Okay, so, I’ll write up a real kind of thought process later, but here’s some quick notes so far:

Story: Somewhat contrived and…bad. There’s just nothing really going on. Some talk of “L’ciel” and “Cocoon”, but at no point in the game so far (Chapter 5, disc 2, 8 hours in) has anyone said anything about what they are, beyond passing references. You’re assumed to either know what it means, infer what they are, or throw yourself into the extensive datalog, to try and discern it from that.

Characters: Not really sure about it, because the game doesn’t let me play as one for more than 30 minutes at a time before throwing me to another group. Think the splitup scene from FF6, except it’s all the time. Nobody really stands out at the moment, apart from Snow, and that’s because his VA is the guy who did Kanji Tatsumi from Persona 4. Although, I approve of the “Chocofro”

Aesthetics: Something that the game shines on so far. The music is top (However battles are over so fast that I’m sick of the stupid “Fanfare” attempt). Everywhere I go is different, and this is something that FF13 does really well, it creates a real immersion in the world, with everything looking, frankly, absolutely stunning. Every game local, character animation and enemy design is at the top of its game. Sometimes, I’ve literally stopped and looked around at the amazing vistas, landscapes and bizarre industrial designs. A minor problem with the sound mix aside (Flavour dialogue in the field is meaningless, not exciting, and much quieter than it needs to be), it’s very good so far.

Combat: Not sure how I feel about this. Read any review or rabid FF hater, and you’ll hear it’s  “Press autoattack, receive win”. Unfortunately, this is true. Despite the fact that the game allows you to pick and choose actions, what’s the point? Brad Shoemaker of Giantbomb said “As much as you can choose your actions, there’s no point. The autocommand picks them much faster, more efficiently, and frankly better choices than a human ever could”. As much as I like to pick my own stuff, I just make “Gamey” job alliances. I’m usually going for a pure caster setup, a pure melee setup, or a “Heavy and medic” setup, because there’s no point in making a competent, debuff ready and buffable squad, the battles are over too fast. I’ve never had any problem with bosses so far, just because the game is too easy to get around. I’m enjoying the character job system so far, kind of. Not sure how I feel about it so far, it seems kind of seethrough, and easy to exploit so far.

Concluding thoughts: S’alright, I guess. Not that far into it so far, but it seems a bit…well, standard. It’s a normal JRPG intro, that looks really good and has the Final Fantasy name on it. Not sure what to expect, the game seems far too easy so far, or far too hard, it fluctuates I suppose. Making my way through it. Seems to be a lot of (Somewhat) boring combat and just…meaningless plot points. In chapter 4, I was on a beach, and a scene happened. From there, I had to run 20 feet forward, to initiate the next plot point. There’s a lot of “What’s the point in that” moments so far, however, this isn’t to say I don’t enjoy it. Making my way through it.
 

Okay, so, I’ll write up a real kind of thought process later, but here’s some quick notes so far:

Story: Somewhat contrived and…bad. There’s just nothing really going on. Some talk of “L’ciel” and “Cocoon”, but at no point in the game so far (Chapter 5, disc 2, 8 hours in) has anyone said anything about what they are, beyond passing references. You’re assumed to either know what it means, infer what they are, or throw yourself into the extensive datalog, to try and discern it from that.

Characters: Not really sure about it, because the game doesn’t let me play as one for more than 30 minutes at a time before throwing me to another group. Think the splitup scene from FF6, except it’s all the time. Nobody really stands out at the moment, apart from Snow, and that’s because his VA is the guy who did Kanji Tatsumi from Persona 4. Although, I approve of the “Chocofro”

Aesthetics: Something that the game shines on so far. The music is top (However battles are over so fast that I’m sick of the stupid “Fanfare” attempt). Everywhere I go is different, and this is something that FF13 does really well, it creates a real immersion in the world, with everything looking, frankly, absolutely stunning. Every game local, character animation and enemy design is at the top of its game. Sometimes, I’ve literally stopped and looked around at the amazing vistas, landscapes and bizarre industrial designs. A minor problem with the sound mix aside (Flavour dialogue in the field is meaningless, not exciting, and much quieter than it needs to be), it’s very good so far.

