Final Fantasy XIII $19.99 at Best Buy w/$20 RZ coupon

A

acidraine

CAGiversary!
This may have been covered in the Best Buy ad forum, but I thought it should have it's own post.

Final Fantasy XIII is on sale at Best Buy this week for $39.99.

Just like Blur last month, if you are a Rewards Zone Gamer Club member, there is a printable coupon for $20 off FFXIII; making the final price $19.99.

Still new so I can't post the link.

This may be YMMV depending on your Best Buy's coupon policy, but it's their own fault that they put out these Gamer Rewards coupons the same weeks they have in-store sales on the games. If BB management gives you guff on this, one of your responses could be that you did the same thing with Blur last month and management gave the ok.
 
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[quote name='thingsfallnapart']Here's an idea. I buy a video game because I want to have fun. If I have fun, I keep playing it. What a novel concept![/QUOTE]

Well, that's your view. Listen, fun is important but I also don't mind playing a game that's less fun so long as it tells a great story -- if you subscribe to the view that games are a form of art, then gameplay and fun aren't the only markers that make the game worthwhile.

Like artsy films or films that deal with subject matter that are less fun but worth seeing and thinking about, games move in that direction, too. There are some who think FF games are beginning to go down that road. You could also think FF is like Avatar in that it's ground-breaking for its visual splendor -- so not that fun, but still a treat for the eyes.

In other words, depending on how you view games and how narrow or broad your definition of "fun" is, people have varying reasons for buying their games.

Me? FF is the designer game -- I like to see what the "kings" of RPG put out and that's really the only reason I buy it. To see the character designs, the monster designs, the "story" design. of course, being a CAG, I refuse to pay much for it though. This however is plenty of fun for me.
 
[quote name='iGen']It is when you derail a deal topic with your irrelevant shitty opinion that no one cares about and is 100% irrelevant to the deal.

Last I checked, this was a Deal forum, not a Whine-About-Games-You-Don't-Like forum. Why don't you go to IGNorant or failchan, those places would be better fits for you.[/QUOTE]

youre a piece of shit. i wish i could somehow block all your posts.

and all the random posts i see around here about the quality of this game are the reason i havent yet bought this game.
 
Games that are "art" seem to traditionally sell poorly. I've seen more people pay cash money for Cabella's Whatever Huntever at gamestop then I see anything else. The money is in the mainstream, not appeasing a few people who won't cover the cost of production.

Just look at later this year when you can lol @ how many gun FPS shooter games are coming out. I thought it was bad in the past but now it's getting more and more diluted because FPS gun games are "safe" cash cows.
 
[quote name='ScottJ10']Hey, I believe it does that if you have an ad blocker on. I have noticed this but disabled it then I could click it.[/QUOTE]

Thanks! You were right! :D
 
[quote name='acidraine']It seems your point is stemming from your saltiness of your local Best Buy not participating in accepting their own coupon. It seems so far you are the only one that has had an issue with this (even though you are issuing past experiences and have not verified whether or not this worked for you in this given instance). My apologies for your inconvenience. Perhaps you should try a different location.[/QUOTE]

What is your point? All I was saying is the coupon is supposed to be invalid for this deal. Says so right on the coupon. So yes, if an employee knows the game is on sale and actually follows the rules as explicitly stated on the coupon, they will not accept it. Jeez, it's not that big of a deal..
 
[quote name='postulio']youre a piece of shit. i wish i could somehow block all your posts.

and all the random posts i see around here about the quality of this game are the reason i havent yet bought this game.[/QUOTE]

You can ignore particular posters if you want. Just click on their name and it's the bottom option.
 
[quote name='lordopus99']1) we could essentially have thousands of threads by the deals that Kmart or Best Buy rewardzone program offers alone. This is why I brought it up. I don't think it validates for a new thread, especially for number 2. Granted, I see you just joined June 2010 so I guess it figures :roll:
2) the game isn't that good.[/QUOTE]

You seem to be in the minority concerning whether or not this thread was warranted. There are many CAG's that did not look through the Best Buy ad or Best Buy RewardZone forums to find this deal. As long as I help at least one CAG with this thread, that's all that matters to me.

