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[Kagari]

According to the reviewers, the battles in Lightning Returns are interesting and the feel for speed is great. If the player fails to break an enemy’s weakness, however, even trash mobs can prove difficult. As a result, it’s important to make split section decisions during battle.

Clearing quests is obviously the goal here and the amount of freedom given to the player is so high it’s easy to get lost in it. Hints for each quest are actually fairly scarce and as a result, it might take casual users a bit to get used to.

 

[Neolith]

This game looks more interesting than its predecessors, in gameplay at least

 

[LuuKyK]

According to the reviewers, the battles in Lightning Returns are interesting and the feel for speed is great. If the player fails to break an enemy’s weakness, however, even trash mobs can prove difficult. As a result, it’s important to make split section decisions during battle.

Clearing quests is obviously the goal here and the amount of freedom given to the player is so high it’s easy to get lost in it. Hints for each quest are actually fairly scarce and as a result, it might take casual users a bit to get used to.

Thanks! Sounds interesting.

Can't wait for more reviews.

 

[Perfo]

According to the reviewers, the battles in Lightning Returns are interesting and the feel for speed is great. If the player fails to break an enemy’s weakness, however, even trash mobs can prove difficult. As a result, it’s important to make split section decisions during battle.

Clearing quests is obviously the goal here and the amount of freedom given to the player is so high it’s easy to get lost in it. Hints for each quest are actually fairly scarce and as a result, it might take casual users a bit to get used to.

They're basically saying the game is very difficult both in regards to battles and finding your way. Interesting.

 

[LuuKyK]

They're basically saying the game is very difficult both in regards to battles and finding your way. Interesting.

I am guessing they are making it that obviously more open so that people feel motivated to make use of multiple playthroughs, so maybe they can compensate a shorter game?

 

[Supermanisdead]

According to the reviewers, the battles in Lightning Returns are interesting and the feel for speed is great. If the player fails to break an enemy’s weakness, however, even trash mobs can prove difficult. As a result, it’s important to make split section decisions during battle.

Clearing quests is obviously the goal here and the amount of freedom given to the player is so high it’s easy to get lost in it. Hints for each quest are actually fairly scarce and as a result, it might take casual users a bit to get used to.

that sounds like reasons for higher scores to me.

 

[Toth]

I know this isn't the most constructive thing to say, but here's a 20 minute gameplay preview to help lull you to sleep.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9MglTvPmgE

Can't believe Square squandered and entire hardware generation on this franchise. Anybody know what the total units sold to date is for the FFXIII series?

9 million shipped, 7-8 million sold, I believe.

 

[TheSeks]

Game must be really crappy

Or not "Japanese" enough to be appealing. The goals of 13-3 was to "Westernize" it a bit and try to get some Western-game-only players on board with it, IIRC?

 

[Imm0rt4l]

I'm surprised that people still care about famitsu. Their reviews suck ass imo.

 

[doemaaan]

According to the reviewers, the battles in Lightning Returns are interesting and the feel for speed is great. If the player fails to break an enemy’s weakness, however, even trash mobs can prove difficult. As a result, it’s important to make split section decisions during battle.

Clearing quests is obviously the goal here and the amount of freedom given to the player is so high it’s easy to get lost in it. Hints for each quest are actually fairly scarce and as a result, it might take casual users a bit to get used to.

I'll be playing this on Easy, like the schmuck that I am.

 

[MichaelFassbender]

Good ol' Famitsu. The IGN of Japan.

 

[Coxy]

Or not "Japanese" enough to be appealing. The goals of 13-3 was to "Westernize" it a bit and try to get some Western-game-only players on board with it, IIRC?

they've been throwing 40s at every western game with a couple of bux

 

[dimb]

According to the reviewers, the battles in Lightning Returns are interesting and the feel for speed is great. If the player fails to break an enemy’s weakness, however, even trash mobs can prove difficult. As a result, it’s important to make split section decisions during battle.

Clearing quests is obviously the goal here and the amount of freedom given to the player is so high it’s easy to get lost in it. Hints for each quest are actually fairly scarce and as a result, it might take casual users a bit to get used to.

