I don't think that's going to happen for me.

I'm on Chapter 2 and already bored and wondering why the game is even bothering with tutorials at this point because there is nothing gameplaywise to discuss.

Not only that, but I also forgot how grating the NORA/Snow "hero" spiel can be. Furthermore, I'm rolling my eyes as hard as I did listening to Zack and Angeal talk about a "SOLDIER'S Pride" from CC. The whole thing has been really awkward so far. I also forgot how cringy Hope and Vanille are in general. Their scenes together feels like two kids on the spectrum trying to help each other learn how to emote. Like seriously, I feel Hope's portrayal in the cutscenes, don't quite match up to what the Datalogs says is going on. Lightning and Sahz are the least grating so far, even if poor Sahz has been written as an Eddie Murphy character. I keep half expecting Lightning to say, "Donkey, can't you just shut up?"

The most impressive thing about XIII so far is, unsurprisingly, the graphics. The game honestly looks a bit better than XV, I dare say. I also forgot how cinematic the UI was with the status screens. I only wish I liked Hamazu's style enough to enjoy the music more. Likewise, I am also grateful I chose to turn on the subtitles, because there is a lot of dialogue that gets missed because it plays over some explosion or other dialogue. I forgot that Vanille sometimes gives you her thoughts like she's retelling the plot to you.

So far, the two biggest issues for me has been how boring combat is, and how over bloated the first two chapters have been. So far, Chapter 2 has just felt unnecessary. Like it's just three groups wandering around the Vestige regurgitating what they already were talking about in Chapter 1, and nothing interesting is really happening. As for combat, I just don't really understand why we couldn't have introduced more of the equipment aspect already? Like let us upgrade weapons a bit, or introduce the fact that combining certain accessories together confer up extra bonuses. The fight before the PSICOM Armored captain Lightning and Sahz fight would have been a perfect time to introduce how equipping two Iron Bangles gives you a 3x multiplier for health that Lightning might need, since this boss hits hard. Or Lightning explaining to Sahz how he's going to need to upgrade his guns if he wants to keep tagging along.

I am also disappointed that we never got to really play with the MagDrive gravity controller. That has so many possibilities to enhance gameplay, and it could have been an introduction to the Tech Bar.

So yeah, XIII is already turning into a rough experience for me. But was anyone really surprised?