6 thoughts on “On: First Impressions”

  1. @Shingo: I haven’t got to the epilogue part yet. It’s my first time with Persona 3, so I started at the beginning and walked right into a solid wall of storyline.

    @N/A: Combat is by no means the most important. It just tends to be the biggest chunk of the experience, especially after the initial ten-hour-storyline hump. I’d just like to know what I’m getting into *before* I sink several hours into a game.

    Even Persona 3: FES, which had a pretty clever way to keep the story and combat segments balanced (characters getting “sick and tired” and forcing you to go home) wound up being a total combat fest once you hit Floor 40 or so. Luckily, I love FES’s combat *and* storyline, so I don’t mind all that much.

    Let’s try it the other way: You open up a new RPG, pop it in your PS2, and play through five hours of straight combat missions before even a smidgen of storyline. Wouldn’t that suck? Wouldn’t you wonder, “What the heck am I getting myself into?” Well, that’s how I feel about the epic, non-interactive beginnings to console RPGs. Since combat and storyline are both important, an early balance is needed to give people a taste of what the game truly has to offer. When a game opens with just one or the other, it’s a pacing issue, and needs to be addressed.

  2. @Zeus Poplar: You seem to be under the impression that the most important thing in an RPG is the combat, and that the combat alone is what will make you like or hate it.

    I don’t know if it is that simple. Skies of Arcadia’s story and characters helped the game rise above its mediocre combat system. Meanwhile, Grandia II’s excellent combat system helped it rise above its mediocre characters and story.
    Both are really important!

  3. Well, considering FES is supposed to be an extended epilogue of the previous title, the *precious backstory* is what most of the people are likely to be purchasing it for…

    …though I ended up mashing “Circle/Next” through most of it anyway.

  4. This is why I largely favor “Western” RPGs these days. In Oblivion, you’re in control in a matter of seconds. You have more freedom than FES — and your character begins the game *locked in a cell*.

    I believe you should be able to jog out of town and into your first fight within a matter of seconds. It’s not fair to postpone the first battle until you’ve sank an hour and a half into the game. At least lemme see if I hate it, and then we can go on with your precious *backstory*.

  5. Yeah, once I actually got to Tartarus it was pretty much worth it. I wish I’d paid attention to how many in game days passed within the tutorial phase alone so I could more accurately snark on the length.

    As I told someone at work, “Last night I started playing Persona 3! Of course, I started the game the night before.”

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