Return of the Revenge of the Son of Saying Hi to Josiah!

[Silver]

I was under the impression that Sahz was basically just a cameo, so that doesn't count. And if you're attempting to tell me that the character in Lightning Returns is the same from the first game, you're wrong. My point is that they've completely disregarded any character she may have had and are just flaunting her around for her popularity. She's not the same character at all any more, and it's very disappointing.

[Josiah]

Hi! That's possible, though I'll find out soon enough whether they did a good job with the story or not.

[shauni]

It's 9:30 here, I just woke up... anyway, the situation has been resolved, a friend request has been sent, and next year I'll be able to tag you for the KotF. In other news, does anyone have any way of contacting Neo?

What is your FB acutaly name? I've had three friends request resently and I'm drawing a blank on all of them sorry.

Oh, Lightning Returns. I gotta say, the gameplay looks better than the previous two thirteens, but I just... can't.

Same here, I loved FF games till 11 onwards. I even enjoyed 10 2. I REALLY wanted to enjoy 13, tired 13 two which I had a bit more fun with but I need to stop wasting money...

[Stevenson]

Aloha! I gotta say, I'm just too busy for KotF this year. Consider this me throwing in the towel. I'll still post and stuff, it just won't be the mad frenzy it was last year.

Silver's initials refer to something a bit off color if that helps.

Been starting a journal lately. It's a new experience for me, and I must say it's going to take some getting used to.

Also, you guys should check out the album Engine of a Thousand Plots. It's pretty good.

[Josiah]

Hi! I honestly don't get why people complain about XIII and XIII-2 so much. Even most critics gave them excellent reviews at the time, but lately it seems more in fashion to try and tear them apart. Sure they're not for everyone, and XIII changed up the FF formula in a number of ways, but FF has always been about trying different styles and systems. Really, if I was going to complain about any main series FF game (discounting the MMOs), it would be XII. I have a long list of complaints about XII. But, when I actually think back, I remember that, overall, I did really enjoy it. But it seems I'm far more likely to focus on the bad parts of the experience than the good ones. Maybe that's the problem XIII has...

On another note though, there are/were way too many good games this month. I got Lightning Returns, Bravely Default, DK Country Tropical Freeze, Danganronpa, and then Layton 6 is coming out Friday... Not sure when I'll have the time to play half of them.

[Stevenson]

I've been toying with the idea of getting Bravely Default. Worth it?

And as for FFXIII, my understanding is that the main complaint is the linear gameplay, which is very atypical for Final Fantasy. Also, I find that I don't really put much stock in people who get paid for their opinions.

[shauni]

I really want Bravely Default, it looks really good. Has anyone tried the new WEAPON SHOP de OMASSE game or HarmoKnight? Are they worth downloading?

I get that not everyone didn't like FF 13, but I REALLY tried to get into it. I guess my taste in games has just changed.

I like to feel I'm making an impact on the story, not just along for the ride, and character creation and customisation.

The last console game I REALLY REALLY enjoyed was Beyond Two Souls and before that Skyrim.

I guess I like branching paths and multiple ending games now.

Nothing wrong with a deep story line, I LOVED Ni NO KUNI, but I think I just got sick of the linear game play of FF 13 and you should not have to endure a game for hours to get to the good part.

[Doodleshark]

'Lo, peeps; sorry I haven't been around lately. Between college coursework and my own personal projects. the Pebbleversion Forums sorta fell underneath my radar for a bit. I'm going to try to be a more active member of the community in the future.

What's been going on with me? Well in my auditing course we recently watched a pretty interesting documentary called "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room". I had of course heard of Enron and their spectacular collapse, but until now I didn't really comprehend just how much they relied on total baloney to conceal their losses. As an accounting student it really helped reinforce why it's important that we have rules to prevent this sort of crap from happening.

[Josiah]

Hi! The big (and only, for the most part) complaint you used to hear about FFXIII was the linearity. Personally, I didn't have a problem with that. Sure it's unusual for a RPG, but a lot of other game genres I play tend to be even more linear and it allowed them to really nail the pacing. Plus, I enjoyed the story and characters quite a bit. Now a days though, it seems like people aren't only knocking XIII's linearity but the characters, battle system, etc., which seemed to get nearly universal praise when it was released.

On Bravely Default...I haven't actually had time to play it yet, but I have friends who say it's really good.

[Stevenson]

Right, but saying that critics or even that "everyone" praised something before does not negate current criticisms. Perhaps a second look revealed some flaws, or it hasn't aged well, or more people who were not predisposed to liking it got a look at it. I for one think a few of the characters are great, but I also think most of them are...not great. I'm looking at you, Hope.

[Silver]

Yeah, I don't get all the praise I heard for the battle system in early reviews. Honestly? Before I played it, I defended it. Figuring the story and gameplay would be pretty good, I was like, so what if it's linear? But now that I've actually played it... I greatly overestimated the story and the gameplay. And linear maps aren't a big deal on a game where those two elements hold up, but when they don't, you end up with a game that's completely dull. I also never would have guessed that character growth would also be totally linear... Coming right off of the sphere grid and license system, the crystarium was not only a shock, but a complete embarrassment.

And yeah. Hope. Also not a fan of Snow and Vanille...

Also, hi Doodleshark! Welcome back!

[Josiah]

Hi! I'll grant that the crystarium was a bit simplified compared to things like the sphere grid, and I was a bit disappointed in that. Ditto with weapon customization. However, I thought the battle system was excellent. It was the first main series FF since 5 that I actually found challenging (outside of some optional bosses), yet it was never frustrating and there was a lot of strategy involved. Plus, it was just plain fun. I also really liked all the characters. Sure some characters seem a bit one dimensional, maybe even annoying, at first, but they had really great character development over the course of the story. The overall plot wasn't as good as some past entries in the series, and the main villain was forgettable (though still kinda interesting when you think about him), but the characters and the way they grew and changed over the course of the game really carried the story for me.

[shauni]

you end up with a game that's completely dull

That sums it up perfectly for me. I found it Dull, and the battle system felt like I wasn't doing anything. That was my issue with FF 12 as well. Why would I bloody want the game to play itself?

[Silver]

Yeah, my experience with XIII was completely "mash x to win!" and I'm not about that. XII wasn't... as bad. It at least had big open worlds and character customization. But that one was tough at first and pretty much got easier as you unlocked new gambit settings, which is... not really how game difficulty is supposed to work. Though, if you wanted a tough game, you could set your team's gambits to dumb and try to do the whole thing yourself.

[shauni]

I wasn't even like pokemon either, it is pretty basic but there is lots of hidden depth. I have to stop myself buying FF games now out of habit as they used to be my go to series. I'm going to wait for the next story driven FF game in the series that is not a sequel and let a demo or review decide if I buy.

£60 for the special addition of a game you play for less than 30 hours is a LOT of money