Crisis Core is at least half of a good game. Everything involving the characters originally from FF7 is fine and they actually do a good job of nailing a lot of stuff with them, but all the new Angeal/Genesis and whoever else crap is just tiresome.
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ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
I went through that video, it sounds like current gen ports (PS4/XB1/Switch) are really solid gets for FF7.
Curious what kinda mods exist for the PC version.
The most important one is The Reunion, which adds a better translation, better models, better menus, a 60 FPS battle mode, etc.
So about this highlighted point.
I was recommended a mod for FF9 that made the battles run at "higher FPS" - what it actually did was speed up the battles rather than fill in the rendering gaps. If this mod does the same thing I'm passing big time.
No, the game runs pretty close to the proper speed. When I used it a few years ago they were still trying to get the timings to match up perfectly with the PSX version, but I don't remember things being obviously broken.
Battles run at 15 FPS on PC without the mod, which is significantly more jerky than the PSX version.
But all the different parts of The Reunion are optional, so you can skip the features/changes you don't want.
If it remember right, the PlayStation version did some weirdness where the camera ran at 30 fps while the animations were at 15. They were definitely not 30.
The battle menus ran at 60 FPS on PSX is the biggest thing. There's four times more input latency on PC, which makes some of the interactive limit breaks harder to execute.
Less reliable rumors suggest that some of Crisis Core's narrative will be folded into FF7R as flashbacks and such.
I do think the original game does a pretty poor job at explaining "who is Zack?" so answering that a bit better would help. Maybe even let us play as him during a reveal flashback (that probably wouldn't be in this episode though.)
Their leaving it out of the original game was largely due to the backstory not existing other than very broad storyboard type of plotting, so now that it's been more fleshed out, yeah it'd be nice to include.
Still quite early on FFVII on Xbox--RE5 came on Game Pass, and wow, that game holds up well for short, shallow action romps--and I just remembered something I must've forgotten more than a decade ago:
The free Chocobo Lure material at the Chocobo Ranch doesn't appear until after you snatch Shinra's Highwind airship. So you're expected to cough up 2000 gil to that bastard Chocobo Billy.
On the other hand, I really want enemy skill Beta early on, which means you have to fight (and presumably run from, unless you grind a lot) the Midgar Zolom anyway. At least, I thought you could run from that encounter. It's not like 2000 gil is unaffordable, but I've got about 9k leaving Kalm as it is.
Lot of options. I'll probably end up buying the lure because I also want enemy skill Chocobuckle, which you'd need the lure for anyway.
Its fun to be snarky but all signs (i.e. the marketing engine, financial projections) are pointing to an actual release late this year.
Just hoping that timed "exclusivity" doesn't exclude PC but that isn't clear yet.
I've thought about this, and I'd be extremely surprised if the FFVII remake 1) actually came out and 2) wasn't available on PC.
The franchise, as a whole, isn't exclusive anymore (including the MMORPG). That extends to the re-releases, which come out on everything. It took less than a year from the US release of FFVII to the US release of it on PC in 1998, rough as that was. For practical purposes, FFVII has never been exclusive to Playstation, it just took a long time for it to come to other consoles.
Square-Enix really doesn't like major release exclusivity anymore. Considering their years-long much-hyped titles sell like gangbusters on whatever platform they put it on, there's good reason for that. It's not entirely clear Sony can pay them enough money to actually make it worthwhile to keep FFVII on Playstation, or even just on one console, compared to how much they'd get for as wide a release as possible. The Switch presents unique limitations, which is why it's the only place you can't play the "full" version of FFXV, but it's not like those can't be overcome.
And there are so many variables. If it ever comes out, part of me thinks it won't be coming to Playstation 4, because it'll already be after the PS5 launch. By then, there will be a new Xbox console on top of that. Possible another Switch revision? Fuck, that's a lot to consider. I'd be more confident about a PC release if it wasn't for Kingdom Hearts 3 not getting a simultaneous PC release, but that bodes well for it coming to Xbox (where you can now play almost a dozen other Final Fantasy games).
