DF Retro: The Final Fantasy 13 Saga - Part 1 - The Original Game Revisited + All Ports Tested!
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- čas přidán 25. 12. 2022
- John Linneman teams up with My Life In Gaming's Marc Duddleson to re-examine the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy - every game and every version tested! In this first part, the original Final Fantasy 13 is revisited and tested on all systems up to and including the PC version with mods - and of course, the Xbox One X-enhanced rendition.
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Final fantasy 13 has some of the best music in the entire final fantasy series. I still listen to this soundtrack to this day
💪
Same with me!
Fingerbang’r jarjar doth also do unto thith ath it would be done unto hath
@@DennisMHenderson drugs are bad mkay
One thing is for sure, you can argue some FF games being underwhelming compared to others, but the music will always be great. You can never go wrong with FF music.
I feel like no video will do justice to how amazing these graphics looked in 2009... I'll never forget borrowing this game from my friend when I got my PS3 and being absolutely blown away from how different this game was compared to FF7-FF10 graphically. I'll never forget how much fun I had playing this game and watching the story unfold. I have the trilogy on my wishlist and plan on grabbing it eventually to try it out on PC with enhanced graphics, thanks for this up-to-date review!
Not mentioned in the video but has been in the comments, try looking for and setting up ff13fix mod. Helps a lot. Iirc it can also be used on 13-2 but there might be some other stuff
13 is on sale right now on steam, I bought it on Christmas and downloaded mods so It has even better models and FMVs
The pc version of XIII is quite gorgeous, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
@@DrkLugia697 is it easy to mod the game?
Anime
One thing about the linearity not touched on that I really enjoyed about FF XIII is that it’s very central to the story, and there isn’t a way to have FF XIII without it- it’s used to provide a sense of everything being decided for you, with no way to escape your fate. FF XIII came out at the height of the corridor shooter, when gameplay was all about running to the next insurmountable waist-high fence while having a cover-centric shootout.
I think the decision also provides great tension, as you’re give a small taste of freedom, but ultimately the idea is that there is no rest, no respite, you MUST continue forward and keep running.
Don't forget Story wise the Characters are On the Run from the Government, their Past Decisions for some, and their Fate for others.
So being on the Run from the Government doesn't allow you time to stop and rest at an Inn, or Go to a blacksmith for new weapons and armor. Or do side quests, like most FF games
@@chrisc9769 Yep! The one time your party gets a chance to hide in a home in the city, it goes horribly wrong.
That soundtrack though.... beautiful.
This game SHINES on PC now with tons of Ultra Graphical mods. Still stunning all these years later
"Be honest with yourself, is it really fun to talk to every NPC in every town?"
As a Trails fan, yes. Yes it is.
the music alone is worth of praise. so damn good. I started a playthrough a few weeks ago on ps3 and was kinda mind blown how amazing the game looks. it's actually staggering how artistically and technically aesthetic the game is. folks did a masterclass w ff13. I don't know how it ranks w the fan base overall but 13, 8, and 12 are my favs 🤗
Facts
The OST is one THE best ever made...
I don't like FF13-2 as much as 13 exactly because of this, the soundtrack and how much momentum the cutscenes and story had at a lot of points, being accompanied by some epic songs. It felt grand. It also still looks the part in 4k on the PC.
I revisited an old save last week and I've been hooked ever since. You're right, the game looks absolutely stunning, it's pretty insane.
The artwork in the Final Fantasy games is true art.
I am 100% here for this. I unabashedly love the entire trilogy of games. They have their warts, but I really enjoy what was there.
Same!
My condolences.
I especially like part 2, it’s time jumping aspect was magnificent, the music is some of the best and it feels a lot less linear than part 1, even that was only linear until you got to grand pulse then it was more open
Same. There are dozens of us!
Warts??
XIII is unironically one of my favourite FFs, I don´t know if it´s just me but the theme always felt like it was about bad luck, maybe because of the number 13. The main characters end up in that awful situation just for pure bad luck, Hope and his mom are probably the most clear examples and even though at first the characters try to play along, they eventually get tired of this luck decided by the gods and then we get a very JRPG story about fighting fate and god.
