Okay, so it isn't called "Final Fantasy XIII-3," but I was still right. 😉
Based on the hints we had received from Square Enix over the past few weeks, we surmised that a follow-up to FFXIII-2 was probably inevitable . And so it was.
At the Final Fantasy 25th anniversary celebration in Japan, Square Enix revealed the latest entry in the iconic franchise: the oddly named Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII .
It's a direct sequel to this year's FFXIII-2 and is scheduled to launch some time in 2013 for current-generation consoles. It is described as the "final chapter" in Lightning's saga and producer Yoshinori Kitase said the gameplay system is "much more active" and the world features "more interactive environments" than before. Players will be able to control Lightning "however they see fit," so more freedom in general seems to be the name of the game.
One of the more interesting parts of the presentation involved the title's art director, who said he "limited the visual design of Lightning's look in Lightning Returns to black and white shades, and three key terms: mechanical, gothic, and fantasy." Customization will be huge, too. But perhaps most significant is the fact that we'll actually be able to control Lightning's movements in battle…which may or may not be what the fans want. I could wager a guess but I won't.
She'll be able to jump, hang off ledges, duck, etc. and her abilities will change based on what she equips. Lastly, a new twist: The "Doomsday Clock," which is a countdown to the end of the world. You have just 13 days to save the world, apparently. Shops in the game will open and close with the in-game clock as well. Okay, I may be speaking out of turn here, but…
A more action-oriented approach to the combat, so it's even more like God of War and less like Final Fantasy ? And we're always racing the clock? Maybe I'm interpreting these points incorrectly but if not…I am going to have some seriously harsh words for Square Enix. Just sayin'.
Related Game(s): Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
SMH and walking away…
*Shakes head*
Wow that just sounds like the biggest turd SE could possibly lay on fans.
Black and white, time limit, action orientation, gay title, and I'll just go ahead and assume terrible story.
*shakes head sadly*
Did I not tell you 13-3 would be closer to God of War?
I can't believe I was sort of right 🙁
Maybe they should call it Goddess of Crap.
Please elaborate on how the title is homosexual.
Ugh….
The clock thing is a REALLY good idea. Perhaps not for FF, but for games as a whole. One of the things about Skyrim, for example, is that the world was supposed to be ending, but you were left to do your own thing and completely ignore the threat of Alduin. The mix of urgency portrayed and lack thereof just felt weak. Just a cool idea all around.
As for it taking a more action oriented approach, well… Regard this as a spin-off in the vein of Versus and hope beyond hope that they don't continue down this path for FFXV. I don't think it'll be like God of War… but a blend of the FFXIII system and real-time? I can see how it could work, giving you direct control of the character to dodge and block but still selecting attacks via a menu. I dunno
In the face of the other comments… I seem like an optimist. Or perhaps not a real FF fan, though the latter is certainly true 😀
Last edited by Lawless SXE on 8/31/2012 10:29:14 PM
The clock thing just makes me think of Zelda Majora's Mask, which basically made the game impossible to get anywhere in and forced you to replay stuff 10,000 times. I hope it is implemented better than that.
The action makes it seem impossible to either have or have any influence at all on party member action.
I got the impression that there would be no party members, only Lightning. Is it wrong that I didn't even consider that a sin? Told you I'm not an FF fan.
Last edited by Lawless SXE on 8/31/2012 10:37:01 PM
Doomsday clock? Sounds like Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
I hate the idea of a clock. I HATE being timed on anything in games because I like to take my time, especially in RPGs. It's part of the reason I loved turn-based so much; I never felt rushed and I still had all depth and choices available. And the reason I never liked RTS is because of the consistently moving time.
If the clock only moved upon completing certain parts of the main quest, that'd be okay, I guess. But if it's ALWAYS moving and it actually limits how much I can do, I just absolutely refuse to play it.
Yeah dude, that's a pretty big sin. You can build a good action game around a single playable character, but an FF must needs be about conflict and cooperation within a party of intriguing characters that are thrust into a pressure cooker situation from which they must emerge or die while risking all to save the world in an epic quest that cannot be fought alone.
