PSN Weekly Deals - 3/26: Huge Square Enix Game/DLC, THQ, PixelJunk, and Worms Sales!

FriskyTanuki · Mar 13, 2012

Welcome to the best thread for all of the deals on games, add-ons, and other stuff in the PlayStation Store both on and off of PSN.

Index
Current Deals
Upcoming Deals & PlayStation Plus Schedule
Bundles
Persistent PlayStation Plus Deals
Alternate Deals
Frequently Asked Questions
History of Free PlayStation Plus Games

Current Deals (Full Update Here) - Store Updates Every Tuesday, Usually Between 4-8 EST

Visit The New Web PS Store Here

Key: * - New This Week, * - Expires With Next Update, * - Permanent Price Drop, * - Cross Buy (Vita/PS3), * - Demo or Full Game Trial Available

Storewide Promo - For every $50 ($49.99 works) that you spend in any part of the PS Store that uses the PSN wallet for purchases from February 26 at 12:01 AM PST to March 31 at 11:59 PM PST, you'll get $10 back for every $50 spent around April 12, 2013 via your PSN inbox and your email. Meaning if you spend $100, you'll get $20 back and so on above that.

Bundles
BioShock Infinite & Season Pass Bundle - $79.99 **
Patapon Bundle - PSP/Vita - $14.99 -

Includes Patapon, Patapon 2, and Patapon 3

*
Sega Fight Pack - $9.99 -

Includes Fighting Vipers, Sonic the Fighters, and Virtua Fighter 2

*
Sega Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - $6.99 -

Includes ToeJam & Earl and ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron

*
Tales of Graces f: Knight Edition - $54.99 -

Full Game + 13 DLC items

*

Pre-Orders
Defiance - $59.99 - Ends 4/2

PS3
Amy - $1.99 *
Costume Quest - $7.49 ***
Darksiders II - $34.99 **
de Blob 2 - $7.49 ***
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - $9.99 **
Foosball 2012 - $4.99 - Move Compatible ***
Game of Thrones - $24.99 *
Jeopardy! - $14.99 **
Just Cause 2 - $9.99 **
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men - $7.49 **
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days - $9.99 **
Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light - $7.49 ***
MX vs. ATV: Alive - $14.99 ***
Page Chronica - $6.99 **
PixelJunk 4am - $4.99 - Move Required *
PixelJunk Eden - $4.99 **
PixelJunk Monsters - $4.99 **
PixelJunk Racers: 2nd Lap - $3.49 *
PixelJunk Shooter - $4.99 **
PixelJunk Shooter 2 - $4.99 **
PixelJunk SideScroller - $4.99 **
Red Faction: Armageddon - $9.99 ***
Red Faction: Battlegrounds - $4.99 ***
Red Faction: Guerrilla - $9.99 ***
Red Johnson's Chronicles - $3.99 ***
Sleeping Dogs - $24.99 -

Includes Retro Triad Pack, Red Envelope Pack, and Street Racer Pack

Includes Swimsuit DLC

- Ends 4/16
Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable - $29.99 *
escapeVektor - $4.99 *
Foosball 2012 - $4.99 ***
Persona 4 Golden - $29.99 *
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed - $19.99 **
Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz - $14.99 **
Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition - $14.99 *

Free Vita Games
Cliff Diving - Free
Ecolibrium - Free
Fireworks - Free
Frobisher Says! - Free
Jetpack Joyride - Free
PlayStation Home Arcade - Free -

Includes Ice Breaker, Wipeout 2D, and Scribble Shooter Demo

Abstract Art - Dynamic
Assassin's Creed Revelations - Dynamic
Cuckoo - Dynamic
Daytona USA
Double Dragon Neon - Dynamic
Dragon - Dynamic
Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit - Dynamic
The House of the Dead III - Dynamic
The House of the Dead 4 - Dynamic
I Am Alive - Dynamic
Infamous Festival of Blood - Dynamic
Jet Set Radio - Dynamic
Leap Year - Dynamic
Mesh - Dynamic
Mexican Skulls - Dynamic
PlayStation Plus - Dynamic
Robot - Dynamic
Samurai - Dynamic
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 - Dynamic
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II - Dynamic
Stripe Shift Part 2 - Dynamic
Tales from Space: About a Blob
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown - Dynamic

Avatars

I'll be filling this thread out a bit more as we go and I'll answer questions whenever I can. Feel free to provide feedback for ways to improve this thread. Thanks.

