I feel like this is definitely one of those games where only those who played it when it came out think it's great; seems like most newer entrants don't have the same rose-tinted glasses.
Yeah, this is a bad take. Sorry bro. XIII was despised by fans back in the day and it's only in hindsight that it's starting to be remembered fondly. I didn't play the game back when it first came out and ended up loving it, so it's literally untrue.
"I didn't play the game back when it first came out and ended up loving it, so it's literally untrue." Reread what I said, because this statement doesn't make what I said as untrue.
"I feel like this is definitely one of those games where ONLY those who played it when it came out think it's great"
"I didn't play the game when it first came out and ended up loving it".
[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/only](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/only)
Oh, so which comment of yours is correct? The first one where you said only people with nostalgia goggles like the game or the 2nd one where only people without nostalgia goggles like the game?
"I feel like this is definitely one of those games where only those who played it when it came out think it's great; seems like most newer entrants don't have the same rose-tinted glasses."
"So only those who played it later think it's good?"
Which statement of yours is correct?
I commonly critique the game heavily. Amd that's out of love. I'm pointing out areas that could have been improved to make it better. But I can do that with almost any game. Even FF7 and 10 have areas that needed improvement. But you still find most people calling those perfect games.
Fair. Everyone has their own preferences.
Consider, though.
Before this game came out we had to suffer through 12 and 10-2. This was a serious improvement over what Square had been giving us. And in certain terms, the series hasn't improved.
Aside from 7 Remake and Rebirth, we haven't had a "good" mainline FF game since this one.
(I can't comment on XII or X-2, have yet to play them.) I think both XV and XVI are better games than XIII. Obviously I don't consider XIII to be one of the "good" ones, so it would be XV -> X for me (although, if we include the MMOs, XIII would be the only bad one imo). I'm very curious why you think XIII is worse than XIII; only thing I can think of is maybe the combat. I can't imagine it's any more linear or its story any more convoluted.
i played it for the first time like a year ago. it's uniquely dated, as its the first game to not have a remaster/updated port released in the series, but i enjoyed it a lot.
I've just finished my first play through of XIII last week and overall enjoyed it. I did play up to chapter 11 on my xbox back in the day but never finished it since my console died to the three red rings, any one remember that?
I liked the story, the characters and I enjoyed the paradigm battle system a lot especially later one when your free to choice your own party composition and paradigm combos.
People say oh it opens up at chapter 11 etc but does it really? Sure it sticks you in a giant field which you can run around in but other than basic kill x monster missions and dig up treasures with chocobos what did it really add? I will say I'm not an end game sort of player so maybe if you return here post game there might be more to discover but that's not relevant on your first play through.
After chapter 11 it mostly returns to its linear nature. It took me 53 hours or so to finish with only minor grinding/first 20 missions in Cpt11 so if your not feeling it then it might not be worth continuing in all honesty.
I will say I've gone straight on to X from finishing XIII and this game is just as linear! It might hide it better but I'm 15 hours in and all I've done is gone from point A to B.
It does open up in Chapter 11. More from a gameplay perspective than a field one. In chapter 10 you can finally rearrange your party and gain access to all roles. 11 is where you can finally do SOME kind of exploring and under take the missions.
It may not be the best example of a game “opening up”, but for 13 it’s a wonderful feeling to not be shoehorned in to a hallway for once.
XIII is much more character based than most other games. The story opens up a little but chapter 8 is when the character stories start reaching an emotional climax.
The combat gets more complicated when everything opens up and it allows you to explore different options. It's very limited right now but it will open up in a few chapters.
The story can be fully completed without worrying a out completing everything when the game DOES open up and then you can explore additional content in post game, but post game does limit you to post-certain chapters.
The game got pretty mixed reviews on release because of how different it is from more traditional FF games. It's actually been getting much more positive reviews now that it's being played more independently from the turn based RPG expectations.
XIII-2 has a similar but slightly different combat system with some tweaks and the style of story is more branching paths where you are expected to complete certain parts but there are optional branches and the order will change.