Square has some really underrated developers that can max out system capabilities
You don't need to put a comma, in the middle of a sentence with this structure.
Square HAD some*
@@marciamakesmusic oh ur right thanks for correcting
@@ThisIsExile91 Seriously, I think Capcom might have stolen all of them. Heck, they might have stolen a majority of the tech wizards from the rest of the Japanese games industry too lol. The RE Engine is a freaking beast
@TheRugg1999 Thanks, for the info.
I've been excited to see this ever since it was spoken about for the DFR Patreon tier!
You can tell when John's enjoying covering a game because you can hear it so clearly in his voice, having Try along for the ride is also a massive win, can't wait for part 2.
It’s so weird that you claim to know how these total strangers are feeling.
@@rav186 not really, just need a modicum of emotional intelligence
@@fuzzy8333 yes really, you people need to stop forming these parasocial relationships with youtubers, it's bizarre.
@@rav186 are you aware of the concept of "visual interpretation"?
John, you're a legend for doing this. I love you.
Honestly yes. Can't thank John enough for this amazing endeavor.
John has introduced so many games I don’t know from the past. A hero we do t deserve
It's bread!
I have been playing the ps3 version and still to this day it look beautiful.
Wow, expected to skim through this for the technical details between the different versions, ended up staying for the whole video. Good to see appreciation for it with a fresh outlook on the circumstances surrounding the time of its release
This video pumped me up to play FF13 on my steam deck
John is by far my favourite DF member I just love his work and passion. Keep going!
FF13 was the reason why I bought PS3. I enjoyed it so much and Lightning became one of my most favorites FF main character. I even bought the game twice when they released a version with japanese voice and english text.
Lightning fan here +1
Lightning is my 2nd fav FF character as well. I’m one of the few that loved FFXIII
@@XerosigmaZ Same here
I'm so glad you made this video, this is some interesting insight into one of my favorite games in the series. Can't wait for part 2 & 3
I bought a PS3 this year, just to play this game. Then, I got into the other gems that are still locked on that system. Totally worth it and way better than buying the game digitally.
Play this game on steam with mods - it's 100x times better, trust me!
MGS4 is a huge game stranded on PS3... it's amazing, if you can handle the crazy installation/loading times!
Eeeww, that must be a horrible experience! The game was under 10 dollars on steam, recently. Furthermore, with the graphical, performance and bugs fixes the mods on pc offer, this is the best option for anyone who wants to play this game now. You can go up to 4K and unlock the framerate to whatever your pc can run. And yes, you can make it match your monitor's refresh rate.
@@Alexthelion93 I get it and I usually don't defend the consoles, especially with the Fps issues of the PS3. I just thought that it would be a good thing to start collecting for PS3, as most of the exclusives are literally 2-3 dollars now, with the nice booklets that they gave you in the case. I guess I am just starting to appreciate physical more.
@@andreya3950 Well,buying ps3 just for ff 13 is kinda strange,one x version is simply the best by far.But!If you buy for mgs collection,all classic gow, infamous,resistance,killzone,drakengard than yeah.Totally worth it!
So much good quality content from DF (not that you did not have before, but i have turned on you channel so many times this year)
I always tell people in a general sense that this is my favorite FF game of all time, and still stand by it today. I loved that it focused more on storytelling and linearity from the beginning and then opened up later, that presentation always just hit right with me, and nothing about it disappointed. I completed all achievements/trophies on the PS3 and 360 versions and is one of the few games I don't regret spending 150+ hours on in my entire gaming life
this is probably the best video i've seen covering this game thanks for the great work here ! cant wait to watch the others
This was one of the more grandiose gaming experiences I've had in all my life. Image quality on PS3 was pristine, extremely clean. Thank you very much for the video.
Y'all did this justice!!! Can't wait for the other two videos for this! As a FF fan I really appreciate this! Thank you!
Fantastic content. I replayed the steam version a few years ago and was blown away by how well most of it still holds up. When Lake Bresha turns to crystal still amazes me to this day.
