Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

~Welcome to the Sonic Blast Community Forum~
Greetings stranger, it is an honor to have you as a visitor. Since we opened in 2006 our goal has been to offer the most authentic Sonic-themed community on the web for Sonic enthusiasts new and old. We do our best to provide the most unique features, best Sonic-themed designs, and have the latest news; always improving to cover all of your Sonic needs. Our community is full of friendly people and we hope you enjoy your brief stay but would be thrilled if you decided to join in on the fun. Being a part of our community is easy, quick, and absolutely free.

Click here to join our community and enter the land of Mobius as a =SB= citizen!
Citizens may log in to their account to participate in our land's conversations and access all of our features:

Pages:
1
2
3

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Tweet Topic Started: Jan 22 2014, 12:24 AM (715 Views)
kimmiechao	Feb 12 2014, 07:59 AM Post #16
Launch Base Act 1 Posts: 288 Group: B Rank Guardian Member #12,545 Joined: November 19, 2011 Xbox Live Gamertag: Kimmstaa	I was up alllll night last night playing this game, I've been so pumped for it's release since it was first announced. Here are my initial impressions: The ending of 13-2 left me incredibly, terribly, infuriatingly confused. But, all of that confusion got cleared up within the first hour of playing LR. By reading the datalog and listening to Lightning/Hope's speeches the loose ends got tied up pretty quickly (I was really confused by the Gods and their roles, Bhunivelze, Lindzhei, Etro etc bc they were mentioned in the previous game but not really explained). So as far as story goes, I'm hooked and excited to see where this goes. I love the new battle system, it's constant action and excitement. The customization is amazing!! I'm actually really overwhelmed with just the costumes I have right now, I can't imagine having all of them! However, I do feel the preorder costumes like Yuna are a little overpowered..or maybe it's just because I'm on easy mode and it's still early in the game. Still, it's awesome to be playing through the game dressed as my favorite summoner. The worlds are HUGE and confusing! I spent hours circling around Luxerion just trying to find the four numbers for the first quest :/. I love all of the side quests around every corner too, I know this game is going to keep me busy for a very long time. Which brings to the next part. TIME. With the clock constantly ticking, I feel like I'll never be able to complete everything before the end. Luckily there's a new game plus option when you complete the game. And I'll still have normal and hard mode to go through. The one thing I can't stand? HOPE! My god is he annoying! Everytime I take a step he's nagging me about what I should or shouldn't be doing, often repeating the same bit of advice multiple times. And that stupid beep his messages make when they're about to start..ugh. Otherwise, I'm loving this game. So happy it's finally here.



Neo Metallix	Feb 12 2014, 08:55 AM Post #17
~Doomsday Overlord~ Posts: 15,568 Group: =SB= Emperor Member #1 Joined: April 8, 2006 Gender: Male Country: United States of America Playstation Network ID: Doc_Of_D Game Currently Playing: Tales of Xillia	Yeah reviews are rather mixed. I've read that the battle system is the game's best attribute by far but what holds it back is its story. I have to play through Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Remix but once I get through that I'll give this a shot.
	Puncture the Porcupine, my fancharacter!


