Game

[Smooth Groove]

I bought FF13 (for the PS3,  'cause 360 copies were sold out  ) but I'm seriously wondering whether I should open it or not.  The game sounds like a mess.  I'm pretty sure I'd get a lot more enjoyment from a $50 steak instead.  If I do find the time to play a RPG, is there any reason why I should play FF13 instead of Mass Effect 2? 

[demi]

Probably not

[Ichirou]

I bought FF13 (for the PS3,  'cause 360 copies were sold out  ) but I'm seriously wondering whether I should open it or not.  The game sounds like a mess.  I'm pretty sure I'd get a lot more enjoyment from a $50 steak instead.  If I do find the time to play a RPG, is there any reason why I should play FF13 instead of Mass Effect 2? 

Mass Effect 2

[Himu]

Beat chapter 9.

I'm at...

spoiler (click to show/hide)

a giant room with big circle paths filled with enemies.  With Lighting, Fang, and Hope.  Shortly after Sazh and Vanille escape.  Am I almost done with Chapter 9?  Should I grind in this room?

[close]

?

Last room of the chapter, also the best room of the game so far.

[Lucretius]

Beat chapter 9.

I'm at...

spoiler (click to show/hide)

a giant room with big circle paths filled with enemies.  With Lighting, Fang, and Hope.  Shortly after Sazh and Vanille escape.  Am I almost done with Chapter 9?  Should I grind in this room?

[close]

?

Last room of the chapter, also the best room of the game so far.

Agreed.  I'm going ahead and killing everything in here.

[Himu]

Also, a tip to save you agony on the next boss, dude.

When the boss charges some spell and goes into a stance for about half a minute, just attack him, and keep attacking him. Unfortunately, one would think that doing such a stance would mean to go into defensive mode, but this game is stupid so it's the opposite - attack him and his attacks power lessens.

This will save you a lot of time attempting time and time again (it's a long fight, it took me 16 minutes to kill him) only to end up in failure. It's not even a hard fight, just a long and dumb one.

[demi]

thanks himu u r the ff master. that will save me the time it took you to read that on gamefaqs

[Himu]

I didn't read gamefaqs, someone posted this on gaf.

[billyofcourse]

Also, a tip to save you agony on the next boss, dude.

When the boss charges some spell and goes into a stance for about half a minute, just attack him, and keep attacking him. Unfortunately, one would think that doing such a stance would mean to go into defensive mode, but this game is stupid so it's the opposite - attack him and his attacks power lessens.

This will save you a lot of time attempting time and time again (it's a long fight, it took me 16 minutes to kill him) only to end up in failure. It's not even a hard fight, just a long and dumb one.

How'd it take you that long to beat him?  I had him done in about 5 and a half minutes.  Open up with librascope to get his weaknesses, then switch everyone to ravagers and take out the smaller heads one at a time.  Heal as neccessary(preferably using potions with the accessory on lightning that makes potions more effective).  And yeah, bet the hell out of it while it's charging up.  It probably also helped that I used items prior to going into the battle that gave me all the offensive and defensive buffs lol.

[treythemovie]

I love Penny Arcade's description of this game's characters:

God, I hate these fucking people. I don't give a shit what happens to Sulky, Twat, Twit, Pip, and Marm. Sometimes, I kill them on purpose

[Himu]

Also, a tip to save you agony on the next boss, dude.

When the boss charges some spell and goes into a stance for about half a minute, just attack him, and keep attacking him. Unfortunately, one would think that doing such a stance would mean to go into defensive mode, but this game is stupid so it's the opposite - attack him and his attacks power lessens.

This will save you a lot of time attempting time and time again (it's a long fight, it took me 16 minutes to kill him) only to end up in failure. It's not even a hard fight, just a long and dumb one.

How'd it take you that long to beat him?  I had him done in about 5 and a half minutes.  Open up with librascope to get his weaknesses, then switch everyone to ravagers and take out the smaller heads one at a time.  Heal as neccessary(preferably using potions with the accessory on lightning that makes potions more effective).  And yeah, bet the hell out of it while it's charging up.  It probably also helped that I used items prior to going into the battle that gave me all the offensive and defensive buffs lol.

