[Dan Endacott]

Haaah, I noticed that exclusion of XII. That game seems to be the unintended exception to the "Modern FF svcks" rule. Also, you may have just forgotten to include X-2 in "worst" or you, like me, actually like that game despite its god awful plot. Job system ftw. Or perhaps you just never played either of those games, in which case you can ignore this.

Nah I like both X-2 and XII although they are not as good as the older ones. And yes Job system FTW!

[Life long Observer]

Well that was an unexpected ending for FFXIII-2

Spoiler

I was a little disappointed though that my choice whether to spare Caius or not didn't change the ending. I will eventually go back and get the paradox endings but for now I think I'll take a break (if only because I have about 4 other games I've been wanting to play).

I wanted to play and beat the game before I gave any comment on the game.

The story wasn't necessarily bad so much as not there. Most of the different time periods are standalone stories but the overall story takes a hit because of that focus. So essentially you get the story in the beginning and then it pretty much picks up again at the end instead of throughout the game. Essentially between the beginning and the end I forgot what the story was.

The battle system was about the same as FFXIII except in some ways it is more challenging. Part of the challenge is to find decent monsters for your party (of which I never found a decent ravager in the vanilla game. Whenever I get Lightning from the DLC I may be able to fill that spot). I also found some of the cinematic action disappointing in that it doesn't really add much to the battle system nor do many of the choices actually change the outcome of battle (providing you don't fail them and I never did so I'm not sure how much it effects the outcome).

As far as characters go I was a little disappointed in character development of which there really isn't a whole lot. In FFXIII the main characters all undergo some sort of change where their outlook is altered. FFXIII-2 doesn't really have that and for the most part the characters remained the same.

I also have a list of annoyances:

Finding Captain Cryptic
Academia 400 AF (at least the monster spawn rate)
Random battles (not so much that I don't like random battles but how they happen)
Chocolina

Overall though I enjoyed FFXIII-2. I'm looking forward to Lightning's DLC as well as some of the monster DLC that is supposed to come out later.

Did you get the bestiary fragment? Wow, that took FOREVER. Overall, I liked the game and it is officially the only game that I've played on my Xbox that I got 100% of the achievements. As for the annoyances, Captain Cryptic was annoying and Academia 500 AF really, really annoyed me. I didn't mind the random battles too much. I used the fragment skill to turn down the battle rate. I didn't like the upgrade system as much in this game either because you had to talk to Chocolina

The monster upgrade thing was difficult at times. I had one good ravager in the game and that was Buccaboo Ace. I guess there is Cloudburst or whatever but that was literally the last monster I encountered to complete my bestiary guide.

This game is not for everybody, but if you enjoyed FFXIII then you would most likely enjoy this game.

Spoiler

I'm slightly confused with the story though, does the ending mean that there is going to be X-3? I liked the ending how everything was peachy, we saved the world and then bam, all hell breaks loose. But what does that mean?

[Lawrence Armijo]

Did you get the bestiary fragment?

Spoiler

I'm slightly confused with the story though, does the ending mean that there is going to be X-3? I liked the ending how everything was peachy, we saved the world and then bam, all hell breaks loose. But what does that mean?

I didn't finish the bestiary though I might when I start on the new Lightning DLC when it comes out.

Spoiler

I believe Square is going to release DLC to finish the story (the Lightning DLC may continue or expand on that story unless I'm mistaken)

[Catherine Harte]

Haaah, I noticed that exclusion of XII. That game seems to be the unintended exception to the "Modern FF svcks" rule. Also, you may have just forgotten to include X-2 in "worst" or you, like me, actually like that game despite its god awful plot. Job system ftw. Or perhaps you just never played either of those games, in which case you can ignore this.

X-2's combat and Dress Spheres were so great. It's still in my bottom five overall due to the aforementioned god awful plot (whose "perfect ending" also renders one of my favorite game endings worthless) and that sort of "leftovers" feel it had, but boy if I didn't have a ridiculous amount of fun with that job system and combat.

At this point I wouldn't care if they did X-3 just so that they could bring that combat back.

[Monique Cameron]

That why I also liked X-2, despite the rest of being complete crap. But I will always HATE XIII and that game did it for me. No more FFs.