Fenroar	Feb 12 2014, 10:04 AM Post #18
Perfectionist Posts: 3,036 Group: E Rank Legend Member #9,478 Joined: November 2, 2008 Gender: Male 3DS Friend Code: 1504-6189-5960	kimmiechao Feb 12 2014, 07:59 AM I was up alllll night last night playing this game, I've been so pumped for it's release since it was first announced. Here are my initial impressions: The ending of 13-2 left me incredibly, terribly, infuriatingly confused. But, all of that confusion got cleared up within the first hour of playing LR. By reading the datalog and listening to Lightning/Hope's speeches the loose ends got tied up pretty quickly (I was really confused by the Gods and their roles, Bhunivelze, Lindzhei, Etro etc bc they were mentioned in the previous game but not really explained). So as far as story goes, I'm hooked and excited to see where this goes. I love the new battle system, it's constant action and excitement. The customization is amazing!! I'm actually really overwhelmed with just the costumes I have right now, I can't imagine having all of them! However, I do feel the preorder costumes like Yuna are a little overpowered..or maybe it's just because I'm on easy mode and it's still early in the game. Still, it's awesome to be playing through the game dressed as my favorite summoner. The worlds are HUGE and confusing! I spent hours circling around Luxerion just trying to find the four numbers for the first quest :/. I love all of the side quests around every corner too, I know this game is going to keep me busy for a very long time. Which brings to the next part. TIME. With the clock constantly ticking, I feel like I'll never be able to complete everything before the end. Luckily there's a new game plus option when you complete the game. And I'll still have normal and hard mode to go through. The one thing I can't stand? HOPE! My god is he annoying! Everytime I take a step he's nagging me about what I should or shouldn't be doing, often repeating the same bit of advice multiple times. And that stupid beep his messages make when they're about to start..ugh. Otherwise, I'm loving this game. So happy it's finally here. Yeah, the nice thing what Lightning Returns does here is that like the previous XIII games, it begins with a totally crazy yet cool event (XIII's fighting on the Purge train, sequel has you as overpowered Lightning against Bahamut) yet this time it doesn't take too long to actually explain it. After getting past the demo area, the game explains and connects LR to the ending of XIII2's so it definitely was pretty refreshing. I only just arrived in Luxerion but my thoughts on the game are pretty positive so far. I love the setting and tone and there's already a lot more variety in the NPCs then XIII-2's. And yeah, the battle system is really fun. I hope it gets used again in a future Final Fantasy. I'm only an hour in so I can't say much about the story but it is rather simplified compared to the first two games yet seems intriguing so far. The religious themes are rather cool, again adding to the setting of LR. I look forward to seeing Lightning interact with the cast again though, as she never actually saw them in XIII-2. ~~I also love Hope. :<~~ Playing the game on Easy too by the way. I hear Normal is actually pretty hard. But yeah, LR seems pretty promising so far. [url=www.usgamer.net/articles/its-time-to-admit-final-fantasy-xiii-wasnt-actually-that-bad]Oh, being somewhat related, people should give this a read regarding Final Fantasy and the XIII trilogy. [/URL] Thought it was pretty good read. Edited by Fenroar, Feb 12 2014, 12:49 PM.



kimmiechao	Feb 12 2014, 02:08 PM Post #19
Launch Base Act 1 Posts: 288 Group: B Rank Guardian Member #12,545 Joined: November 19, 2011 Xbox Live Gamertag: Kimmstaa	So i pretty much spam the Chronostasis ability, constantly, because I'm determined to complete all these quests XD. I've spent all day in the Wildlands...wow..this is HUGEEE.. I love the customizing. I could spend hours on the outfits I've collected so far. I love being able to give Lightning a purple bunny tail or something else ridiculous. I usually don't even look at the stats of my items, I just put items together that look good haha. I'm weird probably.. Edited by kimmiechao, Feb 12 2014, 02:10 PM.



Fenroar	Feb 14 2014, 07:18 PM Post #20
Perfectionist Posts: 3,036 Group: E Rank Legend Member #9,478 Joined: November 2, 2008 Gender: Male 3DS Friend Code: 1504-6189-5960	I know what you mean! I spent so much time customizing. In fact...



