This game is gorgeous. I bought it last night and played about two hours into it before literally passing out in the middle of exploring - controller still in hand. It starts slow but I'm pretty used to that in JRPG games. The story is just starting to ramp up now and I'm eagerly awaiting hour six, which I hear is when the game really kicks into overdrive.
If I put aside my anti-JPRG skepticism, I think I'll really enjoy the game. So far the combat is intriguing, though I have to admit that I preferred Blue Dragon's timer/powerup combat. I thought it was a cool twist on the turn-based genre that led to some very complex battles later in the game (though the game was still too easy).
I have to mention that I absolutely love the art style. Compared to most JRPG leads - most of which look like people you would see walking out of a concert in West Hollywood on a Saturday night - Kaim is the genre's Marcus Fenix in comparison. He's not whiny, he's got some serious fuckin' attitude to him, and so far, he hasn't annoyed me once. Compared to a Final Fantasy game where I generally want to punch the main character in the face by the time the opening credits have finished, this is a vast improvement.
Kudos to Uematsu again - he has delivered another brilliant soundtrack that sounds familiar to JRPG fans but is different enough to remind you that it's a new game.
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