THANKS TORILLIAN FOR THE PERMISSION AND MACHINA FOR THE STICKY !
Platforms : PlayStation 3 (All Regions), XBOX360 (NA and PAL)
Genre : JRPG
Developer : Square Enix
Publisher : Square Enix
Engine : Crystal Tools
Composer : Masashi Hamauzu
Designers : Motomu Toriyama, Toshiro Tsuchida ,Yoshinori Kitase, Tetsuya Nomura
Release Dates :
JP - 17th December, 2009
NA/PAL - 9th March, 2010
The plot of Final Fantasy XIII revolves around the fal'Cie, beings created from crystals residing inside them. People who are marked by the fal'Cie for greater purposes are called l'Cie. Each l'Cie has a Focus, a goal the fal'Cie wants him or her to fulfill within a certain amount of time; however, the fal'Cie do not explicitly say what the goal is. L'Cie gain the ability to summon Eidolons (monsters who fight with the l'Cie), but this ability comes with a price: if an l'Cie dies before completing his or her Focus, or fails to complete his or her Focus within a period of time, he or she becomes a monster known as a "Cie Corpse." For this reason, being chosen as a l'Cie is seen as a curse.
Some thirteen centuries ago, a fal'Cie constructed a paradise for humanity: the shell-like city of Cocoon, which floats high above the surface of the world known as Pulse. Both Pulse and Cocoon are maintained by their own fal'Cie. Cocoon's fal'Cie created life forms and machines for its inhabitants to use, and humanity flourished. Over time, the people of Cocoon began to fear for the safety of their world, and they worried that it would be cast down from the sky into the hell that they saw Pulse to be.
In the present day, the wilderness of Pulse has strange effects on people, and the theocratic government of Cocoon, known as Sanctum, quarantines and exiles anyone who has been influenced by Pulse from Cocoon with the help of its mighty army, PSICOM. However, as Snow leads Team Nora in a vain attempt to stop the purging of civilians, the mysteriousLightning fights her way past PSICOM soldiers to find Pulse's fal'Cie with the aid of Sazh. Through a chain of events, these three, along with two exiles, Vanille and Hope, are chosen by the fal'Cie of Pulse against their will to become l'Cie, and with that become enemies of humanity who are tasked with bringing about the downfall of Cocoon.
Lightning
Lightning is scheduled to be the main character of Final Fantasy XIII, but apparently Lightning isn't her real name. "Lightning" is but a mask and is the code name she goes by to keep her true identity off the records. This ties in with her character, as is a very stoic individual and is also extremely independent.
Given that she is a warrior of sorts, it is unsurprising to know that Lightning also is physically fit and extremely acrobatic. However, she is also very strong mentally too and doesn't let her emotions effect her judgement. She is affiliated with an unknown organisation and her rank is displayed on her left shoulder.
Lightning is believed to be "the chosen one" and it is believed that she will be able to take down the tyrannical civilization known as Cocoon. However, some people believe that her arrival is a bad omen and treat her with caution.
It is claimed that she has been summoned by the Crystals to bring about the "End of the World", which could be interpreted in numerous ways. For this reason, it is presumed that Lightning is a l'Cie.
Lightning also possesses an affinity with Gravity. Using small imprints in her fingers, she is able to manipulate Gravity so that she can undertake prolonged jumps and even use it against enemies.
Lightning also uses a Gunblade which can switch between a gun and a sword.She can also summon the Eidolon Odin to fight by her side in battle, who can assume a horse-like form that she can ride on.
Snow
Originally nicknamed Mr. 33cm after it was disclosed that he has incredibly large feet, he has since been confirmed as Snow Villiers.
As well as having huge feet, he is also apparently very strong and it's been revealed that he can carry two people and still be able to run at full speed.
His relationship with Lightning is currently shrouded in mystery, but we know that he has to band together with her to protect a mysterious girl who is believed to be called Sera.
Given that Snow is a l'Cie (signified by the tattoo on his left forearm), it makes sense that he should be working alongside Lighting in this task.