I understand why you'd feel that way Ben, but what if the clock was ticking away when you were running around in the gameworld and pausing during battles where you could use a turn-based system? I know that this isn't the reality but what if it was?
World, FFXIII was mostly devoid of intriguing characters. FFXIII-2 was devoid of a real party system. I'd wager that Lightning is alone this time around, particularly if she really does have the strength of a God/dess. Makes perfect sense :/
And now you understand one of the reasons XIII and XIII-2 failed so hard with fans. (Some embraced XIII-2 more but that's only because the bar got set really low).
I say there were a few redeeming characteristics of the original cast, but then XIII-2 just threw a bunch of clothes at some character models and said "Hey these people exist in different times and you should care about them because we said so."
Lawless, the problem I have is that the description sounds like a perpetually moving clock and you have a certain amount of time to finish the game. If it pauses at certain times, I'd say that's fine, but if it's EVER running during optional stuff, it's a total fail for me.
I got that much. It was a theoretical question.
Also lawless, certain skills in battle are apparently going to speed up your clock. I don't know if it is 13 real time days or some weird 13 in game days where a day isn't a full 24 hours. If it is a full 13 days that might not be that bad considering that is a full 320 hours to complete the game, which wouldn't be that bad although the idea is still terrible.
Its going to put this stressful seed in the back of peoples minds and for me would just make the game completely un enjoyable, I mean other than playing as one of the most unlikeable FF characters I have ever encountered.
Tie that in with a game that sounds basically like its trying to be devil may cry/god of war and you have a game that is absolutely not trying to cater to the fans one bit.
Possibly, maybe the clock thing is there to justify it being a shorter game. If you don't finish with a good time you keep playing the game through until you complete it with the best time, unlocking a better ending, or items, or something.
Sorta like Pikmin (I did it on my first play through 😉 So cumulatively, a 13 hour game becomes like 40 hour+ game.
Temjin I'm almost certain that is the case, not because I'm assuming the worst but just extrapolating from the idea of these 3 islands, the time consuming monorail and the fact you will be constantly doing stuff to put back the time it cost you to do things instead of progressing through an actual plot.
So what now an action adventure rpg mash up?! *flips a table* I'll be playing darksiders II now.
Last edited by Heartless Angel on 8/31/2012 10:34:49 PM
It sounds like they ARE describing Darksiders II…DSII is awesome, but it isn't Final Fantasy.
I'm with you man, let's flip some tables over like Jesus.
Ha, World. Do you consider FF games a sacred place of worship?
=p
Last edited by Temjin001 on 9/1/2012 10:17:51 PM
Wait wait wait wait…wait…wait hold on and wait a minute.
So FFvs13 doesn't get shown because he wants us to go "this is final fantasy". And then we get this crap?
It is official, square is run by a tapir.
probably because he knew this HORROR was coming. He wants us to hit the bottom of the pit before he can show us the light of heaven! lol
Hey,
Don't go insulting any Tapirs, they're much smarter than Wada!
Your right, Tapirs at least have a clue about self preservation. However I think we can all agree that they can't code games…unless O_o; I gotta go, there is science to be done!
What's a tapir?
A tapir is a mammal thing that looks like a pig but with a longer snout like an ant eater, its part of the same family as horses. If you ever saw Apocalyptico it is what they were hunting with the traps in the beginning.
Squeenix is becoming a joke. It seems like they changed the title to attract gamers that will think it's a whole new story instead of a sequel. Gamers are not that stupid Squeenix, because we already know that you're becoming a money hungry scheming company like Activision.
The only way you'll redeem yourself (to me anyway) is to really surprise me with FF Versus. I'll be playing Ni No Kuni instead when this comes out and I won't even take a second look at the box when I'm in the stores.
Last edited by archs13 on 8/31/2012 10:34:14 PM
I haven't had hardly a thing to say about SquareEnix this generation. After finishing FFXIII, I was just as let down as most long-time FF fans.
I agree with everything you just wrote there, Arch. I'll also be playing Ni No Kuni before I go back to anything other than trying out FFXIV. Definitely no more of the XIII world for me.
