Final Fantasy XIII

[Nolan]

The only game he has ever liked is Portal. He's a comedian, not a reviewer.

 

That's not true, he talks about games he actually likes at times, and some of his reviews suggest he ultimately enjoyed the game. NMH comes to mind as does Prototype and Saints Row 2.

[Sheikah]

That's not true, he talks about games he actually likes at times, and some of his reviews suggest he ultimately enjoyed the game. NMH comes to mind as does Prototype and Saints Row 2.

Besides Portal, there is no game that I can remember him praising throughout the whole review; and I don't mean a game he briefly refers to that he played 10 years ago, rather the principal game he is reviewing.

 

He is deliberately cynical because it makes good comedy. I laugh at his reviews because they are hyperobolic and entertaining (in this instance playing just 5 hours to form a rant review), but if you come in here like Dan attempting to use it as irrefutable evidence that this game sucks then you would clearly be retarded. And pretty much trolling.

Edited April 5, 2010 by Sheikah

[Nolan]

To be fair, most games don't deserve unfaltering praise and that shouldn't be expected out of any review. I can't think of any games I could praise for a 5 minute review without saying anything negative.

 

The review was pretty lol though.

[Ramar]

To be fair he's not far off on is assessment of the beginning of the game, but he's doing himself no favours judging a 40 hour game with 5 hours game time.

[Sheikah]

To be fair, most games don't deserve unfaltering praise and that shouldn't be expected out of any review. I can't think of any games I could praise for a 5 minute review without saying anything negative.

 

The review was pretty lol though.

To be fair, he isn't fair, hence why he's funny. He'll spend whole reviews being entirely negative about games. You'd be led to think that there was nothing good about many games whatsoever.

 

I found this review funny because it's exactly what I'd expect from someone who can't buy into Final Fantasy. It's bizarre that he praises Final Fantasy VI; this is pretty much the same as any other modern Final Fantasy game, what with the slow ATB filling, deep story and zany characters. It's as if he was a nice child many years ago and enjoyed games of the time, then became hugely cynical and blackened as he got older.

 

Or just someone who realised that funny, cynical reviews = massive following.

[dwarf]

Or just someone who realised that funny, cynical reviews = massive following.

It is that entirely. I'm pretty sure he's liked the games he has reviewed in a negative manner, but he knows that the piss-taking is funny and gets hits. Only when he plays something really special will he feel the need to truly compliment it.

I love his reviews, and don't mind when he slates the ones I like because I know he does the above, and he usually makes a lot of good criticisms anyway. Never will any of them be enough to make me question why I am enjoying the game so I welcome Yahtzee more than any real reviewer.

 

(I guess you'll largely agree with this Sheikah, bar the last few words)

[Ike]

I'm currently on chapter 11, what's the best way to start upgrading my equipment?

[Dan_Dare]

The good thing about ZP is that, although it's hyperbolic and ott, there's never actual fabrication. Everything he complains about is worth taking the piss out of, and in a deeply flawed market like videogames where spikey haired teens and steroid pumped jarheads are supposed to be Shakesperean tragic heroes there's more than enough for him to critique legitimately in his style. For all his exaggeration, I genuinely agree with most of what he says.

[Sheikah]

Of course there isn't fabrication. What there is is magnification of non game-breaking elements to which he'll span a review with, while completely avoiding what makes games great and fun to play.

 

Fabrication, no. But an extremely heavily-biased review whereby he plays 5 hours to acquire material to use in his pre-determined negative stance review is clearly evident. He's a comedian, like I said, and not a serious reviewer.

 

Dan, what you're doing is pretty much pigeonholing the game without having ever played it. I don't know how you can claim to agree with his review despite not owning nor having played the game. Which is pretty much making you come across as somewhat of a moron.

Edited April 5, 2010 by Sheikah

[dwarf]

Everything he complains about is worth taking the piss out of

Not the case in my view. Many things he has said were just not an issue or worth commenting about.

 

And it is true that most of his reviews are pre-determined in his perception of a game. It's unlikely his mind will change during the playing process and will impact on his review.

[Mundi]

Dan, what you're doing is pretty much pigeonholing the game without having ever played it. I don't know how you can claim to agree with his review despite not owning nor having played the game. Which is pretty much making you come across as somewhat of a moron.

 

It is pretty hard to pick up up a game knowing that you have to play it for 20-25 hours before it gets good, which is the general consensus of when things start to pick up.

Fuck that shit.

In that time I could play and finish games that are consistently good throughout.

 

I want to play this, but that starting curve is outright retarded.

[Sheikah]

It is pretty hard to pick up up a game knowing that you have to play it for 20-25 hours before it gets good, which is the general consensus of when things start to pick up.

Fuck that shit.

Again, the 'you haven't played this game so how would you know that' comes to mind. Don't be a mindless sheep, reiterating what you have heard from a few places.

 

That's bollocks anyway, since I was thoroughly enjoying myself before reaching 10 hours.

[Nolan]

10 hours is still quite an investment to begin enjoying oneself.

[Mundi]

Wouldn´t I be a mindless sheep if I bought it solely because of its popularity as a franchise and because everyone else its getting it, while ignoring the reviewers and people that I generally agree with on videogames have criticized it.

[Tales]

I can only speak for myself but I enjoyed myself from the very beginning. No 10-hour or 25-hour mark for me.

 

Wouldn´t I be a mindless sheep if I bought it solely because of its popularity as a franchise and because everyone else its getting it, while ignoring the reviewers and people that I generally agree with on videogames have criticized it.

 

I would imagine you would buy a game because you liked the previous installments in the series, and gave a frak in the reviewers and your friends.