You can do that before boss fights?

My whole party can't be ravagers. I took them out one at a time, didn't both using librascope because it said he didn't have weaknesses with libra.

[dark1x]

Too bad the Triple isn't compatible with VGA monitors. Supporting more resolutions: That's The 360 Difference^TM.

That would only be necessary if you were still using an old monitor.  Any monitor in the last 5 or 6 years can support the PS3.  All you need is a DVI input and you're good to go.  Beats VGA, for certain.

Not true.  The monitors have to be HDCP compatible, which many monitors older than 2-3 yrs aren't.  Also, PS3 only supports 1280x720 or 1920x1080, which screws things up for most monitors that aren't also designed to be used as TVs.   OTOH, the 360 supports many other resolutions in addition to 720P and 1080P.  

I know it pains you but it's another victory for the 360's superior hardware.  

HDCP doesn't actually seem to be necessary as I've been able to achieve a picture on very old LCDs (though I can't imagine why anyone would want to use one).  You could not watch blu-ray movies, of course, but the system was able to display a picture at 1280x720.

Of course the 360 solution is superior, but unless you're rocking with old ass hardware, it wouldn't be a problem either way.

[Smooth Groove]

HDCP doesn't actually seem to be necessary as I've been able to achieve a picture on very old LCDs (though I can't imagine why anyone would want to use one).  You could not watch blu-ray movies, of course, but the system was able to display a picture at 1280x720.

Of course the 360 solution is superior, but unless you're rocking with old ass hardware, it wouldn't be a problem either way.

I guess you just got lucky.  Many people were complaining about just getting black screens when connecting their non-HDCP monitors to PS3s. 

Also, lack of scaling options with 720p and 1080p is still a major issue with most monitors.  It's only in the last few months that 16:9 monitors are starting to become the standard.

So yeah, it's a bigger win for the 360 than you're trying to make it out to be. 

[Ichirou]

Too bad the Triple isn't compatible with VGA monitors. Supporting more resolutions: That's The 360 Difference^TM.

That would only be necessary if you were still using an old monitor.  Any monitor in the last 5 or 6 years can support the PS3.  All you need is a DVI input and you're good to go.  Beats VGA, for certain.

Not true.  The monitors have to be HDCP compatible, which many monitors older than 2-3 yrs aren't.  Also, PS3 only supports 1280x720 or 1920x1080, which screws things up for most monitors that aren't also designed to be used as TVs.   OTOH, the 360 supports many other resolutions in addition to 720P and 1080P.  

I know it pains you but it's another victory for the 360's superior hardware.  

HDCP doesn't actually seem to be necessary as I've been able to achieve a picture on very old LCDs (though I can't imagine why anyone would want to use one).  You could not watch blu-ray movies, of course, but the system was able to display a picture at 1280x720.

Of course the 360 solution is superior, but unless you're rocking with old ass hardware, it wouldn't be a problem either way.

All you need to know, dude. 

[dark1x]

HDCP doesn't actually seem to be necessary as I've been able to achieve a picture on very old LCDs (though I can't imagine why anyone would want to use one).  You could not watch blu-ray movies, of course, but the system was able to display a picture at 1280x720.

Of course the 360 solution is superior, but unless you're rocking with old ass hardware, it wouldn't be a problem either way.

I guess you just got lucky.  Many people were complaining about just getting black screens when connecting their non-HDCP monitors to PS3s. 

Also, lack of scaling options with 720p and 1080p is still a major issue with most monitors.  It's only in the last few months that 16:9 monitors are starting to become the standard.

So yeah, it's a bigger win for the 360 than you're trying to make it out to be. 

Fair enough.

I use this solution on a near constant basis with many different monitors for multiple PS3 multiplayer setups.  I've used monitors from many different companies released anywhere from 2004 to 2010 and have only ever had minor issues (a 1680x1050 HP monitor would display 1080p scaled down, but kept showing warnings unless 720p was selected).  Most monitors seem to handle 16:9 resolutions even when they are not 16:9 themselves.  You either get small black bars or a slightly stretched image.

