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How to Fix Final Fantasy

Stephanie Gutowski — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:00:50 +0000

Accept my presumption that the general gaming population has not grown sick of this discussion. Next, put aside whatever vicious barbs you may be preparing for me in defense of Square Enix, for I was once like you, and implore you to listen. Like all scorned lovers, I must find a means to soothe the pain of a broken heart. I’m beyond anger and have transcended to the illusive place of reason. I look upon that horizon like one would a barrel of a loaded gun. Few games have been so surprisingly offensive to me as Final Fantasy XIII, which exists in my mind as a near-complete failure. It also taught me that a 39/40 score from Famitsu means absolutely nothing. Hell, I approached every game review after that experience with some kind of trepidation. Eights and nines seemed impossibly generous, especially when the review itself explained just how disappointing this long-awaited entry into the FF saga was. I’m always eager to shift the blame to XIII’s director, Motomu Toriyama– who has not produced a single game I’ve enjoyed. Perhaps some sort of hive mind has assumed control over Square, hell-bent on taking the Final Fantasy series on the most painful tangent in its history, back to the realm of hyper-wacky Japanese RPGs that we’ve tried so very hard to embrace. Some of us love them and cherish that language barrier. Some of us would rather chew on aluminum that swallow a story that we were never intended to understand.

Regardless of where the series derailed or how, Final Fantasy is not beyond hope. In fact, Square should arrange a company retreat and rent “The Labyrinth” just so every single freaking creative mind in that mass of identity crises can hear this line spoken by a freaking puppet, which, in 1986, had ten times the personality and intrigue of that walking knee-to-the-groin they called “Vanille.”

“The way forwards is sometimes the way back.”

In this case, scratch out the “sometimes” and replace it with “oh my God, you go back RIGHT now and look at your games. LOOK AT THEM. Now DO THAT.” No, I don’t mean re-do Final Fantasy VI and cover it with a sterile layer of too-perfect skin textures and backdrops. I mean remember what set you apart. Let’s break it down.

Reel In that Plot Line

Final Fantasy XIII’s plot was a mess. It began with a stoic main character set out on destroying something. Yeah! Go Lightning! Kill things! Make some gil! Stop Shin-… Something. Lots of questions and virtually no answers were intended to develop interest and pull us along by the nose. When things began to unfold, did they make sense? Sort of, usually after several hours of reading those datalog entries you’d been ignoring during the mindless killing. We were supposed to be invested in the fate of Cocoon and Pulse and cieth and crystals and all the other blandly-named elements. Yet it took hours upon hours to get me to care. The stakes began so high and by the time things really started to take off, the situation was just ridiculous. These characters were thrust into a near-hopeless situation and just pushed on like freaking GI Joes. The issues with the gods and the purpose of Cocoon were so removed and surreal that there was nothing to ground you in this place. Yet remember what worked: rebels versus a power-hungry energy titan, green soldiers versus an ancient evil-made-real in a world rife with war, oppression and injustice; greed and powerlust. These were missions we could relate to. When these stories reached their climax, the true villains reared their heads and the heroes regrouped, then moved on. These adversaries weren’t so unbelievable as to remove us from the story, but they were otherworldly enough to up the ante. Shin-ra evolved into Sephiroth, Edea and Deling became Ultimecia and time itself, and even Archadia became Vayne. We began grounded in a world, facing a tangible problem and then ascended, facing a seemingly-indestructable foe. It doesn’t need to be something as complex and over-the-top as destroying a world and summoning a god. I’ve never, ever been tasked with something so grand as bringing down my entire paradigm, nor have I faced something I can equate it to. Then I have to deal with all these twists and turns when I was never invested in the first place. Your complexity shouldn’t come from the plot devices you throw in to take us off-course. It stems from your believable characters you’ve forced into this and their attempts to deal with an already difficult situation, ancient gods and worlds aside. In short: If you think you’ve come up with a genius complex plot, you haven’t. Shut up and simplify it.