The more I hear about this game the better it sounds.

 

[CosmicGroinPull]

Yes!!! Toriyama you're done. GET OUT.

 

[Shogun1337]

Did Famitsu's reviews became a steaming pile of shit with Nintendogs?

 

[Imm0rt4l]

are there any reviews that come out of Japan with more relevance?

Good ol' Famitsu. The IGN of Japan.

I don't care for ign, but it's a shit ton better than Famitsu imo

 

[Steel]

A sure sign of Square Enix's financial distress, Famitsu gave this game a 37/40 after XIII-2 got a perfect score, and XIII got a 39. The cheque bounced.

How does famitsu even have credibility with scores like that for those games? I mean I know it's all subjective, but how could you not find anything at all wrong with XIII objectively?

 

[Whompa]

According to the reviewers, the battles in Lightning Returns are interesting and the feel for speed is great. If the player fails to break an enemy’s weakness, however, even trash mobs can prove difficult. As a result, it’s important to make split section decisions during battle.

Clearing quests is obviously the goal here and the amount of freedom given to the player is so high it’s easy to get lost in it. Hints for each quest are actually fairly scarce and as a result, it might take casual users a bit to get used to.

This actually sounds like a hard game. Maybe by design. Maybe by accident. 13 and 13-2 put me to sleep they were so simplistic and insanely linear. Maybe Square-Enix finally realized how boring the 13 line has been and decided to go for broke.

I can see the scores being lower for this game due to potential difficulty.

I just hope the difficulty is met with good design...the big balancing act Square has been seemingly attempting and coming up short for the past 10 years now has been meeting challenge and design in a nice middle ground as well as telling a cohesive story...

 

[MichaelFassbender]

I don't care for ign, but it's a shit ton better than Famitsu imo

Ouch, that's pretty damning. True though,

 

[BocoDragon]

This tells me exactly zero about the quality of the game.

 

[Jawmuncher]

A sure sign of Square Enix's financial distress, Famitsu gave this game a 37/40 after XIII-2 got a perfect score, and XIII got a 39. The cheque bounced.

XIII-2 got a perfect score? That makes me more sick.
Regardless though like you said guess SE didn't have enough money to hand out this time. Funny enough I have a feeling LR will probably be my favorite game in the series.

 

[Shosai]

I like hearing 4 people's impressions instead of just 1. That's a "real riot?"

I never said Famitsu is better than a western review. I said I miss when western reviews had 4 people on each game, like they did in magazines. EGM did this for almost every game back in the day. It was great.

It is good to have multiple opinions. But it you want four reviews, why not just read four separate reviews?

True. After some time though, EGM started doing one main big review, and then several smaller, 'second opinion' reviews after that. I don't know when exactly they started doing it but it's a bit better than 'everybody writes three sentences!'

I assume it was mostly due to time and staff constraints. Also, when I was a subscriber, I preferred the magazine's more thorough, longform reviews, which the previous 4-person split didn't allow. Eventually it became easier for anyone to get one-paragraph impressions off of message boards. EGM had to offer something unique to the magazine, because short blurbs saying "Nice graphics, wish the game was longer, 7/10" wasn't cutting it

 

[Kagari]

This tells me exactly zero about the quality of the game.

Welcome to Famitsu reviews. They also said the graphics were great (lol).

 

[Shinta]

It is good to have multiple opinions. But it you want four reviews, why not just read four separate reviews?

That's what I do, but I like when they are able to have a bit of a conversation together. It promotes better comments and less vitriol too. Few get mad at a 10 or a 6 if its not the only opinion they see. Other points of view are inherently more welcome in that environment, and it encourages people to decide for themselves.

 

[tensuke]

37/40? Seriously? SE has no hope left if that's all the trash they can come up with. What is this, soccer? They can't come up with 3 more points? Add in a blithe reference to a possible FF7 remake that you have no plans of making, or something. Jeez. And I thought FFXIII-2 getting only 39/40 was bad. This spells the end for Square Enix as we know it, folks. Can't believe this filth.

 

[MilkBeard]

Wow that's good, ha ha.

