FFXIII-2 Receives Perfect Score, But Without Sazh?

Two interesting pieces of news from Japan today, and both relate to Final Fantasy XIII-2.

As reported by Andriasang, Dengeki PlayStation has awarded the hotly anticipated sequel a perfect score: an S rating, which tops A, B, etc.

That's newsworthy enough, but there's another piece of info that will disappoint fans of the character Sazh. Although he was a playable character in FFXIII and definitely part of the main quest, it appears he will not be involved in the sequel. The translation is- "Final Fantasy XIII-2 will continue after release, so look forward to later." Hence, maybe Sazh will come back in the form of downloadable content.

Personally, I never used Sazh just because I never use characters with guns in my RPGs (unless I'm forced). It's just because I'm a sword 'n staff purist when it comes to fantasy RPGs and in my eyes, guns have no place in such an environment. It's why I experimented with every character in FFVII besides Barrett. Well, besides Barrett and Cait Sith...the other thing I can't abide is luck-based characters. Blech.

Related Game(s): Final Fantasy XIII-2

Tags: final fantasy xiii 2, ffxiii2, final fantasy xiii-2, ffxiii, sazh, final fantasy xiii

12/6/2011 9:47:57 AM Ben Dutka

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Comments (63 posts)

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godsman
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 10:06:47 AM
Reply

Not to be racist, I heard from many sites that Sazh was an attempt for Square Enix to cater to Western audience. Maybe this is their way of winning back their core fan base.

Sazh is one of my favorite characters because he is the only one that has some realistic emotions. Other characters are either trying to look/act cool or more anime/manga-like. This is probably why Sazh doesn't fit in with the rest of the group. he doesn't fit into the "fantasy".

6 up, 0 down

Excelsior1
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 12:48:56 PM

I'm not saying that isn't true, but Barrett was a black playable character all the way back in Final Fantasy 7.

Last edited by Excelsior1 on 12/6/2011 12:52:05 PM

4 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 1:55:01 PM

Yea given Barret in FFVII, them using Sazh to cater to westerners doesn't make sense.

1 up, 1 down

reryan
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 3:25:23 PM

Sazh is a very human, believable character whereas Barrett is a caricature and a stereotype in the vein of Mr. T. Not saying that is necessarily a bad thing, I like Barrett, but comparing Barrett and Sazh as representations of black characters in RPGs is kind of like apples and oranges. Sazh is a complex character who can't be compartmentalized and that may make some people uncomfortable.

2 up, 0 down

Underdog15
Thursday, December 08, 2011 @ 10:40:27 AM

@reryan
You're looking into too much with Sahz and finding things that do not exist. Every single one of his motivations were identical to -SOME- Barret's (widower, trusty gun, cares for only child, must save the world despite wanting to settle down in peace, betrayed by government) . Barret's personality is completely explained beyond the stereotype, if you were to be educated enough in the story.

Neither are particularly strong characters. They both play support roles to the rest of the cast, and neither are strong enough to stand on their own. Neither of them have a strong enough story to follow exclusively. That fact alone is enough for my point. It's the step:1 of evaluating strong characters.

Can they stand on their own through their own narrative beyond the one important event in their lives? Or is their entire character built upon one solitary fact about themselves?

Barret at least has a deep past and is burdened emotionally by his own appearance, desperately depressed that he has such a violent appearance. (It's why he changed his gun arm before Advent Children to look more like a real arm.) He barely feels gentle enough to take care of Marlene.

Perhaps you feel that his dialogue lends itself to a stereotypical portrayal, but the plot lines that guide his story are well laid out, his motivation is deep enough through various life occurrences (not just one), and his character is so honest, that he is the sort of character that has been SHAPED into what he is now. And the audience has the tools to see it.

The best part about Barret is that very little of his development is actually spoon-fed to the audience.

Almost all of these theatrically measurable facts are absent for Sahz. By definition, he is not a strong character. Most of his character is a collage of blanks that are filled in by the assumptions of the audience... Assumptions which have no foundation of experience.

In other words, I disagree.

Last edited by Underdog15 on 12/8/2011 10:41:26 AM

0 up, 0 down

Condemnedsoul23
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 10:08:35 AM
Reply

Wonder if this will be as long as part 1. I'm going to give it a try either way.

4 up, 1 down

Temjin001
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 10:54:40 AM
Reply

I liked Sazh. I don't think he made it into my ulitimate party at the end because, if I remember right, he wasn't a master of any one role.

I'm game for XIII-2, no doubt. Always love all of the work that goes into presenting Final Fantasies, even if the franchise's design has seen some changes.

Last edited by Temjin001 on 12/6/2011 10:55:03 AM

2 up, 1 down

cLoudou
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 11:17:31 AM
Reply

WTH! FFXIII-3 better be all about Sazh.