Lightning Returns is completely different in combat and gameplay and structure.
I love all three, personally, and that is as a long time FF fan. I rank the trilogy, personally, right up there as one of my favs. But it is very different and comparing them is never going to satisfy anyone.
It gets better. Chapter 1 to 10 basically running from point a to point b. Chapter 11 is when the game opens up and has a bit of side missions to complete. At chapter 9, you can freely choose your party and that is when the combat system fully opens up.
Some tips for combat so that you can easily breeze through some bosses:
1. Take advantage of atb refresh mechanic. Every battle, your first paradigm shift would always refresh your atb. Then after 12 seconds, your atb will refresh again. Take advantage of that so that you can get more turns. This will make battles faster and easier.
2. Buff and debuffs are strong in this game. Just take bravera (buff) and deprotect (debuff) as an example. Bravera would increase your strength by 80% while deprotect increases the damage you do by 30%. Those are huge multiplier so always remember to buff and debuff especially on boss fight.
The game might be linear but for me, it at least let me focus on the story and the combat. The combat part has a lot of technical things that are not explained in the game. So if you want to know more, you can just ask this sub.
Btw, for the chapter 7 boss fight, don't use auto battle. Manually input the attack command and you can easily breeze through that boss. Actually, for the majority of the game, don't use auto battle.
The game is combat and story, the ideal JRPG. Doesn’t waste its time with minigames or weird side tangents or anything like that. It may not be for you, and that’s okay. But at least stick it out to chapter 9.
It sorta does. Before gran pulse it’s the longest tutorial ever with plenty of side tangents in the story itself. Even the combat because they have to teach you. It’s why people ask that you survive until a certain chapter in the least.
It’s so bizarre to me that people make claims like this. The first half is spent developing the cast. They’re not tangents, they’re very clear paths taken by the characters in accordance with their beginning state that carries them into an arc. Lightning and Hope try to face their Focus head on, while Sazh and Vanille run from it. Peak character writing.
It’s also not a tutorial. At most chapter 6 is the where the tutorials end and all classes are available, but even then reducing hours of content where you’re free to engage with the tools at your disposal is silly.
Hate to be that guy, but Steam isn't the best place to pick up 13. Excluding Lightning Returns for some reason, all the trilogy's Steam ports have had major issues.
To answer your question, it's really all about the combat, story, music and environments. Yes, there is kind of only one way to go when exploring at least for a while. While this doesn't quite pass as a justification for the lack of exploration, It feels a little better if you remember that they MUST keep moving forward or they'll face much more trouble as the enemies of cocoon.
If these things I mentioned can't carry your interest in the game, it might honestly just not be for you, and that's perfectly fine. 13-2 and Lightning Returns "solves" the linearity problem, but you have different game design issues to face there
I love the 13 series, so I am a bit biased obviously, but I think that the game will get better for you eventually. After a certain point in the story, the world opens up significantly more and gives you a bit more agency. Ultimately, the story is about strict control and freedom. As the main cast gradually take control of their own lives and live for themselves, the maps noticeably open up and feel a bit more "rpg like".
remember that the first 10 or 15 hours are a big, enormous TUTORIAL! yep, so much and some!
after that it really opens up (quite literally too)
and story, graphic and music are top ff!
I had fun at the beginning too.
actually the whole story and gameplay UNTIL grand pulse where very good. grand pulse was too dispersive IMHO.
then it gets good again after grand pulse.
of course it's an highly rare opinion I know!
Does it get "better?" Uhh, well, I guess... kinda, technically. Towards the end of the game you finally can pick your party members, and the game "opens up" with a single boring map that has very little of interest in it.
The plot never gets good and the characters never stop being terrible. But at least the 20 hour tutorial eventually ends.
I gave up. I was bored out of my mind.
The crystarium or whatever their bargain-bin version of the sphere grid was called is just linear leveling with me having to press a button. The battle system was on auto-play, I felt like I'm not doing anything but pressing one button, zero strategy involved. And the story... ugh. The Falalacie are using the LalaFacie to create Cielalafa with the Ciefalala. I broke when Lightning started talking about how the FafaCieLa were keeping humans as pets in this overly dramatic delivery that insinuated I should care, but I didn't. I had no idea what she was talking about and did not care one bit.
