170°

Change Your Leader in FINAL FANTASY XIII-2

Or so this screenshot will have you believe.

Hidden deep within the newly released TGS trailer, sharp detectives have found quite possibly an important new element to the battle system: Leader Change.
If you check out this image here, you’ll see it clearly says so in katakana in the command select menu

(The last command in the 2nd screenshot).

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novacrystallis.com
fluffydelusions4622d ago

Good, because I hated having to use certain characters as leaders e.g. Hope

Anderson84621d ago

my hatred for that character knows no bounds..

Simon_Brezhnev4621d ago

Same here i hated Hope with a passion.

iamtehpwn4621d ago (Edited 4621d ago )

I'll take the disagree hit, and Say Hope was actually one of the better characters in Final Fantasy XIII.

If you used him combat properly, he actually was quite good magic (Strongest Mage in the game) and eventually learned haste and other powerful enhacement spells.

As far as his part of the plot goes, he actually makes the story interesting with anger and hatred toward Snow. For anyone who says he was a "Whiny" character, he was a 14 year old who saw his mother get killed and was threatened by a fate worse than Death.

I expect you guys wanted him to be like "LOL. It's okay. I'm a kid, my mom dying in front of me and me being hunted down by the government and I'll turn into a Monster if I don't destroy my home world I ain't even mad"

baker_boi4621d ago

If you read between the lines of his character and how he became to change Hope was a weakling little punk.

He should have stood up and been a man, but he let his mother take that gun and die instead of fighting himself.

He gained his fate of "becoming a monster" because he wanted to throw the blame of his own weakness onto some one else. Not only that, but to MURDER that person.

He was whiny and held no responsibility. He eventually acknowledges his own weakness and stops blaming some one else for it and starts to change.

The thing that made him annoying is that, HE IS A CHILD and handled his problems in the fashion.

Regardless of how the player uses him in combat, it doesn't change his character.

TheTwelve4621d ago

I used Hope ONLY because he had my favorite summon of all, Holy Alexander. Outside of that he was corny, useless brat.

12

Simon_Brezhnev4621d ago

We didnt want him to be "LOL." Hope is annoying as hell no matter how you try to sugarcoat it. All he did was whine and want revenge. The story was so predictable even if the game story is predictable. They should had executed the story good. Its a reason this game has the most hate in all FF series.

Optical_Matrix4622d ago

Had me squinting for a second then I saw it in the second screenshot. Bottom menu selection. That'll make fights a lot more tactical. FFXIII-2 is definitely ticking the right boxes so far.

just_sayin4622d ago (Edited 4622d ago )

I hope this means its not game over if the leader falls i hated that in 13

@Mr Space
I'm no 13 lover i dislike it with everyone, but i'll give 13-2 its chance just like i did with 10-2

MrSpace4622d ago

Wow FF13 lovers are really eating this crap up aren't they....

Throw in some minor improvments, over exgerate them, people will think they are listening to the fans and get tricked into buying the sequel only to end up disapointed again.

Why Square....why make make a sequel to crap FF game. Why not make a new main FF title so we can ALL enjoy it not just the FF13 lovers.....I mean really out of the majority of people who hated FF13 who is going to buy the sequel...you'd be lost in the story for starters.

Honestly a few bits of bobs here and there.....and people think Sqaure are back on track. Trust me they are over exgerating these "improvments" to trick you into buying the game again.

Come on guys just for Versus......if people buy this then we'll get a third game and it dosen't matter if most of them buyers are dissapointed for the second time...Square will count it as a happy sale.

Godmars2904621d ago

Because they were already making it. XIII wasn't done, but XIII-2 was already in production.

WhiteLightning4621d ago (Edited 4621d ago )

I don't think they were...F13-2 was never planned.

Square had plans to make the Fabula Nova Crystallis series which consisted of FF13, FF13 Versus and FF Agito 13.

FF13-2 came after FF13 because it didn't do well as they had hoped, it got a mixed reception and since they had left over content they didn't want it to waste so they made it into a sequel. It messed up their plans for this "Crystal series"

Why do you think FF Agito 13 got renamed into FF Type-0 to seperate it from the Fabula Nova Crystallis.

Mr Space is right on one thing it really is just for the fans who enjoyed FF13, why would they...even with the "improvments" target this at people that didn't like it, didn't finish it, didn't buy it or those who thought it was boring.......they won't play it if it was one of those reasons, plus you would be lost in the story like MrSpace has pointed out. It has no intention to bring faith back to FF13, it's really just targeted at those who bought and enjoyed FF13...people who didn't like the first but buy the sequel is a bonus for Square, nothing more...they don't really care if it fails because they aren't relying on it like they were for FF14.

rabidpancakeburglar4621d ago

You need to give this game a chance, you aren't even paying attention to any of the 'massive' improvements that are being made to this game. Do you honestly believe that Square Enix blowing the improvements out of proportion, they aren't, the improvements are pretty clear to see and websites and people are noticing them. If this was any other article, and not one about XIII-2 you would be bubbled down for trolling.