Ludichaos	Feb 15 2014, 12:05 PM Post #21
[Outrealm Vagabond] Posts: 4,994 Group: C Rank Legend Member #11,272 Joined: July 25, 2010	I tried the demo for this the other week. It wasn't too bad, though the combat feels a little stiff. I think I would enjoy it a bit more if I could roam freely outside of using evade with certain classes. But it's a bit more enjoyable than what I remember of the original FFXIII. Been watching my brother play snippets of it the last couple of nights and it looks alright. Though Lightning is still as unlikeable as ever. But I guess that's down to personal preference. I'd probably enjoy the game if I got the chance to play it. But I'm not going out to buy a copy.
	【One third of Sonic Blast's Legendary Australian Trio. The last remaining member 】


Fenroar	Feb 15 2014, 04:27 PM Post #22
Perfectionist Posts: 3,036 Group: E Rank Legend Member #9,478 Joined: November 2, 2008 Gender: Male 3DS Friend Code: 1504-6189-5960	That's a shame, on both FFXIII and Lightning. Preference though. But it's nothing like FFXIII. Part of me thinks if the 13 part wasn't in the title then people would be more open to it. I'm still really liking it. Certainly gives me a feeling I never felt before in RPs. Would love to see this battle system used again.



Ludichaos	Feb 15 2014, 05:51 PM Post #23
[Outrealm Vagabond] Posts: 4,994 Group: C Rank Legend Member #11,272 Joined: July 25, 2010	Nah. Because Lightning is still in it. She's arguably the main problem I have with the series. To be fair I really liked the concept and setting of XIII, and most of the cast was pretty great outside of the lead (Sazh dabes). But the game dragged on so long at the start that I lost interest before it really got anywhere. It's like 20 hours worth of hand-holding tutorial play in which you can't even choose who you're playing as. Part of me really wants to like XIII. But that part isn't big enough to overlook the other stuff.
	【One third of Sonic Blast's Legendary Australian Trio. The last remaining member 】


Fenroar	Feb 15 2014, 07:51 PM Post #24
Perfectionist Posts: 3,036 Group: E Rank Legend Member #9,478 Joined: November 2, 2008 Gender: Male 3DS Friend Code: 1504-6189-5960	Ludichaos Feb 15 2014, 05:51 PM Nah. Because Lightning is still in it. She's arguably the main problem I have with the series. To be fair I really liked the concept and setting of XIII, and most of the cast was pretty great outside of the lead (Sazh dabes). But the game dragged on so long at the start that I lost interest before it really got anywhere. It's like 20 hours worth of hand-holding tutorial play in which you can't even choose who you're playing as. Part of me really wants to like XIII. But that part isn't big enough to overlook the other stuff. still sad because Lightning is my favorite female character in the series The cast is among my favorites though, which is why I don't really mind two sequels, though the story is flawed I admit. Although it was more in the case as inconsistent pacing and being confused, especially since the in-game terms were hidden behind menus rather than being actually explained in the story, then dragging on for me. XIII-2 suffers this too but ironically for different reasons (not enough explained) but I have a feeling you would like XIII-2 and LR better. No tutorial hell, though it was nice playing as the different characters, but certain segments was too long admittedly. But yeah, opinions. I knew you never finished XIII but I was curious what you thought about it. That's fair. Speaking of story though, having played more of the game, I don't get why it's getting flak from critics. I felt like Lightning Returns has finally hit the balance I wanted in the first two games. Doesn't take too long to explain things yet has good pacing, and the story is simplified compared to the first two games. I still have lots to go but I finished Luxerion's main quest and man, that scene with Noel was emotional as hell (Noel is my favorite FFXIII character and one of the best characters overall in FF to me). I feel like Square is also getting closer to achieving true open world in HD games too. Square previously said, when asked about FFXIII, that towns and traditional FF open world was hard to do with HD graphics. One of the many reasons why they said a Final Fantasy VII remake would be hard to do. Although LR lacks the polish of something like Assassin's Creed (evident by some bad wall textures though I don't notice them too much unless you walk straight up to it), I feel like it actually lacks the hand-holding that open world games also tend to do. Leaves me very anticipated for fifteen. ~~Anyway I guess I should stop gushing over the game until I beat it, when I make a full review. But LR, despite mixedness from critics, does have the potential to be my favorite XIII game.~~



