FFXIII - Midway review

Man, FFXIII's graphics are really quite something. Each time we go to a cutscene I need to take a few moments to tell whether it's a FMV or normal in-game graphics. The easiest tell is if there's some kind of particle effect or large panoramic view (the FMV's are invariably better), but if you're just looking at people in a small environment it's quite difficult to discern. The world designs are definitely as good as FFX's were. I can't remember FFXII's world designs, so that probably says something.

As of right now the storyline is really quite good. The story at the maco-level is shaping up to something stellar and the micro-level one has a very Lost feel. A series of flashbacks connect this haphazard group of heroes together in a common past and future. The first part of the story is broken up into episodic chunks detailing one particular character's story; not sure how I feel about that. Potentially would've preferred to have just the stories develop together and at their own pace, instead of forcing it out.

Speaking of, the dialogue is very exposition heavy at times, which would be my only criticism. Like they sometimes just say things that would never be said in any sort of conversation ... "I kept fighting because if I did I didn't have to think about it" ... that kind of thing. The kind of psycho-analysis that is best level subtle and not laid naked. Or at least go down the House route and have another character (Wilson) analyse and produce sentiments, at least that way you avoid how corny it sometimes sounds.

But, as I was telling Gordon 2 weeks ago, I'd like to chip this down as a language thing between Japanese and English. I know Chinese isn't exactly the same as Japanese, but I do know they share many fundamental characteristics, and in Chinese it's very difficult to say something that's ... corny, I guess, that's independently corny from its English translation. So that's why in animes I prefer to watch the Japanese with subtitles, because that way you have the barrier of translation and we feel much easier dealing with the corny. I think of it as the corniness is a property of our English being unable to correctly encapsulate the meaning of the Japanese phrase.

And obviously as a translation of the Japanese they can't just change around huge chunks of it to get rid of the corny exposition without ruining it. It's probably for the best that they left it as is, if it really does bother me I could always just change the audio track back to the Japanese.

One interesting thing I've found with FFXIII, and many reviewers have commented on, is the stringent linearity of the first major half of the game. (Or at least I think it's the first half, since I've just come to this new section... it would make sense that that was the first half ... we'll see though.) It's not just "you have a mission, now complete it," the world map is ridiculously linear and's almost no room to deviate.

But then you reach the second half, and you get placed into a giant open expanse that's larger than any field I've entered in with FFX or FFXII. It's sooo fucking vast that it's just completely overwhelming, and I actually prefer the linear map. I actually suspect that it's not just a gaming, but also a thematically relevant point (guided linear path of Cocoon vs the chaotic, open world of Pulse).

(SPOILERS!) As for the plot, interestingly, there really doesn't seem to be any human villain, at least nothing that's made clear. And really, they couldn't introduce one at this point and have it work, because the main cast of characters are just too well developed and any new characters now would just seem incredibly flat. But again I think this is a thematically relevant point, that the enemies are ethereal, metaphysical beings and entities and powers, rather than an actual human. That way their intentions are irrelevant and unknowable and thereby eliminate the problem of things being flat.

The battle system is right in this one. They got it so freakin' right. It's hella fun to play. On paper the whole Paradigm Shift system just sounds kinda lame, but in practice it's the best battling experience I've ever had in an RPG. There's just the right amount of strategy involved without being overbearing. With this system the AI for allies is also controllable and not as lame as it might've been in the past (though no where near as controllable as the Gambit system of FFXII).

I'm 42 hours into the game now, and if I'm right in my suspicions of being half way through, then I still have another 40 hours ahead of me. I'm just enjoying myself.