I see the final boss as the ending signature to state that I beat the ever loving crap out of this game.
To each his/her own but for me that moment is represented by the moment I actually beat the hardest thing in the game.
I see the final boss as the ending signature to state that I beat the ever loving crap out of this game.
To each his/her own but for me that moment is represented by the moment I actually beat the hardest thing in the game.
I fully understand why anyone would feel/want that. I don't disagree.
I just choose to play this way.
To each his/her own but for me that moment is represented by the moment I actually beat the hardest thing in the game.
Yep. Why are final bosses never the hardest?
Replay value. That's why.
Yep. Why are final bosses never the hardest?
Because they're put in for the story for casual players to beat up on that have skimmed through with low levels. And usually, if you get to the last boss without having done much grinding, they can be pretty difficult.
Hidden optional bosses are for the freaks who put in 70 or 90 extra hours of leveling time and rare item hunting and are all level 99 and have hunted down 93 dragons and have the crystal sword of Ultima mechalechaheinieho.
The Star Ocean franchise actually adresses this. The last boss is generally moderatley difficult, but pretty readily beatable. Then there's an ungodly hidden dungeon boss (at the bottom of an incredibly hard dungeon with no save points that takes hours to get through)… And if by a miracle you beat the hidden lowest dungeon boss, then the last boss in the game unlocks uber god mode and becomes pretty muchimpossible to beat. (Oh, and then there's Universe mode, which is like, uber hard mode where everything, including minor enemies, has nearly double HP, defense, and attack.)
Magnidues in Tales of Destiny 2's Maniac difficulty makes the aforementioned Gabriel Celeste look like a little bitch.
I think it's a matter of what becomes available in the game before you beat the last boss, rather than "before completing everything". You should be free to level and get whatever gear you need. That's how RPGs are. If the boss feels too easy due to overpowering, that's really not the game's fault unless the boss itself is easy even at low tier.
In FFX, I did not know much about side quest since I focused on finishing the game. And for that, I got my ass kicked. In the Star Ocean series, I'm more experimental in breaking the game with Item Creation because the difficulties were not very promising(that's not to say I did runs without the extra mechanics). In FF7, Sephy was a joke after I knew about Dispel and Shell(tries before learning that was painful).
How difficult a final boss is depends on how you play, and what would you do to exploit a game's system if you know. If you are saying stuff like uber powerful optional bosses and really buffed enemies should be saved for post game, then that could work. Players like me are always looking for greater challenges after the main story is over.
Edit: Freya in 4D mode anyone? ….. Bah... the NMG makes her cake.
My favorite broken leveling sotry, and I've shared it here before….
In FF7, by sheer accident, I discovered that if you put two counter materia on a character, they would sometimes counter attack twice even if only attacked once, or even if they dodged said attack.
I then proceeded to make a crapload of counter materia, and I gave Red XIII a full slotting of counter materia. (So, 16 of them? Its been a while.)
Sephy would hit him once, the Red would proceed to counter attack 10-12 times for 9,999 damage each hit.
Killed Sephiroth before his theme song could even get to his name. So, in about a minute's time without doing a single attack. Fun times.
I also destroyed Ruby and Emerald weapon this way, but Ruby took forever because the countering was automatic and Red wouldn't hit the weakpoint stinger, he would instead attack the heavily armored monster and only do a couple hundred damage, and when I was controlling him that time was mostly spent healing. That battle took forever...
And then there was that time in FF8 where I made Zell into a lighting dealing/absorbing god, and he got into a fight with Raijin...
Magnidues in Tales of Deatiny 2's Maniac difficulty makes the aforementioned Gabriel Celeste look like a little bitch.
This. Motherfucking this.
Also, Sekundes. That bastard's hard as hell to beat. Good thing you get to beat him instantly on a certain condition.
Another [/quality] poster bites the dust.
That was the quickest one yet.
Magnidues in Tales of Deatiny 2's Maniac difficulty makes the aforementioned Gabriel Celeste look like a little bitch.
