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!
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