Final Fantasy XIII disappointing?

[ZenfoldorVGI]

Mirson said:

Luney Tune said:

"Criticism of blockbuster RPG Final Fantasy XIII has rapidly mounted, with the initial observation that the game is almost comically linear giving way to a litany of further dissatisfactions, many quite unavoidable even for the game's many staunch defenders.

A digest of criticism from 2ch:

The whole game is completely linear until halfway through [approximately 20 hours].

There are hardly any towns.

The party is always fixed. The whole game just repeats the movie-battle sequence over and over [In fact the progression is closer to movie-run-battle-run-movie-boss-movie-run-battle…].

There are rather a lot of movies.

Moving around is like a long marathon.

You can't flee battles [You can't avoid most battles either as there is no sneaking past enemies, including weak ones].

The best tactic is almost always endlessly attacking. There is next to no strategy or skill involved.

The story is rubbish… [Spoilers omitted, but complaints centre on Snow's constant and cringe inducing insistence that he is a hero and will "protect" whatever it is the antagonists are menacing this time]

Ah, that's what I was looking for. Thank you. Those are the points that kind of worry me. I don't mind a lot of cutscenes as long as the story is good, but judging from the latest trailer, I don't think I'll like the story. Hope I'm wrong on that one.The endless attacking sucks; this is what I hated about FFX-2 and Super Robot Taisen on the DS. All you do is press the attack button, and that's it. Not fun at all.

The thing that upsets me the most is how linear the levels are. From looking at the maps and a few gameplay videos, all you do is travel in a straight line. And this last for 20 hours? Lame. It feels like a step backward from FFXII. The second half better be good in terms of exploration. I'm renting it.

You realize that the EXACT same complaints were levied against Final Fantasy X. Really, specifically, the exact word for word complaints fit FFX perfectly. The only exception is the inability to flee battles....but I never did that anyway, I'm not even sure if you could do it, thinking back.

I mean, honestly, complaining that the gameflow is cutscene-dungeon-cutscene-boss-cutscene, and that fighting in non-random battles sucks...just seems like someone doesn't enjoy JRPGs to me. :P I mean, a JRPG is linear....really? How dare they, lol.

These games always have more depth than is readily apparent. I didn't figure out FFXII or VIII's battle system until my second playthrough(with the help of guides). I thought those games were crap, until I played them again, and now they are, in my mind, some of the deepest and most rewarding experiences out there. Hell FFVIII and XII's stories both kinda suck.....these complaints mean nothing, really, because with each new entry, its the individual who has to decide if they like the new reimagining of the series, because I can guarntee you one thing. It's gonna change with every entry.

This series is one of the few series that remains great, despite chaning its game completely with each new entry. Imagine if Zelda or Mario did that....