PS3 Fanboy

Let me be the first to say... thank God of War. Random battles are gone for good... I couldn't be happier about that. The battle and encounter systems in Final Fantasy XII were practically perfect. In fact, they were so much better than the traditional random battles that when I purchased and tried to play Dragon Quest VIII shortly thereafter I found it virtually unplayable.

This is some of the best news I've heard all day.

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Its the opposite for me. I was kind of hoping they would go back to random battles. Maybe square will do another game and give it random battles. Oh well, now I have no reason [yet] to buy a PS3.

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I dont want them to stray so much from "random battles" that it becomes an action game... and that seems to be what versus sounds like.. Personally i like the random battle...

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I would love to see some definitive in-game screens for FFXIII besides what I'm assuming is cut-scenes.

In regards to the random battles in FFXII, I thought they were wonderful. Although I'm hoping battle management (Decoy, etc) will be much more interesting and coordinated in 13.

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You LIKE random battles? You LIKE getting attacked out of thin air every few steps? "Oh hey I'll just walk on this flat piece of rock... OMFG! 8 giant monsters have appeared seemingly out of some sort of cloak of invisibility!".

As you can see, I hate random battles, I hate them with a passion. Of course, there was a time I hated them more. I remember once, back when I was first playing Final Fantasy X I ran away from so many random battles that I ended up in an area with monsters I couldn't beat, and a boss I couldn't beat. I had to delete that save data because I had dug myself into such a hole. Since I didn't fight in the battles, I couldn't level up.

Anyways... I find it difficult to believe anyone would like them, but to each their own. I loved what Final Fantasy XII did, the battles were still turn-based, but you could go after the monsters you wanted to fight, and run away from the ones you didn't. Not only is it a more accurate representation of being attacked/attacking a creature (in real life bears would never appear out of NOWHERE and attack you, seriously, there is nowhere for an enemy to hide on a flat green field)... but it's also just plain less annoying.

To be honest I don't see why you wouldn't prefer the new way of things, it's not like the battle system has changed at all, everyone still attacks in turn. The only difference now is that you don't have to battle enemies you don't want to fight every couple of steps.

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FF is basicly just grown up Pokemon. Seriously of all the exclusives that PS3 had this is the one I care least about.


Why do they keep making them? There has been 13 already.

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I don't mind seeing what I will have to fight, but please don't let them use that stupid Gambit system. FF XII virtually played itself, including all of the boss battles. All I ever had to do was get rid of status effects whenever I played. I literally talked to my brother on the phone for like an hour while fighting one of the secret bosses not touching the control even once.

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As a taditional RPG fan I am not be compelled to pick this game up, because it lacks random battles. Its too bad that designers give in to the mass ADD of the common man and turn classic RPG franchises into typical action games.

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Caedo, that's understandable, not liking the gambit system, that is. Of course, you're the first person I've ever heard say they didn't like it. But it should be included, if only because (and this goes for you especially) it's optional.

You didn't like it, that's fine, you don't have to. But if you didn't like it, why did you use it? You don't have to use any gambits at all. It is fully, 100% optional. You never have to touch the gambit system if that is your choice. But it *should* be included if only to give people the option. Don't like it? Don't use it. Do like it? Go crazy.

Saying don't put it in is like saying "I don't like swords, don't use them in the next game", but swords aren't the only weapon, you can use any other weapon you prefer, but swords should be part of the game for those that *do* want to use them.

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#2 and #6 are both total idiots.

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blasphemizer, not having random battles doesn't make the game an Action-RPG. It was as traditional as ever, the only difference is that you could CHOOSE to move around in battle and you could SEE the enemies beforehand. That's all. And this goes back to what I was saying before, choice. So you don't want to move around during battle? Then don't, it's as simple as not touching the joystick. It's fully up to you.

And at the end of the day, that's the name of the game. It's about options, giving people the *option* of using the gambit system, or moving while playing. Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to utilize the feature, especially if you don't like said features(s).

