On the edge

It's weird. For a long time now I've been wanting to write something about how disenchanted I've become with Edge magazine, and then something pops up in the latest issue that forces me to reassess: the Final Fantasy XIII review.


The review has led to pages of comments on a forum I visit with the posters either deciding that once again the magazine has gone up its own arse to be controversial or else thinking that in fact it's got the game sussed. But let me tell you about my experience.


I was shocked when I saw the score (you always look at the Edge score before reading the review - anyone who says otherwise is a liar). I wasn't expecting a 10 or even an 8 but rather the more common (some would say overused) 7. To see a 5 really was a surprise. I read the review and I have to say that I pretty much dismissed it.


I say I read the review but it's quite obvious that I did not at least not properly. I tackled it again a few hours later and was even more surprised to find myself agreeing with everything that was noted. It's an extremely well written review - the best I've read in a long time.


How does that affect my playing of the game? It doesn't really. It's kind of strange but I look forward to playing each night despite it being a bit of an uneventful slog. It's only been the last two sessions or so where the gameplay has changed (even then it can be argued that it hasn't altered much) with the Paradigm Shift battle system slowly emerging. I'm only brushing against its unfurling petals but it doesn't take much to see that it really is a superb system, and one that gives JRPGs a much-needed kick up the arse.


So what does it all mean? What I've written says more about me and my tastes than the quality of Edge. That I like average games? That I can tolerate boredom? Who knows but it does give me a little relief that I can free myself from the shackles of Edge's reviews but at the same time feel assured that it's worth sticking close by for the time being.