Trying to LOVE Final Fantasy XIII

[@thorhighheels]

Bits of audio are missing at 15:25 and 22:30 ........for some reason none of u mentioned this so I never noticed until just now, but for what it's worth, here's the bits of scrip that were supposed to be there. 15:25 "For example: there's this energy-like technology right? Allowing Lighting to fall from up high, And it also powers loads of the space future shit. " 22:30 "Seeing snow & Sahz, talking about how they want to protecc, but are unsure as to how to do so, while Lighting stands there, looking grump as fuck, as the kids are off in the distance,-- Having fun about how Hope's mom died just a few minutes ago or whatever. ..clearly, showing that in his body language too. There's a lot going on there, in regards to writing human beings. And them acting out, from time to time, is only a result of how insane the situation that they're in, truly is. What with El Pope genocide-ing innocent people, for even so much as breathing the same air as them, an all. Thus, evidently, making their eventual fortitude & change, all the more stronger. And I'd say that that's the focus here as well." Not happy about this, as I normally watch my videos multiple times to make sure that don't make mistakes like these, but because of youtube's copyright bullshit forcing me to re-render and re-upload the damn thing over and over, I didn't care to watch this 30min long video AGAIN: and so I didn't notice. ANGERY.

[@2112thesmith]

i saw the silence as an conscious artistic decision

[@thorhighheels]

I guess that works lol

[@vladandnobody]

ThorHighHeels should have pinned that commen, no?

[@thorhighheels]

ugh. I had, but I edited it later. Apparently when you edit a comment it un-pins. KZbin's so messy sometimes.

[@beat-man5167]

i thought it was silent because the copyright gulag will getcha

[@UnravellingTomcat]

Visually still looks great for a nearly 10-year-old game

[@chinogambino9375]

Which makes the failure of vision all the more painful.

[@coolguy02536]

Makes me wonder why people clamor for an HD remaster already. Even if they did add in other features/bonuses, maybe somehow combine the three games on one disc (13 is so inflated though, like 15), there's basically no way for them to spice up the visuals. And based on past remaster releases, it'd be at least 2021 before that could ever be released. Which is essentially right when the PS5 takes over, thus placing them two generations away instead of one. Eh, whatever happens happens.

[@jayfolk]

so does silent hill 2 and 3

[@mrxcs]

But it is interactive as a rock.

[@Jack_80]

i will stick with the originals8. every ff remaster i've played is far inferior to the original. in ffx they reshaped all the faces for the worse for no apparent reason and i experienced a number of visual and audio glitches i never had in the original. ffxii was one of my favorite ff games because it was the only one that offered a decent challenge. of course they had to ruin that for the remaster too. they couldn't just leave the original in tact and add an easy mode for those who want it, they had to switch it from hard as your only option to very easy as your only option. i really could care less about ff7 remake considering they can't even do a remaster without making it worse.

[@TylerGordanM8]

I only defend this game because when I played it was during a tough time, there was a large earthquake in my city and quite a lot of people died and everyone was on edge and what I needed was something complex enough to keep my mine occupied but simple enough so that all I had to do was, walk straight and fight that and enjoy the story. I've got lots of good memories of being too anxious to sleep so I played this until the sun came up

[@saharaofthedeep]

Wow that is a crazy story. I hope everything is better now.

[@ezrawallet]

Geez, that’s scary! Out of curiosity, what country did that happen in?

[@nuukuu8893]

@@ezrawallet Christchurch, New Zealand

[@hemangchauhan2864]

I've said this multiple times, FF 13 is a bunch of beautiful concept arts messily strung together with the thin rope and dollar store tapes. Game is exactly what what they want showed in the trailers. Focus on "exactly". Plus SE of late 2000s had a fetish of being "mysterious and enigmatic" leading to the creation of Fabula Nova Crystallis universe,and try to be as "out there" as possible. That is why FF15 was so very safe, despite being born out of the same universe. Because they feared the FF 13 backlash. It's too safe in fact, they aped a lot of western open world games.

[@Mambo.Canibal]

Hemang Chauhan tbh I hated the character design and story of ff xv

[@xmarksthespot1372]

Final fantasy 15 was just about a bland boy band group roadtriping basically and despite this sounding cool in a FF Universe 15 was actully kinda boing. The only actual good thing was monster design and Sid in 15.

[@Jack_80]

@@Mambo.Canibal me too, ffxiii had it's problems but it at least kept me interested and playing, i couldn't get into xv at all and i spent 25+ hours trying.

[@AshePBlack]

Ff15 wasnt done and nomura scrapped stuff was better. And how does best whm and blm just die as they did

[@guidorussoheck2100]

@@xmarksthespot1372 what was good about 15 was the battle in the movie tho.

[@SuperButterBuns]

Good video bless

[@thorhighheels]

Yo I've been binge watching your videos all month (the month that just ended not the current one cuz thats only been going for like a day) and you are really cool.

[@jessehampton7414]

Love your persona videos and yelling about Kingdom hearts! 💓

[@sahzus]

A KZbinr I already love and a new youtuber im getting into cause..man your commentary is great..today’s a good day👌🏾

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Thor is now official BIG

[@virgosenpai2312]

Ayy butta buns 😎

[@consensualsenses]

The meme of FFXIII only 'really getting good at like 40 hours in', has now been extended to 'It gets good after eight years in!'

[@mimszanadunstedt441]

That makes it grindier than Shin Megami Tensei lol. Speaking of which I need to see Thors content on SMT. Oh guess he doesn't, he only mentioned it. I'm in an smt phase right now lol.

[@MrKrewie]

it gets good when everybody forgets how shit it was

[@FFx16459]

@@MrKrewie good point..espedically after final fantasy 15 and kingdom hearts

[@kane99560]

No lie...it gets better each play thru...revisiting it only because VII remake uses a similar Stagger system and it's been enjoyable...it just takes so long before you can enjoy it.

[@magicmanscott40k]

I think I did everything in the game and it took me exactly 40 hours or something like that. And nah I would say once you get to the halfway point of the game, you seen everything.

[@bswift1991]

20:59 I think it's fair to say that most FF stories read like soap opera melodrama when looked at outside the context of the game.

[@mimszanadunstedt441]

FF8 especially.

[@fightingmedialounge519]

They read like that in game as well.

[@hardgay7537]

12 was lots of times video gamey when it wasn't alternating Shakespeare and Star Wars. I lost track of how many parts of the plot were "ok, so we talk to this npc quest giver who sends us to a location to fetch a nuke rock or a nuke rock cutting sword until the Empire shows up". I was going to say "Macguffin" but it turns out it's a little more specific than that.

[@GrimskyKorsakov]

I remember when I first realised that Cocoon was basically a dyson sphere and folk lived on the inside. It totally blew my mind and made me think how awesome this game could've been if you could explore this big world map wrapped around the inside of a planet.

[@makeitthrough_]

So, it's like SMT Nocturne's post-apocalyptic world

[@Yurikon3]

@@makeitthrough_ So FFXIII fumbled a bit in its attempt to do Shin Megami Tensei Nocturnes. Thank you Shin Megami Tensei... Nocturne.

[@jokerxiii6580]

Man I loved this one. I enjoyed FFXIII trilogy a lot & still enjoy going back to play XIII, despite all its flaws. I love the art, the ost, the graphics & battle system & character design. Really need a port on ps4.

[@quokka1831]

Joker XIII 13 is one of my favorite games before crisis core and kingdom hearts 2. Fighting Odin and hearing desperate struggle for the first time and seeing oerba when dust to dust played blew me away. sure the game was redundant but all the creativity of the game ( scenery, music, various enemies) made the game enjoyable.

[@UrsaRaybrant]

I really hope we get a port for the trilogy, I’d love that so much!

[@staticpiece]

Lmfao y'all serious? FFXIII shouldn't exist. Go play FFX

[@lune5289]

I LOVE IT

[@lucasgaleano550]

All you mentioned is the art of the game,you cant consider a game good just because of how it looks,or how nice the music is,the characters are boring,not smart at all,the villain is a joke,no motive a t all,even final fantasy xii is a loot better than xiii when that game wasnt really that good.As far as i've seen the people who loves this game always say the same "excelent graphics,music,and character desing" they are easy to buy,none of them ever said something regarding the story,because it sucks,and the combat too.

[@jessehampton7414]

That tidus laugh caught me off guard XD

[@adamhurd1560]

Actually one of the best critiques of the game. You hit the nail on the head with most criticism here, most people just get angry cause it's not what they wanted but when you look at the game for what it is, it's genuinely a fun game with lots of positives and a bunch of flaws. It's fine if those flaws are too much for you but I think most of XIII's fans love the game for its flaws. I know I do.

[@andriypredmyrskyy7791]

Your videos are the films of my generation. You capture what We were like. Even down to the random transitions and jokes of the early internet era. You are one the best friends I had growing up.

[@feircy]

I fell in love with the 13 series purely on the merits of the paradigm system. I love it and the way ultimate weapons worked with character stats in the original. Story isnt awful but not exactly what I keep going back to it for.

