Final Fantasy XIII unt The Last Story

Here's a regular scene in Final Fantasy XIII, an example of the "story" if you will.

"Focus! L'Cie! Focus! Destiny! Focus!"

"Cocoon! L'Cie! Fal'cie! SERAH! Fal'cie!"

"Cocoon! Pulse fal'cie! Pulse! Cocoon!"

"Focus! L'cie! Cocoon! Pulse! l'cie!"

"L'cie! Focus! Pulse fal'cie! Fal'cie!"

"L'cie..."

WHAT THE FUCK! As I've clearly displayed here it's just the same six or seven words rearranged and with different inflection. That doesn't constitute a story. I'm severely, severely disappointed in this game. I never thought that I would find a Final Fantasy game so... obnoxious! I didn't even think it would be possible. I took the series for granted. This shit makes Final Fantasy Mystic Quest look like a diamond. It's graphically impressive but the story, which Final Fantasy games have been legendary for, is the absolute worst of the main series. The worst. In fact I've never felt so disconnected from a story in any RPG ever. Other than Sazh, the rest of these characters are wooden and even boring. The gameplay is pretty good, the battles are more challenging than we're used to certainly and the world is uninspired. The graphics and sound are good. But the story... OH GOD THE STORY. I don't think there is much more to say without falling in to a stream of mind rant. So I'll just leave it with what I've said before. This series may have hit it's zenith and is on the downflow.

There is, however, a game on the horizon that has got me excited about the JRPG genre despite my recent misgivings with them. That game is The Last Story by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakuguchi. The game promises to breath new life in the stagnant JRPG genre. The Japanese gamers are resistant to change which has led to the Japanese gaming market to plateau. This in turn led to a western disaffection with games from the land of the rising sun.

The Last Story may be a symbol of changing times. It's being created by Mistwalker, the studio that created the sublime game Lost Odyssey. From the artwork I've seen in will be one of the most beautiful and artistic games to ever be released. The landscapes are brilliant and reminiscent of Miyazaki. A far cry from the tired anime characters that permeate the standard JRPG. The designs released for The Last Story so far have been colorful, vibrant and whimsical. The game world seems to be the sort of stuff out of a Molyneux promise. A dynamic and ever changing world is one of the highlights of The Last Story, with cities that react to your actions in the game. The game sounds great but there's one problem. It's a Wii exclusive. Who knows I might have one by the time this game is released.

Until then, I'll keep chugging away at Final Fantasy XIII and try to get to the point at which everyone says it picks up. I don't think I'll finish it anytime soon since I don't really want to. I've picked up Final Fantasy 12 again and I'm going to finish it for real this time. I have one dungeon left. Just hammer it out and call it good.