When it was announced a few weeks ago that Ariana Grande was to be a character in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, I was a little confused. Since when was Ariana Grande a Final Fantasy fan? Is this a marketing move? Why can I put Ariana Grande in my party and not the pop star version of Yuna from Final Fantasy X-2? My confusion was as a Final Fantasy fan, despite the fact I'm actually a fan of Ariana Grande’s music and think she has an incredible voice. Considering she’s not a story character and I think her character design is undeniably adorable, I'll live with the choice, but I definitely think it's a bizarre choice.
Ariana Grande aside, this collaboration made me remember something about Final Fantasy and pop music - they've played together a few times. From theme songs to revamped characters, recent Final Fantasy games have seen pop music mixed in both in subtle and obvious ways. Whether you like the incorporation of pop or not, the Ariana Grande collaboration isn’t the first time Final Fantasy have played with pop music and the collaboration with Ariana suggests it’s probably not the last. So in light of Ariana's appearance in Brave Exvius, here are a few of the other times Final Fantasy played with pop music.
1) Final Fantasy X-2 - Songstress Yuna
Final Fantasy X-2 was one of Final Fantasy’s most prominent ventures into pop music, a choice made on purpose by the creators of X-2 to give a lighter feel and sound to the Final Fantasy X sequel. The opening cutscene says it all: Yuna is seen dancing and singing in the Songstress dressphere to an extremely catchy song on stage in Luca, heavily contrasting the traditional-style Yuna seen in Final Fantasy X. In spite of the heavy contrast, I really liked Yuna’s change of style in X-2, probably because I played it as a teenager that loved music and seeing that reflected in one of my favourite characters made me feel a new kind of connection to Yuna. Music is tied into X-2 in multiple ways, thanks to the nature of certain dresspheres, such as the Songstress dressphere that featured abilities such as Sing and Dance. The dressphere is a big part of X-2’s biggest story moments, with Yuna singing 1000 Words in the later chapters being one of my most memorable JRPG moments when I was getting into JRPGs.
It’s also worth noting that Real Emotion and 1000 Words were both sung by pop musicians, with the Japanese version sung by Koda Kumi and the English version by Jade from Sweetbox. At the time, neither pop artist was mainstream but this shows Final Fantasy looking outward when it comes to musical talent, a trend that would continue with Final Fantasy games to come.
2) Final Fantasy XIII - Leona Lewis’ ‘My Hands’
The US Final Fantasy XIII trailer featured a notable track from well-known X-Factor winner and the singer of ‘Bleeding Love’ Leona Lewis. Her song ‘My Hands’ was chosen for the trailer and contributed by Leona as she liked how it connected with Lightning’s character. The song received mixed reviews by critics and the Japanese audience and it's noticeably different to the Japanese track used in the Japanese trailer. Personally I like the way Leona’s song fits with the trailer and I really like the way the trailer feels like a music video.
3) Final Fantasy XV - Florence and the Machine
The most recent example of Final Fantasy using music from a big musical artist is none other than the Final Fantasy XV, the most recent addition to the main series of Final Fantasy games. During the Uncovered Final Fantasy event, it was revealed that the theme song to Final Fantasy XV would be Florence and the Machine covering ‘Stand by Me’. I really like this track as the theme song of Final Fantasy XV - it fits the tone of Final Fantasy XV’s road trip journey perfectly, along with showing the importance of Noctis’ friends for the events to come. That and the arrangement is pretty magical version of an already good song.
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From as early as this October, PC gamers will see Final Fantasy XIII make it's way to Steam, according to a blog post on Square Enix's official European blog. The original game in the series Final Fantasy XIII will hit Steam on October 9th, with the other titles appear on the platform by Spring 2015.
Anyone interested in pre-ordering Final Fantasy XIII will also be pleased to hear they will receive 10% off if they order through Steam.
Final Fantasy XIII introduces the trilogy's hero Lightning and the floating world of Cocoon in a quest to save her sister who has been branded with a mark from Pulse, Cocoon's enemy. The game also features an active battle system, differing from a majority of the Final Fantasy series turn-based games.
Sometimes we can't all afford games the day they come out and that's okay! That's where deals come in. Check out these deals I found to help you get the games you want at a better price:
Youkai Watch 2 is the latest in the Youkai series and is a game that revolves around taming ghosts. The original Youkai Watch was a big success in Japan, with a popular anime and with the first game in the series selling over one million copies. Youkai Watch 2 is set to reveal the secret origin of the Youkai Watch and will involve the game's main characters travelling back in time to the Japanese Showa Era in the early 20th Century.
The game adds new features, including bike races and the ability to climb trees to find more ghosts. Players who cleared the original Youkai Watch will also have the opportunity to bond with returning characters from the game.