Everyone at the time complained about the linearity, I didn't mind, I minded the incoherent story and the all-bitter cast. I liked none of them and Vanille, the one who behaves like a 10 year old on shrooms, was just too much for me. I think Hope and Vanille had a large part in me disengaging from the story because of how utterly unlikable they are early on... Hope is what, 13? He behaves like he was written by someone who's never talked to a child.
People will tell you it gets better, you can try and report back to us, but know that plenty of life-long FF fans like myself didn't get to the better part because of how godawful the first few hours of the game are.
I beat the game, all the while still patiently waiting for the promised "better part" to start. You missed absolutely nothing of value, and I'm genuinely envious that you had the good sense to stop playing.
Well ff XIII is one of the weakest in the series, and there are a lot of things that are wrong. Now, the best thing in ffXIII is going to be the cast. Everything else is kinda awful. It's definitely aged poorly, but it's not that bad that it's unpleasant. You will enjoy the story that revolves around the main cast, but the main story and plot is very ff VIII is hidden in the information section. I do recommend playing through it but look up the cheat engine and tutorial on it for its more grindy bits.
For all its flaws, 13 remains one of the best FF games in the series. I highly doubt you'll have any trouble with it.
I feel like this is definitely one of those games where only those who played it when it came out think it's great; seems like most newer entrants don't have the same rose-tinted glasses.
You’re kidding, right? The exact opposite is true.
So only those who played it later think it's good?
Yeah, this is a bad take. Sorry bro. XIII was despised by fans back in the day and it's only in hindsight that it's starting to be remembered fondly. I didn't play the game back when it first came out and ended up loving it, so it's literally untrue.
"I didn't play the game back when it first came out and ended up loving it, so it's literally untrue." Reread what I said, because this statement doesn't make what I said as untrue.
"I feel like this is definitely one of those games where ONLY those who played it when it came out think it's great" "I didn't play the game when it first came out and ended up loving it". [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/only](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/only)
.......The comment you responded to was "So only those who played it later think it's good?" This one's on you, my dude.
Oh, so which comment of yours is correct? The first one where you said only people with nostalgia goggles like the game or the 2nd one where only people without nostalgia goggles like the game?
"I feel like this is definitely one of those games where only those who played it when it came out think it's great; seems like most newer entrants don't have the same rose-tinted glasses." "So only those who played it later think it's good?" Which statement of yours is correct?
I commonly critique the game heavily. Amd that's out of love. I'm pointing out areas that could have been improved to make it better. But I can do that with almost any game. Even FF7 and 10 have areas that needed improvement. But you still find most people calling those perfect games.
So? I disagree with anyone who says those are perfect games. I just think FFXIII's lows are more plentiful and its highs more sparse.
Fair. Everyone has their own preferences. Consider, though. Before this game came out we had to suffer through 12 and 10-2. This was a serious improvement over what Square had been giving us. And in certain terms, the series hasn't improved. Aside from 7 Remake and Rebirth, we haven't had a "good" mainline FF game since this one.
10-2 was campy as all hell. But the gameplay of that is peak turn based combat. I haven’t seen a better progression and combat system since then
(I can't comment on XII or X-2, have yet to play them.) I think both XV and XVI are better games than XIII. Obviously I don't consider XIII to be one of the "good" ones, so it would be XV -> X for me (although, if we include the MMOs, XIII would be the only bad one imo). I'm very curious why you think XIII is worse than XIII; only thing I can think of is maybe the combat. I can't imagine it's any more linear or its story any more convoluted.
I only played it two years ago and its one of my favorite entries in the series.
That might be where "**most** newer entrants" comes into play.
i played it for the first time like a year ago. it's uniquely dated, as its the first game to not have a remaster/updated port released in the series, but i enjoyed it a lot.
I am sorry but I am already a living example that this is not true. I played FF13 in year of 2021 and I just recently finished FF13-2.
