Final Fantasy XIII - Playstation 3

So far I have played Final Fantasy 7, 10 and 12 and have liked all of them. With all of the hype going on around Final Fantasy 13, I decided to give this one a try and here is what I thought. PROS. PARADIGM COMBAT SYSTEM: This game utilizes unique turn based combat system. To me, this combat system was the BEST ASPECT of the game. In Final fantasy games so far (other than 12), you have to do each action such as attack, healing, magic one by one by one. This game gives you option to do that or you can have "auto battle" mode where things are taken care for you. So the enemies you want to deal with "personally" you can combat them yourselves, but then you are not stuck hitting same command again and again for each fight you do in the game. Think of it this way, in other final fantasies, you are acting as individual soldiers while in this game you are mainly acting as commander. So instead of controlling each of the party member's action individually, you can set up a "paradigm" where you can focus more on physical or magical or healing or combination of these actions. At first you will find it a bit puzzling but once you get it, you will most likely love it. STAGGERING ENEMIES: To win a battle, you have to punish an enemy (or enemies) up to the point that they "stagger". At this point, the enemy will take a lot more damage and is less likely to attack. While it is not necessary to stagger an enemy to defeat it, for most game, you will find it difficult to defeat enemies without staggering them. So what is so special about staggering enemies? In order to stagger them in most cases you will have to use variety of paradigms and will have to come up with different strategies. Again, in the beginning you may find this difficult to understand, but once you get it, it gets to be quite fun. VARIETY OF BOSSES AND ENEMIES: Yup, there is great variety of enemies and different bosses in this game (as expected of "final fantasy"). Before you finish the game, you will have defeat quite a few different enemies and bosses and to defeat them you will have to use different strategies. While most enemies you may find it pretty straightforward to beat (especially in the beginning of the game), many later on enemies and bosses will be quite difficult until you figure out the right strategy. But don't worry there are ways to defeat them and you will find these challenges fun rather than frustrating. CRYSTAL LEVELING UP SYSTEM: This game has similar leveling up system as Final Fantasy 10. Defeating each enemies gives you points and then you use these points to level up different characters. The difference is you can level up a character in different direction (i.e. you can make a character better at magic, physical attacks, healing, sabotaging enemies, etc.) Each character will have 3 specialty areas and later on you can develop the character in all 6 different classes. Pretty addicting if you ask me. TONS OF SIDEQUEST BOSSES: So it takes a while to get up to this point, but once the open world portion of the game begins, there are tons of (>60) mini and major bosses to beat in the game. There is this portion called TITAN CHALLENGE (won't spoil much) which is very interesting. Here you will have to defeat a series of enemies in certain way. I liked it. SPECTACULAR SUMMONS: In this game each character gets a cool summon. While you don't have control over when you can obtain it, in order obtain them you have to beat them. LOVED IT. Once you obtain them you get to use their awesome powers and most importantly limit breaks. This has been my favorite part in many of the final fantasy game and just like previous final fantasies, this game has delivered them nicely. BEAUTIFUL AND ELEGANT FANTASY WORLD: The creation of Cocoon and Pulse are just mind blowing. Everything in these worlds is very elegantly designed. If you look carefully designers have truly given attention to details. Loved just loved each and every level. WEIRD BUT UNDERSTANDABLE STORY: Really can't tell you much without spoiling it, but like in many Japanese games, this one also has a very strange, but unique story with a great underlying theme. WEAPON AND ARMAMENT LEVELING UP: I am happy in addition to character they also have weapon leveling up in this game. To level up your weapon though you have to collect and use different items in a unique manner. For example, certain weapons can only be leveled up to level 11; however, if you obtain these unique item you can break that limit and level it up even further turning it into a completely different weapon. If you like this type of stuff the game will keep you occupy for a LONG TIME. CONS LACK OF CONTROL OVER BATTLE TEAM: As described in pros, you have to design specific paradims and you can use them in the battle to your liking. However, these combination are not limitless. In other words, you won't be able to control all three of the party members in the exact manner you want to. For example, with characters A,B, and C, I want both characters A and B to attack the same enemies with physical attacks, I don't have that option. Also if I want to revive character B before healing character C that is also not an option (unless the character I control is the healer). While it seems like a major issue, it really is not. There is not a single enemy you won't be able to beat due to this problem. WHINY CHARACTERS: Ever since Final Fantasy 10, they have been having so many whiny characters in these games. Hate it, just hate it. Good thing is whiny character in this game will only whine for first quarter of the game. Also, what Japanese people and Westerners find "awesome" and "funny" are quite different. Some dialogues that Japanese may find awesome will simply sound lame to us. So that is also a problem in this game. CONCLUSION Contrary to the cons I described, this is a great game. Battle System, leveling up and hunt for different bosses and items will keep you busy and entertained for a long time. With side quests, it has taken me about 84 hours and I am still not quite done. With lowered prices, I would say this is a MUST OWN game.

