It took me a bit to get into, I admit. It didn't immediately grab me (aside from the visuals; this game is freaking gorgeous), and driving around seemed awkward. To be totally honest, I didn't get hooked in until chapter 9.

After reaching the end of the game, though, I turned around and started a new run immediately. Where the driving felt awkward before, it suddenly felt enjoyable. I wasn't going from point A to point B, I was on a road trip with good friends, and just enjoying the journey. I'd gotten used to the gameplay, and found there's a lot more to it than just holding the attack button.

The story is about as light on twists as Final Fantasy X is, and the length is somewhere between IV and V (and some of the characters are as light on development as in IV, for that matter), but I doubt I've ever spent so much time just playing a Final Fantasy before.

Final Fantasy as we once knew it is probably gone for good, but I'm actually pretty okay with that. If every game in the series from this point on takes XV's approach and refines it, I'll be more than happy.