We don't actually know if you'll be able to ride a chocobo in the demo. We do know that Final Fantasy will face some competition for our trying-stuff-out time, from Asura's Wrath.
We don't actually know if you'll be able to ride a chocobo in the demo. We do know that Final Fantasy will face some competition for our trying-stuff-out time, from Asura's Wrath.
Reader Comments (44)
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 10:55AM (Unverified) said
Do I need to have finished XIII to play this? I have zero interest simply because I stopped playing XIII after 9 hours. Not because of the linear gameplay, but because for the 1st time ever, i found FF music to be unbearable
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:52AM Sylath said
@(Unverified)
I actually really liked the soundtrack. But if you're picky about music, you should check out XIII-2's stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEUOOgNzOv4
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I actually really liked the soundtrack. But if you're picky about music, you should check out XIII-2's stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEUOOgNzOv4
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 1:40PM Prince David said
@Sylath Crazy Chocobo is such an awesome song! I love it!
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Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:25PM MuneBeam said
@(Unverified) I'm sure since its a direct sequel plus the fact that it centers on time travel, they will revisit the plot fo XIII enough for you to get it. And pretty much everything you need to know that carries over from the first game is explained in the first chapter
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Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:03AM PlagueDoctor357 said
Yeah to the people that call 13 linear it totally opens up later anyway. The game isn't as bad as people make it out to be.
Regardless I haven't been following this one much. Besides supposedly only have a little lightning and being able to recruit monsters what else is different from 13? Anyone?
Regardless I haven't been following this one much. Besides supposedly only have a little lightning and being able to recruit monsters what else is different from 13? Anyone?
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:15AM mywhitenoise said
@PlagueDoctor357
"Yeah to the people that call 13 linear it totally opens up later anyway. "
...no it doesn't. Unless you consider the boring "missions" where you fight monsters in a field "open".
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"Yeah to the people that call 13 linear it totally opens up later anyway. "
...no it doesn't. Unless you consider the boring "missions" where you fight monsters in a field "open".
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:35AM AllYourBAcesHigh said
@mywhitenoise
When I finally got to Gran Pulse I was so excited that I would finally get to explore and do my own thing... Was I ever disappointed! I did a few of those "side quests" before it drove me nuts, they were so far apart and you never really knew where they were either since there is NO WORLD MAP! I stopped doing the side quests and focused on the main one simply because I wanted to know how the story ended.
And I really hope that they brought back the older-style weapons system where instead of only getting 3-4 weapons and being forced to constantly upgrade them you actually get new weapons!!
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When I finally got to Gran Pulse I was so excited that I would finally get to explore and do my own thing... Was I ever disappointed! I did a few of those "side quests" before it drove me nuts, they were so far apart and you never really knew where they were either since there is NO WORLD MAP! I stopped doing the side quests and focused on the main one simply because I wanted to know how the story ended.
And I really hope that they brought back the older-style weapons system where instead of only getting 3-4 weapons and being forced to constantly upgrade them you actually get new weapons!!
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:36AM singleandlovinit said
thats like saying "shit sandwiches arent so bad after you eat all the shit and get to the crust"
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Posted: Jan 6th 2012 12:11PM MarkezJM said
@singleandlovinit
Yeah I gotta agree with shit crust above me.
"Yeah to the people that call 13 linear it totally opens up later anyway. The game isn't as bad as people make it out to be."
Yes, it is as bad as people make it out to be. Sometimes there are just games where people are willing to suffer through a really poorly designed game because of other aspects of it they enjoy. I played through the garbage shitshow that is FFXIII because I enjoyed the story and wanted to see how it ended. But that game was dogshit. You can't even figure out what the story is about without reading all the extra back story stuff or whatever that was.
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Yeah I gotta agree with shit crust above me.
"Yeah to the people that call 13 linear it totally opens up later anyway. The game isn't as bad as people make it out to be."