Iseria Queen on SO4 and her cheapness makes everything look like insects. If it wasn't for that Supernova…
HqxP6JHXRvg
Hey, it isn't that different from the one Square-Enix released.
After seeing the gameplay, yeah… It does not look much different than many games I played... Even the premise of the story :/
HqxP6JHXRvg
Hey, it isn't that different from the one Square-Enix released.
God I love those guys…
I can't believe the Japanese release is only a few weeks away. I suspect this topic will simply flood with spoilers and discussion from that point on so I'll see little point in coming here till I play and beat it in the US version, and by then the topic will be more or less dead, as is the case with a lot of game threads.
Any news of demo hitting the PSN? I've already seen the Japanese demo played through with English subtitles, and I suspect we'd get the same demo if we got one, but still.
I hope we get a demo. Probably simultaneous with the Japanese release.
Last night I started looking at trailers constantly, and now I'm sort of excited.
I don't care about Snow or Hope, but Sazh and the ladies are far more interesting.
Also, Fang's expression in Kitsune's avatar is the sexiest thing ever!
Famitsu…did NOT give XIII a perfect score. Close, though ;)
Famitsu revealed the review score for Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII for PS3, the game received 10, 9, 10, 10 - (39/40).
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!
If that Japs don't like it, that probably means I'll love it!!!!!
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!
If that Japs don't like it, that probably means I'll love it!!!!!
What about One Piece?
Huh. They gave XII a perfect.
Those character designs finally pushed one of the reviewers over the edge I guess…(or he's racist!)
j/k
Still getting this game soon.
I'm hoping that means that you hate Naruto because everyone in Japan loves it.
Cause otherwise, I'm scared.
Those character designs finally pushed one of the reviewers over the edge I guess…(or he's racist!)
j/k
Still getting this game soon.
It's because XIII doesn't have Balthier. Balthier makes everything perfect.
Huh. They gave XII a perfect.
This.
So this.
This is why an imperfect score gives me hope for this game.
I'm hoping that means that you hate Naruto because everyone in Japan loves it.
Basically.
Review comments:
- Reviewer #1 - 10
Although the game is linear until the midway point, the story is substantial, like no FF before it, with its own distinctive appeal. The battles based around changing characters' roles are fresh and highly strategic. The tempo is speedy and you get very excited when fighting strong enemies. Being able to restart battles is a user-friendly feature I'm happy about.- Reviewer #2 - 9
Unquestionably the highest echelon of event and movie scenes. Moreover, changing Optimas on a dime, the varied abilities and being able to use multiple magics at once bring real exhilaration to the battles. That high quality is unfortunately offset by a story that stays linear until the midway point. The lack of gimmicks during the middle of the game also worried me.- Reviewer #3 - 10
The overwhelming graphics expressing every nook and cranny of this unique world, along with the praiseworthy direction, moved me!! The battle system is applicable both to beginners and micro-managers. The fights progress quickly, and have ratings, so you never grow tired and can always battle with a feeling of urgency. The melancholic story is also so dramatic, you can't tear your eyes away from it.- Reviewer #4 - 10
I doff my hat to the overwhelming graphics and story. Since the game's various systems become denser as the story progresses, you find yourself pulled ever deeper into the experience. The summon battles take careful planning and strategy, so I was frustrated a few times, but the feeling of achievement when you win is something special. You'll be sorry if you don't play this!So the major complaint was the linearity of it, huh? Well, we'll see how it turns out.
Ouch, a single point away. My God, can you imagine how the FFans on other forums are acting right now? May God help that reviewer if his name gets out… Or are their names actually revealed like most other reviewers? I see plane tickets from North America to Japan selling out in the next month.
Ouch, a single point away. My God, can you imagine how the FFans on other forums are acting right now? May God help that reviewer if his name gets out… Or are their names actually revealed like most other reviewers? I see plane tickets from North America to Japan selling out in the next month.
Yeah, they are well-known (even have their faces next to their names; sometimes they have drawn faces other times it is a photo).
If linearity is its biggest flaw then I'm going to be enjoying this game very much so
I really wonder why people still give a shit about Famitsu's reviews.