Combat: Not sure how I feel about this. Read any review or rabid FF hater, and you’ll hear it’s  “Press autoattack, receive win”. Unfortunately, this is true. Despite the fact that the game allows you to pick and choose actions, what’s the point? Brad Shoemaker of Giantbomb said “As much as you can choose your actions, there’s no point. The autocommand picks them much faster, more efficiently, and frankly better choices than a human ever could”. As much as I like to pick my own stuff, I just make “Gamey” job alliances. I’m usually going for a pure caster setup, a pure melee setup, or a “Heavy and medic” setup, because there’s no point in making a competent, debuff ready and buffable squad, the battles are over too fast. I’ve never had any problem with bosses so far, just because the game is too easy to get around. I’m enjoying the character job system so far, kind of. Not sure how I feel about it so far, it seems kind of seethrough, and easy to exploit so far.

Concluding thoughts: S’alright, I guess. Not that far into it so far, but it seems a bit…well, standard. It’s a normal JRPG intro, that looks really good and has the Final Fantasy name on it. Not sure what to expect, the game seems far too easy so far, or far too hard, it fluctuates I suppose. Making my way through it. Seems to be a lot of (Somewhat) boring combat and just…meaningless plot points. In chapter 4, I was on a beach, and a scene happened. From there, I had to run 20 feet forward, to initiate the next plot point. There’s a lot of “What’s the point in that” moments so far, however, this isn’t to say I don’t enjoy it. Making my way through it.
 

Even though I'm much earlier in the game than you are  SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

Just a heads up, this is only the third Final Fantasy game I have ever played. I beat Tactics and got at least 20 hours into XII before giving up on it.
 
If you want that beach scene to infuriate you more, the character you find standing on that dock isn't there till you talk to certain people, then they just magically show up.
 
On a more constructive note, I have to agree with you on the story so far. The motivations of the characters aren't perfectly clear to me and I know that such things are probably going to be explained later on in the game but until then, you're left just wondering why in the world certain characters would just choose to tag along, why others leave, and why sides are switched.
 
I have to say that I am enjoying the battle system though. I've never been a fan of actually choosing the attack that counts as a weakness as I was never good at remembering such things as the list of possible enemies grew. I much prefer this system of choosing between casting, buffing, debuffing, healing, and tanking. This does make alot of the battles easier but when a tough fight happens to come along, the job switching does do a good job of keeping you on your toes. There have been a few fights where I died because I failed to switch to a proper set of jobs when an enemy's weakness was discovered (in particular the eidolons or however you spell these ridiculously named things in this game).
 
That brings up a particular pet peeve of mine. The names given to things in this game are just plain dumb. It feels like they were given extravagant names just for the sake of it rather than out of genuine creativity. I had no problem going through the datalog to find out the full breadth of the story but I cringed whenever I came across a ridiculous name or even a machine design. Maybe its the fact that I major in engineering but a lot of these designs don't seem practical in the least. I laughed when I saw a truck the size of a tank roll up with the sole purpose of holding rifles on either side. The soldiers couldn't carry these guns with them?
 
Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the game so far. The scenery is beautiful and I appreciate how often they change it up to keep me interested in where I am. The main character models look great. I enjoy the battle system and the musical score admittedly varies in quality. Yes, this isn't GOTY material but its an enjoyable game nonetheless.

Hmmm.  I'm never sure how to take criticism on FF, especially from FF fans. Not saying you're wrong, just trying to decide if your standards are higher than mine.  I'm not a die-hard FF but enjoyed X and XII, (though I'm of the opinion that X=overrated and XII=underrated, especially systems wise).    
 
Anyways, I'm going to buy FFXIII and I have a suspicion that I'll love it. I need a good JRPG, and this looks amazing if nothing else. 
I am interested in seeing how Versus ends up after the reaction to this one though. Can't wait.

