[Yuffie]

I finished the game a week or two ago and now I'm just trying to get all the fragments. I have roughly half of them.

It was an excellent game, considering how much I despised the previous one. i could find plenty I don't like about it if i thought about it but I'll try not to.

Back to the fragments, they're a bit of a pain, it reminds me of Batman: AC, spending ages after the game trying to get everythin, it seems really a really cheap way of prolonging a games life.

Haven't done any paradox endings yet,

I've maxed out 5 of the 6 roles in the game and just trying to do the last now.

Yeah, so thumbs up, now all I need is to get some broadband so I can get the DLC.

[vampirek]

Originally Posted by The Special One

Dont see the point in these character dlc, what benefit does it actually give you in the game?

Is a question I'm wondering myself, it offers very little. Sure you can use them in battle afterwards but by now whats the point? There are plenty of monsters which do the job and there isn't really a challenge post game.

Seems like DLC for the sake of DLC... which (and i'll keep it in spoilers just in case... concerns the end of the game):

Spoiler

pretty much confirms FF13-3, as this game just hints at a sequel at certain points and its not going to be covered by DLC.

[chris redfield]

looking at some reviews on this ,ps3 metacritic has a lower average score than 13 and i'm just wondering why that would be, it is supposed to have improved upon the original right?

[Diceroll_81]

Originally Posted by chris redfield

looking at some reviews on this ,ps3 metacritic has a lower average score than 13 and i'm just wondering why that would be, it is supposed to have improved upon the original right?

It does improve on the original in some aspects (more exploration mainly) but it also takes a step back in others (the story gets a bit stupid sometimes, lack of challenge). The ending upset a lot of people as well - I won't say anymore though in case of spoiling anything

Overall I enjoyed the game a lot - if you can get past the silly (at times) story it's a decent RPG. Just don't expect a return the glory days of FF though.

[davethorp]

Originally Posted by chris redfield

looking at some reviews on this ,ps3 metacritic has a lower average score than 13 and i'm just wondering why that would be, it is supposed to have improved upon the original right?

I actually preferred the original to the sequel. The original seemed a much longer game. Certainly took me longer to complete and platinum it compared to FFXIII-2. I've replayed the original several times since getting it as well. Can't see myself wanting to replay FFXIII-2 at the moment unless I go for a marathon replay of both at some point (which I am sure I will eventually)

I also found myself preferring the paradigm system in the original game. You had a lot more control over available paradigms with a full 3rd party member who has access to the full 6 roles (eventually) than you do with three monsters in your deck who can only access one role each. Made it a lot harder to create a deck of pure paradigms (com/com/com, rav/rav/rav, med/med/med, syn/syn/syn, sab/sab/sab and sen/sen/sen) that were actually quite useful for some of the tougher fights in the original and I imagine may well have been useful for some of the fights in this game. I also wasn't keen on the changes to the crystarium which served to simplify it in one sense whilst making it more complicated in another sense.

As another poster has touched upon the ending is incredibly, incredibly dark and leaves a hell of a lot up in the air to be either resolved in DLC or (hopefully) in a further sequel. The darkness of the ending, actually left me feeling quite deflated upon beating the game

That said, the sequel did do a lot of things right. There is significant freedom to explore right from the word go. Episode 3 is completable in two different orders (I did things the harder way round) which is nice and shows the freedom you have. The full battle system opens for the most part in episode 1 with the final elements relating to capturing monsters opening shortly after in episode 2. And there is a hell of a lot more to do in terms of side quests and side quests are available from a much earlier point in the game again which is good

[davethorp]

Snow and lightning DLC was out yesterday. Played through them both. Spoilers follow for them both

Spoiler

Snow's DLC was ultimately just another colleseum fight with snow as the opponent followed by the arbiter of time. The fight with snow was majorly annoying as he goes after the same person all the time and while he does he gets stronger culminating in Soverign Fist which is an instant KO even in tortoise. You have to use sentinels to provoke him away so he starts attacking another character which resets his power

I had to use a highly unconventional paradigm deck to beat him

Serah/Noel/Monster (monsters were red, blue and silver Chocobos)

Sab/Syn/Com - Bully (for buffing/debuffing/removing his buffs and maintaining chain)
Sab/Rav/Rav - Smart Bomb (for staggering whilst applying debuffs or removing his buffs)
Com/Com/Com - Cerberus X (for max damage during stagger)
Sen/Med/Com - Solidarity (healing and drawing his attacks to Serah)
Med/Sen/Com - Solidarity (ditto with Noel)
Med/Com/Sen - Solidarity (ditto with Monster)

Annoying I got thrown into the battle with the arbiter with that paradigm deck but thankfully he was easier (although liked to summon minions which was annoying)

The lightning DLC is basically Lightning fighting Caius and Chaos Bahumut in Valhalla with another ending to the game which explains why lightning was seen crystallised on Etro's throne but still leaves the story up in the air and begging for a Final Fantasy XIII-3

[Diceroll_81]

I'm curious to see what people think of the ending in the Lightning DLC.