[Dan Endacott]

That why I also liked X-2, despite the rest of being complete crap. But I will always HATE XIII and that game did it for me. No more FFs.

Why not just judge each game as it comes out, rather than swearing off the franchise's entire future because of one mediocre entry?

[Eileen Müller]

Finished The Last Story and unfortunately, it's just mediocre. Not bad, but certainly not great either. As far as Wii JRPGs go, I consider Xenoblade Chronicles to be a vastly superior game.

Contrary to the concept art, the game isn't colorful at all, it's all shades of grey and brown like many western games, and I don't consider that to be a good thing.

The soundtrack was another disappointment, it's too cinematic and forgettable. JRPGs usually have a couple of songs that makes me go "OMG! SO GOOD!" and sometimes makes me visit that spot only to hear the music more, but that never happened with TLS. That said, I never thought the music was bad either.

I also feel the story is too rushed, they really should have put in more moments with the characters and there are things that aren't really explained as much as I would have liked. That plenty of parts of the story are moved forward by a narrator rather than gameplay doesn't really help either.

On the plus side of thing, the combat was quite nice for the most part (the party members nagging during boss fights was not one of those things), and I really like the fact that there is a playable epilogue in the game. Too many games just end after the last boss fight, but I'm always interested to see what happens next to the place I saved and the characters I got to know. Some other games have better epilogues, but was still very nice

[DarkGypsy]

I also have a list of annoyances:

Finding Captain Cryptic
Academia 400 AF (at least the monster spawn rate)
Random battles (not so much that I don't like random battles but how they happen)
Chocolina

Not came to Cryptic yet.
That place is horrible, I got myself right out of there after defeating Zenobia and Geiseric, the latter being a complete pain in the [censored] to do, until I found a rythmn in his style and managed to work againist it
The rate in Augusta Tower is also horrible though the enemies are easily dispatched, it's just a pain to rinse and repeat.
The whole thing reminds me of Pokemon since all the monsters bear some common features. Like http://www.absoluteanime.com/pokemon/muk.gif and Flandit (http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101029180406/finalfantasy/images/c/cc/FFXIII_enemy_Rust_Pudding.png like)
Chocolina's voice is somewhat ignorable which is good since she's like the only vendor in the game - Her presence and the Save option in the pause screen are a welcomed change compared to having to find the machines to do either.

[Zosia Cetnar]

Why not just judge each game as it comes out, rather than swearing off the franchise's entire future because of one mediocre entry?

For 13, I bought into the hype, I admit. And as a result, I got burned. I can't risk blowing about 70 bucks(80 in the case of 13 because I bought the guide too -.-..)on a game I am not sure I'm going to like. So it's best I dont buy it at all. I can rant all day about how a certain trend started with FFX, and that's when I was losing faith in SE, but it wont be anything you haven't already heard before.

[gemma king]

Freddo, would you still recommend Last Story? I have the option of playing it online with a friend if I buy it.

[Kelly Osbourne Kelly]

I've still yet to play XIII, but I have a sneaking suspicion I'll enjoy it to an extent. I still absolutely loathe the fact that you can't switch controlled characters mid-battle, and that for the majority of the story, you're restricted to using the team the game forces on you, but I think I'll be able to find some fun in it somewhere. Maybe I'll just screw around with Paradigms and classes and such, coming up with ridiculous or just unconventional ones and attempting to beat the game with them, I dunno.

When it comes down to it, I've mostly played FF for each game's individual story, though I do appreciate it when there's a ton to do gameplay-wise as well. But really, when I think back on the good memories I've had with the series, it's because I was so engaged in the various plots and characters. Take IX for example, one of the most beloved entries in the series, yet on a gameplay standpoint is actually one of the more linear FF games, restricting every character to a specific set of equipment and skills, and compared to earlier games, had a much smaller number of optional quests to undertake. But what made that game amazing, to me, was its story, music and characters. I'll forever love it for those things alone.

I just find it a tad silly to start the blame game at X, because I think IX was the first streamlined game in line despite its amazing quality. Hell, I actually loved X, nearly every single aspect of it (including Tidus) for the exact same reasons I loved IX.

