With so many crap shoot publishers like EA, it is nice to see SE pouring money on its pinnacle title. This review is without any spoilers, no worries. I have played a big portion of the game, WOW WOW WOW. The game is awesome smooth and grand. The initial portion is more like a hybrid of Western action title and JRPG. You are pushed down a straight path, similar to Gears/Uncharted. Move into an area, clear enemies and move on the next. It feels very refreshing as you will be constantly introduced to new skills and upgrades. By the time you get the entire arsenal and understand the combat system it will be 30 hrs in and the game opens up at the right time. If it had opened up a little earlier, you will be left to scratch the head. So it is 30 hrs of story & combat building and 30 hrs of exploration. Perfect balance. You will never notice that you have already spent 30 hrs in learning the combat mechanics as it is very deep and satisfying.

The battle system is the best we have ever had in any RPG before. Yes we have seen slow mo shooter this and that, nothing this deep and well flushed out. Every battle requires a different strategy. You can't go all offense or defence and win every thing. Every monster you fight requires you to think and solve like a puzzle. You need to setup different paradigms. Simply put they are sets of characters with specific jobs and abilities. AI is very smart and they can take care of them selves. It took so long for AI to be independent and not run directly into line of fire. You will be switching in and out of paradigms multiple times during the fight. Try different combination before settling down. Combat is a visual spectacle. Every animation is so meticulously done, you have to appreciate the work that has gone in.

There is lot of mis-information about this game. None of the JRPGs seem to get good scores this generation. Great ones are dinged and crap shooters are given 9.5 and 10. The first half is about the story and second half is traditional JRPG. By the time you unlock all the trophies and yearn all the skills it will be 200 hrs of game play. Nothing is more satisfying than getting five stars on each combat situation. It is slightly more on the action side than character development. But it seriously deserves better treatment that what meta-critic is showing.

Don't miss it. Yes we have a abundance of AAA titles. But nothing this grand and epic. If it was a book, it will be 700 pages. It is one of the well flushed out stories that you can find in digital entertainment. Romance, valor, sacrifice, friendship all add up to a very satisfying epic novel feel. I felt lucky that I was able to borrow and play the Japanese version. SE has redone the lipsync for English version. Voice acting and script is top notch.
With so many crap shoot publishers like EA, it is nice to see SE pouring money on its pinnacle title. This review is without any spoilers, no worries. I have played a big portion of the game, WOW WOW WOW. The game is awesome smooth and grand. The initial portion is more like a hybrid of Western action title and JRPG. You are pushed down a straight path, similar to Gears/Uncharted. Move into an area, clear enemies and move on the next. It feels very refreshing as you will be constantly introduced to new skills and upgrades. By the time you get the entire arsenal and understand the combat system it will be 30 hrs in and the game opens up at the right time. If it had opened up a little earlier, you will be left to scratch the head. So it is 30 hrs of story & combat building and 30 hrs of exploration. Perfect balance. You will never notice that you have already spent 30 hrs in learning the combat mechanics as it is very deep and satisfying. The battle system is the best we have ever had in any RPG before. Yes we have seen slow mo shooter this and that, nothing this deep and well flushed out. Every battle requires a different strategy. You can't go all offense or defence and win every thing. Every monster you fight requires you to think and solve like a puzzle. You need to setup different paradigms. Simply put they are sets of characters with specific jobs and abilities. AI is very smart and they can take care of them selves. It took so long for AI to be independent and not run directly into line of fire. You will be switching in and out of paradigms multiple times during the fight. Try different combination before settling down. Combat is a visual spectacle. Every animation is so meticulously done, you have to appreciate the work that has gone in. There is lot of mis-information about this game. None of the JRPGs seem to get good scores this generation. Great ones are dinged and crap shooters are given 9. 5 and 10. The first half is about the story and second half is traditional JRPG. By the time you unlock all the trophies and yearn all the skills it will be 200 hrs of game play. Nothing is more satisfying than getting five stars on each combat situation. It is slightly more on the action side than character development. But it seriously deserves better treatment that what meta-critic is showing. Don't miss it. Yes we have a abundance of AAA titles. But nothing this grand and epic. If it was a book, it will be 700 pages. It is one of the well flushed out stories that you can find in digital entertainment. Romance, valor, sacrifice, friendship all add up to a very satisfying epic novel feel. I felt lucky that I was able to borrow and play the Japanese version. SE has redone the lipsync for English version. Voice acting and script is top notch.