[@magicmanscott40k]

I love the paradigm system. I could use it forever and not get bored.

[@wohdinhel]

“no one likes Snow” let me introduce you to The Gays

[@wohdinhel]

Armageddon Is upon us silence, hetero

[@shugo2355]

We dont like him either!

[@Violette205]

im gay and i cant stand him whatchu talkin bout

[@SOBEKCrocodileGod]

I’m a straight feller and he’s ok I guess. I mostly like his motorcycle lmao

[@magicmanscott40k]

I liked snow and love that his summons are hentai monster girls. You go snow. You have that harem.

[@JKumaD]

I think it has to be said Final Fantasy 13 story-wise does not deviate from the standard stock FF themes and motifs. I said this when it came out and i'll say it again, Final Fantasy 13 is great. What we do get in 13 is an abundance of storytelling, immaculate cutscenes and probably the best voice acting in a FF game only being beaten by 12. A key highlight is exactly how level and character design intertwine with the stories themes and motifs. The main parties character designs all are manifestations of their personalities. I see a big critique being that FF13s story was put to the wayside but y'all forget the opening was mid genocide. (They took a page out of modern writing standards and just scrapped the first two pages of their book and started in the action. Sometimes, long winded openings where you run around a town and get to digest the setting without any real threat are not always necessary.) For one the green city scape "or whatever the fuck it is" is just a cave the train line goes through. It says in the opening cutscene that they're entering a tunnel. Everyone's on the train, which you find out in a cutscene in a bit because of the purge. Those towers light up when a train passes through, which you also see in the opening cutscene. Which i guess informs you on the kind of storytelling that you'll be getting. It's mostly visual. Unless you're mad and want to read all the chronicle entries. A major topic explored in 13 is the power of gods vs humans, humans vs fate. Specifically, can humans rebel against their predestined paths. The cities built around giant Fal'Cie, literally agriculture gods that give water, light, warmth, anything that people need, they are beings of crystals (relating back to every final fantasy game ever). Also humans vs machinery. The main party is struggling with their fate handed down to them, but their was also (mostly delved into in the garbage dump) a struggle between human development, technology and the what the Fal'Cie want. I actually really enjoyed FF13 when it came out, visually it was gorgeous. The combat system was a chore, at times actually fun, but even when it was at it's height of tedium (BARTHANDELUS!!!!!!) they made sure to create beautiful settings and enemy designs for you to look at. And you knew you got to sit there and watch a great cutscene aftwards.

[@jknkjnkjnkj8967]

Wonderful comment

[@fightingmedialounge519]

That's an interesting take.

[@alternativefacts3050]

Hey- Remember when Final Fantasy VII dumped you into a completely different world you didn't know anything about, yet through the action of the bombing mission during the beginning you were given exposition organically through the actions of your characters so by the end of the opening part you had a good grasp of the world and it's problems, and your relation to it, while doing something entertaining. ...Yeah...

[@goncaloferreira6429]

best intro to a ff game?

[@alternativefacts3050]

It's one of the best intro's in entertainment. The depth of how that intro works can be over analyzed and used as a rock solid template for the series in-general. One of my main issues with XIII was it's clear attempt to emulate parts of FFVII, but does so in a way that simply doesn't understand the fundamentals over why those parts originally worked. I remember reading an article about how one dev said that XIII's transition from 30 hours of linear hallways to one open area: Was the same as leaving Midgar in FFVII. It's as if they thought having a story-centric linear route was the defining part of the opening parts of the game in Midgar. Not the fact it was a sequence literally built for exposition, or that like FFIII it purposefully deceived you in the scope of the game. Oh, and also the very important fact that it doesn't show-up halfway through the game and literally 85% of the rest of the game is out in it's very varied and lived-in planet. Not just having the "Calm Lands Part 2" with last-minute side-quest hunts thrown in.

[@reloadpsi]

I made this argument when FF13 was new, and a fan of the game seriously tried to make the argument that loading those scenes with exposition was boring and it was better having it tucked aside in the datalog. There is no god.

[@goncaloferreira6429]

@ Alternative Facts i love the james bondy intro. FF has a lot of recycling of ideas but things that worked on the snes or ps1 often dont work on the modern games, the writting being the greatest offender. Also, its weird when a games developer doesnt understands why people like their games

[@panbouk]

VII. We are there to do a job and just get paid. Don't care about the politics. We don't care, Cloud doesn't care. VIII. School that train soldiers to fight Sorceresses. Easy words that we all understand. IX. We are thieves and we are gonna kidnap a princess. Ok. Now we are "Orko" and we have a fake ticket to watch the show. have to sneak in. X. Star of a water game, attacked by a monster and teleported somewhere. I have to survive. We don't know whats going on, Tidus doesn't as well. XIII. ThorHighHeels covert it perfectly in the datalog part in the video. All those have a simple premise from the start, that we can easily relate to. In XIII every character was talking like you knew what it was going on while you didn't. Felt like been with a group of people you don't know, one of them say something, they burst laughing while you just standing there wondering why it was funny and then they say "it's an inside joke, you had to be there." even if they explain it to you, you still might not find it funny just because you where not part of it.

[@user-pq2fh8uw9c]

I didn't know there where people out there that hated FFXIII Main theme lol. But good video man.

[@samuraigundam0079]

.. I have the Asian international version, and that has the original Japanese versions main theme. Not that much better, but still better than the English one, in my opinion.

[@g.munnyy]

first song I learned on piano

[@fightingmedialounge519]

You must have been new to the franchise then revern.

[@somethingsomething9006]

@Reyvern 07 Trophy percentage doesn't directly imply difficulty, it can also imply that most people didn't feel that the feat isn't worth their time, or that the game wasn't good enough for them to want to persue the trophy. Also...have you played other FF games? I'd, without a shadow of a doubt, put XIII as among the easiest games in the series overall. Definitely not THE easiest (I'd probably put XII Zodiac Age in that position) but not near the hardest. Of course it has its difficulty spikes, but XIII is so easy to just blast though mindlessly while sticking to a couple reliable paradigms. Of course XIII's difficulty gets more pronounced as chapter 11 opens up, sure, but you can't ignore the massive majority of the game before that point.

[@FoolyCoolyBlackLagoony]

I totally understand the hate it gets, as someone who likes it, I agree with points that people bring up. Some stuff just doesn't bother me as much as it does for others, I personally like the premise and characters a lot (even Lightning) the music was top notch. I liked the idea of preparing for battle so you can destroy enemies as fast as possible, but I see how that rubbed people the wrong way. Its sad to see FF13 get trashed on, but I know it was a bad direction for the series. Also love that art style, even if it is a bit overly designed at times.

[@whodatninja439]

I really really like the game, i spent like 60 hours on it. I love the characters. The graphics are beautiful and really hold up in 4k, the music is amazing and I think the battle system is extremely fun and different. BUT ONLY WHEN IT OPENS UP AND YOU GET MORE FREEDOM. The first 20 hours is like a long tutorial which is just ridiculous, what on earth were they thinking. Making the sequels there were interviews with the devs saying "we fucked up, our bad" and then made the sequels better as an apology.

[@FoolyCoolyBlackLagoony]

@@whodatninja439 Yeah, its actually amazing (for better for worse) how well the graphics hold up. I think if they had made it a shorter game, they could have tightened and expanded on concepts whilst opening up the world. I can never defend how its just one long tunnel, maybe if this project was in better hands, it could have pleased more people. I still really like it, regardless of its dumb missteps.

[@whodatninja439]

Yeah it may just be hallways for the first 20 hours, but it's damn gorgeous looking hallways! They wanted to tell a linear cinematic story, and I think they succeeded in that. I think the most impressive thing about the game are the character models, they look like they could've been made this year! That's how detailed and sharp the textures are, for a game that was only supposed to be viewed with 720p. Scaling it up to 4k 60fps looks amazing! Granted you need a beast pc for that, and even then it's unstable. Bad PC port! I consider FFXIII very underrated, by today's standards. When it came out it got rave reviews! It also had Sazh, and he is my favorite Final Fantasy character.

[@malik87breaker]

I guess one of the biggest problem would be, be stuck with only character. And it's game over when the character dies. :)

[@one909]

why Sazh =_=?

[@SuperFliegenklatsche]

I loved the lore of XIII and the characters. The Oerba theme still makes me cry. I wish we could have learned more about Gran Pulse and could have truly rediscovered that civilization. The timey wimy time travel stuff of XII-2 and Lightning Returns never caught my attention quite like the unsettling ending of what's supposed to be a whole world.

[@LilleyComix97]

This is the first FF my mom beat lol she spent MONTHS IN A ROW ON THE XBOX TO PLAY IT, I couldn’t touch that tv, that console, no watching Avalanche hockey... damn lol

[@magicmanscott40k]

Lol the bosses are tough. That's impressive.