1 up, 1 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 12:26:10 PM

They'll bring him back for that i bet

0 up, 0 down

Akuma07
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 3:58:08 PM

They are saving him for their next FF installment....

FF: Cool Black Dude

It has been created specifically with western audiences in mind, and will involve Sazh running around a city doing various quests and stealing peoples cars, all while he is trying to make a name for himself in the city.

0 up, 1 down

Pandacastro
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 4:22:04 PM

There not making FFXIII-3. It was a defensive measure by Square enix USA. Square enix japan didn't knew about it.

1 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 7:09:54 PM

defense against who?

0 up, 0 down

Pandacastro
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 9:02:48 PM

The article didn't said who.
http://andriasang.com/comz6p/ffxiii3_domain_name/

0 up, 0 down

Ultimadesires
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 11:29:23 AM
Reply

This is really sad, Sazh was a great character in XIII, okay their were a few racial stereotypes but I found his motive in search for his child one of the strongest of the cast.

I have no moral issue with using characters with guns in RPGs, Heck I used Balthier all teh way through XII as he was the only character I liked within the game.

XIII-2 getting a perfect reivew score, What this Dengeki give the 1st game? It would be interesting if they get XIII an avarage-good review and then give this a perfect review score.

As I have said I am looking forward to XIII-2, I really enjoyed XIII and am hoping this time they will show the depth the world has to offer in the story rather than the datalog.

My main issue I have with XIII-2 is Serah, I still cannot see her being lead role material, Noel seems like a side character aswell, So I just dont know what to think of it yet, no doubt I'll be picking it up day one in Feb though.

Last edited by Ultimadesires on 12/6/2011 11:29:57 AM

1 up, 0 down

duomaxwell007
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 11:30:22 AM
Reply

that sucked I liked him. though i only used him for the harder bounties that required his abilities.. but if hes not in 13-2 i hope they at least explain his absences

0 up, 0 down

Ultimadesires
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 11:38:19 AM

So is he completely missing or is he just not playable as a character, I would settle for an appearance at least.

0 up, 0 down

johnld
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 4:52:42 PM

well, he doesnt seem to have anything to do anymore. he got what he wanted and hes not really a significant figure to lightning.

1 up, 0 down

Riku994
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 11:34:28 AM
Reply

Sazh and Fang are the only characters I can stand in FF13 >_>
Also lawl@SE always making black people use guns. Good ol' family racism...

3 up, 2 down

Neo_Aeon666
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 2:49:34 PM

I do not agree. It is not a racist move. Look at the american culture.

Where do you think gangsta rap comes from? A white shrimp? Heck no. Look at our culture. The black people themselves enforce the image of a tough black guy with a gun having his way in life and stuff. Yes not all of them are like that. But the in the famous black people... 50cents, 2pac, snoopdog, SHAFT lol and many more.

We are used to seeing bad ass black guys with guns in music videos and on TV. Why would using this stereotype be any kind of racism??? Yes its a stereotype but it is not racist.

As soon as people talk about black people or use them in a game there are always comments like that lol. What about all those white people or chinese/asian guyz! Always so skinny in games and looking like girls (asian game guys). Why is that not racist? I bet beefed up japanese people are tired of being represented by them! ... NO lol they dont give a crap.

My point is we always make a fuss for black people without reason just because they are black. I think that *that action* in itself is racist.

0 up, 4 down

Riku994
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 3:19:10 PM

I was moreso making a joke/family guy reference, but Ok :/

0 up, 0 down

Excelsior1
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 4:03:35 PM

Knock it off guys. That baby Chocobo needed a home. :)

3 up, 0 down

Neo_Aeon666
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 4:26:42 PM

lol sry guess I over-reacted. Been seing alot of that stuff recently xD jumped the gun a lil.

0 up, 0 down

Riku994
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 5:18:47 PM

It's alright, I half expected negative backlash from my comment anyway :P

0 up, 0 down

Fabi
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 5:48:20 PM

50 cents... hehe

2 up, 0 down

CrusaderForever
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 12:03:02 PM
Reply

I am actually going through FFXIII right now! I am loving it! It is so different than FFVII that's for sure. The production values are in the atmosphere they are so high. Vanille is annoying but that's ok. Lightning is a great character. I like Sazh, that sucks he isn't in XIII-2. Oh well, so my February and probably March will consist of FFXIII-2 and Kingdoms of Amalur! What a great couple of months of gaming!

3 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 12:24:19 PM
Reply

Sazh turned out great despite my early skepticism, but Ben you HAD to be him since they chose the party leaders.

Anyway, happy to hear about that perfect score too, looking forward to whatever the game turns out to be, even if it isn't FF like I want it to be.