Woocls · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='wrencrest']You obviously dont know of the load times to which I am referring to. Obviously all disc based games have loading times when first booting up and at certain points during the game depending on many factors. These are expected and not an issue when they only happen here and there. What I am referring to in FF3/6 happens every minute or so since most battles dont take very long and as I said before every two steps a new battle occurs. It is incessant.[/QUOTE]
I'm playing it on my vita. I don't really feel like a single sec of load time is really that bad. It's so low on the things that I feel I could complain about it must speak volumes to the quality of the game itself that this is the problem people highlight. I can't think of a single modern RPG with a faster load time. The only difference is they give you a splash animation during the transition so you don't really notice.

wrencrest · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Woocls']I'm playing it on my vita. I don't really feel like a single sec of load time is really that bad. It's so low on the things that I feel I could complain about it must speak volumes to the quality of the game itself that this is the problem people highlight. I can't think of a single modern RPG with a faster load time. The only difference is they give you a splash animation during the transition so you don't really notice.[/QUOTE]
Ah, maybe Vita is faster loading. Also, I dont really play RPGs anymore, so if most of them have this issue now I guess it is just me.

Flowstance · Feb 8, 2013

The Vita is faster at some loading screens, but it doesn't seem to be any faster at the random load times when you try to do anything in FF6.

I had completely forgotten that it loads before and after each battle. After messing with it again for a few moments, i'd definitely skip this garbage port. CT and FF6 were so responsive at the time, and had really quick battles compared to earlier FFs. It really fuck

s up the flow of the game to have to sit through blank screens every 25-30 seconds.

Duke · Feb 8, 2013

I've haven't played any FF games extensively, but I've wanted to try one for quite awhile. I've heard great things about VII. Any recommendations on which one would be good to start with?

Luriden · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Duke']I've haven't played any FF games extensively, but I've wanted to try one for quite awhile. I've heard great things about VII. Any recommendations on which one would be good to start with?[/QUOTE]

FFVII. If you can get past the ugly (even at its time) Lego Final Fantasy graphics, it's the most easily accessible game in the series. Forget the people crying that it's overrated. The characters, storyline, battle system, and soundtrack all combine to make an unforgettable experience. I've played 3/6 through 10, all of which are great, but I'll most likely remember 7 for the rest of my life. Even though I haven't played it in 14-15 years, I still remember everything about the game as if I had just played it yesterday. I have yet to find an RPG, or ANY game I could connect with as well as that game.

It's my favorite game of all time, and yet I'm really not much of an RPG fan outside of the other FF games I played, which were all alright, just not on the same level of greatness as FF7. $5 is an absolute steal. Even though I own the original black-label copy of the game, I bought it from this sale hoping to revisit it again on the Vita.

Decker · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Duke']I've haven't played any FF games extensively, but I've wanted to try one for quite awhile. I've heard great things about VII. Any recommendations on which one would be good to start with?[/QUOTE]

Yeah, VII is great. So is IX. If you have a Vita or PSP, grab IV Complete which has a ton of content and is sprite-based graphics that don't really appear dated on a handheld.

Edzo04 · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Duke']I've haven't played any FF games extensively, but I've wanted to try one for quite awhile. I've heard great things about VII. Any recommendations on which one would be good to start with?[/QUOTE]
i personally liked IX the best even more than VII. currently playing VI and VIII on vita which both seem really good also.

affa · Feb 8, 2013

if i loved fxiii but didn't really dig fvii, which ffs would you recommend for my vita? i'm into battle systems more than story. and prefer games that don't require guides to feel like you're not doing something wrong (missables, etc).

Luriden · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='affa']if i loved fxiii but didn't really dig fvii, which ffs would you recommend for my vita? i'm into battle systems more than story. and prefer games that don't require guides to feel like you're not doing something wrong (missables, etc).[/QUOTE]

You prefer FF8, but prefer games with battle systems over storyline? I loved that game, but the battle system was a mess IMO. Try FF9 I suppose. I finished it when it first came out but don't remember much about it, apparently the battle system was MUCH more improved over FF8 though.

Jon7 · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Luriden']You prefer FF8, but prefer games with battle systems over storyline? I loved that game, but the battle system was a mess IMO. Try FF9 I suppose. I finished it when it first came out but don't remember much about it, apparently the battle system was MUCH more improved over FF8 though.[/QUOTE]

He said FF13

JJSP · Feb 8, 2013

I haven't played a FF game since VII. Debating on whether or not I should get into another.