Outside_ofthe_Box4621d ago (Edited 4621d ago )

The reason why VS13 > 13 & 13-2 is because vs13's battles happen real time.

@rapid

I'm specifically talking about these games.

13 is trash and 13-2 looks like more of the same so far.

rabidpancakeburglar4621d ago (Edited 4621d ago )

By that logic it's better than all the other FF games before you even know anything about it.

edit
Can you tell me what about it looks like "more of the same"? I mean obviously they can't massively change the characters about if it's a sequel to XIII, so what else?

iWishTifaWasReal4621d ago (Edited 4621d ago )

i agree with MySpace,

cuz ive been waiting for Versus for 5 years now

and when they released FFXIII in 2010. i was happy that theres a possibility that Versus might get a 2011 release date but that was shattered when they announced FFXIII-2.

like seriously, im okay with FFXIII. the game is alright. but im really excited for Versus. here they announce a sequel that nobody asked for.

sigh :/

RedDead4621d ago

I gotta say man i'm a devout hater of FFxiii, but this one looks alright, it's still exceptionally cheesy but the other improvements are good, it seems liek a different game to be honest, Autobattle was in FFXiii for all the shi* battles and we were on training wheels for 20+ hours, this more than likely won't be like that. Now...SnowxSerah still creeps me the fu** out...Poor girl would get annihilated in bed.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4621d ago
SolDojo4621d ago

I'm not opposed to giving 13-2 a try, but it means I've got to actually finish 13. Arg.

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280°

The Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy Deserves a Remaster

Final Fantasy 13 was first introduced to us back in 2009, almost four years after Final Fantasy 12 was released, and fans had been eagerly anticipating the next installment. But when it finally arrived, there were mixed reactions, including complaints about its linearity, the lack of towns and NPCs, and the limited control over the characters. At the time, Square Enix kept its game production behind closed doors and didn't take in a lot of feedback — especially from Western fans.

The game has been revisited by many different Final Fantasy fans since then, and some, like myself, have come to love it again. Almost all staple entries in the series have found their way to modern consoles, so it's about time that the FF13 trilogy gets a remaster

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dualshockers.com
shinoff2183347d ago

I've been thinking about this. I agree. While I really disliked it at first I never played it again. After hating ff15 so damn much I just think it can't be worse then 15 and if I'm not mistaken atleast it's turn based. I need more of that in my life.

nitus10347d ago

I actually finished FFXIII and on the second playthrough found I actually liked the game.

Actually I have liked most of the FF games (I have not played FFIX unfortunately) and I do agree with you with regards to FFXV. Graphically IMHO FFXV is excelent but for some reason I just could not get enthusiastic in playing it.

As for "turn-based", I prefer active and real time although to be fair "turn-based" is a real plus especially when confronting a difficult protagonist. I found this to be especially the case when playing FFXXII where you could switch rapidly between "turn" and "active" although having a resonable knowledge of simple Boolean Algebra is IMHO essential when playing this game.

347d ago
Levii_92347d ago

Ridiculous comment, first of all i think you should replay 15, second of all that game is 10 times better than the XIII games especially the royal edition. And third .. turn based combat is a dying (almost dead) style of gameplay and i personally wont miss it at all so don’t act like that is some sort of big plus because XIII has it.. it is not.

jambola346d ago

Somebody needs to learn about subjective taste

shinoff2183346d ago

Ff15

Sucked imo. I don't need to give it another try. Last time was the 3rd time and I had 34 hours into it. It just wasn't good imo

Chriswynnetbh346d ago

How is turn based dying or almost dead? Pokémon is one of the biggest RPGs in the world and is and has always been turn based. To some it is a plus especially when it comes to FF since the first 10 of them all are and are arguably better games than any FF to come after

CDbiggen346d ago

XV was rubbish, but understandable given the development hell. That overworld for me is the biggest example, so strangely designed and empty. And parts of the story awkwardly cut for DLC, most egregious being that prompto part where he's like "I'm a clone", or whatever he was (it was that forgettable), and the other guys basically shrugging it off.

Tapani346d ago (Edited 346d ago )

Turn-based is alive and well: Pokemon, Dragon Quest, XCom, Civilization, Homeworld, Age of Wonders, Total War, Original Sin, Baldur's Gate, Warhammer, Yu-Gi-Oh, Company of Heroes, Wasteland, Pathfinder, Disco Elysium, Octopath Traveler, Chained Echoes and many, many more great games, both new and old, franchises and new IPs are selling well, reviewing well and sequels are coming.

