Note to Square.

[bluestarultor]

Square, I'm really liking Final Fantasy XIII. You're doing great here. But you could be doing even better, and not just on XIII. Here are some friendly suggestions of what you could have done or what you still might do.

On XIII:
- You guys totally missed an opportunity by not including an animal character in there. Something similar to Red XIII. FF XIII, Red XIII, I'm not alone in being disappointed in the lack of a shout-out, especially given the other similarities to FF VII. You COULD still fix this, though. The game is out, but, man, you guys did an awesome job with not even needing an install for the load times. Just adding one in as DLC would net you millions. Many people would buy the character and the space needed on the hard drive would likely be minimal. You don't need to give him or her much story. Look at the DLC characters in Mass Effect. Just the character's presence would make male and female gamers alike squeal in delight. It also would open up another element to summon for. You have fire, ice, lightning, earth, holy, and Bahamut, but you could easily do a water or wind Eidolon. Leviathan could totally go tank or boat, or if you chose wind, nobody really expects to NOT have a new one. If you do want to insert some plot for the character, you could totally do a small "a boy and his dog" thing with Hope. The kid sorely needs more joy in his life. Just introduce the character later in the game, after Fang, so it doesn't conflict with his relationship with Lightning. Heck, if you end up doing that, you could contrast Alexander with Diabolos or Hades or even Ark, which already transforms. Come on, with all the animal experiments in Cocoon, having an animal party member would fit beautifully.
- Byrnhildr is pretty cool, but you could totally have made a car out of Phoenix. Just saying, another possibility to have considered.
- Quake is pretty neat, but it could have hit multiple times.
- Odin not having a lightning resistance while standing in as the lightning summon is not cool. Unless he learns one, but Byrnhildr and Shiva both have resistances to their own elements off the bat. I get he's kind of just half, given Zantetsuken, but geez.

On Versus XIII:
- If you can't put an animal character in XIII as DLC, include one here. You totally could, with the utter lack of info you've given. I get you might want realism, but the animal character wouldn't necessarily have to talk in this case, so much as be an intelligent guard animal of some sort.
- That said, release a bit more info, would you? I get it's nowhere near done, but a small update would be nice on occasion, just to keep people interested.

In general:
- Stop calling it "Libra." It makes no sense. "Scan" worked just fine up until, what, FF X? Later? I know it's always been Libra in Japan, but Scan works better here.
- Make Chrono Brake. If you need an idea to work with, I have a plot, cast, and full intro written out for you. Yes, I want it that badly, and I'm sure I'm not alone.
- You kind of messed up by making some of your stand-by summons into fal'Cie. I can understand Kjata, since it otherwise gets no love, but Carbuncle? Unless you're tossing out all protective and healing summons for the entirety of Fabula Nova Crystalis, that's a loss. I can dig it if you are, but it just seems odd.
- Kjata needs more love. It is by far one of your most unique summons, yet it's only been usable twice.
- Red XIII actually has a huge fan base. I'd put him as probably the best character out of FF VII, yet he only gets one line in Advent Children? His story is far more interesting than the rest of the cast's, is handled better, and has a lot of potential for expansion. I see you recognize this from his cameo in Before Crisis, but the next time you're up for a risk, give him a game. I imagine a platformer might be an interesting take on his search for a mate, allowing him to fully explore the world and find new and interesting stuff/races/beasties that you didn't include in the original game. Think DoC, only with a Materia system closer to VII's or even Crisis Core's, jumping puzzles, and a four-legged hero. Also, get the VA from AC back for it, because he seriously sounded like Red always did in my head, and I've heard the same from others, and it was awesome, regardless. Also, no need to include Cait Sith in this. I know he's a good character, but having him on Red's head wasn't the most popular and it would probably work best to have Red go it alone for his personal mission. Cameo the rest of the cast, to be sure, but show us their lives after the end, the same as this would be Red's life after the end.



I realize this seems like a lot, but it's only eleven points, and most of them are minor suggestions.

Keep up the good work,

Blue

[Amake]

I figure Libra weighs the strengths and weaknesses of an enemy. It's a little more poetic than "Scan", but far from not making sense.

That's all. Give me some months and I'll get a HDTV, a PS3 and then maybe I'll play the game. . .

[Kim]

I guess the main advice I'd have for Square is first: Fire Motomu Toriyama out of a canon and into the sun. Jackass couldn't write his way out of a cardboard box. I mean, jesus christ, before this we had...

