FFXIII is considered linear because there's absolutely no flexibility in regards to where you can go until very late into the game. You're on rails for the vast majority of the experience, whilst in other Final Fantasy titles you could go to higher level area sooner than expected and indulge in a vast variety of side-quests along the way. In FFXII I could take my party to the Necrohol of Nabudis and certain other high level areas long before it was recommended which brought about a brilliant risk and reward scenario. Many of the older Final Fantasy games are similar in that regard, especially if you take the time to complete the numerous side-quests on offer. So no, it's not a case of nostalgia - it's a case of FFXIII being utterly linear whilst previous titles boasted a much more flexible experience.
As for the F.A.T.E system, I feel it suffers from similar issues to the dynamic event system in GW2. Too many players show up, the events either take too long to complete or are over far too quickly and if you're not in a party it's near impossible to earn a high rating unless you're a tank or healer.
As for the F.A.T.E system, I feel it suffers from similar issues to the dynamic event system in GW2. Too many players show up, the events either take too long to complete or are over far too quickly and if you're not in a party it's near impossible to earn a high rating unless you're a tank or healer.