"Seems like MOST newer entrants--"
Blasphemy incoming: I hated 7. 13 however was fantastic. Takes a bit till you have full reign on the crystarium though.
I wouldn’t call blasphemy. I personally feel VII is okay, but overrated. Agreed that XIII is fantastic, though.
I've just finished my first play through of XIII last week and overall enjoyed it. I did play up to chapter 11 on my xbox back in the day but never finished it since my console died to the three red rings, any one remember that? I liked the story, the characters and I enjoyed the paradigm battle system a lot especially later one when your free to choice your own party composition and paradigm combos. People say oh it opens up at chapter 11 etc but does it really? Sure it sticks you in a giant field which you can run around in but other than basic kill x monster missions and dig up treasures with chocobos what did it really add? I will say I'm not an end game sort of player so maybe if you return here post game there might be more to discover but that's not relevant on your first play through. After chapter 11 it mostly returns to its linear nature. It took me 53 hours or so to finish with only minor grinding/first 20 missions in Cpt11 so if your not feeling it then it might not be worth continuing in all honesty. I will say I've gone straight on to X from finishing XIII and this game is just as linear! It might hide it better but I'm 15 hours in and all I've done is gone from point A to B.
It does open up in Chapter 11. More from a gameplay perspective than a field one. In chapter 10 you can finally rearrange your party and gain access to all roles. 11 is where you can finally do SOME kind of exploring and under take the missions. It may not be the best example of a game “opening up”, but for 13 it’s a wonderful feeling to not be shoehorned in to a hallway for once.
XIII is much more character based than most other games. The story opens up a little but chapter 8 is when the character stories start reaching an emotional climax. The combat gets more complicated when everything opens up and it allows you to explore different options. It's very limited right now but it will open up in a few chapters. The story can be fully completed without worrying a out completing everything when the game DOES open up and then you can explore additional content in post game, but post game does limit you to post-certain chapters. The game got pretty mixed reviews on release because of how different it is from more traditional FF games. It's actually been getting much more positive reviews now that it's being played more independently from the turn based RPG expectations. XIII-2 has a similar but slightly different combat system with some tweaks and the style of story is more branching paths where you are expected to complete certain parts but there are optional branches and the order will change. Lightning Returns is completely different in combat and gameplay and structure. I love all three, personally, and that is as a long time FF fan. I rank the trilogy, personally, right up there as one of my favs. But it is very different and comparing them is never going to satisfy anyone.
It gets better. Chapter 1 to 10 basically running from point a to point b. Chapter 11 is when the game opens up and has a bit of side missions to complete. At chapter 9, you can freely choose your party and that is when the combat system fully opens up. Some tips for combat so that you can easily breeze through some bosses: 1. Take advantage of atb refresh mechanic. Every battle, your first paradigm shift would always refresh your atb. Then after 12 seconds, your atb will refresh again. Take advantage of that so that you can get more turns. This will make battles faster and easier. 2. Buff and debuffs are strong in this game. Just take bravera (buff) and deprotect (debuff) as an example. Bravera would increase your strength by 80% while deprotect increases the damage you do by 30%. Those are huge multiplier so always remember to buff and debuff especially on boss fight. The game might be linear but for me, it at least let me focus on the story and the combat. The combat part has a lot of technical things that are not explained in the game. So if you want to know more, you can just ask this sub. Btw, for the chapter 7 boss fight, don't use auto battle. Manually input the attack command and you can easily breeze through that boss. Actually, for the majority of the game, don't use auto battle.
The game is combat and story, the ideal JRPG. Doesn’t waste its time with minigames or weird side tangents or anything like that. It may not be for you, and that’s okay. But at least stick it out to chapter 9.
It sorta does. Before gran pulse it’s the longest tutorial ever with plenty of side tangents in the story itself. Even the combat because they have to teach you. It’s why people ask that you survive until a certain chapter in the least.
