Quote Originally Posted by Del Murder View Post
Quote Originally Posted by Bolivar View Post
I understand it's only the illusion of nonlinearity that's gone but I think it's an important illusion nonetheless. I didn't realize how linear FFX was until I played FFXIII, and to me, that's the mark of a great game, considering FFX's field screen design is almost identical to FFXIII. I can't really tell what it was that disguised it in FFX, was it the pacing, the presence of towns, or even ATB Random Encounters???
All three contributed somewhat. Also the presence of Blitzball provided a nice distraction. Similarly with mini-games, side stories, and the cloister trials.
It also helps if you like the story, I blame my dislike of the plot for being able to notice how linear and uninspiring the map design in FFX was. Still, at least X had the decency to litter the maps with "something" while none of it really great, was at least something to pass the time and relieve boredom and tedium, unlike FFXIII...