The game is going great as I type this right now I'm longing for some more game time, I'm about 21:36 hrs in and had to take a coffe break. And I do hope that XII plays a little like this. Ok gotta go now the game just called me later.............
Ffxii
- Thread starter PrinceLUDA21
- Start date
I got it on tuesday as well, and so far it's been good. The overwhelming number of unskippable cutscenes and the lack of convenient save points in the early going makes it a bit difficult if you don't have some time to set aside for the game however. Still, though I only just started the game really, I'm digging the aesthetic (metrosexual lead characters aside) and the tone of the storyline. Plus, the battle system is fast-paced and enjoyable at this time as well.
They got that over with in Final Fantasy X-2 by making all of the playable characters women. And the previously unintroduced character was a little boyish, like a female Squall.
You could always just blame Japanese pop culture. That's where it's from. How did no one get tired of space marines or hulking action hero characters, but one series consistently has a different kind of hero and everyone gets tired of it so readily?
You could always just blame Japanese pop culture. That's where it's from. How did no one get tired of space marines or hulking action hero characters, but one series consistently has a different kind of hero and everyone gets tired of it so readily?
Because we like heroes we can identify with (I know that sounds thin, but hear me out). Most of us guys want to be tough, like a Space Marine, or tres cool like Cloud. So we can identify with those characters. However, few of us are as Fey as the latest FF lead, or wish to be, so it's difficult to swallow when we play the game.
You could counter with "Why don't guys complain when they have to play as women then?" and I would say, because in that case, we are able to separate ourselves from the character, and view ourselves as the hero (instead of the character) rescuing the damsel in distress by guiding her actions. Like a god possessing a woman in order to save her from danger.
With male characters, we assume the role of the character. With female, we remain separate, but still wish to see her succeed. With the increasingly fey characters in japanese games, we do not naturally fall into either of those categories. We are forced to either become a very unmanly man (a difficult thing for a north american to do) or treat him as a woman, which raises internal, subconscious questions about our sexuality. The women we're used to saving are attractive, but this is a man, we cannot save him for the same reason.
Basically, these characters do not fit well into our Western psyches, and so we tire of them, because they are challenging to play psychologically.
You could counter with "Why don't guys complain when they have to play as women then?" and I would say, because in that case, we are able to separate ourselves from the character, and view ourselves as the hero (instead of the character) rescuing the damsel in distress by guiding her actions. Like a god possessing a woman in order to save her from danger.
With male characters, we assume the role of the character. With female, we remain separate, but still wish to see her succeed. With the increasingly fey characters in japanese games, we do not naturally fall into either of those categories. We are forced to either become a very unmanly man (a difficult thing for a north american to do) or treat him as a woman, which raises internal, subconscious questions about our sexuality. The women we're used to saving are attractive, but this is a man, we cannot save him for the same reason.
Basically, these characters do not fit well into our Western psyches, and so we tire of them, because they are challenging to play psychologically.
listereo said:
It's not just one series. It's something that's been going on since the birth of Anime and Manga. Speed Racer's scarf sure doesn't scream testosterone. Many of the recent Castlevania games feature androgynous heroes. Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil may have a tough attitude, but he looks like Leonardo DiCaprio...when he debuted on 'Growing Pains'. Raiden in Metal Gear Solid, etc. Don't you remember Rick Hunter in Robotech with his feathery hair to die for?
And I AM tired of Space Marines and Duke Nuke 'Em wannabes to an extent, along with the "Queer Eye for the RPG Guy". Doesn't mean I'll avoid playing Halo 3 or Final Fantasy XIII going forward. I'm just a bigger fan of the create-a-hero formats available in Western RPGs.
listereo said:
It's not just one series. It's something that's been going on since the birth of Anime and Manga. Speed Racer's scarf sure doesn't scream testosterone. Many of the recent Castlevania games feature androgynous heroes. Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil may have a tough attitude, but he looks like Leonardo DiCaprio...when he debuted on 'Growing Pains'. Raiden in Metal Gear Solid, etc. Don't you remember Rick Hunter in Robotech with his feathery hair to die for?
And I AM tired of Space Marines and Duke Nuke 'Em wannabes to an extent, along with the "Queer Eye for the RPG Guy". Doesn't mean I'll avoid playing Halo 3 or Final Fantasy XIII going forward. I'm just a bigger fan of the create-a-hero formats available in Western RPGs.
