** NO SPOILERS **
So due to financial issues as of late as well as not really being caught up in the hype, I decided not to pre-order Final Fantasy XIII. However, at some point in the days leading up to the release my desire for a new PS3 game got the better of me, so I ended up hopping on a bus and heading down to ASDA at midnight on Monday (Or I guess technically Tuesday?) to pick up a copy. There's been an extremely mixed reaction to this game, which I guess isn't completely out of the norm when it comes to the Final Fantasy saga but I figured I would throw my opinion in there.
I've been playing the game quite religiously over the last 2 or 3 days and have racked up roughly 16 hours if memory serves. Long story short, I am really enjoying this game so far. Bearing in mind, I'm not even half way through the story yet so I'm in no position to give it a rating, let alone a review -- However I do feel as though I've put in enough time to address some of the most frequent complaints I've been hearing from fans as well as critics. Although I really do like Final Fantasy XIII, I am by no means gonna try and defend it as I do partially agree with some of the complaints. So here goes ...
Let's start with the number 1 complaint, if you've been following the hype around this game at all then you'll have definitely heard enough fans (and reviewers) arguing that this game is much too linear. Now there isn't too much I can say regarding this matter as I am far from the end of the game but from what I've played so far ... yes ... this game is very, very linear. I've heard that the game does open up a little towards the end, but for the most part, this is by far the most linear Final Fantasy game I have played, more so than Final Fantasy X. So is this good or bad? Well honestly I haven't made up my mind about that. As I said, I am thoroughly enjoying the game thus far. It is clear from the get-go that Square-Enix is trying to tell a story and although I'm not too keen on the story they are telling, (nor any of the Final Fantasy story lines for that matter) they do a very decent job of telling it. I would guess that they sacrificed the open world elements and freedom in order to tell this story and I find it works.
However to add to this lack of freedom, many players (including myself) will find that the character progression is also very linear. I'm not going to explain the leveling up system but I will say that it is very similar to Final Fantasy X's sphere grid. A big difference this time however is that your constantly being level capped throughout the game and I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand I like this idea, it does bring a nice challenge to the game as you will never be much more powerful than the enemy you are fighting. On the other hand, if your thinking about grinding early on you might as well forget it. With your level and stats always being capped, there is little point in grinding until you're getting towards the end of the game.
Another common complaint is the games difficulty and all I have to say to that is: quit whining. The game really isn't all that hard and I think that the difficulty is extremely well balanced. The biggest cause of this complaint is the fact that once your party leader dies; its game over. Yes, you heard me right, I was a little shocked when I heard this but having put a fair amount of time into the game now, I think I can see why this is. Due to other similar changes, the difficulty needed to be balanced out and without this change, the game would be too easy. For example, a game over screen does not mean start back from where ever you last saved your game. When you see a game over screen, you are given the option to retry the battle you just lost which massively reduces the challenge and frustration. To make up for this, when your party leader dies, you lose. I think it's fair enough. Some of the battles in this game can be tough, though I for one welcome the challenge.
Now one argument I have been hearing about this game is 'Ugh there's way too many cutscenes'. A complaint many people had with other games such as Metal Gear Solid 4 and Heavy Rain, both of which are awesome games if you ask me. If you think this is going to be an 'interactive movie' then rest assured, this is not even close. There are a fair amount of cutscenes in the game and they occur quite frequently however very few of the cutscenes I have seen so far have gone over 4 or 5 minutes. Considering I am not massively interested in the story, I much prefer this to having less frequent, very long cutscenes. In no way do they interupt gameplay, and the stunning visuals make them entertaining enough to watch. Besides, anyone whose complaining about the cutscenes; what did you really expect from a Final Fantasy game?
If your curious about the battle system then I suggest you watch some videos on youtube or something. I'm personally getting along with it quite well, it really isn't too sophisticated or anything like that. To me it feels quite like the battle system from Final Fantasy XII though it's been a helluva long time since I played that game so I can't quite remember. The battle system in this game is fast paced but simple. It is explained very efficiently in the tutorials and I am having fun with it.
One gripe that I personally have with the game is that it is very slow in unlocking features for the player. For example, if I remember correctly, you cannot level up your stats for the first hour or 2. You cannot upgrade your weapons till chapter 4 and it's a while before you can change character roles as well I believe. I'm currently on chapter 7 and still do not have the option to change my party members.
With that aside, I must say this really is a very fun and well made game. If you're a fan of RPG's and/or have enjoyed previous installments in the series then I don't see why you won't like this one. I think I'm gonna wrap this up before it starts to sound too much like a review but after 16 hours, this game gets a thumbs up from me. I'll likely report back when I'm done with it =]
So how is everyone else getting along with the game then? Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments!
Oh and Hope's mum is hawt