FFIX: which easily ranks as one of the series best stories in spite of the wonkiness at the end.

FFX: which is very well done even if some of the characters are sorely underdeveloped.

FFXII: which features well done political intrigue and quite possibly one of the best villains the series has ever seen, not to say it doesn't have its own flaws.

And now we have FFXIII, wherein the cast ranges from unlikable to boring, with one exception. The pacing is atrocious on more levels than I have fingers. The dialogue is melodramatic, and nobody actually fucking talks like these characters do.

You'd think you'd have learned your lesson about letting Toriyama write after X-2 happened, but nooooooooo, you had to give the fucker a main FF title to run into the ground. And now the jackass wants to remake FFVII. I'm not a huge fan of it, but I guarantee you that the story as it was then is a fuck of a lot better than whatever sort of abomination Toriyama would create from it.


Regarding Kingdom Hearts...

God-fucking-dammit, Nomura. Stop making every damn character a clone/past version/future version/heartless/nobody/Les Enfants Terribles of Sora. You exceeded becoming self-parody in this regard, and now every time I find out that this twist is being recycled again and again and again, my interest in that particular Kingdom Hearts title falls through the floor.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Is this thread about Blues' bestiality? Cause I'm not sure why putting animal characters into things is automatically good.
Like Red. Why was he a dog? It served no purpose and was gimmicky and they just wanted a cuddly animal in your party. Lame

[Melfice]

Nanaki may have been a popular character (okay, it is a pretty cool character, I suppose), but really? Do we need an animal party member in every Final Fantasy?

Also, with the realistic direction Versus XIII is headed (Can I term a catch-phrase? Can we call that Real-Fi now? Or maybe Real-Fan? I dunno... yeah, that sucked.) an animal companion of ANY kind would probably stand out sorely. Like... I dunno. Something that really stands out sorely.
A simple dog might work, I suppose (Dragon Age), but still.

[Jagos]

It's like a bandage, it cures everything I guess. O_o

Seriously, from what I've seen of FFXIII, the characters really don't hit their stride until LATE in the game. I'm not a fan of arena battles but it's like you're paying to play someone else's experience with little to no control on what you do.

And with the voice acting coming off as grating to my ears, I can't begin to think a furry character is going to help it out.

[Donomni]

If they make a SUPER SPECIAL EDITION of the game(But replace if with will eventually), it better be DLC outside of Japan, cause we all know it's not fucking coming out of Japan.

[bluestarultor]

Bestiality? Really, Smarty? I really don't know what to say. Oh, wait, yes I do. Fuck you. God. I never thought I'd be saying that to someone like you. I am severely disappointed.

The only reason I suggested including an animal character is because, uh, FF XIII, Red XIII, missed opportunity? They were already pulling a lot from FF7. May as well do something kind of cool and number-based to commemorate it. Really, Versus wouldn't be the best place to do it, but it's still at a point where they could, which is the only reason I mentioned it.

And the only reason I suggested a game for Red is because he's the best character out of FF7. Science fact. I just asked a friend of my brother's and he agrees. That's incontestable proof. :p So long as they're going to keep up with Compilation FF7, they may as well give it a shot. If I'd been talking about FF9, it would have been Vivi. Well, bad example, since there's not much you can do with him if you've seen the ending. The point being that people have put undeserved focus on one of the least interesting characters of the series (Vincent), and Square essentially made up a story for him from nothing to satisfy demand, where it's clear Red has a valid story that deserves better exploration and they've resorted to giving snippets in spin-off titles. If you have a story, tell it.

[Regulus Tera]

Squeenix to Blues: Dude, rendering fur in HD is freaking hard!

[Kerensky287]

Then make it for PSP.

[Regulus Tera]

Fuck that make FFXV for DS. And 2D. With sweet touchscreen controls like TWEwY, music by Uematsu and character designs by Yoshida.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Bestiality? Really, Smarty? I really don't know what to say. Oh, wait, yes I do. Fuck you. God. I never thought I'd be saying that to someone like you. I am severely disappointed.

The only reason I suggested including an animal character is because, uh, FF XIII, Red XIII, missed opportunity? They were already pulling a lot from FF7. May as well do something kind of cool and number-based to commemorate it. Really, Versus wouldn't be the best place to do it, but it's still at a point where they could, which is the only reason I mentioned it.



