Opinion: FFXIII is a text-based strategy game about masturbation

Chas takes a long hard look at Final Fantasy 13 and explores the reasons for its failure to progress the venerable RPG series in the right direction.

[Kurisu]

This is a well written article, and I agree with a lot of the stuff that was said. However it was ruined by an AWFUL title. Why would you do that?

(I still enjoyed FFXIII a lot though. Bring on Versus!)

[HighDefinition]

FF13 more than I thought I would and in all reality it made me 10x more excited for Versus.

[lunaticpanda101]

I really enjoyed FFXIII, all this hate on the game made me less than anticipated but it was really really great. And as you say, bring on Versus!

[Reibooi]

I hate these articles. The game plays itself blah blah blah. Anyone who has played the game until the very end and even post game knows the games DOES NOT play itself. Spamming Auto attack at that point is just like saying GO AHEAD AND KILL ME. You need to constantly be switching paradigms and in some cases using spells the games auto attack does not prioritize.

People seem to have a issue that you are not directly controlling them while your characters attack and that the game has a auto function. WHY? There is still a ton of stuff you are doing. The game would be nearly impossible to play if you were made to have to select attack each time and use spells manually. The game moves FAR to fast for that to work with the battle system.

The complaint of NPC's is also BS. There are not NPC's in most places because there doesn't need to be. The NPC's in towns DO TALK TO YOU. Go and stand near them and they all have something to say. OH NOES I CAN"T PRESS THE X BUTTON YOU CAN"T TALK TO NPC's. Oh and the NPC's look dressed badly? Come on every single game has that problem. It requires way to many resources to many every single NPC look as good as the main characters do.

As far as storyline complaints go. No one has any reason to complain. The game has a incredible story. However unlike most past FF games it's pretty much ALL character driven which throws people off into thinking that nothing really happens in the end. Which is sorry to say not true. The game has TONS and TONS of character development instead of story development. Which is mainly because the overall story is somewhat simply and it's more about how the characters are dealing with it then just the story itself.

Seriously I think most of the people who write crap about the game only played it like half way through and just make up complaints that don't mean anything if you play the whole thing.

[BiggCMan]

u sir deserve a bubble. u are exactly right. im closing in on the end right now, about 53 hours in, and im extremely pleased with the game, especially after u pass the 25 hour mark because then u get to a certain planet, and are as free as a bird. u can do whatever u want to. and the leveling up is very addicting.

[Lostfur]

I just joined the site just to say that I agree with Reibooi whole heartedy.

[wicko]

Character development is fine and all, but when the characters are unbelievable and just plain unlikeable.. then players lose interest in the characters and start looking at the overarching storyline. Playing Resonance of Fate, I realized that I like all the characters in that game despite how little character development and story there is. Final Fantasy just takes itself far too seriously, the melodrama is a huge turnoff.

I found the only character I actually liked was Sazh. He was the most believable and laid back character, and even when he had his dramatic moments I didn't mind because I actually liked him.

As for the game playing itself.. well I know that isn't true, I've platinumed the damn game, so I know how tough some of the battles get. It's certainly more difficult than most FFs since you can't just grind away and come back to try the fight again. But I also understand the author's complaint, and like he said its macro-management as opposed to micro. And anyone who's played earlier FF titles should be able to understand his frustration.

You can make all the arguments you want about why they couldn't make it micro-management but that doesn't mean anything if the battle system isn't fun. Clearly he felt that way, and so do I.

[Bodyboarder_VGamer]

I beat the game by simply spamming the auto command. If you really played the game you should know there's one little ability called "libra" and what it does is tell you all the enemie's weaknes so the auto attack always select the best actions. If your characters are low on HP then change to medic and spam the auto command again.

The FFXIII battle system it's so easy that I let one friend that never played the game before beat the final boss. How lame is that? FFXIII is all about eye candy, the game have been dumbed down so much that even the most ignorant person in this world could easily beat this game. Even the archaic turn based ATB from FFIV require more strategy than FFXIII battle system.

The lack of NPC was a design choice. Nothing more. They could have worked around the story and many other aspects to include the NPC, exploration and they wasted a huge oportunity to include many mini-games (ala goldensaucer) when Vanille and Sahz were in Nautilus. Instead they made a stupid mini-game of hide and seek with the little chocobo. FFXIII could have been so much more than going from point A to B and kill more enemies. Square could have even added a couple of side-quest beside the stupid lame missiond that are all the same, kill an enemy.

And what incredible story FFXIII has? There's no story in this game... It is all about their focus and back story that is never told. You say that nobody should complain but what you wrote are exactly the main complaints.

In my opinion FFXIII only made 2 things good. Music and graphics. Now go play FFVI so you can understand how great JRPG's used to be compared to this POS you're defending. From a Persona fan I would expect more.

[frjoethesecond]

Bubble for the man who speaks the truth.

