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I already dislike the idea. Not that I liked it in the first place.
They could easily make all the changes in story, gameplay mechanics and whatnot in a NEW game, instead of milking the bastard child.
The setting looks promising, yeah yeah, but the whole idea doesn't. Lightning as a solo character? What the what?
Thank god it's the last entry in this attempt of a game. I liked XIII though. :/
Well, color me excited. I know I shouldn't really be without seeing any gameplay in action, but I can't help it. New world, characters, battle system; I'm dying to see these. Also glad that they finally will conclude the story in this upcoming game.
Also, it comes out in 2013
By the way, this sure brings up DP's argument on where Final Fantasy is heading, "turn based or action". Interesting.
The part that leaves me the most optimistic, honestly, is that they seem willing to do something new here. The gameplay is an evolution of an existing system, sure, but is it in the same way Crisis Core was an evolution of the X-2 battle system, or the same way that XIII-2 was an evolution of the XIII battle system? I just don't know. If the battle system really is that drastically different, then this may be a Final Fantasy that I find enjoyable. A good start would be seeing the stagger bar go away and never return.
There are a few things that make me wary. Toriyama is doing the writing, and that's just... not good news. I knew that's how it would be, but it's still disappointing. And oddly enough, that skeleton enemy disturbs me. For one, they already have an undead equivalent in the Cieth, and for two it just strikes me as... out of place. I will say this. S-E, from here, has every opportunity to disappoint me once more.
I can't even...I just can't...The concept...ehh Only playing as Lightning...blah. Like what are they doing? Cutting down the party with each sequel until there are no party members. I'm hoping for a decent conclusion, which there probably won't be. I have admit, though, that Square Enix will take all my money because I'll have to buy the game when it comes out. Why must I allow you to troll me so hard, Square Enix!?
Square has completely swept away the menu-driven, hands-off system that served so effectively in the first two chapters of FFXIII, pouring its resources instead into a system that allows players to control Lightning directly in single combat against foes.
Menus are out. Instead, players instead can assign four skills or commands to the controller's face buttons and execute them instantly. If this sounds suspiciously similar to Kingdom Hearts, realize the overlap only goes so far. Lightning fights in a far less button-mashy style than Sora and friends, with considerably less air-combo time, and she's not limited to a single use of each power followed by a cooldown period. Instead, her commands run on a Active-Time Battle gauge in the classic Final Fantasy style, and each ability comes with a corresponding ATB cost. This system doesn't employ the same fixed costs as in FFXIII and XIII-2, though, and the meter isn't segmented as it was in those games. The result is a faster-paced battle system than in any previous Final Fantasy, but a far less manic one than in the earlier FFXIII titles. There's far less screen clutter and extraneous information flying about, and the battle camera stays fairly fixed on Lightning rather than cutting to dramatic angles in the heat of combat.
That's an essential design choice, because Lightning Returns drops the classic hands-off style of Final Fantasy combat for something much more focused on timing and reflexes. This is certainly no God of War, but nevertheless the game requires a nimble touch. Players can move Lightning freely about the field during combat, managing relative distance from opponents and dodging or parrying enemy attacks. Previous Final Fantasy games have flirted with the idea of allowing player control in combat, but even in Final Fantasy XI and XII it ultimately amounted to window dressing that had little impact on the action. By dropping the concept of a party and allowing the heroine to fly solo, Lightning Returns brings a genuine real-time mechanic to the series while integrating a touch of Super Mario RPG-style "timed hits."
This seems to sum up the essence of Lightning Returns as a whole: An attempt by Square Enix to properly realize all the different play concepts Final Fantasy has flirted with in recent years but failed to commit to. Real-time combat? It's there. An open world with a quest-based, non-linear structure? Supposedly that's in, too, and better realized than FFXIII-2's. Full character customization in which tweaks to her skills corresponds to visual changes? Lightning can go full-in as a physical bruiser, a spell-slinging mage, or even as a more nuanced combatant.
The fact that the game cuts loose so many elements of its predecessors gives us reason to be optimistic. The FFXIII combat system was interesting, but for most modern audiences, a menu-driven combat system is a tough sell for a fairly realistic-looking high-definition RPG. As a game's visuals become more detailed and elaborate, the abstraction of a menu-based interface feels increasingly out of place (and I'm saying this as someone who's most recently been immersed in Etrian Odyssey II and Pokémon Black & White, menu-driven experiences in the most classic sense imaginable). LR:FFXIII trades the strategic, somewhat hands-off approach of its immediate predecessors in favor of a combat style that emphasizes skill and timing. Again, in the fine tradition of the Mario RPGs, a well-timed parry can leave even the most powerful foe open to a counter-attack.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of LR:FFXIII's battle system, however, is the new "Overclock" ability. Overclock allows Lightning to slow the flow of combat for everyone but herself, gaining the upper hand against difficult foes. The tradeoff, however, is that using Overclock costs time.