Square-Enix dropping the first episode really "soon" (within a year or two) would refute that, but I don't think that's going to happen. It's incredibly easy for this sort of thing to be delayed again, and again.
The Zolom is killable. It's the biggest challenge available at that point in the game, but it's far from impossible.
True. I'm probably selling myself short, I just know that you don't actually have to kill the Zolom to get the skill. If you grind a bit, you can beat it pretty easily with sheer numbers, but I have no idea if I've actually..ground...that much or not.
Oh, one important detail: you need to be able to survive beta to learn it. Try using an elemental materia linked to fire in the characters armor. They so won't lean it if they get ejected from the fight.
To answer this previous question: at lvl 14 to 17, I am no where near ready to beat the Midgar Zolom. Surviving Beta isn't an issue when the Midgar Zolom's bite takes +80% of your HP away....and it keeps biting the same character every time you use a Phoenix Down.
Probably obvious in retrospect. I didn't know how over-leveled I was, but at my level beating the Zolom isn't impossible, but would be an enormous pain in the ass. I'm not sure it's worth grinding to close that gap, or just to return later, possible after you pass through the caves, a few levels higher and try again.
One of the things that FFVII does to make it so "easy" in the eyes of the more elite modding community is give you a lot of different items that serve the equivalent of high level spells, pretty early on in the game. Spider's Webs for example cast Slow, and I think you can even stack them to inflict Stop (don't quote me on that though, that's working totally off memory). Abusing items like these from the back row will trivialize a lot of encounters regardless of leveling including the Midgar Zolom.
I don't remember stacking slow inflicting stop, but I'm not actually as well-informed about the intricacies of FF7 under the hood as my user name might lead you to believe
Upon research it seems there's a separate item for casting Stop, Hourglass, which I don't remember whatsoever.
Are you sure you don't have some Bolt Plumes at least? I could swear you get a few of those before you leave Midgar.
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Ninja Snarl PMy helmet is my burden.Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered Userregular
I think the trick with the Zolom is less being able to fight him as it is being able to survive him casting Beta when he dies, and Beta is pretty nasty. Without being able to auto-Phoenix (which you won't get for dozens or hours), being able to tank the hit with raw HP and defense stats, or having high resistance to the attack's element (I think it's fire?), I dunno how you'd survive beating it. I don't think you can even get the awesome Mighty Guard enemy skill until you cross the ocean, so no chance you can have Shell or Protect against Beta or the Zolom's extremely powerful (at that level) physical attacks.
I'm defending FFXIII in a facebook group I belong to. What am I doing? When did it come to this?
I mean, I wasn't the biggest hater of FFXIII when I played it. I could see what they were trying for. I felt like the story got lost in translation once Space Pope shows up.
What I'm defending is that FFXIII isn't any more linear than the other FFs, and the game isn't just autobattle.
Yes, the game does stick you with "autobattle" for about the first 50% of the game until you get more roles, then Paradigm Shifting was a nice mechanic - it basically automated everything under the hood to use your best skills/abilities when appropriate, and you would only shift when you needed to change the strategy. But really, the combat of FFXIII is no more "autobattle" than doing what you would do for 90% of any other FF game, which is mashing Attack to deal with trash/random battles.
Once you get into a boss fight, you use paradigm to set up your tank and healers, or go full commando/ravager to spam the best attack skills. For boss battles in any other game, you're just manually doing the same thing. Why would you use Bolt 1 when you can spam Knights of the Round? What purpose does "choice" serve in ATB battles other than dealing with a different situation because the boss randomly used ability 2 instead of ability 1? And that's when you paradigm shift in XIII.
As far as corridors and tunnels, they just removed the illusion that you're able to explore useless terrain that serves no purpose. It does make the game lose a little something, and it takes entirely too long for the game to open up, but the linearity is hardly any different than, as a recent good example, what you're capable of doing in Midgar before you get to the open world. Midgar is less corridors and tunnels, but you're still on a rail of sorts, and it's pretty much all corridors once you get to the Shinra Tower, save for a couple of big rooms that are just "fatter corridors".
