Well, I've managed to put a bit of time into Final Fantasy XIII on the PS3, and I thought I'd share some of my initial thoughts with you all. I haven't finished it yet, so this isn't quite a final review. Still, it might give some of you some ideas about the Game, based on my experiences.

One of the first things you notice is how gorgeous the Game looks. I've heard that the 360 version doesn't look quite as nice, but thecutscenes are certainly amazing to watch. The graphics of regular gameplay and combat are similarly pretty to look at. The voice acting is fairly solid, and although Vanille's voice grates a lil' after a while (she's just TOO cheery), the rest are believable, with Sazh being my personal favourite.

The Paradigm system is one of the more interesting parts of this Game. Being able to changeroles mid-combat to enable a different strategy to be executed is a bit different for me, although it works out pretty well once you get the hang of it. The downside of the combat system is that for the most part you really need to just hit the "Auto Battle" button and let the Game decide which abilities to use, as there simply isn't the time for you to do it yourself if you want to survive some battles.

Possibly the biggest annoyance for me in the Game is the extended tutorial. What I mean by this is about the first ten chapters of the story or so. It's a bit frustrating that the pace at which various parts of the gameplay unlock are so SLOW. I understand the principle of easing a player into the mechanics, but I've only just gotten control over who I can put in my party, and I've been playing for over 20 hours now!

Don't get me wrong, having such a long time to get used to the party members and the various roles has helped me out with combatting the various enemies I've encountered and it isn't going to stop me finishing the Game. I just think that the linear structure of the Game and the slow progression in Game mechanics may turn off the more casual game player who hasn't played many RPGs previously.

My suggestion for those of you who are interested in trying out Final Fantasy XIII is to have some patience. Sure, the Game takes a while to show you all it can do, but the character interactions along the way and the experience with some interesting new mechanics are worth the wait.

While I head back to play some more, make sure the rest of you...

GAME ON! :)