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Basically the city of Midgar is on a plate, the upper world, where the wealthy reside. While beneath it is the slums, ridden with poverty and land barely habitable due to the eight Mako reactors harvesting energy from the planet. I guess the definition of plate can be loose sometimes, even planet Earth itself is made of tectonic 'plates'. The pipes and conducts visible from the slums are seemingly a network of water and electricity conduits for the city above.
You can see from this model of Midgar that the plate sectors are supported by the outside reactors and Sector 0 in the middle. It is said that Sector 6 never finished construction. I imagine the slums underneath must be living hell. >_<
You can see from this model of Midgar that the plate sectors are supported by the outside reactors and Sector 0 in the middle. It is said that Sector 6 never finished construction. I imagine the slums underneath must be living hell. >_<
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[spoiler]Oh and this is how you insert spoiler tags.[/spoiler]
I'm fairly certain the slums are on ground level while the plate above blocks out the sun like a ceiling. Crisis Core gives you the best idea of what Midgar is like as parts of the game are based in the slums and on the plate. Plus it has better GRAFIX and all that.
For the first one, I think she was wondering if the slums were within the plate with the top layer acting as the ceiling. But the second she said is correct yes.
For the first one, I think she was wondering if the slums were within the plate with the top layer acting as the ceiling. But the second she said is correct yes.
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Sapientia
yeah Midgar really embodies the seperation of society in different classes and how the rich built their lives literally on top of the poor. You could say Midgar might be one of the biggest and most critical social commentaries ever done in the FF series.
In some ways FF XIII echoed that a bit with the Pulse/Cocoon seperation of society. You have the "low lifes and savages" (according to the Sanctum who can be definitely seen as the new version of ShinRa) on Pulse while all the worthy people get to live high above them on Coccoon, which like the upper plate in Midgar was built to give the worthy people a place where they can live high above the lowlifes.
I think in XIII they take that even to a different extreme with the Sanctum making sure that the citizens of Coccoon are downright afraid of Pulse and view it as something vile and infectious. Almost like a disease.
btw has anyone ever wondered why there are basically only two actual ShinRa ruled cities in FF VII? They are supposed to be this huge superpower that rules the world after winning the war but their actual "realm" is rather small.
In some ways FF XIII echoed that a bit with the Pulse/Cocoon seperation of society. You have the "low lifes and savages" (according to the Sanctum who can be definitely seen as the new version of ShinRa) on Pulse while all the worthy people get to live high above them on Coccoon, which like the upper plate in Midgar was built to give the worthy people a place where they can live high above the lowlifes.
I think in XIII they take that even to a different extreme with the Sanctum making sure that the citizens of Coccoon are downright afraid of Pulse and view it as something vile and infectious. Almost like a disease.
btw has anyone ever wondered why there are basically only two actual ShinRa ruled cities in FF VII? They are supposed to be this huge superpower that rules the world after winning the war but their actual "realm" is rather small.
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Sapientia
The Romaji is Kisutisu, so it would be close to "Kees-tiss" or "Kiss-tiss", I think.
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Leon Aether
oh yeah the famous pronouncing of FF names before there was voice acting 
for years I always pronounced Sephiroth literally as Sepirot (thats how you would read it in german) instead of Sefiroth (how do you write the pronunciation of "th" ?).
In germany (where I live) they actually changed some of the english names:
Zell = Xell
Seifer = Cifer
Adel = Adell
Matron = Mama
Ultimecia = Artemisia
Dagger = Lili
Amarand = Mahagon
Baku = Bark
Jecht = Jekkt
Fayth = Asthra
Summoner ( in X) = Medium
Thats one of several reasons why I only play games in english.
for years I always pronounced Sephiroth literally as Sepirot (thats how you would read it in german) instead of Sefiroth (how do you write the pronunciation of "th" ?).
In germany (where I live) they actually changed some of the english names:
Zell = Xell
Seifer = Cifer
Adel = Adell
Matron = Mama
Ultimecia = Artemisia
Dagger = Lili
Amarand = Mahagon
Baku = Bark
Jecht = Jekkt
Fayth = Asthra
Summoner ( in X) = Medium
Thats one of several reasons why I only play games in english.
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Leon Aether and Sapientia
Interesting names. I'm always curious how they name characters in other countries. I'm also always curious about how they translate accents through dialogue in other languages, too. You know how the dwarves of Conde Petie in FFIX ("Rally-ho!") were written with Scottish-like accents? Well, I always wondered how they changed it for French or German, or whatever.