Knights of the Round had 13 knights. I count 13 cities/town that you go to. There are 13 rooms in Gold Saucer. I finished the game at level 39- divisible by 13! So many missed opportunities.
Also they should have brought back eXdeath for FF X.

[Ryong]

Fuck that make FFXV for DS. And 2D. With sweet touchscreen controls like TWEwY, music by Uematsu and character designs by Yoshida.

It's already hard enough having to control two people in TWEWY, can you imagine FOUR? ARGH

Hey Square, when's the release date for 4 Warriors of Light? And FF Agito XIII?

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Bestiality? Really, Smarty? I really don't know what to say. Oh, wait, yes I do. Fuck you. God. I never thought I'd be saying that to someone like you. I am severely disappointed.

The only reason I suggested including an animal character is because, uh, FF XIII, Red XIII, missed opportunity? They were already pulling a lot from FF7. May as well do something kind of cool and number-based to commemorate it. Really, Versus wouldn't be the best place to do it, but it's still at a point where they could, which is the only reason I mentioned it.

And the only reason I suggested a game for Red is because he's the best character out of FF7. Science fact. I just asked a friend of my brother's and he agrees. That's incontestable proof. :p So long as they're going to keep up with Compilation FF7, they may as well give it a shot. If I'd been talking about FF9, it would have been Vivi. Well, bad example, since there's not much you can do with him if you've seen the ending. The point being that people have put undeserved focus on one of the least interesting characters of the series (Vincent), and Square essentially made up a story for him from nothing to satisfy demand, where it's clear Red has a valid story that deserves better exploration and they've resorted to giving snippets in spin-off titles. If you have a story, tell it.

Making an interesting character period would be a better approach then creating a Red XIII clone.

Cause you know. It doesn't have to be a furry to be interesting.

[shiney]

Bestiality? Really, Smarty? I really don't know what to say. Oh, wait, yes I do. Fuck you.
Calm down Blues.

Keep it civil, Barrel.

That said, this is the internet, bluestarultor. His comment maybe wasn't civil, but it was largely tongue in cheek. Chill.

[Regulus Tera]

It's already hard enough having to control two people in TWEWY, can you imagine FOUR? ARGH
It's not like you control more than 1 in FFXIII
Hey Square, when's the release date for 4 Warriors of Light? And FF Agito XIII?

And SaGa II and BPlood of Bahamut and Sigma Harmonics and Nanashi no game...

Squeenix is the new NoA.

[Ryong]

It's not like you control more than 1 in FFXIII

Yeah but they're all in the same screen and don't use two modes of control where you either button mash while doing anything else as one character or be completely useless with one of them to combo with the buttons with the other.

[bluestarultor]

Yeah, looking back after a break, I realize I overreacted to Barrel's comment. Been taking a lot of crap lately, here and elsewhere, took it personally, and snapped where I shouldn't have. Sorry. I would have apologized earlier, but I ran out of class and drove an hour each way to see my grandpa in the hospital. He's fine, BTW.


Back on topic, on the furry inclusion thing, I agree that having a good character is much more important. But if the idea occurred to me as a kid when FF8 came out and I saw it wasn't necessarily the norm, that gave a whole decade for someone else to think of it and they either didn't or for some reason decided against it. Actually, I was really surprised when FFX had Kimahri, because FF8 had been almost entirely human, and FF9's cast had very little in the way of animal-ness. Mostly, they just looked weird. I know Freya was a rat, but with her face mostly hidden by her hat, it wasn't really obvious in the same way Kimahri and Red are. It's kind of more the difference between, "oh, there are animal-people around and she's one of them under there" versus "SHAZAM! ANIMAL!" I guess it's more prevalent that I give it credit for, but in most of the cases I'm familiar with, it's not really handled like it's all that important, or at least not individually, so my brain passes it over in those cases. I hold a very loose definition of "human," so I guess it kind of takes the "SHAZAM" approach for me. XD

[Mike McC]

The only reason I suggested including an animal character is because, uh, FF XIII, Red XIII, missed opportunity?This is one of the worst things I ever read. I think it gave me a migraine/brain aneurysm. Just terrible.

[Ravashak]

This is one of the worst things I ever read. I think it gave me a migraine/brain aneurysm. Just terrible.Congratulations Blues, mission accomplished! xP

[POS Industries]

And the only reason I suggested a game for Red is because he's the best character out of FF7. Science fact.
It appears that your "science" fails to account for the fact that Cid is over there waiting for his goddamn tea.