kimmiechao	Feb 17 2014, 02:07 PM Post #25
Launch Base Act 1 Posts: 288 Group: B Rank Guardian Member #12,545 Joined: November 19, 2011 Xbox Live Gamertag: Kimmstaa	Fenroar, you're not alone because Lightning is also one of my favorite characters out of what I've played with in the Final Fantasy series. Although, I do feel she has changed alot from the first game. But that's both good and bad. I'm really anxious to see how this story ends, but also dreading it since this is her last appearance :(. I also agree I am very excited for 15 after seeing this game. Okay..so did anyone else beat the game yet? I just beat it tonight.. I desperately need to talk to someone about this...vent my frustrations.. Edited by kimmiechao, Feb 27 2014, 07:19 PM.



Fenroar	Feb 28 2014, 05:05 PM Post #26
Perfectionist Posts: 3,036 Group: E Rank Legend Member #9,478 Joined: November 2, 2008 Gender: Male 3DS Friend Code: 1504-6189-5960	I haven't beaten it yet but I already saw the ending ways back when somebody was first streaming the Japanese version. I rather liked it... so vent away at me haha. Spoiler: click to toggle The ending makes me happy for Lightning, as throughout the entire trilogy, she has been an instrument for God. As a L'cie, as Etro's Protector, and now as the Savior, where she's only being used by Bhunivelze who planned on turning Lightning into the new Etro, take the 'human' out of 'humanity', and again manipulate human kind, possibly repeating the events of Final Fantasy XIII. The final setting I admit kind of really took me back... but after thinking about it, I was fine with it. Lightning's finally an ordinary person with the entire world in front of her, finally living a life on a planet free from Gods. I also really liked Noel's reunion with Yeul, that made me happy since he's one of my favorite characters in all of Final Fantasy. I do admit I would have liked to see snippets of the rest of the cast though on the new world prior to that final scene with Lightning. Here's hoping we see some sort of media, perhaps a novel or DLC, though that's unlikely for the latter. Though people are mixed over the ending so Idk you may not be alone.



VlaDDrakkeN	Mar 3 2014, 10:47 AM Post #27
The Jester Posts: 1,902 Group: S Rank Hero Member #6,850 Joined: March 22, 2008 Gender: Male Country: United States of America Playstation Network ID: VlaDDrakkeN Game Currently Playing: My New Computer	I never really was a fan of Lightning, or of Final Fantasy 13(Or Final Hallway 13 from what Ive seen). Granted I haven't really played the game and wanted to, but nothing Ive heard about has really given me much reason to. At this point, 15 has gotten my interest more. Its sorta the same story with Lightning Returns. Ive come to hate how much focus has been put on this char by the developers/publishers. Does the game live up to being any better than the other two games? Or is it a situation of "you have to be a fan to like" sort of deal?
	===================================================================================


