[Hilo Oficial] Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII - Ya a la venta

[Chris Walken]

Que harán con toriyama tras este LR?

Porque las ventas del juego no han acompañado y la fama de Toriyama empieza a extenderse como un virus...serán tan tontos en SE de seguir dándole┬á rienda suelta al susodicho?

Igual a partir de FFXV vemos un cambio de rumbo, no se si para bien o para mal pero Nomura peor que Toriyama seguro que no lo hace.

[Rivera]

Bueno, yo diría que FFXV ya es un cambio de rumbo, ya ha roto todos los esquemas siendo un FF numerado, por lo que si vende bien, no me extrañaría que ese pasase a ser el estilo de los FF┬┤s venideros.

[Archer]

Para FFXV de momento ya tenemos confirmas secuelas, dijeron que la historia era demasiado grande para meterla en un solo juego, aunque no creo que repitan la misma jugada que con Lightning, pero nunca se sabe...

(03-12-2013 12:11)Rivera link escribió:Pues no sé que pasa con el bazar del Live japo, pero busco el juego, y en la demo me pone un precio de -1 y se me cierra al darle.

Wat? ¿te devuelven dinero?

[Rivera]

Yo es que en japonés no entiendo una mierda, pero el icono de medio pad, es decir medio sombreado, es el de la demo, ¿No? Pues pone eso, -1, y se cierra al pulsarlo.

[Sir_Dekar]

Una review de GAF del usuario GrumpyAlien:

Cita:I really like the soundtrack to this game. Out of the 3 FF XIII OSTs I think I see myself listening to this one outside of the game the most. So much enjoyable ambient stuff that reminds me of Vangelis. Tons of variety, and probably my OST of the year.

Yet the more that I think of the game the more that I feel disappointed. Maybe I had my expectations set too high, but it really felt like a cheap game in so many ways.

-Lack of memorable bosses...
-Severe lack of enemy variety. There are a few new ones though. But the game wastes no time in re-skinning them.
-Wildlands is so ugly at times. Dead Dunes isn't as pretty as I thought it would be either. Big areas for the sake of being big areas.
-Very few memorable setpieces. Much of the world felt shoddy, but I could tell they were trying. On average it was visually a mixed bag.
-Bonus dungeon was uninteresting.

Still it has some positives...

-Incredibly fun combat- Best in the XIII series probably.
-Super challenging at times. Had a Breath of Fire V: DQ vibe to it at times because of the time aspect.
-Customizing abilities and garments is great fun
-Real shops...a XIII series first!
-Towns felt alive and I enjoyed traversing them. Just wish they had a bigger budget to work with.
-Busy work and quests were addictive for some reason. Fully voiced, and having them tied to stat upgrade was interesting mechanic. Made me not mind doing them as much.
-Visually stunning final boss. Like, best in the series imo. Still, it kind of feels out of place when you consider how cheap the rest of the game looked.
-Fun ending

Better than XIII-2 in my eyes, but far behind XIII in overall quality. I enjoyed it but I don't think it left much of an impression on me.

[Led Zeppelin]

Hola.

Cita:Better than XIII-2 in my eyes, but far behind XIII in overall quality. I enjoyed it but I don't think it left much of an impression on me.

Creo que voy a ir dejando el sector.

Un saludo.

[Darling Violetta]

Inside The Square - Lightning

[Sir_Dekar]

Review de Kagari de GAF:

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Import Review
Posted on December 3, 2013 by Erren Van Duine

Cita:The end of the XIII saga is here, but was it worth it?
At its core Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is an intriguingly designed RPG weighed down by a bloated and often nonsensical story that feels bare even after fifty hours of game time. Despite best intentions much of what the game does ends up feeling generally half-baked, and while combat and customization are the best that this title has to offer, Lightning Returns ultimately ends up an experiment that is likely best not revisited in the future.

While I found Final Fantasy XIII-2 to be a pleasant surprise ÔÇô a smart evolution of the gameplay formula of the original game ÔÇô Lightning Returns finds itself sadly failing to repeat that feat.

