It has tears, it has laughs, and a little of everything more. I think the middle of the game is kind of weak and tries to establish a complicated conspiracy plot that the game didn't really need, and too many characters get shoved onto the sidelines (and yet still show up to remind us they've been shoved off) but the story has a lot of heart, with some great sidequests and a ridiculously strong climax.

The gameplay is pretty... boring, once you get past the ludicrous presentation of it all, which didn't happen for me until the end, so I was amused just seeing the different enemy types that show up. Didn't play the postgame tower because it is grriiiiindy. Can be played without playing the other games, but theres one part of the game that might be a bit confusing.