Animation Lock: Why don't you like it?

[Pseudopsia]

And what gameplay improvements do you get from the previous games?

I probably like the previous games better because they game me more reason to use strategy. FFXIII SE took away a lot of the reason to use strategy. You can micro manage your abilities if you want to, why do that when it's done well with the Paradigm system and the battles are easy?

[Firon]

I probably like the previous games better because they game me more reason to use strategy. FFXIII SE took away a lot of the reason to use strategy. You can micro manage your abilities if you want to, why do that when it's done well with the Paradigm system and the battles are easy?

It's a lot of thing you can do in 13's battle system. Just wait till you fight an giant turtle you will realize how wrong you were playing the game.

[Pseudopsia]

It's a lot of thing you can do in 13's battle system. Just wait till you fight an giant turtle you will realize how wrong you were playing the game.

I haven't seen any giant turtles yet. I'm on chapter 6, so far it feels like a long movie. So pretty much I have to wait till the end of the game to get into good game play?

[Shurrikhan]

I haven't seen any giant turtles yet. I'm on chapter 6, so far it feels like a long movie. So pretty much I have to wait till the end of the game to get into good game play?

Combat-wise the game doesn't flesh itself out until chapter 10, so that's relatively correct... Until then it's about on par with your one mage and everyone else hit Attack a lot. Should be fun by Chapter 7 though if you've learned the timing tricks and the bits and pieces of indirect control. By Chapter 7 auto-battle, while still decent, should be noticeably inferior to good active control. By Chapter 9 you'll probably want to switch Abilities to your default instead of Auto-Battle, as long you don't mind pressing more buttons. You start theory-crafting (if you're into that) around Chapter 11.

Now to continue this more relevantly to the thread's recent subject of the three core RPG components, let's go ahead and use FF13 as an example.

Awesome premise that's probably understood only by one in 20 players. That's a problem, even if possibly a worthy sacrifice. Story itself--lackluster, but feels microcosmic, befitting the design of the story. However, there are few high points for those who wish to occasionally de-immerse from (stop drowning in) the general sad or vague-emotion-filled feel of the thing, which lends itself to tedium.

Transformer eidolans fit the premise but lose any positives from that to ridiculousness. Settings were amazing. Level design was fluid, generally impressive, but occasionally lacking in ways that can really be pointed at. Animations were good, but further interlinking of combat movements and deeper gameplay mechanics would have been appreciated. Cinematic feel of battle was impressive during times in which the area or story themes were being played instead.