Game Discussion: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Not liking the "timed" part of game

  • Posted on 28 February 14 at 20:30
    How can this be a RPG let alone a FF game, there should never be a TIME limit to finishing a game
    Iceberg Right Ahead
  • Caayn DragonCaayn Dragon415,399
    Posted on 28 February 14 at 23:23
    Same here, don't like the time part of the game one bit. This is the first RPG were I decided to use a guide for my first playthrough thanks to the time mechanic, and I don't like that.

    My thanks go to Starlight126, Ergo Me Smart and thirtysmooth for creating their guide.
  • Posted on 28 February 14 at 23:31
    Caayn Dragon said:
    Same here, don't like the time part of the game one bit. This is the first RPG were I decided to use a guide for my first playthrough thanks to the time mechanic, and I don't like that.

    My thanks go to Starlight126, Ergo Me Smart and thirtysmooth for creating their guide.
    yea and i also hate the fight system and the items system where you can only have a maximum amount.
    Iceberg Right Ahead
  • WeisGuy9WeisGuy9776,090
    Posted on 01 March 14 at 00:04
    I was worried about this mechanic when they described it in the announcement of the game. Seems my worries were well founded. I'll probably play it anyway, but not liking the sound of it at all.
    CEO/GSSP: Not polite, patient, or politically correct.
  • Posted on 01 March 14 at 00:11
    I 100% agree, the timer makes you not enjoy the story of the game at all imo and I've been a long time fan of the Final Fantasy games.
  • Posted on 01 March 14 at 01:01
    l Jaded Eyez l said:
    I 100% agree, the timer makes you not enjoy the story of the game at all imo and I've been a long time fan of the Final Fantasy games.
    WeisGuy9 said:
    I was worried about this mechanic when they described it in the announcement of the game. Seems my worries were well founded. I'll probably play it anyway, but not liking the sound of it at all.
    Yea I just hope it's bearable
    Iceberg Right Ahead
  • ネメシスネメシス1,413,181
    Posted on 01 March 14 at 07:30
    Despite the time limit i ran out of things to do having to sleep for full days just to progress the story haha.
    http://www.youtube.com/user/ReazieTV
  • Caayn DragonCaayn Dragon415,399
    Posted on 01 March 14 at 10:25
    Iceberg082006 said:
    yea and i also hate the fight system and the items system where you can only have a maximum amount.
    SE has made some pretty weird decisions with the entire FXIII trilogy. Most of all I'm sad that they're stepping away from the turn-based combat.
    Raezie said:
    Despite the time limit i ran out of things to do having to sleep for full days just to progress the story haha.
    I can understand what SE was trying to do with the time limit, and it works somewhat as I'm feeling pressed to hurry and save everyone. But it simply doesn't work properly in a game, especially in a RPG. The time limit makes me rush the game instead of slowly strolling around looking to find out what's behind every rock.
  • misfit119misfit1191,175,027
    Posted on 02 March 14 at 00:03
    Caayn Dragon said:
    I can understand what SE was trying to do with the time limit, and it works somewhat as I'm feeling pressed to hurry and save everyone. But it simply doesn't work properly in a game, especially in a RPG. The time limit makes me rush the game instead of slowly strolling around looking to find out what's behind every rock.
    This is what happens when Square decides that instead of making new Final Fantasy games they're going to give that hack Toriyama a bunch of money to basically remake other games. FF XIII felt like, in a lot of ways, a more linear version of Digital Devil Saga but worse, XIII-2 was basically Chrono Trigger but crappier (and I like that one) and Lightning Returns is an RPG version of Majora's Mask. Although here you've traded in the rewinding time mechanic for the weird Time Magic thing I still don't fully understand.
    Looking to boost any MP achievements I don't have for any game I own.
  • djbobasdjbobas330,117
    Posted on 02 March 14 at 14:03
    I also was "scared" of time limit. I decided to play the game without any outside help anyway. I launched the game on normal difficulty. I completed each main quest during one day except for the 5th quest that I made together with 4th one. So after 4 days I completed the story, I decided to mop up the side quest and it took me another 3 days. Days 8-12 I spend in the inn because I had nothing to do. During last day I completed half of the Ultimate Lair and it took me 6 hours of in game time, during last 18 I visited every single shop to check if I bought every grab. Chronostasis is OP, maybe without it time limit would be a problem but it really isn't.
  • Posted on 02 March 14 at 16:21
    Caayn Dragon said:
    Iceberg082006 said:
    yea and i also hate the fight system and the items system where you can only have a maximum amount.
    SE has made some pretty weird decisions with the entire FXIII trilogy. Most of all I'm sad that they're stepping away from the turn-based combat.
    Raezie said:
    Despite the time limit i ran out of things to do having to sleep for full days just to progress the story haha.
    I can understand what SE was trying to do with the time limit, and it works somewhat as I'm feeling pressed to hurry and save everyone. But it simply doesn't work properly in a game, especially in a RPG. The time limit makes me rush the game instead of slowly strolling around looking to find out what's behind every rock.
    3 games, three different fighting systems and level up systems lol
    Iceberg Right Ahead
  • GeoffistophelesGeoffistopheles1,370,525
    Posted on 03 March 14 at 22:52
    As far as the time limit goes, I think they placed too much importance on the number 13. Opinion seems generally split between "I don't want a time limit, I don't want to feel rushed, this is bullshit" and "It's day 9 and I have absolutely nothing to do, this is bullshit." Chronostasis went a long way towards that; if you weren't using EP much, you could effectively fit half a day into ten minutes, and if you're fighting large scale enemies like Gurangatch or Reaver, your EP barely runs out.