Luriden · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Jon7']He said FF13[/QUOTE]

Ah, that he did. I don't know how I missread that, I swear I know my roman numerals.

Y2JerichoHALic55 · Feb 8, 2013

I really want to purchase Namco Museum and Noby Noby Boy, but I'm afraid that they will be offered for PS+ in the near future.

Decker · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Y2JerichoHALic55']I really want to purchase Namco Museum and Noby Noby Boy, but I'm afraid that they will be offered for PS+ in the near future.[/QUOTE]

And this is different than every other offering in the PSN Store how, exactly?

J7. · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='affa']if i loved fxiii but didn't really dig fvii, which ffs would you recommend for my vita? i'm into battle systems more than story. and prefer games that don't require guides to feel like you're not doing something wrong (missables, etc).[/QUOTE]

Chrono Cross had a great battle system. As did Vagrant Story and if I remember right Xenogears. If you're looking for a great battle system in FF, choose FF Tactics.

tylerh1701 · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Y2JerichoHALic55']I really want to purchase Namco Museum and Noby Noby Boy, but I'm afraid that they will be offered for PS+ in the near future.[/QUOTE]

I really don't think so. Maybe Namco...but I really doubt it.

mars009 · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='J7.']Chrono Cross had a great battle system. As did Vagrant Story and if I remember right Xenogears. If you're looking for a great battle system in FF, choose FF Tactics.[/QUOTE]

Man Xenogears, now that freaking combo system was totally of the hook

Josh1billion · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Luriden']You prefer FF8, but prefer games with battle systems over storyline? I loved that game, but the battle system was a mess IMO. Try FF9 I suppose. I finished it when it first came out but don't remember much about it, apparently the battle system was MUCH more improved over FF8 though.[/QUOTE]
VIII's battle system is my favorite of the series, with the junction system giving you significant freedom to build your characters in a variety of ways. Aside from the long summon animations, what did you find to be a mess with it? I know some people find drawing spells for long periods of time to be too tedious, but that's very optional and is something you'd only do if you're grinding (for spells to junction to character stats/elements/effects/resistances), which is going to be tedious in any RPG.

As for IX, the way I see it, the battle system is a very typical, classic FF battle system with one addition: learning spells/abilities from the items you have equipped. It works well, but I wouldn't really consider it an improvement over VIII-- it's mostly just a return to the old formula.

That said, I love both games.. VIII for the gameplay, and IX for the story/music/art.

[quote name='J7.']Chrono Cross had a great battle system. As did Vagrant Story and if I remember right Xenogears.[/QUOTE]
Agreed, great battle systems. I really like how they took what they started with in Xenogears (strong/medium/weak attacks) and perfected it in Chrono Cross with the addition of elements.

ricecake · Feb 8, 2013

Will buy Xenogears, once that go on sale... both FF7 and Xenogear is easily the best RPG on PS

J7. · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='FlamingXDragon']I am so confused right now. I hear some people say that the load times are horrible and some say that they are not that bad for Final Fantasy VI. I have never played FFVI and I love the 2d Final Fantasy games like I and II on my PSP. I plan on getting it to play on my PSV. And for $5 it couldn't hurt.[/QUOTE]

Just get the VC version for $8.

Woocls · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Josh1billion']VIII's battle system is my favorite of the series, with the junction system giving you significant freedom to build your characters in a variety of ways. Aside from the long summon animations, what did you find to be a mess with it? I know some people find drawing spells for long periods of time to be too tedious, but that's very optional and is something you'd only do if you're grinding (for spells to junction to character stats/elements/effects/resistances), which is going to be tedious in any RPG.[/QUOTE]
I hated the draw mechanic. It added SOOOO much grinding to the game needlessly. And the fact that if you put your best magic on stats you got weaker as fights went on if you used any of your magic. So often times you draw magic to never use. I hated it cause every new spell that opened up I'd spend forever gathering it so my characters were way over leveled and it just killed the fun for me. (I didn't make it anywhere close to finishing it last attempt.)

Kazaganthi · Feb 8, 2013

TRIPLE TRIAD in FF8! Tetra Master can go fuck

itself.

Critter Crunch for $1? Sounds very cool.