Set 500 years after its predecessors, Lightning Returns sees ÔÇô surprise ÔÇô titular heroine Lightning back in the saddle as the gameÔÇÖs sole protagonist. After awakening from stasis as a crystal sheÔÇÖs tasked by the all-powerful god Bhunivelze to be ÔÇ£The WorldÔÇÖs SaviorÔÇØ by guiding the souls of humanity to a new world ÔÇô as the one they currently inhabit is set to come to an end in 13 days. Spurred on by the desire to save the life of her sister Serah again, Lightning agrees and over the course of the game comes to encounter many of the allies she once fought alongside with in fanservice-driven scenes. ItÔÇÖs not all clear-cut, though ÔÇô some former allies end up enemies and the reverse. Times have changed.

With the English-language release some time away, IÔÇÖll steer clear of spoilers and simply say that I found the plotting of Lightning Returns to be far from cohesive or satisfying. The game is mostly a slow burn ÔÇô not a problem in and of itself ÔÇô but the stodgy pacing makes the cracks in a story that appears fractured when scrutinized even more obvious.

Lightning Returns has a structure that is actually something of a breath of fresh air ÔÇô rather than lengthy story preamble, the game throws you right into the prelude of the apocalypse with exposition duties handed to FF13ÔÇ▓s Hope, now LightningÔÇÖs closest ally. YouÔÇÖre in control incredibly quickly ÔÇô but then the game lurches back towards the worst of FF13, Hope spouting all-too-lengthy exposition as you plod your way through tutorials that hold your hand too firmly instead of teach. The datalog that carried the lionÔÇÖs share of the original gameÔÇÖs lore returns, though a lot of the information overflow I experienced actually came from lengthy, stilted conversations that play out in the gameÔÇÖs safe zone, a place where the player need not worry about the passage of time, a key concept of the game.

When youÔÇÖre not progressing through the gameÔÇÖs episodic main story ÔÇô comprised of five total arcs divided into several smaller quests each ÔÇô LR encourages you to do a bit of exploring through the now wide open spaces available in each area. The game takes place in a world called Novus Partus ÔÇô a world that takes you from the deserts, forests and two different concepts of a city. The bulk of the game is played across each of these four regions with leveling tied not to battles, but through the completion of quests. For those that complained about FF13 being a pipeline, Square has answered your criticisms definitively ÔÇô LR is for all intents and purposes an open-world game.

Backtracking is a full-blown necessity and fetch-and-carry quests across the world are fairly common. Visiting parts of each area unlocks teleport points, so fast-travel makes completing quests a bit more bearable ÔÇô though itÔÇÖs a shame to say that for the most part the gameÔÇÖs side missions are largely forgettable ÔÇô theyÔÇÖre not outstanding in any way, positive or negative.

By far the most positive aspect of Lightning Returns stems from its battle system ÔÇô a fact that has largely remained consistent across all three FF13 titles, each having an interesting, bold and constantly evolving take on FFÔÇÖs Active Time Battle roots. ATB is in full effect here as well, but with a twist that involves the use of real time features in conjunction with regenerating stamina bars.

Dubbed the Style-Change Active Time Battle (SATB) system, players are put in control of Lightning and Lightning alone and can guide her attacks and guard abilities through the use of real time button presses similar to an action game including somewhat limited movement within the battle field. Others join you in battle on occasion, but remain entirely NPC-controlled.

Lightning must gather souls to extend the world's lifespan.
In place of the Paradigm Shift system from FF13 and FF13-2, Lightning Returns makes use of a collection of costumes the titular heroine can wear known as Styles. Each Style can be fashioned with up to four different abilities mapped to each of the controllerÔÇÖs face buttons and comes complete with its own ATB gauge. Using an action will deplete a certain amount of your total ATB with each button press and by pressing R1 or L1 Lightning can shift to another of your three equipped Styles, giving the one you were previously using a change to recharge. Stacking up the right abilities on the right Styles means that ideally the action can keep going constantly provided you stay away from spamming high-cost ATB abilities. Ensuring you constantly have abilities at your disposal to use is a key part of the timing-based strategy that drives the game.

Lightning also has a new ability separate from the normal ATB spread called Overclock. By using Glory Points (GP) gathered from defeating enemies players can slow down time for a brief moment while they deal out a bit more damage to a tough enemy. GP can also account for Curaga, Quake, LightningÔÇÖs Scene Drive attack and other special abilities.

