Reviews

[Wolf Kanno]

I'll admit that I haven't really looked that much into the criticisms of FFXIII. (I'm going to buy it regardless, what is the point in looking at other peoples opinions?). I just feel like the snippets I have heard could easily be applied to other well loved games, FFVI for example. You can defend FFVI , but I think you could see how someone could make similar comments about the game.

And I find that completely fair to say. I think the only one I don't agree was someone using Xenogears as a parallel cause there is a big difference between how XIII seems to be using it and how Gears did it.

I would hardly say FFVI has a class system. Sure, each character has a special ability and you can only equip certain items on certain people. Insofar as that is true, there are classes, however the lines are very blurred with Espers. Traditionally, magic is not open to every class. I'd say FFVI has as much as a class system as FFX: it is only a class system as much as you allow it to be. Sure Rikku is a "thief" class as well as Locke, but hey let's give Locke an Esper and Rikku learn a bit of Lulu's Sphere Grid and now they're mages as well! FFVI class system is more of a pseudo-class system in all honesty.

You can give characters the ability to use magic but it never changes the fact that the characters have innate abilities and qualities that keep them distinctly different from each other permanently so I would say this constitutes as an actual class system. Just because the Mage classes can be blended into every other class doesn't mean its a psuedo system cause if it was, it would be like FFX where all characters can learn everything (except Overdrives and summons) that make each of them unique to each other. You can have everyone master every magic spell but it doesn't change than you may still pick the Figaro brothers cause you love using Bum Rush and Chainsaw.

Relic system? Seriously? It is just the same as equipping accessories in most other RPGs, just this time you get two. Though the Gametrailer video review is the first time I heard about the crafting system for the weapons in FFXIII and from their impression it is underwhelming.

Yeah, except VI was the first to really do it on the scale that it did. Sure some accessories had some innate buffs and debuffs in the past but their were generally only a handful in previous RPGs and VI was the first to use Relics that actually gave your characters abilites. GP Rain, Control, Jump, Dash, W-Magic, Double Handed, Duel Wield, and Barrage... The game literally took the sub-class abilites from V and made them into equipment that gave you the effects. Getting the Gauntlet and Genji Glove to characters like Sabin and Cyan is just as important as teaching Cure and Ultima to your mage like characters. So I would say it did more than just do a few statistical effects for characters I don't think you are giving the system enough credit. They even brought it back to some extent for X-2 of all games and VII's materia system is basically them breaking down the Esper and Relic system downs even further.

As for linearity, FFVI, along with a few others, are pretty linear until you get an airship or something similar. Basically you have the town NPCs more or less drawing you a map where to go next. Sure, you have that nice big open world map to go to, but for the most part at the beginning of the game all other areas are conveniently blocked off, leaving your next destination very obvious. Not so coincidental and ever so convenient, the only place you can go is the place that all the earlier NPCs were talking about and the next plot point! Not to say they don't open up, they do, but it only occurs later in the game. Sure, it seems open but if you look close enough they are just giving you slack on the leash.

This I can agree with but I actually prefer having the slacked leash over knowing that I have no real control, mostly cause Square was usually kind enough to always throw you a bone every once and awhile and let actually find something special. Using VI as an example, you don't even need to go to South Figaro. Once you walk in, you can simply walk out and proceed to Mt. Kolts but you miss out on meeting Shadow and learning the back-story of Duncan and Vargas, or even the foreshadowing of South Figaro's fall. If you didn't explore the area around South Figaro you would miss seeing Duncan's house and getting foreshadowing of Sabin's arrival. You still have choice despite having few options, whereas the type of game XIII is said to be , your choices are to move forward or stop playing. Whether XIII presents a strong initiative to continue moving forward is something we will have to wait until we play it though.

The reviewers complaining about melodrama make me laugh though. It is like they haven't played most JRPGs or watched anime. Sure, they are not all like that but it is common enough that it shouldn't be surprising. To me, it is like complaining about the fact that most RPGs are about saving the world or some re-iteration thereof.

Most I have read said its not so much the melodrama as much as its the fact the cast is very 2-Dimensional and mostly RPG cliches with the exception of Sahz whom I have yet to hear anything negative about.

Give me a good battle system and an engaging plot and/or characters and I am pretty much set.

I'm a full package kinda guy, but its just because as I've been getting older, I'm noticing how important the little things are to the whole deal. I still intend to play XIII and I'll pass my final judgment when I see the ending credits.