[@LilleyComix97]

@@magicmanscott40k it was and the fact I witnessed it omg it was impressive! She had so much dedication! It is an underrated gem of a game too, I don't understand the hate honestly

[@magicmanscott40k]

@@LilleyComix97 I understand why people didn't like it but I don't get the hate either. It's not like you have to pay for the real ending or something like that. It's a complete game with no dlc. And I'm glad she enjoyed it. I would honest play this game again after all these years but I lost my copy.

[@LilleyComix97]

@@magicmanscott40k I would buy a console just to play this game again it has a great story and fun classic gameplay

[@magicmanscott40k]

@@LilleyComix97 I don't know if I go that far but I'm glad you enjoyed the game too.

[@SatansLeadGuitarist]

i actually enjoyed FFXIII back in the day. i just played it without any knowledge of any hate the game was getting and i enjoyed it. I think it helps going in blind without any preconceived notions. also the battle theme is one of my favorite pieces of music in video games period.

[@Voeris1]

One of my favorite reviews of this game so far, if not my favorite... Even with the small parts I disagree with, it's great. You now see the game as a whole. I think a lot of people just didn't want to see the good in it because they were too focused on the bad. (like the immersive backgrounds, and fun battle system)

[@reloadpsi]

Real talk though, gun to my head, "name something you like about the game!" and I've got seconds to respond? The brother/sister relationship that built between Lightning and Hope. I thought that was excellent.

[@leolee8445]

Sexual tension

[@reloadpsi]

@@leolee8445 Alabama is that way, lad.

[@leolee8445]

@@reloadpsi not blood related

[@reloadpsi]

@@leolee8445 I'm having a pop at you for finding sibling-like behaviour sexual (especially when one of the characters is a minor) but okay.

[@leolee8445]

@@reloadpsi puberty hits hard. Law doesnt govern emotion.

[@DMindGaming]

I remember when first getting the game I was excited as an FF fan and really wanted to like it. While the game was installing/updating on my PS3 I got snacks and drinks, made myself comfortable and was ready to marathon it into the night. My first impressions was that the graphics and animation was beautiful. I didn't know what was going on in the story (a lot of unfamiliar terms was thrown around like fal'cie, pulse and so on), why they were fighting, who is who (since we were jumping from one character to another) but figured it was just the beginning of the game and eventually I would begin to understand if I just kept going. I didn't know how to feel about the combat but again like the story I felt it was still early on and perhaps later on it would start to open up and be more complex (which I guess it kinda did but not in the way I'd like). The game also felt terribly linear (that the whole map was just like others have said a hallway) but once again it was still early on so it was forgivable (many FF games were very linear early on before it opens up). So I powered on through for 5 hours into the night wondering when the game will start to open up and get good but instead as time went on my optimism was slowly fading away and by the end of it I came to the realisation that it was just...bad. I was bored, still didn't really comprehend what was going on in the story (again the terminology was confusing) and I still didn't like the combat. I eventually grew too tired, stopped playing and went to bed. The next morning I looked up online to see what others thought and that's when I found out that many other people also didn't like the game and that it doesn't really get much better from where I stopped. I tried to give the game one more go, played for a couple more hours but then stopped and never played it since. While I was skeptical I did get FF13-2 after hearing it "fixed" most of the problems 13 had and while it was definitely better (I at least managed to finish it) I still wouldn't say it was particularly good either, not bad but not good. Then Lightning Returns came out and I didn't even bother to get it.

[@pablodelgado7919]

I had a similar experience as well. I bought the game at K-Mart "at least when they still sold some, don't know if they still do in the US" brand new "which i regret" and i tried to get into it. Oh boy it really bored me to death, i tried my best to get into it since i like the FF games but this one really didn't felt like so. So i stopped playing after 3-4 hours of gameplay and haven't touched it ever since and that was 4 years ago. I still have it "PS3 Version" laying somewhere in my drawer collecting dust until the end of time and people who love the game have told me that i should give it another try but i don't see myself going back to it no matter how much i force my will to do it.

[@blankinblack13]

your comment just sums up my experience of XIII as well, didn't have a chance to get xiii-2 and lightning return cause my ps3 broke tho. looking forward for vii remake after the demo

[@Maverick.D.]

Word for word my own experience with the trilogy.

[@Starwarsdude8221991]

The final fantasy 7 remake does an amazing job with the stagger system and more like what I feel works with such a system

[@IcarusMK22]

Customizing the battle classes and configurations was a blast and a refreshing take on battle compared to the older games which were often just hold "A" or "Circle" unless you're fighting a boss. Awesome battles, story, lore, characters, visuals. FF 1-7 will always have a special nostalgic feeling but Lighning, Snow, and Vanille staggering and comboing the !$@& out of tough enemies after you've upgraded your weapons and perfected your battle plan was bliss. Still haven't played 15.

[@ar_xiv]

Pro tip: turn off the minimap and leave it off. it helps to appreciate the environment and also makes orienting yourself a little more challenging.

[@Seirra117ofTheUNSC]

13 was a great game, the linearity was different and repetitive, but the challenge was really fun and the story was confusing, melodramatic and enjoyable for me. Once I learned the mechanics, I got really invested in the game, also the graphics were beautiful.

[@Some_Guy_87]

The "soap opera" aspect was honestly what killed the game for me. It was the first game I wasn't able to finish since I couldn't take it anymore. I'm normally a sucker for emotional journeys, and Final Fantasy VIII is my favorite title of the series *because* of the whiney aspects - I really liked the approach to follow an insecure and angsty teenager growing past depression, it was fresh and different in a game. But in 13, it's just too much. Like you mention, they even throw that whiney stuff in while being hopeful a minute earlier. It's inconsistent, it only acts as a way to create artificial drama in the story. And sometimes they just obviously behave inconsistent in order to move the story forward. Characters are actively used to drive the story, rather than making it feel like a natural development. I just couldn't handle that aspect anymore, it made the whole package feel artificial and constructed, rather than taking me on the emotional journey Final Fantasy games usually do. I had 0 issues with linearity (open world is mostly just giving an illusion of freedom or is full of boring stuff to do anyway), I actually loved the soundtrack despite expecting to hate it without Uematsu, I had no issues with the combat system either (never liked round-based fighting in the first place, always grindy and repetitive). But that one was just too much. Dropped the game when the open world stuff started since everyone said the game vastly improves at that point because of it and I just couldn't see it.

[@magicmanscott40k]

I love 13 but but I will admit 13 had really bad writing.

[@b0hem1]

I've been watching your videos for two days straight, great to see your still uploading regulary :D Great stuff!

[@thorhighheels]

Yup, I upload pretty much every week!

[@SuperTab2]

I hated the ending. From what I could tell, when they were told that they were supposed to destroy cocoon, that's what they did and basically just hoped for the best. They did exactly what the villain wanted them to do and things just kinda worked out in their favor without them having any sort of plan in place.

[@magicmanscott40k]

The ending is one of the worst ending ever. I understood everything that happened until that point and I still hated it.

[@aeroga2383]

yeah I was pretty hyped throughout the entire game to see what plan they would come up with to escape their fate and it turns out Fang and Vanille had a solution unbeknownst to the rest of the party and the player at the last minute ?

[@Seandeclanpatrick]

FF8 has the same problem. Squall's plan just ends up being "Uhh let her plan succeed and THEN we kill her". Some writer at Square clearly really likes this concept

[@SuperTab2]

@@Seandeclanpatrick I'd say ff8 was a little more coherent though

[@TheKpa11]

You know I would very much like a Final Fantasy composed of a party of monsters (Specifically I would love to see a Cactuar, Tonberry, Moggle, Pupu, those sheep from FF13 that aren't enemies and others in a group) Or simply getting to play as villains would be nice (You know the ones that Final Fantasy makes that make them seem like people who could have been party members; Sephiroth, Garland, Kefka, Ultimecia, Etc)

[@thorhighheels]

World of Final Fantasy kinda has that.

[@vindifference]

I was 17 when FF13 became another one of my favorites, and that was after FFs 9, 4 and Tactics were already my most loved entries in the franchise. Haters can bite me.

[@ahabgaddis7277]

Yeah, I have no integrity either. Who needs that in their life, you know?

[@aeroga2383]

Paradigm shift timing is actually a thing when shifting to the sentinel role, where you can fully tank any otherwise devastating attack if you shift at just the right moment and haste speeds up the ATB plenty

[@6Kubik]

if they had put the hottie cid raines in the party i would have liked the game more....but i loved ff13-2. i still have no idea what the story was about in all the games lmao

[@coolbanana165]

I loved FF13 and I'm 27. I particularly thought Lightning was great, so I obviously loved Lightning Returns too. I liked the story and the theme (which for me was freedom). The characters were interesting and what they did made sense to me. I didn't mind the narrowness because it pushed the story forwards, without pointless side quests. I also liked the combat; a mix of strategy and action.

[@limecat1057]

Couldn't agree more. Just finished 15 and it made me appreciate just how good 13 actually was. The linear gameplay helped the game stay focused and it showed in the story, combat system, and visuals. Why would I exchange that for a boring open world game, full of fetch and retrieve quests? Wish I still had my 360 and FF13 copy now. Haven't played it since it came out. Also wouldn't mind revisiting my first (FFVIII).