Customization is without doubt the biggest key to ensuring you have a good time with the game. In addition to an assortment of weapons and shields Lightning can collect new abilities by defeating monsters and further upgrade them through the gameÔÇÖs simplistic but satisfying synthesis system. YouÔÇÖre essentially given endless freedom ÔÇô in if you create a Style catered more toward magic or toward strength, for instance ÔÇô although it is generally recommended to strike a balance between various abilities in order to effectively take out enemies.

Not all battles are created equally, however. Similar to FF13ÔÇ▓s Stagger or Break system Lightning Returns makes use of a new ÔÇ£KnockdownÔÇØ ability that triggers once an enemy is exploited enough through their weakness. Each enemy has their own strengths and weaknesses so constructing Styles cleverly can really be taken advantage of in this regard.

The gameÔÇÖs key gameplay pillar outside of battle comes in the form of the ÔÇ£Doomsday Clock,ÔÇØ a device most easily compared to the crash of the moon in The Legend of Zelda: MajoraÔÇÖs Mask, or how players have a set amount of time before the military arrives in a Dead Rising game. As previously mentioned, thereÔÇÖs 13 days until the end of the world, and a real clock counts down in-game to that time. The team behind Lightning Returns has to be commended ÔÇô this is an incredibly brave and interesting decision for a Japanese RPG, a genre where players typically plod their way through at vastly varying paces.

Guest members join the batte on occasion.
When the game starts youÔÇÖll actually only have 6 of your 13 days left, but through progression of the main quest and completion of side quests Lighting essentially earns more time, extending the worldÔÇÖs death clock to the full 13 days. Players are afforded some mild manipulation over time, too ÔÇô GP can be used to freeze the clock for a short time, and time does not progress while in menus, cutscenes, shops and so on. How long you actually have will vary based on this, but I found it evened out at around 3 real world hours to one day in LightningÔÇÖs world.

While a novel and brave idea, the doomsday clock system isnÔÇÖt without its drawbacks. A living world is built around the time mechanic, with many NPCs having actions tied to specific times of the day ÔÇô and that can be frustrating when you need to talk to a particular person for a vital step in a side quest and theyÔÇÖre not around. A common complaint about Dead Rising and MajoraÔÇÖs Mask rings true here also, then ÔÇô for some the time management is just too much, and what can be exciting on paper can quickly become frustrating as your carefully-considered plans for the in-game day end up in tatters due to a drawn-out dungeon.

With all that said, if seeing the heart of LightningÔÇÖs journey is your priority you should finish with plenty of time to spare. In the back half of my play-through IÔÇÖd finished the main quest and simply mooched my way through ChocolinaÔÇÖs Canvas of Prayers market board to find side quests to kill in-game time with. There is a time skip option, but using it felt a waste ÔÇô so I continued to plod through mostly unremarkable side quests until I reached the final days of the game.

One complaint that canÔÇÖt be leveled against the FF13 series is one of the artistic design of its world. It has always had strong vision and beautiful visuals, and LR is no exception ÔÇô but beautiful concepts donÔÇÖt come to life here as brilliantly as they did in FF13 or even the less-impressive FF13-2. Bluntly, it feels like a cheap game, even compared to its direct predecessor which also reused a large number of FF13 assets. The world here might be new, but the quality of textures and geometry seems to vary massively ÔÇô itÔÇÖs best described as uneven.

ThereÔÇÖs the feeling here that the studioÔÇÖs infamously difficult Crystal Tools engine can barely handle the sprawling size of LRÔÇÖs world ÔÇô the frame rate squirming and struggling to maintain a solid 30 in larger areas, while much of the living world AI fails to fully immerse, transparent and obvious in their daily actions. Most glaring of all is the gameÔÇÖs rogueÔÇÖs gallery in battle ÔÇô a sea of texture-swapped versions of the same monster with different names, with very few enemies actually being all-new for LR. This bizarrely extends to NPCs, too, with even some members of FF13ÔÇ▓s cast still seemingly wearing the same gear 500 years on.

Art direction is one of the game's strong points.
These decisions are doubly strange when one sees how lovingly realized LightningÔÇÖs slew of costumes are ÔÇô I would have gladly taken a few less outfits for Lighting for improvement in these areas. The visual presentation is all the more a shame because Lightning Returns features a lovely soundtrack and has some great artistic direction behind it ÔÇô the execution on the in-game world just lets that down.