Snow's fighting style is said to be very unorthodox, or "cowboy-life", but he gets the job done. He also rides a motorcycle which is created through the merger of two Shiva sisters.
Sazh
Sazh is known as a very sympathetic and emotional man who easily breaks down in tears.
This seems quite uncommon consider he served time in the Cocoon Army and it's here that he met Lightning.
Little is known about his past other than that, but he does seem to have a very fond connection to a Chicobo which he carries around with him.
He fights with dual pistols and it's been revealed that Sazh joins the party towards the beginning of the game.
He has a six-year-old son called Dajh, whose mother died three years prior to the game.
His Eidolon is Brynhildr, a female fire-elemental knight original to this game, who can transform into a race car.
Vanille
Vanille is a mysterious, but upbeat, young girl with red-brown hair worn in pigtails who lives in Pulse. Her weapon is a kind of foldable fishing rod with multiple lines that can be reeled.
In a trailer, she is seen captured by the Cocoon army and walking in a funeral procession. In the demo and trailers, she narrates many of the events.
She is first seen with the rebel leader Snow when he hands her a gun to defend those being forced to leave Cocoon. She is then seen with Hope, watching as the rebels lose the battle against the soldiers.
She has been seen in ceremonial robes, and it is known that both Lightning and Snow have been tasked with protecting her, but it is unknown why.
It was recently revealed that she is of the Sera race, and it is unknown how these people differ from Humans.
Hope
Hope Estheim fights alongside Snow Villiers and Lightning in Final Fantasy XIII, although he has some resentment towards Snow.
His mother fought alongside Snow, but he couldn't save her from falling to her death. Hope holds Snow personally responsible for the death of his mother and holds a strong grudge.
With regards to his fighting style, Hope uses a Boomerang. It's imagined that it is used similar to that of Yuffie in Final Fantasy VII. He is also a young boy, and has perfectly silver hair.
His Eidolon is the holy-elemental summon Alexander, which transforms into a fortress in Gestalt Mode, and is able to blast enemies from afar with multiple cannons.
It has also been disclosed that he likes to give hugs to Vanille.
Fang
A raven-haired woman donning clothing resembling the traditional Indian Sari adorned with tribal accessories, and bearing the mark of a l'Cie on her left shoulder.
As revealed by Tetsuya Nomura in an interview, during the early stages of development she was originally scripted to be a male character.
Though she is a l'Cie from Pulse, she actually works for the Cocoon Sanctum.
She wields a spear that can transform into a sansetsukon in battle, and her Eidolon is Bahamut, who upon his Gestalt-mode takes flight.
Serah
Serah is Lightning's younger sister by three years and the fiancée of Snow Villiers.
She wears a red pleated skirt with black lace and a white sleeveless dress shirt, with a semi-transparent sweeper in the same style of shirt over it, with thigh-highs and boots.The necklace around Serah's neck shares resemblance to the Final Fantasy XIII logo.
Serah is described as "the cutest girl" in the game by Kitase. Her destiny is one of the central plot points in the game.
Gadot
A dark-skinned man with fiery hair and teal clothes, he wears a chain with the word "posse" engraved on it.
His design is said to be inspired by NBA and hip hop fashion.
He was revealed in a trailer shown in the Closed Mega Theater at Jump Festa 2009.
In the playable demo, he is an uncontrollable party member. He uses a machine gun with a scope in battle.
He is a member of Team Nora under Snow Villiers along with Lebreau and Maqui.
He is also Snow's childhood friend.
In an English-dubbed trailer shown at E3, he is seen pointing his gun at Snow, claiming that Snow was "supposed to be the hero."
Lebreau
She was shown as an uncontrollable party member in the Jump Festa 2009 trailer and fights with a rifle, though her HP was shown as "???". She also has the ability to heal in battles.
She is a member of Snow's resistant group, Team Nora, along with his childhood friend, Gadot.
Character designer Nao Ikeda said, "She talks and acts much more mature for her age, and sometimes acts as if she's the mother of Nora," giving insight into her personality.
