OK, so I've finally got a good look at some FF13 gameplay now1, and it's looking pretty much as I expected and maybe even slightly better. I'm more than likely going to buy a PS3 now, partly due to the fact that the PS3 version of FF13 will be out sooner and almost certainly be superior to the Xbox 360 version. But now, let's have a breakdown of what I expected and what I'm seeing so far.
Expected: Really, really good.
Found: Absolutely eye-meltingly gorgeous. Really, I'm still amazed at the in-game graphics, they would've been considered pretty good looking FMVs just five years ago. If that holds up throughout the game, and I'm pretty sure it will, this will be quite a spectacle.
Well that's the technical side, as for the artistic side of things, the intro looks bloody impressive to me. Detailed and atmospheric. It actually feels a bit like the start of Final Fantasy VII, which seems foreboding as I felt the atmosphere at the start of that game rapidly evaporated. Still, Square managed to keep it up with the more recent Final Fantasy X, so that means very little really.
Expected: Something better than FF12, which was slightly disappointing.
Found: Not a huge amount so far, but what I've heard sounds good. The effects sounded pretty meaty too. Judgment will have to be reserved until I actually have the game though, musical quality can vary a lot over the course of a large game like this, and it could fall off later on.
Expected: FF12, but tweaked and faster.
Found: Well the battle transitions and after-battle victory screen are both back, but I missed them anyway. The rest seems to be a hybrid of FF12's mixture of action and turned-based gameplay and the old Active Time Battle system, with an interesting variation on the time gauge bar, and cooler effects (with even some aerial combat), which is nice. I think FF12 was ultimately limited by hardware in the gameplay department, resulting in some frustration, which isn't a worry with FF13, so I'll be expecting a smoother experience with it.
Notably, the after-battle victory screen shows stuff like how long it took to complete the battle and even ranks your performance from 1-5. Couple that with the fast-paced action and aerial combat, and it makes me think Square's developers have been playing a fair bit of Devil May Cry. Not that I would consider that a bad thing...
Expected: A mixed-bag, with some good characters and some annoying characters, though I hoped for better.
Found: Worse than I expected so far. Afro Guy seems misplaced, annoying, and even slightly racist. Lightning could end up being an interesting female protagonist who can actually lead in a fight, or a bland rip-off of Cloud Strife (a character I never even liked in the first place). As for the others, I'll just wait and see...
Expected: Melodrama and some crunchy gear changes as writers can't quite decide where they're going.
Found: The intro amazed and annoyed in equal measures. Amazed as a group of people under mind control is a really good concept to start with, and Lightning really kicked some ass. Annoyed as Afro Guy proceeded to provide stupid and misplaced comic relief in a situation that simply did not benefit from it, making me wonder why the writers saw fit to even place it there. Lightning needed a partner here, but why not someone less annoying and stereotypical? Overall, a negative impression with hopes that it gets better from here.
I haven't even played the game myself yet, so I can't really say a whole lot, and this is bound to change as I update this article. Still, what I've seen so far shows it seems to be somewhat better that I expected in graphics, sound, and gameplay, but also lacking in characters and story (which I expected, but that doesn't make it any less disappointing). Plenty of time to regain that lost ground yet though, so let's wait and see.