    While I would've liked to see a shorter time limit and no Chronostasis as well, I think overall, a greater emphasis on New Game+ and replay value was needed. Majora's Mask had a three day time limit, but it was understood right from the beginning that you weren't supposed to do it all immediately in three days. I found the timed portion didn't matter so much once I learned that, win or lose, you'd unlock New Game+, start over and get your time back with knowledge of what to do now.
  • AllgorhythmAllgorhythm652,917
    Posted on 05 March 14 at 20:33
    DrCanadianNinja said:
    As far as the time limit goes, I think they placed too much importance on the number 13. Opinion seems generally split between "I don't want a time limit, I don't want to feel rushed, this is bullshit" and "It's day 9 and I have absolutely nothing to do, this is bullshit." Chronostasis went a long way towards that; if you weren't using EP much, you could effectively fit half a day into ten minutes, and if you're fighting large scale enemies like Gurangatch or Reaver, your EP barely runs out.
    Once you start the death game, as long as you make sure you don't finish it, you can pop over to Yusnaan and replenish your EP not to mention picking up some cash and good drops. Not counting Roadworks that doesn't become available till day 9, I finished up on the morning of the seventh day using Chronostasis almost constantly. The only reason it took that long was because Aeronite doesn't appear until then for the "What Rough Beast Slouches" side quest.
  • Posted on 05 March 14 at 23:10
    Personally I thought the time-limit worked into this game well. I never felt rushed. The time actually worked more as a tool for changing environments, rather than a strict constraint, as it could always be lengthened with chronostasis anyway. Logically, if one in game day = 1 real life hour, then the game would only allow a maximum of 14 hours, yet I played for 50 on my first run, so how is that a problem?
  • Posted on 05 March 14 at 23:46
    DarkSquall1 said:
    Personally I thought the time-limit worked into this game well. I never felt rushed. The time actually worked more as a tool for changing environments, rather than a strict constraint, as it could always be lengthened with chronostasis anyway. Logically, if one in game day = 1 real life hour, then the game would only allow a maximum of 14 hours, yet I played for 50 on my first run, so how is that a problem?
    because i like to explore and go off on my own without feeling squeezed for time, lets not forget that being in the menu and fights dont advance time so its techically longer than 14 minimum anyways
    Iceberg Right Ahead
  • Posted on 06 March 14 at 01:08
    Ok fine, but menus might account for 1 hour, and fighting, maybe 10? At most? I'm just counting encounters about the world, not bosses. Thats still another 30 hours of gameplay squeezed in. During those 30 hours, I explored every nook and cranny of the world, completed every available side quest, and collected virtually everything. I soon discovered that I was foolish having killed off some species early before getting Beggar's Beads, but you live and you learn.

    I'm not saying it's my favourite game mechanic that they have used in a Final Fantasy game, don't get me wrong, but it is far from game breaking. Obviously I can't change anybody's mind; if you don't like it, you don't like it, and that is fair. The reason that I enjoyed it overall is that the game did a good job of actually feeling that the world was coming to an end. Time ebbs away, creatures die out, and the ones that don't get stronger as you go (survival of the fittest?).

