Spoiler Free!
However, this may contain one discreet and ambiguous spoiler.
Firstly when I say that an FF game is flawed it doesn't mean that it’s bad or even average. It still is a very good game that will warrant a purchase. For starters the game is very long and the gameplay is very distance from what other games offer. So before the bad I will show you where the game shines.
The graphics department is where the game shows off the fruit of its efforts. At times you will ask yourself: How can you do this on a portable game? Those times will predominantly include the cutscenes. Which are rendered in a way that allows you to feel as if you are watching a movie. The cutscene involving *SOMEWHAT OF A SPOILER* the three friends fighting* shows off the graphical power of the game prompting you to quit the game just to watch that cutscene again.
This leads me to bring up another point. The game has an intricate story which is generally a trademark of the Final Fantasy games. The plot often foreshadows what is yet to come and offers insight on the world of the characters. The characters evolve, showing you that you are not always on the right side of morality and that sometimes your enemy possesses a greater cause. One thing that I did not like about the story is the fact that some elements (one in particular) appear to be repetitive and to do this without spoilers is almost impossible. So I will try my hardest. Sometimes things are not as they seem; however, the transition from how things seem to how things are is often the same.
Being this far into the review I feel that I have to say something about the gameplay. Okay, let's begin with the combat system. It is not turn based, but it is for the better. There are still unavoidable random battles which are particularly annoying. Now I will explain why. The ultimate flaw of random battles in this game is the fact that they will often repeat in the same place and that sometimes when you finish one you are taken to another. This makes it worse than other games involving random battles.
Something else is that the camera angle often misrepresents depth and you will be using up your magic striking nothing. Also some enemies are so small that you can't even tell when you are behind or in front of them. Another thing that is wrong is that some bosses have attacks that can take such a huge portion of your health and then finish you off with one attack, which in turn induces you to keep constantly healing yourself, which doesn't make for good combat.
The combat has a few positive things in its favor. For one the facts that the magic powers are generally accessible and so are the items. The loading times are almost nothing and all necessary loading times are hidden by a cutscene which will usually grab your attention. The Digital Mind Wave is a nice addition which keeps you on the edge of your seat and leveling up according you luck gives you the drive in order to not die and lose your progress. Another good thing is the soundtrack.
However, my favorite part of the whole game may be something that others do not enjoy and that is Materia Fusion. I'll explain the awesome potential which it holds now. This adds so much longevity to the game without it the game would receive a much lower score. The idea doesn't seem very interesting, but in practice the experience improves much more. You will be combining the strangest materia and items and supercharging you materia. I repeat this is the best part of the game.
One last thing that I don't like about this game is the fact that for a very long segment of the game you can't really use a significant fraction of your money.
To sum it all up yes this is a good game that is above average and deserves praise, but it is not exceptional to the extent where you will finish it saying this has got to be one of the best games ever made.
