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Final Fantasy XIII-2 E3 Information Thread [Trailer, BioWare Storytelling, More]

C

Cheska

Member
I guess we just all have different opinions on what makes a strong lead :) I loved how she started off as this tough bitch with a big guard up, and how further in the game we see a different side of her.
 
B

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
Playing through FFXIII now, and so far there isn't a single redeeming character in the lot. Well, only up to Chapter 9 so far, but every cutscene has me wanting to smack each character for lacking any common sense, or out of pure stupidity. There is a major disconnect between what the cutscenes are revealing and what the character motivations the writers are trying to communicate. That gap is a desolate wasteland of stupid and the writing is embarrassing.

Actually Sazh has been ok so far, but his son is creepy looking.

Hope, Snow, and Vanille...dear god. The melodrama justifying emotive responses are beyond sap, beyond stupid, beyond intelligent reasoning.

Bring back the mute Warriors of Light next round.
 
P

Pooya

Member
Update: this new has been denied. not true!


http://www.gamingunion.net/news/nojima-not-directly-involved-with-final-fantasy-xiii-2--5449.html
Daisuke Watanabe, who wrote the main scenario for Final Fantasy XIII, has also been dropped from the equation, as Square Enix has opted to hire a professional novelist instead called Jun Eishima. He wrote Final Fantasy XIII Episode -i-, which released with the Japanese Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII, and he will write the main scenario for Final Fantasy XIII-2.

"It's going to be a different team this time around," said Toriyama. "After Final Fantasy XIII was released there was a side story (Episode i) and a professional novelist called Jun Eishima contributed to the side story, but he basically wrote the scenario."
Click to expand...
 
S

Seda

Member
So, from what I can tell, Jun Eishima also did a couple anime novelizations along with the XIII after-story? Hmm.....
 
H

HamPster PamPster

Member
Professional novelist? Ehh I'm not sure bringing in a "professional" has ever worked. Why not just bring in a professional Matsuno :)

Was episode I bad? Hopefully the writer gets more freedom and influence now then that type of project probably allowed
 
J

Jeels

Member
I'm reading the XIII novels right now. I enjoy them. So this is good news to me.

From the demo the dialogue seemed like it had really improved. It was still zany and silly, but without the awkwardness and simplicity.
 
D

darkhunger

Member
Daisuke Watanabe, who wrote the main scenario for Final Fantasy XIII, has also been dropped from the equation, as Square Enix has opted to hire a professional novelist instead called Jun Eishima. He wrote Final Fantasy XIII Episode -i-, which released with the Japanese Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII, and he will write the main scenario for Final Fantasy XIII-2.

"It's going to be a different team this time around," said Toriyama. "After Final Fantasy XIII was released there was a side story (Episode i) and a professional novelist called Jun Eishima contributed to the side story, but he basically wrote the scenario."
Click to expand...
Er... I think Jun Eishima is a she, not a he (unless she is a he pretending to be female)... Her other pen name seems to be Emi Nakashima, which she uses for non-anime/game-related works.

HamPster PamPster said:
Professional novelist? Ehh I'm not sure bringing in a "professional" has ever worked. Why not just bring in a professional Matsuno :)
Click to expand...
Why not? American game companies can do it successfully.
 
C

cosmicblizzard

Banned
Hmmm, so the episode i person is doing the story, eh? Not really sure how I feel about that. Would've much rather had Nojima (or Kato, but that's not happening).
 
K

Kagari

Crystal Bearer
cosmicblizzard said:
Hmmm, so the episode i person is doing the story, eh? Not really sure how I feel about that. Would've much rather had Nojima (or Kato, but that's not happening).
Click to expand...

Nojima is still working on Versus... or actually, I think he finished the scenario for that.
 
A

Aeana

Member
HamPster PamPster said:
Professional novelist? Ehh I'm not sure bringing in a "professional" has ever worked. Why not just bring in a professional Matsuno :)

Was episode I bad? Hopefully the writer gets more freedom and influence now then that type of project probably allowed
Click to expand...
The best parts of Lost Odyssey are by a novelist. Too bad he didn't also write the rest of the game. (._. )
 
B

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
Jeels said:
I'm reading the XIII novels right now. I enjoy them. So this is good news to me.