I've played every Final Fantasy title from FFVI on, and I have to say, this is probably my favorite title of the series. The graphics, it must be said, are simply amazing. When Square stated they wanted an engine that rivals the visuals of Advent Children, they weren't joking. The first time you unleash Lightning's Army of One ability, your jaw will simply drop, despite the fact that you've probably spent a good 30+ hours being amazed by the graphics already. On the PS3, 1080p is stunning, and the cutscenes are beautiful and plentiful. Prior to this, I thought Mass Effect 2 had set the bar for gaming visuals, but FFXIII makes Mass Effect 2 look obsolete. In terms of combat, I find that XIII really combines the best of FFX-2 and FFXII. FFX-2, despite being much maligned by fans of the series, has the most interesting battle mechanism of all the Active Time Battle-based Final Fantasy titles. FFX-2 and FFXIII battle sequences look very similar. The difference, of course, is that instead of dress spheres that you then have to micromanage, now you have pretty much what amounts to preprogrammed gambits (as in XII). The advantages are obvious. I think XII made buffing and debuffing quite painless by allowing you to set them as gambits, and this is important because in previous titles, honestly, it is a simple pain to buff and debuff during mob battles. You will have to use every one of the six classes effectively, even at the very end of the game. Can you say that about any of the FF titles in the last 15 years (other than IX, of course)? I can't. Usually you spam the best ability for all it's worth. For instance, once Yuna learned Holy and Tidus learned Quick Hit in FFX and your stats get high enough, combat became ridiculously easy. VII is all about the Knights of the Round spamming. Sure, XIII suffers from a bit of that, too. The Death spell is a bit overpowered, and Sazh's Blitz is simply unfair. But even with these, forget to use your Sentinel and Synergists, and you'll be dying more often than you should. Which brings me to my next point. In terms of the frequency of Game Over screens, this is the hardest FF game of the 3D era, there's no question about it. Maybe that's not saying much, but you can get more emotionally (and physically) involved in the combat than ever before. You'll really be working for that Stagger, making split second decisions as to whether to go for that one extra turn of attacks or to heal/buff/debuff, whether to try Thaumatology or Diversity, whether to interrupt the current chain of commands or to wait. All these things matter. In what other FF title does that one split second decision matter this much? As for not controlling the other party members, that's such a minor point in my mind. Other than not using the best attack spells from time to time, it really feels like the AI is well programmed and does not hinder your abilities much. In any case, if you had to control all three characters, this system would just lose its urgency and excitement because you wouldn't be able to make the overall strategical decisions quite as much. Considering how fast and hard some of the enemies hit, having to do everyone's healing while dishing out magic and working on renewing buffs would be really annoying to say the least. I know everyone complains about the game's linearity (it's like X except no backtracking), but this game is really, really well paced, and a lot of that has to do. You can't get overly powerful because there are limits to what you are able to accomplish at any given point. Yes, I know, FFX had Key Spheres, but you could easily find Lvl 3 and 4 Key Spheres if you knew where to get them. Maybe RPG should stress the role playing aspect by letting you explore around before deciding to go ahead with the story. But I don't see anything that's truly realistic about being able to kill the hardest bosses in the story line with zero difficulty either, so I think it's a trade-off. I finished the game at about 55 hours and the final two chapters were the best ending 10 hours of any Final Fantasy game ever. Usually, this is often a very boring portion of the game, and 55 hours is long enough to get leveled beyond decency in most other FF games. Not so in FFXIII. I still dreaded facing certain enemies, and the end boss of Chapter 12, rarely have I celebrated so much at beating a story line boss in FF. I've