This sense of dissatisfied closure comes not from the story of the game being lacking in any way, or the story ending being lousy or anything like that, but because the sense of belonging and intimacy with the game’s world and characters is so immense. When I mention Chrono Trigger and Earthbound, I refer to the same thing: the awful dread of having to leave behind such an amazing world and characters. This is the effect The Last Story had on me.”

Because I’m so much looking forward to this game, it’s great to be reading this from you. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. The rather mediocre scores this game has been receiving are a bit puzzling. I have not played either this or Xenoblade yet, but, it seems Xenoblade has set such a high standard in terms of the scope of its world and sense of exploration that, for some, the moment they realize how much smaller TLS’ world is, it has been automatic disappointment and/or instant bashing. It really sounds like TLS’ world isn’t about how much space it takes up but about the amount of detail that exists within. It’s unfortunate some can’t seem to comprehend that. Like you, it’s not everyday that a game makes me feel a little sad and empty when the credits roll…so, hearing you make that kind of comparison to classics like Chrono Trigger is an extremely encouraging thing.

And wow, that Dreamkiller game certainly sounds interesting. These types of games always fly under the radar, despite how good they can be. I heard great things about Singularity and Hydrophobia this year despite them not winning over the mainstream markets.