If you don't play the game, maybe the turn-based has just died in/for you, but certainly the genre has never been so alive as in 2023! Plus, when you look at Final Fantasy franchise, it started going down in quality when it left turn-based combat behind. FFXVI may redeem some of the glory (and FFXIV was great), but the turn-based games were higher rated and deeper in terms of gameplay and had more interesting things to do in the world.

DarXyde346d ago

I'd say Persona 5 is one of the best of the best games in a couple of decades.

I don't think you manage that with a dying gameplay format.

shinoff2183346d ago (Edited 346d ago )

Levii92

Turn based is way funner imo then just some hack n slash rpg. I like both but prefer turn based.

Far as dying I doubt it. It's also kinda funny cause the best final fantasy have been turn based. Ff still to this day can't top ff6 through ff9. Interesting.

Far as someone who brought up persona 5. I dislike the art style so I've yet to play it but I'd throw dq11 in there. Best jrpg I've played in fkin years. Over a decade.

Last I was a bit iffy on chained echoes because of the sp and no traditional leveling system. I recently bought it. Looks gorgeous, story is fantastic so far, but I cannot for the life of me get over how much I truly hate the leveling system. It's just flat out whack to me. I'm still going to finish it cause unlike ff15 atleast chained echoes doesn't feel like a chore

goldwyncq346d ago

The XIII series (especially Lightning Returns) has far better combat than XV, and you don't need to watch an anime and a movie to make sense of the story.

FinalFantasyFanatic346d ago (Edited 346d ago )

15 was only fun for derping about in the wilderness, at least FF13 had a better story and was more coherent overall (plot, characters, gameplay, world, ect...).

15 was just beautify garbage, so much wasted potential, the Duke Nukem Forever of the FF franchise.

I really loved Persona 5, can't wait for P6 to be announced, I'd love ports of the first few games (we already have P3P/P4G/P5R available on almost everything now).

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 346d ago
sadraiden346d ago

People act like XV killed one of their family members. It wasn't the best FF ever, but it certainly wasn't a bad game. You "hated it so damn much"? Chill.

FinalFantasyFanatic346d ago

I agree, FF13 is better than FF15, but I don't think I can play through that trilogy again, I'd rather play one of the older games.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 346d ago
-Foxtrot347d ago

Not really

Let them move on and focus on good FF games

Hofstaderman347d ago (Edited 347d ago )

Thank you. A ton of FFXIII articles recently. Most of the people who like this game are not old enough to have played 4 to 9. Even 10 and 12 are vastly superior to this game. That being said a remaster would then make all the FF titles available on the PS platform.

jambola346d ago

Citation needed
Do you have some kind of official survey of ff 13 fans ages?
Would love a link
Also, all games are available on multiple systems, re released many times
"Not old enough" doesn't even make much sense

shinoff2183346d ago (Edited 346d ago )

That was part of what I was trying to say. I've gave 15 3 try ff13 deserves atleast a second. And like I said I could use some turn based in my life

I've also played through or played all of the ff games starting with ff1 way way way back.

goldwyncq346d ago

"Good" is subjective. I love FFIX but I know many fans who don't like it for the art style and the slow combat.

I_am_Batman347d ago (Edited 347d ago )

Recently replayed them and I agree a remaster would be great. The complaints about linearity are fair, but they only really apply to the first half of the first game and while I agree that it would've been nice to have proper towns, minigames and subquests, it didn't detract from the intriguing story, interesting characters, tactical gameplay and amazing soundtrack in my opinion.

XIII-2 fixes a lot of the issues of XIII and expands on the story in interesting ways. The combat and progression builds on top of the systems of XIII and the nonlinearity and discoverability of secrets is a big inprovement over the original game. It's easily the best game of the trilogy.

Lightning Returns was probably a bit too experimental for it's own good. It tried to reinvent the wheel for no reason. The solo party for most of the game and the outfit based combat felt like a downgrade over XIII-2 combat system. It does have a unique vibe, but the plot kinda goes off the rails and many of the story beats didn't land as much for me as they did in the first two games. The race against time aspect was an interesting idea, but it never felt like it mattered, because it wasn't much of a challenge to manage the remaining time even while doing all the subquests.

Eonjay347d ago

XIII-2 is one of the greatest games ever.

Snookies12346d ago (Edited 346d ago )

XIII-2 is by far the best of the trilogy. Went out of my way to get the Platinum trophy on it. Which is actually a fun one to go for. Didn't take too long, only about 70-80 hours to accomplish. Loved every second of it though.