They're awesome in terms of game news and all, but their actual reviews are worthless. :/
I really wonder why people still give a shit about Famitsu's reviews.
They're awesome in terms of game news and all, but their actual reviews are worthless. :/
Once again…
RED STEEL
34/40
RED STEEL
"Although the game is linear…"
Damn linearity in a game making it progress smoothly and tell a concise and controlled story.
Stupid Japanese gamers -_-
"Although the game is linear…"
Damn linearity in a game making it progress smoothly and tell a concise and controlled story.
Stupid Japanese gamers -_-
Not like the sentiment is had only in Japan. Stupid people wanting a more sandbox approach to every game is a universal thing.
Yeah, really.
I see more American game magazine reviews bitching about that than Japanese ones.
durr gta is the epitome of gaming excellence
God forbid people actually want to explore the world in an RPG.
Such stupidity.
Damn linearity in a game making it progress smoothly and tell a concise and controlled story.
Exactly. For me, I generally don't care about if an rpg is non-linear or not since the story is one of the main motivations of playing the game and I'll just go from one regular event to the next, ignoring all the side attractions.
God forbid people actually want to explore the world in an RPG.
Such stupidity.
Limiting the game to a linear perspective allows them to focus on particular aspects and create a much more tight-knit experience that flows nicely. Adding in an open world forces the designers to create on a grander scale, and as such the parts that are more integral to the JRPG experience suffer from attempting too broad a scope.
Final Fantasy XII is a pretty good example of that in action. Note I'm not saying it can't be done right; SaGa does it fine, but only because it purposely leaves any hint of in-depth storytelling on the backburner.
Yeah, really.
I see more American game magazine reviews bitching about that than Japanese ones.
durr gta is the epitome of gaming excellence
which is odd… considering how much praise there is for games like Uncharted:2 (which is entirely linear).
If FF was a mission type game that let you go wherever and do whatever you wanted... I just wouldn't know what to think anymore..
oh wait... they did that with FF-X2... sigh..
I for one am happy with the focus on story after the lack thereof from XII. Lets just hope it's good enough to make me grow to like characters like Hope and ......"spunky-girl". If it is, then i'll be impressed.
I always liked the moment in 7 where you FINALLY get out of Midgar and a chance to explore the world. Gotta make em work for it.
I for one always liked the world maps of old. But a driven story is equally important. I'd like to know "why" my characters are going in that cave...
Eagerly awaiting this one.
I love sandbox games. When I was a kid playing all these games with tiny levels I just always thought "Oooh, it'd be so cool if I could go there! Oh boy, I can't wait till you can go anywhere in a game!" and I'm dead serious, back in the PS1 days that's what I wanted, bad. Then we finally got games with huge areas and it was… not as great as I thought it'd be. I guess it was a forbidden fruit issue, I knew I couldn't go to those blocked off places in old games, but now you can go practically anywhere.
It's fun, it's great, but it tires. I'll spend so much time running out exploring I will ignore the actual game and when it comes time to actually play the game, the environment has gotten dull to me and in the end that kinda reflects on my experience of the entire game. Is that the games fault? No, it's mine, but I still do it. As such, I'm perfectly fine with linear games because it doesn't let me goof off to the point the game suffers for it.
Linearity keeps you engrossed in the game, in the story, in the moment. Sandbox games allows you to distort from that instantly, and you probably will occasionally. A lot of sandbox games are great and are a lot of fun, but I haven't played one that matches up to the sheer excitement a linear game causes me to have.
I love sandbox games. When I was a kid playing all these games with tiny levels I just always thought "Oooh, it'd be so cool if I could go there! Oh boy, I can't wait till you can go anywhere in a game!" and I'm dead serious, back in the PS1 days that's what I wanted, bad. Then we finally got games with huge areas and it was… not as great as I thought it'd be. I guess it was a forbidden fruit issue, I knew I couldn't go to those blocked off places in old games, but now you can go practically anywhere.