We Shouldn’t Hate Everyone

I don’t know about you, but I had one hell of a time rooting for the home team. Even Lightning grated on my nerves with her lone-wolf routine and stubbornness. Don’t even get me started on Vanille and Hope. Now there’s always going to be a set of Final Fantasy stereotypes. There’s the annoying girl, strong girl, silent guy and loud guy, etc. Yet we can usually find something redeemable in all of them. Selphie might have driven you nuts, but she knew when to shut up, kick ass, and fly the Ragnarok. Even Cloud had his redeeming moments, especially after his revelation. Despite their intended stereotype, these characters weren’t completely boxed into that identity– they were still dynamic people, responding to situations with some sense of humanity. Their dilemmas built up over time rather than the case of FFXIII, where everyone’s already got piles of baggage to drag around. What’s worse is despite the situation they’re forced to deal with, they react with either an impossible coolness or inexplicable frivolity. No, it wasn’t endearing in the least. Laughing in the face of a giant monster is downright stupid, not brave. Hope’s brooding moments came off as whiny and overtly emotional rather than complex and believable. Unique personalities are forged by actions, not stupid little quirks you assign them later. Stop with the giggling and the thumbs ups. Stop with the “oh, it’s been an hour. Time to sit down and mourn my mom and stuff.” There was no realism in these people. They were bound to the personalities picked out for them, which doomed them to these reactions-on-rails rather than human responses. “What would Vanille do in this situation? Oh, well, she’d laugh, because that’s what Vanille does.” Wrong. Try again: what would a human do in this situation, given her background and what she’s already experienced? Perhaps the voice acting played a big part of why I thought these characters were such failures, but I truly believe that the overt stereotypes doomed them to be flat and predictable. In short: Back off the stereotypes and consider the human psyche.

New Final Fantasy Versus XIII Interview Promises Massive Open World Exploration

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:18:33 +0000

A recently translated interview conducted with Square Enix’s Tetsuya Nomura, hints at the massive open world that will be available to players in Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Nomura made the following comment regarding the game’s shear size:

“If you try to go all the way to the end, it’s truly far.”

Additional details from the interview reveal that with the exclusion of the mountains, the world is fully explorable, and will be almost completely seamless with very few transitional loading screens. It will feature destructible objects, clouds constructed from real world physics calculations, and fluid transitions in and out of battle sequences.

As someone who has followed the Final Fantasy franchise for years and struggled to make it through the largely linear gameplay of Final Fantasy XIII, this news brought a smile to my face.

We’ll continue to bring you more updates on this game as they become available.

[Source: Andriasang]

BioWare Lead Writer Says Final Fantasy XIII Is “Not An RPG”

Chad Lakkis — Fri, 14 May 2010 18:47:19 +0000

A recent interview, BioWare writing lead, Daniel Erickson, had some choice words about the latest Final Fantasy release, FFXIII. When talking about the title, Erickson said the following:

“… You can put a ‘J’ in front of it, but it’s not an RPG. You don’t make any choices, you don’t create a character, you don’t live your character… I don’t know what those are – adventure games maybe? But they’re not RPG’s.”

Final Fantasy fans (like myself) waited years for the release of Final Fantasy XIII. Patiently, we waited … and I’d be lying to you if I told you that I was hooked the moment I started it up. In fact, I’d be throwing more lies into the mix if I said that I wasn’t ready to throw it out of my second story window about twenty-five hours in.

All that aside, I think it’s a bit much to say that it’s not an RPG.

It may not be the “open world” RPG some of us hoped for, but stating that it somehow is no longer a part of that gaming category is unfair in my opinion.

What do you think? Will Square build on what they established in Final Fantasy XIII, or will the chances they took prove to be a failure in the years to come?

Source: Strategy Informer

GamesRadar Publishes 24 Hour Exclusive Perfect 10 Review of Final Fantasy XIII

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:39:45 +0000

The Square Enix online review embargo gets lifted tonight for all of the outlets covering the upcoming state side release, but GamesRadar’s perfect 10 review score got the red carpet 24 hour exclusive treatment. Funny how that works. I originally thought that they just said the hell with the embargo date but silly me … that never happens.

Final Fantasy XIII hits store shelves March 9th, but I hear that if you slip a GameStop employee 10 bucks they’ll give it to you yesterday.

