I think the analysis you do and the analysis WK does are different things, personally. If you find the analysis you can do in FFXIII's trilogy to be amazing yet WK considers it to be one of the worst games in existence, well... yeah.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotty_ffgamer
I will however note that there was a notable wink (left out in Bolivar's quoting of me) at the end of my suggestion that people stop analysing the games and just play them to have fun. It was a very tongue in cheek comment to WK, and as a friend I like to think he can take that as good as he gives (and he certainly gives! xD).
I stand by my stance that difficulty and gameplay are two different things, though, even if they can affect each other.
Still, this debate only brings up another point: If it's a case of me not being able to tell you guys to stop analysing a game, who are the people in this thread to say that JRPGs are no longer good? Nothing more than fans disgruntled that the latest RPG isn't something they liked.
I suppose I look at Final Fantasy like I look at Doctor Who, while perhaps Wolf Kanno looks at Final Fantasy like I look at, say, Game of Thrones. The former is a whimsical thing where most of the stuff flat out doesn't make sense and is often corny, but that's why we love it. Game of Thrones is a notably more serious series that is there to be taken seriously. All the things that happen have to make sense on some level. So you have one successful series where you take everything with a gigantic pinch of salt, and another series where you expect things to make sense upon deep analysis.
I really enjoy both Doctor Who and Game of Thrones. I can get enjoyment out of silly stories and serious stories and everything inbetween. Forrest Gump is another great example of sometimes silly, sometimes serious, but always a wonderful story. Even Lord of the Rings has some silly and some serious moments, and a lot of things that don't quite make sense but are wonderful all the same (hi, Tom Bombadil). If I were to analyse these stories with toothpicks then I would be missing out on incredible stories for the sake of details.
I think another film - Big Fish - would be an interesting watch for anyone who hasn't seen it. It touches on analysis and storytelling in a superb way. Sometimes you have to accept a story for what it is - a story. Sometimes there are parts that are absurd, sometimes there are parts that are "analytically acceptable" (?). But in the end, a story can be whatever the story wants to be. I feel that FFXIII was by no means the best in the series but it was very, very far from the worst. I can think of many stories - particularly in the way of the global plot - over the years that have been horrible in the FF series. FFVIII, a game I love, had an awful global plot. But I can put aside my grievances and still enjoy the character story, the insane orphanage link, etc. until I can see the good things in the game. But then, I always do my best to see the good in things. It's just the way I am.
And Fynn, there is a difference in going out of your way to find even more awesome things (I do this too!) and going out of your way to find flaws and them focusing on said flaws instead of putting them aside for the sake of enjoyment. Again - Big Fish. :D