The game was released in two editions - Ganso and Honke (Both are on sale!). The gameplay is the same in each, but each game will include it's own unique medal. The sale is on for a limited time, so pick this one up quickly!
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (Playstation 3 Version)
Price: $29.99 US
Save: $20.00 US
Buy Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII for PS3: Amazon
While Final Fantasy XIII wasn't the most popular series in the franchise, it does tell the story of the strong and heroic Lightning. Watch Lightning strive to save humanity within 13 days, plus revisit all of the characters from the series.
(Note: please read the PS/Edit at the bottom of this review)
I've always felt like I've gone against the mold. In gaming, sometimes it feels like playing new Final Fantasy games and enjoying them can feel this way. Reading other reviews of Lightning Returns made me feel as though the gaming world has this massive negative bias on the XIIIth series of Final Fantasy and I highly disagree with it.
Lightning Returns - Final Fantasy XIII is a JRPG situated at the end of the world, but still manages to pack humour, action, a bunch of interesting stories and a great battle system into this 50 hour endeavour. Throughout this time, I cried at least 3 times, found Lightning to be fascinating and didn't like garbs as much as any girl would be expected to.
If you love a good story and have played the other XIII games, I urge you to play this one just to see the ending. Seriously, the ending is so worth it. All loose ends were tied perfectly and in a beautiful style that was true to the heart and soul that is put into every Final Fantasy game. I was surprised to find that I felt attached to Lightning by the end and was shown the depth of character that I'd been missing from her in the last two games. Not to spoil anything, but their is more to Lightning than her cold exterior and we finally get to see it. I've heard people say really mean things about Lightning being boring and one dimension and I lost any taste of that after playing Lightning Returns.
Lightning Returns' garb system can be fun, depending how you use it. I remember hearing the developers say in an interview they wanted to give players the opportunity to give Lightning your own personalised signature, whether you wanted cute Lightning, strong Lightning or sexy Lightning. Some of the outfits they gave her made absolutely no sense to her character and I couldn't fathom her wearing them. Even as a girl who loves cute clothes, I kinda just stuck with whatever made her stats the best, whether it was sexy Lightning with a little buttcrack showing or suited up Lightning. I did enjoy the colour changing options on the garbs though and for those who care more about fashion then their battle stats, I'm sure you'll enjoy it more than I did.
Despite the game providing plenty of variety on battle costumes, for the first 25 hours I was concerned about how often I was running to the same monsters. This was until I found out you could make them extinct. Then the lack of enemy types made sense - for the lack of enemy types, you will run into them until you've beaten every last one. I haven't see this feature in any games for a while (if at all) and found it really motivating, along with the fast pasted battle system.
Lightning Returns ends the trilogy of Final Fantasy XIII with a bang and with no questions left. If you didn't enjoy the first few games, I'm not sure whether you'll feel as excited at the ending, but I think it is worth looking at if you are a fan of a deep story, games with lots of quests, a new world to explore or if you liked the last two.
Score: 7.7/10Not perfect, but a great experience for story lovers.
PS/Edit: This was one of my first reviews and I definitely write to a higher quality nowadays (there are no photos in this review: WHYYYYY?!?!).
Here a few quick things that I should have talked about in this review, but I didn't:
The time system: In short I think it's a good idea, although very easy to manipulate if you're playing on any mode below the highest difficulty. I had a day left by the end of the game without even trying because I kept stopping time. I would like to play on a harder difficulty at some point to truly feel the pressure of running out of time, which was meant to be one of the main features of the game.
The battle system is highly enjoyable. They made good changes and finally got the best version they could of this active time battle system. The battle system makes you really have to think about your combos to stagger the enemies. Come to think of it, the stagger mechanic has been the best battle mechanic in the XIII series.
The story revisits characters from the whole series, however don't always expect to be happy about how they've ended up. Some haven't changed at all or haven't learnt from their mistakes or faults. A few characters are great and have awesome scenes that I found moving, but they don't get nearly enough screen time. Also - Yes the game does feature these characters, but remember this is Lightning's game and you will see more of her than anything else. Also as I mentioned, I did love Lightning's character development however it will take time. If you don't like Lightning, be prepared find her annoying for the first few game 'days'. I like to think she'll win everyone over though - as mentioned, I was throughly impressed by her development.
Lightning Returns - Final Fantasy XIII is available now on Amazon. I've also spoken my experience playing Lightning Returns in my lead up posts to this review here and here.
I hope you're all having good weeks. I'm currently stuck with the flu....which by the way, sucks. I did however, manage to finish my review on Soul Sacrifice so you can check that out here.