I like "Lili" for Dagger. The name "Dagger" always seemed so silly to me. "Oh, look I've picked up the first thing I saw. I'mma call myself that."
I like "Lili" for Dagger. The name "Dagger" always seemed so silly to me. "Oh, look I've picked up the first thing I saw. I'mma call myself that."
the dwarves of Conde Petie always say "Cheerioh!" in the german version. Actually SE really made some huge effort to make the german version of FF IX very unique.
Garnet chooses the name "Lili" because the dagger she sees in the german version is a "Liliendolch" (Lilydagger, Lily is a flower)
Quina is adding to everything she says "Mampf" in the german version. "Mampfen" is german slang for eating very heartily.
Marcus is always adding "und so" (roughly translated "and all") to everything he says.
Ruby is speaking with Berlin dialect (a specific dialect that is used by people born in the german capital berlin), while Cinna is speaking with bavarian dialect (which is extremely funny). they also often use german phrases and sayings.
For instance when Zidane is asked if he is tired he can either say that he wants to go to bed or that he isnt tired. The answer that he isnt tired says "Bin noch fit wie ne Galosche" ("Still as fit as a Galosche"). "like a Galosche" is a german saying. And there is lots of that stuff in FF IX. The translators were really inventive and creative with that one even though I prefer the english version by principle since I play, read and watch anything in english. Just a personal preference of mine.
Garnet chooses the name "Lili" because the dagger she sees in the german version is a "Liliendolch" (Lilydagger, Lily is a flower)
Quina is adding to everything she says "Mampf" in the german version. "Mampfen" is german slang for eating very heartily.
Marcus is always adding "und so" (roughly translated "and all") to everything he says.
Ruby is speaking with Berlin dialect (a specific dialect that is used by people born in the german capital berlin), while Cinna is speaking with bavarian dialect (which is extremely funny). they also often use german phrases and sayings.
For instance when Zidane is asked if he is tired he can either say that he wants to go to bed or that he isnt tired. The answer that he isnt tired says "Bin noch fit wie ne Galosche" ("Still as fit as a Galosche"). "like a Galosche" is a german saying. And there is lots of that stuff in FF IX. The translators were really inventive and creative with that one even though I prefer the english version by principle since I play, read and watch anything in english. Just a personal preference of mine.
@Sapientia:
I havent played XIII-2 in over a year so I could be wrong but maybe its because the Dying World stuff takes place hundreds of years in the future and caius hasnt travelled back in time yet, therefore killing him doesnt kill Etro yet.
But well the Paradox endings are non-canon anyway in my opinion and just "what if" scenarios. To be honest the story of XIII-2 was very confusing and convoluted anyway so I wouldnt be too surprised if it contradicts itself and doesnt make sense in some places. Time Travel is always a very slippery slope for logic
I had once completed XIII-2 100 % and platinumed it but then my PS3 broke down and all my data was lost. So when I got a new PS3 in summer 2012, I started the game from scratch but after I completed about the half of all chapters 100 % I got distracted with other games that came out and somehow I havent played XIII-2 ever since. So I am in the middle of a XIII-2 playthrough which is on hold for almost year now. Getting back into it right in the middle might be a little difficult but I think I´ll continue that soon. I also never played certain DLCs (since they came out after I lost my first PS3) such as the Snow DLC or some of the Coliseum battles like typoon, Gilgamesh, Valfodr (which I hear is immensely difficult) etc. The last coliseum battle I completed was Jiihl. And since I am nowhere near a condition in my current playthrough where I can take on the coliseum, I never got around to fight those aforementioned monsters yet.
A fun thing to do was to beat the Lightning DLC with 5 stars during the first episode. Because that gives you Valhalla Lightning from the start and once I reached the Archylte Steppe I farmed items to max her out completely as my monster commando. After that every battle became so ridiculously easy haha. Valhalla Lightning kills every enemy before I can even perform any action with Serah lol. And the boss battles become MUCH easier and faster too. Of course that makes the game too easy but its a lot of fun and I invested a lot of patience and energy into getting Valhalla Lightning so early in the game. Beating Chaos Bahamut (in the DLC) with 5 stars is a bitch. But so worth it.
I havent played XIII-2 in over a year so I could be wrong but maybe its because the Dying World stuff takes place hundreds of years in the future and caius hasnt travelled back in time yet, therefore killing him doesnt kill Etro yet.