Youngindy21347d ago

I don't think linearity is a fair critique, when every FF up until that point was fairly linear esp. in the first half of the game. People herald FF VII(including the remake), but it is just as linear as FFXIII was. The linearity complaints came at a time when open-world games were just starting to become a thing and people thought every game should be open-world, but now that every game is, people now want more linear experiences. Go Figure.

shinoff2183346d ago

Ff10 was pretty linear to. Haven't played through all of 13 but 10 was linear as fk until the end

I_am_Batman346d ago

Totally agree. I never fully understood why 10 was so universally praised when it had many of the same design philosophies xiii is criticized for.

CDbiggen346d ago (Edited 346d ago )

I felt the same for the most part except the LR combat system. I thought it was an upgrade on the party of three system the previous two games had as now you had more control over your moves with different sets being an L1/R1 click away, and could move the single character around in battle and attack limbs or tails of certain enemies, or reduce the distance between you and an enemy you're after saving ATB.

I_am_Batman346d ago

LR combat certainly has it's merits. I would've preferred it if it wasn't tied to the costumes which can make Lightning look quite ridiculous and out of place sometimes though.

But mainly I would've preferred to see an evolution of XIII-2 systems. Since they are so different it's obviously just a preference. Can't really compare them objectively.

CDbiggen346d ago

Yeah I get ya, and I can totally see why the costume part got to people. I'm someone that doesn't care what the character looks like as long as I'm happy with the stats (looking at Xenoblade). LR to me is just one of those odd games that I can't help respect for mixing things up, even if the outcome wasn't the best lol. But yeah too different to compare.

sadraiden346d ago

Why would a remaster be great? They exist in HD, on a console that is still compatible with modern televisions, and you just replayed it.

I_am_Batman346d ago

I replayed them on my PS3. I just think it would make sense for those games to be more accessible to Playstation gamers, which is where the majority of the modern FF fanbase is (due to the exclusivity deals of VII Re and XVI).

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 346d ago
gold_drake347d ago

yes.
remaster collection.

not sure why the hell we never got one.

sadraiden346d ago

Just dying to give SE money for nothing eh?

gold_drake346d ago

i enjoyed the games.
so it wouldn't be for "nothing".

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170°

Why The Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy Has Some of The Best Music In The Series

As we celebrate Final Fantasy’s 35th anniversary, let’s look back at the underrated soundtracks of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy.

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game-grooves.com
goldwyncq504d ago

It really does. Caius’ theme is still one of the best villain themes ever.

SeTTriP504d ago

Barthandelus is a great boss theme to.

Snookies12504d ago

Come on... Even haters of Final Fantasy XIII have to admit the soundtrack really was great. There are some parts of the OST that stand out among even Nobuo's work.

CrimsonWing69504d ago

The battle themes are pretty amazing, man.

gold_drake504d ago

sat what you want about the games, but the soundtrack has always been good.

MehmetAlperTR503d ago

Agreed... Legendary Nobuo Uematsu was not involved with FF13.. So that has got terrible musics.

jambola503d ago

so any game without no Uematsu has terrible music?

MehmetAlperTR503d ago (Edited 503d ago )

@Jambola nope... But in PS1 era we played FF7-8-9 and in a PS2 era FF10... They were all involved with Uematsu San. We grove up with him and his musics.. SO FF means, him and his music to us.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 503d ago
-Foxtrot505d ago

It's alright but I mean with so many other FF games it's not even in the top 10 for me

You just can't beat IX, VII, X and my personal favourite VIII when it comes to music

Even the theme song sucks, instead of just having an English version of the Japanese theme they got X Factors Leona Lewis to do the song which didn't sound like FF theme song.

FinalFantasyFanatic504d ago

Yeah, that ending song was terrible, I'll never be able to fathom why that was chosen, it feels so out of place with that game.

RedDevils504d ago

Lol is was my wtf moment.

SoulWarrior505d ago

I agree, regardless of the general consensus of the game itself, FF rarely lets down when it comes to the music at least.

porkChop505d ago

Nah. VIII has the best music in the series. IX is a close second.

Hofstaderman504d ago

Yes; eyes one me, man with the machine gun, waltz to the moon, the oath, maybe I’m a lion…FF8 has the best music in the series by far. I have the original OST, the orchestra arrangement, the piano arrangement, the Black Mages tracks and a few other albums. My four disc original OST is my pride and joy.

ManMarmalade504d ago

I agree on VIII. I've started growing really fond of X's lately.

GoodGuy09504d ago

Music was pretty good yes. Pretty much all FFs do even the crappy ones lol.

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130°

Final Fantasy XIII-2 gets a 4.7GB AI-enhanced HD Texture Pack

Modder 'MJB' has released an AI-enhanced HD Texture Pack for Final Fantasy XIII-2.

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dsogaming.com