I'm defending FFXIII in a facebook group I belong to. What am I doing? When did it come to this?
I mean, I wasn't the biggest hater of FFXIII when I played it. I could see what they were trying for. I felt like the story got lost in translation once Space Pope shows up.
What I'm defending is that FFXIII isn't any more linear than the other FFs, and the game isn't just autobattle.
Yes, the game does stick you with "autobattle" for about the first 50% of the game until you get more roles, then Paradigm Shifting was a nice mechanic - it basically automated everything under the hood to use your best skills/abilities when appropriate, and you would only shift when you needed to change the strategy. But really, the combat of FFXIII is no more "autobattle" than doing what you would do for 90% of any other FF game, which is mashing Attack to deal with trash/random battles.
Once you get into a boss fight, you use paradigm to set up your tank and healers, or go full commando/ravager to spam the best attack skills. For boss battles in any other game, you're just manually doing the same thing. Why would you use Bolt 1 when you can spam Knights of the Round? What purpose does "choice" serve in ATB battles other than dealing with a different situation because the boss randomly used ability 2 instead of ability 1? And that's when you paradigm shift in XIII.
As far as corridors and tunnels, they just removed the illusion that you're able to explore useless terrain that serves no purpose. It does make the game lose a little something, and it takes entirely too long for the game to open up, but the linearity is hardly any different than, as a recent good example, what you're capable of doing in Midgar before you get to the open world. Midgar is less corridors and tunnels, but you're still on a rail of sorts, and it's pretty much all corridors once you get to the Shinra Tower, save for a couple of big rooms that are just "fatter corridors".
I mean, I basically agree with everything you've said here, but this argument will never stop happening :P
I maintain there's a huge difference in feel between mash A and literally do nothing. At least that's why I think I got bored of XII faster than any other FF, and you have to at least control one character there. Its a lesser degree of the same difference between Progress Quest and Diablo.
Same with a literal tunnel and a windy trail. There's at least a little exploration and figuring out where to go with the latter.
If you want to make FF more streamlined for a wider audience, you simplify the more complex parts, not sanding off what little still remains in the more shallow ones.
XIII still has it's small off-shoots from the main path for treasure. It's definitely not got the big town to explore, where again, the illusion of open gameplay and decision making just means you can explore a house for a little money and break a couple of pots, but it still means there's a main path to follow. Your tunnel now has a couple of big empty boxes to explore on the side.
I do wish XIII had more backtracking to it, but the narrative of the game doesn't allow for it, and I'll buy into that I guess. It would've been nice though if the characters could come back to an old area and open a new path or obtain loot because they had time to explore or gained an ability that let them explore more (such as Lightning's gravity boots serving a bigger purpose).
I do wish XIII had more backtracking to it, but the narrative of the game doesn't allow for it, and I'll buy into that I guess.
When you put it that way, I do think the inability to visit old areas is what really annoyed me about FFXIII. Many FF titles are fairly linear through the first half to two thirds of the game, even if they were had "wider" corridors. But you could always travel back to most old areas of the game at some point.
Sure there were some exceptions - much of Midgar, parts of IX, Bevelle, etc. - but there was the ability to go back to most places, and often a good reason to revisit those areas. That helped build the world up for me. I can remember the names of most towns and regions in many of the Final Fantasy games, but I can barely tell you any of them in XIII other than it's Coocoon or Pulse. And its because they were just one and done set pieces for the characters and plot rather than an important part of that world.
The only other location in XIII I can remember is Palumpolum. I remember Vanille and Sazh end up in a Golden Casino-esque location, but I couldn't tell you the name of it. Everything else is ruins and dungeons until they get to Pulse.
for the first 30 hours I kept going "surely after this part we'll get to walk around a town and talk to some NPCs and do some of the stuff you do in final fantasies other than watch cutscenes and walk down corridors where battles happen"
Hmmm...yeah I can't argue against that. There are a lot of branching paths even in FF2. Did I mention I hate FF2jp? lol
Oh Firion I wanted to like you.
