i'm probably the only one on my Flist happy about the Lightning sequel

[auronlu]

 Apparently, everyone hated the curate's egg that was XIII, or couldn't forgive XIII-2. (For various valid reasons, and yet...)

Whereas I loved the characters in XIII (and yes, the shiny graphics and battle system), and had my heartstrings yanked everywhere and all my game kinks satisfied by the mythic/epic/personal angst blend of XIII-2. I enjoyed seeing a kickass female character receive the Sephiroth over-the-top treatment (only on the side of good). Lightning's Valkyrie badassitude rocked my world. I loved XIII-2's time travel and all the bewildering paradoxes and alternate universes. I loved the CJ Cherryh style climax. I just didn't want a Tasha Yar ending. I couldn't believe, from all the heavy-handed hints about hope and sisterhood, that the saga would just end THERE. Obviously, SE has GOT to resolve the story, can't leave it like that.

All I asked for is good characters, good world, good story, and emotional punch. The long-delayed reunion between the two sisters, when OF COURSE Serah had to make a terrible choice? Third time I've cried in a video game, ever. And that sad song in the epically dark future singing about being the last child in the entire world ever born? Yes, gotcher angst right here. That whole sequence from Serah and Noel getting separated until the story dissolved into token crack epic battle with boring Big Bad was one of my favorite game arcs ever.

I like the XIII series. I know, it's not old school FF or glory days FF (although the angst, characters, and mythic overlays remind me of X). It's its own thing. I just hope to gosh they finish the Lightning game on the PS3, because I'm not sure I can justify a new console to find out how the story ends.

Comments

[mako_lies]

NO YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE EXCITED. ♥♥♥

I cannot tell you how excited I am that they're going to expand more on Lightning's story, that she's going to (hopefully) fix what happened last game, that we get more of that world and mythos and characters. I love how committed they've been to finishing Lightning's story, considering she is our first (or second, if you include Terra) female main protagonist in the series EVER and they are doing everything POSSIBLE to flesh her out, make her real, give her a fantastic story.

I seriously cannot even wait for this game to come out. I love the world, the characters, just... everything.

[cygna_hime]

LIES I am also happy as hell!!!

Everything about this sequence of games is just SO GOOD! I mean, even if it didn't also have this impressively detailed world and history and mythology going on, even if the characters didn't keep claiming my heart and then stomping on it, even if bittersweet triumph weren't my jam (you can tell an FFX fan by...), these are games about women, about the relationships between women, and when have we ever had that?

I feel like people who want any FF to be like any other FF kind of miss the point of the series. Final Fantasy runs a lot of risks and hits a lot of speedbumps, but one thing they don't do is make the same game twice.

[thene]

FFXIII was a game about women. FFXIII-2 was a game about fridging women.

My favourite game about women is Metal Gear Ac!d, fwiw.

[thene]

I have trepidations. XIII-2 didn't do very much for me, and from what they've said about it being an actiony game it could be another Dirge of Cerberus waiting to happen. Really, though, XIII-2 just killed my faith in the direction of the story - by the end it seemed to be clearly shifting from being All About The Girls to leaving Noel, Hope and Snow framing the end of the story. I want it to work, I don't like feeling this way - I adore XIII ridiculously much. I just don't trust SE to do anything good with the XIIIverse's sicknasty trollsoul any more.

[lassarina]

I'm excited but wary, for the reasons thene mentions.

But I really do want more Lightning.