Cradled In Eternity.
I just completed Final Fantasy XIII! And I sobbed quite a lot at the ending, I have to say.
I think Final Fantasy XIII has actually managed to beat Final Fantasy VIII for my personal 'Favourite Central Cast in a Final Fantasy Game' title. I absolutely love four of the characters - Lightning, Sazh, Snow, Fang - and even the characters I'm less passionate about have relationship dynamics that I adore (Vanille and Sazh! Vanille and Fang! Hope and Snow!). The relationship dynamics are my favourite part of the game, actually; I felt that, save for Fran and Balthier, the inter-party relationships in XII were a bit lacking, so I'm delighted that it was followed by a game filled with endless delightful interaction.
The second-to-last boss was so difficult that I was forced to switch Sazh out of my party and bring Hope in. I did not approve of this at all. I've been using Lightning, Sazh and Fang ever since choosing your own party became an option! Suddenly Sazh can't be involved in the endgame just because Lightning can't learn the best healing abilities? I'm sorry, Sazh. You're still my favourite.
When Lightning ordered everyone to stay together, my heart basically exploded. Lightniiiing.
(Some notes I made on the game a while ago, when I was trying to work out characterisation: 'Lightning and Fang are both 'I-don't-care'-type characters, but of different sorts. Lightning believes herself to be incapable of caring. She isn't particularly happy about it and feels others are better off staying away from her, but in her eyes that's just the way things are; no point worrying about it. Fang, meanwhile, is well aware that she cares about one thing: Vanille. In the face of that, she considers everything else irrelevant.'
Somewhat relatedly: is it just me, or does Fang's 'Cheers!' when you heal or buff her sound slightly surprised? Is that because she's used to a survival-of-the-fittest, look-out-for-your-own-but-don't-expect-help-from-outside world?)
I sort of want to write fanfiction in which Lightning and Snow run a detective agency together, just because it would amuse me. Lightning would become so frustrated.
Anyway, yes: Final Fantasy XIII may not be a perfect game, and it seems to be loathed by a lot of the fanbase, but I for one adore it. I'm going to tentatively name it as my third-favourite Final Fantasy title overall, following X and IX.
Finally, here is the gorgeous piece of background music from Oerba on YouTube: Dust to Dust.
I think Final Fantasy XIII has actually managed to beat Final Fantasy VIII for my personal 'Favourite Central Cast in a Final Fantasy Game' title. I absolutely love four of the characters - Lightning, Sazh, Snow, Fang - and even the characters I'm less passionate about have relationship dynamics that I adore (Vanille and Sazh! Vanille and Fang! Hope and Snow!). The relationship dynamics are my favourite part of the game, actually; I felt that, save for Fran and Balthier, the inter-party relationships in XII were a bit lacking, so I'm delighted that it was followed by a game filled with endless delightful interaction.
The second-to-last boss was so difficult that I was forced to switch Sazh out of my party and bring Hope in. I did not approve of this at all. I've been using Lightning, Sazh and Fang ever since choosing your own party became an option! Suddenly Sazh can't be involved in the endgame just because Lightning can't learn the best healing abilities? I'm sorry, Sazh. You're still my favourite.
When Lightning ordered everyone to stay together, my heart basically exploded. Lightniiiing.
(Some notes I made on the game a while ago, when I was trying to work out characterisation: 'Lightning and Fang are both 'I-don't-care'-type characters, but of different sorts. Lightning believes herself to be incapable of caring. She isn't particularly happy about it and feels others are better off staying away from her, but in her eyes that's just the way things are; no point worrying about it. Fang, meanwhile, is well aware that she cares about one thing: Vanille. In the face of that, she considers everything else irrelevant.'
Somewhat relatedly: is it just me, or does Fang's 'Cheers!' when you heal or buff her sound slightly surprised? Is that because she's used to a survival-of-the-fittest, look-out-for-your-own-but-don't-expect-help-from-outside world?)
I sort of want to write fanfiction in which Lightning and Snow run a detective agency together, just because it would amuse me. Lightning would become so frustrated.
Anyway, yes: Final Fantasy XIII may not be a perfect game, and it seems to be loathed by a lot of the fanbase, but I for one adore it. I'm going to tentatively name it as my third-favourite Final Fantasy title overall, following X and IX.
Finally, here is the gorgeous piece of background music from Oerba on YouTube: Dust to Dust.