Why do people constantly slate FF XIII and XIII-2?

[Katpuss]

Hi guys,

I've been reading posts on the above two games and I really cannot understand why there is so much negativity about these two installments of this awesome game series?

I have been a FF fan for years (am now 32) and I started by playing the originals, VII and III (DS Version). My interest in the series waned a bit due to many things but XIII drew back in to be a hardcore fan (so hardcore I now have a chocobo tattoo)!

XIII, whilst linear compared to other FF games, had diverse characters, an interesting storyline which got you right into the action, beautiful levels/worlds and the cieth stone missions which so far have taken 100 hours of my life away from me. Yes it was linear compared to the earlier FFs but things have to change.

XIII-2 was an improvement to XIII as you can visit the worlds you open as many times as you like via the historia crux. The graphics are gorgeous and it is good to get to know Serah a bit more.

I love VII as much as any other fan but how can we compare two games, released in 2010 and 2012, to a game released 15 years ago on a totally different console??

And another point.....if some fans continue to not accept and to slate fans who got into FF based on XIII and XIII-2, are we not going to alienate sections of FF fans when we should all be standing together??

Katpuss xx

[Sakaea]

Say it again, brother! I loved XIII and XIII-2, and FF is FF. Fans are fans, and we're almost like family, it's awesome.

I want a Mog tattoo. Pics of your chocobo tattoo?

[Zargabaath]

Well let me try to answer your question. A big gripe with XIII was how the ending was one big Deus Ex. A director shouldn't say his focus is on story, thus making it linear, then botch the ending. XIII-2's story is deemed to have added to the cluster f*ck that was XIII. I found it somewhat better than the original's though lazy on Toriyama's part as he re-used a lot of plot points/angles from XIII.

I feel had more qualms with the story than most. Mainly the lack of any plot for most of the game. That "interesting storyline which got you right into the action" is interesting because there wasn't hardly any action for most of the game. Mainly walking through an area without anything going on. The plot did not move till chapter 9 when it was left in chapter 3. It was all a bunch of character development with some of that being quite bad - Hope, Vanille, and to a lesser degree Snow.

The constrictive nature of XIII is another issue. Not only was it very linear, like X, but the customization was severely limited. Won't many different side-quests, just 64 C'ieth missions. Not like blitzball, the celestial weapons, monster arena, secret aeons, & omega ruins. Weapons and armor could be customized along with aeons. X, which is often more compared to XIII than VII, felt more like an RPG than XIII. As is the genre that XIII falls in. Of course, saying that you [Motomu Toriyama] were inspired by shooters/Call of Duty when making XIII are not wise words.

[Sakaea]

I don't think X was linear at all. XIII was linear, but it was still an enjoyable game to play, for me. XIII-2 is better, but then again, the only FF I haven't liked was Tactics...

[Unknown Entity]

I think it's because we're so used to Final Fantasy games having so much more than what Final Fantasy XIII offered. If anything, it's a brilliant game, but maybe it'd have been better received without the "Final Fantasy" brand. It was too linear, had no towns, no stores, no NPC sidequests, no mini-games (Gold Saucer, card games, rope skipping, Blitzball, etc), no world map, no levelling system, gil was a bitch to earn, etc. The only thing "Final Fantasy" about it was gil, chocobos, moogles and a few other creatures and mythical names.

I've barely touched XIII-2 for the pure reason that my boyfriend talked me down from the excitement I had about it. I think he was being bloody ridiculous now, but at the time it was a total mood killer. I did love the first game though. It was graphically superb, and the story wasn't terrible either. Confusing at times, but you expect that from a Final Fantasy game.

[CrazedMonkey]

The easiest way to answer this is just to say that it was different from what they were used to. Square decided to try something different and the overzelous fanboys (and girls) hated it because they've convinced themselves that the whatever they are used to is what's best. I personally love XIII, (I haven't played XIII-2 yet) because it tried something different. XIII is actually my second favorite FF in the series. However people got so used to free roam and controlling the entire party that once it was taken away they threw a hissy fit.

[squall69]

i liked final XIII and agree with most comments on here i thought the characters was good and it drawn me in the story straight away i enjoyed playing it . even after 120 hours i still like going in the fault warrens and trying the challenges and are doing the side quests :-) and the graphics are very lush

ime just glad its not me that likes all the games the media and reviews say are crap lol

[Merlin]

I really didn't mind FF XIII, but I thought the storyline in FF XIII-2 was a steaming pile of crap and plot holes. I think I've posted before on how I thought the science behind FF XIII was improbable at best. The sequel's use of time travel and paradoxes is so far fetched it requires you to throw everything we've learned about science in the toilet and flush it. But then it gets better. Part way through the story they inform you that your journey is a complete waste of time and no matter what you do or don't do the world is screwed. So why exactly are we playing this again? Then to icing off that cake the ending reaffirms what you already learned near the beginning and nothing is resolved. Congratulations! All of your choices meant nothing. [insert Mass Effect 3 reference here]

About the only thing I liked in FFXIII was staring at Serah running around in pretty environments and the combat system. But the main reason I play these games is for the storyline, not staring at artificial booties.