Her design is said to have been based on volleyball players and because Team Nora's headquarters are located near a beach.
Maqui
He is 17 years old, has blond hair, goggles, and head-phones on his head, which are said to be used for communication between the members of Team Nora.
The character designer said his appearance was based off the type of clothing snowboarders wear.
He is a member of Snow Villiers's Team Nora, which also includes Gadot and Lebreau.
It is said that he was an introvert, until he met Snow Villiers, who he now idolizes, and tries to emulate in the way he dresses.
Yuge
Yuge is a non-playable member of Team Nora, and he uses a machine gun as his main weapon.
Dajh
He is the six year old son of Saz, with dark skin and an afro just like his father.
He wears a blue shirt and pink overalls.
He wears a blue shirt and pink overalls.
Dajh loves chocobos and his father very dearly.He lost his mother when he was just three, and Sazh has taken care of him as a single parent ever since.
Jihl Nabaat
Lieutenant Colonel Jihl Nabaat is a main antagonist in Final Fantasy XIII. She is an officer in the Cocoon army, the commander of PSICOM, and is an enemy of Lightning and her allies.
Jihl has both political and personal motivations for opposing Lightning's group.
She graduated first in her class and quickly advanced in the ranks of the military to the position she holds as lieutenant colonel. She is in charge of daily policy and takes strategic command of the PSICOM soldiers.
Jihl is described as intelligent, yet cruel and heartless, and she sees the l'Cie as subhumans. Yaag Rosch is her right-hand man.
She wears glasses and blonde hair reaching all the way down to her knees, and wields a high-powered sniper rifle and a cane.
Lieutenant Colonel Yaag Rosch
As his title implies, he a PSICOM officer, and he was Lightning's superior during her military service.
He graduated second in his class, just behind Jihl Nabaat, but had a hard time in the military academy. He is Jihl's right hand man.
He often fights in the front-line with common soldiers, and the scar on his forehead reflects this. He carries a saber.
Unlike Jihl, Yaag seems to have doubts about the government, and sympathizes with the l'Cie. However, since he desires to protect Cocoon's citizens above all else, he becomes an enemy of Lightning and her group.
Cid Raines
Cid Raines is an antagonist in Final Fantasy XIII. He is an officer in the Sanctum and the commander of a war airship.
He is shown speaking to Snow Villiers while the latter is in captivity.
He also talks with Captain Rygdea, about his fate as a slave to the fal'Cie. This indicates that he may be a l'Cie. He wields a gun-sword in battle like Lightning.
Captain Rygdea
He is an officer of the Sanctum.
In the most recent trailer, he is seen talking to Cid Raines.
Garens Daislir
Garens Daislir is a high-ranking priest in the Sanctum.
The battle system, called Command Synergy Battle in game, has been described as "More tactical than Final Fantasy X, faster than X-2, and almost as seamless as XII." The enemies are visible in the field. When the player runs into them with the playable characters, the screen lights up and the scene switches to a vast, blank battlefield, marking the start of a battle. In the battle, the player can control only one character out of a party of up to three, but after some point in the game that character can be switched. The progression in the game will be chapter-based. In each chapter, you'll see the story through the view of different characters.
Experience points are not featured in the game, and characters grow in power in a system similar to the Sphere Grid from Final Fantasy X called the "Crystarium System". Characters win Crystarium Points (CP) in battle, and can use these CP to purchase stat boosts, spells and other abilities on a circular chart. The skills a character learns effects their ability to learn other skills and open new paths on the chart - learning Fire, for example, opens a skill path that leads to Fira and other spells.
The Active Time Battle bar returns in the battle system, but this time it is divided into sections (different screenshots show three and five sections). Each command available to the battle party has a numeric value referred to as "ATB Cost" next to the name indicating how many of these sections it will take up. This allows the player to input several commands per turn. The next turn comes up sooner if the ATB bar is only partially used.
