You just said that:

Besides I don't accept that these reviewers are against the idea of jrpgs anyway.

@dasacant2: MY bad. It was a bad way to write it. What I meant was that these big western sites should not be allowed to review it without some expert about this genre or in this case Japanese "culture" which is much different than the western culture

That's crazy. If it's been localised and released in a market, any reviewer, critic, journalist or enthusiast in that market has the right to say whatever they want about it regardless of their perspective or biases. What you are asking for is that only proponents of a subject get to say anything about it. I can't even fathom how horrible that would be. Apply that logic to politics and see how far that gets us.

I have more respect for Japan, it's peoples and their traditions than anyone I know. I would never ask someone that feels the polar opposite to me not to experience something quintessentially Japanese because they may have something bad to say about it.

I want to hear what Alex has to say about Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing, I want to hear people go "Why is she so skinny? Why is this all so melodramatic? Why is she in a fetish bikini with a devil's tail?! Japanese people are nuts!" and you should too.

Enjoy what you enjoy and be proud of it. Be proud when someone else doesn't see what you see that they're missing out on that sensation. That's their loss. But Christ alive don't tell them they can't talk about it.

And why are you buying it?

If they were only selling the game to experts in Japanese culture you might have a point, but these sites never needed these experts to enjoy any other Final Fantasy so I don't see why they should now.

That is an interesting spread for the reviews, from skimming a bunch of them it seems like the combat was well liked (though considered fairly hard), the sidequests are maybe a bit too fetch-questy, the environments are great. Seems like the biggest point of contention is the story, especially the characters. Reviews that agree on other aspects of the game seem to vary wildly on their final score based on their view of the story. Fair enough, story is a massive part of Final Fantasy games.

Nothing really turning me off a purchase though. I'm a little surprised by the reviews due to the Japanese import impressions being fairly positive but I guess it doesn't surprise me that the import impressions didn't focus on story.

I personally still need to finish Final Fantasy XIII-2, which I planned on finishing this weekend and failed to do so, but I think I'm close.

I don't give a single shit how upset he is that someone didn't enjoy a video game that he likes. What he said was disgustingly (and obviously) homophobic and unacceptable.

I love lightning and cannot wait to dress her up.

Ive never played a final fantasy game for more than 30 minutes or any other jrpg. Tried FF 4 on ios, bought FF 7 for pc, bought FF 8 on vita. Im thinking about getting FF 10 HD on vita. I just want to know why in Japan this 13 series isnt hated as much as in the states. From what Im seeing is that Final Fantasy 13 and 13-2 were reviewed well in Japan by publications such as famitsu, with 13 getting a 39/40 and 13-2 a 40/40. Looking at the reviews for previous game in North America, I see that 13 got reviews in the range of lower 9s and upper 8 but the fans of the series disliked it. Final Fantasy 13-2 was sort of like an apology for fans with focus on non linearity which was a flaw of the first one. It received mostly 8s even though it fixed many of the things the first game had. So what is wrong with this series? Is it unlikeable characters? bad story? Should I not get into the series and play FF X HD on vita instead or play xenoblade on by wii? Help me out.

He's certainly making a name for himself around these parts.

I'm curious - I'm either going to pick this up or buy Nier to tide me over until Thief. I enjoyed FF13, I think mostly because I'm neither a huge FF or JRPG fan. I skipped FF13-2 so now I'm wondering if this game will make any sense at all - not that most Japanese RPG's have plots that make much sense to me in the first place - but here more than usual as they'll drop names and whatnot I've never even heard about.

So basically.. this or Nier..

Nier has gotten high praise on these boards over the years for it's story and I've never been a fan of the FFXIII series so I vote Nier? I guess?

I was going to pick this up today, but I realized how dumb it would be to try and play this and Bravely Default at the same time. So I'm going to wait on my friend to beat his copy.

did someone in this thread say that putting a dick in your mouth is homophobic? That's actually pretty funny.

I'm not surprised that this got a polarizing reception. There are some strange folk who think FF13 was good. I don't begrudge them that, I just scratch my head mostly.

