FF13 Sucks... here's why.

[Alphachris]

@ TornadoCreator

It is a matter of fact that FF 13 got some stellar reviews and even won several game of the year awards. Ok, it got harsh critics by some western reviewers and on the internet... but what is an opinion on the internet actually worth? Even this forum here is not a true and fair representation of the fan community of FF13 (or the people who actually played the game). Insert any other game here that sold a few million copies and you can find similar discussions (GTA 4 vs San Andreas, Resident Evil 4 vs 5. etc....). I wouldn't take this serious... Everyone should from time to time think about why reviews are being seen as so important when they are merely subjective judgements.

I appreciate that you put so much effort in telling us why you disliked FF XIII. But it is obvious that you just didn't get the story. You have your fixed opinion what an RPG should be and judge the game accoring to your genre definition. You try to make an objective judgement but you mix reason with subjective values.

Japanese RPGs out a lot of work into their stories and they take story very serious. Especially Final Fantasy is about telling a great story with great graphical presentation and great music. I can understand that many people like those simple stories about a hero vs a villain, trying to save the world.... But the later Final Fantasy games dealt with very difficult moral issues. FF7 was about the effects of technological progress on the environment, FF9 told a story about Vivi and the Magicians who suddenly grew a conscience, FF X told a story about sacrifice for the benefit of others and the consequences of blind faith... these games tried to tell stories about really difficult moral topics.

I have yet to play a single western games that came close to this approach. Most western games simply lack a deep story...

Final Fantasy XIII had several great topics and everyone who played the game with open eyes and an open mind could have seen them...

The train scene in the beginning.. Did you ever think that these trains are similar to the deportation trains of NAzi Germany in WWII? Did you ever think that this game could handle about the effects of Propaganda (like Grande Pulse is the great evil enemy). Did you ever asked yourself during the game why people like Hope where sent to the Purge simply because they came near an object from Grand Pulse? They did absolutely nothing wrong, they were simply at the wrong place in the wrong time.

Another main topic of FF XIII was Free will. The Fal'Cie are godlike creatures with the power to destroy all humans. But they have no free will... they were only built to fulfill their determined purpose. The Fal'Cie plotted their plan... but it was simply impossible for them to kill the Fal'Cie supporting themselves.... They lacked free will. So they had to plot a plan where Humans are going to kill the Fal'Cie.

Barthandelus had 2 plans actually. Plan A was that the L'Cie grow strong enough so they kan kill the Fal'Cie (who simply couldn't stand there and let themselves killed... lack of free will).

Plan B was to incite a civil war so that the people of Cocoon will start a Rebellion and kill the Fal'Cie.

Either Way, Barthandelus was sure to win. One vital part of FF XIII was telling a story where your group has no solution... it was the same with FF XIII-2.

Put there was one way out and Cid Raines showed the group how. A L'Cie can crystallize by power of free will. That is how Fang and Vanille saved Cocoon and that is what happened with Lightning in FF 13-2.

But I think this is useless. It would take too long to write this all down and I would have to replay the story again since I am writing this all out of my memory. I suppose you have already made up your mind and you are not willing to rethink some aspects of your opinion about this game.

But there is one thing that I still have to say. I do not understand why people so often try to compare JRPGS like FF to Pen&Paper RPGs. JRPGs are not built around these rules... They are not ment to let you create your characters and tell your own story in a Sandbox world or letting you become the strongest possible maxed out character in the world. JRPGs are simply telling a story and they want you to think about what is going on in the game, see a moral dilemma from different perspectives...

Although there are complex systems of customization like Materia or Junction System the games were never that hard. It was not meant to be a challenging game per se... It is a sure sign that the final boss in the game was never the strongest boss in the game... the strongest enemies are always optional so that everyone could beat the game and see the conclusion of the story. Thats why I like JRPGs... they simply put the story first.

Where is the difficulty in a turn-based strategy game? You just have to follow a certain strategy and have certain equipment and appropriate Levels and you will win the game. Everyone could beat the secret weapons in FF 7 without any problems... you just needed 2xsummon+Knights of the round+mimic materia...