[Kim]

Cid is pretty good. He's funny and interesting, and his flaws contribute to that, rather than detracting as they tend to in other games. Also, dudes wanted to be an astronaut. I don't really know why, but I love the fuck outta that.

I'm partial to Zack myself, in spite of the game he was in being pretty mediocre, just because he was upbeat, and I seem to enjoy upbeat characters more.

[POS Industries]

The moment I first saw Cid light a stick of dynamite with his cigarette and huck it at a bunch of enemies was the moment he stayed in my party forever.

[Mike McC]

Saying there is a best character in Final Fantasy VII is like saying there is a best venereal disease to contract.

[Ryong]

Saying there is a best character in Final Fantasy VII is like saying there is a best venereal disease to contract.

You like YuffieCait Sith best and don't want to admit, right? S'okay.

Anyway, Cid and Red XIII were totally awesome, Cid more so.

[Mike McC]

You like YuffieCait Sith best and don't want to admit, right? S'okay.

Anyway, Cid and Red XIII were totally awesome, Cid more so.No, sorry, but I don't think you'll be able to top Blues for terribleness. Not this evening, at any rate. So sorry to dash your hopes so fully.

[Flarecobra]

I think I got lucky at one point, as Yuffie was dealing as much damage as Cloud was.

And I think 7 also had the best minigames out of all the series. Dunno about you, but G-Bike was just fucking fun.

[bluestarultor]

Cid IS pretty awesome, but he didn't have the same impact on me that Red did. I very much felt for Red for the same reasons I felt for Vivi, if that makes any sense. He really gets kicked around and doesn't have much power to stop it for one reason or another, and technically could be counted as the youngest character (I know he's chronologically 48, but word of God says he's relatively 15-16, and that math makes no sense seeing as he lives to be over 500 seeming in his prime (15 tops out at ~320 given a relative human lifespan)) and shows hints of it when he's not trying to be an adult. He's a kid with responsibility beyond his years and he handles himself pretty well for the most part, but it really humanizes him when he doesn't.

Cid, on the other hand, is much more static, and while he's colorful, he just never presented a real, empathetic situation. He's actually kind of a half-assed comic relief. Also, he's 32 and acts like a crazy old man, when Barret is 35 and acts like an adult for the most part, which I never could really figure out. Not that there's anything wrong with how he acts, but it's just incongruous. I liked Cid a lot, but I never actually felt for him, so I guess that's probably why I prefer Red.

[Ryong]

"Noooooooo my dream will never come true!" is less of a real, empathetic situation than "My dad was actually a hero of legend that no one knew!"?

[Dauntasa]

Cid, on the other hand, is much more static, and while he's colorful, he just never presented a real, empathetic situation. He's actually kind of a half-assed comic relief. Also, he's 32 and acts like a crazy old man, when Barret is 35 and acts like an adult for the most part, which I never could really figure out. Not that there's anything wrong with how he acts, but it's just incongruous. I liked Cid a lot, but I never actually felt for him, so I guess that's probably why I prefer Red.

Yeah, he's 32, but he's already pretty much had his dreams crushed and he lives in a crappy little town with his failure staring him right in the face every day in the form of a huge rusty rocket, so, y'know, it's understandable.

EDIT: Also, I'm pissed about it not coming out on PC. There was a whole fucking article about the PC version and I was like "YES I DON'T NEED TO SHELL OUT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS FOR A NEW CONSOLE" and then Square was all like "Lol, nope. We didn't actually mean that. What we meant is that we're using PC tools but we're only releasing it on the PS3 and Xbox. So, fuck you, Dauntasa."

[bluestarultor]

Yeah, he's 32, but he's already pretty much had his dreams crushed and he lives in a crappy little town with his failure staring him right in the face every day in the form of a huge rusty rocket, so, y'know, it's understandable.

Well, in some respects, yes, but it's rather much a toxic situation which is entirely the fault of the participants. Cid could always just go back to being a normal pilot, rather than sitting on his ass and being abusive to Shera, who could herself go out and have a life instead of dedicating herself to being Cid's doormat because she was right and was actually willing to sacrifice her own life so he could continue safely and he chose not to launch. I can understand bitter, but Christ, that's just not healthy for anyone.

