And what we'll counter-argue (continuously if need be) is that every single Final Fantasy since VII (at least) has followed the exact same formula. Run down to a certain area, fight a boss, cue FMV.

Maybe XIII doesn't have as many areas off the main road, but neither does any FF. There may be a greater illusion of choice, but that is all it is at the end of the day: an illusion.

And I loved the previous FFs. One example I keep citing is VIII, because of the amount of stuff you can do in the villages and just the vast number of side-quests in it. This is just a different type of experience.

I'm playing IX at the moment and I would not tell you how much I would give to have the XIII battle system at the moment. Yes, I will agree that there should have been an option for greater control when you want it, but when I have to wait half a minute for a battle scene to load (because it has to pan around the environment) then push X repeatedly for a minute, before seeing people jump around, I realise that there was something fundamentally wrong with previous FFs.

So, I think XIII is a step in the right direction. It was very linear and the battle system did not give you enough control when you wanted it (boss & difficult battles). However, I think it is a step in the right direction (albeit too large a step) and future FFs will benefit from this experiment. I am placing great hopes on Versus judging from XIII and the noises coming out of the Versus camp.

Quote Originally Posted by Rocket Edge
They begin right in the middle of the action, and everyone seems to know everything... everyone except you, the player. Right off the bat, they start throwing all these foreign words at you like "L'Cie", "Fal'Cie", "Focus" as if you're supposed to know what the hell they're talking about.
Unlike VII where you start off on a train (hehe, I love the little hints to previous FFs in this game) and have people accusing you of being the enemy because you're SOLDIER. And you're blowing up a mako plant.

And the datalog was a wonderful addition for people who may take a few days off the game (perhaps because they have work etc) and then can come back and get a quick recap. It is not required to follow the story, if you're paying attention.