Trap closets don't count as branches, IMO. From what I remember, FF2 is horrifyingly linear, they just obfuscate it by not telling you where the path actually is.
The only other location in XIII I can remember is Palumpolum. I remember Vanille and Sazh end up in a Golden Casino-esque location, but I couldn't tell you the name of it. Everything else is ruins and dungeons until they get to Pulse.
Even after you get to Pulse, it's not any more open than, say, the Calm Lands in X. I miss the days of the sort of tiered exploration we got with the different vehicles in 7 and 8.
The analogy I always like to use is that most RPG's are often little more than straight lines, they were just drawn with an extra thick sharpie as opposed to XIII's razor thin pen line. Or maybe a better visual would be a massive 12 lane highway vs a 2 lane. You can weave left and right all you want but you're still fundamentally on a linear direction. FFIV is a pretty straight line for long stretches. Walking around the world map doesn't change the fact that there's only one place for you to go at any one time.
That being said, I won't deny the fact that the illusion of width is highly important.
"The sausage of Green Earth explodes with flavor like the cannon of culinary delight."
The analogy I always like to use is that most RPG's are often little more than straight lines, they were just drawn with an extra thick sharpie as opposed to XIII's razor thin pen line. Or maybe a better visual would be a massive 12 lane highway vs a 2 lane. You can weave left and right all you want but you're still fundamentally on a linear direction. FFIV is a pretty straight line for long stretches. Walking around the world map doesn't change the fact that there's only one place for you to go at any one time.
That being said, I won't deny the fact that the illusion of width is highly important.
In, say, FF7, there actually were multiple places you could go. Granted, only one would advance the game's primary plotline, but that doesn't mean the other locations were meaningless and not worth going to. Think of taking the time to trek back to Fort Condor.
Hmmm...yeah I can't argue against that. There are a lot of branching paths even in FF2. Did I mention I hate FF2jp? lol
Oh Firion I wanted to like you.
Trap closets don't count as branches, IMO. From what I remember, FF2 is horrifyingly linear, they just obfuscate it by not telling you where the path actually is.
Well...I think FF1 is pretty open on how you approach the Crystals/Orbs. FF2...well yeah maybe on second thought it's basically town>dungeon>town>dungeon. FF3 I think is pretty linear too with no branches at all. FF4 does have a few branches (when you get the airship, when you get the airship plating and the endgame come to mind). FF5 world 3 is pretty open. FF6 has some points in the WoB were it's pretty open and well lol WoR.
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Gackt.
Blegh.
I don't think Crisis Core ever even got a digital release on the PSN Store because of the licensing contract about Gackt and his likeness.
CC sephiroth has a dumb face
Edit - (Happy Mother's Day)
The battle menus ran at 60 FPS on PSX is the biggest thing. There's four times more input latency on PC, which makes some of the interactive limit breaks harder to execute.
I do think the original game does a pretty poor job at explaining "who is Zack?" so answering that a bit better would help. Maybe even let us play as him during a reveal flashback (that probably wouldn't be in this episode though.)
They would have re-dub him in Japanese, too.
I mean, you basically do. It just takes some retrofitting when the major plot revelation applies to the earlier segment.
To answer this previous question: at lvl 14 to 17, I am no where near ready to beat the Midgar Zolom. Surviving Beta isn't an issue when the Midgar Zolom's bite takes +80% of your HP away....and it keeps biting the same character every time you use a Phoenix Down.
Probably obvious in retrospect. I didn't know how over-leveled I was, but at my level beating the Zolom isn't impossible, but would be an enormous pain in the ass. I'm not sure it's worth grinding to close that gap, or just to return later, possible after you pass through the caves, a few levels higher and try again.
A slow item would be helpful.
Are you sure you don't have some Bolt Plumes at least? I could swear you get a few of those before you leave Midgar.
A miserable little pile of J-pop!
Now, yes.