Yes, it is as bad as people make it out to be. Sometimes there are just games where people are willing to suffer through a really poorly designed game because of other aspects of it they enjoy. I played through the garbage shitshow that is FFXIII because I enjoyed the story and wanted to see how it ended. But that game was dogshit. You can't even figure out what the story is about without reading all the extra back story stuff or whatever that was.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 1:33PM devwild said
@PlagueDoctor357 I don't qualify gran pulse as breaking the linearity that much, it's just a playground.
The part I find funny is that X basically did the exact same thing. The only freedom was to finish up side missions and such at the end, but overall it was the same pattern. The difference with XIII is that the way the level design is, lack of NPCs, and no side missions of any real meaning actually make it *feel* more linear.
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The part I find funny is that X basically did the exact same thing. The only freedom was to finish up side missions and such at the end, but overall it was the same pattern. The difference with XIII is that the way the level design is, lack of NPCs, and no side missions of any real meaning actually make it *feel* more linear.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 7:19PM IQ Review said
@PlagueDoctor357
lol, what game were you playing. Yeah it was worse than people were making it out to be. Final Fantasy is garbage. If your looking for a real fantasy game try Skyrim. Morrowind wich is 10 years old is 10 million times better than any Final Fantasy game.
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lol, what game were you playing. Yeah it was worse than people were making it out to be. Final Fantasy is garbage. If your looking for a real fantasy game try Skyrim. Morrowind wich is 10 years old is 10 million times better than any Final Fantasy game.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:33PM MuneBeam said
@devwild
You raise a valid point. Besides the NPCs and giving us access to a world map where we could teleport inbetween places earlier, FFX did the same, battle->cutscene->battle thing. I wonder what the cross section is of people who think X is the best FF and also like XIII
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You raise a valid point. Besides the NPCs and giving us access to a world map where we could teleport inbetween places earlier, FFX did the same, battle->cutscene->battle thing. I wonder what the cross section is of people who think X is the best FF and also like XIII
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:12AM Softserve said
No thanks.
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Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:14AM baby sea tuna said
Asura's Wrath demo? Finally!
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:17AM Lerkero said
I can't even remember the last time a Japanese RPG had a playable demo, especially not on consoles. I never played FF13, but I might try this demo just to see what everyone has been talking about (the videos of gameplay never impressed me).
I am more interested in Asura's Wrath though, so I might end up playing that demo instead.
I am more interested in Asura's Wrath though, so I might end up playing that demo instead.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 7:48PM Faceless Troll said
@Lerkero They've had playable demos since back in the PS1 days. Final Fantasy VII's demo sold a lot of copies of Tobal.
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Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:36PM Ballistic H said
@Lerkero
Final Fantasy XII demo in Dragon Quest VIII (PS2)
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Final Fantasy XII demo in Dragon Quest VIII (PS2)
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:25AM Syesta said
Imported XIII-2.
It's handily better than XIII in multiple respects.
-Historia Crux indeed adds a ton of replayability to the areas of the game. Also, if you want to collect all the fragments, you will be jumping back and forth like mad. Definite ChronoTrigger vibes.
-Combat system, which was the high-point in XIII for me, has been tweaked in a good way. Combat flows much smoother. No more Game Over on leader death. You can customize paradigms to focus on single or multiple enemies. No wait for paradigm shifts. Mog Clock system for encounters is convenient (though for easy enemies when backtracking in early areas, can be a bit annoying). UI is sleeker. Only downside i can think of is SYN/SAB have been toned down, and aren't entirely necessary for a good portion of the game.
-Music is amazing. Even use some original XIII music at appropriate times.
-Xanadu = Mini Gold Saucer. Chocobo racing and slots will eat your time.
-Some of the variations in gameplay are nice and refreshing. Some, however, wear out their welcome quickly will get annoying to have to complete.
-"Multiple endings" is more along the lines of a visual novel endings where you are given the ability to go back and choose something differently to continue along.
-Be warned: The story continues to be a cluster. There are some interesting things that go down, but whoa it gets crazy in good and not-so-good ways.
I say give it a try, even if you weren't hip on XIII.