I guess all of the filthy poors out there would know better, though, as I tend to avoid outdated, shitty hardware whenever possible (though sometimes it can be difficult).  The average 360 owner probably wouldn't even know how to properly setup the system for use on a PC monitor anyways.  I've seen far too many people running their 360s at 480p in 4:3 stretched mode on outdated LCDs.

[Ichirou]

Uhhh, I have my 360 on a PC monitor and I sure as fuck have it properly set up.

[Himu]

NO

ONE

CARES

[bork]

Uhhh, I have my 360 on a PC monitor and I sure as fuck have it properly set up.

Yeah, I dunno what dark1x is talking about.  Every time I have hooked up a 360 with VGA cables to a monitor, the system would default to the optimal resolution/aspect ratio.  First time I have seen anyone say a PS3 works on a non-HDCP monitor, too.  Would like to know more about that.

[dark1x]

Yeah, I dunno what dark1x is talking about.  Every time I have hooked up a 360 with VGA cables to a monitor, the system would default to the optimal resolution/aspect ratio.  First time I have seen anyone say a PS3 works on a non-HDCP monitor, too.  Would like to know more about that.

Just generalization about HD stuff in general, I suppose (though HDMI always autodetects).

The non-HDCP monitor I used had issues, but I was able to get a picture.  Basically, if I allowed HDMI auto detection to run, it would produce a black screen (the initial image shows up fine in 480p, but auto detection would result in a black screen).  If I manually selected 720p, however, it worked fine.  This was on an old 2003 Gateway branded LCD with a 1680x1050 resolution that a friend of mine uses.

Alright, fine, I'll admit it...the 360 caters to people using outdated equipment and, as such, features a more robust selection of video modes.  It's definitely a good thing.

[ManaByte]

Apparently the game has freezing issues on non-slim PS3s:
[youtube=560,345][/youtube]
http://www.motionbox.com/video/show/1c99dcb11013ecc494/bc2e14e3f36d354e
http://boardsus.playstation.com/t5/Final-Fantasy-Series/Final-Fantasy-XIII-Freezing/td-p/45382189;jsessionid=A4407A571FC507E7B53F7EE2779CF83B

[billyofcourse]

Also, a tip to save you agony on the next boss, dude.

When the boss charges some spell and goes into a stance for about half a minute, just attack him, and keep attacking him. Unfortunately, one would think that doing such a stance would mean to go into defensive mode, but this game is stupid so it's the opposite - attack him and his attacks power lessens.

This will save you a lot of time attempting time and time again (it's a long fight, it took me 16 minutes to kill him) only to end up in failure. It's not even a hard fight, just a long and dumb one.

How'd it take you that long to beat him?  I had him done in about 5 and a half minutes.  Open up with librascope to get his weaknesses, then switch everyone to ravagers and take out the smaller heads one at a time.  Heal as neccessary(preferably using potions with the accessory on lightning that makes potions more effective).  And yeah, bet the hell out of it while it's charging up.  It probably also helped that I used items prior to going into the battle that gave me all the offensive and defensive buffs lol.

You can do that before boss fights?

My whole party can't be ravagers. I took them out one at a time, didn't both using librascope because it said he didn't have weaknesses with libra.

He doesn't have a weakness himself, but his mini sideheads each have a different elemental weakness.  Casting libra or throwing down a librascope will make sure your characters all spam the correct elements at them.  I find a party of ravagers works well against opponents with a ton of hp as it gets them into stagger as quickly as possible and takes them down quick.  Also, yes you can use those items prior to boss battles.  I also use librascope over libra to save TP, given i could still use libra twice and be able to summon, so it's not that big of a deal.

[Himu]

Taking out the heads was easy. I found the general fight to be easy, but it took forever to kill him (not the heads).