And time is of the essence in this game. Just as FFXIII spanned 13 days (revealed through flashbacks sprinkled throughout the story), LR:FFXIII also takes place across 13 days. In this case, however, that period of time serves as a countdown to an apocalypse. In just shy of two weeks, the world will end, and Lightning's goal is to prevent it.
What makes LR:FFXIII particularly Dragon Quarter-like is the way it treats time as a sort currency. Treasures cost time to access (the more powerful the item within, the more time required). Overclocking apparently burns several minutes per use, much like abusing the ability to transform into a dragon in Dragon Quarter added to the constant advance of Ryu's deadly D-meter, marking your progression to the inevitable end of your quest. And should Lightning fall in combat, it's not necessarily game over; rather, a menu appears that allows players to choose to quit or cast a healing spell. The rub? Casting a spell like Arise costs 100 minutes, a not-insignificant investment when you're on a 13-day deadline. Is it worthwhile to burn time and continue or simply accept failure gracefully? Trade-offs like these give Lightning Returns the potential to force interesting decisions on players, requiring consideration and long-term strategic thinking.
I am Sooooooooo excited for this game. I remember before XIII-2 even came out that this series will be a triology. Yay!
More info on September 4 and 6
Quote:
The Nico Nico live stream of Square Enix's Lighthing Saga presentation cut off just before the best part: an actual first look at the gameplay in Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII.
After high level introductions to the game from Motomu Toriyama, Yuji Abe, and Isamu Kamikokuryo, which you can see here, Square Enix turned off the cameras, told everyone in the audience to do the same, then showed a first trailer. This was followed by a gameplay demonstration.
Famitsu.com and Dengeki PlayStation delivered summaries of the trailer and demo.
The trailer provided an introduction to the game's world and its time progression system. One sequence showed a time counter: "00/02:54:23." Famitsu speculates that by clearing quests, you can increase this timer.
Another sequence showed Lightning, dressed in a new outfit, in pursuit of the criminal in a murder incident. She pursues a group of suspicious people, making use of cover actions -- hiding behind walls, for instance. During the presentation, Toriyama explained that you can perform some sneaking actions using simple controls.
The demo play segment, performed live on the PlayStation 3, showed a battle sequence. You can customize Lightning's weapon, shield, costume and abilities. These customizations can be stored and switched between as you battle. The combinations also have names -- Blast Witch, or Holy Liberator for instance -- and there seems to be a visual transformation sequence. All this makes the customization combination system sound like the Paradigms of past XIII games, but it's not clear if the naming is the same.
Like your typical FF game, the battle system has an ATB gauge which fills up as time progresses. But there are some action-style elements here, as you can now assign skills to buttons. Famitsu also says that you can assign some actions, including an evasion action, to a button.
Larger enemies appear to have multiple "break" states. The earliest such state is "Knockdown." This lets you steal from the downed foe. The final break state is Overclock. This freezes time. The demo play demonstrated Overclock by freezing a Behemoth that Lightning had launched into midair. Lightning then pummeled it with attacks.
As we reported earlier, the demo version was based off an alpha build. The textures and voices were all placeholder (the voices were from the development staff).
Famitsu says that it will have an exclusive interview with the development staff in its September 6 issue.
Menus are out. Instead, players instead can assign four skills or commands to the controller's face buttons and execute them instantly. If this sounds suspiciously similar to Kingdom Hearts, realize the overlap only goes so far. Lightning fights in a far less button-mashy style than Sora and friends, with considerably less air-combo time, and she's not limited to a single use of each power followed by a cooldown period. Instead, her commands run on a Active-Time Battle gauge in the classic Final Fantasy style, and each ability comes with a corresponding ATB cost. This system doesn't employ the same fixed costs as in FFXIII and XIII-2, though, and the meter isn't segmented as it was in those games. The result is a faster-paced battle system than in any previous Final Fantasy, but a far less manic one than in the earlier FFXIII titles. There's far less screen clutter and extraneous information flying about, and the battle camera stays fairly fixed on Lightning rather than cutting to dramatic angles in the heat of combat.
Stop it .
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Perhaps the most interesting feature of LR:FFXIII's battle system, however, is the new "Overclock" ability. Overclock allows Lightning to slow the flow of combat for everyone but herself, gaining the upper hand against difficult foes. The tradeoff, however, is that using Overclock costs time.
So slowing down time speeds up time... I think I'm missing the logic behind that...
Quote:
The demo play segment, performed live on the PlayStation 3, showed a battle sequence. You can customize Lightning's weapon, shield, costume and abilities. These customizations can be stored and switched between as you battle. The combinations also have names -- Blast Witch, or Holy Liberator for instance -- and there seems to be a visual transformation sequence.
Sounds like changing garments in FFX2.. No surprise considering it's Toriyama
I bet there will be more skin than clothes.
BUT the story...WTF? How can the story be set hundreds of years in the future when the future was eliminated in XIII-2 with that Valhalla thingy?? Wasn't there supposed to be no timeline anymore??
And I guess that means all the other people, Hope, Snow, Noel, Sazh are dead now? =/
__________________ “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”