Fans expecting closure to loose ends left over from the previous two titles will get them here, though I canÔÇÖt say I left satisfied with the conclusions I was given. The climax in particular tosses massive, world-changing events around in seconds with little exposition. To say I was disappointed in the narrative would be to put it mildly, and IÔÇÖm somebody who fully expected to find some frustration in the climax of the story going in. Sometimes tempered expectations can gift pleasant surprises, but Lightning Returns is not that kind of game.

Thus we reach the conclusion to this review and to my time with the FF13 series. After playing Lightning Returns to the completion of its story and most of its side content itÔÇÖs unfortunate to report that I found it to be a worse entry than both its predecessors. Gameplay systems remain its strongest area by a long way, but insubstantial, forgettable side quests and disappointing story conclusions mean even a decently-featured New Game+ option isnÔÇÖt enticing enough to make me want to give it another go. I consider that damning ÔÇô youÔÇÖre looking at somebody who has a Platinum Trophy in the flawed-but-fun FF13-2.

ThereÔÇÖs that gameplay, though. ItÔÇÖs a solidly redeeming feature ÔÇô enough to make me say that if youÔÇÖre a fan of FF13, Final Fantasy or JRPGs in general this might be a game to pick up ÔÇô but not right away. Shave something else off your backlog and wait for a price drop. Those not already invested in the concepts behind the game in one way or another may well want to give it a miss entirely, as that battle system isnÔÇÖt enough to drag the game back to the realm of absolute recommendation.

Lightning Returns isnÔÇÖt awful ÔÇô ItÔÇÖs just not particularly good either. Firmly the worst in the FF13 sub-series, it is a disappointing missed opportunity.

Fuente:

Spoiler :

http://www.rpgsite.net/reviews/480-lightning-returns-final-fantasy-xiii-import-review

[Chris Walken]

Lo ha puesto fino...

Que será de Toriyama a partir de ahora?

[Rivera]

No entiendo mucho pero ahí dice algo de que el juego vuelve a lo peor de FFXIII en forma de tutoriales, o algo así, ¿Estoy en lo cierto?

-Por otra parte. que es un juego de mundo abierto con 4 regiones y una vez avanzamos se abren teletransportes para viajar rápidamente.

-Que para bien o para mal aplaude la propuesta del sistema de tiempo, pues es original en un juego de rol japonés.

-Que puede ser confuso o molesto el tema de que muchos NPC┬┤S están condicionados por la hora y el crono, algo de lo que la gente se quejó en Dead Rising.

-Que le incita a rejugar dado los NPC┬┤s y misiones perdidos debido al tema del tiempo...

¿Me equivoco? Es lo más destacable que CREO haber sacado en claro.

[Sir_Dekar]

(04-12-2013 19:46)Rivera link escribió:No entiendo mucho pero ahí dice algo de que el juego vuelve a lo peor de FFXIII en forma de tutoriales, o algo así, ¿Estoy en lo cierto?

-Por otra parte. que es un juego de mundo abierto con 4 regiones y una vez avanzamos se abren teletransportes para viajar rápidamente.

-Que para bien o para mal aplaude la propuesta del sistema de tiempo, pues es original en un juego de rol japonés.

-Que puede ser confuso o molesto el tema de que muchos NPC┬┤S están condicionados por la hora y el crono, algo de lo que la gente se quejó en Dead Rising.

-Que le incita a rejugar dado los NPC┬┤s y misiones perdidos debido al tema del tiempo...

¿Me equivoco? Es lo más destacable que CREO haber sacado en claro.

También alaba el sistema de combate. Que es ATB con la suma de mecánicas en tiempo real como las guardias y la regeneración de stamina.

[Rivera]

A mi lo del tiempo, como ya dije, me tiene muy escamado, no me cuadrará nunca eso de un mundo grande, aparentemente con misiones y muchas cosas que┬á hacer y exploración, pero tener que ir con un petardo en el culo, así que lo único que pueda esperar es que el sistema de rejugabilidad y demás esté bien hecho, algo tipo XIII-2 donde aunque te acabes un episodio o te acabes el juego, sea siempre fácil pasar por X zona de nuevo o rejugar un episodio entero pero teniendo ya en tu haber todo lo cosechado.

En cualquier caso me cuesta entender que destaque algunas cosas como positivas, pero concluya con que es el peor de la saga XIII, ¿Qué destacaría bueno del XIII en su día entonces?