Now this I'd the kind of video I'm subbed for. Love listening to you talk at length about games you love, John!
Man i wish this episode was 2 hours long!! Thank you John took me back! Happy New Year to the DF Team
I remember playing FF13 on a CRT. That game was shockingly well optimised for 4:3 and SD.
So do I... I'm confused why nobody else is mentioning how you couldn't view the cutscenes on a CRT. Perhaps that was only an issue in the PAL version. I was gutted as this was my first game of that generation.
Yeah...so optimized it letterboxes to 16:9 on those displays! (at least on PS3)
Did 360 have native 4:3 support though?
FFXIII holds a DEEP place in my heart. I was in Afghanistan 2010 till i got back home in dec 2010 for 1 full year.
John Linneman does amazing work. He really does his homework for these deep dives and knows what he’s talking about on the technical side of things. He’s a gem in the gaming community. Keep up the amazing work! I’ll keep watching.
XIII is my favourite FF game! I wasn't very plugged in to the gaming community at the time I first played it, so needless to say I was super surprised when I found out how negative reactions to it were initially. Always felt like people were listing their problems with it and I was just sitting there going "Those were all things I liked about it" 😅
I probably also liked it as the first half of the game felt very similar in structure to another RPG I really liked, LOTR The Third Age (which I've now learned is basically just FFX with a LOTR skin)
i respect the fluidity in xiii and its cinematics
"I mean, be honest with yourself - is systematically talking to every NPC in every town in every game actually fun? Is it fun to then check them a second time to make sure that they don't say something different when you talk to them twice?"
Trails fans in shambles
Lol me playing Trails from Zero and blitzing through the story content only to discover I didn't have enough recipes for that chef sidequest and couldn't get enough of them in that chapter
Me playing trails, talking to everyone 3 times and still missing half the important talking...
EarthBound fans: "Yes"
Yeah it is fun
Yes, it's fun.
John is always the best at giving me videos I didn't know I wanted.
WOWWWW this is so awesome, I couldn't be happier with how great this retrospective has turned out
I can't believe I'm nostalgic for the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy, but here we are. Some of the best soundtracks in the series too.
As much as some people dislike the FF13 games I actually loved them and the series as a whole because unlike most other RPG series they don't just stick to the same gameplay mechanics in every one. Fans of long running series like this tend to get to comfortable just playing the same way in every game because they don't like change.
Can’t wait for future episodes on this. Such an amazing deep dive with so much attention to detail
Thank you, happy holidays.
"Is it really fun to talk to every NPC and then do it again to see if they have anything new to say?" As a Trails fan, yes, yes it is!
It's really the value in great character writing and in Falcom's decision to put more focus on writing/plot over other aspects of production. A good writer delivers on the promise of a truly breathing/living world you want to hang out in - and why the Trails series is so damn great versus the more bog standard NPCs in other RPGs.
This is why I want DF to cover the trails series. I do think there tune will change with npc and they will help put the trails series on the map
[Try4ce] Every comment that has responded to me saying this mentions Trails. Now I'm feeling nervous that I'm putting Trails of Cold Steel 1 on my list of games I'm committing to in 2023, hah.
Damn, that intro was soooo clean. The production quality of this entire video is through the roof.
Amazing work and great quality for the video editing. 💪 I am so excited for Part 2 and 3 of this DF Retro series for FF13.
FFXIII's soundtrack (across the trilogy) is my favourite video game soundtrack. Absolutely beautiful. The composer's use of various lietmotifs (themes tied to particular characters, in this instance) lends the entire soundtrack a coherence we rarely get in video games. Some of those variations on Lightning's Theme (especially in XIII-2 and Lightning Returns) are absolutely exquisite. Thanks for this video - DF knocks it out of the park again - and what a grand Boxing Day gift.
FFXIII's soundtrack leaves an emotional scar in your soul - you just can't get rid of it ever...
This is one of my favorite Final Fantasy games! I love that it’s backwards compatible on Xbox Series X. Awesome video!
The music is honestly one of the best game soundtracks ever, for me. It's a beautiful game in many ways.