Fenroar	Mar 3 2014, 04:04 PM Post #28
Perfectionist Posts: 3,036 Group: E Rank Legend Member #9,478 Joined: November 2, 2008 Gender: Male 3DS Friend Code: 1504-6189-5960	VlaDDrakkeN Mar 3 2014, 10:47 AM I never really was a fan of Lightning, or of Final Fantasy 13(Or Final Hallway 13 from what Ive seen). Granted I haven't really played the game and wanted to, but nothing Ive heard about has really given me much reason to. At this point, 15 has gotten my interest more. Quote: Granted I haven't really played the game Figures. Although yes, 15 I'm very hyped for. When it comes to Final Fantasy, people, and especially the fandom, are divisive as hell, even if critic-wise are always the same (which makes the fandom annoying as hell on tumblr, because people are always arguing over this entry is better then that when we should all admit they're in fact good games). It's really best to play these games yourselves, because of how the battle system is always continually changing in some way in some form for each game. Some more then others, some less then others. But anyway, 13 to me has the best battle system with one of the best casts. My only problem with it is how the story is oddly paced, confusing at times, and how it actually hides terms behind menus instead of explaining them within the actual story. Like... a simple text prologue at the beginning would have been fine instead of that. Regarding the "hallways" though, it is linear but linear doesn't mean it's bad and it's not the first Final Fantasy to be linear, although the HD makes it more obvious. There's also several small areas that can be missed anyway. Gran Pulse is fun to explore though when it eventually opens up. XIII-2 also is far less linear and if you got annoyed by the linearity and pacing, you'll probably like it better. I loved the sequel, giving it a slight edge over the original to me. Though the sequel in terms of story has problems ironically opposite of XIII. Not enough explained. Regarding Lightning Returns, it's on its way to becoming my favorite of the XIII trilogy. While I do suggest playing or catching up on the stories personally, it's not all that hard to understand what's going on in Lightning Returns. LR simplifies the story so it's easy to understand yet has much mystery regarding the setting and areas in the game as you do your mission. The battle system has me hooked, the religious themes throughout the game are awesome, and the sidequests have shown a really sweet and passionate side of Lightning that I haven't seen before. It's rather different from the first two games, and it's the most open field of them certainly, so it's not really comparable. The only thing from the first two games is Lightning and the cast really. But yeah, the best way is to simply play the game and form your opinion yourself. Don't listen to other people because like I said, FF is divisive as hell. xP;; Sorry if I'm sounding harsh or if I went overboard but I just get a bit aggravated when people judge so much based off other people. No offense against you of course.



kimmiechao	Mar 4 2014, 01:36 PM Post #29
Launch Base Act 1 Posts: 288 Group: B Rank Guardian Member #12,545 Joined: November 19, 2011 Xbox Live Gamertag: Kimmstaa	Okay, sorry it took me so long to get back on here. Work and all that. But yes, here is my final review of Lightning Returns, as well as the trilogy in general. Let me start with the original FF13. Yes, it was extremely linear as they all say. Yes, the story was VERY confusing for me and I found myself re-reading the datalog over and over trying to piece it all together. I thought the game had a very bizarre ending which left me even more confused. But there were two things about the game that I absolutely LOVED and which kept me playing until the end: Lightning, and the battle system. I haven't played that many Final Fantasy games (X, X-2, and about an hour of XII, because now that is TRULY a god-awful game) and I'm sure there has been many strong female characters in the series before Lightning, but I absolutely fell in love with her. Maybe it's just because I'm a girl and I liked seeing a woman take charge lol. The other characters were alright, my next favorites being Hope and then Sazh, the others didn't grow on me too too much. But other than that, the battle system is really what kept me there. I loved the fast paced feeling and the strategy that had to go behind it. If the battle system wasn't good, I probably would've raged quit as well out of frustration from the confusing story and everything else. When I had beaten 13 for the first time, 13-2 was already out. Seeing as the ending to 13 seemed pretty complete, I was curious as to where they could've possibly taken the story from there. Also the knight outfit Lightning has on the cover really caught my eye. I thought it was going to be all about Lightning on some epic adventure, so I went ahead and bought it. The opening scene with Lightning was amazing. I was pretty disappointed at first when I found out you actually played as her sister and a new character. I was also equally frustrated with how they basically changed the first game's ending completely well..just because they could. But, this game fixed almost all of the issues the first game had, minus the plot. The battle system was improved (no time waiting between paradigm shifts, which used to end in death for me sometimes in the previous game), no more linearity (you can go through time as you please for the most part), the crystarium was improved (in the previous game you could only level up your characters to a certain extent until the story progressed, now you could choose what role to level up and no waiting to max it out), and there were many side quests you could complete throughout the entire journey (only available on Pulse in the original). However the story left me more confused than the original, and actually really infuriated by the ending. Many questions were left unanswered (such as why was Snow a L'Cie again?) This was before I knew there was going to be a Lightning Returns, although I guess you could say it was pretty obvious the third one was coming, especially once the Lightning DLC came out (which was another thing that annoyed me, why did we have to pay for the true ending?? Gahh!). Once again, the improved battle system and Lightning (even though she was briefly seen in the game) kept me there. So after a very long time waiting, Lightning Returns arrived. I can't tell you how hyped I was for this game to come out. I would rewatch the trailers over and over trying to figure out how the story would finally end. I loved that there was going to be customization and another version of the previous battle system. And I wasn't disappointed. I've been obsessed with this game since I got it. I can't tell you how many hours I've wasted just on the customizing alone, making one of my favorite characters however I wanted her to be. The battle system was fresh and new and even though you don't experience from monsters, it still felt very rewarding. The environments were large and unique in their own ways and I felt at first I could never explore everything that was there. I loved planning my days out and completing all of the quests. The story, although very short, really pulled me in. I felt like there definitely should've been more, especially in the main quests with the other characters, but I was satisfied with what was given. UNTIL THE ENDING. Spoiler: click to toggle OMFG. I was fine with the Final Day until the last boss fight with Bhunivelze was over. Actually, I was okay until after the scene when you find out Lumina was Lightning and Hope saves her. That part was really good actually. But when everyone and Serah reunites? When they all magically get their Eidolons back and do some crazy Power Ranger type thing against Bhunivelze? When they all turn into some light sword and kill him? I don't know, I was just sitting there on the couch thinking please no, I must be imagining. This is too much. I mean, I know this is Final Fantasy, but I wasn't expecting that. I don't really know what I was expecting to be honest, but def not that. The part with Noel/Yeul/Cauis was fine, I was actually really happy with that. But then, we make EARTH. And Lightning lives in FRANCE. FRANCE?? Gahh! I mean, I guess I should've seen this coming? That the "new world" was going to be earth. But I didn't, and I really understood now why reviews were saying this game was like some strange spinoff comic story. I hate how we will never know what happened to the other characters. What about Serah and Snow's wedding? I don't think they even spoke when Serah finally came back! I felt as the FINAL ending to THREE GAMES worth of story, there should've been so much more detail put into this! But, this is what I'm left with. Sigh But, once again, the battle system, and the customization especially, has made LR my favorite out of the three. I'm actually replaying all three games from the beginning now, just to get all the achievements and relive this crazy story lol. And that's all I can rant for now, my fingers hurt lol. Edited by kimmiechao, Mar 4 2014, 01:49 PM.



