| pearljammer said: It's really quite a divisive game. I thought the game was poor in terms of writing, character and pacing but I really, really enjoyed the battle system; though, I thought it took far too long to allow the player the freedom to actually enjoy it. The storytelling, while nothing special or even particularly good, was engaging enough to keep me going. Perhaps engaging is the wrong word- serviceable seems better suited. Definitely not among my favourites overall, but in terms of battle systems - once they actually allow the freedom to enjoy- is perhaps my favourite in the series. For that reason alone, I'd place it above the worst in the series (III and even VIII). |
I completely agree. The story is forgettable and the characters are derivative, but the battle system is incredibly fun once you level up to the point where you can invest in all the different classes. The main problem is you only reach this point once you finish the game, so people will only experience the fully developed battle system if they play a significant amount after beating the main story. I honestly think the game would have received a much more favorable reception if the combat system was fully developed earlier on in the game. Just as an example, the sentinel class is essential to many of the later battles and actually makes the battles much more interactive, but this is a secondary class to many of the characters, so most people will not invest heavily in it at the beginning of the game considering the low returns(attributes) for higher costs(experience).