Definitely recommend Beyond Good & Evil, awesome game that deserves a sequel. Which has been teased soooo much, remember that HD-CG video of Peyj? It's been on sale for $5 previously, worth that price, but I bet it'll be lower

mars009 · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Woocls']I've been playing it on the vita and haven't had a bit of problems. Granted it has a slight load time (compared to SNES) but it's way faster than it was on the PS1 and compared to most games I've played barely existent.[/QUOTE]

Ok you guys got me. So in the end its going to be pretty much all the FF games that can be played with my Vita. Thanks for all the recommendations guys, though my wallet highly disagrees

Josh1billion · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Woocls']I hated the draw mechanic. It added SOOOO much grinding to the game needlessly. And the fact that if you put your best magic on stats you got weaker as fights went on if you used any of your magic. So often times you draw magic to never use. I hated it cause every new spell that opened up I'd spend forever gathering it so my characters were way over leveled and it just killed the fun for me. (I didn't make it anywhere close to finishing it last attempt.)[/QUOTE]
To be fair, I think both of those problems would be solved by just choosing not to draw-grind.

PancakesAreLove · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Kazaganthi']TRIPLE TRIAD in FF8! Tetra Master can go fuck

itself.

Critter Crunch for $1? Sounds very cool.

Definitely recommend Beyond Good & Evil, awesome game that deserves a sequel. Which has been teased soooo much, remember that HD-CG video of Peyj? It's been on sale for $5 previously, worth that price, but I bet it'll be lower

[/QUOTE]

I really hated Tetra Master. Triple Triad was so simple and fun but if we are talking about mini/side games, Blitzball was the best. I didn't like X that much but I played the shit out of Blitzball.

JCrichton · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Josh1billion']To be fair, I think both of those problems would be solved by just choosing not to draw-grind.

[/QUOTE]
While I agree, any game that sets itself up to be anti-grind while being a series that was always very friendly to the same concept is poor design.

Eggman · Feb 8, 2013

That's not really poor design at all. It's extremely intelligent. FF8 allows more customizability in the way you play it than any other game in the series.

And you should never be draw/storing up to 100 magic of everything anyway. The vast majority of spells that you'd use frequently (attack spells) tend to be quite weak for raising your stats. Only some like Quake/Flare/Meteor/Ultima raise stats by a ton and those are the obvious ones. Being able to break the game by instead utilizing magic refine from items and cards and even shutting off battles entirely if you see fit creates a game unlike any other.

If you can't understand that a game in a series can try to change something like that, that really isn't the game's fault. It's the player's shortsightedness.

Dahk · Feb 8, 2013

so...Guardians of Middle-earth is damn near unplayable huh?

Wait Time: 16:47 and counting...

fun game but between the wait times and the disconnects...ugh

Woocls · Feb 8, 2013

[quote name='Eggman']That's not really poor design at all. It's extremely intelligent. FF8 allows more customizability in the way you play it than any other game in the series.

And you should never be draw/storing up to 100 magic of everything anyway. The vast majority of spells that you'd use frequently (attack spells) tend to be quite weak for raising your stats. Only some like Quake/Flare/Meteor/Ultima raise stats by a ton and those are the obvious ones. Being able to break the game by instead utilizing magic refine from items and cards and even shutting off battles entirely if you see fit creates a game unlike any other.

If you can't understand that a game in a series can try to change something like that, that really isn't the game's fault. It's the player's shortsightedness.[/QUOTE]
I loved the card battle game. I don't know... it just felt like I had to spend more time grinding in 8 than any other FF game. And it wasn't even fun grinding. It was put something to sleep until I'm done drawing off it with all my characters...

eldergamer · Feb 8, 2013

I liked FF8, the taller, more mature looking version of the characters. I liked drawing spells, really liked the Triple Triad mini game.

Disliked FF9. Characters looked like odd kewpie dolls, hated building your skills based on what weapons you had. Game just felt like a re-hash.

But, the fact that the games are $5 each really makes mine (and most other people's here) opinion null and void. It's $5. Spend your money how you want.

gettinmoney662 · Feb 9, 2013

[quote name='Dahk']so...Guardians of Middle-earth is damn near unplayable huh?

Wait Time: 16:47 and counting...

fun game but between the wait times and the disconnects...ugh[/QUOTE]

I never had to wait that long, most I think was six minutes. I'm signin on to play now actually.