I actually liked it, but I wish they had worked it into the normal ending as it would have made a lot more sense. I don't actually mind that it kept the 'dark' aspect of the original ending as at least it was different to a lot of other RPGs. I would like one more sequal to see what happened next but if we don't get one then I'm happy with leaving the story as it is.

One thing I always wondered though - when the new cocoon was liften into the sky, where were the inhabitants? They couldn't have been in academia as it had that wierd paradox thing going on, but I didn't think they would actually be in cocoon as they wouldn't want to risk killing them all if something went wrong with raising it. Mind you, judging by the ending they're all screwed anyway

[007Fusion]

Originally Posted by Diceroll_81

I'm curious to see what people think of the ending in the Lightning DLC.

I actually liked it, but I wish they had worked it into the normal ending as it would have made a lot more sense. I don't actually mind that it kept the 'dark' aspect of the original ending as at least it was different to a lot of other RPGs. I would like one more sequal to see what happened next but if we don't get one then I'm happy with leaving the story as it is.

One thing I always wondered though - when the new cocoon was liften into the sky, where were the inhabitants? They couldn't have been in academia as it had that wierd paradox thing going on, but I didn't think they would actually be in cocoon as they wouldn't want to risk killing them all if something went wrong with raising it. Mind you, judging by the ending they're all screwed anyway

I vaguely remember an evacuation scene of the inhabitants just before Sarah and Noel took their final crystal jump. They may have been residing on the gran pulse or afloat in the air as the new cocoon was raised.

[Diceroll_81]

Originally Posted by 007Fusion

I vaguely remember an evacuation scene of the inhabitants just before Sarah and Noel took their final crystal jump. They may have been residing on the gran pulse or afloat in the air as the new cocoon was raised.

Thanks, I don't actually remember that scene, but it's been a while since i've played the game.

You've got to feel sorry for Hope though. All that time spent building his new coccoon and as soon as it's raised, someone has to go and destroy all of time and space. Poor guy

[gother]

I'm currently playing this and there are far too many stupid puzzles in this game i think. For me it is ruining the game as the puzzles are boring and repetative.
Overall i'm enjoying the rest of the game though.

[davethorp]

Originally Posted by gother

I'm currently playing this and there are far too many stupid puzzles in this game i think. For me it is ruining the game as the puzzles are boring and repetative.
Overall i'm enjoying the rest of the game though.

Any stupid puzzles in particular? I'm guessing the temporal rift ones - in which case you may want to avoid any time frames of Oerba that are not essential to the plot (300/400AF off the top of my head). If its just the hands of time puzzles which annoy a lot of people although I rather like them, then there are a couple of websites where you can plug your clock layout into and they will calculate a solution

[gother]

Originally Posted by davethorp

Any stupid puzzles in particular? I'm guessing the temporal rift ones - in which case you may want to avoid any time frames of Oerba that are not essential to the plot (300/400AF off the top of my head). If its just the hands of time puzzles which annoy a lot of people although I rather like them, then there are a couple of websites where you can plug your clock layout into and they will calculate a solution

The clock ones annoyed me most. The crystal ones were a piece of cake but those clock ones especially with the timer got on my goat.
I think i've seen the last of them now as.

Spoiler

mog discovered his home and chose to stay with the party

[davethorp]

Originally Posted by gother

The clock ones annoyed me most. The crystal ones were a piece of cake but those clock ones especially with the timer got on my goat.
I think i've seen the last of them now as.

Spoiler

mog discovered his home and chose to stay with the party

That is the bulk of them out the way. Oerba is heavy on the temporal rift puzzles in all 3 of its areas. There are a few other ones in

Spoiler

Yaschas Massiff and I think Bresha (in addition to the compulsory plot one)

But they only have the odd one, nowhere near the volume that Oerba does

[gother]

Am i alone in thinking

Spoiler

it's kinda sad how many times ciaus has to see yeul die

he is like the bad guy that isn't a bad guy in a way.

[007Fusion]

Originally Posted by gother

Am i alone in thinking

Spoiler

it's kinda sad how many times ciaus has to see yeul die

he is like the bad guy that isn't a bad guy in a way.

Caius wasn't really a bad guy. He was misguided in trying to spare Yeul pain.