[@alessiomadethat]

Makes you wonder if the use of hallways and restriction was actually used to make us empathize with the characters.

[@Kageryushin]

I think ya'll just have shit taste lolololol.

[@stephenbrown2512]

Kageryushin nah 13 was a great game. When I first played 7, I had to take so many breaks as the story and characters were so dull to get into. Cloud is one of the worst main characters in the series. I played 9 straight after and was completely hooked on it. 13 was also a more interesting story.

[@Lyu-Phy]

That Lightning disrespect is unreal.

[@maxlvl912]

Man I swear every time I end up reminiscing or thinking about a game it’s like you read my damn mind and have a video about it a few days later. I really do have a soft spot for FF XIII, while it wasn’t my first final fantasy it was the first one I truly got immersed and lost in, in the way this series always manages to do. I think it genuinely has the most stunning game world of any game and for some reason I didn’t take issue with the character and story like everyone else (maybe returning to it I’d notice it more but like you said trust your initial impressions more right) It’s ironic that your biggest issue with the game is it’s world and lore building because while it was noticeable and a problem in XIII it’s sequels take this issue to insane levels. While XIII-2 is honestly one of my favourite FF games, but god do I hate how it absolutely butchers XIII’s world and mythos. While all the Fal’ce and Grand Pulse confusion in XIII was an issue it at least had a clearly defined story and arch for the character that ended with a genuinely satisfying and complete story. So then XIII-2 comes along and rips that sense of closure wide open and fills the XIII world with time travel and alternate worlds. In all areas except story I think XIII-2 is a far better and more enjoyable game, but I always hated how much it fucked the world of XIII into the basically making it up as they go along nonsense that critics always level at this series. Lightning Returns practically takes this to parody levels of just because bullshit that is so ridiculous I’m genuinely amazed it exists. I love XIII and it’s a shame it such an undeserved dark cloud above its head. Good video as always man!

[@lonelywolf5659]

1:13 truer words have never been spoken I seen people say 13 is great now because 15 suck. Man this fan bases.

[@Pedro_The_Neco]

"ASAP as possible" "RIP in piece" "E3 expo"

[@Jesse__H]

"word" play

[@NaudiNadia]

With 15, I actually had fun my whole way through. I loved the final stretch and cried at the picture select. The title screen changing also made me feel so very fulfilled, but I still felt disappointed. And the combat + the messy story were the reasons. With 13 I was like, 12 qhen I played it. I was bored and I moved on, now I'm coming back to reviews and the like to hopefully find the drive to play it. It was beautiful to look at, but that was really it for me. This review only strengthened the way I feel, so I probably won't be picking it up. Edit: 3/9/2020 Just under 2 months have passed since the day I wrote thie comment, and I have since picked up and played most of 13-2's story. I am nearing the final boss as I write this comment. I have issues with the game, pretty corny writing and an over reliance on the auto battle button. There. Done. 13-2 is a good game, pick it up and ignore the auto battle button until you get a stagger off. Fun game, 6/10.

[@sik3xploit]

I tried to as well. Was really the first time I I realized I was actually forcing myself to play a game.

[@dylanmcnab2980]

i loved the paradigm system. It doesn't feel like your the characters but it feels like you're a coach in a sport with how you come up with the strategies and plays while your team uses those strategies to win the fight

[@sleepysera]

I haven't seen anyone yet who said 13 is good compared to 15. In fact, I've seen the opposite, people defending the flaws of 15 with "at least it's not as bad as 13" which is a sentiment I can fully subscribe to. Because for as much as the story was a mess in both and the combat wasn't enjoyable in either and as flat and narrow and boring the world felt in both, AT LEAST the characters in 15 felt like actual people and the tone and themes felt consistent. And that was able to carry the whole game for me, despite its flaws. Something this emotionally fluctuating cast of drama queen stereotypes in 13 never managed. And don't get me started on comparing 13 to 14, which is hailed as one of, if not THE best FF game of all time by those who played it, so that certainly didn't help 13 either 😏 But good for you for trying :)

[@Crocogatorz]

First time seeing one of your videos. Your capability to step back and critique the game based on your experiences and not what collective conscious has demanded, is great. You even address that you didn't always think this way when referring to your original XIII review. You're a breath of fresh air and I've subbed the shit out of you.

[@RedPlaystationController]

*13 was better than 15. Hate me.*

[@strugglesnuggledslime7040]

Dont think that opinion is as controversial as you think. Hell I absolutely hate every single aspect of the 13 series and I still agree(well apart from the summon system,that was somewhat nifty).

[@donavonhoho]

If you compare it to 15, that's not a high wall to climb.

[@benjaminkeith1417]

Considering combined with 13's game play and 15s design: *they've taken me out of a series I was 11 (didnt play XI itself) games deep into.* So: for some of us: their equally shit.

[@superblanco444]

I personally think 15 > 13 easily

[@benjaminkeith1417]

13 = Utter linear shit show of gameplay/storytelling. 15 = Boy band. Alone made me walk: main character design: a first and new low for Square Enix. The insane development time: like Kingdom Hearts 3 IF it ever comes out: *by the time it came out: i'd been away for basically a decade. And dint care anymore and more western RPGs have surpassed FF in the meantime like Dragon Age and even Dogma.* Also a open world with little substance: a broken heal system: TERRIBLE DLC add-on's: the DEPENDENCE ON A SEPARATE MOVIE TO TRULY FOLLOW THE PLOT: etc etc etc. 13 = lazy shit show. 15 = development failure/shit show. I mean *hey: having only borrowed 15 for about 15 hrs of gameplay and gave it back?* I lasted about the same time with 15 as I did 13: *Now granted: 15 didnt piss me off enough to throw it out a 3rd story window in sigust (true stroy) and swear i'd never buy Square Enix again.* And granted 15 probably wont get not one but TWO sequels I wont want to buy... Hence perhaps if by not double and tripling down on the shit...15 IS better I guess... Problem is: the design was so Japanese hermaphrodite...like all games that do that (as the Japanese ACTUALLY think the West wants hermaphrodite like characters) *I checked out on the hype immediately.* Its why I hated Cloud post Advent Children: you can PLAY Cloud as assertive: but *as far as Square E is concerned? Cloud's a fucking man bitch.* Hence...if THIS is all FF is now...Tidus I could handle as he actually is man enough to LIKE Yuna and KNOW it: 12...isnt really a FF game but a Monster Hunter Prototype: and as a Monster Hunter Prototype: its fine: as a FF game: Its a 5. Hence for me...and MANY others: FF would be better off: like Mega Man: going retro. As aside from the NARROW love story of 8: aka 5% of the game IF that and the ONE masterclass story of 9 (even if it isnt my fav): Final Fantasy: *is better off both sales and popularity wise: if they just go back to JRPG's.* More of this Action Hybrids? DragonAge/Elder Scrolls/Fallout = Minus Fallout 4, FF XV cant touch these: nor can Enix touch these companies competence. I dont need FF to keep trying and failing to make a game i'd buy. But...ugh: as always in the west: we're at the mercy: *of the backward Japanese culture's ability to write something the West will GIVE ANY SHITS ABOUT.* Lets hope going forward: they ignore hollywood: and go back to stealing from our myths: *not our pop culture.* *As the Westernization of Japan...has destroyed them culturally.*

[@invaldalia8421]

This is actually my first FF and actually my first intro into jrpgs. I love it, but at the same time I realize it’s not as good in the viewpoint of others. I still like the trilogy but I realize the hate and why.

[@magicmanscott40k]

Cool.

[@Rebellions]

I got through a percentage of this game. I don't know *what* percentage since you know, I never completed it. but I made it to the airship battle with that weird bullshit zapdos bird thing where I *think* the goal was rescuing sazh and vanille, or was that just a happenstance thing? Anyways that was as far as I could go before I just gave up and quit from a combination of boredom, and dying to that fuckin bird like 12 times because I'd get most of the way through the fight and then it would arbitrarily one-shot me. I did learn you can completely dodge an attack you're certain is going to kill you by popping off your summon as the attack is being launched because of that thing. Which was nifty. But I stopped from a combination of boredom, a complete non-investment in the story, and finally frustration. I had been able to slog through it up to that point because I kept hearing "no don't worry, the game stops sucking at about the 25 hour mark" which isn't really a point in its favor, but I still figured I'd give it a fair shot. That whole section made me just say "fuck it" and walk away. I had been reading the datalogs, but I hated how unnatural it all felt, and just how much the game relies on you reading those insipid things. When it felt like it *could* have been woven into the narrative naturally, you know, like something you'd pay a writer to do... I don't think i'm being unfair, I gave the game an honest shot, I just didn't care for the story it was trying to tell, I didn't care for the characters *at all,* and I most certainly didn't enjoy the battle system, looking at the action on screen is kind of wasted when I'm constantly only ever staring at the bottom corner of it to see the gauge and trying to get the paradigm timings down, one of the only things in the game that actually required skill to make the most of. The animations were pretty, but honestly it only took a few hours for the whole thing to become a mess of white noise because I began focusing only on the information that was important to the player. I.E: The numbers, and attack names to remember which ones made my numbers fucking vanish and react appropriately. Unfortunately I think its precisely because its the nature of the battles trying to be fast-paced, I can't afford time to look at the actual action on screen when I NEED to be constantly monitoring all critical information for fear that looking away for .5 seconds is going to get me killed.