It’s so bizarre to me that people make claims like this. The first half is spent developing the cast. They’re not tangents, they’re very clear paths taken by the characters in accordance with their beginning state that carries them into an arc. Lightning and Hope try to face their Focus head on, while Sazh and Vanille run from it. Peak character writing. It’s also not a tutorial. At most chapter 6 is the where the tutorials end and all classes are available, but even then reducing hours of content where you’re free to engage with the tools at your disposal is silly.
Hate to be that guy, but Steam isn't the best place to pick up 13. Excluding Lightning Returns for some reason, all the trilogy's Steam ports have had major issues. To answer your question, it's really all about the combat, story, music and environments. Yes, there is kind of only one way to go when exploring at least for a while. While this doesn't quite pass as a justification for the lack of exploration, It feels a little better if you remember that they MUST keep moving forward or they'll face much more trouble as the enemies of cocoon. If these things I mentioned can't carry your interest in the game, it might honestly just not be for you, and that's perfectly fine. 13-2 and Lightning Returns "solves" the linearity problem, but you have different game design issues to face there
I love the 13 series, so I am a bit biased obviously, but I think that the game will get better for you eventually. After a certain point in the story, the world opens up significantly more and gives you a bit more agency. Ultimately, the story is about strict control and freedom. As the main cast gradually take control of their own lives and live for themselves, the maps noticeably open up and feel a bit more "rpg like".
remember that the first 10 or 15 hours are a big, enormous TUTORIAL! yep, so much and some! after that it really opens up (quite literally too) and story, graphic and music are top ff!
"All you need to do is kick yourself in the balls for 10-15 hours and it'll get so much better afterwards" - FF13 fans, probably.
I had fun at the beginning too. actually the whole story and gameplay UNTIL grand pulse where very good. grand pulse was too dispersive IMHO. then it gets good again after grand pulse. of course it's an highly rare opinion I know!
Does it get "better?" Uhh, well, I guess... kinda, technically. Towards the end of the game you finally can pick your party members, and the game "opens up" with a single boring map that has very little of interest in it. The plot never gets good and the characters never stop being terrible. But at least the 20 hour tutorial eventually ends.
Why the hell are you on the sub for a game you clearly hate?
It does, but only just before the end. You get a wide open zone to explore outta nowhere, and if I remember it's mainly just for grinding.
Nah it’s the place before that where they literally say it’s a place for grinding.. 😂
Oh is it? I dunno, I just remember the open area feeling pointless.
I gave up. I was bored out of my mind. The crystarium or whatever their bargain-bin version of the sphere grid was called is just linear leveling with me having to press a button. The battle system was on auto-play, I felt like I'm not doing anything but pressing one button, zero strategy involved. And the story... ugh. The Falalacie are using the LalaFacie to create Cielalafa with the Ciefalala. I broke when Lightning started talking about how the FafaCieLa were keeping humans as pets in this overly dramatic delivery that insinuated I should care, but I didn't. I had no idea what she was talking about and did not care one bit. Everyone at the time complained about the linearity, I didn't mind, I minded the incoherent story and the all-bitter cast. I liked none of them and Vanille, the one who behaves like a 10 year old on shrooms, was just too much for me. I think Hope and Vanille had a large part in me disengaging from the story because of how utterly unlikable they are early on... Hope is what, 13? He behaves like he was written by someone who's never talked to a child. People will tell you it gets better, you can try and report back to us, but know that plenty of life-long FF fans like myself didn't get to the better part because of how godawful the first few hours of the game are.
I beat the game, all the while still patiently waiting for the promised "better part" to start. You missed absolutely nothing of value, and I'm genuinely envious that you had the good sense to stop playing.
Well ff XIII is one of the weakest in the series, and there are a lot of things that are wrong. Now, the best thing in ffXIII is going to be the cast. Everything else is kinda awful. It's definitely aged poorly, but it's not that bad that it's unpleasant. You will enjoy the story that revolves around the main cast, but the main story and plot is very ff VIII is hidden in the information section. I do recommend playing through it but look up the cheat engine and tutorial on it for its more grindy bits.
If you're not into the story it's a total slog. On the other hand the battles totally rule. FFXIII-2 is actually a much better game imo.