Final Fantasy XIII: More Missions & Playtime Talk, Still No Demo

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:10:12 +0000

A recent European PlayStation.Blog interview with Final Fantasy XIII Director, Motomu Toriyama, and Producer, Yoshinori Kitase, reaffirmed the total playtime of 50-60 hours we already knew about months ago, and talks about about the added missions (side-quests) in the game that add to the mix. When asked about the “sidequest” content specifically, they responded with the following:

We call them “missions”, rather than “quests”. During the second half of the story, when the characters go down to a place called Pulse, there are many missions available there. In the majority of them the boss of the mission who you have to defeat, is more powerful than the main boss of the story. I’ve already told you that the basic playing time is 50 to 60 hours, but if you want to complete all the missions, the total time is probably twice that or more.

Unfortunately, those hoping for a definitive answer on an English demo prior to release will have to wait some more, as the response given to a question posed about its release was as follows:

We haven’t decided whether to make a demo available yet.

With March approaching quickly, I wouldn’t suggest you hold your breath.

[Source: blog.eu.playstation.com]

Dutch OPM Interview Promises Final Fantasy XIII DLC Soonish?

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:20:33 +0000

According to the internet, those who crack open the pages of the Dutch flavored Official PlayStation Magazine will be treated to a multi-page preview of Final Fantasy XIII complete with a Yoshinori Kitase interview. It is rumored that Kitase, the game’s producer, talks a bit about the release date differential and DLC content, stating the following:

“At first we had plans to release the game simultaneously worldwide … so we had the intention to deliver identical version between the regions. When we noticed that we wouldn’t make it, we decided to release the game as fast as possible in the west after its release in Japan. We initially had doubts to add extra content to the western version but then it would have taken the international version more months of delay. We did prepare a DLC but it will arrive a little later in the west.”

I didn’t think I could become more excited about this release but I was obviously wrong. Of course, no scans have yet to surface, so we all may want to reserve a bit of our excitement until some visual proof is provided.

[Source: finalfantasy-xiii.net]

Xbox 360 Hatches Your Baby Chocobo Avatar Today

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:57:50 +0000

Who’s your baby daddy? Xbox 360!! If you participated in the Xbox 360 Twitter based Final Fantasy XIII “White Promo” that Microsoft kicked off back in November, you’re going to want to check your email inbox today, as it should contain a special code that unlocks a baby Chocobo avatar pet. Simply enter the code into your Xbox LIVE account and all the joy of a newborn Chocobo will be yours. I personally think it should automatically power up your 360 throughout the night and let out a strange bird like crying sound that forces you to get up and play an interactive coddling game with it until it calms down giving you just enough time to crawl back into bed before it starts back up again — but that’s just the sick and twisted kind of bastard that I am.

Final Fantasy XIII Japanese Release Sells Over One Million Units Day One

Chad Lakkis — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:11:06 +0000

According to Square Enix, the debut of Final Fantasy XIII in Japan yesterday was rung in with over 1 million copies sold. This figure does not include bundled sales via the PlayStation 3 Lightning Edition.

[Yahoo News Japan]

Didn’t Make The Final Fantasy XIII Midnight Launch In Japan? Watch This Video

Chad Lakkis — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:18:00 +0000

So you just couldn’t make it out to Japan for the launch of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIII … no problem. An aspiring French director was on site capturing a step by step account of what you likely would have went through if you had been there yourself. Everything from the public transportation commute to the long ass lines full of eager Final Fantasy loving gamers is here for your viewing pleasure.

[Thanks Kitsuney]

Square Enix Plays Fashion Savvy Santa: Win Final Fantasy XIII Themed Jewelry December 23rd

Chad Lakkis — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:17:54 +0000

Remember that Square Enix Final Fantasy XIII Twitter tease we reported last week? The one that appeared to point to a possible beta being released to gamers outside the Japan area — well, it wasn’t. Instead, the “big surprise” the company is extending to hold us over until March 9th revolves around a bunch of Final Fantasy XIII themed costume jewelry. Alright!

The sweepstakes kicks off on December 23rd with four lucky winners taking home one of four Final Fantasy XIII silver pendants (Snow, Lightning, I’cie, and Serah).