I thought considering my method of reviewing things involves actually finishing the main story and enjoying the game like a normal person (instead of someone who maybe rushes through a game just to get the review out in the first week. I also work a day job, thus making that impossible anyway), I could make little 'gaming diaries' to keep you guys posted on my feelings on the game. I figure it will also help keep my thoughts for reviews more prepared and structured too, which will help everyone reading this blog to enjoy things more.
Let me know if you like this series and I'll keep it going for other games too. :)
Note: I always try and be really careful with spoilers, but sometimes it's just impossible to talk about things without them, especially in a diary form so read with caution!
I've been playing Lightning Returns quite a bit, to be exact I've done 40 hours. I would say I'm definitely still enjoying it at this point, although I'm currently just doing Side Quests and Canvas of Prayers quests.
I finished the five main story quests in about 5 in game days. This (coupled with a few easy side quests) put my Eradia (which you gain from quests and helps extends the world's life) up quite a bit, so before I knew it I had a total of 13 days, which is the goal in the game. So, I had about 8 days left and was like 'I guess I have to do these side quests now....'
The game doesn't really give you much choice there. It's either 'sleep at an Inn for a while!' or side quests. However, Lightning Returns' side quests are lovely. The stories that some of these NPCs have after living for hundreds of years are truly touching. I'm pretty sure I've shed a tear at least once (let's not even go into the main quests. Swear I didn't totally 'bawww' for the one in Yusnaan). The Canvas of Prayers quests I don't really go out of my way for. Whenever I teleport somewhere new, I'll check the Canvas, see if I've got the quest items while doing other stuff and if not, I don't really bother too much. Nor do I need to, they're usually battle items anyway. I'd rather run around for a side quest of a character I'm actually somewhat emotionally invested in.
Also, my romance with 'Chronostatis' is over. It ended as soon as the main quests did. I use it occasionally for quests where I have to meet someone before a certain time, but that's it and even then...it's rare. If I used Chronostatis now, while I'd probably finish all the side quests, I'd have way too much time left over....and does anyone really want to be twiddling their thumbs until the end of the world?
Oh and one last thing: I LOVE making enemies extinct. Genius idea for a game with limited foes. Gotta extinct em all!
For more on Lightning Returns, I recommend buying it. It's an interesting game and the action battle system will appeal to newcomers who weren't really fussed about turn-based strategy.
I'm gonna go to work now and continue my patient wait for Final Fantasy X/X-2 remaster. SO KEEN!
I wanted to write a proper first impressions. By proper, I mean short and after just a few hours in rather than a mini review.
I'm over 20 hours into Lightning Returns and it's only been a few days.
I wanted to write this post...but I was having too much fun.
So to start off, I will be blunt: if you're looking for the perfect game, you won't find it here. It has flaws, some lovable and some a bit silly. I'll explain.
Basically I feel like I've found a way to rig the game. Chronostatis is a special ability that stops time temporarily. It costs 1 EP. EP is earned by fighting battles. I fight a few battles, fill my EP gauge and set off chronostratis. Do a couple more till I'm at max EP again. Once time is back I do it again and I use next to no game time. So in this game which is a countdown till the end of the world where I need to do everything before 13 days is up, I feel I have not a care in the world. Time stops in battles - I have nothing at all to worry about in the time department. I am a time troll.
And being a time troll when time is one of the main aspects of the game? I don't know if it's a pro or a con. Pro for me as I can probably platinum this game in one or two playthroughs. Con for the game as it throws the whole concept out the window. As much as I abuse this ability, I feel they should've added a daily limit or something to make the game more challenging. But since there isn't a limit and I want to prove a certain character wrong for saying I can't do everything in 13 days, I'll keep using it.
Quick note: I'm playing on easy mode as I read that that's what Square Enix recommends for the first playthrough. It is harder to get EP on normal and hard mode, but I still think it wouldn't be hard to build up EP while time is stopped.
Being reunited with characters from previous games has been described as 'lacking' by other bloggers. I disagree. Over 500 years, these characters have big burdens to talk about and I've cried twice (I'm not even sorry). The only character that could be lacking is Lightning. I feel like they tried to make her a little more likeable, but some of the things she does seems a little too playful. I'm not saying she's turned into Vanille, but a few things seem out of place.
Topped off with an awesome battle system, I like this game. It's fun. A good way to kill time.
Will I play it for 8 months? Probably not. But it'll give me some good fun for a week or two. If you enjoyed XIII-2 or like closure, I think buying this game may be a good idea.
Until next time, I've got a world to save!
-Tara
PSN: guittaraxx
Ps. I have a measly 50 views on this blog and I'm stoked about it. Thanks for visiting. <3
Pss. Square Enix, I loved that FFXIV reference.
Psss. Whenever Lightning says 'Savior's got a job' in battle, does anyone else imagine her working in McDonalds? No? Just me? Okay, cool.