Edited April 5, 2010 by Tales
Automerged Doublepost

[Mundi]

Well that is one thing, not been a fan of FF the past few instalments.

[Tales]

Fine, problem solved.

[drahkon]

I can only speak for myself but I enjoyed myself from the very beginning. No 10-hour or 25-hour mark for me.

 

Same here.

 

The game might have the longest tutorial in gaming history but it was fun nonetheless.

If the individual linear areas of the first 25 hours hadn't been so long, then the game would have been a bit better.

 

Finished it some time ago. Took me 40 hours (I completed about 18 missions) to reach the end.

Fighting was awesome and I will definitely try to get the Platinum trophy (especially since I'm a sucker for grinding).

 

The story telling probably was the biggest flaw. I have to agree with the Zero Punctuation review. Reading about the story in the Datalog is not a good way to bring the action to the gamer. The story itself was good, though.

[Sheikah]

10 hours is still quite an investment to begin enjoying oneself.

Except I didn't say that. I said by 10 hours I was thoroughly enjoying myself; my enjoyment of the game had been building up throughout. But it definitely didn't take 20 hours for me to think it was amazing.

 

Wouldn´t I be a mindless sheep if I bought it solely because of its popularity as a franchise and because everyone else its getting it, while ignoring the reviewers and people that I generally agree with on videogames have criticized it.

 

Cut the bullshit - what you're saying is that rather than form your opinion on a game you'll take a review opinion at face value and use it to have an argument with me; someone who actually has the game and attempt to argue how bad the game is, which let me remind you again; you haven't played.

 

If you really don't want to pay much, rent the game. Just don't go crying about how bad it is due to an opinion you've unnecessarily regurgitated like a mindless idiot.

 

It's also nice to see killer kirby make a return to the topic to thank that post despite saying he'd never come in here again.

[dwarf]

You always get a stream of comments going against you in 'other consoles' Sheikah, and almost every time I wince when I read them.

 

Mundi, you are massively misinformed and I'm not really sure how you got thanked for that bullshit. You're assuming he bought it because everyone else was buying it? If he's a fan, doesn't he have the right to try it anyway, to see if those opinions were true, and hope there was still an enjoyable experience to be had?

 

Before it was released I expected the game to be slated to be honest. It seemed everyone was against it before much info was revealed. Once one bad review came in, everyone thought they'd jump on the ol' wagon just to prove the point that it wasn't as great a game as it could've been.

 

I haven't tried it, really don't look like the look of it, but then again it isn't the sort of game I enjoy so I don't feel the need to talk about its flaws, especially if I haven't played the thing.

[Sheikah]

His whole post reeked of nonsense anyway. If I bought it due to mass critic opinion rather than fan loyalty then I'd still have bought it, since it overall has done very well.

 

In actuality, I purchased it because every main title Final Fantasy title thus far has been of a consistently high quality that I have thoroughly enjoyed; FFXII has been my only gripe (rather personal dislike of its direction), yet I still recognise the quality and polish of the title.

 

And if that isn't reason to purchase a sequel, I don't know what is.

[Mundi]

Cut the bullshit - what you're saying is that rather than form your opinion on a game you'll take a review opinion at face value and use it to have an argument with me; someone who actually has the game and attempt to argue how bad the game is, which let me remind you again; you haven't played.

 

I am just going by the opinions of those I generally listen to, I am not arguing the quality of the game, just going by what I have heard and what I hear from every one of them is that the game takes too long to get to the good part and it is the usual soap opera FF story.

 

When I am on the fence about a game, generally it helps to find out what people with opinions I listen to have to say about it because likely I will agree with them and might save myself time and money in the long run.

 

Mundi, you are massively misinformed and I'm not really sure how you got thanked for that bullshit. You're assuming he bought it because everyone else was buying it? If he's a fan, doesn't he have the right to try it anyway, to see if those opinions were true, and hope there was still an enjoyable experience to be had?

 

I never assumed he would buy it because of brand loyalty, my post referred more to what he said earlier in the thread about how FF13 would be good because previous ones have sold well and are highly rated.

Which is basically saying: "Buy it, because it is a popular and an established franchise"

[killer kirby]

If you really don't want to pay much, rent the game. Just don't go crying about how bad it is due to an opinion you've unnecessarily regurgitated like a mindless idiot.

Yeah umm Sheikah has got a point there, as much as I hang crap on a game, I still don't truly do it until I have the game, or at least spent a few hours on it.

 

It's also nice to see killer kirby make a return to the topic to thank that post despite saying he'd never come in here again.

 

(Yeesh just relax why don't ya :p )

I was bored, waiting for a train, plus Yahtzee made me come back onto this forum after I watched his opinion on the game

plus I played a bit more of it...pulse is where the freedom is right? Because I think I am up to that, but...for some reason it's still linear, something about Hope being hurt or something, I forgot.

 

EDIT: Mundi, just rent it so then you won't be hounded like you are now

[dwarf]

But if you like the formula, and the footage you've seen, you'll probably buy it. He bought it in spite of the reviews and it ended up being a good decision because to him it is a great game.

I rarely buy games that review averagely, but sometimes I wish I did (or could afford to) because sometimes the bad can actually just click with you.

[Sheikah]

plus I played a bit more of it...pulse is where the freedom is right? Because I think I am up to that, but...for some reason it's still linear, something about Hope being hurt or something, I forgot.

That's weird, I'm up to there and it seems to be pretty great. The boss:

 

Primarch Barthandelus was pretty damn awesome. It was perfectly paced and put quite a lot of pressure on you, providing you weren't massively over-levelled. It's about now that I've truly gotten to grips with swiftly cycling through paradigms and I'm loving the battle system. Very fluid and intuitive.