First off, this is my opinion. We all know that FF has been getting some mixed, but still mostly positive reviews from fans. As I've stated, FF will always get mixed reviews, because it reinvents itself with each itteration, and thus, by its nature, can never meet expectations of past fans.

I know VERY little about the game. I have heard just the basics, and this thread is proabably based upon my own ignorance, but I'm going to throw it out there.

Some of the actual arguments made about why the game isn't to their liking, imo, make no sense.

1. The game is too linear at the beginning(very common in JRPGs including FFX)

2. Too many cutscenes(this is a matter of taste, see MGS series)

3. Few towns(this again, is a matter of taste, and we can't really comment on this as good or bad until we've played it, hell, maybe there is a hub city setup where 1 city is your main social interaction point, who knows)

A few things have been universally praised, like the music, and graphics, and one thing has yet depths unplumbed, the battle system.

However, the one complaint that I have a really hard time understanding is:

"You don't level up"

First, I've never played the game. I can't wait to play it, and yes, I am very excited about it. However despite my supposed bias, I think that this argument is misleading in the case of this game, and here is why:

You actually do level up, it's just not called "level up" as I understand it from my very basic knowledge.

"Leveling up" is what happens when you collect experience points with which you buy(or gain automatically) new skills, or gain new stats, or both.

In Final Fantasy XIII, as I understand it, you don't earn EXP, you earn CP. What is the difference? Is there any. A rose by any other name...

With your exp(or CP if you are playing FFXIII, or LP? if you are playing FFX) you buy stats, magic, or skills.

You gain exp...I mean CP, from defeating enemies.

So, in FFXIII you fight enemies, for points, and use those points to improve your characters stats, and abilities. You pick those abilities yourself, like in Fable.

So, if I'm right, the real difference here is that you don't have an artificial number to help you show off how strong your character is.

But you DO, basically, level up your character with experience points earned from battles, and grow stronger throughout the game.

Now, I loved the sphere grid in FFX, and as I understand it, this is kinda a rehash of that system. If it worked there....why the complaint.

I think when you say "you don't level up" you imply that your characters don't grow more powerful from fighting enemies, but in actuality, the level up system in FFXIII is fairly traditional, with a minor spin......I assume, and you do become more powerful from gaining points through fighting enemies, correct?

So, what do you think. Is that particular complaint valid, or is it nitpicking? Do I have some of my facts wrong? Seriously, I'm not sure. Help me understand this complaint.

Has that been an actual complaint? It's the same thing as FFX which was cool. It's not leveling up in the FF sense because you get to dictate how you increase your stats as opposed to just everything going up with each level. I like it better this way.

Wondering about this myself.

What I understand so far is that you have six separate smaller sphere grids for each of the jobs in the game. Each character is naturally better at three out of those six jobs, which means it costs less for them to level up (or whatever they call it) the three jobs they're naturally good at.

Characters can change jobs on the fly in combat, I think. So each character has a different mix of jobs they're best at. Attribute increases are also mixed into the job sphere grids, so sometimes you have to choose between leveling up one job just so you get the permanent attribute bonuses, or leveling up a different job which you actually want to use more often in combat.

From what I've heard, I'm pretty excited about trying the system. I hope it isn't quite as easy to powergame by min/maxing as X and XII are, but I won't know that until I try it.

I heard alot of complaints about leveling. I heard you have to just find better items because the money after the battles is too little to even help after 100s of battles.

So it's like FF II. Well if so it will work out.

I heard that it's sort of like Lost Odyssey where there's a "level" cap in certain areas but without actually having a level. You can't just grind at the starting area or anything which is alright. I like having a level though as it gives you a general knowledge of how powerful you are.

this just makes the experience even greater. i like not knowing anything about the new final fantasies until i actually play them. but if there isn't any "level up" type system going on but something totally different. well i'm down for anything new. because it will always have something traditional somewhere within the game.

sent via PC

You pretty much explained it for yourself it seems.

i think Zen was mainly asking:

What possible reason could people have to complain about the lack of leveling up in a game where you gain points after every battle that you can spend on improving your characters' stats and abilities?

All I can say is, a new Final Fantasy game tends to bring out the crazies.

I loved, loved, loved the sphere grid in FFX. If that makes a return, the Common Man will be a happy man!