So if you choose not to use those features, the only difference becomes the ability to see an enemy before it attacks you. How is that a bad thing for traditional RPGs? It doesn't change the turn-based gameplay dynamic, it just allows you to avoid enemies you don't want to fight needlessly.

I know I'm not the only one who hated being attacked every 5 seconds when all I wanted to do was walk down a hall to get to a door. =/

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In most rights I hope that the battle system is similar to the one implemented in Mario RPG on the SNES. Enemies walk around, chase you to a degree, and upon contact the battle begins.

The only difference is that I wouldn't necessarily want to see a cut screen then be lined up standing across from one another. Instead have the game start the battle from the point you are standing, as to give advantage to attacking from the side, or sneaking up behind a creature.

I like the idea mentioned in the article regarding the creatures attacking off of different variables, rather that taking on anything which comes in it's path.

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While I liked the battle system of FFXII, I didn't like anything else about the game, so I couldn't play it for more than a few hours. "Real-time" battles are cool, but random battles don't bother me. Sure, it can lead to frustration, but it also can add a level of tension in some parts because you don't know what to expect. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

And for the record, I liked the Spirits Within. Other than the lame ending, it was a great movie. It's better than a lot of the crap we're getting fed in theaters nowadays.

I'm still excited for FFXIII. The run from X-2 to XII wasn't all that exciting, so I suspect once they get away from the medieval crap, the game will be interesting again.

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I agree with you SuicideNinja, on just about every point, mostly regarding FFXII. I loved the games mechanics, but to me, it didn't feel Final Fantasy-ish enough. It wasn't because of the story or anything, it was mostly because the attention to detail was lost in the switch from linear to this massive open world.

The small details like secrets, mini-games, a large cast of support characters, etc... all of that was lost at the cost of a fantastic new system and massive scope. But really, that's not a huge problem for me because I tend to look at XII as a stepping stone to future games.

Additionally, I also loved the Spirits Within, I just feel it shouldn't have bore the Final Fantasy name. It was a great stand alone film, but when you attach the expectations of Final Fantasy to it... it really holds it back. That's the same way I feel about FFXI, fantastic MMORPG, but it shouldn't have been number 11 in the series and instead should have been titled: "Final Fantasy Online".

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I MUST HAVE THIS GAME!!! I love Final Fantasy...it is the game that took me away from playing pc games and hooked me onto consoles. It has changed my life and consumed 1000's of hours. I am now a mole or hermit that never leaves the house...and oh, that girl is SMOKIN' HOT!

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Wonderflex, have you played FFXII? Because that's basically what you're describing in your post. I loved XII's battle system.

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@ jay

I actually haven't. It's a sad state, but I made the wrong choice the last generation and went with a 'Cube. That limited my RPG playing down to...oh...just about nothing. Now that I have a PS3 I'm hoping to get into a lot of those games I missed on the PS2.

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I thought the battle system in FFXII was the best thing to happen to RPGs. I always hated the slap in the face to realism that random battles were. Simply annoying, and it broke the immersion.

I loved the graphics engine on FFXII which was fantastic, considering everything the machine is dealing with. The swamp areas during the rains were absolutely gorgeous, and the feeling of scope of the thing was incredible.

But the characters didn't seem nearly as endearing as those of FF-X2, and I'm looking forward to playing that game again, to enjoy that atmosphere, but not looking forward to the random battles (though there's a charm that you can take off or put on to avoid this, which is great)

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Champloo's points are more valid than anything I could say in a single post. The one about choice, that is SO TRUE. I thoroughly agree.

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I don't understand the thanking God of War statement from the first comment. If its in reference to lack of random battles, you can thank Final Fantasy 11 Online. I played that for two years, I was part of Square-Enix process (of bugs/patches/fixes) to make non random FF battles work, as well as thousands of other FFXI players. Thank you FFXI.

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