Okay, I’m generally not much of an angry gamer, but I may come across as one in this recent article I did at GamerANX about my lack of enthusiasm for Final Fantasy XIII-2. I really don’t harbor feelings of intense hatred for the ultra-linear predecessor to the second direct sequel in FF history, I promise! But I do get a little snarky (and poke fun at the new weird bulbous-headed moogles). Give it a read, if you’re interested!
I did do a bit of research for the article, since I haven’t really been keeping up on the news regarding the title. Once I heard Ezio was going to be a DLC costume for the new male lead Noel, I pretty much threw in the towel. I admit that I probably will purchase the game in the future, because in all honesty, the gameplay looks pretty intriguing, but I’m definitely not in a rush. Even a 40/40 from Famitsu will not sway me (which it did get, by the way, and I’m not sure who really puts much faith in those scores anyway, outside of rabid fanboys).
Well, through my research I did stumble on a couple of character design-related annoyances that I would’ve loved to put in the original article, but they just didn’t fit. When you think of absurd costumes, you think of Final Fantasy, right? I thought X was about as weird as it could get, but check this out:
This is Caius Ballad, the main antagonist of XIII-2 and the character you see fighting with Lightening in the first teaser trailer, as well as the game’s logo. There are so many things about this character design that just rub me the wrong way! Honestly, I don’t even know what to say without digging myself an early grave. I am notoriously a fan of Seymour, after all…
What I liked about Seymour and Final Fantasy X (overall), was that the majority of it didn’t seem to take itself too seriously. I mean, who takes Seymour seriously? Or Kuja, for that matter (another favorite FF character of mine). The problem with XIII, and potentially XIII-2, is that it’s taking itself far too seriously, and yet Tetsuya Nomura is churning out silly character designs like these. [edit: It’s come to my attention that I’m not really articulating my point very well. I think my major beef with Caius stems from the fact that his design seems like one big a big mash of character stereotypes. Or maybe I just think he’s ugly?]
And have you heard of Chocolina? When the name first arose, all that was known about her was that she appeared around the world dressed in chocobo-themed clothing selling goods. Me, being the naive gamer I am… I pictured a dorky little girl dressed in full-body chocobo costume. Instead, we get this:
And of course this single image has already spurred dozens of news articles talking about the “hot new shopkeeper” who’ll make “sexy cosplay.” Yay? I should be excited, right?
Naw, I’m just all-around disappointed and throughly unamused by pretty much everything surrounding Final Fantasy XIII-2 at this point. Maybe I’m just grumpy, maybe I’m stuck harboring some metaphorical ideal of what a Final Fantasy game should be, but either way, this game really couldn’t interest me less at this point. I play RPGs for story and characters above all else, and Final Fantasy just isn’t pushing the right buttons anymore. I’m sure the gameplay will be pretty neat, though.
What are your thoughts on Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2? Are you excited for the sequel?
Rant away, I say 🙂 Honestly, the last mainline FF I was at all interested was FFX — and that was only because it followed FFIX. (Interestingly, I’ve yet to play FFX.) Also, the last FF to really trip my trigger, so to speak, was FFVI. So, I’m definitely with you in regards to the FF formula becoming a bit old hat.
I couldn’t provide any thought provoking or worthwhile on the subject since I’ve only played FF 1+2 (1 I have beaten, 2 still working with) so I can’t give an opinion. However being an RPG fan myself, I can say I also respect that you play for story and characters above all else as its a sentiment I can quite get behind as I value it myself. Though I am still kinda confused as to why you think its bad that its trying to be serious yet has some goofy elements here and there. Its like if I played Devil Survivor 2 and complained that its taking itself seriously but we still see cute demons like Jack Frost and King Frost running around here and there. It just comes out as a bit petty and semi-confusing but hey, I’m sure you have your reasons.
Bryan- Wow, I’m surprised you haven’t played X! It had some great points, but I wasn’t floored by it. I think I’ve about moved on from the series now, too
Hey Motherplayer – I don’t mean to be confusing, but I struggled to articulate what exactly it is about the character designs (the ones I posted in particular) that has been bothering me. I’m not referring to those “goofy elements” you mention, but rather that the plot and characters all take themselves too seriously. Goofy elements are fine, but I just think that Caius there tipped me over the “WTF” edge.
Then again, I probably AM being petty. I just think his character design is a mash of tropes that we’ve seen far too much already, and it’s totally blah. Maybe it would’ve been more effective for me to just say “I think this character is butt ugly and uninspired,” but I just wanted to try and find words to describe why I feel the way I do. Maybe I should stick more easy-going topics in the future, I write much better when I’m being enthusiastic about something 😉
Glad you can appreciate the sentiment about story and characters, though. I find it hard to tell people that I really could care less about an RPG’s gameplay if the story is good, but I think that’s very close to the truth.
I’m kind of excited for this. Was constantly told how god awful FFXIII was but ended up enjoying it, despite some major flaws I thought the battle system saved it.The battle system in this seems decent but the dialogue in the trailers is just terrible. I might just wait until this one is inevitably 15 euros 4 months down the line and pick it up. I’ve gone off FF as well since discovering the likes of Dragon Quest and Shin Megami Tensei.
Nomura definitely needs to be given a lot less free reign in his designs, they are getting beyond ridiculous.
If there was something I never have liked in an RPG, its a silent protagonist. I’ve heard this is done to give the simulation that you’re playing the role of this character and they don’t want to put words in your mouth, but it just makes your character seem like a mute bore. Its something that annoyed me about Chrono Trigger. Everyone in the crew is so interesting and likable because they have interesting personalities and dialogue. Chrono, however, never talks and thus robs him of being anywhere near as developed as anyone else in the crew. It just makes him out to be there just to be the main character and nothing more. A lifeless tool for you to control. That’s been one of my major gripes to see. Course it is different if you could at least choose what they say to help customize their personality better like you can in some SMT titles. Might as well have the protagonist be a mute person who uses sign language….which actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea on paper…..
No, when I think about weird costumes, I think about american Superheroes.
The Final Fantasy Costumes are at least creative. Even the Costumes in FF X where.
But well, it’s fashion. There are probably people who want to jump arround in tight cotton pants pretending to look cool and think that US xy-mans have the best taste in clothes as well.
Hello Cudgeon!
You’re very right, superheroes have pretty strange costumes.
I realize it’s all a matter of taste, of course. Looking back on this piece, I don’t feel quite so stubborn about FFXIII-2, but I do think they all like a bit silly 😉