Really doing this more to be consistent, than I feel the urge to do an |OT| at this time. To be truthful, I just started playing the game and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. It has many things going for it, it has some things that will definitely take getting used to, and there are some things I downright just don't like.
I definitely shouldn't have started this after playing Tales of Xillia. Going from a Tales battle system to this one is jarring, despite what you may have heard. This is --NOT-- an action game. It still plays like FFXIII, albeit on a smaller scale. Rather than having 2 playable characters and a monster, or 3 playable characters, it's --JUST-- Lightning. She can store three "outfits" to switch to in real-time during a battle, and that takes the place of the 3 characters.
Each outfit has it's main Armor or Clothing set, a weapon, a shield or defensive item, accessories and so on. You can assign skills to the four face buttons on the Dual Shock. Yes, you block in real-time. Hitting a button, if it has "Attack" assigned to it, attacks the enemy with your weapon, but this is all limited by the ATB bar; this is --NOT-- DMC, Final Fantasy! Just like you would switch paradigms in XIII and XIII-2, you switch outfits as the battle demands it. It is not nearly as fast, free-flowing or engaging as Tales was. It's going to take some getting used to, no doubt.
I do like playing "dress-up" already. Apparently, there's 80 outfits or so to find. I don't know if this includes DLC outfits or not. Switching the different clothing, customizing the colors, pairing them with --PURELY-- cosmetic things like sunglasses and hats, etc. is fun! These appear in real-time on Light and are kinda cool in a geeky way.
I like the way the world is open and you can travel to most places almost right from the start. So very different than the hallways of the first game, but is it necessarily better...?
Lightning has made a deal with God. She has awoken after 500 years, after the events of XIII-2 and just 13 days before the End of the World. Chaos is consuming everything and Lightning is God's chosen Savior. Yeah. There's a Time Limit. Yeah. I usually ---HATE--- that. Doing Quests and earning a certain type of energy extends the clock and there are spells to cast that stop time temporarily --BUT-- it's entirely feasible to play poorly, run out of time and get a "Bad" ending. This, paired with an Open World and not always knowing what you need to do next, along with the constant reminder of the ticking clock in the upper right hand section of the screen...
Some cool tidbits:
- "Libra" is assigned permanently to R2. You can either fight enemies and gather data on their weaknesses, or you can buy Information on monsters at an Adventurer's store.
- The "Stagger" mechanic of the other game(s) is still in there. Hit enemies with enough attacks they are weak to and they stagger. Taking advantage of weaknesses, staggering and re-staggering is VITAL.
- There are EP points that will aid you throughout the battles and exploration. In battle, you can use them to Slow Time, for example, to make dodging and blocking easier. During exploration, you can use them to Teleport to previous areas, Stop Time for a while, and such.
- If you have a "Block" skill assigned to one of your outfits, you can "Perfect Block" if you time your button press to the exact moment of impact, reducing damage. This, at least, keeps you on your toes and engaged.
- Already I've witnessed a bit of MMO-ish elements in the game. You can combine Skills to make stronger ones, and there's forging stuff all over the floors again, as well. There's Quest boards too, where you are asked to slay certain monsters, find people and/or items or gather materials. This inevitably leads to cooler stuff and the energy that extends time, but you need to be careful how much time you devote to them and take away from your Main Quest.
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One thing I didn't mention before: Skills are almost like items now. If you have a "Blizzard 1" for example, and you assign this to the Mist Wizard outfit, it is --NOT-- available to use with other outfits. Either you find more --or-- assign certain roles to certain outfits. One can be more Weapon oriented, one can be more Magic oriented. What makes this a bit more complex: If you have two "Blizzard 1" spells, do you assign them to two different outfits --or-- do you combine them to do more damage and have that exclusively usable to your mage skills-set. It's actually pretty in-depth.
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I've read quite a few reviews that say you should start this game on 'Easy.' I actually agree! Either I am very bad at this game, or it is a lot harder than you would expect it to be! Gonna stick it out for a while, but, man! Some normal enemies you come across in the streets take a few minutes to beat! It's tough!
We had snow earlier this week, now an earthquake about two hours away.
travo said:We had snow earlier this week, now an earthquake about two hours away.
But no Lightning?
My favorite threads! Even an unenthusastic leo OT is still fantastic.
Dvader said:But no Lightning?
See why I could never laugh at people who post in the wrong thread? *holds head down in shame*
travo said:See why I could never laugh at people who post in the wrong thread? *holds head down in shame*
robio said:Is prior knowledge of the FF 13 games required for Lightning Return? I have no interest in the other games but I love the concept of this one. I've always liked games with a time limit that require you to be as effect and efficient as possible.
They are all connected, story-wise, so there will be a good amount of stuff you won't be able to relate to. They do an incredible job at filling in back-details in the Data-Logs, but that would be a lot of reading. You definitely can play it on its own, and it certainly is unique and something you can get A LOT of value from, as there's almost no way you can play this ONCE and play it well. The developer actually said it is a game that is meant to be played several times.
I still can't decide if I love this game or I hate it, but it certainly keeps you playing! You have two choices at the start of the game: 'Easy' or 'Normal.' No self-respecting gamer is going to go for Normal! ...but, damn if this game isn't --HARD-- on Normal! You need to keep on your toes at --ALL-- times. You need to diversify your different 'Schemata' **what I've been referring to as 'Outfits' previously** to be prepared for anything they throw your way. Some enemies are weak to Fire, some to Physical attacks, some to any type of magic. Some are staggered faster by magic elements they are weak to, but take more damage by physical attacks after they are downed. You ---ABSOLUTELY--- need to learn the nuances of each and every enemy, all their attacks, all their spells, so you know when the best time to 'Stagger' them will happen. Believe it or not, the game that comes to mind when I am fighting one enemy at a time is 'Punch-Out!' Yeah. The timing is that critical sometimes! Hitting monsters with their weaknesses enough times or just before they are going to strike is key to staggering, just as it was to earning Star Punches in Punch-Out. Even then the battles aren't dramatically easy. Until you get a few sub-quests, requests and Quests under your belt and you power up Lightning's stats a bit, every battle is going to take some time!
If you are looking for serious --CHALLENGE-- and believe RPGs or the previous Final Fantasy XIII games were too easy before, well, here you go, give --THIS-- game a try! Be warned though: low patience or tolerance? Don't even bother! This game is --NOT-- for you! Fans of Lightning herself or previous MMO players? Yeah! This may be right up your alley!
I downloaded the demo and will try it out this afternoon. Doubtful I'll be getting it any time soon regardless of it I like it or not, but the game does continue to intrigue me, and that's worthy of something I suppose.
I didn't try the demo, so I don't know what to tell you to expect, but if it's completely baffling, let me know!
I'm sure I'll be baffled. As I've said before I've completely ignored this series. The only thing I know about Lightning is that everyone on GAF hates her.
If Lightning were a real person, I'm sure she feel the same way about everyone on GAF.
Earning an "I'm hated by GAF" medal should be every gamer's life goal or at least an Achievement in every, single mainstream game, ever.
You are getting me all hot and bothered Leo, I want to play this now. Especially after that XIII-2 ending.