[@neoperol]

I kind of played all FF games, what FFXIII has that most of the other don't have is a real leader from the start. A lot of people say Lightning is the Cloud of FFVII but Cloud is a empty shell like most FF heroes that got no idea where to go, what to do and why to do it. I still got Lightning phrase after 2 hours of playing "Serah told us to save Cocoon, that means this thing has to die." And beside that, visually impressive even after 9 years, great soundtrack, great battle system, hard bosses that needs strategy no just grind and press attack or and ultra rare summon to beat, of course there are things that people can't hate just like any game, but for me is one of the most rounded FF to day and one of my favorite just behind FF9 and FF6.

[@traecy43]

Agreed.

[@Tsumineko]

Gregory Solarte I agree with this statement hardcore

[@drewfromyay882]

Lightning was supposed to be the leader?

[@lens_hunter]

Love the XIII series. Didn't grow up with it, either. FF1 was my first RPG back in 1989 when I was 4. Always just makes me smile when people get salty over the game.

[@ahabgaddis7277]

Those dorks get so mad for wasting their time and $60 bucks lol. FF series was good up to this point, so why would they expect FFXIII to be good too? Like how dumb can they be? LOL

[@taniaackerman]

My first FF was the VIII, I got it almost after it was released and I was about 10. I played every FF after that one, and played previous ones too. I'm a sucker for FF, I managed to find something charming about each one of them (I think except X-2, which I still don't hate but I don't like). So I enjoyed the hell out of FFXIII, so much I'm playing the series all over again.

[@fightingmedialounge519]

It makes you happy because people dislike what you like. Rather odd pass time.

[@chorteler5849]

I cant listen to that old guy from ff10 without hearing your impression now lol

[@egoborder3203]

this game is so weird to me. It was a disappointment on almost every level...and yet at the ending cinematic I cried like a baby at the entire party coming together to save the world. Also, the battle theme is incredibly good

[@reloadpsi]

I'm not gonna lie - the way the party eventually bonds over their common struggle is actually quite believable.

[@alexlight4178]

Yes to all this!

[@reloadpsi]

@@jrpgplayer Yeah, in particular it was Lightning and Hope filling reach other's sibling- and mother-shaped voids that I enjoyed. As a result I went from really disliking Hope to unironically thinking of him as one of my favourites. The one part of the game I genuinely had fun at was the Palamecia, partly because the game actually finally gives you every role to play with at once, but also because they were in the party. Them two and Fang were who I ended up beating the game with.

[@flamehiro]

basically the comestics are really good but the gameplay not so much

[@blackchase6732]

@@reloadpsi they are not like siblings they become romantic read

[@Pichuscute]

FFXIII is my second favorite RPG of all time

[@traecy43]

Agreed!

[@MyJourneyConcludes]

*"And that, as they say, is that."*

[@whodatninja439]

Sazh is the best and most relatable Final Fantasy character, don't @ me

[@Erk1234567]

@Who Dat Ninja (u right)

[@wewlad8697]

He's also the only character that doesn't look like it was designed by a DeviantArt weeb lmao

[@zlorf_youtube]

*insert Thank You Gif*

[@whodatninja439]

The scene with where he wants to kill Vanille out of revenge, decides he cant and then turns the gun on himself makes me cry every time. The voice acting, writing and animation for him was just perfect, way better than it had any right to be!

[@derekwalter4238]

I always thought of Zell that way

[@goncaloferreira6429]

from the top of my head: 1- the game still looks good after all this time. 2- the OST has its moments but when i remember a good ff13 song i cannot connect it to a specific scene or character. Uematsu is a legend for a reason. 3- just by seeing this video i am remembered that Square still cant properly animate 3D NPCs- see ff10, the ff13 trilogy and ff15; i think fff12 gets a pass but its been a while. 4- ff13 is a good case study of modern day square: sometimes ideas that look great on paper aren`t that good when made a reality. Specially with realistic graphics that dont leave much room to the imagination/interpretation of the player. 5- FF stories have bad directing. there are good, exciting action scenes but the emotional story beats dont work in my opinion. Too unrealistic and melodramatic. Vagrant Story is perhaps the pinacle of good directing in a square game. it is on Ps1 and come out in 2000.

[@goncaloferreira6429]

@TheTrueRoxas1 i know. i meant uematsu`s compositions perfectly fit the character or scene on screen. 13 has some cool tracks but dont gel so well and are less rememberable because of that.

[@genericsavings]

Gonçalo Ferreira Square burned Uematsu out fast. From FF7 onward, they were pumping a Final Fantasy every year or every other year. 7 in ‘97, 8 in ‘98, 9 in ‘99, X in 2001. By X, he couldn’t keep up the pace of creating an entire soundtrack which usually consist of over 60 individual songs. Listen to the OSTs; FF6 through FFX. You’ll hear a severe drop in quality/creativity.

[@goncaloferreira6429]

genericsavings true, he was burned out and he already wasnt young by 90`s end. Yet, ff8 and 9 have overall the best Ost in my opinion.

[@genericsavings]

Gonçalo Ferreira you’re cool in my book. You gave Vagrant Story a nod. ;)

[@goncaloferreira6429]

thanks ;) vagrant story in 2000 was the only game missing in your list on the other post. amazing games every year. square`s best years.

[@itsraven984]

I always loved the trilogy from the start. I thought the story was easy enough to follow until the sequel.

[@magicmanscott40k]

If the trilogy is good, I'm give it a shot. I really enjoyed 13, espically the side quest areas.

[@sasufreqchann]

when i google Final Fantasy XIII google shows me nude body pillows

[@magicmanscott40k]

Sweet. 13 is a cool game but body pillows are better.

[@robinthrush9672]

I had to give up any attempt to play the game at Hope's house. I was rapidly losing characters who were likable and didn't want to start disliking Szazh, the last one, after Snow's meltdown at the vending machine. The play-style was very boring and repetitive for me as well and I didn't appreciate the feeling of being judged by a combat rating in an RPG; a genre I play for story and relaxation.

[@SimplyGun]

I love this game. Would have finished it if I didn't lose save 3 times in a row after 20+ hours....

[@stephen2624]

It's good to have more of these kind of videos. Even if they admit they still have difficulties in understanding XIII itself, there's at least more understanding towards those who love XIII. A reason I love XV is for what was in the game that worked than what from Versus XIII was cut or never realized. Final Fantasy will always be more appealing than Dungeon & Dragons when the style is out of this world and the substance is just cold hard numbers.

[@TirOrah]

It's nice to see videos that go into both FF13's flaws and its strengths. My biggest gripe was actually the dialogue; even as a teenager I rolled my eyes at the overly symbolic, stiff script. I'm actually surprised you didn't say more about that, but maybe you already did so in your other video. Anyway, the disjointed world (and the overall lack of world-building) was my second biggest gripe. It's unfortunate, because I love some of the things this game does, like the battle system and the characters. They're just let down by the aforementioned issues. (And the datalog should *never* have taken the place of actual exposition.) Oh, and not even I like Snow. Seriously. Thank you for the video!

[@bloody4558]

No one likes Snow, no seriouly, how can you like him. The story itself proves that Lightning was right as everything that happened with Snow, Hope and Serah are direct consequences of Snow and his rebel's actions.

[@cjmoore9966]

... I like Snow...

[@TirOrah]

@@bloody4558 I guess so? I'd like to replay the game someday, so I can get a clearer view of the entire story. It's been over a decade for me now. What I remember the most was how Snow didn't seem to learn as much from his mistakes compared to the others; I can even recall an egregious example of this in the finale.

[@TirOrah]

@@cjmoore9966 Nothing wrong with that! Everyone has their preferences. My biggest memory of Snow was that he didn't seem to learn as much from his mistakes, compared to everyone else. Most notably, I remember him charging in during the finale like an idiot. It's been over a decade since I've played the game and I can *still* recall being annoyed by that. However, I'd like to replay the game sometime and see how it holds up. I don't have a favorite FF game as all of the ones I've played seem to have their own unique merits, but I really enjoyed the focus on character during the story, so I'd really enjoy seeing it with fresh eyes and a more mature mind.

[@TirOrah]

@@cjmoore9966 You know what? This talking about FF13 actually made me want to play it, and I've been saying I should do so for a few years, so I went to look at it on Steam (I no longer own a PS3). And apparently it's already in my library! Guess I'll be playing it soon. Looking forward to getting a more up-to-date view of Snow. ^^

[@RuruFIN]

IMO it's one hella underrated game, personally I loved it instantly after I played it when it was ported on PC (didn't have a console back then). Still love it, but getting the Treasure Hunter achievement is driving me nuts.