Obviously 6 pages of replies at this point proves that this particular thread was warranted. Unwarranted or unvalidated threads are on page two by the end of the day. I've only been here two months and I've figured that out. However, you've been here six years and seem to have trouble picking up on the concept.

If you feel so strongly about this post being unwarranted, I would ask you to private message every CAG that has picked up a copy of FFXIII via my thread and explain to them why you feel your opinion on thread posting is more important than their purchase.

I'm not a huge fan of putting someone's foot in their mouth in an open forum. If you would like to continue this conversation via private message, I would love to be entertained about your aspirations of being a make believe moderator.

Once again I thank you for your support and cooperation for making CAG a better place so that everyone can get a great deal on games.

I'll leave you with a quote from the exalted Wesley Snipes. Bonus points if you can name the movie.

"Some motherfuckers always trying to ice skate uphill."
 
[quote name='thingsfallnapart']Games that are "art" seem to traditionally sell poorly. I've seen more people pay cash money for Cabella's Whatever Huntever at gamestop then I see anything else. The money is in the mainstream, not appeasing a few people who won't cover the cost of production.

Just look at later this year when you can lol @ how many gun FPS shooter games are coming out. I thought it was bad in the past but now it's getting more and more diluted because FPS gun games are "safe" cash cows.[/QUOTE]

Totally agree with you. Games that go the "art" route don't sell very well or go the route of disappointment. Art though is a very subjective term. It may refer to the visual direction (the most obvious); it can also refer to the game direction or the game design. Games like Katamari Damacy have a unique visual look, sure, but its gameplay design is also a form of art, IMHO. The law seems to agree with me on this since we give copyright protection to software coding, as if it is a form of creative expression (which my friends insist it is).

So games that go for art fail, but that doesn't mean they're not worth playing. Okami and Wind Waker took visual steps, and both paid the price for it, despite critical praise and despite solid gameplay. Games like Ico and God Hand (very dissimilar, I know) gambled on unique design and gameplay -- a different kind of art -- and failed commercially on that side.

FPS games are everywhere nowadays, and it doesn't help me since I don't play them. We're probably not likely to get too many artsy games anymore, but that doesn't mean there are none. FF is starting to feel like the fading mainstream title -- sure, its impact will always be big in Japan -- but as a worldwide franchise, it's certainly starting to feel more like a cultish art game than what casuals consider a mainstream game.
 
use to code link. I just activated my card after 8 months of it just sitting in my wallet. I printed off the link that someone posted on the first page and it worked like a charm. $20 ff13!!

The hardest part was getting the check out lady to scan my print out, I think she was a little slow.
 
[quote name='romeogbs19']
LOL -- so true, so true. I always buy the FF games -- I don't even know why I do since I typically don't find JRPGs very good anymore. It's fine when the cute/craziness is deliberate ala Shadow Hearts Covenant or even Ar Tonelico. But FF tends to straddle that line of wanting to be serious but then always having some terribly bad dialogue that sounds better suited for a second rate anime or ... Ar Tonelico :p

As the graphics have gotten better along with the presentation, this problem has become more glaring. FF just doesn't stack well in the story department against a game like Mass Effect, Oblivion or Fable.

Bottomline: FF13's story was passable but the writing and delivery ... yikes. It might work in Kingdom Hearts but even the hardcore has to admit that some of those sequences were cringe-worthy.

I suppose some CAGs around here buy FF because they feel almost obligated to due to the fact that it usually remains ground-breaking every generation. Sadly, this might be the first one where FF hasn't really done that. It's a beautiful game, sure, but so are a lot of games this time around.

Back to the thread: Thanks OP for posting the deal. Like I said, I think $20 is too much for this one, but I always get the FF games eventually -- the CAG way -- I think I paid $5 for FFXII brand new ... and that's about how much it was worth to me. FFXIII is probably at the $10 mark.
[/QUOTE]

you basically just agreed with me, and then continued to whine about the game in your own way.

gg.
 
