Re: And my one major complaint with your review. . . - Edit 2
Before modification by RugbyPlayingAshaman at 24/03/2010 03:35:46 PM
I don't think you understand what I was stating.
What we see in Final Fantasy XIII is melodrama, which is typically seen in JRPG cut scenes.
For example, how many times did Hope run up to Snow but fail to follow through on the confrontation? At least three times prior to Chapter 4.
The nature of struggle is explored more in "Shadow of the Colossus", where something must be given up in order to proceed or "Dragon Age: Origins", where making one choice in the storyline or with your character interaction, entails giving up other experiences that your character can engage in.
"Final Fantasy XIII", in my opinion, is less about a heroic or inner struggle, and more about the sense of urgency that forces these characters to move forward without stopping. That was the whole reasoning behind the design choice to present a large portion of the game as proceeding along a straight corridor - the characters must go forward without stopping, but they never have to give anything up, because all they need to do to win is to reach the end of their journey. I think this will become more clear to you once you reach the end of the game - this isn't a bittersweet ending; it's a very happy ending where for the most part everyone gets what they wanted. And they get what they wanted because none of them really had to sacrifice anything to get there. Even Hope, who has the most bittersweet conclusion, isn't really in a bad place - the person he wanted to get revenge for died of their own choosing, so his own storyline was less about revenge and more about immaturity.
I think what you are calling "struggle" is what most people would refer to as a "plot point" or "scripted scene". The characters TELL you they are struggling by their actions, but the player never has to feel it, because the characters are divorced from the need for a sacrifice whether it be from the characters or the player.
What we see in Final Fantasy XIII is melodrama, which is typically seen in JRPG cut scenes.
For example, how many times did Hope run up to Snow but fail to follow through on the confrontation? At least three times prior to Chapter 4.
The nature of struggle is explored more in "Shadow of the Colossus", where something must be given up in order to proceed or "Dragon Age: Origins", where making one choice in the storyline or with your character interaction, entails giving up other experiences that your character can engage in.
"Final Fantasy XIII", in my opinion, is less about a heroic or inner struggle, and more about the sense of urgency that forces these characters to move forward without stopping. That was the whole reasoning behind the design choice to present a large portion of the game as proceeding along a straight corridor - the characters must go forward without stopping, but they never have to give anything up, because all they need to do to win is to reach the end of their journey. I think this will become more clear to you once you reach the end of the game - this isn't a bittersweet ending; it's a very happy ending where for the most part everyone gets what they wanted. And they get what they wanted because none of them really had to sacrifice anything to get there. Even Hope, who has the most bittersweet conclusion, isn't really in a bad place - the person he wanted to get revenge for died of their own choosing, so his own storyline was less about revenge and more about immaturity.
I think what you are calling "struggle" is what most people would refer to as a "plot point" or "scripted scene". The characters TELL you they are struggling by their actions, but the player never has to feel it, because the characters are divorced from the need for a sacrifice whether it be from the characters or the player.