The available commands vary from character to character, but series staples such as Attack, Summon, Fire, Blizzard, and Cure make a return, along with new commands such as Radial Strike, which causes area-of-effect damage, and Ruin, a new non-elemental spell. Magic and summoning are only available to characters that are l'Cie.
Because of the "ATB Cost" points, there is no MP in the game. Also, since magic cannot be used outside of battle, the party's HP is completely restored after every battle. At Gamescom 2009, it was revealed that there are no Limit Breaks because of the unique summoning powers, and that there is no way to escape from battles once they're initiated. There are items that can be used to avoid battles, though, and each enemy is marked by its difficulty level with a symbol in the field as the player approaches them. If a battle ends in defeat, the player has the option to either try it again or return to the previous save point.
A new element called the Break bar is added to the battle, as well. It is specific to each enemy, and it depletes as the player performs attack combos marked by a percentage. If the combos continue, "Break Mode" is entered, where even more damage can be done. Enemies in this mode can be launched in the air and juggled with attacks. When a battle is won, a victory screen pops up, giving the player a one-to-five stars ranking on how they did in the battle, as well as showing how long the battle took and the number of chain and break attacks. This information is linked to the Trophy and Achievement systems of PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, respectively.
Paradigm Shift
In the battle system of the game, the player can only control one character at a time. The other party members' actions can, however, be affected by a system called the "Paradigm Shift" ("Optima Change" in the Japanese version), which was explained by Motomu Toriyama at Gamescom 2009.
Paradigms are described as "stances" or "classes" that the characters temporarily take during battles to define the abilities they use. However, they are more strict than job classes; for example, the character with a Healer's role equipped can do nothing but heal, while the Attacker's role forces the character to only attack with physical and magical strikes.
The paradigms can be changed at any time to suit the situation at hand. However, they cannot be changed individually to each character, only for the whole party at a time. Thus, a paradigm is a combination of three roles. Possible paradigm variations count up to hundreds. The roles used are shown as colored abbreviations next to the characters' names in the battle screen.
Confirmed paradigms include Aggression, All for One, Dualcasting, Overwhelm, Peacemaker, Relentless Assault, Slash & Burn, The Ettin, Decimation, Smart Bomb, Tireless Charge and Vanguard.
The roles within the paradigms are:
| 日本語/Japanese | English | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Attacker (ATK) | Commando (COM) | Build attack chains more easily with enhanced strength. |
| Blaster (BLA) | Ravager (RAV) | Charge enemy chain gauges with concentrated attacks. |
| Defender (DEF) | Sentinel (SEN) | |
| Enhancer (ENH) | Synergist (SYN) | Support allies with an array of magical enhancements. |
| Healer (HLR) | Medic (MED) | |
| Jammer (JAM) | Saboteur (SAB) |
Summoning
Summons return in this game as Eidolons, linked with the powers of the l'Cie. Confirmed summonable summons are Shiva Sisters, Odin, Bahamut, Alexander, and a new summon, Brynhildr, while Ifrit, Carbuncle and Siren have been announced to appear in Final Fantasy XIII but haven't appeared as playable. All Eidolons have been given futuristic designs and the power to change their shape. The Eidolons are used both in battle and as plot devices in cutscenes. Each character has only one Eidolon, and Eidolons replace the other party members besides the summoner when called. Instead of HP, Eidolons use "Summon Points" (SP) to indicate their health, but SP also slowly decreases over time. Once SP is completely depleted, the Eidolon will disappear, and the other party members will return.
In addition to summoning Eidolons to fight alongside them, each Eidolon can transform into another form the summoner can control. In a mode called "Gestalt Mode" ("Driving Mode" in the Japanese version), Snow's Shiva Sisters transform into a motorcycle, Lightning's Odin becomes a horse, Sazh's Brynhildr a car, Hope's Alexander a fortress, and so on. Combat becomes more action-oriented, with the summon being able to perform various special attacks with certain button combinations. Each Eidolon's Gestalt Mode also includes a powerful finisher move that will end the summoning after being used. How often and for how long the player can activate this ability is determined by "Tactical Points" (TP), which is acquired by defeating enemies.