[quote name='romeogbs19']Totally agree with you. Games that go the "art" route don't sell very well or go the route of disappointment. Art though is a very subjective term. It may refer to the visual direction (the most obvious); it can also refer to the game direction or the game design. Games like Katamari Damacy have a unique visual look, sure, but its gameplay design is also a form of art, IMHO. The law seems to agree with me on this since we give copyright protection to software coding, as if it is a form of creative expression (which my friends insist it is).

So games that go for art fail, but that doesn't mean they're not worth playing. Okami and Wind Waker took visual steps, and both paid the price for it, despite critical praise and despite solid gameplay. Games like Ico and God Hand (very dissimilar, I know) gambled on unique design and gameplay -- a different kind of art -- and failed commercially on that side.

FPS games are everywhere nowadays, and it doesn't help me since I don't play them. We're probably not likely to get too many artsy games anymore, but that doesn't mean there are none. FF is starting to feel like the fading mainstream title -- sure, its impact will always be big in Japan -- but as a worldwide franchise, it's certainly starting to feel more like a cultish art game than what casuals consider a mainstream game.[/QUOTE]

Have you played Silent Hill Shattered memories? That's my favorite game from the last 3 years; but I am afraid it was so drastically different from the others the formula will disintegrate. Evey where I read people were upset about the lack of combat and enemies, but if you play the game you realize even the enemies you run from have their insignificance in the context of the story.

Their have been ok games this year I've played (that's the key term so far). God Of War 3, Dante's Inferno, Mass Effect 2, Alan Wake for the big hitters. Alan Wake was good but I have no reason to replay it. God of war 3 was a bit of a mess though and to short. Dante's inferno was good...but again to short. Mass Effect 2 had great gameplay and good story mechanics but I noticed alot of these new age games seem to suffer a similar fate.

None of these games, outside of achievements, have any real replayability. Everything is downloadable content to extend life of games. Now it's getting to the point games are getting released x percentage points done (Prinice of Persia previous, Alan Wake most recent.)

I think the industry is strangling the consumer into paying more, getting less, and it leads to more disinterest in games in general. That's everywhere in the economy though.

The reason RPG games and art games maintain their value is because you get good quality and good value from them. I can play Persona 3 for hours and get more then a dollar an hour I paid for it. God Of war 3 is done in 8 with no reason to replay. Where is the value?
 
goddammit you guys! this is 6 pages of BS, but I understand. I'm going to play this after a cig and give you a token 'stoned-cold' ;) mini review..the best there is :lol: I'll only play it for 30 mins on the PS3, enough to gauge any game on simple merits. Also, this is my first FF game, so I imagine it will be un-biased (however, I am looking very forward to it)
 
picked up mine just now. surprised that all bb near me were sold out of ps3 version so i had to drive little further. coupon worked just fine.
 
[quote name='iGen']It is when you derail a deal topic with your irrelevant shitty opinion that no one cares about and is 100% irrelevant to the deal.

Last I checked, this was a Deal forum, not a Whine-About-Games-You-Don't-Like forum. Why don't you go to IGNorant or failchan, those places would be better fits for you.[/QUOTE]

I have to agree with iGen on this: the dude comes onto the thread to b*tch about a game that others may want. "But wait, his opinion may convince others to not buy the game and blah blah blah!"

Listen, if you're clicking this thread, you're probably interested. He didn't elaborate enough to really convince you to NOT buy the game - he just said he found it boring. That's not a review; that's a troll.

He could have at least mentioned that it's a GREAT PRICE, even if the game is meh! $20 isn't bad for a brand new FF game.

(Jeez, now I wonder what he thought of the last Transformers movie..."pretty but boring!")
 
[quote name='token2k6']I'll only play it for 30 mins on the PS3, enough to gauge any game on simple merits.[/QUOTE]
30 minutes? Tell me what you think of that opening cutscene, because that's about as far as you'll get. ;)

I think I'm going to pick this up for a replay on my 360 (already beat it on PS3). This game's pretty good - it's just not great. But it's certainly not nearly as bad as people in this thread would have you believe. And it's visually stunning, just like all FFs are when they come out. Too bad the "kid" characters are so effing annoying.
 
