FFXIII - I've seen "The End"

Sat, 22 May 2010 13:28:13 GMT

So, I've made the massive effort and completed the main storyline of FFXIII, thus bringing my total number of finished games to 6[1]. As per usual, I've been scribbling various notes as I go, so they're under the cut (for those who don't want to be spoiled.

( Spoileriffic stuff under here )

Overall, I was reasonably happy with the game, although I'm not fond of the "okay, you've finished the main plot, now you can spend another sixty or so hours maxing out your characters if you want to" play style. Particularly since the subsequent time ignores some rather significant plot elements. Now, if it were an honest continuation, following on from the storyline, I'd be happier, but as it is the storyline is just suspended in mid-air, and you're supposed to carry on as though the end didn't happen. It's a useful style of play for people like me, who like being completeists, but I think it worked better in Dissidia.

But that's a minor point. Overall, the game was a lot of fun, full of plot as per usual for Squeenix. To be honest, the plot is the thing I love best about Squeenix RPGs - while there's a lot of fights happening, there's a lot of story happening as well, so the game is more than just a series of fights strung together with a rather thin storyline holding the whole thing together. The unfolding of the storyline (and the multiple time periods this involved) was quite a major feature of the game. The battle system was different (another Square Enix regularity - the battle system seems to change with every new FF game) although to be honest my favourite of the versions I've tried is still the one from FFXII, where the battles were much more integrated into the landscape. It's a good game, well worth the money I spent on it.

[1] Kingdom Hearts I and II; FF7; FF7: Dirge of Cerberus; Final Fantasy: Dissidia; and now FFXIII.

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A New Game

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:18:45 GMT

I got my birthday money, and bought myself four new tops. Then my family's card came in the mail, and I got another $50. So I wandered down to the local branch of my favourite video game shop, and discovered they had FF13 priced a good $20 lower than most of the other gaming shops ($100 rather than $120). So guess what I snapped up.

I'm now up to disk 2 (which surprised me, since usually in multi-disc games disc 2 isn't reachable until I've played for weeks) and heading into one of the big bastard boss fights. Which I've already been killed by about three times *sigh*. I'm loving the story, particularly the re-use of various tropes and notions from other FF games, as well as a very clear homage or two to Star Wars in there (what else can you call finding a weapon called a "Lifesaber" when you're raiding the flying fortress of the evil overlord?). I get the sense that there's a lot of love and enjoyment went into the creation of the game, which is always a good thing as far as I'm concerned (things people love tend to have a bit more fun in them, by way of in-jokes and similar).

( Spoileriffic stuff under here )

So, in between assignments and lectures and things, I'm going to be chasing about trying to beat this boss, and see where the game takes me. I might also be heading back to my favourite video game shop, and picking up a copy of the game guide for FF13, since I have a strong suspicion I must have missed at least one or two points where I could wander off in disc 1. So, something for the next run through.

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FFXIII - I've seen "The End"

A New Game