[Amy Masters]

Freddo, would you still recommend Last Story? I have the option of playing it online with a friend if I buy it.

I haven't tried the multiplayer so I can't really comment on that, maybe it's a lot of fun

It's not a bad game, and if you think it seems like an interesting game, go for it. Just don't expect it to be royally awesome.

[Rebecca Dosch]

I haven't tried the multiplayer so I can't really comment on that, maybe it's a lot of fun

It's not a bad game, and if you think it seems like an interesting game, go for it. Just don't expect it to be royally awesome.

Well, I read good things about it (character development, good story, etc.) plus it has Nobuo Uematsu, but your post seems to mention those points in a less favourable light.

[Sarah Evason]

I just find it a tad silly to start the blame game at X, because I think IX was the first streamlined game in line despite its amazing quality. Hell, I actually loved X, nearly every single aspect of it (including Tidus) for the exact same reasons I loved IX.

More so than the gameplay itself, I think story/characters were what hurt XIII the most. If it had a strong story and cast then I think folks would have been more forgiving of its linearity and fairly streamlined combat, but while the game's premise was actually one of the most interesting in the series, they told the story so poorly that the wasted potential was frustrating. It doesn't help that I only really liked one of the six main characters, perhaps tolerating two others. I loved the vast majority of character IV-XII, especially IX's.

That's really my only worry. Final Fantasy XIII-2 showed that they can open things up and improve gameplay, but it also showed that the creative minds in charge (writers, directors, etc.) are either in a rut or just really bad at their jobs. For all of the wonderful things Yshinori Kitase gave to the series under Sakaguchi's direction, I can't believe he's let Motomu Toriyama butcher Final Fantasy XIII. I take comfort in that Tetsuya Nomura at least seems to know what he's doing, as a lot of Square's best stuff the past decade have been made under his watch.

I think Akihiko Yoshida could also do wonders outside of an art position, especially having worked with Yasumi Matuno for so long.

Edit- Seems like I end up typing that same thing every time a discussion about Final Fantasy's future comes up.

[JD bernal]

I just find it a tad silly to start the blame game at X, because I think IX was the first streamlined game in line despite its amazing quality. Hell, I actually loved X, nearly every single aspect of it (including Tidus) for the exact same reasons I loved IX.

And yet IX is the least talked about FF D:.

[Chloe Mayo]

And yet IX is the least talked about FF D:.

Something I've been looking to change for some time now, though I don't think my big mouth gushing about the game is doing much more than annoying those that read my posts.

[Charlotte X]

And yet IX is the least talked about FF D:.

Well I dont frequent FF forums but everyone I know and lots of people on the forums say IX is the best. but they would be wrong. It is one of my favourites but the gameplay systems were slightly streamlined, Battles take forever (ATB gauge and battle intro) and it is not very challenging. Its still a fantastic game though, and it probably has the best story in all FF. Id say the least talked about is 5, people talk about boring 4 more than 5 i've noticed. <3 Old FFs

[MR.BIGG]

And yet IX is the least talked about FF D:.

That kinda' works in its favor; it doesn't receive nearly as much hate as the rest.

[Cedric Pearson]

Something I've been looking to change for some time now, though I don't think my big mouth gushing about the game is doing much more than annoying those that read my posts.

I've also tried to spread my love of FFIX as well

As far as the direction the Final Fantasy series is headed I don't see any one particular trend that points to more games like FFXIII (for those that didn't like it).

Final Fantasy Type-0 and Final Fantasy Versus XIII were made by different development teams and from what I've seen differ greatly from FFXIII.

[Skivs]

http://andriasang.com/con0a1/nomura_versus_mystery/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

But there's a catch! Someone or something is, for one reason or another, preventing him from sharing said info.

If nothing else, they sure can keep a secret. Where most games are leaked what seems like years before they release, I can't get info on Versus XIII if my life depended on it. Oh well. It'll come out... one day.
---------

Edit- In other news, picked up Tales of Graces f today. Only a few hours in, but it's pretty good so far. It doesn't look bad at all for what was originally a Wii game (though not quite as good as Vesperia, which is how I'd describe the game itself so far) and it's got some nice mechanics in place. Characters have "CC" which is used for every action, but actions like guarding and well-timed dodges/parries recover CC. There is a strong focus on guarding, parrying and dodging, which helps keep things from feeling button mashy.

