The Very Big Final Fantasy XIII Thread - Page 17

Bob The Mercenary · 03-12-2010, 12:56 PM

Finally unwrapped my XBox copy after spending night after night playing Battlefield Bad Company 2. To put this in perspective, I first played this game on my friend's PS3 in full 1080p on his 30-inch HD. Now I am stuck playing it on my 20-inch flatscreen in standard def (red/white/yellow). It still plays the same, I notice zero slowdown in loading or battle transitions, but the graphics obviously suffered greatly. I mean, the cut scenes are still amazing, but the gameplay graphics got nothing on blu-ray.

Everyone keeps trying to convince me to buy a PS3 using MAG/FF13/Heavy Rain as an excuse. When I tell them that A) I own no blu-ray movies B) all of my friends are on XBox Live C) I'm not buying a system for the sake of one game D) I'm not buying an HD TV so I can in turn buy a system for one game and E) two of my friends have PS3s which they will readily let me borrow, they look at me like I'm from another planet.

bluestarultor · 03-12-2010, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob the Mercenary

Finally unwrapped my XBox copy after spending night after night playing Battlefield Bad Company 2. To put this in perspective, I first played this game on my friend's PS3 in full 1080p on his 30-inch HD. Now I am stuck playing it on my 20-inch flatscreen in standard def (red/white/yellow). It still plays the same, I notice zero slowdown in loading or battle transitions, but the graphics obviously suffered greatly. I mean, the cut scenes are still amazing, but the gameplay graphics got nothing on blu-ray.

Everyone keeps trying to convince me to buy a PS3 using MAG/FF13/Heavy Rain as an excuse. When I tell them that A) I own no blu-ray movies B) all of my friends are on XBox Live C) I'm not buying a system for the sake of one game D) I'm not buying an HD TV so I can in turn buy a system for one game and E) two of my friends have PS3s which they will readily let me borrow, they look at me like I'm from another planet.

Buy an HDTV and a high-def cable for your 360?

Bob The Mercenary · 03-12-2010, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluestarultor

Buy an HDTV and a high-def cable for your 360?

My 360 is an older version with no HD output.

Only component. I even tried a friend's component cables and they weren't compatible. I'm going to try Gamestop tomorrow for some third party cables.

Donomni · 03-12-2010, 04:50 PM

Loving the game. Only flaws I find are that the camera outside of battle seems real... floaty, I guess? I seem to just move it around a hell of a lot to just make sure I didn't miss any treasure.

Another flaw is that most of the interactions between characters seem to be a bit too much spelled out in the datalog instead of cutscenes, although that might just be me on that one(Can't read subtle emotions for shit).

Also, Sach is the best character ever dammit.

Oh, and before I forget, the PS3 version has a code for a FFXIV item, as well as THE PS3 BETA HOLY SHIT.

Gonna put mine in, fer sure.

Regulus Tera · 03-12-2010, 08:35 PM

Chapter 5 End Spoilers:

Hope: " Operation Nora. Stage One complete."

I wanna rip my ears out and shove them down my throat.

bluestarultor · 03-12-2010, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Regulus Tera

Chapter 5 End Spoilers:

Hope: " Operation Nora. Stage One complete."

I wanna rip my ears out and shove them down my throat.

You'll feel better by the end of chapter 6. Trust me.

We're currently on 7, but Phantom is sleeping before work and I'm not going to hear the end of it if I play ahead without him. HE can play ahead, but his offer was that I could start a new game. :shifty:

Regulus Tera · 03-12-2010, 10:18 PM

Chapter 6 is cute even if it makes me believe that Sazh is the most incompetent father ever. Then I get to chapter 7 and Hope starts his "pets" rant and all the goodwill I had in me vanishes.

I know Final Fantasy has never been known for its subtlety, but there's "being straight-forward" and then there's "getting hit with melodrama the size of an anvil".

