First of all, an update on me. I am still alive, as you can tell by this post. I've just been abducted by the purchase of a PSP and the Clic residential in Welshpool. I'll link you up once the article is up on Wicid/Clic.
About the PSP thing. One of the only reasons for me buying Sony's portable system is to play the older Final Fantasy games. I've only played the newer ones. Well, that's a lie, I've played the first half an hour of VIII, but it bored me to death, though these days I'm willing to give it another chance. But yeah, so far I've only played X, XII and XIII, and ever since I played X I've wanted to play them all. And expensive task, but one helped by the fact that I don't spend much anyway. Win.
Anyway, I have a problem with something, and that is mainly with the fan base of FF games. No, I don't mean the whole "my fuck, VII should get a remake and not X" and all that shit, but the VII fans need to realise that it will virtually mean creating a new game from scratch, not just tidying up the bugs and the graphics ready for the HD age. It'll probably take Square Enix under a year to do that (give or take six months), while a remake of VII will take ages. Just look at how long Versus XIII has taken, and that's not a remake.
But it's not that, it's the "shippers". At first, I have no idea what "ship" means (and I have no shame in admitting that I only found out a few months ago), other than the boat type ones. I looked into it, and I realised it means when someone pairs two characters up.
I understand why they'd pair up some characters (like in X, if someone paired up Wakka and Lulu I'd somewhat understand, considering in X-2 they were married and waiting to have a child), but not any character whatsoever.
A perfect example is in XIII, and two characters in particular - Lightning and Hope.
To those who don't know the story (and I'm going to power phrase this part, and there might be spoilers if that effects you somehow), those two characters (as well as the other playable characters in the game) are hiding from the army as they are considered fugitives. Lightning, being an ex-soldier, tells those around her that they need to press on, so she does. Hope, who is somewhat in despair due to seeing his mother die in the events leading to the party to be fugitives, wants to get stronger for his future plans, thus he heads off in Lightning's direction and meets up with her.
At first, their relationship was more civilian and soldier, with Lightning just destroying everything in site while Hope throws down some magic support. But a few chapters in, and Hope's plans didn't go to plan, and from there you can see that the relationship between Light and Hope changing, but only in a sibling manner. I mean, some people may see everything between Light and Hope in the cutscenes and think "that's proof that they are meant to be". No it doesn't. That's like saying every time someone punches Snow, that means they want to bonk his hat off.
Personally, there is nothing between Hope and Light, nothing sexual anyway. I mean, if someone actually plays the game they'd see that. At most, Light (and to an extent, Fang) is more like a mother figure to Hope than a lover. I mean, look at the scene where Hope unexpectedly summons Alexander for the first time. Who goes to his defense? Fang and Light, but not in the "we've got to save the penis, for he'll create our babies" way. They are giving him advice and confidence while preparing to fight the eidolin, not to mention that nearly everyone treats Hope differently due to his age and his situation prior to the third chapter.
Also, it makes no sense that people link Sazh and Vanille together. It seems that when people partner characters up outside of the game, they just see any time where they are together in game, and that's the case with Light-Hope and Sazh-Vanille. Those two pairings are together for the most of the game. Why? Because that's how they split up during the game, and that's no reason to partner them up sexually.
On another note, FFXIII-2 is coming soon, and I have three problems (well, one of them is if SE decide to do it that way). The first one, is Serah's costume.
I mean, look at them. Her in XIII is on the left and the right is her possibly in XIII-2.
I don't know why, but I don't really understand why they could have just modded the XIII costume up a bit. Granted, it's not a brilliantly designed costume. Personally, I'd have made the skirt slightly longer and make Serah herself slightly taller (because in the scenes with her and Snow, it makes Snow look like a pedophile). But the things that annoy me about the new costume (and animations) is that for starters, she has a choker-type thing on her neck. It just looks awful. And the way she holds her weapon (when it is in sword form), it is horrible. It's next to identical as how Cloud held his sword in VII, which is horrible too.
And while I'm on the subject, I understand why they chose the roles they did for Serah (as they are the same roles as Lightning, her sister), but I can't understand why Serah's main role is a commando. Why couldn't they spiced things up a bit by making her a saboteur or synergist? Would have made things interesting in a party with a commando already (the new guy, Noel).
And now I'm on the subject of designs, I'm going to talk about Yuna from X, and how awful I thought her design was in X-2 (and this is the same problem I have with Hope in XIII and XIII-2).
Right, same thing again. Here's Yuna in X and X-2. Her in X-2 is the more revealing one.
Now, before anyone goes on me on ranting about the clothes, I'm not. Well, I am but not as much as I will be doing where her face is concerned.
I mean, look at the left one. Now look at the right one. Now, do the same, but this time concentrate on their faces. They are supposed to be the same person (albeit with two years difference), but they look nothing alike. Yuna's face in X is more rounded than in X-2, which is much more pointier and longer in general. Surely that wouldn't happen in real life? Nobody that I've known long enough has had their face change that much. And I don't understand why they had to "slut her up". Yes, I understand there was a change between the world she lived in between X and X-2, and the attitudes of her world had changed considerably, but surely faces stay the same?
And the fact that SE made X-2 for a sequel to X makes me worry about the story for XIII-2. At the end of X, Yuna basically loses someone she loves/feels very much for (depending on the region you play), while all that seemed to be washed away as she (in one of the endings) gets her man at the end of X-2, that makes me think that SE were thinking "give the fans what they want", and at the same time basically shitting on one of the best endings I've ever witnessed in a game.
I fear that SE will bow down to the fans again, and make Lightning and Hope a couple. Please, if you're reading this Square Enix, please don't let that happen. If there is a legitimate reason or way that they somehow fall in love or something, then that's fine. But not for them to just see each other after three years and then decide that they want each other. Oh, and while you're reading this, SE, bring back Fang and Vanille. But only in a legitimate way. Thanks.
Right, that's me done on Final Fantasy for now. And if you've read all that, bravo.
In personal news, I have an EEG examination this Monday to see if there's a chance that I have epilepsy. I'll get the results during October. That should be fun.
I also begin university for the second time this week coming. I have my induction on the Thursday coming. I think that's the twenty-third or something. I don't know. Anyway, this year I shall be learning about green screen stuff and maybe some mobile technology. Win all around.
So yeah. That is it. And I know my ranting is annoying and that, but yeah, it's just what I think.
Oh, and the title to this blog is the title of the battle music of Final Fantasy XIII. It's brilliant. Have an ear-gander here. It's the long version. Win...
Fucking gorgeous, that.
- Can't think of anything witty, so I'll end this with a FIN.
