For obvious reasons, I should think.

I like both Final Fantasy and Japanese developer Tri-Ace. It is pretty safe to say this is what my weekend will consist of.

Tri-Ace would not top the list of favourite developer for many people, but they’d be up there rather high for me. Their games are always inevitably somewhat disappointing in one or two important ways, and the dialogue rarely rises above the level of psuedo-intellectual rambling. But there’s something I like about their work, especially recently.

Star Ocean, Infinite Undiscovery and Resonance of Fate were all terribly enjoyable 360 RPGs. All three had impressive (albeit slightly busted) fighting systems, great levelling systems, totally flat characters, and truly awful story-lines.

So I’m looking forward to playing Final Fantasy XIII-2, which I have literally just walked into the house carrying. Having read very little about it (not out of any active avoidance, just general apathy toward gaming news these days) I am expecting a story of shocking blandness, good things, idiot things, frustrating things and borderline game breaking things. And maybe even one or two great things. I’m also expecting half an hour of crap before the game starts.

An entirely typical Tri-Ace game, in other words. Should be fun (85% of the time, anyway).

Update: Okay, so I just went to start playing it and it turns out the genius at the shop I bought it from forgot to give me the actual game. He gave me some shitty tin box I don’t really want and a code for some kind of download, but no actual game. Oh well. The half hour of bullshit was putting me off starting it tonight anyway, and I still have five episodes of the third season of Ashes to Ashes to watch. Which I plan to.