Post by jam21x on Mar 14, 2010 11:00:32 GMT
Ok, here are my first impressions of FFXIII.
As most of you know, this is the first FF game I’ve played. I just never got into them and I really want to like this game. I’ve gone in with no expectations other than what I know about other JRPG’s so this is mostly going to be from a newbie’s point of view.
As of now I’ve played about 3 hours of FFXII so that’s why these are a first impression and not a full review.
Firstly let me get the praise out of the way, this is a very beautiful game. The character models and environment fit perfectly and the animations look and feel natural. However, like previous FF's, there is still a slight downturn in graphics when going from cut scenes to actual gameplay. Although this is not as apparent as it was in other FF's it is still noticeable (at least to me it is).
Also, voice acting is very good, if a bit annoying in some places (English, Australian or American, make up your mind Vanille!) .
Now here is where I show my ignorance for not having played the other games. The pacing of the story is nothing short of bewildering. You are thrown right into the middle of, what appears to be, some sort of civil war with no explanation of which side you’re on or who you’re fighting against. Exposition comes in dribs and drabs and nothing is explained fully. I don’t know if this is how all FF’s tell their story but it just makes me feel very confused, like if I’ve come into the game half way through and am expected to know what a Pulse L’cie is (I’m still not sure really).
The strange thing is, even though I am still in the dark as to what’s going on, I am still compelled to play through to find out what happens to the characters. Whether this is because of good story telling, which I find hard to believe, or because of my determination to find out what the hell is going on is yet to be determined.
As for gameplay, I’ve never been a fan of turn bases combat but I will try to keep this non-bias. As with most games of this type, the combat is encounter based, you walk into an enemy and then are transported to a battle field. Granted I’m still very early on in the game so not all the combat mechanics are available to me (at least I hope there are more) but the combat seems a little dry. At the moment it’s not very challenging, just keep hitting X on auto battle till everything is dead. As I said, I’m sure this will change as I go through the game but I can’t get rid of the feeling that I’m not needed in battle. The combat feels like it could do quite well without me; therefore it’s not very engaging. But, to its credit, it does look very impressive. There is a lot of stuff happening on screen and it does show of the characters to their full potential.
Now, I am a big fan of the Metal Gear franchise, which has come under scrutiny for its epic cut scenes. MGS has nothing on FFXII in this respect. The cut scenes come thick and fast and usually have not relevance to the story. Early on in the game, right after a cut scene, you take control of Hope.......... for about 5 seconds and then there is another cut scene...............WHAT? I know, maybe that was to introduce a new character that you will be playing as after the exposition, but no, you start using Vanille instead. What was the point of letting me control Hope for absolutely nothing. It might as well have just linked the cut scenes together and ignore the whiny twat. The whole game is littered with this kind of thing, you walk 4 feet, do nothing and then cut scene.
This last point is purely my own gripe and has nothing to do with the game as such, but why, for the love of god why, does it ask if I want to save at the beginning of a cut scene, and then AGAIN at the end. It’s so annoying, I’m being asked if I want to save for having watched a cut scene, oh what an achievement for me! Ok, seriously though I can see why some people might like that to go through and watch the cut scenes again without having to play though to get to them, I mean they are something to behold. But, in that case why have the game parts at all, just make a movie if you want to tell a story, not every idea has to be turned into a game.
These are just the things I’ve got from playing a small part of the game, so they may not be correct for the entire thing. As I said, I want to like this game and I kind of do so far. With all the aforementioned problems I still find myself drawn to it, wanting to continue the adventure. The characters are unique and engaging, the visuals are beautiful and the story seems quite epic in scale. I just want there to be more input from me on the game itself so I can feel I’ve accomplished something in that world.
Let me know if this was interesting or just a rant (I didn’t mean it to be one) and maybe I’ll carry on doing game reviews for the forums, or shut the hell up, which ever you see fit.
As most of you know, this is the first FF game I’ve played. I just never got into them and I really want to like this game. I’ve gone in with no expectations other than what I know about other JRPG’s so this is mostly going to be from a newbie’s point of view.
As of now I’ve played about 3 hours of FFXII so that’s why these are a first impression and not a full review.
Firstly let me get the praise out of the way, this is a very beautiful game. The character models and environment fit perfectly and the animations look and feel natural. However, like previous FF's, there is still a slight downturn in graphics when going from cut scenes to actual gameplay. Although this is not as apparent as it was in other FF's it is still noticeable (at least to me it is).
Also, voice acting is very good, if a bit annoying in some places (English, Australian or American, make up your mind Vanille!) .
Now here is where I show my ignorance for not having played the other games. The pacing of the story is nothing short of bewildering. You are thrown right into the middle of, what appears to be, some sort of civil war with no explanation of which side you’re on or who you’re fighting against. Exposition comes in dribs and drabs and nothing is explained fully. I don’t know if this is how all FF’s tell their story but it just makes me feel very confused, like if I’ve come into the game half way through and am expected to know what a Pulse L’cie is (I’m still not sure really).
The strange thing is, even though I am still in the dark as to what’s going on, I am still compelled to play through to find out what happens to the characters. Whether this is because of good story telling, which I find hard to believe, or because of my determination to find out what the hell is going on is yet to be determined.
As for gameplay, I’ve never been a fan of turn bases combat but I will try to keep this non-bias. As with most games of this type, the combat is encounter based, you walk into an enemy and then are transported to a battle field. Granted I’m still very early on in the game so not all the combat mechanics are available to me (at least I hope there are more) but the combat seems a little dry. At the moment it’s not very challenging, just keep hitting X on auto battle till everything is dead. As I said, I’m sure this will change as I go through the game but I can’t get rid of the feeling that I’m not needed in battle. The combat feels like it could do quite well without me; therefore it’s not very engaging. But, to its credit, it does look very impressive. There is a lot of stuff happening on screen and it does show of the characters to their full potential.
Now, I am a big fan of the Metal Gear franchise, which has come under scrutiny for its epic cut scenes. MGS has nothing on FFXII in this respect. The cut scenes come thick and fast and usually have not relevance to the story. Early on in the game, right after a cut scene, you take control of Hope.......... for about 5 seconds and then there is another cut scene...............WHAT? I know, maybe that was to introduce a new character that you will be playing as after the exposition, but no, you start using Vanille instead. What was the point of letting me control Hope for absolutely nothing. It might as well have just linked the cut scenes together and ignore the whiny twat. The whole game is littered with this kind of thing, you walk 4 feet, do nothing and then cut scene.
This last point is purely my own gripe and has nothing to do with the game as such, but why, for the love of god why, does it ask if I want to save at the beginning of a cut scene, and then AGAIN at the end. It’s so annoying, I’m being asked if I want to save for having watched a cut scene, oh what an achievement for me! Ok, seriously though I can see why some people might like that to go through and watch the cut scenes again without having to play though to get to them, I mean they are something to behold. But, in that case why have the game parts at all, just make a movie if you want to tell a story, not every idea has to be turned into a game.
These are just the things I’ve got from playing a small part of the game, so they may not be correct for the entire thing. As I said, I want to like this game and I kind of do so far. With all the aforementioned problems I still find myself drawn to it, wanting to continue the adventure. The characters are unique and engaging, the visuals are beautiful and the story seems quite epic in scale. I just want there to be more input from me on the game itself so I can feel I’ve accomplished something in that world.
Let me know if this was interesting or just a rant (I didn’t mean it to be one) and maybe I’ll carry on doing game reviews for the forums, or shut the hell up, which ever you see fit.