But well the Paradox endings are non-canon anyway in my opinion and just "what if" scenarios. To be honest the story of XIII-2 was very confusing and convoluted anyway so I wouldnt be too surprised if it contradicts itself and doesnt make sense in some places. Time Travel is always a very slippery slope for logic
I had once completed XIII-2 100 % and platinumed it but then my PS3 broke down and all my data was lost. So when I got a new PS3 in summer 2012, I started the game from scratch but after I completed about the half of all chapters 100 % I got distracted with other games that came out and somehow I havent played XIII-2 ever since. So I am in the middle of a XIII-2 playthrough which is on hold for almost year now. Getting back into it right in the middle might be a little difficult but I think I´ll continue that soon. I also never played certain DLCs (since they came out after I lost my first PS3) such as the Snow DLC or some of the Coliseum battles like typoon, Gilgamesh, Valfodr (which I hear is immensely difficult) etc. The last coliseum battle I completed was Jiihl. And since I am nowhere near a condition in my current playthrough where I can take on the coliseum, I never got around to fight those aforementioned monsters yet.
A fun thing to do was to beat the Lightning DLC with 5 stars during the first episode. Because that gives you Valhalla Lightning from the start and once I reached the Archylte Steppe I farmed items to max her out completely as my monster commando. After that every battle became so ridiculously easy haha. Valhalla Lightning kills every enemy before I can even perform any action with Serah lol. And the boss battles become MUCH easier and faster too. Of course that makes the game too easy but its a lot of fun and I invested a lot of patience and energy into getting Valhalla Lightning so early in the game. Beating Chaos Bahamut (in the DLC) with 5 stars is a bitch. But so worth it.
I dont know. Especially in the middle part the story keeps getting more and more confusing and then at the end its always straightened out by "Hey its a paradox!" That is not very exciting storytelling.
I am not one of the XIII haters as you can easily see with my avatar. I really like FF XIII and I thought that XIII-2 was definitely not a bad game either. In terms of gameplay and player freedom XIII-2 is actually way superior to XIII and it feels more versatile and fluid.
however my big gripe with XIII-2 is characters and story. Compared to XIII, the characters are downright lame. Okay not FF XII-lame (FF XII is a great RPG but the characters really are some of the worst in FF history except maybe Ashe and Fran) but they are really dull for a FF game. Nothing like the in my opinion great cast in XIII. To have the characters from XIII featured only briefly in XIII-2 (particularly Lightning who is the heart of that series. The best story moments in XIII-2 are the ones featuring her) was a really bad decision as well.
And the story of XIII-2 was really dragging and especially in the middle part was bordering on downright boredom. No tension, no big emotion, no epic scale. There was a review on RPGsite back then who REALLY summed it up when they wrote that FF XIII-2 has the potential for many epic and iconic moments but then it doesnt deliver in these moments and just lets them pass. Thats EXACTLY how I felt about it too.
Say what you want about FF XIII but that game had an epic scale and really big, iconic moments. FF XIII-2 was completely lacking that scale and that epicness. Just compare it to things in XIII like the Attack on Eden or the Palamecia stuff. The action in XIII was on a whole different level.
Granted XIII-2 begins with an opener that is probably my most favorite FF opening ever. That attack of Caius and his battle with Lightning in Valhalla was AWESOME. Now that was really huge and epic. Unfortunately once Noel and Serah leave New Bodhum that level of grandeur and magic vanishes almost completely and makes way for a confusing, flat drag of a story.
the middle part is the worst, that was the first time ever in a FF game where it became straining for me to continue playing. I never had that before with a FF game. In that phase only the great gameplay and design kept me going.
This thankfully then changed massively again once you reach the Dying World. From that point on the story soared to heights again. When Lightning arrives to explain it all to Serah and then the final battle in Valhalla, not to mention that kick ass shocker of a Finale that literally punched me in the gut and rendered me speechless and really made me incredibly emotional - thats what I want from a FF game.
But an amazing Beginning and fantastic 3rd act isnt enough. So bringing back Lightning as the main character and bringing in the main cast from XIII again in greater roles and make everything bigger, grander, darker, more epic with a completely new world and dive into the mythology (which is one of the best things about XIII) and gameplay was definitely the right choice in my opinion. the XIII/Lightning-haters sneer at Lightning Returns in prejudice and contempt but I am massively looking forward to it since I believe it has the potential to really deliver that emotion and epic scale again that XIII had and at the same time give us all the stuff we missed in XIII in terms of a great explorable world, player freedom, classic RPg elements, tons of sidequests and challenges etc.