[Joe Molotov]

Apparently the game has freezing issues on non-slim PS3s:
[youtube=560,345][/youtube]
http://www.motionbox.com/video/show/1c99dcb11013ecc494/bc2e14e3f36d354e
http://boardsus.playstation.com/t5/Final-Fantasy-Series/Final-Fantasy-XIII-Freezing/td-p/45382189;jsessionid=A4407A571FC507E7B53F7EE2779CF83B

I'm glad I bought the Superior 360 Version

[iconoclast]

Just beat this. Took 43 hours while doing, I dunno, 20-25 of the hunts (which are extremely boring, at least until you get a chocobo). Great game overall but there were still several sections I didn't like. Chapter 4 and 10 sucked, the first half of chapter 13 was a chore (not enough enemy variety), hunts suck, and the item upgrade system is lame. Those are pretty much all of my complaints off the top of my head - everything else was good. I'd place FF13 above all of the other console RPGs this gen besides Vesperia (and Demon's Souls and Valkyria if you count them).

Just gotta finish the rest of the achievements now, which I'm not looking forward to.

[Bebpo]

Yeah, the achievement grind sucks.

I thought a lot of the hunts were fun.  Especially the challenging ones that required a lot of strategy.  Did you at least see the

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Tonberry?

[close]

[iconoclast]

Nah, I just did all of the low level hunts and some random high level ones that I came across. The ones that are basically boss fights are good, but most of the ones I found just involve killing a group of enemies that are slightly different from what you've already fought a hundred times. But what I really hate is having to run across the giant god damn map to get a quest, run allllll  the way to another section to kill the monster, then find the next stone and run alllll the way back, repeatedly. That's less of a problem once you've activated all the teleports and have a chocobo, but man I really hated running back and forth just to kill some weak enemies.

I look forward to doing a hunt that involves killing

spoiler (click to show/hide)

that GIANT red and black titan that's roaming the land. When I first saw him walking around I was like ... There IS a hunt for fighting that guy, right?

[close]

And yeah, Lightning is awesome. She has a sword that has a Quick Stagger effect, so you can build meter really fast with her as a Ravager. I'm using that along with Fang's Stagger Lock staff and the Hawkeye with Hope for the high magic stat. I wound up swapping Vanille out since having two Saboteurs was a waste, and I like all dem buffs Hope gives. :'(

[Bebpo]

Sort of.  You do interact with it.

and yeah, the running around was terrible.  Even after you get the chocobo it's a pain in the ass.  Which is too bad because I liked the actual fights themselves.  Just the padding between them sucks.

[Don Flamenco]

just got to chapter 7 -- aaaaaannnnnnndddd I'm outta here.  This game is boring the shit out of me!   Battle system is great, but it's not carrying the whole game for me.  Maybe I'll revisit it down the road. 

sounds like the game still relies solely on fights, even after it opens up and finally gives you full control of your party.

[Junpei the Tracer!]

I got hit with the freezing issue when I beat the Chapter 7 end boss. Tried 2 more times and it was the same deal. Why you do this to me Square why?    Guess I won't be playing this for the foreseeable future. Really liked it too.

And yesterday I made fun of Viz for having to switch discs, well at least he won't have to deal with this problem  :'(

[demi]

ololol

[Himu]

I got hit with the freezing issue when I beat the Chapter 7 end boss. Tried 2 more times and it was the same deal. Why you do this to me Square why?    Guess I won't be playing this for the foreseeable future. Really liked it too.

And yesterday I made fun of Viz for having to switch discs, well at least he won't have to deal with this problem  :'(

That's what you get for being a scrub and not having a slim ps3.

[ManaByte]

I got hit with the freezing issue when I beat the Chapter 7 end boss. Tried 2 more times and it was the same deal. Why you do this to me Square why?    Guess I won't be playing this for the foreseeable future. Really liked it too.

And yesterday I made fun of Viz for having to switch discs, well at least he won't have to deal with this problem  :'(

That's what you get for being a scrub and not having a 360.

Fixed.