If this sort of thing interests you, by all means check out the close up images of the jewelry and accessories below. The contest can be accessed through the link right here, though it won’t activate until December 23rd when the sweepstakes officially kicks off.

Final Fantasy XIII Silver Lightning Pendant

Final Fantasy XIII Silver Snow Pendant

Final Fantasy XIII Silver I’cie Pendant

Final Fantasy XIII Silver Serah Pendant

The items below are available as prizes to nine winners who don’t walk away with one of the nine pendants above.

Final Fantasy XIII I’cie Case

Final Fantasy XIII Snow Keychain

Even More Final Fantasy XIII Footage

Stephanie Gutowski — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:33:35 +0000

In honor of Final Fantasy XIII’s much-celebrated release in Japan, 1up has released the sequel to the in-game footage shown earlier in the fall. This seventeen minute clip picks up where the demo left off and showcases a heaping helping of even more cinematic interludes. 1up also managed to capture several boss battles and map-wandering, but be forewarned: these scenes are considered spoiler-iffic. There’s enough online footage of this game out there already that by the time Final Fantasy actually launches state-side, you’ll probably feel like you’ve already played the game.

Source: 1up

Final Fantasy XIII Launches In Japan

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:24:29 +0000

The long awaited Final Fantasy next gen sequel was released a few hours ago in Japan, and the above video clip gives you a look at a few people in line waiting for their chance to grab it. The rest of us will have to wait until March 9th as the Square Enix Twitter tease we reported a few days ago will not be giving us demo access.

Final Fantasy XIII Japanese Release Date Broken, Trophy List Leaked Online

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:14:56 +0000

It appears that a few Japanese retailers have sold Final Fantasy XIII before its official release date on the 17th, and what do you do when you get a game early? You rush online and post the proof to the world! Here’s a look at what we believe to be the Final Fantasy XIII trophy list.

Warning: While there are sixteen story based trophies that remain unknown at this time, the others revealed below may prove to be spoilers, so read on at your own risk.

Bronze

Assault Ruby
Master the Attacker Role
Destruction Sapphire
Master the Blaster Role
Guardian Topaz
Master the Defender Role
Hex Jade
Master the Jammer Role
Inspiration Amethyst
Master the Enhancer Role
Healing Emerald
Master the Healer Role

Silver

Limit Breaker
Deal over 100,000 damage to an enemy
Behemoth Hunter
Slay a wandering behemoth
Perfect Diamond
Learn all abilities to the fullest

Gold

Collector of All Things
Collect all weapons and accessories
The All Knowing Sage
Gain the complete knowledge of 100 different enemies

Plus sixteen supposedly story based trophies that have yet to be unlocked.

Here’s an untranslated screen grab of the lists inside FFXIII posted online by one of the lucky bastards who’s already playing the game.

[Thanks trophies.ps3wiki.net for the untranslated list and Scrawlfx for image above]

FFXIII Cruel PR Twitter Tease Update, Not Demo

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:28:51 +0000

It saddens me to update the hopeful twitter tease posted by Square Enix Senior PR Manager Sonia Im late last night. The post, which really seemed to point to the possible release of a demo sometime in the next few days, has been “clarified” by Sonia in her latest tweet.

“Think it’s best if I set expectations for my #FFXIII tweet. It is NOT a demo. But it’s cool regardless! So please don’t be too disappointed.”

Maybe it will be an awesome live feed into the homes of several Japanese teenagers playing the game and mooning us at the same time. Wouldn’t that be swell? Yes, I’m a little ticked.

Final Fantasy XIII Demo Coming State Side Next Week? Square Enix Twitter Tease Gives Hope

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:40:13 +0000

Update: Sonia Im has posted another tweet stating that this will NOT be a demo.

A recent Twitter post by Square Enix Senior PR Manager Sonia Im contains an interesting photo (shown above) with the following statement:

“The memo inside hinted at something cool most of you can participate in a few days from now :)”

A little Photoshop zooming reveals bits of phrases that amount to “you may be wishing”, “survive until 03.09.2010 we hope this”, and “you over for a bit :)”

I’m no child prodigy, but that sure as hell seems to me like a heads up for an incoming Final Fantasy XIII demo. Perhaps my Christmas wish will come true after all!!