It's fun, it's great, but it tires. I'll spend so much time running out exploring I will ignore the actual game and when it comes time to actually play the game, the environment has gotten dull to me and in the end that kinda reflects on my experience of the entire game. Is that the games fault? No, it's mine, but I still do it. As such, I'm perfectly fine with linear games because it doesn't let me goof off to the point the game suffers for it.
Linearity keeps you engrossed in the game, in the story, in the moment. Sandbox games allows you to distort from that instantly, and you probably will occasionally. A lot of sandbox games are great and are a lot of fun, but I haven't played one that matches up to the sheer excitement a linear game causes me to have.
This entirely is why I hate the GTA series. I don't give two shits about the story, and when I start exploring the world, I get bored easily.
The only Sandbox games that I adore are the Sims and Zeus: Masters of Olympus.
Most people are bitching, yet fail to realize.
FF4 was linear until you get the airship, halfway into the game.
FF5 was linear until you get the Fire-powered Ship, about 20% into the game.
FF6 was linear until you get the Airship, 40% into the game
FF7 was linear until you get the Buggy. Halfway into Disc 1.
FF8 was linear until you completed Timber, halfway into Disc 1.
FF9 was linear until Disc 3.
FFX was linear until you get the airship, 99.9% into the game.
FF12 was non-linear out of the box but had a fail story.
My point is, almost all FFs are linear for the most part in the first sections. Dunno why some people are getting butthurt about the game being linear :\
When I play a game I never go "Wow, this is linear." That thought never comes to mind, ever. Linear is hardly in my vocabulary, thank god for spellcheck. So in short, we might as well say that Famitsu gave it a perfect, even if it's not true.
Most people are bitching, yet fail to realize.
FF4 was linear until you get the airship, halfway into the game.
FF5 was linear until you get the Fire-powered Ship, about 20% into the game.
FF6 was linear until you get the Airship, 40% into the game
FF7 was linear until you get the Buggy. Halfway into Disc 1.
FF8 was linear until you completed Timber, halfway into Disc 1.
FF9 was linear until Disc 3.
FFX was linear until you get the airship, 99.9% into the game.
FF12 was non-linear out of the box but had a fail story.
My point is, almost all FFs are linear for the most part in the first sections. Dunno why some people are getting butthurt about the game being linear :\
and what's funny is that for most of these games, when given the open world… there really isn't all that much to go explore outside of staying on the main plotline. Unless it was for a sidequest (which most of the time required a laundry list of objectives met, that require that you complete most of the game! who'da thunk it!), heading to different areas didn't really give you much aside from encountering a new enemy or two.... or discovering a piece of a much larger sidequest.
And as for exploring new villages, towns, and dungeons... this was almost exclusively done through continuing along the story.
I'm repeating myself, but open-exploration in FF games is really used for completing side quests when they are open for completion (late in the game).
Final Fantasy games are what they are due to their Linear story telling. (and a few other things too :ninja:)
So I agree with Buuhan. If famitsu's only issue with the title is it's "linearity", then it may as well have been awarded a perfect score
Pity. I wasn't really expecting the game to offer nonlinearity, given the history of the series but I was still kinda hoping nonetheless. Oh well. Perhaps next time.
Wait. We're considering FF games as sandboxes?
Sure they weren't linear sometimes, but the sidequests were sometimes fun.
I never considered XII to be that sandbox-y. Yeah, there were some sidequests/hunts/optional bosses, but to proceed in the game you always had to follow the story. Want to unlock more loot? Get through another dungeon. Want access to better enemies for level-grinding? Finish the next chapter so you can unlock the area.
Sandbox, open world and nonlinearity aren't really the same things.
A sandbox game is something like Forge mode in Halo 3. No rules, no goals, no end. Just tools to fool around. Kinda like, you know, a sandbox. If two persons plays Forge for 30 minutes they might have had 2 totally different experiences. Brutal Legend has an open world but it is still very much a linear game with a tight structure. You have a very clear path to walk even tho there are some minor distractions by the road. Dragon Age, a very story heavy role-playing game, really has no open world per se but it still has a non-linear story structure. It has a start and endings but how and in what order you decide to tackle big chunks of story between those two is up to you.