4 hours in and I've barely moved the plot ahead, mostly because I'm too busy doing all the side quests for the townsfolks and raising my affinity between the lovebirds. I really love the equipment system, by which I mean I love how distinct it is. For those wondering, even though you can have a piece of equipment like "Colony Shirt" that can be worn by all the characters, the outfit design is unique for the character it's put on. So the big broly character interprets it like a muscle shirt, the main hero has heavy jacket, and the girl gets a cute top. Speaking of the girl, some of her outfit combinations even at this early in the game kind of falls into fetish territory... I honestly think one outfit combination made me blush... and gave me ideas for my GF.

The battle system is pretty fun, which is a relief cause watching videos of it made it look boring, but once you actually get the system down, you realize how in-depth and involving it really is. Gem slots are a cool idea for armor customization and I am quite happy I get XP for finding new territories and completing side quests which is a nice change of pace from just endless battling. The music is gorgeous and the VA work is actually been really good so far. I know the British players had qualms with it, but as a Yankee, it's nice to listen to something that isn't the full spectrum of American accents, especially since the market likes to overuse a small selection of VA talent. I bet had the game been localized on this side of the pond, Shulk would have been voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch, who is a great VA but he's extremely overexposed, and I don'; think I would care to listen to Ichigo/Vash the Stampede for 40+ hours.

The soundtrack is very good so far and the visuals of the game are quite excellent. The art direction is quite phenomenal, and I am happy I got the mini-artbook because the concept art is gorgeous. So far, I'm several hours in and I am thoroughly enthralled. I'm now sad I have to leave my console behind to spend time at relatives house for the weekend.