From the demo the dialogue seemed like it had really improved. It was still zany and silly, but without the awkwardness and simplicity.
Click to expand...
Zany is fine. Melodrama is not. Eradicate that and we're closer to ff being a videogame again.
 
T

TheChillyAcademic

Member
Jihl
had potential, she was one of the better (if not the best) designed characters in the game and had a well matched attitude and presence to make a competent antagonist and well...yeah.

Best character in the game would have to be the owl.
 
G

Gvaz

Banned
Cheska said:
The best parts of Lost Odyssey are by a novelist. Too bad he didn't also write the rest of the game. (._. )

+1

Where are you guys finding these novels at?
Click to expand...
He means the dream sequences.
 
T

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
miladesn said:
Other News:
Toriyama is interested in Bioware storytelling
Click to expand...

That's not something to aspire to. Bioware hasn't been great in a while. :/

Also not worth aspiring towards until you stop
killing your best female Square character
, Toriyama. Yes, I'm still mad.
 
W

watershed

Banned
Does anyone think this game will actually be like bioware games in terms of choice and player directed narratives, morality systems and such?

I think Final Fantasy games are far too cut scene and dialog heavy, highly scripted affairs to allow for the kind of player choice bioware and other western rpgs are known for.

The example posted in the OP sounds more like Gears of War style branching paths than Bioware style choice systems.
 
K

Kagari

Crystal Bearer
artwalknoon said:
Does anyone think this game will actually be like bioware games in terms of choice and player directed narratives, morality systems and such?

I think Final Fantasy games are far too cut scene and dialog heavy, highly scripted affairs to allow for the kind of player choice bioware and other western rpgs are known for.

The example posted in the OP sounds more like Gears of War style branching paths than Bioware style choice systems.
Click to expand...

No.
 
F

Fimbulvetr

Member
artwalknoon said:
Does anyone think this game will actually be like bioware games in terms of choice and player directed narratives, morality systems and such?

I think Final Fantasy games are far too cut scene and dialog heavy, highly scripted affairs to allow for the kind of player choice bioware and other western rpgs are known for.

The example posted in the OP sounds more like Gears of War style branching paths than Bioware style choice systems.
Click to expand...

Like, are we talking modern Bioware? Or....
 
ULTROS!

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Thank the heavens Watanabe is gone.
 
ULTROS!

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Shadow780 said:
I'm sure Toriyama had just as much influence in the story being shit.
Click to expand...
1 piece of shit is better than two pieces of shit.
 
D

Dark Schala

Eloquent Princess
Shadow780 said:
I'm sure Toriyama had just as much influence in the story being shit.
Click to expand...
Well, according to Wiki's summary of part of the Scenario Ultimania...

Wiki/FFXIII Scenario Ultimania said:
Watanabe was given very precise direction from Motomu Toriyama, the scenario designer, when writing the scenario for Final Fantasy XIII. Toriyama was very specific on what he wanted the script to be like and Watanabe recalls that there were numerous times that parts of the script had to be redone as Toriyama wasn't happy with it. The theme for the story of Final Fantasy XIII was, "A dramatic story focused on the emotions of the characters." Toriyama wanted some scenes to show more emotion, and other scenes to show a more contrasting difference between the personalities of the party members involved. Watanabe feels that creating the scenario for Final Fantasy XIII was the most challenging project he has worked on at Square Enix to date. However, he feels that the experience he gained working under the specific demands of Motomu Toriyama has planted seeds for future growth in his work as a scenario writer.
Click to expand...
So it seems like a little bit from column A and a little bit from column B.

Dropping Watanabe in favour of the Episode 1 novelist is an interesting decision... We'll see if it ends up being good. Having read bits of Episode I, I'm not sure what to think of it. I was pretty indifferent towards it.
 
F

Fimbulvetr

Member
RaijinFY said:
I would like to know, since when Watanabe has worked in S-E?
Click to expand...
According to both Wikipedia and the FF wiki he was with them since before the merger.

