Gaming Chronicles - Lightning Returns: Final Hallway XIII, Part 3?

Let me preface this by saying that I enjoyed the games Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2 (the latter, more so than the former). I realize that a lot of "true" Final Fantasy fans don't like them. But hey! It's just my preference.

Anyway, I was really excited to hear about the exciting conclusion to the XIII series. I pre-ordered the game, and set about waiting for it to be released. Well, the time has finally arrived. I now own the game and have begun into main story. It is quite interesting, to say the least.

Therefore, I have decided to write on/about my experiences with the game, as I play it. Be warned, however, as I already want to like the game, so I probably won't be as critical as I could be.

As a warning, there might be/will be spoilers, so don't read this if you don't care for plot points to be spoiled for you. Also, for my first play-through will be for story, so I opted for easy mode. (Which, some people might argue that the previous to games were entirely, but I digress...)

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Starting into everything, we see the opening cinematic. As I am playing on our HD TV (We finally got one, a few months ago!) the visual presentation is amazing. I'm getting pumped to play. Lightning perches atop a tower, and dramatically pulls off some sunglasses. However, the opening scenes, and beginning stages of gameplay, are almost too heavy with pure exposition. At one point, Lightning flashes back to a previous conversation, and I say to myself "Exposition!" because it's a little too obvious at that point.

The visuals are what I would expect from a system like the PS3, and more importantly, from a Final Fantasy game. (It makes me long for the opening of FF VII to be made in stunning HD. A wild dream, but one can always dream.)

After some exposition, and finding out what the heck happened while Lightning was away, the game allows us a chance to explore and begin learning how to battle with the new system. As we chase the apparently now evil Snow, some basic monsters confront us. The battle system, in my opinion, is an answer to an unrealized wish.

What unrealized wish, you ask? In the previous two games, every action was queued up and then performed at a set pace. (And, actually, in older FF games, you still just commanded the action, rather than doing it yourself.) Pressing X over and over, while it made me feel like I was doing more, actually did nothing. Here, the actions are mapped to particular buttons. Pressing X over and over finally does something! While this is a departure from the traditional RPG style of control, it seems to be the logical development from the battle systems of the previous XIII games (And, to some extent, from XII). So far, I find it engaging and enjoyable. We'll see how it fares over time.

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I began playing the game on our living room TV, and it was a little awkward/uncomfortable at first. At one point, Evil Snow is presiding over a party in which there are what seem to be a few (clothed) pole-dancers. Yes, it wasn't overly indecent, but it's still a little awkward to show up, when your mother is sitting next to you on the couch.

The other point is Lightning's new role as "the savior." Now, before the god Bhunivelze wakes up and replaces the current world with a new one, Lightning must save the souls of as many of the remaining people as possible, before time runs out in 13 days.

Previously, XIII and XIII-2 had similar issues: XIII with the Fal'Cies' control of Cocoon, and XIII-2 with Caius' plot against a goddess. However, Lightning Returns' language is a lot closer to home. At many points, Bhunivelze is simply referred to as "God."

Now, I can enjoy a fictitious world with its own fictive theology. Greek myths are great. Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia are, to some degree, both imaginative fictions and creative allegories. I've even read and watched "modern" literature and movies. However, I couldn't help but be a little off-put when Lightning criticized the plan and workings of Bhunivelze, referring to him as God. My primary motivation in playing the game (besides wanting to have all the "main" FF games) was to see the resolution of the conflict started in XIII and XIII-2. I wanted to see Cocoon's final fate. I wanted to see how/if Serah would be saved. Most importantly, I want to see a final confrontation between Lightning and Caius.

Besides the major sticking point, I'm actually liking the game so far. A new character (who some might argue is another unnecessary complication) arrives and torments Lightning. Who is she? What role will she play? Why does she look like Serah?

Well, hopefully I will find out soon. Before spoilers are posted everywhere. Uggh.

Anyway! Here's hoping the rest of the game lives up to my high expectations!

Life - SCSTA

This past month, I had the opportunity to travel with my school's theatre kids and compete at SCSTA. SCSTA, or South Carolina Speech and Theatre Association, has a festival competition each year. This year, it was held at Newberry College, so we all piled into Mrs. DeVault and TJ Ellis's vehicles and "boogied on down the road" to get there.

It's pretty simple what SCSTA actually is. The real question is "What is SCSTA to me?" So I think back on that Saturday:

I didn't know what I was getting myself into: part of me was afraid that I wouldn't be allowed to go. With such actors as Rebecca Pearson and TJ Fisher in one's group, one tends to be overwhelmed. Fortunately, I was not the only one going for the first time. We had at least 4 people with us that hadn't gone before.

My pieces were two monologues performed for the "audition monologue" category. I was initially expecting to perform on some stage, in front of at least a moderate crowd. However, most of the activities were held in small classrooms, some the same size as ones here at Erskine! That was actually a point I really liked. Being close up to the actors made the experience more personal. For instance, when I watched duet acting during the first round, one group used a table and chairs, and addressed both sides of the tables surrounding them. There was even a splash zone for that scene! (Well, a thrown glass, but still...) One group even asked for feedback on their performance. (Although, maybe that was a bit much like aiding the enemy? Anyway, it felt nice to be helpful.)

During the second round, I went to audition monologues for my performance. Our group had about 4-5 people, and ended rather early. I wasn't as intimidated as I thought I was going to be.

Without going into extensive, dull details, the rest of the day was pretty nice, too. They had karaoke while the judges made their decisions, and Erskine walked away with 5 trophies.

SCSTA was a learning experience for me. One thing I could say is that determined minors and amateurs can beat professor-compelled majors any day. However, that goes without saying. More importantly, though, SCSTA was a real opportunity to enjoy theatre with many other people, even people who aren't going into it as a profession. Being at theatre at Erskine is nice (Getting lead roles is actually a possibility for me here!) but there's only so many of us here. Seeing so many other people at SCSTA was great. It's all about the shared experience in theatre.

That is what SCSTA is to me: a common experience; sharing the joy of theatre and speech.