[Kim]

Yeah, but it's a hell of a lot more believable and easy to relate to.

[Ryong]

Well, in some respects, yes, but it's rather much a toxic situation which is entirely the fault of the participants. Cid could always just go back to being a normal pilot, rather than sitting on his ass and being abusive to Shera, who could herself go out and have a life instead of dedicating herself to being Cid's doormat because she was right and was actually willing to sacrifice her own life so he could continue safely and he chose not to launch. I can understand bitter, but Christ, that's just not healthy for anyone.

And he's going to get money from...? There aren't a lot of pilots in FFVII, it seems.

[Dauntasa]

Well, in some respects, yes, but it's rather much a toxic situation which is entirely the fault of the participants. Cid could always just go back to being a normal pilot, rather than sitting on his ass and being abusive to Shera, who could herself go out and have a life instead of dedicating herself to being Cid's doormat because she was right and was actually willing to sacrifice her own life so he could continue safely and he chose not to launch. I can understand bitter, but Christ, that's just not healthy for anyone.

Thing is, Shera didn't know that there was anything wrong with the oxygen tanks. She was just checking. It turns out that she was right, but not until years later. Also, since when has someone being emotionally unhealthy been unrealistic?

[bluestarultor]

And he's going to get money from...? There aren't a lot of pilots in FFVII, it seems.

My point exactly. He's basically got a monopoly, but he sits around and does nothing and doesn't seem to actually take advantage of it.

Thing is, Shera didn't know that there was anything wrong with the oxygen tanks. She was just checking. It turns out that she was right, but not until years later. Also, since when has someone being emotionally unhealthy been unrealistic?

Well, actually, she DID find something wrong with the one and was fixing it as he was getting ready to launch. SHE knew about the problem, but he's kind of a misogynist ass and didn't believe her until years later. Bit of a difference.

Edit: To put it this way, she at least knew for a fact that the one was underperforming by IIRC 18% and had serious concerns over its stability, and was trying to deal with that during launch. She ended up not because he canceled, but it was that one that blew years later. So even if she didn't know it was going to blow, she knew there was a problem with it and was trying to ensure it didn't manifest.

[Kim]

Well, actually, she DID find something wrong with the one and was fixing it as he was getting ready to launch. SHE knew about the problem, but he's kind of a misogynist ass and didn't believe her until years later. Bit of a difference.

Actually, I remember her saying "Something might be wrong. I'm going to check again." and not "Something is wrong, I am fixing it." so I'm gonna side with Daunty on this one.

[Ryong]

My point exactly. He's basically got a monopoly, but he sits around and does nothing and doesn't seem to actually take advantage of it.

I believe you misunderstood what I meant.

What I meant is that there aren't many pilots because it doesn't seem like they're needed at all. Shinra is like the company of the world and it gave up completely on spaceships because of Mako.

[Kim]

Yeah. They're the only ones who seem to want to do the whole flying thing, and they don't seem too keen on hiring Cid... because they're evil.

[Dauntasa]

I believe you misunderstood what I meant.

What I meant is that there aren't many pilots because it doesn't seem like they're needed at all. Shinra is like the company of the world and it gave up completely on spaceships because of Mako.

Pilots also fly planes.

EDIT: Shinra has a couple of planes and a ton of helicopters. But yeah, Cid and that guy in Costa de Sol seem to be the only independant pilots in the world.

[bluestarultor]

Actually, I remember her saying "Something might be wrong. I'm going to check again." and not "Something is wrong, I am fixing it." so I'm gonna side with Daunty on this one.

I'll concede the point.

My other point, Cid could still make a living flying planes, and even if Shinra was a dick and refused to hire him, they certainly seemed keen enough to use the Tiny Bronco. My guess is less that he couldn't do it and more that he wouldn't because of his bitterness toward them, since he refused to give them the Bronco. I don't fully recall the details, but to put it this way, he could have freelance flown, and either chose not to or put all his effort into building the Bronco for the period leading up to the party meeting him. Either way, nothing was stopping him from taking off and rebuilding his life, if not his dream.

[Kim]

I'll concede the point that he could have done the freelance pilot thing... probably. Assuming Shinra didn't somehow prevent him from doing so on account of being dicks. Of course, he might simply not have had the money for fuel and maintenance. Also, no way is he rebuilding his dream on his own. Going to space costs time and, most of all, money, which he does not have.