Quick Look: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Gotta love the fact that the non-combat gameplay for this is a 1:1 parallel of Sonic '06.

After playing this game for around 14 hours, i will say that the game plays more like a FF game than the other 2. There is a lot more customization options and you pretty much can go anywhere you want at anytime so you can decide the order you want to do think in. But i will say that this story so far is complete crap. But considering how the second game messed up the story so much with time travel and the addition of gods, it's no reason that this story is all over the place.

"Also... apparently God is a city?"

That's a sentence I never expected to hear on a quick look.

This would be depressing to watch if I wasn't playing Bravely Default right now.

Remember boys and girls if someone tells you to show your Eradia to God. Yell loudly and call an adult.

This game looks like boring turgid shit. Don't know why anyone over 16 would play this, unless you hate yourself and having fun in your free time.

Even still.

This looks like it is even worse than FF12.

Wait... is it just me, or is this just a Kingdom Hearts game without the Disney?

@clonedzero: Given that a quest marquer appared when Brad a talked the NPC about the numbers... you are probably right.

I think the game looks pretty cool. Gameplay seems strange and Japanese. Battle system looks fun. The Dead Rising-style timer seems interesting.

I really don't have any real attachment to the story or characters, but the gameplay being based around Lightning playing dress-up seems pretty weird and out of character of what I remember from the original FFXIII (never played XIII-2). I kinda wish this game was a Barbie-branded game, because 1) it'd be hilarious, and 2) the dress-up mechanic would fit. I would also take a LEGO game in which you transform into different minifigures.

Framerate still looks like trash, though. Does the PS3 version run any better?

The FFXIII series bums me out. With the exception of any MMO shenanigans, every title from One until XIII had something about them that made me want to play them. XIII was the first Final Fantasy game I just walked away from and never went back. Here's hoping that XV is better.

In regards to this QL, I feel like Brad worries too much about moving things at an action game pace when he's in the driver seat on these videos. It is an RPG! And a convoluted one at that. Slow down and show it for what it is. Rushing just makes this (as Kevin VanOrd put it) mediocre game seem worse.

@tr0n:

cokolino, zakon.

People would have defended that Ashes Cricket game too if it were made in Japan.

What a load of wishy washy crap, how this series is still alive I don't know.

Y'know, I'm still kinda hopeful for Final Fantasy XV, but after cringing my way through this Quicklook, I just...I just hope it isn't this. Please let it be a little more grounded.

Brad's understanding of the plot is something else. I mean even if your are not familiar, with the definitively convoluted plot, who would think that the city itself is god and not maybe just named after him?

Oh and yes, the choice of having a search the whole city thing as the first main quest is terrible.

Having actually played through most of it myself, I just want to throw out there I have really enjoyed it. So there.

It's hard to imagine something any less appealing than this game.

I cannot understand how Brad liked the combat in FF13, it was an AI simulator. It really was a bad game, I was so unbelievably excited for it too.

It's just you.

XV is being developed by an entirely different team. Doesn't mean it can't be a train wreck, but it'll be something different.

I'm also hoping it'll turn out well.

Such a wonderful thing, just makes me giggle inside.. all the hallmarks of a JRPG. :)

Watching this just makes me want FFX next month even more. God damn that was a game

Fuck this trilogy...I'm so glad FFXV changed it's number to get away from anything to do with the number XIII

The only good thing about the number XIII as far as FF goes is Red XIII

I'm going to make a wild assumption that this quick look contains people acting super dismissively about modern Final Fantasy.

The outfits mechanic is so stupid. It is cool that in battle you can change your combat style but the whole thing about changing outfits is so dumb. Why do your clothes change combat styles? It just makes no fucking sense.

I'm really looking forward to FFX. Hope it's a good port on the VITA.

@robaota said:

I liked it too. My only complain is it took 10-12 hours of boring corridors, before the game finally gave me full control over the combat and the world opened up. After that point I finally starting enjoying myself, off-course I fully understand people not wanting to stick with it for that long.

This game looks kind of fun in a dumb way and makes me want to go back and check out 13 and 13-2.

@flacracker: because that is what job systems do in every FF to feature them.

@arbitrarywater: Pretty much. And a whole lot of "Why doesn't this videogame stuff make sense in a real world way, but I never think to ask those same questions of other games." I tapped out at around the 20 minute mark, so I'm assuming there's some "WOAH GUYS JAPAN HUH?" too.

So if anyone wants a good FF game they'll get Bravely Default.

Seems like the... default choice.

Don't forget the utterances of "Remember when Final Fantasy used to be good?" That seems to be a popular thing to say among Games Journalists who haven't played Final Fantasy games since 2001.

Hey, guys, Lightning Returns is a little...

weird

Weird.

WEIRD.

WEIRD.

WEIRD.

Yeah!? Well, I don't like the realistic looking versions of you guys either! Yall dont know nut'n bout no Final Fantasy.

I liked XIII and XIII-2. Sure they were not the best Final Fantasies, but they were still entertaining if not nonsensical.

This however..I am about 10 hours into it, and I am not enjoying myself. I do not like the time limit, you feel stressed doing anything. You can stop time, but in order to continue doing so you need to participate in battles which only provide a little bit of cash, maybe some materials or quest items, and a little bit of EP.

I am not at all surprised they got stuck on that quest. I did too, and had to get some help. They give you some vague information on these quests, and if you are in the right area you may get a marker on the map, but for the most part you are wandering the map, stressing that time is constantly ticking away. And my understanding is, if you screw up enough quests, you lost the game and you have to start over A la Dead Rising.

I hope it gets better further in and there is less emphasis on time, but I find it unlikely. So far I am disappointed.

"Weird i didnt even notice that" - Brad about a core game mechanic.

Thank god this game is out...

This means no more FF13 trailers, time to let this series die finally. I'm so sick of Lightning and the FF13 games.

Or you could be brave and try something new.

The combat seems really interesting. I wished they focused more on that. A Final Fantasy game with a nonsense story and completely lame non-combat gameplay? Does that really surprise anyone? No, so show us the stuff that actually makes it different.

It's pretty clearly their way of incorporating the Hatsune Miku like "dress up the anime girls" mechanic.

The combat system seems interesting, everything else seems uninteresting.

this game looks boring as shit!

Yeah I occasionally crave this type of gameplay but I'm just not into lengthy cutscenes these days. Especially games that are front loaded with them.

Looks nice. Some pretty ornate stuff goin' on.

It was pretty good when he talked to the NPC and it marked the minimap then they didn't see it.

Damn man, it must be a bummer being a fan of the XIII games. All you see is negativity.