Royal High Knight · Feb 9, 2013

Im in for one piece and FF 8. Believe it or not, it's the only FF game I have played (aside from the first level of FF13).

JCrichton · Feb 9, 2013

[quote name='Eggman']That's not really poor design at all. It's extremely intelligent. FF8 allows more customizability in the way you play it than any other game in the series.

And you should never be draw/storing up to 100 magic of everything anyway. The vast majority of spells that you'd use frequently (attack spells) tend to be quite weak for raising your stats. Only some like Quake/Flare/Meteor/Ultima raise stats by a ton and those are the obvious ones. Being able to break the game by instead utilizing magic refine from items and cards and even shutting off battles entirely if you see fit creates a game unlike any other.

If you can't understand that a game in a series can try to change something like that, that really isn't the game's fault. It's the player's shortsightedness.[/QUOTE]
It's the game's job to be fun while also following along with general "Final Fantasy"-isms, one of which is maxing out stuff. New systems (like every PS and forward), changes, tweaks and such are par for the course and every game should at least try to bring something new to the table. However, that doesn't mean that it will be fun. And with fun being subjective your "shortsighted" comment is condescending. As if there is pure genius going on that is simply being ignored when really it was the game's fault for creating something that became a slog to some people.

Over the years I've encountered more people that just flat out stopped playing FF XIII before getting to the end than with any other PS1 era FF game. Most folks who stopped barely got to disc 4 while others just petered out during disc 3. Much of that has to do with poor design. Sometimes there is just not enough focus in that particular game to be worth the time for so little return. Which was a bad call on the part of the designers. On the whole, the game's systems just ended up eating into each other making it not fun.

My personal experience in this matter of people not finishing is certainly a small sample size but I have a feeling it's not far off the mark. Some people loved it while grinding to the end and others just threw up their hands and went on to the next game.

JCrichton · Feb 9, 2013

[quote name='eldergamer']Disliked FF9. Characters looked like odd kewpie dolls, hated building your skills based on what weapons you had. Game just felt like a re-hash.[/QUOTE]
To be fair, that was exactly what they were going for.

Pravado · Feb 9, 2013

anyone got a link to that one month of free EU ps+? it was posted the other day

just got sleeping dogs on it, want to make sure i get another code to extend it a month after it's up

MSUHitman · Feb 9, 2013

[quote name='Eggman']That's not really poor design at all. It's extremely intelligent. FF8 allows more customizability in the way you play it than any other game in the series.

And you should never be draw/storing up to 100 magic of everything anyway. The vast majority of spells that you'd use frequently (attack spells) tend to be quite weak for raising your stats. Only some like Quake/Flare/Meteor/Ultima raise stats by a ton and those are the obvious ones. Being able to break the game by instead utilizing magic refine from items and cards and even shutting off battles entirely if you see fit creates a game unlike any other.

If you can't understand that a game in a series can try to change something like that, that really isn't the game's fault. It's the player's shortsightedness.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Woocls']I loved the card battle game. I don't know... it just felt like I had to spend more time grinding in 8 than any other FF game. And it wasn't even fun grinding. It was put something to sleep until I'm done drawing off it with all my characters...[/QUOTE]

Only things I liked about 8 was the card game and the story. The card game used to be sold in EB Games, I wish I had it.

Absolutely hated the draw system.

PancakesAreLove · Feb 9, 2013

[quote name='MSUHitman']Only things I liked about 8 was the card game and the story. The card game used to be sold in EB Games, I wish I had it.

Absolutely hated the draw system.[/QUOTE]

What I really hated was that you couldn't skip the GF attack animations.

Velo214 · Feb 9, 2013

haha, not only you couldn't skip them, but they had the mechanic where you would mash to power up your gf attacks

that game got so crazy

Eggman · Feb 9, 2013

[quote name='JCrichton']It's the game's job to be fun while also following along with general "Final Fantasy"-isms, one of which is maxing out stuff. New systems (like every PS and forward), changes, tweaks and such are par for the course and every game should at least try to bring something new to the table. However, that doesn't mean that it will be fun. And with fun being subjective your "shortsighted" comment is condescending. As if there is pure genius going on that is simply being ignored when really it was the game's fault for creating something that became a slog to some people.

Over the years I've encountered more people that just flat out stopped playing FF XIII before getting to the end than with any other PS1 era FF game. Most folks who stopped barely got to disc 4 while others just petered out during disc 3. Much of that has to do with poor design. Sometimes there is just not enough focus in that particular game to be worth the time for so little return. Which was a bad call on the part of the designers. On the whole, the game's systems just ended up eating into each other making it not fun.