[quote name='Magikarp830']
Listen, if you're clicking this thread, you're probably interested. He didn't elaborate enough to really convince you to NOT buy the game - he just said he found it boring. That's not a review; that's a troll.
[/QUOTE]

I don't consider that trolling. At least he said something almost-specific about it. Trolls usually just say a game sucks and leave it at that. Or they post over and over in the same thread because they have an agenda. I agree it would be far more useful to go into detail about one's criticisms though.
 
Woot...after debating between getting the 360 or PS3 version, decided to drive out a little further to get a PS3 copy. Had no problem getting the checkout person to scan my coupon in, but it did require an override to get it to apply. Be aware that two of the Best Buys near me in Downers Grove are sold out of the PS3 version now.
 
[quote name='djricekcn']If you're saying that, you should've not commented the way you replied to his post. it's a lose lose situation if you're going to put it that way. He was still talking about FFXIII, he gave his opinion, and in return, it may help other people who are thinking about buying or not buying the game, Final Fantasy XIII[/QUOTE]
I support djricekcn also tigerclaw. This game has amazing graphic but yet boring as well, u can practically press X the whole and game be done with it. He might have just saved alot of ppl $20 and that right there is a good deal.
 
[quote name='aznboovie']I support djricekcn also tigerclaw. This game has amazing graphic but yet boring as well, u can practically press X the whole and game be done with it. He might have just saved alot of ppl $20 and that right there is a good deal.[/QUOTE]

By this logic, Diablo II is the worst game ever made.
 
The game is good. For $20, it's a steal.

It's without a doubt the best console "JRPG" this generation, which really isn't saying much. But still!
 
[quote name='phantomer']picked up mine just now. surprised that all bb near me were sold out of ps3 version so i had to drive little further. coupon worked just fine.[/QUOTE]

I noticed something similar. I had checked inventory a couple of days earlier, via the online tracker, and half of the nearby stores were out of stock for the PS3. Before going in this morning, I checked again and only two stores had stock. I go in to buy my copy and end up with the last PS3 copy.

So now only one store near me has the PS3 stock while the 360 version is in stock at all my nearby stores. Seems like BB had their initial inventory and never replenished it. Either that or Squenix is getting ready to release a greatest hits version.

Oh and to clarify, I got the PS3 version using the RZ coupon. No problems at all. Looks like the bigger problem with this deal will be finding the PS3 version in stock, if that's the version you want.
 
[quote name='aznboovie']I support djricekcn also tigerclaw. This game has amazing graphic but yet boring as well, u can practically press X the whole and game be done with it. He might have just saved alot of ppl $20 and that right there is a good deal.[/QUOTE]
I was going to type something out about how the difficulty increases past "just press X" pretty early in the game when you get introduced to paradigm shifts, but then I saw you have a whopping 1% of the trophies in FF13. Did you even play past the first chapter?
 
almost in time for Entourage, thank god for DVR! anyways, with the first glimpse of the cutscenes, the graphics were amazing..when they switched to game engine controlled it was practically flawless, you could tell, but it was of little difference. I saw no graphical hiccups whatsoever, like textures loading slow, pop-in, tears, etc. The sci-fi appeal is a little out there, but I guess that is how the series goes..I got used to it pretty quick. With the first battle, I did the auto-battle but that still had me saying wtf? as like why was I fighting a robot with a sword? I couldn't figure out how to switch to the other guy..with the gun! finally got thru the mech for what seemed like 5 mins, then got the star rating. Game switches to where you are on foot and control the character. Pretty stiff moving, definitely not the best 3rd person movement I've seen..add in that you can't jump at will, only on little icons, it's weird..then you come to the first group of bad guys, slight pause, battle mode, auto-battle, over and over and over and over again..was I getting bored? perhaps, but I kept going a little further..save points are nice and come along enough to where you could play for a short sitting. Then I got to areas where I couldn't control the camera, but could still move my character, just in a different plane (?) I've never really seen a game do this, so it was again confusing as to what to think about it..