Oh cant wait to watch! Just seeing the title made me want to finally finish up the trilogy (playing 2 and 3)
Every mainline FF game since 8 has been an absolute cluster-F behind the scenes. Literally every single one. Amazing that they keep on churning out such classics when you think about it.
I think you hit the nail on the head with what people wanted in games at the time. I've stuck up for XIII despite the flaws it has. It isn't the best FF game, it is a middle of the road FF game imo. I like it, and have done multiple playthroughs and thoroughly enjoyed it each time. It always looked great, and downloading it on steam right now and going for some of the mods mentioned.
The battle system is a bit of a gem. The game doesn't do the best job of explaining it sadly. However, if you take the time to learn it, you get so much out of it.
Glad to see some love for XIII. Also if you are someone who didn't like XIII back when it released. Give it a good faith try now, perhaps you'll have a different view on it now.
"The battle system is a bit of a gem. The game doesn't do the best job of explaining it sadly. However, if you take the time to learn it, you get so much out of it. "
The game takes several hours to let you even sue it, and a lot of it is... bad, specially the time-aspect and having the auto-option being better than any human can input most of the time during the normal story.
Gave it a try now, hoping to see if my mind would change. Still a bad experience aside from the combat system
Right? I love this game battle system, it’s actually one of my favorites. I hated how people always were like “press X and win” cause it’s absolutely not true, some bosses in the game absolutely wreck you if you don’t understand the battle mechanics.
I replayed ff13 this year. Still a great game. I really enjoyed it. Played on pc in 4k and it looked beautiful.
Its really impressive what they achieved with this game presentation-wise. It's so polished that the sequels aged significantly worse at a glance, even if they are better, more interesting games.
I don't know if they are though. I played twice through FF13 and loved every minute of it, but couldn't finish 13-2, getting lost midway in all the timehopping (plus I didn't like the two playable characters at all), and didn't even play LR, because it felt extremely off somehow, not to mention that the story had gone way off the rails at that point. It's a real shame so many people didn't "get" the original game, because it was a really special one. Up there with FFX as my favorites ^^
@@omnisemantic1 It is certainly a special game on many fronts, and my issues with the game today are actually not all linked to mechanical/design decisions (I enjoy the gameplay just fine), I just think it takes too long before the cast of characters is compelling enough for me to buy into the actual story of the game. I think it didn't "click" for me until like 15 hours of play time, and by then I can't blame anyone for having dropped it.
@@DKZK21 That's because XIII is a very linear game in general.
Linear games allow far more freedom to crank up the graphics.
And I'd argue XIII-2 looks fairly good despite the less linear gameplay.
It's Lightning Returns where the graphics took a noticeable toll.
@@Nevergofullretard321 XIII-2 does still have some really good highlights but it is a much more uneven game. The key here is consistency of the graphical fidelity, but XIII-2 and especially Lightning Returns did not receive even half of the resources the original did so its not like I'm faulting the sequels for not quite reaching the standard originally set, and I still prefer them to the original.
I agree. XIII-2 is my favorite one in the trilogy (and just one of my favorite games in the franchise period) but graphically and design wise you can pretty much see all the consequences of not having enough resources and development time xD
Amazing work here! Thanks.
II beat this game on my ps3 and then again a year later on my 360 at that moment in time! Always felt this game was woefully underrated.
Something you maybe missed: You can go past 60 fps using FF13fix and optionally DXVK.
DXVK used to cause some issues itself, but in my experience thats all in the past and bumps performance up a little bit. Or it's placebo. Either way, 60+ fps are possible.
Also FF13fix can make use of triple buffering, fixes 1440p and a couple things more.
Personally I wouldn't go past 60fps for some issues it creates, but still, FF13Fix is a crucial addition for a far more stable 60fps experience, without it if you don't have a top of the line CPU you are gonna drop below 60fps, while with it even with a modest cpu you can easily maintain 60fps.
@@fenix_tx_1342 The mod is essential even with good hardware. The PC versions of the XIII trilogy are just not very well made. Especially in the case of XIII-2.