Im in minority here but I liked what I heard. Im really pleased with being in a new world. The art looks good and the oil painting was beautiful. I want to see a trailer like now.
Clock + FF = Fail.
FF = Game that I like to spend and waste a lot of time leveling… Clock = rushing to the end not caring about anything.
I liked the direction XIII-2 took but I HATE what I am hearing now. Hope they die. I will watch the story on youtube to get my fill on the ending of that saga but I won't touch this piece of trash with a 100m stick.
Last edited by Neo_Aeon666 on 8/31/2012 10:43:33 PM
Sadly the minor details indicate everything you do will drain that clock, from moves in battle to riding the monorail from island to island in this strange new world 100 years into the future that has nothing whatsoever to do with the story of either of the first two games. *sigh*
The only good news is you can apparently do stuff to put time back on the clock.
Can anybody say gimmick? This is how you create a sense of urgency in a game that is short on content and exploration. I know these tricks.
Did the story of XIII-2 have anything to do with that of the original? Also, this isn't the clock that I was necessarily expecting. The new world is kinda bizarre too. I mean, is this not Gran Pulse? Or is it a different continent/set of islands on the planet's surface? I'm confused. Doesn't help that I still haven't finished XIII-2 :/
No the story of XIII-2 had nothing to do with the first game, it would be like if after Star Wars Han Solo traveled through time and shot Frodo before he got rid of the ring of power and then helped Captain Picard pilot the Enterprise into an episode of Two and a Half Men.
XIII-3 takes place 100 years after that in a new place, (presumanly on the same planet), a set of islands called Novus Partus. And apparently evil forces now work on a strict timetable.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 8/31/2012 11:51:16 PM
Maybe just MAYBE they are trying to tie this game into FFvs13 because this world looks nothing like Cocoon or pulse.
But why she would want to save a random world is beyond me. I guess I can expect a nonsensical story like FF13-2 to explain this to me.
If they give us 312 hours to beat the game though wouldn't that be enough time? I doubt that is the time we will get its probably some messed up in game day/hour conversion so the game ends up being 8-12 hours.
World, I thought XIII-2 had a lot to do with the original. It gave you a different view of the ending of XIII and from there it elaborated.
Now, even if we are playing 100 years in the future as Lightning, it is still the continuity of her story and what we did in the past with her is what forged the events of the game they just revealed.
So I see a connection through the characters but man why the hell would you go and change the gameplay aspect so much when this game is supposed to be Lightning's final game. They really are retarded. It's like saying GodOfWar 4 will be a turn based RPG XD
Last edited by Neo_Aeon666 on 9/1/2012 10:32:34 AM
Wrong, it scrapped the ending of XIII that we ran through all those tubes to see and then went off on a stupid tangent.
lolll yeah you can say it scrapped it. But in the end if that is how they say it goes… I am afraid we are powerless and need to accept the fact that this is their story and they can do whatever they want with it. The fact that we don't agree does not make their new games less of a direct sequel to the original.
I just dont get it. How do we get through to them? Anyone know the sales of FF13-2?
2.6 million across both platforms worldwide according to vgchartz
Where's Jawknee at? I'm getting a Wii for my nieces so I'll be free to play the real Final Fantasy coming out next year otherwise known as The Last Story.
I told you guys don't buy XIII-2! and I'm going to say this again…don't buy XIII-3! or they are going to release this time not a sequel but a spinoff with other character, they said ''the final chapter in Lightning's saga'', so they already have an excuse to release more of the FFXIII verse games with other characters.
Last edited by Oxvial on 8/31/2012 11:19:31 PM
Oh I'll be buying it, some day… used.
Oh well I'm also sad this ruin the chances of Noctis being on Playstation All Stars we are have Lightning for sure..>_<
I happen to like Lightning, but whatever people think of her I think we can all agree she deserved some better games to live in.
… Serious? Another XIII game?
Let it go SE! Sweet mother of god, JUST LET IT GO!!!
I just… *walks away shaking his head*
Say what?
Sorry FF fans, really sorry. I'm not sure they are understanding the frustration from fans. It's like the louder the fans get the further away SE gets from creating a true FF game!