Still, there's a reason that Solid Snake and Sam Fisher are ALWAYS near the top in "Best Characters" lists. That aren't on stupidass Gamefaqs.
I'm not really concerned with the avatar I play as in a game as far as male, female, androgynous. It depends on the games ability at placing me in the game's world: the relationship between me as a person in the real world playing a game, me as the protagonist, and the protagonist in the game world. When I'm playing, I don't feel as if I'm 'assuming' the designated role of the main character strictly, but the closest would be first-person shooters simply because of perspective. I feel that the relationship between me, the main character, and the game is way more complex than assuming some role.
I can kind of see where you're coming from, Basil, about not being able to identify with female leads and sort of becoming a god-like figure guiding them. But, I think I had a change of heart when I played through Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. I found that I could identify more than I thought with Zoe, the female lead. She had some of the same philosophical burdens even though she was interested in fashion and stuff I have no interest in.
Scribe: Leon looking like Leonardo di Caprio was of course on purpose. Around the time RE2 was made, Baz Luhrman's Romeo + Juliet was huge in Japan I think. So it's no wonder that Leon bears di Caprio's namesake and looks, and that the other main character in RE2, Claire, is named after Claire Danes (Juliet). You might know that already of course. Anyway, Leon's look in RE4 seems about right. He looks significantly different and slightly older. As for the create-a-hero format, that's just about as hard to make work in a controlled narrative context as the mute JRPG hero, but it has way more potential.
I can kind of see where you're coming from, Basil, about not being able to identify with female leads and sort of becoming a god-like figure guiding them. But, I think I had a change of heart when I played through Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. I found that I could identify more than I thought with Zoe, the female lead. She had some of the same philosophical burdens even though she was interested in fashion and stuff I have no interest in.
Scribe: Leon looking like Leonardo di Caprio was of course on purpose. Around the time RE2 was made, Baz Luhrman's Romeo + Juliet was huge in Japan I think. So it's no wonder that Leon bears di Caprio's namesake and looks, and that the other main character in RE2, Claire, is named after Claire Danes (Juliet). You might know that already of course. Anyway, Leon's look in RE4 seems about right. He looks significantly different and slightly older. As for the create-a-hero format, that's just about as hard to make work in a controlled narrative context as the mute JRPG hero, but it has way more potential.
It's the last Final Fantasy game on the PS2, isn't it?
I've heard conflicting reports about it, like always..I heard some complaining about the load times in the game. Something like it takes five to ten seconds to load areas.
I'm waiting for GameFly to send me a rental copy; I'm hoping it won't be a disappointment.
I've heard conflicting reports about it, like always..I heard some complaining about the load times in the game. Something like it takes five to ten seconds to load areas.
I'm waiting for GameFly to send me a rental copy; I'm hoping it won't be a disappointment.
Metrosexual is the in thing now, Right? Usher, Justin, Kanye, and a few others. But it's always been there in games, I guess the future or different eras of time means metrosexual men. I have no problem with it at all, Snake is a cool ass dude, gangsta by my standards, But Tidus was my boy, Cloud looked sweet But he would kick your ass.
As you might read in the Nintedo section, I have put off getting a Wii until Christmas. So, I went out and bought myself FFXII to make myself feel better.
I'm clearly not as hard-core (read: obsessed) as Luda, as I'm only about 3.5 hrs in right now. But I'm really liking the game. I like the battle system (haven't got to the point where I can really use gambits yet. Somebody want to tell me about them?) And I agree with Scribe, the aesthetic is fantastic.
The meat of the story takes a LONG time to get to. I couldn't believe it! But so far, it's been worth it. I'm JUST at the point where Balflear and Fran have joined my party. I think the Viera are hilarious. I swear Hugh Hefner designed the race.
I'm clearly not as hard-core (read: obsessed) as Luda, as I'm only about 3.5 hrs in right now. But I'm really liking the game. I like the battle system (haven't got to the point where I can really use gambits yet. Somebody want to tell me about them?) And I agree with Scribe, the aesthetic is fantastic.
The meat of the story takes a LONG time to get to. I couldn't believe it! But so far, it's been worth it. I'm JUST at the point where Balflear and Fran have joined my party. I think the Viera are hilarious. I swear Hugh Hefner designed the race.