I have to say FF13 is my favorite FF game since the PS One era ended. I haven't fallen in love with the world of a FF this much, ever--prior to the PS2 era, most game worlds were standardized, and as I know I've mentioned before, the PS2 era never offered me characters I could gnaw on. In FF13, I got characters and a world I can chew on, flaws and all (just the right kind of flaws for fanfiction, imho--if it's too good, you don't need fanfic at all). I don't mind the info in the Datalog--it would have bogged down the story and wound up in Exposition City otherwise. (A huge problem for FF games in general. They try to avoid "As you know, Bob" by making certain characters total newbies, but even then, the "As you know, Bob" moments happen frequently. Even FF13 still had a few, but far less than its predecessors.) All the important, story-germane information appeared in-story. I didn't have any problems with missing explanations, aside from a couple plot holes, though a little more detail wouldn't have hurt!
I also quibbled about the sudden desire to kill Orphan, but I think what happened as they went along was they realized they had to end him to stop him. What they did is end it on their terms. Though FF13 is rather juvenile in spots (it's an FF game, after all XD), I found its themes more consistent and mature than usual. Its mythology was solid. We have some interesting criticism of religion, exploration of free will, existentialist themes, and even a touch of heroic tale deconstruction. I'll get into that during my critical analysis, which will no doubt take me far too long to write. XD
I found Lightning/Hope/Snow extremely effective and still do, but everyone's playing style demands a different set-up. Sazh/Vanille/Hope sound like an interesting team, though--but perhaps not the fastest. Effective at least, and decently well-balanced, if magic-skewed.
The ending does show Cocoon soldiers landing on Cocoon--I think maybe you missed it? It flashed by quickly. You can see the Cocoon ships landing on the ground. It is suggested the Fal'Cie are dead, but the people survived and now have to make Pulse their home. I find this intriguing, especially given their xenophobia. I think it's also suggested that Fang and Vanille can wake up one day, but I suppose that day will wait for the sequel! Or fanfic! :D
No extra scenes, sadly. I hope you saved after the credits, though. That's what gets you into the post-story. I'm still farming Adamantoises, though I have 95% of the missions complete. Sigh. XD
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I also quibbled about the sudden desire to kill Orphan, but I think what happened as they went along was they realized they had to end him to stop him. What they did is end it on their terms. Though FF13 is rather juvenile in spots (it's an FF game, after all XD), I found its themes more consistent and mature than usual. Its mythology was solid. We have some interesting criticism of religion, exploration of free will, existentialist themes, and even a touch of heroic tale deconstruction. I'll get into that during my critical analysis, which will no doubt take me far too long to write. XD
I found Lightning/Hope/Snow extremely effective and still do, but everyone's playing style demands a different set-up. Sazh/Vanille/Hope sound like an interesting team, though--but perhaps not the fastest. Effective at least, and decently well-balanced, if magic-skewed.
The ending does show Cocoon soldiers landing on Cocoon--I think maybe you missed it? It flashed by quickly. You can see the Cocoon ships landing on the ground. It is suggested the Fal'Cie are dead, but the people survived and now have to make Pulse their home. I find this intriguing, especially given their xenophobia. I think it's also suggested that Fang and Vanille can wake up one day, but I suppose that day will wait for the sequel! Or fanfic! :D
No extra scenes, sadly. I hope you saved after the credits, though. That's what gets you into the post-story. I'm still farming Adamantoises, though I have 95% of the missions complete. Sigh. XD
Good luck with your fic! :D