[@cloudstrifeinadress7464]

How To Like FF13: "which one of these characters do I have a crush on?" It has my favorite FF quote tho. Lightning: "Worse. Birthday. Evar!"

[@1beatcher]

And the the worst quote in FF franchise imo "heroes don't need plans."

[@Genji-Agito]

@@1beatcher I appreciate your wisdom.

[@KOTEBANAROT]

No joke, I legit wanted Snow to drop dead if ONLY because of his stupid ass catchphrase. I NEVER want to hear Troy Baker utter the word "hero" ever again.

[@Genji-Agito]

@@KOTEBANAROT I completely agree, snow is literal garbage.

[@rasengandx]

As someone who likes the 13 trilogy I get really protective whenever a video talking shores up in my recommended but I'm glad I watched your video. I agree with everything you said about 13

[@imlilyyfromff13]

God giving fate to others: you love final fantasy 7 God giving fate to me: you love the most hated final fantasy I don't regret anything lol

[@imlilyyfromff13]

@Paradox OH HIIIIII

[@timespent3384]

"But why does cocoon not look lived on" Oh I dunno, maybe because cocoon is a hollow world and civilization is inside. Ya know, like a COCOON. BECAUSE METAPHOR. Love the video.

[@AshePBlack]

Lol cuz it was a shell designed to breed humans, then crash to the ground in a sacrifice large enough to open a portal for bhunevelza to climb through

[@tabsturz13]

Dude, best review of this game ever. This is my favorite game due to sentimental reasons, and hearing your input really gives me ideas on how i would like this game to be remade in my own vision. I enjoyed this video so much!

[@caldw]

'86 kid here that's played them all starting with FF1 for the NES in 1989. Honestly, most of the FF games are quite linear. The thing is, many of them use tricks to make the game feel a lot less linear. I think the removal of the free-roaming world map in X was the first time I actually felt constrained by an FF game. X really felt like a "hallway simulator" to me with that taken out, and that was always one of my major critiques about the game, despite enjoying it. I think one of the major problems with 13 is just the lack of hard stops. Generally there will be a town of some sort with interactable NPCs that signifies a good spot to take a break and just putz around a bit. This is also a good signal to call it a day and come back fresh later, instead of just pushing 30 more minutes through the next content, over and over again, waiting for a good breaking point. Also, I feel like one of the things that makes modern FF games so memorable are the non-combat mini games, which also function as a way to take a break and unwind from mindless grinding. FF7 had the parade march, Gold Saucer, etc. FF8 had Tetra Master (and Moogle raising if you had the Pocketstation). FF9 had jump rope, Chocobo Hot & Cold, frog catching, etc. FFX had blitzball and a lot of the weapon unlock requirements.13 just had all the optional quests/fights on Gran Pulse for the most part which I personally got bored of relatively quickly. As far as the story goes, maybe I'm just used to reading a lot of fantasy where made up terms are used all the time. That one paragraph reads to me as "A >bad guy< of >place< origin was discovered within a >hard to find place< on the outskirts of >town< two days previously.... The >organized group< deemed the potential contamination by >magic originating from earlier place< a risk......permitting the >bad event - description of bad event

[@novonomicon5759]

I absolutely adore the XIII trilogy and the FNC from its lore to its music to its art design but man If only it had been presented in a more feasible manner that was easier to digest rather than going 80mph at the get-go. Same with the world/level design, it would've been awesome had we got to explore more and really experience the world of XIII, LR and XIII-2 remedyed that problem a bit. XIII has some amazing stuff going on but it's just overly complex and lacks proper presentation. I feel like XV and XIII are in a similar boat narrative wise of expecting the player to already know a lot of these things and lack good presentation/explanation. awesome vid

[@giraffe3718]

13 is my favourite, the problem i had was i couldnt quite understand the stuff about fal'cie, l'cie and all that gibber gabber. it could have been because i was quite young at the time but 13-2 and lightning returns was easier for me to play

[@ellingtonbanks6913]

Perfectly put lol

[@JH-rt2un]

I find it strange how many people think it lacked proper explanation and was overly complex. As the only thing that lacked presentation is the reasons for the actions of Cid and barthandelus, both of which get explained in the data log. As far as complex goes, the most complex thing was fal'cie and l'cie. But even then the game clearly explains/shows it as one being "God" like (fal'cie), and the other (l'cie) being being bound to them by an oath (focus) of which if they refuse to do they get punished (cie'th) . I know this explanation is not 100% correct but it is more than enough to understand it

[@novonomicon5759]

vitalrose That urks me so much like they use the same three words constantly, like is it really that hard to differentiate Fal'cie, L'cie, and Cie'th lmao. I just think it's people being stubborn or just not willing to give XIII a chance. The vast majority of ff games use specific names and terminology relegated to their own universe.

[@JH-rt2un]

@@novonomicon5759 it bothered me as well, I mean it's not like this and nearly all the other problems people had with ffXIII also applies to ffx. But people loved X and I thought it was average. Even in the terminology the cie terms in XIII are explained in many ways and several times (vanille+fang several times, at least once from start to Odin, Cid, barthandelus several times, etc). Whereas X never properly/clearly explains pyre flies, dream zanarkand(or how auron got there), how sin was defeated by conventional weapons(a big point through out the story) or how does kimahri even protect yuna. I know a lot of things got explained in x-2 and the ultimania. Just to let you know I only pick on X as it is the ff game most similar to XIII I could probably do this with any ff game

[@thatdudewelove8498]

I love your style of humor and I love how you strongly point out the things you love about this game and how you actually try to justify it. Granted, some of the video does feel kinda sloggy and it is a bit annoying how some of the audio is cut out (as you mentioned in your highlighted comment) but I enjoyed this video more than I did the actual game!

[@beat-man5167]

ive only rented this, didnt play it that much, maybe cause i also rented another game along it. I remember the difficulty spike at the hope/lightning part. I will say, the battle theme stuck with me. Blinded by light is such a good song. Anyways this vid is MILES better than your original review. rip in piece spoon guy

[@ChimerFox]

Truthfully (This is before watching the video) ff13 actually did really good in japan, that's why there was 2 sequels

[@artemis-kinkyboikirby5539]

I'd argue that FFXIII isn't an RPG, rather it's an interactive drama.

[@nightwish1453]

you just made me picture ffxiii as a tv soap opera now

[@dragames]

@@nightwish1453 *sighs in Japanese*

[@nightwish1453]

Oh might have read it wrong anyway looked at the genre and I understand the point now

[@nightwish1453]

Think it 's one of the comments above

[@dragames]

@@nightwish1453 that's a trope of TV soap operas anymore. They say in Closed captions a lot of weird stuff, but if it's in another language they do the *sighs in spanish. Cries in spanish*

[@nerostile333]

the characters were bland, villains had no real motives to be even considered as villains and i forgot some parts of the story cause the whole plot was sandwiched into an archive that you had to read yourself, which in the end didnt blend well. but there were indeed some special parts that let me like ff13. the music for example was good like in every final fantasy game, you felt the wildness in the world while you explore it. also the graphic was so beautiful at that time and even today that i just ran around for some hours only to look at it. the best part was the ending, when all the characters put their differences aside to kick the finalbosses ass and saving the world in a beautiful way that ive missed in video games. i hope square enix will someday pull themselfs together and start a final fantasy with beautiful graphics AND story(not ff7 remake and no ff15 remaster)

[@blackchase6732]

please understand the game before you start talking out of your ass

[@fieryrebirth]

This game was the apex on "All style, no substance" for the franchise. It's akin to being drawn by shiny, jingling keys.

[@bloody4558]

You didn't play the same game that I did appearently. Because XIII may have had problems in the presentation of several of it's aspects, but it had pretty good character developemnt, and while not the best had a good story. It also had the best battle system in the series where you can clearly get a rating on whether you decisions were good or not, and what can you do to become better at the game. There were many challenging fights as well. Making the game harder than the likes of VII which is possibly the easiest in the series and IX.

[@delgande]

@@bloody4558 agree I played ff4 first, then 5, then 6, then 1, then 2 all around 15 years old Later i played ffx and 13 and 7 and 9 13 was great, 7 was boring 5 is my favorite, 4, 6, ,9 and x are about the same quality for me with 1 and 2 being equal I dont get the 13 and 2 hate, theyre decent I expected so much from 7 but it disappointed me, its not bad but it's no better than any that came before it

[@mimszanadunstedt441]

So they needed to hire a map designer I guess lol. Well, the framerates tho. Guess thats actually the issue. So, a coder lol. Or more time til release. Like, thats why FF7 remake is getting split into parts, and why FF15 needed patching, and KH3 being postponed eternally, FF15 being in the work for AGES etc. Just biting off more than they can chew. They can guzzle KH fan's money down all day though.

[@Ecusu]

You know when someone hasn't played the game when they say XIII has no substance. One of the main complaints about the game is that the mythology is too fleshed out and the game didn't want to vomit it out with exposition.

