Valerie's Writings

Starting off the month of June with yet another “disappointment.” I put it in quotes because I already knew it was coming; and it’s really not so so bad. But nevertheless I’d been praying fervently that it wouldn’t happen. That somehow, someone somewhere was actually watching over this project and making sure it didn’t become a complete trainwreck disaster. But nope.

So what was it? Well, I’ve reached the final chapter of FFXIII. Yep. Not much time left for it to save itself, and I highly doubt the ending scenes will be extremely redeeming either. Let’s hope they are…. For God’s sake, please make those scenes at least make sense!!

So Much Right, So Much Wrong

FFXIII drives me crazy. Why? Because it does so, so much right but manages to get so much terribly wrong at the same time. There are so many things about this game that have impressed me, that have left their indelible mark. Its presentation is absolutely flawless. The detail and graphical perfection of the world is absolutely stunning. The cutscenes were done well. Localization is better than I could ever have hoped for. I personally like the battle system, Crystarium, and other stream-lined elements. And the story/characters, while awkwardly presented and underdeveloped, had the potential to be quite good – at least they were original… memorable.

But really, the story is shockingly bare-bones. I mean, I still don’t know who the characters are really, what they’re fighting for, and/or what their plan is for “saving the world.” None of it makes any sense, to be frank.

Who Are These People, Again?

The characters are the hardest to forgive. They look beautiful, they’re beautifully voiced, they’re animated flawlessly and could really become some of the best FF characters in existence – I could sense that potential. Yet, for whatever reason, the potential only remains potential.

We know appallingly little about Lightning’s background, how she and her sister lost their parents, how Serah and snow met.

I still don’t understand why Hope decided to abandon his father and go save the world (is it just the hip thing to do these days?) Where did he come from exactly, anyway?

And Vanille and Fang… how are they related, again? I know they’re the best of friends, but… why?

Don’t even get me started on Sazh. He just sticks out like a sore thumb the whole time. It’s not just because he’s black with a crazy hairdo and an annoying chocobo chick in his bird’s nest of hair – it’s because his story is told so awkwardly and his role is too uncertain. Comic relief? Tragic figure? Tired old father? He keeps switching back and forth, back and forth, depending on what’s needed in that particular scene, until we’re just not sure why he’s actually in this game. And whatever happened with his son, anyway?

Ugh, nothing makes sense. I won’t even attempt to go over the story and its flaws. That’s just a total mess.

Characters – Just BOND Already!

I dunno. I had the most uncanny feeling, after 45 hours of play, when I’d nearly gotten to the final dungeon, that this was where the story should have begun. Or closer to it, anyhow… For the first time in 45 hours, it seemed like the “heroes” finally had some kind of purpose, and some kind of serious problem. I felt like they were just ready to begin “bonding.”

Sadly, I knew that the characters were supposed to have bonded already (apparently) in the past 40 hours. Even if there was very little evidence of it.

Every bond that I thought was “going somewhere” ended up just fizzling out for no apparent reason. First I thought Vanille and Hope had something going on (they do… well sort of… not really… maybe… right?). Then it was Vanille and Sazh. Then Lightning and Hope (I really wanted that one to happen!). Snow and Fang seemed to have something going on too. I also liked Snow and lightning’s “one-sided grudge/friendship” dynamic, and I also thought it would be interesting if Snow and Hope’s unlikely friendship grew further as well. But nope: nix on both counts. All their preciously scant moments of “development” were really for nothing after all.

Still, there were some pretty good times to be had from this game. I still think around the point where Lightning and Hope fight against Odin to around when the “gang” joins up with Cid Raines and Fang and goes out to “save the world” – those were the best parts of the game. Well, really, all the “fugitive” portions were better than the rest of it. At least I actually understood the characters’ motivations then (for the most part). And you can always identify with a group that’s on the run. Not so much for a group raring to “saving the world” for some obscure reason, though.

Wasted Potential

God, to think what they could have done with the game (and to think that this took them 3 1/2 years to develop!!)… I had fantasies of being able to pair off into groups (of 2 or 3) like in some parts of FFVIII and having to rely on each other for survival. I mean, they really should’ve split up the party more often. At least then I’d have a reason to use Sazh & Vanille at all.

I just found all the “split up” moments far better than the “big group” ones. And I really, really loved how the pairs would actually talk to each other in battle quite personally (saying their names, personalized phrases, etc). That was all so excellent. Why couldn’t they have kept it up with that level of quality?

It’s like the development ran out of steam after making the first 20 hours and had to resort to cliche “saving the world” stuff to fill up the rest of the game.