My personal experience in this matter of people not finishing is certainly a small sample size but I have a feeling it's not far off the mark. Some people loved it while grinding to the end and others just threw up their hands and went on to the next game.[/QUOTE]

Not one thing that you said is actually a meaningful statement. Like, you didn't say even one specific thing as to what's actually bad. And the guy who said it had a ton of grinding is just flat-out wrong as it's literally the only FF with zero grinding required for anything at all.

And it isn't the game's job to adhere to your stupid ideas as to what Final Fantasy "is." They're the creators. They tell you what the series is. You have no say in it.

thefurrypanda · Feb 9, 2013

[quote name='Eggman']Not one thing that you said is actually a meaningful statement. Like, you didn't say even one specific thing as to what's actually bad. And the guy who said it had a ton of grinding is just flat-out wrong as it's literally the only FF with zero grinding required for anything at all.

And it isn't the game's job to adhere to your stupid ideas as to what Final Fantasy "is." They're the creators. They tell you what the series is. You have no say in it.[/QUOTE]

Tell that to the dmc fanboys

gettinmoney662 · Feb 9, 2013

It's like the people who get mad at a game and call it boring because there is one OP attack you can do for the whole game and it's a cakewalk. No one is forcing you to use that attack, do something else.

PrinnyJ · Feb 9, 2013

Triple Triad was awesome...until you started spreading the random rule. Putting that in the game ruined it for me. I had all but 1 freaking card....good thing I have a full set of the RL cards (and most of the collector set that wasn't the playing cards). The first card I bought of it was the one I couldn't get in the game lol.

Also, I was going to get FFVI, but reading that the PSX version is so bad...I think I'll just track down a GBA cart of it.

affa · Feb 9, 2013

[quote name='Dahk']so...Guardians of Middle-earth is damn near unplayable huh?

Wait Time: 16:47 and counting...

fun game but between the wait times and the disconnects...ugh[/QUOTE]

odd, i auto play against 5 AI after only 2 minutes.

it's a cool game, though it does need some network love.

affa · Feb 9, 2013

[quote name='JCrichton']
Over the years I've encountered more people that just flat out stopped playing FF XIII before getting to the end than with any other PS1 era FF game. Most folks who stopped barely got to disc 4 while others just petered out during disc 3. Much of that has to do with poor design. Sometimes there is just not enough focus in that particular game to be worth the time for so little return. Which was a bad call on the part of the designers. On the whole, the game's systems just ended up eating into each other making it not fun. [/QUOTE]

FF XIII is brilliant, they just took far too long to get around to opening it all up. The slow (and linear) introduction of the battle system was certainly bad pacing, but the overall design of the battle system was fantastic in my opinion. That said, pacing is part of design, certainly. I'm not really sure what you mean by 'the game's systems just ended up eating into each other'....

It's a shame they blew the pacing so badly, though.

affa · Feb 9, 2013

[quote name='gettinmoney662']It's like the people who get mad at a game and call it boring because there is one OP attack you can do for the whole game and it's a cakewalk. No one is forcing you to use that attack, do something else.[/QUOTE]

But that's not how game design works. Rogue Galaxy is an easy example, because I recently played that -- they have a entire hunting license system built in which, in order to complete, requires massive grinding of random battles, which in turn causes you to be overpowered -- and between the grind and then being overpowered, it's hard not to burn out on the game (which is otherwise great).

Now, sure, nobody is 'forcing' anyone to complete the licenses. But the fact remains that the designers built in a system like that knowing full well a decent portion of rpg'ers are completionists and/or ocd about crap like that. And actually doing it not only breaks the game leveling wise, but is just plain busy work / boring /burn out material.

The same is true of whatever overpowered attack you might be talking about. If it's in there, from a tactical perspective you should use it. But if you use it, it breaks combat. So with this hypothetical attack of yours, i'd be pissed either way, because i'm either not using my characters correctly (avoiding using an attack) or i'm OP. That sucks, and that's bad design.

Solid design should reward solid play, not punish it.

Kanokare · Feb 9, 2013

[quote name='affa']FF XIII is brilliant, they just took far too long to get around to opening it all up. The slow (and linear) introduction of the battle system was certainly bad pacing, but the overall design of the battle system was fantastic in my opinion. That said, pacing is part of design, certainly. I'm not really sure what you mean by 'the game's systems just ended up eating into each other'....