compared this game a lot to FFX, which was previously my favorite title in the series, but not anymore. I think that it is true that at times, FFXIII does not feel like your average FF game. I mean, the only returning musical theme is the Chocobo theme, there are no towns and inns, and just about everything feels different from before. But once you dig deeper, you see elements of your favorite FF games from the past, only they have been distilled and refined into something that's more approachable. But approachable doesn't mean dumbed down. No, in this case, it means that combat is evolving, staying engaging and diverse until the very end. When you think about it, this is the only title other than FFIX that has achieved this, and FFIX did so with a very rigid character class system. Grinding for two hours won't change much in this game, only give you a bit more wiggle room. I find that to be absolutely brilliant. This review is likely to ramble on and on, but I feel that this game needs to be defended a bit, considering people are quick to dismiss it for what it should be, instead of trying to judge it for what it is and what it is trying to do. I have a feeling that once the dust settles, people will enjoy this game more. I know that my first playthrough of this game was the most fun I've ever had in the first playthrough of a FF game, and ultimately, I think that's what the game should be judged by. I know I've logged more hours into FFVII than any other game, but I didn't have too much fun sometimes in FFVII. This isn't an issue with FFXIII. Play this game with no prejudice or inflated expectations, and you'll see the title for what it is, yet another worthy FF title.

So I have read a lot of negativity around this game. I have been a FF gamer since FF7 and have since played all of the major titles. I certainly understand some of the criticism given to this particular installment and it is definitely without it's flaws. But for me, what I try to do with each FF game is to take it for what it is. For me, here's some things I've noticed: Linearity: Okay, as a game series that's typically notorious for it's ability to roam freely and explore, this certainly is not the case with this installment. Now, I could moan and groan and say that I don't get to explore, which at times I missed, but, however, I have found the linearity a breath of fresh air. Simply put, I don't have the time these days to explore, grind, do every side quest and monster hunt. I would have liked a good monster hunt sidequest or two, but I certainly don't feel cheated. Don't get me wrong, I like to explore in RPGs when I have the time but it was kind of nice to see a little more focus on the story (which I will get to in a minute). Gameplay: At first, I thought it was senseless button mashing for about the first ten hours of the game, but things started getting real tricky without the right paradigm. It really made me concentrate on the roles that each player needs to be strong at. The battle system is fun and works well and requires a little bit of strategy without having to micromanage. I like the quickness of battles and like all the little unique changes that this installment has. It'll seem weird at first, but it makes sense as you go and assume more roles and aquire summons. Story: Definitely, for me, the shining part of the game in conjunction with the beautiful artwork/graphics. It' is very story driven. It was confusing at first, but things seem to fall into place as you go. I would have to disagree with the bandwagon thought that the story is weak and could have been written by a five year old. It has its flaws I admit, and I would have liked maybe a little more depth to the characters, but keep in mind the story is more about the group as a whole and not necessarily focused on each character. I would agree that it follows some typical RPG story patterns and is somewhat predictable. However, however, it's a fresh new take that I found engaging. It certainly good. Maybe not the best, but certainly not the worst. All in all. It's kind of like the iPad. If you know what you're getting and acknowledge the flaws, then it is quite remarkable for what it is. It' doesn't follow the traditional path of most RPGs and in a lot of ways differs, but if you give it a chance go into this understanding this, then you will enjoy the game as much as I did.

