This had been the most enjoyable FF game thus far, and I think Square Enix has done well, upping the ante with every instalment (although I am not looking forward for XIV as it’ll be a MMORPG). The hi-def is one thing, but the linear nature of the game helped to keep the story going. Knowing me, I’ll set off on sidequests for the next year, forgetting what a Fal’Cie would like by the time I come back on track. The utility of the AI during battle is another welcome feature – it allows you to make decisions as you would in a turn based battle but at a slightly faster speed so as to see the fight scene go at an exciting pace. And the fact you can use as much magic and replenish HP once the battle is over is just great.The soundtrack is ace, despite the noticeable absence of Uematsu. When you get to hear soothing bossa nova versions of the main theme whilst exploring Vallis Media sorting out nasties you know they’ve done well.
I have read that the designers of the game actually had to cut playable material from the storyline as it was getting too long. The material taken off is said to be enough to make another game! I do wonder if all the space taken in that Blu Ray disc has been taken up for the HD nature of XIII. Considering that I only have 40-odd hunt missions left to play, it feels like gameplay has taken a backseat to the 50 GB capacity of the disc. If a 9 GB DVD can hold XII with an abundance of side quests, it just beggars belief somewhat that XIII has just that much (or little) in it.
I have not been one to replay a game post-story (like X-2 – I’ve tried but it gets old after a while), or continue on after the main story line (like X and XII – provided you can restart a game from the last save point), but it seemed natural to continue on in XIII as the final levelling up of your characters can only be done post-story. As I have alluded in an earlier post, a quick glimpse of things to come on YouTube tells me it will be hard work to totally complete this game. 9 minutes/5 stars for mission 64 will be a target, though.
Now, where’s that disc for XII again?
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