[@darkanthon]

@@Ecusu I'm currently on my first real play-through of the game and while it can be confusing with the weird names (I didn't understand the difference between fal'cie and l'cie for quite awhile lol) and the lack of clear world-building (without some digging), it becomes a lot easier with the database (is that what it's called idk). Part of me thinks of it as lazy writing, since they jammed it in a usually pointless dictionary of sorts instead of taking time to explain weird terms, but it also is cool that it makes use of that usually pointless dictionary.

[@clarkb2697]

I never played it fully. However my limited interaction with XIII I had problems with it from even what I know of it. 1. The acting felt pretentious. From what little I could see. 2. The auto battle felt like it was taking the fun out of deciding what you do in battle. 3. The idea of buying anything is relegated to why would you buy anything when EVERYTHING is free after battle, you never have to heal after battle or decide to buy abilities. 4. You lose if your main goes down. God forbid your white mage ever needs to be your main. Seriously its probably one of my biggest gripes. As someone that has played many war and strategy games I've never seen a system like this. I've seen a system where your morale takes a huge dump if your commander dies but the soldiers still fight on. 5. The auto healing and lack of needing MP for anything loses the risk reward idea for everything, it really feels like the only thing you choose is what paradigm you need to do. Past all this I can't really give the game a full chance

[@magicmanscott40k]

If you got that far into the game, as someone who beat it, your not missing much. I will say the side quests and boss fights are the best parts of the game.

[@otchim_666]

I actually loved FF XIII the first time I played it, despite already expiriencing 8-12. For me Final Fantasy always was a technical and visual marvel first, and XIII achieves that spectacularly. It looks gorgeous and still is the most beautiful game out there. Character development also doesn't get enough praise. Most of the time in jrpg's it boils down to: -I'm dumb and emo -/shit happens/ -WTF? I'm different now! And then proceeds to be "different" until the game ends. While in XIII it's very gradual. Especially in Lightning's case. Every other character in party complements her traits and personality, as she goes from "I never asked for this" to understanding them and herself, which happens naturaly and not just as some "wake up" moment. People hate it for what it isn't instead of liking it for what it is. It's not like the game is without it's flaws. Pacing is fucked, and sometimes constantly changing locations were the only thing that kept me going. But I still love it. Also music, boi! While main theme sure is hot garbage, most of backgrond tracks are 10/10. Love your work. Keep it up!

[@tymasterjoseph5710]

What is your profile pic

[@otchim_666]

@@tymasterjoseph5710 cs8 dot pikabu dot ru/images/big_size_comm/2017-11_5/15113382301163389 dot jpg

[@limecat1057]

I don't remember a ton about 13. Haven't played it since it came out, but I do remember liking it a lot and having a lot of fun seeing the story unfold. Some of the characters personalities and designs got on my nerves though. People complain about how linear it was, but the game's combat system was actually a lot of fun and wasn't easy. It took some serious thought and you had to think on the fly in many cases. I also loved the cutscenes and how beautiful the game looked. Also, the in-game dictionary is so underrated. I knew what was going on at all times and getting new weapons was also a ton of fun. I just finished 15 and it's flaws are very noticeable to someone (me) who adores games like Skyrim and Fallout. Unlike 13, I had no idea what was going on and why characters were even being shown on screen while I was playing 15. It's a shame that 15 defenders will argue that the story is great, but you have to buy the movies or whatever. I'm not at all okay with an unfinished product. 15 felt like half it's cutscenes were missing and it made me appreciate the beauty of 13.

[@yams7355]

I can't be the only one who legitimately likes Snow. I get that it's annoying that he tries to be a hero, even though he's not all that competent (at least at the start,) but I find it endearing because you can tell he means well, and his rash statements that he can't back up like "I'm gonna save Serah" just shows how determined he is, and the fact that he doesn't actually know how to fix these major issues yet still says he'll do them I just find really wholesome. I get that people look at this and think he's just an idiot, and they're not wrong, but idk I just really like the guy

[@JennyTheNerdBat]

Oh, I'm first here! I'll use that to say that you're one of my favorite youtubers out here :v

[@thorhighheels]

Thanks!

[@SlyHikari03]

Of course thunder is the one character on every promo piece. I mean, she’s pretty… that’s all I know. (Also, the ones I played and grew up with were 10, and Crystal Chronicles so call me biased but I like things most ppl don’t) And the music was pretty ok.

[@ImadHadjersi]

Lol I'm currently playing it. And I'm not trying to love it, I love it!

[@Mew_Stor]

Yep it got an amazing story I loved every ending so much!

[@RockEsper]

They're both............ fine.

[@TheKpa11]

When certain things have details in them and catch one's attention, the mind WANTS to care; *EYE* want to care cause some of the details seem like things that would be overly appreciated in other things like the text on Baratandulus's form or on Orphan's sword bottom, or just their parts in general. That big centaur thing, the Behemoths, Vanille's weapon, and many more.

[@PyrrhosDauvet]

The sad thing about all this is that two years before, Lost Odyssey was released, with a scenario from Sakaguchi and the beautiful music from Uematsu and while the game was so great, nobody cared, but FF XIII get out and sold one million on released day in Japan and got a 39/40 score in famitsu (and since that day, Famitsu lost all credibility as a game critics for me)...

[@NyAlexS]

The game is better in Japan

[@saharaofthedeep]

I played this game around the same age and I stuck with it because I love final fantasy although I was also very confused by what was happening for most of it. I didn't get all the way through before I moved out of my friends house and I didn't have a ps3 or 360 for a while so I finally decided to just watch it as the "movie version" and i read all the loading screens and it was perfectly clear. I also loved how it was like a soap opera. I'm a sucker for drama and romance, and I liked all the characters and their development was flawless. I continued through the series and became obsessed. Later on I went back and tried to replay XIII and I just can't get through it. I like the battling system and I don't mind the linearity but I just don't like how much nothing is in-between each cutscene. I still don't understand the hate though cause it's like ok well then go play a different game sheesh. It's been 10 years. Get over it.

[@chummer2060]

"these fights is fast, and damages is big" I'm laughing way too much at that. I never thought 13 was as bad as everyone said, and I started on FF6. It's not great, but I thought the battle system was actually pretty cool.

[@rook1196]

Battle system, graphics (still looks better than most PS4 games), and soundtrack are great. I think the story and characters are passable. The dialogue is terrible tho. The dialogue between characters is much improved in FF15. Also while I do respect the fact that SQE always gives you a new battle system every FF, unfortunately FF15s was a broken mess.

[@Shangori]

The main problem I had? I didn't like anyone. 4x Mopey mcMopeFace, 1x Snow. Only one I sorta liked by the end was Fang and for half the game I dont feel she gets the attention she deserves. For the insanity that is the story, I found the enemies scarily one-dimensional and the world empty. Pulse is meant to be like that, but cocoon too feels very empty. Not because you don't see people, but because there is no 'life' in them. They are, quite literally, background characters. That and the linearity of the pathway, took me out of the game completely. It was, for me, 'a game' instead of 'a fantasy'. Thats, of course, just my 2 cents.

[@Shangori]

Just to complete my opinion; I see a sparkling gem in ff15 that was shit on from so many sides, including by the writer himself. The characters themselves were more interesting, but missed the growing connection between them; as in, you were stuck with them as best friends from the start, not earning that during the story. The fact that the story was taken out of the game and into media besides the game baffled me to no end and the ending didn't feel earned. Still 'brotherhood' is incredibly important to me as a concept, so I naturally gravitated towards that more than what happened in ff13. Also the style is more my thing, where the 'roadtrip' theme really got to me. Fighting system? ff13 >>>>>>> ff15. Ff15 is the worst when it comes to that. Is ff15 then better or worse than ff13? I can't say. I 'think' i liked ff13 more, as a game (important). Theme and style ff15, easily. Story? ...I didn't like either that much.

[@vladandnobody]

Cool new video, I hope to see more long videos from you. I like and appreciate you. Lots of love

[@thorhighheels]

Thank you! I definitely have some more longer ones coming up (mainly parts of the metal gear retrospective), but I don't think I'll ever have 30min videos coming out super regularly. It's hard to do lol

[@vladandnobody]

ThorHighHeels I'm not sure if you just started answering comments or did that for some time and I just didn't notice, but thx anyway)

[@vladandnobody]

ThorHighHeels mgs is cool, but I still love videos where you dumpster dive into forgotten games the most. Like this one Yakuza-style beat-them-up or games from Japan's dark age. Those are the best

[@vladandnobody]

ThorHighHeels you are my favourite KZbinr. Sending you stream of love from the snowy russia. Keep doing what you're doing!

[@vladandnobody]

Hope I'm not too cheesee..

[@thecameronator]

I wanted to like FFVIII so much. I still want to. But every time I come back to it I fight a few monsters, see some pretty environments, and then quickly realize I've been basically running in a straight line and smashing the A button for the last few hours.

