Videos
(47)Screenshots
(101)Cheats and Walkthroughs
(61)
Videos
(55)Screenshots
(101)Cheats and Walkthroughs
(65)
Videos
(109)Screenshots
(68)Cheats and Walkthroughs
(73)
Videos
(97)Screenshots
(44)Cheats and Walkthroughs
(74)
Videos
(109)Screenshots
(59)Cheats and Walkthroughs
(102)
When Final Fantasy XIII hits the world, expect a lot of gamer-blowback. Whenever a developer take steps to modernize a beloved franchise, the gamer backlash is strong and ruthless. Fans of Fallout and Fallout 2 hated Fallout 3 because it updated the game world and made the franchise more "fun." Fans of Pac-Man couldn't deal with Ms. Pac-Man because she wore a bow. But even among devoted aficionado communities, few are as protective of "their" series as Final Fantasy fanatics. As you surely know, FFXIII comes out tomorrow for the 360 and the PlayStation 3, and it's going to piss a lot of people off.
X-Play reviewer Rob Manuel played the game for dozens and dozens of hours to provide G4's review. The game is definitely good – four out of five stars good -- but it still might make you very, very angry, particularly if you're a hardcore Final Fantasy fan. Rob's list below is only five of the countless ways FF XIII will leave players fuming:
1) No towns: There is not a single city in the game. There are no stopping places. No Inns. There are no hamlets, burgs or villages. This is a huge change from the previous open-world style FF action you’re used to --and a change from most RPGs, actually. In almost all previous Final Fantasy games going back to the ancient Final Fantasy 1 in the 1980s, you’d enter a homebase style town and work outward from their.
Which brings us to the second thing you’ll hate about Final Fantasy XIII...
2) It’s Very Linear: Final Fantasy XIII is not entirely on a track, but for the first 25 hours(!) or so, you’re going to be moving in a straight line, forward. This, of course, propels the action nicely, but doesn't appeal to gamers who like to feel like they're gaming in the "real" world with limitless possibilities and options. I guess those people can suffer through 25 hours of playing to get to the "good part."
3) No mini-games: There are no arena battles, no Blitz-ball, no Card Battles, none of that stuff on the side that can be a nice break from the main plotline. With fans devoting themselves to minutia of past games' mini-games, this is a big, infuriating change.
4) Little equipment: You’re not going to find a huge variety of weapons in Final Fantasy XIII, and there is no armor at all, so if gearing up is your passion, you’re going to be hating on this game--There’s just not a lot of stuff to purchase. There are items that you can use to level up the weapons that you do have, but not a lot of weapon variety, another huge change from previous gear-heavy FF games.
5) It’s on the 360: This is the first Final Fantasy game for the 360 so lucky number 13 is bound to anger console purists who feel that the Final Fantasy universe belongs only to Sony console owners.
Lest we be accused of always looking on the negative side of things, check back on Wednesday, where we'll detail the five things gamers will absolutely love about Final Fantasy XIII. And for more bile-inducing Final Fantasy anger, check back tomorrow when we'll have a side-by-side video comparison of the 360 and PS3 versions of the game for you to enjoy, dissect and argue over.
I'm sure there are more things you can think of that will anger FF fans. Leave them in our comment section.
Comments are Closed
Comments
Displaying 101–120 of 164
51234567897
DreamingDarklyRobin
All your points (except five) are the reason I don't play FF, but to any fan of the series those most likely won't matter.
XFRod
I'll still play FFXIII eventually but, it's moved down the priority list quite a bit. I'll be holding off till next week, when Resonance of Fate comes out.
I figure, down the road, RoF may be a bit harder to find on the shelves while, the used copy shelves will be filled with copies of FFXIII.
Greibach
Its kind of funny, but a lot of those things I am actually happy to see go. Equipment? I like equipment if there are meaningful choices being made (Like say choosing between attack speed, accuracy, damage etc of equivalent items), but FF games were just "Now you got to Nibelheim. You get a better gun. Yay!". I won't miss it at all. I have never had a minigame in FF that I liked either. Some of them had some potential or fun, but got really old after awhile.
The Linearity could be a bit of a thing, but then again, it will probably make it easier to play, and far easier to pick up again if you need to take a break for some reason. There is nothing worse than being in the middle of the open world, with no idea where you were going or what you were doing because you left off while in the middle of grinding/exploring. All in all, the only thing I assume I will hate is the dubbing, because dubbing ALWAYS feels too forced. I wish very much that you could leave it in Japanese with subs......
jal1113
no gear, 25 hours to get to the good part, no inns and stuck on rails like a bad arcade shooter...i think ill play FF7 until final fantasy 14
kirablaize
Bringing up two points here. 1) FFX was linear as well. Sure it had minigames and towns, but for the most part, it was a straight line. And it WORKED. The lack of a world map made the journey more epic because you're actually walking from place to place ON FOOT.