[Himu]

phht

[Rman]

just got to chapter 7 -- aaaaaannnnnnndddd I'm outta here.  This game is boring the shit out of me!   Battle system is great, but it's not carrying the whole game for me.  Maybe I'll revisit it down the road. 

sounds like the game still relies solely on fights, even after it opens up and finally gives you full control of your party.

So X>>>XIII?  I ask because didn't you recently start playing that again.

[Sho Nuff]

Synthesizer Patel is locked out of EB right now so he asked me to post this

tsc tsc tsc

[demi]

Gee, I certainly glad he wasnt locked out. Cause that is so hilarious?

[Junpei the Tracer!]

I got hit with the freezing issue when I beat the Chapter 7 end boss. Tried 2 more times and it was the same deal. Why you do this to me Square why?    Guess I won't be playing this for the foreseeable future. Really liked it too.

And yesterday I made fun of Viz for having to switch discs, well at least he won't have to deal with this problem  :'(

That's what you get for being a scrub and not having a 360.

Fixed.

I do have a 360, I just didn't want that version because I didn't want to switch discs fml

And thats not funny at all.

[Bebpo]

I got hit with the freezing issue when I beat the Chapter 7 end boss. Tried 2 more times and it was the same deal. Why you do this to me Square why?    Guess I won't be playing this for the foreseeable future. Really liked it too.

And yesterday I made fun of Viz for having to switch discs, well at least he won't have to deal with this problem  :'(

That's what you get for being a scrub and not having a 360.

Fixed.

I do have a 360, I just didn't want that version because I didn't want to switch discs fml

And thats not funny at all.

Not sure what to say.  Everyone who played the import PS3 one did it on fat PS3s and no one got stuck because of a repeat crash. 
Sounds bad.  Is there no way around it?

[Himu]

[ManaByte]

I got hit with the freezing issue when I beat the Chapter 7 end boss. Tried 2 more times and it was the same deal. Why you do this to me Square why?    Guess I won't be playing this for the foreseeable future. Really liked it too.

And yesterday I made fun of Viz for having to switch discs, well at least he won't have to deal with this problem  :'(

That's what you get for being a scrub and not having a 360.

Fixed.

I do have a 360, I just didn't want that version because I didn't want to switch discs fml

And thats not funny at all.

I have no problem switching discs with a linear game like FFXIII.

[demi]

Even the nigra is too lazy to complete his cosplay. Is it that difficult to buy a marshmallow peep?

[Don Flamenco]

just got to chapter 7 -- aaaaaannnnnnndddd I'm outta here.  This game is boring the shit out of me!   Battle system is great, but it's not carrying the whole game for me.  Maybe I'll revisit it down the road. 

sounds like the game still relies solely on fights, even after it opens up and finally gives you full control of your party.

So X>>>XIII?  I ask because didn't you recently start playing that again.

I didn't make it all the way through my replay of X, either.  That game was awesome when it came out, but it has annoying quirks these days. 

The X comparison is not completely spot on.  X isn't literally tiny corridor after corridor with no variation in anything besides characters (who basically all play alike) and settings. The maps in X are linear, but they give you an area to run around in and explore a little.  The game is also dotted with mini-games and stuff.   XIII is just confined corridors.  In an era where games are giving people beautiful settings and the ability to run around all over them, XIII is like "here's some pretty shit to look at, but you're confined to this 5 foot space and we'll occasionally give you a rock to jump on."    The battle system is from 2010, but the game is as linear as an 8-bit side-scroller. 

Don't even get me started on the cut scenes.  "But we need hope to continue! Hope! You're Hope! That's your name!!"  JUST. NO.  These characters are fucking trash and people who like this shlock have no taste at all.    

[Himu]

I think the story is so bad I'm actually starting to consider skipping them, but then I remember, if I do that, the game will have even less variety.

[demi]

XIII > X

I still like X's Sphere Grid though

[Ichirou]

I think the story is so bad I'm actually starting to consider skipping them, but then I remember, if I do that, the game will have even less variety.

Glad my JP 360 prevents me from playing this shit game.

[Himu]

It's not a shit game, but it's horrendously flawed.