Odin
Odin is the Eidolon residing in Lightning's rose-shaped crystal, meaning he cannot be summoned by anyone else.He appears as a gigantic horned knight wearing a white cape and wielding a large double-sided sword with an "S" shape in one hand, with a massive shield on his opposite arm.In his Gestalt Mode, Odin transforms into a horse for Lightning to ride on and she uses his weapon as two swords.He appears to utilize thunder and wind elements in his attacks.
Shiva
In Final Fantasy XIII Shiva appears as two sisters, one light blue in color with a dark patch around one eye, and the other dark blue with a light patch. These two sisters become a motorcycle in their Gestalt Mode which Snow Villiers arrived on in the Jump Festa 2006 trailer to come to Lightning's aid. Although she is a recurring summon featured in most of the previous titles in the series, this time around Shiva isn't limited to just the ice element but can apparently wield many of them. According to the Japanese Shonen Jump Magazine released after E3 2009, their names are Styria and Nix. Styria is the dark-skinned one who is the elder sister, while the white-skinned Nix is the younger.
Brynhildr
Brynhildr is Sazh Katzroy's Eidolon in Final Fantasy XIII. She is a Fire-elemental knight who wields a large weapon reminiscent of both a mace and a pickax.
During her Gestalt Mode she transforms into a sports car. Her super move is called Múspell Flame.
Alexander
Alexander makes a return in the form of a playable summon as the Eidolon of Hope Estheim. In this game, Alexander takes on a far more human appearance than in other games, possessing visible hands for the first time. He uses his powerful fists to strike enemies, but is also capable of long range attacks. In his Gestalt Mode, Alexander becomes a fortress surrounding the battlefield while Hope stays on him, giving him orders. He fires beams of holy light from his cannons. According to Motomu Toriyama, Alexander is a "tactical commander".
Bahamut
Bahamut is present in Final Fantasy XIII as Oerba Yun Fang's Eidolon. His Gestalt Mode sees him transform into a flying dragon, where he can use his Mega Flare attack.
Hecatoncheir
Hecatoncheir is Oerba Dia Vanille's Eidolon in Final Fantasy XIII. It is anEarth-elemental creature with multiple arms. During its Gestalt Mode it transforms into a war machine with gun turrets that Vanille rides. The summon's gameplay concept is Shooting Blaster, and its Gestalt Mode is intended to be a ranged attacker with attacks which place a strong emphasis on the positions of the enemies in the battle. Its super move is Gaia Salvo.
I'm not gonna post a huge list of Screenshots. CLICK THE PICTURE ABOVE !
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More Final Fantasy XIII News & Previews
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DISCUSSION OF THE WEEK !
Discussion of the week is a segement of the thread lead by our own FFXIII hype boy Darthdevidem01 ! Every week, we will discuss something FFXIII related !
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Week 1 - Oreba Yun Fang !
1. Will fang be with us throughout the whole game, or will she "betray" us?
2. Will fang form a romantic relationship with Snow?
3. Are Vanille & Fang actually sisters?
4. Will you be using fang when you play FF13?
5. Will bahamut's plane/flying form be your favorite GESTALT mode out of all the summons?
6. Will Fang's & Lightning's partnership be a legendary one?
7. Why does Fang have two l'cie marks? Is one of them just a tatoo, or is she a cocoon & pulse l'cie? (which would be a terrible thing)
Week 2 - What if Famitsu DON'T give FFXIII 40/40 ?
If this happens:
1. Will you trust Famitsu ever again?
2. will you ever accept FF13 isn't as good as FF12 on the basis of Famitsu?
3. Would you not buy the game?
4. Would the games sales eventually be less due to this?
5. Will you not care & think its stupid to give a game a full score anyway?
(edit by MaxwellGT updating while MGS_4ever is on his vacation from the site :P)
Links:
Everything you need to know about FFXIII: http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2009/12/10/ffxiii_battle_system_interview/
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