Topic: Final fantasy discussion thread

@Yousef- Well… I would never call a 6.6/10 difficulty and 75-100 hours plat (according to PlayStation trophies… PSN Profiles say it’s 5/10 and 80 hours), a baby easy plat but I get where you’re coming from in regards to missables etc. 😉

@colonelkilgore ah crap then, I may have mixed it up with the Xbox one! I recall that one was a 3/10. Apologies friend!
Edit: double error! The Xbox one is rated 7/10! I’m really losing it today…

@Yousef- no worries buddy… that one missable is meant to be a **** too tbh😅

Just ran into this Final Fantasy’s Cid… don’t think I like him as much as the others 🤔

@colonelkilgore every Cid is a dice roll. I’m not a huge fan of the FFXV either (or that game in general tbh but that’s a different discussion)

@Yousef- i actually loved XV (after an initial period of say wtf more times than I’ve ever said it before), it was my first FF though so I was coming at it with a different perspective to most. I’ve honestly really liked everyone I’ve played… including XIII so far.

I'm surprised to find you think it's quite a chill experience given the urgency of the plot that you're terrorists/fugitives on the run and branded to turn into mindless zombies or crystal @colonelkilgore but as long as you're enjoying it!

Good to hear the combat has clicked for you. Quite a few of the previous games have variations on ATB system so you might be in luck?

How are the characters fairing for you? That's usually one of the other main critiques people have against the game... I don't even really remember XIII's Cid to be perfectly honest.

My favourite Cid is XII's

@HallowMoonshadow now that you mention it, it is actually kinda shocking how chill the game feels given its setting. Well, maybe me and colonel are pretty… relaxed?

@HallowMoonshadow @Yousef- now that I think of it, the actual plot/narrative never really has any impact on whether I feel chilled/uptight etc. it’s always as a result of the gameplay loop. If I can make my way through a game at my own pace I feel very relaxed. So FFXIII is like a Sunday morning to me. It’s games where i need to work to time-limits or enemies rush at you and spawn limitlessly that things change.

One of the game series I feel most relaxed in is Dark Souls, which I think comes down to the enemies being gone once you killed them (until you rest at a bonfire of course) so I can just have a saunter about for loot and secrets.

Anyway, back to FFXIII, I just beat Enki and Enlil and have made it through to Chapter 7. Really surprised by how much I’m enjoying the combat. The thing that stands out is the real-time element, which keeps things poppin’. I’ve also loved how certain moments just take me back to other FF games that I’ve played. There’s a beach scene that feels remarkably similar to FFXV and the music that was just playing during Chapter 6 reminded me of the music in FFXVI when you approach… hmm can’t remember the name of the town now but it brought the memory to the forefront for sure. While I’m still somewhat of a noob, I now feel that the series as a whole is for me. If I can enjoy XIII I can enjoy them all right? 😉

I’ve been playing Crisis Core’s remake and while the voice acting changes aren’t exactly consistent, there’s so many QOL upgrades and the graphics really are quite an impressive leap. Enjoying my time even if the DualSense has decided to f**k itself with truly terrible drift the last few days.

@nessisonett That will probs will be my next JRPG i'l play, so glad that the changes they've made get the thumbs up!

That sucks about your controller. I'm waiting for the rumoured next version to get a new one. Luckily the ones I have don't have anything wrong with them.... yet.

@JohnnyShoulder This is my second controller dying of stick drift so it’s on a par with the Switch. The difference is that it’s much easier to open up the controllers and change the sticks on the Switch than the PS5!

Just beat Barthandelus at the end of Chapter 9… definitely a pronounced difficulty spike but the best battle of the game for sure. Just really enjoying this game to be fair and I’m now pretty much sold on playing FFXIII-2 and Lightning Returns over the next couple of years. I had a strange feeling that I might like this and really glad I gave it a go.

So finally made it to Gran Pulse this morning and have been quite excited about this area given the general consensus online, that this is where the game actually gets good (it’s already good). Gotta be honest… it’s a little bit confusing. From the reading I’ve done, I should stick around here doing side missions (Cie’th missions) and level up a fair bit in preparation for the final few chapters but well… it’s bloody easy to get lost.

The only marker on the map is for the next main mission, which I’m actively attempting to avoid. Can’t see any indication of where to go to start my next Cie’th mission… and the worst thing… the map rotates depending on what direction your character is facing when you hit the map button. Now that last bit wouldn’t be so bad if there was an indication as to which direction North is… but there isn’t any 😵‍💫.

@colonelkilgore I got stuck on Barthandelus and had to give up on it back in the day. I was enjoying the game once I got over the fact that it wasn't open world. I hear it opens up a bit where you are now though.

@xeofate yeah I think the fact that I knew the game was pretty linear for the most part going in did help with my expectations. Great game though… and turns out I’ve been after something like this for a while without even knowing it. I really enjoyed Tales of Arise a few years back and have been fancying something like that for a while… and while the combat in that was more action and FFXIII’s is more turn-based… it’s scratching that same itch.

@colonelkilgore wow I don’t think I actually replied to this so here goes.
Can’t help but relate. I have a fairly similar relationships with game plots, where it’s really the gameplay feedback loop I’m more concerned about. This even extends to the point where I really dislike gameplay opening levels where cameras shift a lot to show a plot relevant thing rather than just have it in a cutscene.
What makes a feedback loop a big goal for me is that it not only basically means I can finish some games a lot faster and more effortlessly, but it’s obviously just relaxing in general like you said.
As a general note, I’m someone who can’t divide their attention, but likes to fixate on something and be put in like a trance state. Bonus points if the game is a reasonable length or at least the feedback loop itself takes a while (hence why long games with short or basic gameplay don’t do it for it me. If a game is long, the gameplay loop needs to accommodate that. I actually have a vivid memory of feeling like my time was being completely wasted in one game I played because 30-ish hours of it were gameplay, but the last 3-hour stretch was uninterrupted cutscenes and I hated that. Yes I counted).

Exactly this… gameplay that can put me in a meditative-state (like when you see navy-seals disassembling and reassembling their assault rifles blindfolded) is mana from heaven to me.

I can’t overstate just how much more I’m enjoying VII Rebirth over VII Remake. I think Remake had a better hybrid battle system, a more interesting leveling system and a better paced story but Rebirth’s world is just so much more varied and interesting to explore and its laser focus on its central characters works better as an rpg (and invests me more as a player than the bonkers narrative ever will). It’s clunky and a bit of a mess but also a genuine joy to to occupy such a beloved world with a modern presentation.