Kerensky287 · 03-13-2010, 03:55 AM

Even with Hope and Vanille around, I still find the cast of FF13 to be surprisingly believable. Take Lightning for example. Yes, she was a TOTAL bitch at the start of the game, but she seems to have softened a bit by now. I mean, it's quite striking when it goes for a flashback and Lightning pulls some shit like "This is the worst birthday ever" . Then she comes back to the present, Hope goes on some stupid tangent like "I HAVE TO GET STRONGER SO I CAN AVENGE MY MOTHER, THIS PLAN IS CALLED OPERATION NORA. MY MOMS NAME WAS NORA BTW." And Lightning just doesn't comment.

Vanille would be believable if she would tone down the ditzyness. I'm half expecting it all to turn out to be an act later on - like, she pretended to be shallow so no one would get to know her or something - because at this point she's just ARGH.

Sazh is great, Lightning is good if familiar, Snow is great when he's not obsessing over Sarah, and Fang is good from what I've seen of her (which admittedly isn't much).

Regarding weapon levels - does anyone else find it to be almost inhibiting? I keep finding weapons for my characters, but I've spend so much on the weapons they're already holding that there's no reason to switch.

bluestarultor · 03-13-2010, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kerensky287

Even with Hope and Vanille around, I still find the cast of FF13 to be surprisingly believable. Take Lightning for example. Yes, she was a TOTAL bitch at the start of the game, but she seems to have softened a bit by now. I mean, it's quite striking when it goes for a flashback and Lightning pulls some shit like "This is the worst birthday ever" . Then she comes back to the present, Hope goes on some stupid tangent like "I HAVE TO GET STRONGER SO I CAN AVENGE MY MOTHER, THIS PLAN IS CALLED OPERATION NORA. MY MOMS NAME WAS NORA BTW." And Lightning just doesn't comment.

Vanille would be believable if she would tone down the ditzyness. I'm half expecting it all to turn out to be an act later on - like, she pretended to be shallow so no one would get to know her or something - because at this point she's just ARGH.

Sazh is great, Lightning is good if familiar, Snow is great when he's not obsessing over Sarah, and Fang is good from what I've seen of her (which admittedly isn't much).

Regarding weapon levels - does anyone else find it to be almost inhibiting? I keep finding weapons for my characters, but I've spend so much on the weapons they're already holding that there's no reason to switch.

On weaponry, it's much better to only upgrade what you're actually going to use. Resources are scarce in this game, both components and Gil. Weaponry seems to fall into four categories:
- high ATK, low MAG
- balanced ATK and MAG
- low ATK, high MAG
- low ATK, low MAG, special effect

Depending on your needs and each character, some just make more sense than others, especially at first. Don't waste your components upgrading every weapon. You will quickly run out. Also, be as thorough as possible in searching for stuff, because they were REALLY tricky with the AI and party banter. Your NPC allies will rush off on the straight path through, ignoring all the hidden areas, dead ends, and alternate paths that hold chests, and let me tell you, having to buy a weapon after missing it is a good way to wipe out every last Gil you own. Just one can break your bank. Also, don't get dissuaded when your party members say something like, "What, we're going back?" when you try to backtrack. In some cases, there IS no going back and there's an item there, so yeah, the devs made sure to fuck with you.

On Vanille, I will only say she is not what she seems and you'll get to see that later.

Ape Boy · 03-13-2010, 11:44 AM

I'm into chapter 5 now. I like how every character seems to be working on their designed personality flaws.

Lightning was a bitch, shows a maternal side, start to like her more. Sazh seemed incompetent and aloof, learn he's got some depth beyond the quips, start to like him more. That sort of thing.

Still don't like Hope at all. I roll my eyes everytime Vanille talks, but I still don't hate her yet.

In related news:

How do you tell an entire group to "douche-chill" at once?

Like Square-Enix has never developed for other platforms before or owe their company to Sony. Fuck that noise.

