ROBOT ATTACK!!

I'm playing Final Fantasy 12 right now. I'm like 32 hours into the game and... I don't like it. Yes, that's right. I'm addicted to a game that I don't even like. Bizarre.

It's like a Diablo-syndrome all over again. Did I actually enjoy Diablo? Not really. But I couldn't stop playing. Ugh. I'm starting to think that many RPGs, thanks to their gambling-like mechanics, form the same addictiveness that real gambling does. There's always that chance that an awesome piece of treasure will come out of the chest and make the world an easier place to live in.

FF12 is like the total opposite of NWN2 in every significant way. FF12 is hard, aesthetically pleasing, professionally-polished in every way, but the story and dialogue is sparse. You run around slaying things for hours for every few seconds of story/dialogue you can get. NWN2, on the other hand, is so easy that it's practically not even a game. It's fairly hideous to look at. It's sloppy. But it has story and dialogue and personality up the wazoo.

But what game comes out on top, gets all the fame? FF12. Final Fantasy gets live sold out concerts, while NWN2, based on D&D, which brought about FF to begin with.. gets nothing. The circle is complete. The student is now the master. Heh :-P