Titles are actually useful now as well, being the characters' source for new skills. Titles level up from SP gained in battle and every Title has five ranks, each rank granting an Attack Arte or stat bonus (Artes stack, making mastering the same skill across multiple Titles useful). Characters retain mastered skills even after switching to different Titles.

Story and characters are pretty standard for a Tales game. As I said before, it isn't as good as Vesperia, but I'm also enjoying it much more than Abyss (I'm not sure why this one was loved so much, to be honest), though I'd say Graces f is much closer to the former.

[Roberta Obrien]

Something I've been looking to change for some time now, though I don't think my big mouth gushing about the game is doing much more than annoying those that read my posts.

That might be true if this were one of those heavy FF7 really devoted fan sites, but it isn't.

SE made sure there would be one thing about FFIX I would never forget. And that is Necron.

Well I dont frequent FF forums but everyone I know and lots of people on the forums say IX is the best. but they would be wrong. It is one of my favourites but the gameplay systems were slightly streamlined, Battles take forever (ATB gauge and battle intro) and it is not very challenging. Its still a fantastic game though, and it probably has the best story in all FF. Id say the least talked about is 5, people talk about boring 4 more than 5 i've noticed. <3 Old FFs

I think IX was supposed to be a modernized version of the games prior to FF6. I mean even the font was old school.

[herrade]

http://andriasang.com/con0a8/nomura_kh3d_interview/

Nomura said that the game can be cleared in 35 hours, but he noted that play time will be extended if you sink your teeth into the character raising component and mini games.

35 hours not counting mini games. I wonder if that includes any optional bosses and/or an Arena-like feature. If not then that's a huge step up from not only Birth by Sleep, but Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II as well. Just the story in those took me between 20 and 25 hours each.

[Steven Nicholson]

I'm looking to pick up some new JRPGs, and I was wondering if you guys had any suggestion.

My whole game collection, including 3 FFs, was stolen together with my Wii. Luckily they left my PS2.

I have a PS2, a PC and a DS as gaming machines. As soon as I can get the courage to buy it for the third time I'll most likely buy another Wii.

I have, well had, these games as RPGs. FF10, FF10-2, FF12, Disgaea 2 (Played it once before it was stolen.), SO:TTEOT, the first two original .Hacks, and the first two Kingdom Hearts. So I'm looking for suggestions which fall into the same category as these games.

[Mark Churchman]

I'm looking to pick up some new JRPGs, and I was wondering if you guys had any suggestion.

My whole game collection, including 3 FFs, was stolen together with my Wii. Luckily they left my PS2.

I have a PS2, a PC and a DS as gaming machines. As soon as I can get the courage to buy it for the third time I'll most likely buy another Wii.

I have, well had, these games as RPGs. FF10, FF10-2, FF12, Disgaea 2 (Played it once before it was stolen.), SO:TTEOT, the first two original .Hacks, and the first two Kingdom Hearts. So I'm looking for suggestions which fall into the same category as these games.

PS2

Ar Tonelico I
Ar Tonelico II
Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana
Baroque
Dark Cloud
Dark Cloud 2
Eternal Poison
Front Mission 4
La Pucelle Tactics
Makai Kingdom
Odin Sphere
Rogue Galaxy
Sakura Wars
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner - Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon
Shin Megami Tensei Digital Devil Saga
Shin Megami Tensei Digital Devil Saga 2
Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Fes
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
Soul Nomad
Suikoden III
Suikoden V
Summoner
Steambot Chronicles
Wild Arms 5
Wild Arms: Alter Code F
Xenosaga I
Xenosaga II
Xenosaga III


DS

Chrono Trigger
Infinite Space
Radiant Historia
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

[DAVId MArtInez]

I haven't tried the multiplayer so I can't really comment on that, maybe it's a lot of fun

It's not a bad game, and if you think it seems like an interesting game, go for it. Just don't expect it to be royally awesome.

Bought it today.