The difference is he gave you a list of features that made it fun for him.
There is no difference. Things like "emergent gameplay" are way too conceptual for me.
Vying for that "dumbfuck" tag early, I see.
Emergence aside this game just has great atmosphere. You really remember poking around a corner for the first time and seeing an Eliminator spray your pawns up the walls with a single hammerswing.
I don't know if "atmosphere" is the word you're looking for. This game's greatest shortcoming is its wishy-washy, Japanese, inconsistent atmosphere. I think it's a combination of the music, the static world, and the gameyness. The world itself contains nothing worth exploring for besides monsters and loot, which is perfectly fine, though it hurts the atmosphere. The side quests have an arcade-like way of resolving with, "here's your exp, here's your gold, here's your loot," the very moment the task is accomplished. The Everfall is a jRPG, lifestream, metaphysical, cocknball mess and I really wish it had been a little more concrete and daunting, like maybe the entire thing resembling The Chamber of Lament that you actually explore instead of base-jump. The stupid smooth jazz played in Cassardis is absolutely ridiculous, yet, once again, an annoying jRPG trope. The score, in general, could use a little stability and focus considering the game seems to be aiming at an OVERTLY medieval motif. Piano, seventh chords, chromatic runs, massive symphonies, and electric guitar have no real place in this game, and yet they're all there. And don't get me started on the jPOP opening in vanilla.
Here, look...
Awesome, but the flute runs and electric guitar make it a bit modern.
Smooth jazz-fusion nonsense that has no place in the game.
Awesomer, but the overwhelming nature of the choir at the end breaks the mood.
New age jazzy crap that doesn't belong. That chromatic run at 0:37 makes me cringe every time I hear it.
Starts off great and creepy, though a little too carnival, but the jazz harmonies from 0:16-0:23 annoy me to no end.
I could post them all and give little examples here and there, but there's a 5 media limit. The whole score is on youtube for your perusal.
Maybe I'm autistic, but to me, the music, while brilliantly composed, just never sets the mood properly. Or maybe I've just developed really western tastes for my scores, because most of stuff we hear in western "medieval" scoring is anachronistic bullshit anyway.
And the haphazard design of Bitterblack Isle was jarring as well. I seem to recall a kitchen in the middle of these hellish areas. Eh, whatever.
But, I'll concede that the overwhelming nature of the battles absolutely makes this game stand out in epicness, even if I don't feel the word "atmosphere" is quite correct.
Wish it qualified as a crpg, would have tossed it a few points in Felipepepepepepe's top 50 poll.
Word, all the points. Despite my tampon-worthy rant above on the atmosphere, the game is still tops.
Finished it. but that final area really wore me out, the everfall. maybe i just got too wrapped up in trying to grind for materials and get all my gear leveled out, but i couldn't get up the gumption to play the dlc island. prolly go back to it during summer.
GO PLAY IT NOW, IS MORE GOODER!!