It's handily better than XIII in multiple respects.
-Historia Crux indeed adds a ton of replayability to the areas of the game. Also, if you want to collect all the fragments, you will be jumping back and forth like mad. Definite ChronoTrigger vibes.
-Combat system, which was the high-point in XIII for me, has been tweaked in a good way. Combat flows much smoother. No more Game Over on leader death. You can customize paradigms to focus on single or multiple enemies. No wait for paradigm shifts. Mog Clock system for encounters is convenient (though for easy enemies when backtracking in early areas, can be a bit annoying). UI is sleeker. Only downside i can think of is SYN/SAB have been toned down, and aren't entirely necessary for a good portion of the game.
-Music is amazing. Even use some original XIII music at appropriate times.
-Xanadu = Mini Gold Saucer. Chocobo racing and slots will eat your time.
-Some of the variations in gameplay are nice and refreshing. Some, however, wear out their welcome quickly will get annoying to have to complete.
-"Multiple endings" is more along the lines of a visual novel endings where you are given the ability to go back and choose something differently to continue along.
-Be warned: The story continues to be a cluster. There are some interesting things that go down, but whoa it gets crazy in good and not-so-good ways.
I say give it a try, even if you weren't hip on XIII.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:32AM Roto13 said
Was this announced before? I wasn't expecting it. I'm looking forward to giving it a try. I liked XIII because I don't get all butthurt when a game doesn't live up to my expectations, but I didn't love it. XIII-2 sounds better. (Except giving Serah a starring role. Bah.)
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 9:04PM Lotobarnes said
@Roto13
Wait, you don't get butthurt when the people who actually come up with the story and make the game have different ideas than you do? Are you allowed to do that?? O.o
Nice change of pace from the usual "well my opinion is that this is shit so you obviously need to rethink yours"
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Wait, you don't get butthurt when the people who actually come up with the story and make the game have different ideas than you do? Are you allowed to do that?? O.o
Nice change of pace from the usual "well my opinion is that this is shit so you obviously need to rethink yours"
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:39AM zombieguy said
Niiiice. Pretty good idea to release a demo since so many fans are probably on the fence... I think it looks promising, but my mind's on other games right now... But... I might be sick enough to replay 13. Games that require too much use of my brain do not sound very appealing right now...
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:39AM Stevetrop Man of Mystery said
Not to sound like a prick but I'll just opt for the plan of watching some one on youtube play the demo and make a judgement from that. Though deep down I know I have no true interest toward the game as it is.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 11:43AM Bluebreaker said
The only problems I see is LITERALLY nobody asked for this game. Even if you loved FF13 (which is not a crime to do so) the response to the whole world and characters was very tepid.
I honestly liked Serah and all the gameplay changes are firmly in the classic/modern JRPG department, But lets be real: the internet despises anime melodrama for some reason. I mean come on it's just a game! I don't think there's anything in 13-2 that's dealbreaking....
Except the colossal almost mindblowing blunder of Lightning having such a passive role...for now at least.
I honestly liked Serah and all the gameplay changes are firmly in the classic/modern JRPG department, But lets be real: the internet despises anime melodrama for some reason. I mean come on it's just a game! I don't think there's anything in 13-2 that's dealbreaking....
Except the colossal almost mindblowing blunder of Lightning having such a passive role...for now at least.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 8:59PM MuneBeam said
@Bluebreaker
The fact that Square is bleeding money and FF13 was their best selling game in years means that someone asked for this. That they spend millions developing the world and mythos of FF13 and need to get at least some of it back before developing all new IP means their board of whoever asked for it too
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The fact that Square is bleeding money and FF13 was their best selling game in years means that someone asked for this. That they spend millions developing the world and mythos of FF13 and need to get at least some of it back before developing all new IP means their board of whoever asked for it too
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 12:09PM type2red said
Cool! this is awesome i won't be buying FF13 until i have finished it (i'm close I'm almost at chapter 12) but at least i can wet my taste buds with this demo until I'm ready.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 12:10PM type2red said
Whoops i meant i won't be buying FF13-2 until i finish FF13 first lol.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 12:12PM Omega2822 said
Does anyone else find it annoying how the Caius looks nothing like the title art and the character artwork from ingame and the CG scenes?