I'll definitely play it again, minor control issues aside, it really is some great eye-candy (can't believe it's 6 months old) and for $20, highly worth it. Oh and I guess it'd be appropriate to comment on the story..as short as I played it, I found nothing wrong with it..typical lets kill the guys trying to kill us to save the world.. and that damn chocobo was so cute and funny! I couldn't help but smile when it popped up on the screen..
 
[quote name='acidraine']You seem to be in the minority concerning whether or not this thread was warranted. There are many CAG's that did not look through the Best Buy ad or Best Buy RewardZone forums to find this deal. As long as I help at least one CAG with this thread, that's all that matters to me.

Obviously 6 pages of replies at this point proves that this particular thread was warranted. Unwarranted or unvalidated threads are on page two by the end of the day. I've only been here two months and I've figured that out. However, you've been here six years and seem to have trouble picking up on the concept.

If you feel so strongly about this post being unwarranted, I would ask you to private message every CAG that has picked up a copy of FFXIII via my thread and explain to them why you feel your opinion on thread posting is more important than their purchase.

I'm not a huge fan of putting someone's foot in their mouth in an open forum. If you would like to continue this conversation via private message, I would love to be entertained about your aspirations of being a make believe moderator.

Once again I thank you for your support and cooperation for making CAG a better place so that everyone can get a great deal on games.

I'll leave you with a quote from the exalted Wesley Snipes. Bonus points if you can name the movie.

"Some motherfuckers always trying to ice skate uphill."[/QUOTE]

You probably should add "after coupon" to the title in case someone excitedly sees the title of your thread and runs out to Best Buy thinking that is the price the game will scan for now. It is now in a separate thread from the RZ coupon thread after all ;)
 
[quote name='Nameless One']Sure I already own the game but at this price I'd like to check it out on the 360 as well, for posterity.[/QUOTE]


Yeah that's why I grabbed a copy of the 360 version. I figured, for $20, why not. :applause:
 
[quote name='rbarba4']

So now only one store near me has the PS3 stock while the 360 version is in stock at all my nearby stores. Seems like BB had their initial inventory and never replenished it. Either that or Squenix is getting ready to release a greatest hits version.

[/QUOTE]

It took a year for Batman to get a GOTY version; thinking FFXIII will have a new edition 4 months after release seems premature. Maybe it just didn't sell great @ BB, what with Kmart having that sale earlier on.
 
With all the hate this game gets, I feel weird for liking it. :lol: I only started Chapter 8 so I guess there's a lot of time for my opinion to change, but I figure if I'm enjoying the supposed "tutorial" part of the game, I might end up liking it till the end. I'm liking the paradigm shifts for the combat system and that my party auto-heals after battle (no more worrying if I have enough healing items to get me through to the next save point). Story isn't amazing by any means, but I guess I'm intrigued enough to see where it's going. I like that they sum up the story so far in the data logs so I can check if I missed something important.

Edit: Probably should note that I didn't really come into this game with any expectations. Don't really consider myself a big SE fan (I enjoyed FF6 and FF10 but nothing really since then) or much of a JRPG fan. So perhaps this game is a disappointment for a Final Fantasy fan, but I'm just taking it for what it is. And for the 15 hours or so I've played, I'd say the game's worth $20.
 
[quote name='Pojo']The game is good. For $20, it's a steal.

It's without a doubt the best console "JRPG" this generation, which really isn't saying much. But still![/QUOTE]

This is absolutely not the best console JRPG of this generation.

I still think this is likely worth $20.
 
people hated this game because you could have died 50 hours in fighting monsters you fought in the first hour.

basically, you had to think the entire game, and people wanted to do other things.
 
[quote name='StripesOrBars']people hated this game because you could have died 50 hours in fighting monsters you fought in the first hour.

basically, you had to think the entire game, and people wanted to do other things.[/QUOTE]


I can't tell if this is a joke post or not.
 