" Hmmm.  I'm never sure how to take criticism on FF, especially from FF fans. Not saying you're wrong, just trying to decide if your standards are higher than mine.  I'm not a die-hard FF but enjoyed X and XII, (though I'm of the opinion that X=overrated and XII=underrated, especially systems wise).     Anyways, I'm going to buy FFXIII and I have a suspicion that I'll love it. I need a good JRPG, and this looks amazing if nothing else. "

All this talk makes me feel like going back to play FF6.  Seems like the series took a shit when 7 came out.  Especially from the last bombcast, it seems like the guys hate how the series hasnt done shit.  But that it was good once, so should I just play FF6 instead of this?  What systems is that on? (current i mean)

" All this talk makes me feel like going back to play FF6.  Seems like the series took a shit when 7 came out.  Especially from the last bombcast, it seems like the guys hate how the series hasnt done shit.  But that it was good once, so should I just play FF6 instead of this?  What systems is that on? (current i mean) "

You said "so far" 11 times.

" You said "so far" 11 times. "

It's a slow burner, but things get a lot more interesting later on.  You just have to force yourself through the long/easy/boring beginning.

Also, If you read the "datalog" entries for events as soon as you are notified of an update, you'll be able to follow the story more easily and understand who, what, and why without issue.  It's best to read them right away, so they don't pile up and become a chore.  :)

I think the girl that voice acted for Naoto in Persona 4 also plays Lightening in FFXIII.  Perfect voice for her if you ask me.

For me, the most annoying voice in the game is Vanille, but I am starting to like her now that she has grown on me after 15 hours of play.  Decent character and artwork, but the voice is just a little too high pitched and some of the dialogue was very awkward and some of it was cringe-worthy.

Final Fantasy XIII isn't a good game. At least not at the 11 hour mark that I'm at. The graphics are beautiful, but the level design is boring. The battle system is a dull somewhat "push-auto-to-win" kind of affair. Granted just hitting auto isn't a constant fail-safe, you need to switch your group's roles (paradigm) up depending on the situation, but the classes that they can become is chosen for you by the game at pre-determined points. Often I found my characters topped out in CP (the points you use to upgrade) long before the next skill tree or class type would magically appear. Plus the game is constantly dividing your team into smaller groups due to contrived in-party fighting. Not only is it annoying not to be able to switch characters in and out at the player's discretion, but some of the group compositions are frustratingly handicapped. Whoever thought Sazh and Vanille would be fun to pair up and play with alone should be slapped. Too often the game fluctuates from easy to frustration and it all seems to stem from the lack of control or customizability FFXIII has to offer the player. 
 
Yes, I'm a long time Final Fantasy fan. I've played since the NES days. Does this color my opinion? I'm sure it does. As a traditional FF game or even as a JPRG, this game fails thus far. As a new type of spin on the RPG genre... I'm not sure where it fits. I'll keep playing for now. From what I've read, I'm about halfway to the point where the game opens up and gets interesting, but I hope I can make it there soon. If it wasn't for the title on the box, I most likely would have given up by now.

After playing for awhile after my initial 4 hour run, I've decided that I'm sending it back to gamefly asap. Someone else here said it, but this game really just feels like an antique. Aside from the visuals, the entire design of the game feels like some old playstation game. The battle system, while very good, is not nearly enough to carry me through the entire game. I thought I could tolerate the linear nature of the game, but man was I wrong. It's almost oppressively linear. The ENTIRE experience consists of fighting and walking forward until the next cutscene triggers. 
 
Maybe this would be acceptable if the characters and dialog weren't so bad.  Snow, Hope, and Vanille are the worst offenders. Not only are their names silly, they all are basically cartoonish anime stereotypes. Snow goes around boasting that he can protect anyone and everyone all by himself, Hope whines to no end, and Vanille is the ditsy teenage girl. The other characters aren't quite as bad, with Sazh turning out to be the shining star of the group. I found myself genuinely intrigued with the mythology of the game world (although this was only after taking the time to read the datalog). But the way it's all told is just unbearable. 
 