He looks pretty cool in the title art and some various character art, but watching him in gameplay he's funny looking.
He looks pretty cool in the title art and some various character art, but watching him in gameplay he's funny looking.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 12:19PM Digiboi said
Why does joystiq always list the NA PSN release date second? It reads funny when the PSN release is BEFORE the Europe and XBLA. Not saying there is a conspiracy, just bad form.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 1:01PM Tiradyn said
A demo for a retail game is not Xbox Live Arcade. That would just be xbox live. The 360 has been out for over 6 YEARS now. You would think you would have the terminology down by now...
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 1:07PM TheKbob said
I beat FFXIII. It was solid, but it just had to many moments of me realizing I was playing the game. A great game has me forgetting I am playing one (Skyrim, Saints Row, etc.). Too many moment on my couch going "just get through this crawl and then..."
What topped it off was no cinematic theater. I would have to replay the entire game to watch them again. I was utterly crushed. I wanted 1080p, full surround sound amazing splendors to enjoy and nope, nada.
I'll be watching XIII-2 and hoping it's better (that or VS. XIII)
PS: Where is our "Saints Row" to the "GTA" for Final Fantasy? A completely off the rails, what the.... ... RPG of insanity. Of moments of "did that just happen?!?!". I'd kill for that. And for it to be "SO SERIOUS ITS SRSSZSZS" type style, with its tongue poking holes through its cheeks.
What topped it off was no cinematic theater. I would have to replay the entire game to watch them again. I was utterly crushed. I wanted 1080p, full surround sound amazing splendors to enjoy and nope, nada.
I'll be watching XIII-2 and hoping it's better (that or VS. XIII)
PS: Where is our "Saints Row" to the "GTA" for Final Fantasy? A completely off the rails, what the.... ... RPG of insanity. Of moments of "did that just happen?!?!". I'd kill for that. And for it to be "SO SERIOUS ITS SRSSZSZS" type style, with its tongue poking holes through its cheeks.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 1:34PM MJLahey said
And the wait for January 31st just got a LITTLE bit more bearable. I will play the crap out of this demo.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 1:39PM ReadingRambo said
No thanks.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 2:09PM Pure Black World Tendency said
I'll just wait till it gets cheap, which will probably happen long before I finish my backlog.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 3:28PM OGC said
FF13-2 and Asura Wrath the same week?! NIce.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 3:59PM sicfreak91 said
Cool wasn't expecting this. Guess they wanna prove to FF13 haters that this is a changed game. Hope it's not changed too much tho, I was that 1% that enjoyed everything about FF13
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 5:46PM tkashur said
Was there even a demo for 13...1?
Posted: Jan 8th 2012 12:00PM ottoman673 said
@tkashur there was on PS3, i believe with the Blu-ray of Advent Children i want to say..
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Posted: Jan 6th 2012 8:46PM Dreamcaster said
Great!!! Looking forward to see if Square really listened to the fans!! All the previews I've read point to yes!! I'm sorry but I really hated 13!! The ONLY FF I've ever been disappointed with.
Posted: Jan 6th 2012 8:53PM MuneBeam said
This demo is really going to be crucial to me getting the game now... I know I was super excited for this game before but after seeing a player on Youtube go through some of it in Japanese it appears as though they took out all of the things that made me love XIII and replaced it with all the fluff and nonsense I don't like about most JRPGs.
The battles look easier, the main characters are both pretty whiny and weak (besides in cutscenes where they have to look strong), too much backtracking and even replaying entire sections. Uhg, I'm pretty nervous about it now
The battles look easier, the main characters are both pretty whiny and weak (besides in cutscenes where they have to look strong), too much backtracking and even replaying entire sections. Uhg, I'm pretty nervous about it now