I prefer to remember him from the Malice Mizer days writing heavy shit with Mana.
~ Buckaroo Banzai
I mean, I wasn't the biggest hater of FFXIII when I played it. I could see what they were trying for. I felt like the story got lost in translation once Space Pope shows up.
What I'm defending is that FFXIII isn't any more linear than the other FFs, and the game isn't just autobattle.
Yes, the game does stick you with "autobattle" for about the first 50% of the game until you get more roles, then Paradigm Shifting was a nice mechanic - it basically automated everything under the hood to use your best skills/abilities when appropriate, and you would only shift when you needed to change the strategy. But really, the combat of FFXIII is no more "autobattle" than doing what you would do for 90% of any other FF game, which is mashing Attack to deal with trash/random battles.
Once you get into a boss fight, you use paradigm to set up your tank and healers, or go full commando/ravager to spam the best attack skills. For boss battles in any other game, you're just manually doing the same thing. Why would you use Bolt 1 when you can spam Knights of the Round? What purpose does "choice" serve in ATB battles other than dealing with a different situation because the boss randomly used ability 2 instead of ability 1? And that's when you paradigm shift in XIII.
As far as corridors and tunnels, they just removed the illusion that you're able to explore useless terrain that serves no purpose. It does make the game lose a little something, and it takes entirely too long for the game to open up, but the linearity is hardly any different than, as a recent good example, what you're capable of doing in Midgar before you get to the open world. Midgar is less corridors and tunnels, but you're still on a rail of sorts, and it's pretty much all corridors once you get to the Shinra Tower, save for a couple of big rooms that are just "fatter corridors".
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I mean, I basically agree with everything you've said here, but this argument will never stop happening :P
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Same with a literal tunnel and a windy trail. There's at least a little exploration and figuring out where to go with the latter.
If you want to make FF more streamlined for a wider audience, you simplify the more complex parts, not sanding off what little still remains in the more shallow ones.
I do wish XIII had more backtracking to it, but the narrative of the game doesn't allow for it, and I'll buy into that I guess. It would've been nice though if the characters could come back to an old area and open a new path or obtain loot because they had time to explore or gained an ability that let them explore more (such as Lightning's gravity boots serving a bigger purpose).
Steam: TheArcadeBear
Oh Firion I wanted to like you.
When you put it that way, I do think the inability to visit old areas is what really annoyed me about FFXIII. Many FF titles are fairly linear through the first half to two thirds of the game, even if they were had "wider" corridors. But you could always travel back to most old areas of the game at some point.
Sure there were some exceptions - much of Midgar, parts of IX, Bevelle, etc. - but there was the ability to go back to most places, and often a good reason to revisit those areas. That helped build the world up for me. I can remember the names of most towns and regions in many of the Final Fantasy games, but I can barely tell you any of them in XIII other than it's Coocoon or Pulse. And its because they were just one and done set pieces for the characters and plot rather than an important part of that world.
Steam: TheArcadeBear
Trap closets don't count as branches, IMO. From what I remember, FF2 is horrifyingly linear, they just obfuscate it by not telling you where the path actually is.
Even after you get to Pulse, it's not any more open than, say, the Calm Lands in X. I miss the days of the sort of tiered exploration we got with the different vehicles in 7 and 8.
Cactuar Conductor: You think you know how to train? I AM A TRAIN! ... I mean, I run one.
That being said, I won't deny the fact that the illusion of width is highly important.
In, say, FF7, there actually were multiple places you could go. Granted, only one would advance the game's primary plotline, but that doesn't mean the other locations were meaningless and not worth going to. Think of taking the time to trek back to Fort Condor.
Well...I think FF1 is pretty open on how you approach the Crystals/Orbs. FF2...well yeah maybe on second thought it's basically town>dungeon>town>dungeon. FF3 I think is pretty linear too with no branches at all. FF4 does have a few branches (when you get the airship, when you get the airship plating and the endgame come to mind). FF5 world 3 is pretty open. FF6 has some points in the WoB were it's pretty open and well lol WoR.