[Phoenix Gamma]

Huh? I just hate Tidus and his whiny voice, retarded clothes, gay hair, and everything else about that character.

And the whole point of FFXIII, from what I've played so far, is "oh fuck, government is gonna get us. Haul ass, you guys". I don't know any fugitive on the run who has time to play chocobo minigames or roam around doing nothing. If you look at any jRPG, they just do whatever the fuck. Aeris just died? brb snowboarding. Sin's gonna destroy everyone at any point? Water Polo!

Narratively speaking, I think FFXIII is spot on. It opens up right away with a big event and shows everyone who gets dragged into it. Then the setup with the fal'cie, then it's time to get the fuck out because it's us against the whole world. Gameplay-wise? Yea, the game could introduce mechanics sooner, but it's a nuanced system, and everything is built around the story and each situation. It's pretty thoughtfully designed around the characters and the context. I think it holds everything together a lot better than 10, which just kinda did whatever the fuck it wanted.