This game is what it is, a stepping stone in a long line of stepping stones, Each of the final fantasy games is drastically different from the one that came before it. This is both good and bad, if you enjoyed playing final fantasy 7 you may want the same thing for every game that came after that, but the same old thing can get a little dull. I have enjoyed every final fantasy game I have played, because I am a big fan or the series, they are not perfect and they have their flaws, but this game gives you an experience it keeps you playing for hours and hours, if it was really dreadful why keep playing why not return it to block buster or trade it in for a new game, it kept you playing and that says something. This game is a little to linear, it seems to be missing the open world feel that most of the other games had, When Final Fantasy came to the ps2 for the first time final fantasy X, and X2, were the same way, you followed a path until you got an airship and then you could pick locations on that path, this game is slightly worse in that regard, there are no towns to visit, there is no chatting with people or exploration which is disappointing for an rpg which is supposed to have an interactive quality, the game play is more like a shooter game in which you move from point to point. I have seen huge reviews of this game and want to keep mine short if you want an entire list of the faults this game has other people have written them out ad nausea, I am just here to say its not perfect, but it will keep you entertained, it like all the other final fantasy games are a progression, this game will inform the developers how to make the next one and that one will help with the one that follows it, and so on. If your looking for a smooth fun game you can spend time mastering and having fun with you may enjoy this game, it may be worth renting it first to see how you like it, but it's not the worst game ever, in fact it is quite fun, if you can relax and stop getting upset about what you don't enjoy and focus on the positives, such as amazing graphics, and some what interesting narrative, and the fact that the story is less convoluted then some of final fantasy's other works. All in all it's a game meant to be enjoyed, and debated over, if there is one thing final fantasy has perfected it is creating games that some people love, and some people hate and that people in the middle play and enjoy.

To start off, it needs to be said I have played EVERY Final Fantasy game since their release. I was around 10 when I started FF1 I and have been a stalwart fan of the series. I haven't liked all FF's (i.e. 8 and 12) so I feel I do weigh my perspective with some thought. The best thing I can say about Final Fantasy XIII is that I feel it is a bold step to try to evolve the series with some new elements. Like with any change or evolution of something, you are going to get those that resist change (which you will see in earlier reviews) and others that are for it. As a result, I think FF13 ends up being a love it/hate it game. Where you will end up ultimately depends on how you approach this game. If you come into FF13 with an open mind and a willingness to try something different with no preconceived notions, you could end up being in the love it category. 13 brings with it a great story with a lot of heart and characters you care for. The battle system is refreshing and unique. At first I was slightly hesitant not being able to micromanage my characters, but it ended up being exhilarating. You do have a lot of control over the battle, but control different elements of the battle that many people are not accustomed to. The "Paradigm shift" feature of the game is like a job class for your team of characters rather than individual roles characters play. I enjoy shifting paradigms and trying different strategies in taking down enemies. Outside of the gameplay you are given an amazing setting with graphics that are amazing on the PS3. The lush visuals and details that were put into this game are outstanding. The facial expressions on your characters are impressive and the overall environment is immersive. The voice acting of a couple of the characters can be annoying at times, but overall, I found the game to create a world that I wanted to explore. I mentioned it earlier, but the storyline is also intriguing with a lot of themes that run beneath the surface. Overall, this is an engaging experience that will keep you captivated. Now if you come into FF13 with preconceived notions about JRPGs and a desire to play a more traditional RPG where you dictate the detail of what each and every character does, then this game is not for you and you will fall into the 'hate it' category (most likely). I loved that this game approached the battles differently and had you focus your energies on team dynamics and not specific actions, but that is NOT for everybody. If you are a person who needs to dictate the action of everyone, you may struggle enjoying this game. The other issue that you read about is how linear it is. It is true that FF for the most part is a linear experience giving you freedom only within the battles and the customization of your characters abilities/weapons. You explore a world, but it plays out more like chapters than an open world. In today's games with endlessly open worlds, this may create a problem for some people. At the end of the day, Final Fantasy is an engaging and enthralling experience depending how you come into the game and if you can accept evolution/change. The elements of Final Fantasy are still there for longtime gamers, but are explored in different ways. Newcomers to the series will also enjoy a fresh take to a classic JRPG style. It's not for everyone, but if you open yourself to a fresh experience and approach it as such, you may leave highly satisfied.