I desperately tried to enjoy it but I just couldn't. For every step forward FFXIII made it also took 2 steps back, the end result is a bad movie of sorts with intermittent sections of running forward and fighting.

I'm more ambivalent about the idea of purchasing this game than any other game I've considered purchasing before. It's truly amazing how divisive this game is.

Story - It gets better I feel, but I don't get the complaints people make about it.  If you can't figure it out from Context (which I did when I played in Japanese cause I couldn't read a lot of the datalogue stuff, stupid kanji) then that is what the datalogue is there for.  It'd take the player out of it so much if they were like "I think she's a l'Cie" Voiceover: l'Cie are ill-fated servants of the... 
There's a thing called 'show, don't tell'.  This applies here, directly telling the player everything would be an example of bad storytelling.  Leaving some mystery to it is the polar opposite 
 
Characters - I'm surprised, cause I found the cast of XIII the strongest part of it's story.  They are some of the most fully realized characters in an FF game.  Maybe you just haven't clicked with them yet, cause I found them very realistically realized with real motivations.  They separate and have fights like real people, not just band together to save the world for some reason. 
 
Aesthetics - I don't think anyone would disagree here, even the game's harshest detractors.  I don't think a victory fanfare or the crystals theme would have killed them though. 
 
Combat - I find the auto-battler actually doesn't always make the best choices (it seems often oblivious to things like aoe attacks) and so I prefer not to use it at all.  I'll occasionally pop on it right after changing paradigms when I need a really fast heal, but it's overall more efficient and controlled to make your own choices.  All it really means anyawy is that instead of picking lightning over and over to fight a water-based enemy, you think about Roles instead.  It just puts the decision making on a different level.  I still find it probably the most enjoyable FF battle system (outside of FFT, which was a battle system really).   
 
Conclusion:  Probably because people would complain more if they didn't have those bits of running forward.  I find it silly too, I'd rather just have more cutscenes, but people are wont to complain about cutscenes in games that are based mostly around story and dialogue (and FF games have always been about cutscenes since 4ish, they just weren't CG in earlier days).  It's some fair observations you made overall though, and at least I didn't hear the "zomg linear.  Linear is bad!"

This was a good thread and I enjoyed reading it.  You make good points and know your stuff.

" I'm more ambivalent about the idea of purchasing this game than any other game I've considered purchasing before. It's truly amazing how divisive this game is. "

I just got past that Mushroom looking boss at the beginning of disk 2, all in all, I am really enjoying the game. Is this the Final Fantasy I have wanted for so long? Fuck no. Is it a good game in its own right, yes.

I also just want to make it clear that I have nothing against scripted linear games. Uncharted 2 and the God of War series are among my favorite games. 
 
It's the way that FFXIII does it. It's not like you're going through tightly scripted action set pieces that constantly amaze you like in Uncharted or God of War. You're just walking down highly decorated corridors and running into mobs like it's a dungeon crawler. FFXIII doesn't even attempt to throw up any smoke and mirrors like most other linear games do. Most of it is very narrow and straight with very few open spaces. It just comes off as lazy, and it doesn't compliment FFXIII's gameplay at all. it only serves to reinforce how soul crushingly restrictive the game is.
 
I thought Square created a really interesting world/mythos. How awesome would it have been to have a truly open world to explore it and interact with it's inhabitants. Who cares if it lessens the sense of urgency, it would have made for an immeasurably better game.

BAH! I DUNNO WHAT THE END OF THE FIRST DISK IS CAUSE I'M PLAYING ON THE PLAYSTATIONS ><
 
They're many things that I agree with you, most notably the general lack of initial context. Remember when you first booted Final Fantasy VII and played the initial bombing run? Remember being confused but just running with the concept of blowing up a reactor, without any real explanation about who you were, and why the guys were bad except for a few lines from Barret about it sucking the life energy and you being a SOLIDER (Caps :P) In the end this style of storytelling paid off, throwing you into the game world and the providing the context naturally and slowly.
 