I think LR will be a really proper finale and with Lightning back at the steering wheel I think it will be much more exciting then XIII-2 was and not make it hard for me again to stay through a story that just drags along in boredom for a good chunk of the game.
I am not one of the XIII haters as you can easily see with my avatar. I really like FF XIII and I thought that XIII-2 was definitely not a bad game either. In terms of gameplay and player freedom XIII-2 is actually way superior to XIII and it feels more versatile and fluid.
however my big gripe with XIII-2 is characters and story. Compared to XIII, the characters are downright lame. Okay not FF XII-lame (FF XII is a great RPG but the characters really are some of the worst in FF history except maybe Ashe and Fran) but they are really dull for a FF game. Nothing like the in my opinion great cast in XIII. To have the characters from XIII featured only briefly in XIII-2 (particularly Lightning who is the heart of that series. The best story moments in XIII-2 are the ones featuring her) was a really bad decision as well.
And the story of XIII-2 was really dragging and especially in the middle part was bordering on downright boredom. No tension, no big emotion, no epic scale. There was a review on RPGsite back then who REALLY summed it up when they wrote that FF XIII-2 has the potential for many epic and iconic moments but then it doesnt deliver in these moments and just lets them pass. Thats EXACTLY how I felt about it too.
Say what you want about FF XIII but that game had an epic scale and really big, iconic moments. FF XIII-2 was completely lacking that scale and that epicness. Just compare it to things in XIII like the Attack on Eden or the Palamecia stuff. The action in XIII was on a whole different level.
Granted XIII-2 begins with an opener that is probably my most favorite FF opening ever. That attack of Caius and his battle with Lightning in Valhalla was AWESOME. Now that was really huge and epic. Unfortunately once Noel and Serah leave New Bodhum that level of grandeur and magic vanishes almost completely and makes way for a confusing, flat drag of a story.
the middle part is the worst, that was the first time ever in a FF game where it became straining for me to continue playing. I never had that before with a FF game. In that phase only the great gameplay and design kept me going.
This thankfully then changed massively again once you reach the Dying World. From that point on the story soared to heights again. When Lightning arrives to explain it all to Serah and then the final battle in Valhalla, not to mention that kick ass shocker of a Finale that literally punched me in the gut and rendered me speechless and really made me incredibly emotional - thats what I want from a FF game.
But an amazing Beginning and fantastic 3rd act isnt enough. So bringing back Lightning as the main character and bringing in the main cast from XIII again in greater roles and make everything bigger, grander, darker, more epic with a completely new world and dive into the mythology (which is one of the best things about XIII) and gameplay was definitely the right choice in my opinion. the XIII/Lightning-haters sneer at Lightning Returns in prejudice and contempt but I am massively looking forward to it since I believe it has the potential to really deliver that emotion and epic scale again that XIII had and at the same time give us all the stuff we missed in XIII in terms of a great explorable world, player freedom, classic RPg elements, tons of sidequests and challenges etc.
I think LR will be a really proper finale and with Lightning back at the steering wheel I think it will be much more exciting then XIII-2 was and not make it hard for me again to stay through a story that just drags along in boredom for a good chunk of the game.
The story of XIII gets a lot deeper if you read all the datalog stuff. That whole mythology with the gods Bhunivelze, Lindsei and Etro and their creation of Fal cie, Pulse etc. is just huge and complex and it definitely changes a lot of things when playing FF XIII. During my 2nd XIII-playthrough I experienced things in a much bigger and more intense way because of all the knowledge of the mythology I had, you start to see things differently and see connections where you didnt see anything before. it makes it far more epic and deeper then it would be if you would just go casually through the game.
FF XIII just has a depht and epic scale that is way above XIII-2. Not just environments or anything like that but the interwoven stories of the characters, the huge epic action, the stakes, the tension, the emotions - its everything that XIII-2 sadly is not. The only time XIII-2 ever comes close to that level is in the fantastic opening and in the ending.
But well, Final Fantasy X beats them both out of the water anyway (or any other game for that matter^^)
FF XIII just has a depht and epic scale that is way above XIII-2. Not just environments or anything like that but the interwoven stories of the characters, the huge epic action, the stakes, the tension, the emotions - its everything that XIII-2 sadly is not. The only time XIII-2 ever comes close to that level is in the fantastic opening and in the ending.
But well, Final Fantasy X beats them both out of the water anyway (or any other game for that matter^^)