Whatever the metacritic, I hope the people looking forward to this get their moneys worth. As much as I dislike the FF13 "trilogy" I don't wish Mass Effect 3 upon anyone.

@mariachimacabre: Think hard! After I buy either game I'll have to live on oxygen as a source of nourishment for the coming weeks! I can only trust your decision..

@lun49gameon: I think it is mostly the story of how unusual it is for the standard spoon fed western way of story telling .... also because it had some terms people have trouble with (also thinking that they are entirely made up , but I found real actual words that may be the ones the developers were inspired by). Also as with al FF´s the characters werent as populars and when they are not popular somehow in the dumb masses equates to bad writting , instead of the truth is that they dont like them. It happens , I also find wildly loved characters in other games unberable .... but at least Im honest and accept that it is my fault , not the developer´s.

It doesn't matter if the person saying it is "upset" or not. That kind of language doesn't engender anyone to a cause.

No matter how right you may be, if you present yourself poorly, no one will care to listen. Nor should they be expected to.

No, I didn't actually. I said using the term "sucking a cock" as an insult against anyone who dare like Gone Home or The Walking Dead over FFXIII (weird fucking comparison, too) was homophobic...because of fucking course it is.

Oh god, this is too much pressure. I'm gonna say Nier. Final answer.

It's a shame because it was super obvious the media would slam this game. Giving the game a score like a 5/10 just seems like trolling though. Whatever though. There's a reason I don't take reviews seriously. I'm really liking the game and that's all that matters. Just sucks some people will see those reviews and think the game is trash or something.

@mariachimacabre said:

I'm not interested in a long debate with you, but when someone says "take the dick out of your mouth" they're not saying it because being gay is bad, or because they hate gays, they say it because they think you're looking foolish by slobbering all over something. It's a more blunt way of saying "hey man, you're gushing like a child over this dumb thing, stop it". If you want to say it's crass or rude, you're right. Homophobic, though? Nah.

I came to the realization last night after reading the Neogaf thread on this same topic that modern Final Fantasy is about as reviewable as Twilight. The (increasingly small) amount of people who remain die-hard fans, particularly of this trilogy, are going to buy it no matter what. I wish the game the best, at least, because I believe in my heart and soul this series deserves so much better. I'll be interested in seeing the sales figures when all is said and done.

@humanity: Nier is alright. The pace of the game is slow as fuck, the combat super dull until you get to bullet hell bosses and impossible on hard because enemies have a stupid amount of HP. The story has good bits but it's also super slow, convoluted and you need to go through this slow ass game multiple times before you get the whole thing. So Nier is a game with some great moments, incredible music but there is hours of endless, boring text only dialogue and tedious shallow combat to grind through.

There's a built in time limit to complete the game? That's a -100/10 in my book.

5/10 on the GS scale is mediocre and listening to the video review I really get why Kevin Vanord thinks this game is mediocre.

This is kind of a bummer. I'm really enjoying Bravely Default so far.

Yeah... I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that's probably not what most people interpret the saying as meaning. If that were what they were trying to say they could use something other than cock. By saying cock it adds the homophobic or misogynistic kick that gives the phrase some extra oomph, because sucking a cock is associated with being weak or submissive.

@jadegl: Oh I totally agree but I do not think that "sucking cock" is in any way homophobic. Is it foul language? Yeah for sure. Should people be taken seriously talking like that? Maybe not and you are totally right. But I think we should be much more careful when we are using words like misogynistic, racist, or homophobic etc. for example. He named Gone Home because it was an Indy game and Indy games these days have much more favorable opinions, despite length, bugs or graphics. Same goes for Walking dead it is a favorite game of mine but it also gets away with much more than these so called AAA games from very big Developers or Publishers.

As for the topic: I am watching someone on twitch playing this game right now. And the beginning so far looks rather good and seems also to correct a lot of thinks I did not like with FFXIII-2. The battlesystem also seems even better than it was in 13 as well.

