Has Lightning ever been attracted romantically to Hope?
The interviewer then proceeded to comment that many more similar questions about this topic were asked by the fans. This pairing is popular, people. XD

Anyways, in the original Japanese question, Hope was referred to as &#8220;Hope-kyun&#8221;. This is an affectionate nickname given to young!Hope by the Japanese fans (older!Hope is more often referred to as simply &#8220;Hope-kun&#8221. When the interviewer and the two guests heard &#8220;Hope-kyun&#8221;, they began to question which Hope the fans were referring to - the younger or older one.
In the end, they chose young!Hope for the question. So the question became: Has Lightning ever been attracted romantically to the younger Hope? Of course, the answer then became &#8220;I believe she saw him as a son or younger brother.&#8221;

The interviewer then asked, &#8220;So basically, Lightning has officially rejected Hope?&#8221; Toriyama-san and Kitase-san just kinda looked at each other and did not answer. Then the interviewer, desperate for some kind of comment, asked, &#8220;So did Hope (the younger one) have any feelings for Lightning?&#8221; Again, the two did not answer. XD Humorously frustrated, the interviewer burst out, &#8220;So what kind of relationship did these two actually have!?&#8221; Toriyama-san finally spoke up and said, &#8220;To Lightning, Hope was like a younger brother.&#8221; The interviewer let out a sigh and said, &#8220;Ahh&#8230; Poor Hope.&#8221; LOL But then Kitase-san added, &#8220;But I know many of the fans still get excited by the cute sibling-ish relationship between them.&#8221;

Lastly:

[TRANSLATED] Hope&#8217;s Role in &#8220;Lightning Returns&#8221;

Here it is~!! ^^ The original report can be found HERE.
~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

- Excuse me, but what do you mean by &#8220;we have to return to Hope&#8221;?
KITASE: Oh, Lightning is required to return to Hope at 6AM every morning. And if you get too swallowed up in the game and forget, Hope calls and asks you to come back. LOL
- Wait? She has a curfew!? Why does Lightning have to return to Hope every day?
TORIYAMA: Basically, Lightning has to update Hope on all the quests she completes and all the souls she saves. By doing this, you gain more &#8220;time&#8221;. In this game, you can only recover lost time where Hope is located. There are supposed to be &#8220;13 Days&#8221; before the end of the world, but in reality, the game begins with only seven days left. By completing various quests and reporting them to Hope, you can increase the time limit to the original thirteen days.
- So Hope is more than just a navigator! But where exactly is he?
TORIYAMA: Hope is in a special realm known as &#8220;The Ark&#8221;, and he watches over Lightning from this location. Also, you will not lose any time when you report to Hope. When you return to him, your HP and GP (Glory Points) will also recover fully. So you create little strategies like, &#8220;Hmm&#8230; I&#8217;m going to have to report to Hope soon, so I won&#8217;t need to recover any HP by eating at this restaurant.&#8221;

This is going to be so interesting.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Wait, so there's actually a chance for Clope? Sweet.

Make this happen, Toriyama, and all is forgiven. Well, mostly all.

 

[Arianna]

Anything about fal'Cie in LR (besides the one Snow is protecting) in the Twitter session?

 

[Fangu]

"Ahh... poor Hope." XD

Also lol @ the curfew thing XD

 

[Splintered]

That curfew thing sounds kind of annoying and tedious. Not unless I can go to the Ark at will, and not have to travel there. But it feels like it would break the experience. Nice to hear it doesn't swallow time though.

 

[Lex]

Am I the only person who likes the idea of Lightning in Cloud's outfits?

Especially the AC one, I think I've said before she rocks it.

 

[Arianna]

That curfew thing sounds kind of annoying and tedious. Not unless I can go to the Ark at will, and not have to travel there. But it feels like it would break the experience. Nice to hear it doesn't swallow time though.

It sounds like you can travel there at will, just as long as you get back to him by 6 AM. I guess if you get back to him by 10 PM every day prior to the 6 AM curfew... Hopefully that makes sense; but, yeah, while confirmation is necessary, I am feeling it will be voluntary, until 6 AM.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Am I the only person who likes the idea of Lightning in Cloud's outfits?

Especially the AC one, I think I've said before she rocks it.

You are definitely not the only one. I prefer the SOLDIER garb, though, on him and her.

 

[Arianna]

fal'Cie?





Also... While I can see some possibilities for where the story in whole is going... I just don't find Lightning that compelling.

 

[Kermitu Kleric Katie]

Wait, so there's actually a chance for Clope? Sweet.

Make this happen, Toriyama, and all is forgiven. Well, mostly all.

What is Clope? I would assume that portmanteau stood for Cloud x Hope but I know you couldn't be talking about that since there is definitely not a chance for Cloud x Hope given that they live in different universes and Cloud's already with Tifa, so I know it must be something else. Do you mean Hope x Lightning?

Anyway, I hope they kill off Hope.(no pun intended) I loathe Hope.

But seriously, any confirmation for Sazh, Fang, or Vanille? Though since Snow and Hope will be in it, I wouldn't be surprised if Sazh is too.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I'm sure they will all be in it. The point was made in XIII-2's ending that Sazh had rescued Fang and Vanille from the crumbling Cocoon, so it stands to reason that they will be featured somehow.

Plus, the prediction from the final battles of XIII about everyone together and happy has to be fulfilled yet.

As for "Clope," yes that's LightningxHope -- Claire+Hope.