2) Not only did the series NOT start on the playstation like so many fanboys act like, but FFXIII is NOT the first FF game to be on the xbox. FFXI was.
edgeofblade
Let's just admit it. The game is eye candy. It's the story you buy this game for, not the gameplay. Consequently, it sounds like a great title to pick up on my PS3.
Traveller7
I don't have any issues with the things mentioned in the list. I came in here thinking that one of the complaints would be Vanille's aggravating voice. Seriously, everyone else sounds fine and realistic, if occasionally robotic, but Vanille's voice sounds like it belongs in a cartoon.
vanphelan
I have played and loved most Final Fantasy installments but to be honest a change was needed not just for this series but to help the JRPG status here in the states. I can only deal with so many grinning anime girl/boys at a time.
samaside
I think you just listed the five reasons I'll actually like this Final Fantasy game. Damn. Maybe I will be running out to buy it tomorrow.
CLUNGEHUNTERPJ
not going to get this game. can't see the appeal of turn based linear JPRGs compared to what Bioware and Bethesda are putting out these days. That said, pokey mans silver was my favourite game EVAR when i was little
scorpian876
I guess every time when a Japanese video games spills over on to the X-box 360, the 360
makes the video game companies and video games look bad .Resident Evil 5 sucked because
you where playing both characters at the same time and that game spilled on to the 360.
The version of Final Fantasy 13 on the 360 has 3 disks and the disks are all crammed together
and not separated by disks separated.I am not trying to start a flame war here,I like the X-box 360 for
Mass Effect games and Gears of War. I just think every time microsoft puts a game that Sony had
just makes every game look bad made from Konami,Capcom and Square Enix or Soft.
BladeofOnyx
I used to enjoy the Final Fantasy series back when it was a Sony exclusive title. That said, I'm on a 360 now but have absolutely no desire to play this game. The magic is gone.
joe888
I do not hate anything here. Towns for me, were just a excuse to buy weapons, armor, and items. I never used them again except for hunting in Final Fantasy XII. I really never ever like any of the mini games. I always suck on all of the mini games.
IrishDragon79
Wait, no triple triad, no tetra card battle like game??? Will I have to play this w/ a deck of cards at my side? Every FF is different. Since, w/ the exception of X-2, no sequels so each must stand on its on merits.
Just for god's sake never mention "your Fav" or you'll invite trouble to aa harmonious thread
Jeespot
I don't know, I always hate it when people are soon to speak simply because they aren't accustomed to something. These guys have been in the business since NES, I trust that whatever decisions they've made for the series is for the best. As long as it isn't as bad as Final Fantasy X-2, I'll be okay with anything. I'm sure they had a good reason for making the first half of the game story driven and linear, and if people played it with open mindedness and without bias, it should diminish any backlash. However most people aren't that sensible.
lije927
I've gotta check it out, regardless. For the Final Fantasy series, it's mostly been the story that appealed to me more than anything else. Hopefully this one will not disappoint in that area!
Adrian_L_B
I saw the move when FF went from Nintendo's systems to Sony's systems as a signle of a downfall of the system because it seemed like one of the flagship games for the Nintendo I could be wrong with this but it could be an indicator of future events but like I said I could be wrong.
Biergoggles
Thank God for no more mini-games. Those were more of a nuance. It was an extra set of tactics that you had to learn along with the rest of the game.
MattmanX311
Having played every game in the series, I've been wondering ever since FF12 why Square Enix is suddenly trying to re-invent the wheel. I doubt that even if I completely hate a game they release in the franchise I will ever be able to truly cast it aside, but it's rather disheartening to me to see these changes. The only conclusion I can come to is they're making these changes to earn more money by making it more mainstream. Which I would have assumed that making it for both consoles would solve this problem. (Which is fine with me, more power to them.) Maybe I'm just getting too old and have developed a bad taste in my mouth for "what them kids are doing these days". But I kinda feel that if it is their goal to make it more appealing to mainstream audience it's kind of a Wiiesque move on their part. Despite the fact I own all three consoles the whole prospect of the Wii, and making a hobby that I've indulged in for 22 years more mainstream makes me kinda sick. I honestly don't like attempts to pander to those who most likely will disregard the hobby after a matter of months. This in my eyes is a little idiotic of a buisness practice to alienate your core audience. But then again I suppose there has been and will always people with complaints about any new releases in the series. I will reserve my predjudices until I've actually played and try to remain hopeful of its redeeming qualities. Hoping someday that Square Enix may realize that a return to the hayday is what the majority of their audience wishes to see.
Rurouni_Chuwy
Lol. I love the final fantasy series and none of the things you described will ruin the game for me. Maybe the re-playability but thats about it. Cant wait to get it tonight.
Displaying 101–120 of 164
51234567897