03-12-2010, 12:56 PM	#161
Bob The Mercenary Bob Dole Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Bob Dole Posts: 5,606	Finally unwrapped my XBox copy after spending night after night playing Battlefield Bad Company 2. To put this in perspective, I first played this game on my friend's PS3 in full 1080p on his 30-inch HD. Now I am stuck playing it on my 20-inch flatscreen in standard def (red/white/yellow). It still plays the same, I notice zero slowdown in loading or battle transitions, but the graphics obviously suffered greatly. I mean, the cut scenes are still amazing, but the gameplay graphics got nothing on blu-ray. Everyone keeps trying to convince me to buy a PS3 using MAG/FF13/Heavy Rain as an excuse. When I tell them that A) I own no blu-ray movies B) all of my friends are on XBox Live C) I'm not buying a system for the sake of one game D) I'm not buying an HD TV so I can in turn buy a system for one game and E) two of my friends have PS3s which they will readily let me borrow, they look at me like I'm from another planet. __________________ Bob Dole

03-12-2010, 04:50 PM	#164
Donomni Would you deign to supply me food? Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida Posts: 2,004	Loving the game. Only flaws I find are that the camera outside of battle seems real... floaty, I guess? I seem to just move it around a hell of a lot to just make sure I didn't miss any treasure. Another flaw is that most of the interactions between characters seem to be a bit too much spelled out in the datalog instead of cutscenes, although that might just be me on that one(Can't read subtle emotions for shit). Also, Sach is the best character ever dammit. Oh, and before I forget, the PS3 version has a code for a FFXIV item, as well as THE PS3 BETA HOLY SHIT. Gonna put mine in, fer sure. __________________ Dance your cares away! Chirrrrrrp. Also, dead blog.

03-12-2010, 10:18 PM	#167
Regulus Tera lol i dont even know Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 7,271	Chapter 6 is cute even if it makes me believe that Sazh is the most incompetent father ever. Then I get to chapter 7 and Hope starts his "pets" rant and all the goodwill I had in me vanishes. I know Final Fantasy has never been known for its subtlety, but there's "being straight-forward" and then there's "getting hit with melodrama the size of an anvil". Last edited by Regulus Tera; 03-12-2010 at 10:23 PM.

03-13-2010, 11:44 AM	#170
Ape Boy This was a triumph Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lowry Park Zoo, 3rd cage from the back Posts: 183	I'm into chapter 5 now. I like how every character seems to be working on their designed personality flaws. Lightning was a bitch, shows a maternal side, start to like her more. Sazh seemed incompetent and aloof, learn he's got some depth beyond the quips, start to like him more. That sort of thing. Still don't like Hope at all. I roll my eyes everytime Vanille talks, but I still don't hate her yet. In related news: How do you tell an entire group to "douche-chill" at once? Like Square-Enix has never developed for other platforms before or owe their company to Sony. Fuck that noise. __________________ Nothing to see here. ...Seriously. So stop looking. Pervert.

03-12-2010, 08:35 PM	#165
Regulus Tera lol i dont even know Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 7,271	Chapter 5 End Spoilers: Hope: " Operation Nora. Stage One complete." I wanna rip my ears out and shove them down my throat.

03-13-2010, 03:55 AM	#168
Kerensky287 Just That Good Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 3,426	Even with Hope and Vanille around, I still find the cast of FF13 to be surprisingly believable. Take Lightning for example. Yes, she was a TOTAL bitch at the start of the game, but she seems to have softened a bit by now. I mean, it's quite striking when it goes for a flashback and Lightning pulls some shit like "This is the worst birthday ever" . Then she comes back to the present, Hope goes on some stupid tangent like "I HAVE TO GET STRONGER SO I CAN AVENGE MY MOTHER, THIS PLAN IS CALLED OPERATION NORA. MY MOMS NAME WAS NORA BTW." And Lightning just doesn't comment. Vanille would be believable if she would tone down the ditzyness. I'm half expecting it all to turn out to be an act later on - like, she pretended to be shallow so no one would get to know her or something - because at this point she's just ARGH. Sazh is great, Lightning is good if familiar, Snow is great when he's not obsessing over Sarah, and Fang is good from what I've seen of her (which admittedly isn't much). Regarding weapon levels - does anyone else find it to be almost inhibiting? I keep finding weapons for my characters, but I've spend so much on the weapons they're already holding that there's no reason to switch.