But somehow I've still managed to clock like 20 hours in a week so I guess it's doing something right.

[Beezy]

Even the nigra is too lazy to complete his cosplay. Is it that difficult to buy a marshmallow peep?

[Ichirou]

It's not a shit game, but it's horrendously flawed.

But somehow I've still managed to clock like 20 hours in a week so I guess it's doing something right.

Glad my JP 360 prevents me from playing this horrendously flawed game.

[Himu]

It's not a shit game, but it's horrendously flawed.

But somehow I've still managed to clock like 20 hours in a week so I guess it's doing something right.

Glad my JP 360 prevents me from playing this horrendously flawed game.

[Stoney Mason]

Fuck it. I admit defeat. It's going back to Gamefly.

I just can't really motivate myself to finish it even though I'm relatively close. I spent the evening playing Battlefield MP and enjoying myself and then I thought, why am I going back to play something I don't really enjoy spending my time with. It's supposed to be a fun hobby. Not a chore.

FF13 you defeated me. 

[Ichirou]

Fuck it. I admit defeat. It's going back to Gamefly.

I just can't really motivate myself to finish it even though I'm relatively close. I spent the evening playing Battlefield MP and enjoying myself and then I thought, why am I going back to play something I don't really enjoy spending my time with. It's supposed to be a fun hobby. Not a chore.

FF13 you defeated me. 

Hmmm, sounds like FF13 is complete shit.  Guess Himuro's japafag DNA made him immune to the worst parts of the game.

[demi]

Fuck it. I admit defeat. It's going back to Gamefly.

I just can't really motivate myself to finish it even though I'm relatively close. I spent the evening playing Battlefield MP and enjoying myself and then I thought, why am I going back to play something I don't really enjoy spending my time with. It's supposed to be a fun hobby. Not a chore.

FF13 you defeated me. 

I know, that's why I sent back Battlefield. What a shit game

FF13

[Lucretius]

I just started Chapter 10 and needed a break.  Loaded up Dragon Age Origins: Awakening.  Breath of fresh air.

[Stoney Mason]

Fuck it. I admit defeat. It's going back to Gamefly.

I just can't really motivate myself to finish it even though I'm relatively close. I spent the evening playing Battlefield MP and enjoying myself and then I thought, why am I going back to play something I don't really enjoy spending my time with. It's supposed to be a fun hobby. Not a chore.

FF13 you defeated me. 

Hmmm, sounds like FF13 is complete shit.  Guess Himuro's japafag DNA made him immune to the worst parts of the game.

It's not that its complete shit, its just that its so flawed its not something I would really play unless it carried the Final Fantasy name, and that's honestly why I was playing it. Not because of its own merits because I don't think its a strong enough game on its own merits. It has a neat battle system. I really like that. But nearly everything else in the game is a real chore. If I had bought the game myself I would have finished it. But since its on gamefly I just feel like I'd rather play something else. I'll watch the ending on Youtube and that will save me the time I would have spent playing it.

[Ichirou]

How would you rate it on a ten point scale?

[demi]

How would you rate it on a ten point scale?

8

[Lucretius]

How would you rate it on a ten point scale?

blue

[Stoney Mason]

How would you rate it on a ten point scale?

Let's just say I wouldn't recommend the game to any of my friends. It has neat music. Neat little cinemas, and mostly neat graphics. And a good battle system.

That seems like a lot of good and it was enough to motivate me for a good 30 hours so I don't want to come off like a hypocrite. But honestly I was never having a lot of fun. It was always sort of waiting for the next thing for it to become better and hoping it would be fun. And yes it gets better but I was never sitting there enthralled or fascinated to be playing it. I think hitting Chapter 11 and seeing that it was another miss for the most part just deflated me.

The worst aspect about the game I would say is that If I knew before I started playing it what I know now, I would have just passed on it in the first place. I feel like I spent a lot of time for relatively very little that I actually enjoyed.

[demi]

8

[Don Flamenco]

the best part is when you play a different game after a few days of nothing but FFXIII and it's like "holy fuck, this game wants me to play it"