So, we have Lightning, Snow, and other irritably named characters like Hope and Vanilla...ohh, I mean...Vanille, dealing with the hand of fate which interweaves their lives with one another. They go up against an omnipotent force called the fal'Cie and attempt to change their lives for the better without causing ultimate destruction and death. As is with most Final Fantasy games, they need to depend on each other to get through these dark times and to, ultimately, succeed. With that established we can move on to more pressing concerns. FF and their creators seem to be drifting ever further from the unique, fun, interesting ways of FFs of the past. I can't blame anyone for wanting to try something new, but when you give the players a world that seems infinitesimally small it gets annoying. It takes about 20+ hours to get to an area that's larger than a theme park and even then you can cross the giant land mass in about five minutes...without a chocobo. At that point you can do side quests and the like that are similar to the old FF games, but are about as fun as licking envelopes. The fact is it seems to be that the non-linear structure of FFs have become completely linear. It's just a bunch of corridors and tunnels with an occasional monster that you can run around or actually fight. Speaking of fighting. The ability to fool around during battles is a moot point. You get this thing called Paradigms which allows you to select what 'role' you want your characters to play. So, for example, there's a Sentinel which, go figure, guards and there's a Medic which heals and a Ravager that blasts magic all around. Well, god forbid you want to do that all at once in just ONE character. No, sir. You have your three characters, each are given a role and if you want to change their roles you Paradigm switch which takes up time and destroys their original queue of attacks or defenses. To continue on my tirade, apparently the creators of this game want you to do NOTHING but hit the "Auto-battle" button and sit around twiddling your thumbs hoping that it works rather than actively kill the thing that's opposing you. To top it off you can only control the party leader and the other characters just do whatever the computer says they should do. How is this a video game? When did the game console get to have an input as to what happens and how during battles with characters that YOU are leveling up? This is, if you can't tell by my bitter tone, the worst part of the game for me. It hurts to watch the FF structure fall to the wayside in the most fundamental part of the FF games: the battles!! You spend a good 80 hours out of the 90 you inevitably pour into these games battling and it's become little more than surface film. It seems like the game is more focused on blowing your mind away with aesthetic pleasures such as the sheer CGI quality of the game itself. Okay, I'll give it that. The graphics in and out of CGI cut scenes are glorious. Because of this it seems the storyline and the characters suffered miserable existences because the game had to look good. The storyline is hard to follow and boring at times. Plus you don't understand much unless you go into the menu screen and read all the information the game provides for you after certain cut scenes. Ever since when, yet again, did games provide information as an optional exploratory glossary as opposed to weaving the meanings and intricacies and information into the story itself. The characters, also, are just as flat as the story. They change little and how they change is obviously predictable. The only reason this game has three stars to all these words is because, as mentioned, the graphics are superb and the game isn't completely a wash. The story is borderline interesting if you take the time to read all of that glossary-like material in the menu and if you pay attention since your span of attentiveness will probably drop more than once during the game. It also does have some fairly formidable opponents that, at the very least, propose a challenge and an urge to beat SOMETHING even if the urge to finish the game is negligible. Though, I could argue that if I had the option to combine roles the opponents would be little more than irritable dogs that need a good talking to. It's difficult as a seasoned FF player to watch the games become less and less like their predecessors, but I guess I have to swallow my pride. It's not that much different from watching phones become computers and computers become humans.

I recently got this game when I got a ps3 (so I could download all the old FF games and play them again from PSN). I've been a long time fan of the series, though I put off playing this one because of the horrible press I had heard. I often complain about how mainstream gaming developers do anything to widen their audience, selling out the core base for the sake of more money by expanded demographics. Having played games my entire life, I remember when titles had culture and fit a niche, instead of everyone on the planet buying call of duty's newest title every year. This game changed it's audience, but didn't widen it like people would expect. It honestly feels more narrowly focused than any title before. Things that make some gamers love this title so much are often the same things other people detest. From here on, I'll focus on what those points are. 1. It's VERY Japanese. The people, the culture, the mannerisms, the voice acting, the story, all make great sense and are incredible, assuming you understand and like Japanese culture. People find Vanille grating, or don't understand the story telling of the cutscenes, often because of these cultural differences. 