That was entertaining. Videos feed my impatient 21st century brain.

Anyway, I can't really say much on this. I was always one of those types who liked the idea of FF as a world but couldn't play them because I just kinda sucked. I don't know if it was a learning curve, maybe because I was young, I don't know but as much and as hard as I tried to like FF as a game (and trust me I did, I REALLY fucking did, to the point of locking myself in my room for a weekend) I came to a point where I had to realize I just couldn't. It made me quite upset with myself actually. Now that said, one of my fondest memories was backseat gaming to FFX and FFX-2 at a friends house one week. Despite the fact that I kinda sorta hate both of those games it was a weird sort of vicarious "Oh man, if I knew what the fuck was going on I'd totally rock this," feeling. So me and FF have a weird relationship. I had some of the Game Boy FFs and I loved them to death but, again, I suck. And no amount of patience seemed to quell that. So inevitably there'd be a roadblock and I wouldn't so much ragequit as I would sort of grow distant.

I just didn't like VII or XII. Seriously, fuck XII.

I say all that because this week I did pick up FFXIII and I...kinda like it. I feel dirty saying that, and I know there's still 2 1/2 disc left to disappoint me, but I just kinda do. And I recognize the battle system is really broken. Like it is really shot to hell. And I suck at FF games so if a guy like me who couldn't grasp FFX (supposedly one of the more accessible FFs) than you know there is something wrong. FFXIIIs battle system is awful. That said, for a loser like me, it sorta seems awful...in my favor, I guess. So in that respect while I acknowledge that it's a miserable tripe, it is a miserable tripe that's actually making me feel like I know what I'm doing [proofreading note: that made me sound really dumb]. Which I guess is a step back for fans of FF (which blows) but is a step forward for the rest of who have remained curious but distant.

Now all that said, I never expected FFXIII to be as busted as it is. My original thought way back when was FFXIII was the game for FF fans and Versus was going to be the game for everyone else. So shame on Square Enix for that shit because that actually makes friggin' sense. To burn the original fans with the legit numbered sequel isn't cool at all.

@Xzyliac - FFXII was awesome because Balthier!

As for XIII, the battle system would be more enjoyable if the battles weren't so long and if there weren't a transition screen. I would've really enjoyed it if moving into battles had been more seamless, and if changing classes mid-battle didn't leave you open to attack for that split second, or force you to watch that 5 second class change dance for each character. Beyond that, the lack of gil and proper merchants takes out the depth of charm and character that made other Final Fantasy games seem so alive.

Also, the story makes zero sense. I played for 40 hours and I still don't understand the difference between Fal'Cie and L'Cie.

See what were you worried about...

I was really hoping that FFXIII would be the first FF game I would be able to play and complete... but when the reviews came out I didn't even bother trying. Such a shame. They had a chance to reboot the franchise and bring new people to their games, but they totally blew it.

You should start playing Atlus games like Persona 3, they're like those old Final Fantasy games, but for grown ups who like to play games about Japanese high schoolers in fantasy scenarios. Just don't expect it to be easy like Final Fantasy 8. Atlus has made a ton of RPGs, some better than others, but the ones that anyone into RPGs has to try, especially the old Final Fantasy games, is Persona.

Persona 3 pretty much made me love video games again and was worth the hundred hours to play it. Yeah, it is a big investment time wise, but I feel like I got more out of it than I ever put into it. If that makes any sense. I'm sure buying a PS2 sounds stupid, but totally do it and play Persona 3.

@Handy
I think that's a fair way to put it. Not one I think many people will listen to but fair nonetheless.

This is bizarre for two reasons. Firstly because this morning I myself started on a "why I'm a gamer" ramble about ye olde games and how I miss their mechanics and such (unsurprisingly getting sidetracked for two hours raving about FFVIII). Secondly, because I just started a new FFXIII file literally just forty minutes ago, it's paused behind me. To be honest I only started it again to test out my 5.1 headphones. Forty minutes in and I've already remembered why I don't like this game. Hang on, let me turn it off. There we go.

Whilst I agree with pretty much everything you said, I can also see why Square would see the almost entirely automatic, "real time" battle systems of the last couple of games as the right direction to take. For every gamer that loves turn-based combat you can find five that hate it. Hell, Resident Evil is getting first-person shooting, Dead Or Alive on the 3DS gives you a list of combos that you just have to tap to get your character to do, Gran Turismo has a mode where the game races for you, Call Of Duty has a light auto-aim even if you turn the main auto-aim off, countless games now feature one-button-does-everything controls... automatic, mindless, cookie-cutter games are what sell these days.

I will say one thing in favour of FFXIII though: as bullshit as it is that you have to get through pretty much half the game before it gets good, once it does get good it really gets good. Also, the music is undeniably gorgeous. Overall it's sub-par and there's no excuse for the first half of the game, but I do kind of adore Fang and the soundtrack anyway. If they could have made the whole game one cut scene of Fang fucking people up while the soundtrack played through in the background, I'd have been happy.

Also inb4 sexualchocolate.

A lot of the negativity towards FFXIII is quite misleading. There is nothing staggeringly different to other games in the series, with many improvements being largely unsung.

I for one find the writing to be very engaging and a vast improvement over most of the other Final Fantasies, and while many found the opening chapters not to their taste I enjoyed getting thrown knee-deep into the narrative and having to press my brain to connect the expository dots.

It's definitely a game that people should see for themselves rather than simply following positive or negative hype.

FFXIII doesn't make a lot of sense from a design perspective.

It's as if the design team sat down and decided that the best way to make the best game, was to keep that rotten player from mucking it up. Force them through the smallest tube possible, and create a battle system that takes about as much control away from the player as possible. That way, they can get to the next cut scene as fast as possible, and watch terrible characters do things the player no longer cares about.

I love FFVIII

and I love you.

Do you have a replica Bayonetta gun back there?!

I want that so bad.

I'm fine with the Final fantasy titles branching out, because Shin Megami Tensei still holds a strong presence in the old turn based styles.

Square enix will either shoot enough bullets into the dark to hit something golden, or go back to their roots in a last ditch effort to survive.

Great video, Hollie! I was just thinking the same thing on a related article and thought I would share.

Square-Enix had a discussion on "what is Final Fantasy?" and stripped it down to its core, which is combat and cutscenes. In a word: streamlined. There is no people to bore you, no towns to explore, no open world for the first 20 hours of gameplay, no where to deviate. You are constantly moving forward into the next battle. Battles are now quicker because control has been taken away from the player. Gameplay options have become much broader. You can no longer operate all your characters directly. Character customization has pretty much been put on auto-pilot. After exiting one fight, the player simply daisy chains to the next until you reach the next cutscene. Rise, wash, repeat.

While my grief really comes from the game's lack of player control, I don't think its a bad game. It's just different and maybe I will have to adjust. Though, for the record, I thought Gran Pulse was brilliant.

FF8 is the best. Haters can kick rocks.

Here's to 2011 sucking less! :D

Is it just me or am I the only one who thinks that modern RPGs are still challenging? Yeah sure you can do them on normal and breeze through them but try to start every game on the hardest difficulty and I think that it would add abit of challenge... Or is it just me and I suck at videya games?