@@Nevergofullretard321 that's why I said it's crucial, yes.
@@verver2793 The reason for the stuttering probably has to do with the weaker hardware of the Steam deck. I'm not sure if any software could fix that problem other than FF13 being reported to PC from scratch... and that will never happen. I suggest you just limit the frame rate to 30fps and you play that way.
@@verver2793 Try using bleeding edge proton. It uses dxvk 2.0 which improves performance dramatically in some games.
Dangly bits 🤭
Great work from you guys! Impressive how well the character and monsters still hold up. Some of the environments are pretty grand today too.
Thanks so much for making this. Love these games and still play them ❤ Happy New Year DF
Thank you for starting this conversation and giving the love to FFXIII. Loved all 3 of these games and looking forward to watching these videos.
Everyone’s complaints about this series of games go over my head. XIII is incredible.
I knew there was something I'd forgotten to play, and something I need to add to my Steam shopping cart before the holiday sale ends! That would be, respectively, the titular Final Fantasy 13 saga - which I do have on Steam but which I never really got stuck into for some reason; maybe this video will give me new insights on how to help it perform better! - and the Final Fantasy pixel remaster bundle, which is extremely intriguing to me I must say.
As always, love your videos, and we'll watch this in depth when I have an opportunity. Hope you've had a wonderful Christmas!
ff13fix is pretty much mandatory, but with it installed it's a great experience on pc. still one of my fav JRPGs.
Final Fantasy XIII has a special place in my heart
"Year of the PS Triple." Haha! What a year it has been, too. You gents have released some incredible videos. Thank you very much. They have been a hoot!
I love this game! So great to see it still celebrated by many.
We need that port/remaster asap
The Series X enhancement of the 360 version is a remaster. Buy the 360 version for a few bucks and play it on a Series X ;)
@@FelixS. Sadly never got an Xbox Series X, I am more a Sony/Nintendo person now
@@SpitfireSama21 Ah that’s sad to hear bro. I am also a Sony and Nintendo guy but in addition to my Switch and my PS5 I bought a Series X and I am loving it. But I can understand most people don’t want to own every console. The backwards compability is really really great though on the MS systems.
Wow! This episode is awesome, I really love FF 13, especially 13-1 and 13-2, can't wait to see the next episode. You guys are amazing
I played this game the first time it was released on PC and apart from the weird camera controls and overly convoluted story, I enjoyed this game very much. The music and visuals are still a standout, especially "Blinded by light" which is a goosebumps inducing track for me.
Beautiful deep dive! Thanks!
We need a remaster of this insanely beautyful trillogy 😫❤
XIIIs music feeling nostalgic is doubly wonderful
Oh man, that music ... if nothing else, that game had some truly amazing music
Great vid. I can tell a lot of love was put into it.
I need an HD remake of the 13 games before i die 😢.
I've loved this game ever since day 1 and still love it to this day
I love seeing Marc duddleson on this channel. His voice and delivery is great
The timing of this video being made is incredible. I just bought Crisis Core (my first FF) on switch bc I love playing good Switch ports. But today I saw FF13 on steam sale & got curious...so I searched it on CZcams & here I am!
Amazing and simple one of the best DF Retro Videos yet.
I still have the PS3 Version on my shelf, never played more then the Intro.
Time to blow the Dust from my PS3 Console!
My Life in Gaming and Digital Foundry! Name a better combination!
Peanut butter and honey. But yeah, DF and MLG are a close second.
This FF13 trilogy really shines on xbox series x 😍
Such a awesome video, thank you DF for beautiful deep dive into a truly under appreciated trilogy.
13 was one of the first games i played on ps3 and it blow my mind as a kid how realistic the skin was
Regarding talking to NPCs, yeah I actually do enjoy it (if the game's well written). NPC dialog fleshes out the worldbuilding, and some games frequently employ NPC dialog as a vehicle for humor such as Dragon Quest or Golf/Sports Story, which IMO makes it well worth the effort.