Months of getting taken the piss out of for being keen for this game are about to end!
When I pre-ordered Lightning Returns last September, I was excited. That's why you pre-order games right? You're keen!
Then I had the joy of asking my work for a photo we put up in store for Lightning Returns (I work in one of those stores that sells games and other stuffs) only to receive laughter and be called lame. (I'm also still hoping to receive the photo) This game cops a lot of flack and cynicism, so it's definitely going to be an interesting experience.
While not disliking the 13 series has copped me a lot of flack between friends and co-workers, when listening to these people rant on about Lightning, I'm reminded of the characters I AM looking forward to seeing. Everyone hates on Lightning because she's apparently boring (which I can't blame them. She's so driven on her goals that she's not the usual complex protagonist people are used to) but they forget about Vanille, Hope, Serah, Snow, Fang and Noel (and others of course). I think these characters are stand outs and I'm excited for closure on their stories.
...While dressing Lightning in Moogle dresses.
Happy Lightning day all. Let me know what you think of the game and I shall post my first impressions in a few days.
Spoiler details: Nothing that isn't already in the trailer. :)
So last night, I was casually checking the recent new games on PSN and there was the Lightning Returns demo, innocently in the top row of new games. I've been stashing pennies away for the last few weeks in a panicked attempt to make sure I can pay off my pre-order on the day and every little bit of money I save, the keener I've gotten to play this game. But money is boring to talk about, so how about I just tell you about the demo? :)
The download is about 2GB which I think is due to the crisp graphics rather than the length of the demo. To complete the demo took me about 30 minutes to an hour to complete and there really wasn't much for a completionist to stretch that time out, which kinda weirded me out considering their marketing since after the first installment of the XIII series was criticised for being linear. It was a very linear demo, which was the biggest criticism with Final Fantasy XIII. I played the XIII-2 demo and was impressed to see that even though I had a goal for the area I was in, I was free to digress and talk to the townspeople, meet Choccobocolina (note to self: check the spelling on that one) if I wanted to and look for treasure. The Lightning Returns demo offered more social options than exploration, which I can see being criticised by closed minded reviewers/haters very quickly.
While the linear approach seen in this demo hasn't tainted my view of the game - Square Enix and the Final Fantasy team have been busy making it known that the game is the most open world of the console series (expect for the online series I'm assuming), I thought it was a weird move because that is the biggest criticism the series has gotten and I know I personally was hoping for a little more exploration.
From the beginning, the demo does brilliantly highlight the awesome new battle system. Lightning Returns introduces a menu free battle system which is quick, simple to use and a lot of fun as your X, circle, square and triangle buttons are linked to your attacks, making it easy to cycle between moves and makes battles feel faster and more exciting. It also introduces garbs, which will instantly be compared to the dress sphere system of Final Fantasy X-2 but is far from it. The garbs system is a costume chance that also changes the set of attacks you have to use and the way you use them eg. Switching from one garb may have you using one gauge of attack points where another garb may switch to using a different gauge like magic points. This makes for strategic use of your time and set of attacks and keeps you thinking of your toes.
The story throws in two familiar characters instantly - Snow and Hope and a new character called Lumina who looks suspiciously like Serah. I'm excited to see what has happened to the old characters, but Lumina looks like a great character. She comes off with a cheeky kind of evil which I feel is needed in an environment of very serious characters and with the right character development could be a stand-out of this series in the full game release. In this first cut scene (which is done in Square Enix's most gorgeous graphics yet) we are introduced to the main themes of the story - religion, Chaos, mourning, life and death, saviors and the end of the world. Heavy themes for the first five minutes, but I'm not complaining! Also, once the scene ends, you will notice in the top right hand corner (along with the map) a clock with the time and a number of days which you will influence the change of in the game. This theme wasn't explored overly in the demo (there was a brief referencing of it towards the end of the demo, but by that time, it didn't matter if time was running out, I had finished the demo) but is still what I'm most interested in. How will this clock affect the game and it's story and how much can we effect it?
For players that are new to the Lightning saga/Final Fantasy, there may be a tiny bit of confusion to the events, but it felt more like the beginning of any story - characters always come in with things that have happened pre-story, so I don' think you're missing out on too much in the last few games. This may be the game that will make players play the last two for the story and not the gameplay...which while I enjoyed both games, is probably for the best. The story of this series has been to highlight so far, but it looks like in Lightning Returns, they are having a good crack at giving us some awesome gameplay.
This demo is only a very small indication of what will come, but I will say - I'm excited. A standout new battle system, solid story and the promise of new and larger worlds makes gives a small taste with just the right length to have you wanting more.
Watching the official trailer from E3 for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII below and see you next time!