Jeez people, chill the fuck down. If you don't like it, that's your opinion but don't hate on those who do. For $20 this is a great deal. I'm not a huge FF fan, but at that price, I'm gonna give it another shot.
 
For a game to be the best JRPG (on forum communities), it has to be a more niche, under-the-radar title. Go into threads about Valkyria Chronicles or Resonance of Fate, and you'll largely see a near unanimous agreement that the games are superb (and a few sly shots at popular titles in comparison, of course).

If your game is titled Final Fantasy however, you can't even make a Deal thread without people telling each other that this trash isn't worth even $20. Oh and it's not just XIII, as some like to believe. Every time one of these big Square titles comes out it's the same story:

"The main character is sooo whiny!!"
"ugghh why do they all look so homo?"
"you press X and win, don't buy this game"
"zomg, group of kids save the world again? i'll pass"
"it's linear and I like Mass Effect 2, therefore you must not buy this game"
"the new battle system is soooo dumb"
"lol story was so bad, it didn't even make sense!"

We get it. You have a personal vendetta against anything called FF that doesn't resonate with the experience you had on your SNES, PSX or whatever game you chose to be the "good" one. You are the same people, with different names, every fucking year. And yet some of you will flock to praising other titles that have issues of their own -- and yet completely ignore those flaws.

So if you're not one of those people, and really do just want to "help" out other CAGs with a friendly recommendation -- how about you back up your posts in a way that doesn't sound like some child who's mad about their Christmas gifts (see poster below)?
 
[quote name='Pojo']It's without a doubt the best console "JRPG" this generation, which really isn't saying much. But still![/QUOTE]

I bought it day 1 and I think I clocked in about 20 hours max...and even then I had to force myself to play it. It's mindless button-mashing with a pretty coat of paint. I'm very disappointed with all the new changes, and oddly enough, this is coming from a person who put in at least 100 hours in FF12. This game just can't hold my interest due to the almost extreme level of battle-monotony. It just gives me a tense and faint "who gives a shit?" feeling...too hi-octane and ADD for my tastes. But I guess I'll slog through it to the end one of these days, bottle in hand.

That being said, for $20 you can eke some fun out of it. I honestly had no idea it would drop so fast.
 
I'm not generally a fan of JRPG's because of the tediousness that comes with the genre, but in FF13 there's no stupid random battles, your health fills back up after each battle, and you only control the party leader. It's basically a JRPG for people who don't like JRPGs. I loved it.
 
[quote name='KillerRamen']I really enjoyed it on the PS3. I'm thinking about picking up the 360 version just for the heck of it.[/QUOTE]


:applause:
 
[quote name='KillerRamen']I really enjoyed it on the PS3. I'm thinking about picking up the 360 version just for the heck of it.[/QUOTE]

While your at it, just for the heck of it give me 20 dollars.
 
sorry for not reading the entire posts but can we use the coupon without being a RZ member. I may get it for this price if I dont need membership. thx again for the response. Also, how can I get it if they ask for the RZ card???
 
[quote name='lakers2008']sorry for not reading the entire posts but can we use the coupon without being a RZ member. I may get it for this price if I dont need membership. thx again for the response. Also, how can I get it if they ask for the RZ card???[/QUOTE]

Sign up right there and then? It's free...
 
[quote name='KillerRamen']I really enjoyed it on the PS3. I'm thinking about picking up the 360 version just for the heck of it.[/QUOTE]
I will totally rebuy this on PS3 on the distant day when I have one. I had very mixed feelings on the campaign proper, but loved the postgame monster hunting and ended up thousanding it. It definitely has one of the deepest and most exciting battle systems in the series, and it really shines in the game's toughest encounters.
 
[quote name='Pojo']The game is good. For $20, it's a steal.

It's without a doubt the best console "JRPG" this generation, which really isn't saying much. But still![/QUOTE]

No way -- Tales of Vesperia wins this category. Though again, it isn't saying much.
 
[quote name='Thorgouge']While your at it, just for the heck of it give me 20 dollars.[/QUOTE]

That doesn't sound like fun, but replaying Final Fantasy XIII on the Xbox 360 does. :booty:
 
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