Games you have a love-hate relationship with

[PAOerfulone]

Bravely Default.

I love the gameplay, one of the best turned based battle systems I have played in a long time, the world I travel in, and the party members: Tiz, Agnes, Edea, and my boy, Ringabel, all are likeable and fun to play as in their own unique and interesting ways. I also love the first half of the story. I repeat, the first half.

I hate, and I mean, HATE, the second half. The second half is just padding; Pure padding. I can't remember how many times I had to travel to the same locations, fight the same bosses, and reawaken the same crystals, over and over and over and over again. And it becomes painfully obvious that Airy is up to something, but everyone just seems to be complete idiots and not realize it and it pisses me off. It's bad enough that you're wasting my time doing all these things over again, now you're gonna insult my intelligence too? Now, I know there are two different ways to end the game, but the first one, which is much quicker, is very anticlimactic, and the second one takes way too damn long to reach.

I want to truly like Bravely Default, because at its core is a truly fantastic JRPG, but for every one thing I enjoy, there's something else that bothers me just as equally. And, it just took what could have been one of my favorite role playing games ever, and made it into a one-and-done for me.