It's a shame they blew the pacing so badly, though.[/QUOTE]

FF13 was a fine game outside of the linearity and a few melo drama like

the scene with no one checking to see if Sazh died or not

. I feel FF13-2 advanced the game and made it really well. Looking forward to LR:FF13.

JCrichton · Feb 9, 2013

[quote name='PancakesAreLove']What I really hated was that you couldn't skip the GF attack animations.[/QUOTE]That was a real killer. Probably the worst offender ever for unskippable attack stuff although VII was bad, too (Knights of the Round, anyone?). This is a good example of a poor design choice.

[quote name='Eggman']Not one thing that you said is actually a meaningful statement. Like, you didn't say even one specific thing as to what's actually bad.[/QUOTE]Then there should be nothing for you to get offended over or have a problem with.

[quote name='Eggman']And the guy who said it had a ton of grinding is just flat-out wrong as it's literally the only FF with zero grinding required for anything at all.[/QUOTE]Some people like their grinding. A FF game should allow for that to happen without penalty. Actually, every RPG should if that's the way a player wants to do it being that it wasn't an issue in the first 7 games.

[quote name='Eggman']And it isn't the game's job to adhere to your stupid ideas as to what Final Fantasy "is." They're the creators. They tell you what the series is. You have no say in it.[/QUOTE]This is a steaming load but you are entitled to your nutty opinion. A long running franchise should have a semblance of what came before it otherwise there is no reason to have it be a sequel.

[quote name='affa']FF XIII is brilliant, they just took far too long to get around to opening it all up. The slow (and linear) introduction of the battle system was certainly bad pacing, but the overall design of the battle system was fantastic in my opinion. That said, pacing is part of design, certainly. I'm not really sure what you mean by 'the game's systems just ended up eating into each other'.... [/QUOTE]Not great wording on my part.

On the whole, everything from the mini-games to the character customization to the draw system was just too much hassle. You also mentioned the pacing which is another massive problem. Takes way too long for everything get moving (even the character customization) and when it finally opens up all that customization has the fun and charm of sifting through excel spreadsheets. For some folks that can be really fun but in FFXIII's case it was simply a chore.

Add that to frustration that Triple Triad became in my game (likely my fault as I did enjoy the mini-game for a long time until the rules made it unplayable), the mega-boring GF animations which made combat a hassle and the time investment was no longer worth it since all aspects of the game came together into a slog.

[quote name='affa']It's a shame they blew the pacing so badly, though.[/QUOTE]Yup. I really wanted to like it. Always told myself I'd go back and either finish where I left off or start from the beginning and play through to the end.

Overall, I can't say it was a bad game. Objectively speaking, it was very good and I can see why people liked it. I just wasn't one of them. It had some serious issues and for every design choice made that was good and progressive (gold/items being eliminated for the sake of more story focus being a good example) there was another that made things either too complicated, boring or just too drawn out.

Graff^ · Feb 9, 2013

I'd just like to point out that JCrichton keeps typing FFXIII (13) instead of FFVIII (8), some people are responding to him about his points as they relate to VIII because they are following the context of the conversation, while others (like affa) are chiming in and posting about XIII - to which JCrichton is still responding (at length!) as though they are writing about VIII.

Anyway, carry on.

Jack_Frost · Feb 9, 2013

[quote name='ricecake']Will buy Xenogears, once that go on sale... both FF7 and Xenogear is easily the best RPG on PS[/QUOTE]

Easily the most over rated ps1 rpgs. I like FFVII, but it is indeed over rated. Play Star Ocean 2...it'll put some hair on your chest

And as far as the talk about FFVIII goes, idk how people can claim to like that game when the story is a mess.

http://squallsdead.com/

and lol at the user who likes it cause "the characters are tall and look real" lmao

johnoralex · Feb 9, 2013

I realize that this is cheapassgamer, but if you like jrpgs for the price of these games 4 6 7 8 and 9 are all worth it. Tactics is great too even though war of the lions is a much improved port. Back in the day I logged about 80 to 100 hours on tactics 4 6 7 8 9 each, heck I blew 180 hours on 10 catching all of the monsters for the training arena and maxing everyones sphere grids (10 tangent aside) I would say they all have something in them that makes their purchase worth it, but to each his own.

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