 

[MilkBeard]

According to the reviewers, the battles in Lightning Returns are interesting and the feel for speed is great. If the player fails to break an enemy’s weakness, however, even trash mobs can prove difficult. As a result, it’s important to make split section decisions during battle.

Clearing quests is obviously the goal here and the amount of freedom given to the player is so high it’s easy to get lost in it. Hints for each quest are actually fairly scarce and as a result, it might take casual users a bit to get used to.

More hardcore confirmed? Sounds good. XIII-2 was a bit too soft.

 

[scytheavatar]

Famitsu gave Demon's Souls a 29 and Dark Souls a 37, even though Dark Souls is basically Demon's Souls in a Metroidvania world.

They just give good reviews whenever they're paid.

Dark Souls is a far more polished and complete game than Demon's Souls, and the score looks accurate to me.

 

[Kagari]

The rest of the known text:

According to the reviewers, the battles in Lightning Returns are interesting and the feel for speed is great. They are “extremely entertaining,” but if the player fails to pay attention to an enemy’s weakness even trash mobs can prove difficult. As a result, it’s important to make split section decisions during battle. Even on Easy mode, Lightning Returns can be surprisingly difficult. The time constraints don’t appear to factor into that difficulty too much though, and didn’t stress the reviewers out much at all.

It’s not all about the battles, though. Clearing quests is obviously the goal here and the amount of freedom given to the player is so high it’s easy to get lost in it. Hints for each quest are actually fairly scarce and as a result, it might take casual users a bit to get used to. Players can become absorbed in trying to complete a large number of quests, as well as customizing and strengthening Lightning. The level of uniqueness you can achieve with her appearance and ability setups is said to be “entertaining and stunning”. The reviewer also states that the game is quite beautiful.

 

[Shinta]

The rest of the known text:

According to the reviewers, the battles in Lightning Returns are interesting and the feel for speed is great. They are “extremely entertaining,” but if the player fails to pay attention to an enemy’s weakness even trash mobs can prove difficult. As a result, it’s important to make split section decisions during battle. Even on Easy mode, Lightning Returns can be surprisingly difficult. The time constraints don’t appear to factor into that difficulty too much though, and didn’t stress the reviewers out much at all.

It’s not all about the battles, though. Clearing quests is obviously the goal here and the amount of freedom given to the player is so high it’s easy to get lost in it. Hints for each quest are actually fairly scarce and as a result, it might take casual users a bit to get used to. Players can become absorbed in trying to complete a large number of quests, as well as customizing and strengthening Lightning. The level of uniqueness you can achieve with her appearance and ability setups is said to be “entertaining and stunning”. The reviewer also states that the game is quite beautiful.

Special edition strategy guide will be mine.

 

[MilkBeard]

That description actually sounds pretty good to me. Seems like the game is focused more on gameplay options. I like that it takes split decisions in battle, also that you can do a lot of stuff at your own pace. That surprisingly seems to go against what a lot of us thought this would be, which is a race to finish before the clock.

 

[Replicant]

Too many Heathens in this thread.

Y'all need some Lightning in your life.

 

[Yoshichan]

I would't be surprised if Famitsu is spot on with this. XIII-2 is better than XIII. And Lightning Returns will rock, but will probably be slightly worse than the other two in the trilogy.

 

[PshycoNinja]

See... I am a huge fanboy of FFXV. So you can see where this would irk me a lot more than it would irk Perfo. If I lose and Perfo likes it I will use that Avatar for a month.

Nice idea. However, we coud try something with Toriyama too, if that's permitted of course (maybe not).

Always thought he's a dude that don't like to smile too much. There's a reason? Perhaps...his... teeth. Quite amusing every time he shows them.

A tiny adjustment to that:

He did stole some souls this gen. You know it. Now, just smile!

Spoiler

please tell this is truly lame, I won't be able to sleep well after making this atrocity

Hehe that's funny. I feel we are at the cusp of something great. Another big push and I think we will have a great avatar for Perfo.

Wow that's good, ha ha.

It kinda irks me actually.