[Rowan]

About the only thing I liked in FFXIII was staring at Serah running around in pretty environments

I think they realized this, I bought her swimwear the day it came out. its nice watching the rain trickle down her stomach ...

[Merlin]

Even in situations where it was tactically better to play as the leading man, I chose Serah. So Serah... How about you and I go back to my place and I show you what a real paradox is? Eh? The most realistic thing about that game is that she fell in love with a douchebag. I thought he was annoying before but he managed to surpass my expectations of how big of a DB he could be in the sequel. /sigh

[Bubblegum]

I really didn't mind FF XIII, but I thought the storyline in FF XIII-2 was a steaming pile of crap and plot holes.

Pretty much this. FF XIII is sadly a bit underrated. However FF XIII-2 while they tried to make the fussy ones happy, they ended up messing everything up. FF XIII should of been left alone. It was a unique gem when it was alone.

FF XIII has a unique battle system and a creative storyline. I think it's a little unfair to jump on this game for being linear when FFX was just the same. Going in a straight path basically. However FF XIII-2 is just plot hole after plot hole.

I love FF XIII so much more than FF XII and I thought that this was the best Final Fantasy game since FF X and that SquareEnix was back on track and was on the right road to making the Final Fantasy games gold again; only to jump online and read tons or complains about how awful and miserable the game is by fans.

I also loved Hope and thought that he was just like me in so many ways only to then read horrible things about him. Though when Hope becomes handsome everybody loves him and thinks that he's the best FF male ever. So shallow. Playing FF XIII-2 I thought that adult Hope was bland and dry.

FF XIII shouldn't be slated. Though I could understand if somebody didn't like or enjoy it's sequel.

[Freya]

The easiest way to answer this is just to say that it was different from what they were used to.

This.
Most people I know who dislike FFXIII and XIII-2 just dislike it, because "it's not like the old FFs" they played when they were young. It's always like this: "Oh, FFVII is awesome, I played it when I was [insert age]! <3" And then: "All the other FFs weren't the same as VII, so they're crap!"
Most of those people haven't even played the REALLY "old" FFs.
(But that's of course not every reason, but just one of them. Many people also dislike the story or characters. That's okay, most of those people are ably to tell why they disliked the games. But those "Oh FFVII was so great the rest is bullshit"-people can't. Just wanted to make clear that those of you who have their reasons other than their childhood games have all the right to dislike the games. xP)

I liked them, although I also thought the story of XIII-2 wasn't as good as XIII. But I disliked Sarah from the beginning, so anyways... It was fun to play though xP

[Rising Star]

Final Fantasy XIII was actually a pretty decent game, my only gripe with it was the lack of side quests throughout the game but apart from that it was very enjoyable although it was different from it's previous FF games I didn't quite understand all the hate although if they mentioned they lack of side quests and it's linear aspects then I could understand their point of view.

Final Fantasy XIII-2......

Someone earlier posted FFXIII was a unique gem somerwhere and that it was damaged by this release and I completely agree 100%, the story came crashing down in about 2 chapters for me it was just very repetitive and the "The Time paradox" story had been touched upon in FF8 so it wasn't something new IMO, but the most unforgivable thing, the most devastating sin that FFXIII-2 by far was 2 Playable characters, in all the time I was playing this I could not fathom what enix were thinking in that 2 characters you could play as would be sustainable for the story, of course the reply would be the Monster collection aspect which was a nice touch and I hope to see something like it in future Final Fantasy Games but that couldn't excuse for that.

FFXIII-2 was this to me "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Backwards" The only thing that was better was the battle system including the Monster collection, paradigms etc etc everything else kinda sucked for me

[Katpuss]

I think there will always be people who love XIII/XIII-2 and those that hate XIII/XIII-2.

Yes XIII may be slightly linear with no towns or world map but everything has to change and I think SE have done a fantastic job. XIII is graphically beautiful, the characters are loveable, the monsters are awesome (as always) and the paradigm system is complex but you get the hang of it very quickly.

XIII-2 was confusing at points but it was understandable, good to see Serah in the main role, great to see characters from XIII making cameo appearances and the fact that you could go back to areas again and again made it much more open and fun. Recruiting monsters was a great throw back to the old Beastmaster job from V.

VII is one of the best FF installments ever made, I love Aeris and Tifa as much as anyone else, the storyline and gameplay is wonderful, but the graphics have not aged well compared to other installments i.e IX.

[nickness89]

I loooove these 2 games, despite what others say, i find all the characters interesting, the fighting was more fast-paced (i find that the fight continuing while you choose your commands makes it more challenging ). Linearity like many say, was a general problem, but that was fixed in XIII-2.

Also, who couldn't love Mog? . Except the voice actor, that voice was annoying.