@liquidprince: I was so tempted to but I also have FFX HD,MGS V:Ground Zeroes,Dark Souls II,Yaiba:Ninja Gaiden Z and Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd. Seeing as that is $300 worth of games in like a month I figured it would be sily to spend yet another $30 on top of that. My wallet is dead. :(

By watching this stream one thing is certain. They are throwing tons of stuff at you from the beginning. So if you do not like getting a "20 hour tutorial" like in FFXIII you will be happy to hear that. Pretty intersting so far. Guess I will watch 1 or 2 hours more and then decide if I want it or not. But so far I want it^^

Can't wait to get home to play it. If Polygon gave it a 5.5 that means I'll really like it.

@demoskinos: Name your Dark Souls character "Wallet" obviously

Man, I wish only people who liked a video game would review that video game. That was everything could be a 10/10 and reviews would somehow be even more useless than they already are.

*Sigh* A man can dream...

Guys, keep in mind that Phil Kollar gave Final Fantasy XIV a 9/10 review. This is a man who gave Theatrhythm an 8.5/10. By and large, this is not a man who dislikes Final Fantasy. I'm sure he gave the game a fair shot.

@taku128: That's what Famitsu is for! It's even written by Japanese people, that Olympian race of magnificent xenophobes. On that note Famitsu not giving this a 40 is kind of a bad sign for the game; but I imagine it's probably still "okay" as in worth 20 bucks (or PS+) but not 60.

seems to be a resounding "meh"

@scrawnto said:

Kevin VanOrd was also a pretty big fan of the first FF13 release too, and its first sequel to a lesser extent.

So I am not spoiling anything but playing BD is kind of like having the best date of your life and then at dinner, she just started repeatedly spitting in your face for no reason that you can tell. All the while you are going "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!?". I mean the first half is still the best date of your life but then.....?!?

Anyone that's watched the ending on YouTube can attest to the master class quality of the game .

the power of love and friendship beam

@bigjeffrey: @dallas_raines: How about both of you knock if off with pseudo-spoilers and let people judge for themselves. Especially you, bigjeffrey, as you seem intent on doing nothing but insulting the game while planning to also buy it week one.

@hailinel: You did the exact same thing in the weeks leading up to Mass Effect 3.

@dallas_raines: Can't say l recall that. Criticisms I've had toward the game and its ending came post-release. And I certainly didn't go around posting ending spoilers, joking or not, in a thread dedicated to reviews.

But even if I am remembering wrong and did act like that much of a chowderhead, that's not an excuse to drop to that level. Be better than that. I try to be and I fail at times. I know I've annoyed the shit out of some people. I don't want to be a jackass. But you don't have to be one, either. Certainly, what beef you may have with me personally shouldn't affect others.

Wait a minute? EGM is still around?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say I was more bothered that he used the term 'retard' in a derisive manner, but that's just me.

I'm buying it. The demo was different, but it made me interested in seeing it through.

Will I see all my favorite characters? Sazh? Golden Chocobo...? He and I go way back. Vanille? I was hoping to one-shot enemies again with her again. No single murdering S.O.B. giggles like Vanille does when she cuts some muhfuh'in throats. I miss her.

When it hits $30 I'm in until then staying the hell away as none of the 13 games really tickled my fancy.

You know, for $30, I'd say this game is probably a good deal. From all I've seen, it's a solid title worth a look. Not a great game, but it has plenty going for it. Easily the best mechanically of the FFXIII games. And if you really care about FFXIII, it is rather conclusive. Nonsensical storytelling and bland characters, but fun when you're exploring and fighting.

I've only played through the end of the first trip to the Ark so far, but I really find it intriguing. The gameplay is basically what you'd get if you took Final Fantasy XIII and mixed it with gameplay elements of Valkyrie Profile and Dead Rising. And I don't really think the characters are bland. More that Lightning and Hope in particular are trapped in a depressing situation that they can't even feel properly because the very capacity was taken from them. Lightning in particular keeps getting screwed over by the gods, and this seems no different, having her sister's life basically dangling in front of her. She can't seem to get away from being the lackey, willing or not, of higher powers.

I was really excited and then school got really crazy, totally forgot this came out this week, I'll probably go get it over the weekend and then glance at it while studying a bunch.

@lilywhite: Oh grow up. Worst kind of fanboy.