The thing is I was really hyped for 13 precisely because the same people from X were behind it (well, maybe it was more of the X-2 team), from the trailers it looks like it could do no wrong. But I actually didn't feel X was linear because I was so invested in the story and the chars, I was w/ them on every step of their journey and they grew on me, I didn't want the game to end and felt sad parting w/ them, and I would go back to replay several times to relive those memories. Not to mention the locations on Spira were so exotic and left such an impression on me (and people playing Blitzball there and having Yevon as a religion, it was a breathing and living world), in contrast the world of Cocoon and Gran Pulse are as bland as you could get, w/ the history of its world being summed up in several paragraphs. W/ 13, it's more like I couldn't wait till the game is done and say good riddance. It's sad because I really want to like them more, just bad narratives and the chars aren't that fleshed out, by the end of the game you still feel like you don't know them very well.

They even have 3 short novels on the FFXIII official site as the prologue, if they were just somehow incorporated into the actual game in the forms of flashback and such, it would've been rather different. Now it's like the game itself is a botched attempt like you said, and they expect you to rely on the supplementary novels to fully grasp and enjoy the story.

I love Crisis Core too, but I think it works because we alrdy love those chars (other than Genesis/Gackt being like a deja vu of Sephiroth) and we were able to “feel” for them, like Zack's last scene *sniff*

p.s. while Hamauzu's soundtrack is pretty good, I feel that w/ Uematsu's absence, the game lacked a certain personal warmth or magical touch, maybe that's why Sakaguchi and Uematsu get along w/ each other so well, they have a mutual understanding of each other's styles.

As for EOE numbers, well, that just goes to show that people bought RPGs on 360 only because there was no other way to get them. If they are available to PS3 too, they'll get that version. Makes sense. By the way, isn't it the first true multi-platform RPG of the generation? I'm not counting FF13 because that didn't come out for 360 in Japan.

White Knight haters be damned, from what I played its a lot of fun, its actually quite good (so far). I actually can't wait to play their other PSP titles.

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/12/06/the-secret…

Basically, it seems like a lot more thought and planning went into DQIX's design, despite the fact that it's a portable game. They had a focus…a realistic goal that they wanted to achieve, and they executed on it. This an example of great, responsible game design. In fact, it's a trait that I find a lot of Level-5's recent games bear.

Make 4-10 out of this…honestly, playing 1-3 nowadays is just not very fun, but 4-10 still is. I still need to buy a PS3 and I know I will play FF13 then, and I know I will be disappointed because it's no 6 or 10. And I know in the end I will have had some fun with it but not get the urge to replay it 5 years later, which is probably what you should expect, kinda like those big budget Hollywood blockbusters ^^

The thing is I was really hyped for 13 precisely because the same people from X were behind it (well, maybe it was more of the X-2 team), from the trailers it looks like it could do no wrong. But I actually didn't feel X was linear because I was so invested in the story and the chars, I was w/ them on every step of their journey and they grew on me, I didn't want the game to end and felt sad parting w/ them, and I would go back to replay several times to relive those memories. Not to mention the locations on Spira were so exotic and left such an impression on me (and people playing Blitzball there and having Yevon as a religion, it was a breathing and living world), in contrast the world of Cocoon and Gran Pulse are as bland as you could get, w/ the history of its world being summed up in several paragraphs. W/ 13, it's more like I couldn't wait till the game is done and say good riddance. It's sad because I really want to like them more, just bad narratives and the chars aren't that fleshed out, by the end of the game you still feel like you don't know them very well.

They even have 3 short novels on the FFXIII official site as the prologue, if they were just somehow incorporated into the actual game in the forms of flashback and such, it would've been rather different. Now it's like the game itself is a botched attempt like you said, and they expect you to rely on the supplementary novels to fully grasp and enjoy the story.

I love Crisis Core too, but I think it works because we alrdy love those chars (other than Genesis/Gackt being like a deja vu of Sephiroth) and we were able to “feel” for them, like Zack's last scene *sniff*

p.s. while Hamauzu's soundtrack is pretty good, I feel that w/ Uematsu's absence, the game lacked a certain personal warmth or magical touch, maybe that's why Sakaguchi and Uematsu get along w/ each other so well, they have a mutual understanding of each other's styles.

As for EOE numbers, well, that just goes to show that people bought RPGs on 360 only because there was no other way to get them. If they are available to PS3 too, they'll get that version. Makes sense.

White Knight haters be damned, from what I played its a lot of fun, its actually quite good (so far). I actually can't wait to play their other PSP titles.