[Thanks Sal]

Final Fantasy XIII PS3 Put On Dual-Layered Blu-ray Discs, 360 Version Compressed With Multiple Discs

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:27:56 +0000

A recent Famitsu interview contains information on the end product specs for Final Fantasy on the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 console. The PS3 version of the game will apparently be uncompressed and ship on a single dual-layered Blu-ray disc, while the 360 alternative will feature audio and video compressed media divided across multiple discs. No specifics were given as to how many discs the 360 version will have, but we’re thinking three to four.

A separate translated Dengeki interview states that the game will not require any loading time before or after battles, and will feature an in-game “secrets” menu that will unlock items such as a FXIII XMB dashboard theme.

Final Fantasy XIII will be available on both the 360 and PS3 in North America and Europe on March 9th, 2010.

[Thanks to Cagalli of finalfantasy-xiii.net and Sal from Scrawlfx]

Square Enix Reveals Final Fantasy XIII Box Art For North American & European Release

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:48:28 +0000

Square Enix showcased the final box art for the North American and European Final Fantasy XIII release today. The design is very simple and straight forward with just a hint of inner thigh that screams “Hey taxi!! Over here!”

Have a look at the high res box art in our gallery below.

“Leaked” FFXIII Box Art Actually Fan-Made Replica Based on TGS 09 PS3 Lightning Reveal

Chad Lakkis — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:00:35 +0000

“Leaked” Final Fantasy XIII Japanese box art has been making its way around the web today with a few people debating its authenticity. The main argument against its validity is based on the fact it was submitted to VGboxart.com, a website dedicated to hosting video game box art, on 9.30.09 by a user named “Stunt” who openly admitted:

“This is actually the Japanese box art. It’s never been released digitally, so I decided to create it in Photoshop.”

As you can see in the image above, the replica on the left does closely (if not identically) resemble the box art shown at the 2009 Tokyo Game Show reveal of the PS3 FFXIII Lightning Edition. The logo is a tad off in size and placement but that’s just nit-picking.

It remains to be seen whether or not the box art shown at TGS 09 will actually become the “final” FFXIII Japanese box art when the game is ultimately released. That said, the fan art is close enough to anything Square-Enix might have made available, had they wanted a digital version of the cover shown at TGS 09 to circulate, that it almost entirely makes the debate as to whether or not it’s “real” a non issue.

Hit the jump for a high-res look at the replica cover shown at TGS 09.

New Final Fantasy XIII Screens: Oerba Resurfaces

Chad Lakkis — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:02:49 +0000

I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s so close I can taste it, but with a Spring 2010 release date announced, I can certainly start day dreaming about playing it soon. The new FFXIII screens available after the jump showcase English text and reintroduce Oerba Yun Fang, first seen at Tokyo Game Show.

Final Fantasy XIII 360 Disc Space Limitations Won’t Compromise PS3 Version

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:50:40 +0000

Some PS3 Final Fantasy players (like myself) were shocked the day that the latest title was announced for the 360, in fact I almost ran up to the stage and started screaming at the conference, but once the shock faded, concerns started to come into play.

The biggest concern most PS3 owners had surrounded the potential “middle ground” that may have to be reached in order to have the game port successfully onto the 360 console. Namingly, the lack of disc space when comparing a Blu-ray discs to the traditional format.

Well, in one statement, FFXIII Producer, Yoshinori Kitase, put that fear to bed.

“The team is targeting to create an equal experience on both the 360 and the PS3 … right now we’re working on the PS3 version first, and once we’ve completed that we’ll really know how much game there will be to fit onto the Xbox 360 discs.

So we don’t know how many discs it’ll be housed on for 360, but there won’t be a chance that we’ll compromise anything because, oh it didn’t fit in the 360 discs so we’ll have to take it out of the PS3 version, or vice versa.”

Seems pretty clear and straight forward to me. While the end result may mean a multiple of discs for 360 owners, which has already been the case with other 360 MMOs, it appears that the integrity and creative vision of the game will not be tweaked in any way to accommodate lesser disc space. Hooray!

Source: VideoGamer