[@AddamMiller]

I want to preface by saying I do like this game. Not love, but like. And my first experience with FF was the original NES FF when I was about 9 (it had just came out). I mention this only to state that the only thing FF games have in common, is that they generally have nothing in common. Barring direct sequels and naming consistencies (Sid, GF's, Espers, and the obligatory Airship of some variety.). And I think that holds some of the issues with the perception of this game. We're all used to open world with the FF franchise and I think we all went into this game expecting the same. What we got though...was something very interesting. We got a game, that's essentially a novel. High detail, linear, engrossing story, cities that capture our imaginations but the really interesting things are always just on the edges of what we're allowed to see, and a general vagueness in geography. And just like a novel, enough immersion and the places begin to take more solid shape. I think playing this game from the perspective of reading a story really helps the entertainment value. The C'ieth stones on Pulse added a nice little diversion from the plot and really helped give Pulse a sense of identity. But, this is all simply my opinion. I don't expect anyone to share it. Simply how I saw the material

[@rem9142]

Addam Miller. I like the idea. Makes more sense especially with there being chapters and every chapter having a lot in it and having different environments. I love 13. *Very* aware of its flaws but it had a magic to it I hadn't experienced at the time. Which was only a year or two ago really. As far as the other games go the only real consistency Ive been sure of is there always being a cast and some sort of battle system. And frankly thats fine with me. I'll always prefer every game being different. Love 13, but Im not waiting for another 13, or another 10 or 9 if you get what I mean.

[@AddamMiller]

@@rem9142 well, X-2 and XIII-2 are already things. Can't say I'm the biggest fan of those particular releases. They're missing the magic, if that makes sense. And I do have to say I agree with liking each installment being different. It keeps that air of mystery each time you try a new title. Never knowing exactly what you're getting yourself in to, only being certain it's going to be epic and pull at your emotions

[@Erk1234567]

I really appreciated your point on RPG characters just arbitrarily joining the party . It drives me nuts that people bash characters like Penelo or Amarant when the majority of Final Fantasy VII's cast becomes irrelevant to the story by the end of disc 1.

[@Chelaxim]

they still have a reason for joining in the first place. While most ff heroes dont even have that

[@Erk1234567]

I guess? But they don't really have a reason to stay; the second they leave Midgar, the quest is more or less Cloud's personal revenge story until they learn about the Black Materia. Cid: You all barge into my place, beat up my employer and steal my plane, but what the hell, I'll tag along! Red XIII: I'll hitch a ride home with you until I get home... alright, so I know what I said, but I like you guys. Yuffie: So it turns out I was just conning you to protect my homeland, but I have nothing better to do. Don't get me wrong, I love FFVII's cast, but they just feel disjointed _as a cast_ . What are some examples of characters who don't have a reason to join? Not counting FFVI, because as much as I love that game, Gau and Relm don't really have a reason to be in the party (consequences of a large cast).

[@Chelaxim]

@@Erk1234567 excluding the whole Destiny thing if it is it even counts everybody from Final Fantasy 8 is replaceable with another NPC from garden. The only reason why they're in your party is because randomness. It's like School in real life the party members in Final Fantasy 8 are only there do to Pure Luck just like how you were assigned a random person to dissect a frog with you in school. But you know you can fall back on the whole Destiny thing.

[@Erk1234567]

You're right they are just assigned to work with each other. At least Rinoa has the excuse of hiring them?

[@hian]

@@Erk1234567 That's not a very reasonable view. Sephiroth and Shinra are both engaging in behavior that will destroy the planet. That alone would be enough to motivate many to want to get involved in an effort to stop said entities. The want to assist Cloud would be compounded by the fact that in travelling together these people are ostensibly friends. The character help eachother, and so why wouldn't they want to help Cloud stop Sephiroth? Most of the characters share a hate for both Shinra and later Sephiroth when he kills Aerith and announces to everyone he's planning to kill off humanity. Yuffie can't protect her homeland if meteor wipes out everything. Red XIII can't protect Cosmo Canyon like his father if the canyon is destroyed etc.

[@otakudaikun]

I love how you approach this from the environments. It's not something I look at first but it says a lot.

[@deadsamson3396]

FFXIII is the Nickelback of RPGs

[@thorhighheels]

LOOK AT THIS LINEAR MAP

[@MsLilly200]

The thing I disliked most about ff13 was the lack of towns, the lack of interaction outside of cutscenes. It was just so much of empty hallways with vending machines now and then. And then it was empty fields with vending machines now and then... With battles and cutscenes in between. I need my downtime, running around town talking to all the npcs is one of the best parts of rpgs imo.

[@chemergency]

Lightning - Stereotypical, stoic hardass Snow - Arrogant douchebag Vanilla - Annoying hippie Hope - Whiny babby Fang - Weird hobo Sazh - Likeable everyman who actually cares about people's feelings lol

[@Mk-it6cr]

You know, about lightning, the same can be said about cloud and even sephiroth

[@irvinggiovaniortega579]

Lighting is what you get by mating squall and paine

[@TheSuperSaturos]

Marcelo Kaleu Anhaya Marques And Squall... And Auron... And pretty much every FF character that everyone praises for being cool.

[@Mk-it6cr]

@@TheSuperSaturos but for some reason lightning is bad by following this formula...

[@TheSuperSaturos]

Marcelo Kaleu Anhaya Marques Go figure FF fanbase, man. I gave up on trying to understand a long time ago.

[@dodoplayer5141]

Haha @ Spoony comment. I love that you're open about changing your views. Most people rather stick to their guns winning their metaphorical battles.

[@boarMcberry]

sorry... really sorry. I tried... really hard... to like this particular series. I've played all besides 13, even already finished FF15. But when I came back to give it another shot, FF13 was sooo..... boring. ATM finishing FF12 replay only becoz I never played the international version. I'm a FF6 fan myself, so I tend to judge other series by comparing to it. Tho FF7 was already bad for me, but I guess FF13 are much worse, having to play Cloud-girl version, guess another reason why I didn't like FF13 becoz some of it reminds me of FF7. lol Still... after watching ur amusing review, I hope I can muster enuff will to try play & finishing FF13 for real... at least after FF12-tZA are done, and not too busy with 11/14 as well. It'll be a terrible shame if I still haven't finished FF13 by the time FF7 remake, or worse... FF16 came. lawl

[@theirlovecantcutourknife3253]

Well, did you make it through 13 yet?

[@boarMcberry]

wow... a reply after 2 years comment... anyhoo... no, i still haven't, 2 busy with 11/14 & irl stuff. ^^;

[@theirlovecantcutourknife3253]

@@boarMcberry Thought you might get a chuckle from a response after all this time. 😁

[@boarMcberry]

lol

[@MewMewSun]

You can disable the Auto Command in the game menu. 😗❣ Maybe that's why I enjoyed the game more? I always change my controls before I go further in games... This is very personal as to why I like this game. I don't expect anyone to share my sentiment. Me and my mother watched a lot asian drama shows and movies growing up. It was unusual to have a game that was like those drama shows but it made me like it more. I enjoyed seeing these characters get past their traumas and finally become a semblance of a team. (Except for Snow. Snow deserves to go to jail for all his stupidness and incompetence.) I actually enjoyed the combat and Yes I am blinded (by light) by how pretty everything is. This came out during a time when I was getting bored of the "freeze time" RPG menu style of battle. So dying to a boss because I couldn't switch and select shit fast enough was good for me. I enjoyed that extra bit of pressure despite the fact that I could've hit autobattle.. Growing up from a Catholic family background and seeing all the notso subtle symbolism and the final boss being LITERALLY the Holy Trinity and symbol of Family (Mother,Father,andChild/Orphan) as a weird blade thing was exciting to me. Barthandelus disguised as the weird dictaing pope and his boss design was that of a multifaceted angelic demigod creature who only wanted to herd the people as sacrifices seemed so legit. The world being saved/destroyed by Ragnarok because Pulse Fal'cie pitied Cocoon people living in their comfortable delusions and ultimately united them by destroying their artificial home to live in the harsh reality of Pulse. I love the lore. The story, characters, lore, music, art style are what I adore. The gameplay is very lackluster, especially years later but to me was good for the year it came out. There are a lot of plotholes and problems with the game I am always happy to dissect and discuss. It will always have a special place in my heart. In the end, I guess I was their target demographic. XD

[@Sleepgarden]

Fang > Lightning. search your feelings, you know it to be true

[@benvids]

Your first Final Fantasy should be whichever one you gravitate to. It will likely be the only one you enjoy. I loved 8 and am still waiting for one that evokes it. FF13, 15 and 7 Remake look like they might scratch that itch. Really though, I just want more of 8.

[@always_serpico]

I’ll take XIII over 85-90% of the other FFs any day. It has its problems, but not so much the flaws of the others magically don’t exist anymore. The combat system alone puts it above most. Spamming auto-battle is not only a CHOICE, but a bad one once you hit the halfway point.

[@steamingwillybeaming]

Lol nice troll

[@JaxieWorld]

Wow we stan a troll.

[@coolguy02536]

@singular on1 Heh, trying to turn reality into copy/pasta sure is ineffective. 13 had the most "active" battle system. There is no wait mode, and atb bars constantly fill in real time. So likewise it would certainly be a bit too fast for some slower folk here used to FF9's sloth gauges.