Passively overheard NPC dialog works to a degree, but I think having a balance is better than going 100% passive for all NPCs. Dragon Quest XI has the best approach... there are some NPCs that just passively muse to themselves, but there are plenty you can actually talk to. And the game gives you an inkling of what they have to say beforehand via a passively appearing dialog bubble so that you can make an informed choice for whether or not you're interested in hearing more on a case-by-case basis.
[Try4ce] Yeah there are other ways to do it. FFXII also does it well generally. But I just feel like the obligation to check a character a second time feels like not great game design because it's not making you do anything interesting to get that information. Why not have the NPC say everything they're gonna say the first time you check them? Only makes sense to me to change their dialogue if you've done something to make them say something new (fulfilled a quest objective or brought a requested item some such).
Thank you for making this video and re-examining Final Fantasy XIII! I always wondered if the Steam/PC port got fixed through modding, so I'm glad to hear that it's in great shape now! Just picked it up on the holiday sale for $8.00 and giving it another go 🔥
What a video. So many good memories when I played this game and loved it. Linear was and still is so good to me.
Didn't play this game or any of it's sequels since I didn't have a PS3 or a 360 until years later. But boy did I enjoy this video! Made me really appreciate all the work that's been put into the game. It's definitely on my have-to-play it list. Thanks, DF!
man i would love to see one of these on FFXII, that game's art direction was literally perfect
"Is systematically talking to every NPC fun?"
me, a trails player: Yes? 😅
It absolutely is, having the world evolve around you and seeing people feel more like real people with hopes, desires, goals and seeing movement in that no matter how small as the main story moves along makes the world feel alive and I wish more games would do this.
Amazing video. Thank you, John.
I’m downloading this game to play it for the first time right now. But decided to check out some reviews first and found this video. Got me even more excited to play it!
2023 and this game still holds up, especially on PC. People ironically complain like the other games aren’t 80% “attack command” or have their flaws. Oh let me guess evil empire vs small kingdom, 2 main characters meet up, fall in love, kill evil boss. The level design was definitely on the rails but others had that too, somewhat, or at least just gave the illusion of “exploration”. The story and characters grew great over the game. Not everyone’s cup of tea but the game got WAY too much hate. Nostalgia and trying to fit in with critiques for fear of being picked on...Game is great give it a try if you haven’t.
You’re correct. Most people want a generic story that’s been told over and over before.
As a nearly 40 year old that's been gaming since the 80s and played all the FF games, I'll die on the hill that ff13 got a bad wrap and is actually a really good game, yes it's different, but get over that and you'll find a great series
Funny that this video gets posted today. I was just talking with some people on a forum about wanting a remaster of these on PS4/5. I love FFXIII, I like the sequels a little less but I still enjoy them.
Digital Foundry covering PS3/360 games as "retro" content now really takes me back cuz I used to dislike em for (maybe not intentionally) fueling that console wars obsessing over graphics at the time. But now I really appreciate their in-depth coverage of tech in games.
That was a very good retrospective, it's one of my first FF and it has a special place for me, I agree with most of the criticisms with this game but I still really enjoy it, it's also one of my favourite if not my favourite FF ost, hamauzu is a fantastic composer and it's really nice that you emphasize his work in the video
I actually really like FF13. Glad to see you guys cover the trilogy! Being linear isn’t always a bad thing imo
That is so weird. I was just considering playing these. Thanks, John. Stay Retro.
Incredible job as always!
You nailed it!
As a longtime series fan, I always liked FFXIII. Its gameplay has completely different (but very good) priorities than other games in the series, and it rewards Timing so much more than its contemporaries.
I'm glad you gave FFXIII a deep, FAIR analysis.
One of the best OSTs in gaming. Love the FF 13 trilogy.
Great job as always!
Loved this game at that time and still do go this day, beautiful game
I know I'm in a minority here but i would love a remaster.
If you have a xbox series x all three games play in 4k resolution. 13 in near 4k resolution and the other two play in full 4k resolution
Thank you we needed this
Thank you for this. And yes Hamauzu is so underrated as an artist. I love his compositions.
Thanks to John and marc, this is a fantastic video!