@1.2.4 I'm a persona fan defending this game too. It's not perfect but it's a step in a different direction. RPGs would get stale if they were all the same.
Gambles don't always pay off you know, but I commend Sqenix for trying something new and not playing it safe like most JRPG devs have this gen.

[Reibooi]

@Bodyboarder_VGamer

As I said the games auto attack is not perfect. Yes it works with weakness. However it doesn't priortize certain debuffs over others or certain buffs over others.

Here are a few examples. Fighting a Cactuar can be quite annoying. Unless you use Enfire to tear them up. Now if you use Auto attack the game will most likely cast Hatse, Then Protect and then finally Enfire. This 3 times over for each character is REALLY annoying and doing it manually makes it much easier and far fast.

A better example. Try fighting a Adamantoise. The only way to kill them is by knocking them down and using the spell Death. The game will NEVER use death in Auto Attack. The only way to do it is to make Vanille leader and uses it manually. Otherwise you will never beat a adamantoise. Something which people who have played past the end of teh game will know is important in making gil and Ultimate Weapons.

My point is the game would be impossible to play if you were made to do everything manually. So because of that the game has a Auto attack to help with the load. You are still more often then not doing a crap load of stuff and it's still never boring.

I also question the letting a friend who never played the game beat the final boss thing. I was fully leveled with every character maxed and the final boss was still pretty difficult(not counting his last form).

[Redempteur]

reiboi said it ..the game does not play by itself .

Can you beat cid easily with auto battle I THINK NOT ..and most of the B&A quests will tear you in auto battle ..

make me laugh ..go fight the tomberry ( the fight with 3 tomberries in auto battle )

Auto battle is fine ..but it's far from being perfect .. also the game require to change your team as often you need to ...auto battle doesn't do that for you ... These writters made it look like you have no input yet they most likely never finished the chapter 9 and got to the true thing you need to do ..

FF13 is not perfect but i doubt you'll masturbate during cid fight ...

[NeoBasch]

I fully agree with every point you made Reibooi. As for the people saying all they had to do was spam Auto, how many times did you die? Just as Reibooi said, they don't organize or prioritize. I had characters who couldn't attack and were all poisoned. And what do you think Vanille was doing? She was healing herself. If you want to rely on a character like that, go ahead. Or, you could just switch to medic and manually queue Esuna and the appropriate stat remedies. Takes all of two seconds if you've already changed Paradigms before.

Again, as Reibooi mentioned, if they allowed you to micromanage the battle system as it is, the game would become unplayable. Matter of fact, I'd be pissed. The game has an incredible story. Yes, I said story, not just characters. Maybe you should pay attention more. Fans of Gene Wolfe and Neal Stephenson would enjoy this. And as for trying to insult a Persona fan, **** you. I love Persona, SMT, what have you, and I loved FFXIII. Deal with it.

[VileAndVicious]

I understand and agree with what your saying about the later battles they do become quite difficult.

But the majority of the game especially the begining 7 hours or so IMO are heavy on the auto battle. To me the gameplay felt more like auto battle untill your about to die! I prefered FF 12's system much more. It was alot more involved. Though a little easy at times.

Then theres the dreadful weapon creation system in ff13 that makes picking up weapons late in the game pointless.

But I wont pick at it anymore FF13 was a good game. It wasnt the worst FF either (I think by far thats a tie between 8 and 10) but it was a huge departure from the series which is a bit unsettling.

I applaud square for attempting to try something new( though I still cant tell if they were just being lazy)But I feel they tried to change too much. just my thoughts anyway

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Dude persona is awesome cant wait for a new Ps3 version.

[UltraNova]

I wasnt even level 4 on Lightning and Fang when I reached the final boss. Didnt even have haste spell and I beat him the first time through (all 3 forms)in less than 20 min including cutscenes. I used the combat clinic paradigm 4 times only .

FF final bosses used to be the epitome of hard! FFX13's final boss is simply put.. for laughs. Adamantoise is far far more difficult to beat than Bartholomeous.

I am 62 hrs in and grinding to reach full levels on all 6 specializations on each character. I reckon i will need at least 6-8 hrs more to do that. Until then stone mission 64 is impossible.

By the way anybody found a better grinding spot than that place in coccoun city with the 3 round about things?

[Legosz]

I felt like the guy in the article. Throughout the game it was just very pretty visuals and me smashing a button for auto attacks. Kind of took away of what Final Fantasy used to be, you used to have to multitask and assign heals or cast a spell or attack with a melee character, not anymore though. I would kind of be disapointed if FF versus is like FFXIII.

[NeoBasch]

I find the hate hilarious. In about a year, they'll all look like idiots, and FFXIII will be regarded as one of the best Final Fantasy's. Don't believe me? Play it for yourself. And I'm not talking the first 2-3 hours. I mean, actualy play it. If after the big fight in Palumpolum, you still hate it, I'd say you gave it a chance. Until then, knock it off with all this blasphemy. lol

[VileAndVicious]

I dont think it will ever be regarded as one of the best ff's. actually I believe it will fall into the obscure list of FF's along with 9 and 12 (Which by the way are two of my personal faves but dont get enough praise. Its always 7 this 7 that....but anywho.)

