Can't do an open world? I'm not buying it

[Bolivar]

I think this all comes from playing DQV

Arguably the greatest RPG of all time.

Of anything, I argue it should be used sparingly to maximize certain moments but not be overused cause not all elements in a game should be created to support just the plot. Wasn't that the lesson Xenogears taught you?

A great plot will allow you to forgive so many issues, unfortunately for me, Valkyria Chronicles has kind of shown me the opposite is true. A game can have a great and innovative gameplay experience that is fun and inventive to play through, but come across as an unplayable mess with the most boring generic plot based off every single war anime cliche in the book, filled with an unrealistic cast of characters who would be more at home in a comedic anime than a hard military tale and the game has the most insufferable layout for moving the plot along, when the main menu feels like you're in a debug room you know someone wasn't trying. I still haven't finished VC because the plot is so bad.

What chapter are you on? Because, as much as I praise the game, I was the EXACT same way. I looked so forward to the game, as a SEGA SRPG with a cool visual, but was continuously let down until one thing happened in the plot and I realized just how serious this game was all along. So many games, like FFVI, Chrono Trigger, and Xenogears, were major let downs for me after how much other RPG heads praised it. I always loathed that "you need to get further in the game!!!" mentality. Until I played Valkyria Chronicles. Now, I honestly believe it's one of the top 5 best games of this generation, a game that truly revolutionized its genre (or sub-genre) and easily one of my favorite games of all time. I can't wait to get back to it!!!

Shouldn't a game strive to do well on both spectrum's of the entertainment wheel instead of putting all their bets on one facet of the experience?

Yes, and that's why Tactics Ogre is probably the greatest game I've ever played. But that's not the reality we live in and 99.9998123778899% of video games can't do both, much less provide as much content at that level that that game did...

The Magitek Factory in FFVI throws the player off with a visual steampunk display that has not been seen anywhere else in the game. It is accompanied by one of the most sinister themes in the game that utilizes percussion instruments to further push the idea of an industrial nightmare, but it also is a an engaging dungeon to play through because it has several secret rooms and locations to find, it utilizes minor switch elements to access different parts of the level through lifts, allows you to travel through pipes, you the player can't quite make out where its going, and conveyor belts that lead to whole new section of the dungeons you didn't even realize were there. Its Escher style layout is what makes it one of the more fun dungeons to playthrough in VI, not because the atmosphere is great, its backed up by some fun design as well.

Least favorite part of the game. More thought out response incoming once I've sobered up.