I have just somewhat begun to hit that moment of story explanation and it's been very subtle, and I'm roughly four hours into the game. The first few hours was a whirlwind of straight up confusion, with me wishing certain characters would let me in on what the hell a FalCie is, or a focus, or a Sanctum, or a Eden. Terminology thrown about requiring you to read the Datalog as a necessity versus a companion piece or encyclopedia for the story. 
 
So yeah: Read your Datalog. :/
 
I like the characters a lot though. In fact, I would go so far to say that this is one of my favorite Final Fantasy groups I've seen in a while. Specifically Sahz who at first seemed like a comic relief, but seems more complicated than initially percieved. I also have enjoyed the combat quite a bunch too. 
 
As someone who has played and beaten every entry in the main series: So far, I'm enjoying this game more than the previous entry XII. There are many things that this game does that I do not appreciate, but I have yet to construct any real final conclusion (Seeing how I'm only a few hours in that would be kinda ridiculous.) But so far my initial concern that it's great versus phenomenal seems to be coming true.

I can't tell if that picture is cosplay or from the game. If it is cosplay, holy crap.

Great read here. I enjoyed all of it. I'm probably really close towards the end of disc 1, but I can't be certain. I know I don't agree on everything you've mentioned but that doesn't make you wrong for it. Interesting observations though.

" It's the way that FFXIII does it. It's not like you're going through tightly scripted action set pieces that constantly amaze you like in Uncharted or God of War. You're just walking down highly decorated corridors and running into mobs like it's a dungeon crawler. "

" @vidiot:  In regards to the dialogue, I think it has more to do with the fact that everyone in the world knows what a l'Cie and a Fal'Cie is, as well as all these other terms.  As they are continually bandied about you slowly become more aware of what they are talking about.  Yes it takes time, but I think its a better way to roll than having people suddenly start spouting knowledge that everyone should know.  In fact, there's only one scene I can call to mind that's like that, when Vanille asks Sazh a question about someone on the TV.  I like that style of story-telling rather than them cramming it down my throat with explanation.  You can go with the flow and figure it out yourself or you can hit the datalog, up to you.    I'm personally loving the game, about 20 hours in now but taking my time fighting everything I can.  I love the character interaction, it had me from the start, though that's partly because Sazh is so awesome, as is Lightning.  There's always a character I love on screen.  And trust me, Auto battle isn't your friend by this time, pick your cursor to start out on Abilities by this time. "

Ah lovely jubbly. I was hoping you'll type this thing up at some point. Cheers for the heads up. I suppose I will get it eventually.

I'm still gonna give it a buy. I just think I'll enjoy it as relaxed entertainment

" I can't tell if that picture is cosplay or from the game. If it is cosplay, holy crap. "

"  Combat - I find the auto-battler actually doesn't always make the best choices (it seems often oblivious to things like aoe attacks) and so I prefer not to use it at all. "

Still need to pick it up :/

" @Addfwyn said:

"  Combat - I find the auto-battler actually doesn't always make the best choices (it seems often oblivious to things like aoe attacks) and so I prefer not to use it at all. "

I agree fully, I am nearing the end of the game on my PS3 copy and just got to disc 2 on my 360 copy and decided to play around with the auto chain today for the first time and it is far too annoying for me. It is terrible at picking targets to aoe and aoeing at the correct times and fucking terrible terrible at juggling a staggered enemy. I had to just start going back to manual when I was launching staggered enemies because the auto chain was allowing them to get an attack off every time they fell because it wanted to use the entire ATB gage instead of assuring the enemy stayed in the air. That sort of behavior from the auto-chain also leads to battles lasting far longer than they should, honestly the only time I consider it worth it to use auto-chain is for healing since it's so simple the computer can't mess it up. "