    Having said all that, my biggest problem with the game is that they didn't take full advantage of the New Game+ or hard mode. The achievements for New Game+ are jokes, you can get them all in about 1-2 hours. I would have very much liked to have seen incentives for carrying on and completing the game on hard, or fully upgrading X number of weapons/shields/accessories/abilities.
  • WeisGuy9WeisGuy9776,090
    Posted on 06 March 14 at 08:54, Edited on 06 March 14 at 08:56 by WeisGuy9
    It's not really the fact that you are, or are not, rushed by the time constraint. It's the fact that you feel rushed because of the time constraint. If you're constantly asking yourself, "Do I have time to go check out that area over there, or should I just move on?", then that is not a welcome feeling in a game like this. That's just not the right way to go about making an expansive RPG.
    CEO/GSSP: Not polite, patient, or politically correct.
  • Posted on 06 March 14 at 17:07
    Again, not looking to make a big thing here, but clearly, if there is a time constraint, this is not meant to be a fully expansive RPG. There are only 4 main maps to explore, and very few "Dungeons" in the game.

    The idea of "feeling" rushed is up to the gamer. Like I said, I never once felt rushed, because Chronostasis was always available to pause time. Therefore it is up to the individual to feel rushed. Many people on this site (including myself at times) play games as quickly as possible just for the achievements, so isn't this the same thing? Only in this game, the timer is provided by the game for story purposes.

    Like I said before, I can't change anybody's mind, but if I understood the previous comments here, you guys haven't even played the game yet. I was somewhat apprehensive about the time constraint at first too, but my fears were alleviated after only one in game day.
  • AllgorhythmAllgorhythm652,917
    Posted on 07 March 14 at 00:17
    DarkSquall1 said:
    Again, not looking to make a big thing here, but clearly, if there is a time constraint, this is not meant to be a fully expansive RPG. There are only 4 main maps to explore, and very few "Dungeons" in the game.

    The idea of "feeling" rushed is up to the gamer. Like I said, I never once felt rushed, because Chronostasis was always available to pause time. Therefore it is up to the individual to feel rushed. Many people on this site (including myself at times) play games as quickly as possible just for the achievements, so isn't this the same thing? Only in this game, the timer is provided by the game for story purposes.

    Like I said before, I can't change anybody's mind, but if I understood the previous comments here, you guys haven't even played the game yet. I was somewhat apprehensive about the time constraint at first too, but my fears were alleviated after only one in game day.
    I completely agree. I'm an incorrigible grinder and I especially like to grind in the FF XIII games that are designed to discourage grinding. I eradicated all species and did all the quests by the morning of day 7 except for the Roadworks quests that didn't become available till day 9. Like you said, the timer is just a device to illustrate the plot. Players have every opportunity to use Chronostasis to their hearts' content to prolong game play. I think I had over 87 hours of game play before I wrapped up the first play through.
  • misfit119misfit1191,175,027
    Posted on 07 March 14 at 00:34, Edited on 07 March 14 at 00:39 by misfit119
    DarkSquall1 said:
    The idea of "feeling" rushed is up to the gamer. Like I said, I never once felt rushed, because Chronostasis was always available to pause time. Therefore it is up to the individual to feel rushed. Many people on this site (including myself at times) play games as quickly as possible just for the achievements, so isn't this the same thing? Only in this game, the timer is provided by the game for story purposes.
    Honestly I think you're right. It's very much an individuals personality and gaming nature that's going to impact them here. For me the only reason Majora's Mask was bearable was because the nature of the game actively discouraged doing everything in one run until you were well into the game - part of the fun was learning how to set everything right in the time period. But here you have an actual time limit, a period to do everything you wanted to do before the game was done. I abso-fricking-lutely hate time limits in my video games. I'll be happily playing an RTS, they give me a time limit mission and I just stop. Unless the game I'm playing is one that's naturally timed (like a racing or platformer type game) it's an intensely unwelcome mechanic for a game where I like to take my time and not just spend it all either frantically doing everything in site or grinding. I spent 100 hours in FF13-2 when I could have completed the game in about 75 since I got distracted capturing monsters - I like to take my time and this goes counter to that so screw that noise.

    Although I do get that you were trying to put out a different point so that its not all negativity here and nobody buys the game. I let myself get suckered in by devils advocate stuff once before and it ended up with Lords of Shadow on my card. Never again I say!! cry

    WeisGuy9 said:
    That's just not the right way to go about making an expansive RPG.
    In all fairness I can't think of a single "expansive" RPG that hack Toriyama has ever directed. FFX-2 and 13-2 are the only ones that kind of sort of have some effort put into making them feel "big" but most of 13-2 is backtracking or revisiting the same areas with a different paint job and X-2 reuses most of the locations and almost all of the enemies from the previous game. This is the guy who loved the idea behind "Final Fantasy 13 Explorers of the Straight Line".
    Looking to boost any MP achievements I don't have for any game I own.
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