Wired’s Chris Kohler is the latest RPad.tv PadCast guest and you’ll want to pay attention as he talks about his experience with the Japanese version of Final Fantasy XIII. Kohler talks about the game’s music, battle system, graphics, linearity, funky “gestalt” system, and more. While he’s a big fan of the music and graphics, he’s not too keen on the “hands off” gameplay. He also compares heavy hand holding in FFXIII to Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain.
As many of you know, the U.S. version of the game comes out next week, but if you’re still not sure if FFXIII is for you then you’ll want to hear Kohler criticize the game. It definitely sounds like the most polarizing Final Fantasy game in years! Oh yeah, Kohler also reveals why you’re on crack if you think you’re expecting a Final Fantasy VII remake with Final Fantasy XIII graphics.
At the end he said something significant…that it will take 5 or 10 hours to see what the game is like. That is way too long in my opinion. I don't plan on getting this, but out of anything he said that was the nail in the coffin for this game.
Wanted to add that I think this is the best one yet.
@ Smartguy;
Final Fantasy games have always been epic, hour-eating games mostly spent to become a more powerful character or side quests. It's really been that way since the original back on the NES. As the technology grows, so does the game. I guess a lot of gamers like the value they are getting from the games. After all, it is easy to justify paying less than $1 per hour for those that play the game for more than 60 hours.
Five to ten hours to get a good feel for a Final Fantasy game sounds about right. Just think about how fast five hours came and went when you played FF 2/4, FF 3/6, FF 7, FF8, FF 9, FF 10, etc. for the first time.
-M
great interview Rpad. also great vid clips to n8r. I don't know if i'll enjoy the hand holding with FF13. It's good for Heavy Rain (which i finally played the demo and it's a rental for me) since i think it immerses you more into the game so it builds the suspense and has you commit more to the game. I think he raised a good point about the new generation of gamers being impatient. While growing up *sighs* they weren't all these game guides and now every game has one. now it seems you can't fully finish the game without looking at a game guide and before game guides, (for me) would only be used if you wanted to unlock every little secret in the game. I'm still itching to play this game and i'm sorry to hear that we will not get a FF7 remake.
I drew the review of this one this month I'm hopeful it'll be good, but I've got concerns…many of which were voiced here.
@Iceman
I understand the build of an FF game. I have played many. (FF8 and FF4 by far are the best offerings, flame on!). I just think that 5 to 10 hours before the game as a whole becomes apparent is too long. I thought FF7 took too long to get out of Midgar. FF10 never really had the issue since you use a map to point and click.
Perhaps I am wrong though. The way I understand what he says is akin to me likening the title to an anime. I can't watch an anime that takes about 5 hours to get going. That is too much of my time for something that wastes a lot of it. Truth be told, I was never interested in this version of FF. Mainly has to do with the female leads. Don't care for the tough chick thing. Though it seems that the line has been getting blurred in recent FF games.
@Nightshade
That's because we as gamers for damn near 20 years or longer have a great sense of what we like and what is good for a game. It's hard for anyone who has been part of pretty much all gaming generations to not have a leaning one way or the other on a title based on released info and good old intuition.
FFVIII and FFX are my personal favorites in the series.
@Smartguy: I try to be as open minded as I can, but sometimes you just see something and it's flaws scream out at you no matter how much everyone else seems to be in love with it.
@Nightshade
Understandable. Flaws sometimes are relative to the end user though. I remember reading reviews on FF3 and one of the knocks on the game is that it was too hard. Why is that a flaw? They did include another bad mark of there not being enough save points throughout, (which to me is a sin in a handheld game). I think one of the two statements is functional while the other is just a bit too nitpicky.
What do you think of the female leads? Just curious. Are you reviewing it for 360 or PS3?
I'm not quite sure what to make of the leads all being named after the weather to be honest. Not quite sure about the gestalt modes either. And the 1 touch gameplay with control over only 1 character sounds just as uninteresting to me as Heavy Rain. That being said, I'm a huge mark for the FF games. I'll check it out, but I'll be fair.
I try not to knock a game for difficulty unless it's uneven. The reader definitely deserves to know the game is hard or easy, but won't hold it against the game in the score. It's really not a fair thing to judge a game on because every gamer has a different skill level.
I'm getting it on the 360. Achievement Whore say WHAAAAAAAAAT?!?
(Honestly, I just prefer to use my 360 most of the time.)
@Iceman The argument against taking five to ten hours to get going is that it doesn’t fly with some gamers in 2010. *shrug*
I’m pretty sure that I’m going to love FFXIII. Linearity doesn’t bother me at all.
I miss those days too, Iceman.
@Iceman VIII is pretty excellent. From a pure gameplay perspective, I'd easily put it ahead of VII.
@ tokz;
Back in the day (Atari/NES era), I wasn’t about to blow money on strategy guides, not to mention that a lot of games did not have strategy guides. I did, however have friends at school and around the neighborhood that played the game and we would all exchange stories of what we did that were akin to the following:
“Hey, you know if you beat Zelda, you get to do a second quest?”
“What, you beat Zelda? How, I don’t know how to get past the seventh level.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s the one where you have to walk through the invisible wall.”
“There’s an invisible wall?!”
Oh, the memories. It was like that for almost every popular game. Bonding over games will never die.
@ Smartguy;
My friend, they must be putting something funky in the Jambalaya up there because I look at people who say FF8 is one of the best FF games in the series like I look at escapees from an insane asylum. Opinions notwithstanding, I am morbidly curious as to WHY you think it is one of the best. Please keep in mind that I am preparing a straight jacket while you speak… er, type.
-M
@Iceman
I enjoyed the dichotomy in the title. Junctioning is by far the best mechanic ever introduced in FF. It makes the monotonous leveling unimportant. I think Cloud is a pussy compared to Squall. There is no Cait Sith in FF8. Overall the story was much better. Graphics were better. I could keep going.