His first work(which is also his first work with Square), was as a writer for Threads of Fate on the PS1.

His second was FFX(though he is listed as a "planner" for that as opposed to a writer).

And his third was the first KH game, again as a writer.
 
K

Kagari

Crystal Bearer
Dark Schala said:
Well, according to Wiki's summary of part of the Scenario Ultimania...


So it seems like a little bit from column A and a little bit from column B.

Dropping Watanabe in favour of the Episode 1 novelist is an interesting decision... We'll see if it ends up being good. Having read bits of Episode I, I'm not sure what to think of it. I was pretty indifferent towards it.
Click to expand...

I'm sure he'll be just as controlling for XIII-2.
 
A

APZonerunner

Member
A lot of more recent SE stuff is written by comittee, so Toriyama or whoever dictates the overall arc and then the game is broken into chunks. That's why I feel some of their writing in games lacks cohesion sometimes, sadly.

It's impossible to have ways of writing an entire game with one or two people like the old days now due to sheer volume, but jokes about Bioware storytelling aside SE could learn a hell of a lot from the way Bioware breaks up their story duties between their staff - which is rather than giving sections of the game, they give specific characters and quests to specific writers. Say what you will about the content of their stories, they're far more cohesive than most of SE's recent stuff.

The aspiration to anime doesn't help either, I don't think.
 
C

CosmicGroinPull

Member
I don't have much hope in FFXIII-2's story - that cutscene where they go through a portal looks like the same old bland and boring stuff in FFXIII:

'This is Cocoon?
'Really?'...... bla bla bla (-_-)zzzzzzzZZZZ

So pointless. Has realtime cutscenes become so easy to make that they can spend it on stuff they can just tell using speech bubbles?


Even so, I'm still getting this, rap music and all - we only get so many FFs per generation
<---- sucker
 
F

Fimbulvetr

Member
APZonerunner said:
A lot of more recent SE stuff is written by comittee, so Toriyama or whoever dictates the overall arc and then the game is broken into chunks. That's why I feel some of their writing in games lacks cohesion sometimes, sadly.
Click to expand...

I really hope they are better organized this time around.
 
F

Femmeworth

Banned
CosmicGroinPull said:
I don't have much hope in FFXIII-2's story - that cutscene where they go through a portal looks like the same old bland and boring stuff in FFXIII:

'This is Cocoon?
'Really?'...... bla bla bla (-_-)zzzzzzzZZZZ

So pointless. Has realtime cutscenes become so easy to make that they can spend it on stuff they can just tell using speech bubbles?


Even so, I'm still getting this, rap music and all - we only get so many FFs per generation
<---- sucker
Click to expand...
That was one of the big problems with XIII's narrative. So many pointless, drawn out cutscenes. -_-
 
F

Fimbulvetr

Member
ninj4junpei said:
That was one of the big problems with XIII's narrative. So many pointless, drawn out cutscenes. -_-
Click to expand...

The most blatant case of this was in the part after Bresha is crystallized.

So there's a cutscene where Snow is like "Serah saved us! We were made l'Cie to save Cocoon!" and the others are all *facepalm*.

The player is allowed to walk forward about 3 yards, followed by a cutscene where Snow says "Serah saved us! We were made l'Cie to save Cocoon!".

Seriously, it was the same dialogue but paraphrased.
 
J

.JayZii

Banned
Trent Strong said:
Well, making that 11 year old girl the lead character is gonna make any adult male who buys this look like a pedo. Bad idea.
Click to expand...
UsTxK.jpg
 
T

toastyToast

Member
Never understood why Vaan's bottom half eludes to him wearing a full suit of armor yet he chooses to wear nothing but a skimpy vest to protect his chest.
 
D

Dark Octave

Banned
toasty_T said:
Never understood why Vaan's bottom half eludes to him wearing a full suit of armor yet he chooses to wear nothing but a skimpy vest to protect his chest.
Click to expand...
When you hear him talk it all makes sense.
 
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