Lightning Returns : Final Fantasy Fanservice

Lightning Returns : Final Fantasy XIII isn’t due to be released stateside until February of 2014. Unfortunately, it already has quite the stigma: it’s a part of the notorious Final Fantasy XIII series.

Despite the black cloud following the series, many fans have been eagerly awaiting this installment of the Fabula Nova Crystallis...

[Abriael]

Complete and utter overreaction, lined with irrationality.

The costume is completely optional. Don't like it? don't wear it. And if one thinks the Miqo'te costume is inappropriate to Lightning's image, he's been under a rock, as there are plenty more revealing ones in LR with way more outrageous poses, just a smuch as plenty chaste and stoic ones.

Also, if you're puzzled by how they'll make the crossover plausible, you didn't play either Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn's beta, because it's pretty evident, considering that dimension traveling is relevant to both lores. There's some serious homework to do here before writing opinion pieces.

And lol @ "insult". An "aspiring journalist" should learn to avoid using completely inappropriate and overblown terms.

It's a matter of *options* and as far as I remember, giving players many and varied options are a good thing, not a bad one.

[Godmars290]

The point being made is that those options not only contribute nothing to the story - the game for that matter, as far as I'm aware - they diminish prior representation of the character of Lightning. Reduce her to little more than a mannequin.

At least that seems to be the general opinion of some fans of the series who would like to see less randomness insertion in the series.

[Abriael]

Something completely optional can't "diminish" anything.

More options, by definition, are the geometrical opposite of "diminishing". They're "enriching", as they allow something to cater to different tastes.

The point being made is irrational, by people that think they should be able to dictate what others see on their own screen. But of course where there's Final Fantasy there's Godmars290 hating :D

[Shinox]

@Abriael

"XIII" wasn't Final Fantasy franchise as a whole to hate on and it wasn't even a Final Fantasy game to begin with , DEAL WITH IT .

http://youtu.be/RgWyMvfo_p8...

[Hicken]

It diminishes nothing. It's a freakin easter egg, at best. An optional costume at worst.

And people have been eagerly blowing it out of proportion, just as they've been eager to hate on LR.

[TheOneWhoIsTornApart]

@Abriael. I agree 100% with everything you said. This overreacting to this crossover is completely ridiculous.

[cleft5]

It's funny watching people overreact to this because up until now I didn't realize that so many people cared about Lightning as a character. In truth they don't, most of these "critics" are the same people saying how pointless Lightning was and how bad FF13 and 13-2 where to play.

But now that a little fan service has been thrown in for the people who have faithfully enjoyed playing the games and liked Lightning as a character, all of these people are coming out of the wood works to defend the honor of this character they didn't even like.

Square Enix created a strong female character that wasn't sexualized, the masses disliked the character and the game calling it a linear game. While also saying things like Lightning is just a female version of Cloud. Now that they add in a bit of OPTIONAL sexuality a bunch of mass media "journalists" are crying about it. The whole thing is just silly. Lightning should have been praised for being a strong female character that wasn't sexualized, instead she was ignored and hated on.

[TheOneWhoIsTornApart]

In reality Lightning wasn't hated by the masses but there is just a lot of vocal haters on the internet. She is much more popular than people think she is.

[Summons75]

I have to agree. Anything to do with the 13 saga is going to be overblown sadly. Haters are going to say it's the end times for final fantasy without even truly knowing what they are talking about and now more fans are stepping up in defense (not so much a bad thing) but then acting like one optional costume which will be buried in 80+ others destroys the entire cannon of the game.

Lightning is a good character but a couple pieces of clothes do not define her personality. They aren't changing the way she acts which is fine. If this one costume which happens to be from another final fantasy is so horrible then why was the cloud costume welcomed with open arms? That doesn't fit her personality either, it's just for fun. Ff has always had Easter eggs and references to other games so why should this be different. It's not like its advertising because ff14arr will have been out for several months. Gamers these days just seem so against fun in video games sometimes.

[DA_SHREDDER]

what would be cool is if they went back to old school turn based combat, but add stuff like changing outfits like you do in skyrim, each different item changes that specific part of your body. Instead they just keep making this crap.

[Summons75]

It's the same old atb 3-9 had just at a much faster pace. Still turn based and still just as much strategy in it as before if not a tiny bit more. Clothes in this game are acting like the relics in 6 or the materia in 7, different clothes provide different things toward your character and the way you battle. Don't like it don't play but please learn the games mechanics before bashing them.

[xxxF0XD1Exxx]

It's not so much the outfit itself that's the biggest problem. Variety is great; however, I think their reasoning for doing it is solely to appease their mmo/Japanese audience. It's like using models at a car show. Yeah, they're hot and all, but it seems like a cheap marketing tool to draw people in. I don't mind sexy Lightning at all, quite the contrary. I just don't like her being cheapened and used like an advertising prop.

[Abriael]

Their Japanese audience is their biggest one. Of course they want to appease them, and they're right in doing so.

[Ol_G]

true the west slaughtered this game when it came out why care what we think over the pond they should do what they want thats how i like their games the best

[xxxF0XD1Exxx]

BTW Yes, technically there are cross dimensional travel capabilities in both games. The problem is Lightning is already the protagonist for one series. It's hard to take a character with such a big role in a story and transplant them into another one, especially considering they're entirely different in storytelling methods. Those that don't play the MMOs are getting left out of a chunk of a crucial character's "history". So, yes, I stand behind my statement that this is catering to one crowd and leaving out the rest.

[Abriael]

No one is left out. No one prevents you from playing FFXIV. If you don't want to, it's you're decision, but you're not "left out".

[Ol_G]

@xxxF0XD1Exxx
You never played Dissidia ?
Did you hear about Project X Zone ?
Have you tried Cross Edge ?
I guess not or you wouldn't question something so stupid.
Do you think anybody cares why Mario can fight Link or why Samus can fight Snake in Smash.
Let me tell you NOBODY cares

[gamer7804]

wow... if you don't want the costume, don't download it.

who's to say sometimes people might want to get out of their shell and have some fun. Kind of like many people do at Halloween.