Fenroar	Mar 4 2014, 02:52 PM Post #30
Perfectionist Posts: 3,036 Group: E Rank Legend Member #9,478 Joined: November 2, 2008 Gender: Male 3DS Friend Code: 1504-6189-5960	12 is actually my second favorite Final Fantasy. Come at me. Snow's L'cie brand is explained in a novel... which I forget if it ever came here in the US (which I agree is dumb. My problem with XIII2. It explains certain plot holes only in other media, like DLC or a very hidden sidequest. Snow's l'cie brand mystery is the worst case of them all, being in a novel.). Snow sees a vision of what's basically the ending of XIII2 and was horrified, deciding to become a L'cie again to prevent it... and as we see in LR, failed miserably, Snow riddled with guilt. And huh? They didn't really change anything in the first game's ending. The story explains it rather well, though yes, it's confusing due to reasons I said. Regarding your spoiler That's not France or Earth. Toriyama said that it's not Earth but a world similar to Earth. The setting shocked me but considering what the story has been hinting throughout the entire game, I wasn't all that surprised. If I recalled correctly, there originally was a book planned that expanded on the characters after LR but due to author getting illed, it was cancelled. Hopefully we see it get resumed. Serah and Snow did interact though at the end but briefly. I do agree that it wasn't a perfect ending but I was satisfied. Just wanted more.



1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)

Create your own social network with a free forum. Learn More · Register Now
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Act II: Video Game Station · Next Topic »

Pages:
1
2
3