In the begining of FF13 and Im sure some here agree I felt as though i was forcing myself to play. It was so bland no leveling and exploration. Just point A and B. which last about..3 hours. And after that point i wanted to explore... enjoy the world that had begun to captivate me. But alas, square said "NO!! You stay on this damn path and You like it!" and I did sometimes. But the problem with the game is pacing.

I played it for about 36 hours and grew so tired of it that I eventually traded it in (Something I havent done since 10) Theres some cool things about 13 dont get me wrong. but Im going to have to agree with what someone said above; 13 is pretty and has great music but is lacking in many other areas.

[dizzleK]

screw final fantasy, all hail shin megami!

[frjoethesecond]

How about hail Final Fantasy and Shin Megami to one degree or another?

[Silver360]

Hated this game the achievements ruined it for me.

[Danteh]

then blame yourself for being one of those retards who play games for the achievements, lol

pitiful :(

[Kurisu]

My thoughts exactly.

[midgard227]

who plays games for achievements or trophies, o yeah losers who think their gamer score or platinum percentage actually matters

[toolhead4life]

It's like they're turning their game time into work. And for what? Bragging rights? I'm laughing at anyone who flaunts their gamer score / trophy count.

I like getting a trophy or something, but I'm not going to go out of my way to get one.

Maybe those people actually find that kind of grind fun, and to them I say; enjoy your games however you like. To the people that brag about their scores? Not so much. hahah

[frjoethesecond]

Awww, were they too hard for you.

[ZombieNinjaPanda]

My reaction to title:

[BannedForNineYears]

God, GUYS! FF 13 WAS A GOOD GAME! It's not like FF7! Deal with it!!!!!! I enjoyed playing it! That's all that matters.
-_-

[ForeAllEternity]

It has amazing graphics and an interesting battle system.
The story didn't do much for me, but it was still a pretty decent game.

[Kurisu]

I personally loved the story. Sure, it could have been better, and sometimes it all gets a little confusing (l'Cie this, fal'Cie that etc) but I loved it nonetheless :D

[foxxy]

Amazing one of my favorite ff.

[blackblades]

They were focusing on the story,which is one key role of a rpg, and they trying something new, if people have problem with games they need to make them themselves, which it'll probably suck.

[mindedone]

I played it through to platinum too. One thing that I didn't like about the game was the most difficult enemies in the game were the Shaolong Guis (I personally found them more difficult than the Long Guis since they couldn't be dropped). What I didn't like is, that as difficult as they were, they didn't really seem epic to me, probably because they were just suped up versions of the adamantoises. What I would like to see is the most bad@$$ enemy in the game being some epic Omega Weapon type baddie, that gives you the best weapon of the game; and this weapon is the only way to defeat the not so epic 1HP pink bunny that roams the forrest.

[swordmasterphoen]

I take these articles for what they are: Funny stuff. I read, I laugh, and I know that they just base the article on real stuff...but take everything off-limits and overreact on anything they say.

It's really funny because they actually think someone is going to believe all the stuff they write...

Oh c'mon, pieces like this are just out there for fun, it's like a clown...the only thing is that in this case, is something written by a clown. Heheheh.

[Allowen]

I just finished FFXIII the other day and got myself another plat trophy.
You can finish the game in 30-35 hours tops and after you done with it you can continue playing and explore Gran Pulse and do all the quests and stuff to go after the achivement/trophies.

It took me 156 hours to complete FFXIII without checking any walktru. Was kind stressing to take so long hours and hours to build cash to buy rare items for upgrades and stuff but I loved that part because it was OPTIONAL.

On past FF games you had to do a lot farming and griding to be able to indead have a minor chance against a final Boss but in FF13 all this "pain" that many players don't like was now an option on this last Final fantasy game.

FF13 is a very good game and I give it 8.5 and it lived the hype to me and it is as good as a Demon's Souls or Valkyria Chronicles.

But Fallout 3 and Elder Scroll's Oblivion are still the best RPGs of this gen to me : )

[booni3]

i played til chapter eleven i think and got WAY bored. u no that feeling you get wen u havent played a game in a while? a feeling that says hey i need to play starship heroes cuz i havent in two weeks? and its followed by a very tenable though breif feeling of dread because for some reason you really dont WANT to go back and play said game? That feeling is what destroyed FF13 for me. games are a leisure, not a chore. if you ever feel obligated to play something for reasons other than entertainment, you should reconsider said title. the moment ff13 became a chore, i swung it back to gamestop fast enough to whiplash the disc. it was a semi-fun 35 hours but not much more, and occasionally, much less.