2. Increased graphics / sound led to increased subtlety. They love to play on words and use subtle character expression to try and tell the story. Not everyone catches these, or finds it to be an acceptable way to move a plot along. +10 points if you can spot the awesome Dylan Thomas reference that Sazh makes(chapter 4 ish I think?). It's a one liner in a cut scene, but it ends up connecting on a lot of levels. They LOVE doing things like that, or making character names massive plays off the plot. Again, some of these are just more popular from that culture. 3. Linearity is used to control a very carefully crafted story. You are dragged along because the characters are. I do agree that this could have been done in a more inviting way, more as previous titles. In FF 7, in Midgar, you felt like you were exploring, and connecting with the world, even though you were still locked down to a couple zones at a time. The story being told wouldn't do well with that kind of environment. It would be hard to do that without creating weird plot holes. I do think this is something that both could have been improved, and sounds like that has been noted for future titles. There needs to be non-combat sections spread around, breaking up the pace. 4. Soundtrack. The music is good ambiance, and does what it looks to do. It is not like the older FF titles however. Instead of simpler, melodic tracks that have a tune you just love to get stuck in your head (Nobuo Uematsu FTW), they feature more generic and modern songs to meet an ambiance they're looking for. It works, but it isn't going to be as timeless as the chocobo theme or cosmo canyon. Back then though, the characters weren't constantly talking, so the music had a lot more focus on the audio anyways. Now, it seems like they're afraid a powerful song will detract from the game itself. There are a few places the soundtrack really does do a great job, and takes the lead, but it isn't a commonplace thing. 5. Combat. It progresses slowly. 12 hours into this game, they will STILL be introducing new combat elements. This makes the beginning incredibly over simplified (first couple hours are mostly just "attack attack attack"), but it ends up getting players sped up to a very complex and fast paced system. If it weren't for a ramp up over a long time, it would be too daunting for many players to figure out. The pacing could stand to be improved (it was a bit too slow for anyone familiar with turn based rpg's). It's surprising how easy it becomes for you to know how to implement reasonably complex strategies later in the game, after being so slowly led through each option and choice. And as a final note, I still fail to see the redeeming qualities of Eidelons as anything more than a plot element. I can't for the life of me understand how vehicular summons with meager attacks and out of place animations really do anything right for anyone in actual combat, besides just trying way too hard to be cool. I pretty much avoided using them entirely, especially since the TP cost was too much to justify it. Identifying an enemy's stats 3 times was almost always a more valuable option to me than bringing up a motorcycle so I can wheelie someone's face for no damage.

I feel like I should tell you what kind of games I prefer. I enjoy all types of games but my favorite has always been and will always be role playing games. that is why I purchased the PS3, for me it just had better role playing games, nothing against the 360, it is also a great game system. Out of the next generation games I have to say that Infamous and Batman AA have to be my 1 and 2. With Assassins Creed 2 placing 3rd. I am telling you my game list so that you can decide if my review of FF 13 is appropriate for you. My favorite FF is 10 and my second is 8. I love a good love story. So here goes my Final Fantasy 13 review I can not hit on every little thing but i will try to be as thorough as possible. The game starts out kind of slow, even to the point where it doesn't matter where you place your CP because you just have enough to get everything. However there is a reason for this. This fighting system is the most advanced fighting system that I have ever seen bar none. It may start easy but if you don't pay attention to what happens when you switch from paradigm to paradigm, then when push comes to shove you will get slaughtered. I like the fact that you can't play as everyone at all times. sometimes you can only play as 2 specific people and everyone else is locked out. This allowed you to experiment with paradigms that would have otherwise felt like a waste of time. Trust me when I say that this game becomes the most complex and rewarding fighting system to date. Halfway through, if you have not mastered it, you will get destroyed. The picture Quality pushes your system to its very limits. It looks absolutely amazing. It is hard to believe where we were in terms of picture quality only a couple of years ago. I heard a lot of people quit this game very early on. And I must say that if you are not willing to put 60 hours into the game and see it through to the end, then you will definitely miss out on what is one of the best FF games of all time. This game has about 40 hours of gameplay after the credits role. So alot of gameplay! The story is a good story, but not a great story. It does however end great. Really really great. I almost cried at the end. It was a great journey and I slowly began to care for the characters, but it was definitely not as great as 10 or 8. The connection just wasn't there. I felt like sazh and vanille were the only ones that weren't dorky or crybabies. it was hard to connect with anyone throughout. As the story progress I did find myself caring that they finished their journey, but I didn't really care about them, does that make sense? Overall I know it could have been better. it was just tiny things that kind of ruined the story. like the corny fist pump to the sky and such. it is not however a terrible story, just not as great as previous Final Fantasies. Overall though You will have fun. It is a great game with some minor setbacks. I totally recommend buying this one.