2 up, 0 down

Highlander
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 12:27:46 PM
Reply

So, like FFXIII, this looks to be a great game for those that like the new genre. But, is it an RPG? Is it a JRPG? Above all is it a FF JRPG?

That's what some fans are waiting to find out.

2 up, 3 down

Jawknee
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 2:01:23 PM

At this point I don't care. I'm through with Final Fantasy XIII. Even if this is FFVII reincarnated, Hammer Pants ruined it for me.

1 up, 1 down

dillonthebunny
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 12:44:06 PM
Reply

anyone know if this will be another corridor RPG or will it start like FFIV finished in a more open world scene?

0 up, 0 down

Excelsior1
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 1:06:45 PM

It will in fact be more open. The killtubes/corridors are history. I also heard you can swap out characters mid battle, and that the paridigm shifts have been improved so you no longer take any damage while shifting paridigms.

The last time I checked you had no choice but to play as Sazh in FF13 at times.

Last edited by Excelsior1 on 12/6/2011 1:09:31 PM

1 up, 0 down

saintaqua
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 12:52:01 PM
Reply

Sazh was a strong character due to the storyline around his son, but as a playable character he wasn't so good.
I can see why he won't be in XIII-2 though. Give the man a break and let him have some peace time with his kid. :)

0 up, 0 down

Underdog15
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 1:13:48 PM
Reply

He was sort of the G-rated version of Barret. Which wasn't all that interesting, anyways.

0 up, 1 down

Jawknee
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 1:59:49 PM

Agreed.

0 up, 1 down

Yukian
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 1:15:51 PM
Reply

Are "S" scores in that magazine rare? I don't know anything about Dengeki...

And not having Sazh on the sequel is a big let down... he was the most human sounding character of all. :/

0 up, 0 down

Underdog15
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 1:40:15 PM

I don't know any human that talks like him. Nor do I know anyone who has animals living in their hair. I appreciated the family man side of him, however.

But you know... if I was in a life or death situation... I wouldn't be trying to shoot the enemy by shooting from behind my head so often.

1 up, 1 down

mike rlz
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 1:19:44 PM
Reply

Not a gun fan either.... Oops I got shot a few times. Lost a little health. lol

0 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 1:38:54 PM

I just pretend that in JRPGs they are primitive guns that don't work like ours and the bullets just batter the enemy.

0 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 1:37:54 PM
Reply

Claire, ahem Lightning, had a gun too... just sayin'.

4 up, 0 down

johnld
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 5:00:41 PM

i loved squall's gunblade more, you can actually fire a round while slashing.

3 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 7:11:00 PM

yeah that was cool.

0 up, 0 down

Ultimadesires
Wednesday, December 07, 2011 @ 6:59:55 AM

I don't remember Squall ever using th gun part of the gunblade... other than the handle.

0 up, 0 down

Zen_Zarab
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 1:42:00 PM
Reply

Well, got no reason to at least try FF13-2 now.

0 up, 0 down

xXxSeTTriPxXx
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 1:45:20 PM
Reply

i used Sazh a lot, as he was the best synergist and was the first to get the best buffs (haste alone made him a main stay in my party).

1 up, 1 down

Jawknee
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 1:57:16 PM
Reply

"I never used Sazh just because I never use characters with guns in my RPGs (unless I'm forced)."

I never used him either though it wasn't because of the guns.

Balthier> Vicent> Barret> Sazh.

1 up, 1 down

Underdog15
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 5:33:00 PM

Even Balthier didn't have to use a gun, though. You could give him a staff or samurai sword if you wanted to.

1 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 7:38:33 PM

Yea but he started with a gun and was best suited for projectile weapons. They were his strong point of you will.

0 up, 1 down

Alienange
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 2:25:56 PM
Reply

I wasn't aware Andriasang was accepting bribes.

0 up, 6 down

johnld
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 4:57:29 PM
Reply

perfect score..... doesnt matter to me anymore. i know it wont be final fantasy anyway. i'll wait to a price drop, a big one. i just cant stand stories left without seeing the end. i'm borrowing modern warfare 3 for that reason.

i think the only reason i used sazh was to fight the giant cactuar. thats because he kept backing up when he attacked making him out of the cactuars range. had at least one medic with all spells and beaten him no problem.

0 up, 1 down

Teddie9
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 5:06:03 PM
Reply

For the little time I played the game Sazh and Fang were the only characters that I cared for. I guess a perfect score is a good thing though - maybe this one can work some of that ff magic.

1 up, 0 down

Warrior Poet
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 5:13:48 PM
Reply

I don't know if racism in the anime/manga aesthetic exists. I mean, almost all anime figures are white even though they're usually supposed to be Japanese people.

