The ratings will be between 85-90 but I dont care about the ratings too much. Ofcourse its important that a game is somewhere around 75% so I know its not crap. But no review on the world could decide whether I like a game or not. I often hear some things I dont like and I come to the conclusion the game is bad but after I played it I like it most of the time.
FF12 got good reviews and is hated (I love it) everybody prefered FFX. FFXIII seem to be like X with a weaker story but a better battle system. I still look forward to it. But I always liked VS more (from theory). I like nonlinear open RPGs but I also liked X. FFXIII is similar to X. All the things which were critisized are the same . It is extremly linear and it has corridors instead of open areas. I dont like that either but I loved X, despite it.
And I loved the gameplay. The story is important but I can live with a weaker story. The gameplay is atleast as important as the Story. And I hope everyone who critisized the story is able to understand Japanese.
I wait for the western release to play the full game plus sidequests ala Omega Weapon. In 2 years the people will talk positive about the game.
The people which dont like FFXIII probably wouldnt like FFX either. And the story was good but it wasnt so good that you could like it despite hating everything else:
20h tutorial plus linearity and corridor stages good story = FFX
20h tutorial plus linearity and corridor stages mediocre story excellent battle system= FFXIII
Maybe the Story wont be as good as usual but I bet it will still be better then a lot of other games.
Its good that it good some mediocre reviews (other FFs got them too) so a lot people which had skyhigh expectations have now lowered expectations and may be pleasantly surprised.
I liked FFX but I still thought it was mediocre after I finished it. Then I discovered the black bestias and the varity of summons. First 60hours were not as good as FFVII and FFXII but the game really showed its glory after the another 100 hours.
XIII has the mobs like in FFXII it is difficult probably the most difficult FF. I liked the sphere board in FFX a lot. The people do like FF because of its gameplay. Atleast this is one of the most important parts for me the story is just one third of the game.
The more I read about it the more I liked it. I never was too hyped for the game. And after I read this horrible review/preview, I really thought bad of it, then I realized that its always like that every FF got mixed reviews because every FF reinvents itself and this alienates some people always.
FF is not only the Story. From the 3D FFs just FFVII had an amazing story, but FFVIII had a mediocre story. FFX had an better story. FFXII again had a mediocre story. I tend to forget the most things about the story anyway.
FFs storys are like Bollywood just too exegerated. Its the gameplay and the hidden bosses/secrets which keep me entertained. I wouldnt play FF if it werent for that.
Sometimes you wont give the game a chance. Maybe you have to play it 10 hours or more and after that you could like it. I hated FFX the first hours, I almost gave up the same with FFVIII but then I recognized whats so good about it. Sometimes you have to replay a game to finally acknowledge its beauty such a game is FF for me. Oblivion was the same thing I hated it the first 40 hours I stopped playing it almost half a year then I replayed it because I was bored and i began to like it and I played this game until I have made very sidequest. And now Its one of my favorite games.