The rest of the known text:

According to the reviewers, the battles in Lightning Returns are interesting and the feel for speed is great. They are “extremely entertaining,” but if the player fails to pay attention to an enemy’s weakness even trash mobs can prove difficult. As a result, it’s important to make split section decisions during battle. Even on Easy mode, Lightning Returns can be surprisingly difficult. The time constraints don’t appear to factor into that difficulty too much though, and didn’t stress the reviewers out much at all.

It’s not all about the battles, though. Clearing quests is obviously the goal here and the amount of freedom given to the player is so high it’s easy to get lost in it. Hints for each quest are actually fairly scarce and as a result, it might take casual users a bit to get used to. Players can become absorbed in trying to complete a large number of quests, as well as customizing and strengthening Lightning. The level of uniqueness you can achieve with her appearance and ability setups is said to be “entertaining and stunning”. The reviewer also states that the game is quite beautiful.

So the time limit is essentially inconsequential. Okay so I'll ask this question again, why bother? If it serves almost zero purpose to gameplay than why have it there in the first place?

 

[Kagari]

New ass shot CG render coming:

 

[Shinta]

So the time limit is essentially inconsequential. Okay so I'll ask this question again, why bother? If it serves almost zero purpose to gameplay than why have it there in the first place?

1) story, 2) remnant from early game design when it was more of a factor before they adjusted it. NPCs are still driven by a daynight cycle.

 

[boinx]

Clearly it is better than the previous games then.

 

[TokiDoki]

Famitsu review scores never make sense .

LOL @ Cheque bounced back , if that really happens , that means LR is a legit good game .

 

[PedroPanache]

Not that I give a damn about Famitsu reviews, but I wonder what the second two reviewers found wrong with the game.

Their envelope's of cash were empty? Hard times for S-E, considering they can only half afford to bribe Famitsu nowadays.

 

[Dark_castle]

See... I am a huge fanboy of FFXV. So you can see where this would irk me a lot more than it would irk Perfo. If I lose and Perfo likes it I will use that Avatar for a month.

True. I'm also extremely excited for FFXV, but I thought it looked funny with the red eyes and green tongue.

 

[Zolbrod]

Knowing Famitsu's track record, this probably means it's the best out of the 3.

Also, don't forget they gave Xenoblade 9/9/9/9 so it might even be one of the best games ever made.

 

[synce]

The problem is people who don't know Japanese have no idea what a joke Famitsu has become in the last decade. These scores mean literally nothing

 

[aygomyownroad]

VIII Was my favourite Final Fantasy game...

Haters wish that new FF games were as good as VIII as the whole XIII have been atrocious

 

[CrimsonCrescendo]

Really? Every preview from western sites and magazines has been quite positive. I wouldn't be surprised for 8-9 review scores.

Same thing happened with XIII-2. They ended up scoring it, on average, 1 to 2 points lower per site when the game came out. Hell, Resident Evil 6 got good press and look how that turned out. Previews are glorified advertisements in this day and age.

 

[Varth]

I always like when multiple people review a game. Magazines always did this back in the day, and it was far superior.

Heh. Wish we had the time to do that. I really don't know ho someone can truly believe all 4 of them have the same knowledge of each game with a weekly work basis. We could't afford to do that with a monthly mag even with double the staff.

 

[Frumix]

Famitsu scores telling absolutely nothing as usual aside, the hypocritical mentality of "It's FF13, it can't have good scores or the reviewers are wrong!" is absolutely hilarious.
That said, that guy who gave it a 7 was probably overwhelmed by the open world.

 

[Caronte]

They can't even pay Famitsu anymore.

Haters wish that new FF games were as good as VIII as the whole XIII have been atrocious

I agree.

 

[CosmicGroinPull]

Too many Heathens in this thread.

Y'all need some Lightning in your life.

I shall be playing this game one-handed. But I still want Toriyama gone.

 

[Mr. RHC]

They can't even pay Famitsu anymore.

This cracks me up! hahha

Well, not that scores really matter, because they are either perfect 10s which would make as much sense as 1s. But the impressions look mostly positive at least.

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

LR is the second best game featuring Lightning this year.

ARR wins once again. Cry me in a river Toriyama!