Final Fantasy Explorers

There's a few cons to this game but if you're an mmo player you'll be able to look past all that. This game really shines when you play with your friends online and I haven't had the slightest issue with connection problems.

It's a shame Final Fantasy Explorers didn't garner a better critical reception -- after all, the idea of "Monster Hunter X Final Fantasy" is a good one! But the result here is decent, if not spectacular. Boss fights are often interesting but sometimes overwhelming. Ordinary enemy battles can get repetitive and tiresome. The world itself is inviting and generally well-varied, and longtime FF fans will be right at home here. Still, it feels like there's something missing, and I can't quite put my finger on it. I would have preferred either a more traditional 3D JRPG for the first true FF entry on Nintendo 3DS, or even a port (imagine FFVII, but in STEREOSCOPIC 3-D!!!).

Neat action-RPG with the well known hunting and crafting style. You can unlock and choose a ton of jobs, learn new abilities, and even expand those abilities, which brings lots of variety. The gameplay is really accessible, and addicting, though repetitive. It has a pretty thin story and the music is a bit mediocre, but that's not the point here. There are some solid co-op options as well. On top of that, there's a lot of Final Fantasy goodness, so I recommend this for every Final Fantasy fan.

I really, truly looked forward to this game when it first got announced. It honestly felt like the closest thing we'd be getting to a spiritual successor for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles for the gamecube. The diverse class system and the revival of Final Fantasy IX's trance system were very much welcome. But sadly, that's all the good I can say about it. All in all, it really felt like Square Enix trying to cash in on Monster Hunter's popularity, except that they had taken the idea **** like Monster Hunter and completely neutered it of all the fun parts, making it a boring grind in the same rather small map. It's doable, but not really fun when you're by yourself. And when you play with friends, the game lags terribly. The character customization is pretty limited, and items have next to no use if you have a friend who can just spam cura. All in all, it's definitely not worth the 40 dollars you have to pay for it and certainly not worth the praise it's been getting.

Final Fantasy Explorers promises so much and inflates the imagination of both Monster Hunter and Final Fantasy fans alike. The very premise of a beautiful and open world with all focus and attention paid to the Monsters of Final Fantasy lore sounds like a dream come true for a fan of the series. Sadly, FF Explorers fails to deliver as a competitor to the wildly popular Monster Hunter franchise. My first biggest complaint is that online co-operative play forces a sluggish and reduced frame rate upon players; My second biggest complaint is that there is no depth or attention to detail so far as combat goes - animations are reminiscent of early MMOs and combat patterns, move sets and the corresponding player tactics are basic at best. I wouldn't recommend this game at full price, and consumers should make a stand to show Square Enix that this level of quality isn't acceptable for the price they're asking.