2 up, 0 down

main_event05
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 8:50:39 PM

What the Dragon Ball Arc where Goku takes on the Red Ribbon Army for the 1st time. The number 2 guy under Dr. Gero was a black guy simply named, "Black Assistant". He was pretty much a stereo-typical character, Huge lips, dark skin, ebonics, etc.

0 up, 0 down

Wissam
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 5:44:45 PM
Reply

So does that means its better than the first one ?
I don't care about the character.

0 up, 0 down

main_event05
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 8:51:47 PM
Reply

As a black guy, I don't see taking him out of the game racist. Having never attempted to finish FF13, there is prolly good reason.

0 up, 0 down

bentl78
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 @ 10:00:37 PM
Reply

keeping my fingers crossed this game will actually blow everyone away and be the REAL ff 13 that everyone wanted in the first place. really looking forward to this.

0 up, 0 down

___________
Wednesday, December 07, 2011 @ 3:30:00 AM
Reply

so DLC for DLC?
sigh, only $E thats all i can say, only $E.....

2 up, 0 down

Ludakriss
Wednesday, December 07, 2011 @ 6:29:22 AM
Reply

PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THIS COMMENT. I REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THINK. Especially World Ends With Me, Excelcior, Ben and countless others who keep commenting in a smart way.

I know might sound lame. I just wanted to point something out that I don't think I have seen in comments before regarding FF13 and the likes related to the topic.

So. I know you've seen plenty of "this is going to turn into COD" comments. However, how many of you actually thought of a terrible or (for easier word) unsettling possibility of that concept realizing?

Please remember what happens at the end of every battle. You get rated with stars. Now. You strive for those start not only for the trophy but for an emphasized feeling of accomplishment, right?

You play COD. You kill 3 people without dying. What do you get? STREAKS! Yes. That's how much a leap it is.

Now think of these titles, please. Battlefield vs. Call of Duty. One - BF, no streaks. You die - might even laugh sometimes. Why? No streaks. You're not forced to play GREAT to achieve a good result. Now.

Call of Duty? You don't get streaks? - you get frustrated. You don't finnish, interruption of a (supposed) flow of game, because it is CRITICAL to the gameplay. It's SPEED.

Now. You might say it's bleak and a very faint point at best if at all. But. You play final fantasy previous installments and you're not forced to play great but you would anyway, for time allowed it.

You play current, latest installment and all of a sudden, time is of much MORE of the essance than needed, to enjoy a Final Fantasy game. To get those 5 stars, to beat that enemy, to go through with an un-interrupted Paradigm Shift is all of a sudden more of a challenge, for time, is not on your side.

This is a very much not an ANTI FF opinion. It's something I though of and I would like the forementioned individuals to come through with their opinion on this.

Am I onto something here? Did I miss a comment just like this?

1 up, 1 down

Ultimadesires
Wednesday, December 07, 2011 @ 7:06:35 AM

To Be honest, I never understood the battle rating system in XIII, The only time I cared for it was when you had to get a 5-star rating on all of the cieth stone missions.

It suprises me that many seem upset due to XIII's battle system being fast and not letting you pause to select your attacks. XII had the animation pause for this and it looked terrible. I for one got so used to it I could flick between the menus at such a pace. But as I said the focus of XIII's battle is more being on the right paradigm at the right time. You'd never beat the Final Mission without understanding that. I found myself using more buffs and Debuffs in XIII than any other FF game, there was a structure to the combat which I just found fresh and exciting.

0 up, 0 down

Underdog15
Wednesday, December 07, 2011 @ 10:01:03 AM

I found FFXIII to be overly-simplistic. 5 stars is based solely on the amount of time it takes to win a battle. Nothing else. I 5-stared the final battle in my first attempt.

As for other FF's, I always used buffs and debuffs, so that's just a play style thing.

0 up, 0 down

Ludakriss
Thursday, December 08, 2011 @ 4:16:40 AM

Well. Fair enough. I probably made it out o be a bigger deal than needed. Thanks for coming back on this thoguh. Peace.

0 up, 0 down

kokoro
Thursday, December 08, 2011 @ 12:28:43 AM
Reply

Meh

0 up, 0 down

Gravelight
Thursday, December 08, 2011 @ 8:45:04 PM
Reply

Sazh sucked anyways, bring back Barret!

1 up, 0 down

maggosh
Friday, December 09, 2011 @ 5:49:10 PM
Reply

You guys do realize that by suggesting Sazh's - not Sahz, who is that? - exclusion is racist, you're being racist yourselves, right?

Also, buck up, OP.

0 up, 0 down

Jaylynn
Saturday, December 10, 2011 @ 12:11:58 AM
Reply

What!? No Sazh!? That's just great, just cut out the black man.

0 up, 0 down

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FFXIII-2 Receives Perfect Score, But Without Sazh?

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