24.2.2011

Whether by luck, or by genuine perception, the Final Fantasy team have made a story entirely worthy of remembrance. My first comment is this: if you come across any comments or reviews disapproving this game - ignore them. This game is far from a disappointment.MAIN STORYLINEThe main storyline is the most emotional and realistic I've seen throughout the Final Fantasy series (perhaps excluding the truly extraordinarily Final Fantasy X). It follows six beautifully created characters as they come to terms with a doomed fate; resolve to fight back against it; become enravelled in a larger plot and lose hope; and finally succeed in changing a world. Over the course of the first two discs,gamers can really immerse themselves in the game's realism and quality - it all seems so lifelike! Chapters are intrinsically linked, subtly alluring you on, making you want to keep playing. And it's true the hours simply dwindle away on this game - sixty hours seems like nothing in such a huge world! It doesn't disappoint either. With plenty of new enemies to face, new locations to explore and new weapons to utilise, for the first two discs at least, Final Fantasy XIII provides.However, the main storyline itself does begin to lose its touch in disc three. Keeping with the main storyline for now, disc three begins to elaborate the outcome of the characters' emotions. Whilst still being incredibly emotive and realistic, the quality (both visually and subliminally) is noticeably reduced. Firstly, the producers have packed too much onto disc three, making a lack of high-quality cutscenes, and lagging at times - especially the start of battles - is quite evident. Finally, though, when gamers decide to continue with the main storyline on disc three (this is no necessity on disc three, not immediately), the game picks up again. Witnessing unthinkable destruction and the tearful farewell of two amazing legacies, Final Fantasy XIII draws to a - in the viewpoint of the gamer - guilt-ridden, sorrowful and overjoyed outcome. If you find yourself confused at my use of adjectives, play the game for yourself. You'll understand.CHARACTERSIt's always difficult to analyse characters without giving too much away. While attempting to retain anything that's considered a spoiler... Firstly, the characters on Final Fantasy XIII are more realistic and lifelike than any I've ever seen. Producers have again decided to opt for a female-fronted team; gamers will be playing as "Lightning" for more than half of the game. A professional soldier, Lightning has no time for making friends. She is portrayed as almost heartless, but her concern for her younger sister, Serah, is undefiable. Lightning is, however, the exact opposite of Snow - Serah's fiance. The main male protagonist, Snow is an outgoing and quite often brash man. His heart is pure, however, and his love and passion for Serah is almost as extraordinary as Lightning's. Third we come to Hope, a young adolescent having recently lost his mother. An emotional wreck at the best of times, Hope is still a compelling young man, and he teaches Lightning especially some home truths. Hope is, in a way, the glue that holds the team together (while miraculously being the most annoying character, to me, anyway!). Sazh is a fourth character, a coloured man based on the appearance of Lionel Richie. A humorous and kindhearted soul, Sazh can have a tendency to take things to heart, often overreacting without need.Finally, we are introduced to the duo Fang and Vanille. One is a lighthearted, chirpy and optimistic young girl; the other a serious, focused a realistic older woman. Three guesses which is which - the names say it all really. Yet while this duo are constantly getting into trouble, they both have a terrifying secret to hide - one that could disturb the careful balance the group has painstakingly established.SIDEQUESTSAll-in-all, there are a plethora of missions and sidequests to be undertaken once disc three is reached; however, how similar all of these missions are is debatable.They all follow one set pattern: Discover a Cie'th Stone. Take the mission. Find the creature. Kill the creature. Get the reward. Move on. For the most part, the lack of change is hardly noticeable, but it does become rather frequent. To be fair, the rewards for some of these missions are brilliant - and certainly useful, but the only thing that kept me going was their increasing difficulty.There are 64 Cie'th Stones in total, and each comes with a ranking. The higher the ranking, the more difficult the creature is to kill. Missions 60-64, for example, are some of the hardest monsters in the game, and may well compare to Omega Weapon and Yiazmat of Final Fantasy XII.Also, producers have incorporated the possibility of upgrading weapons to make them stronger and (on a sidenote), better looking. However, the chances of gaining an "ultimate" weapon are slim at best, as the required items are both exceedingly rare and expensive.In conclusion here, the sidequests are what really let Final Fantasy XIII down. There isn't enough variation, nor is there really enough to do at all. Once the 64 missions are done the only choices you have remaining are retaking them or battling the insanely large creatures roaming the world.SOUNDMusically, Final Fantasy XIII is as adept as any other game. In my own personal opinion, the soundtrack here is one of the best Final Fantasy has seen in a long time. Themes are carefully composed, reflecting the feelings and portrayal of each character perfectly, and repeating tracks like the battle theme soon become addictive and memorable. In terms of voicing, no better voice-acting cast could have been elected. The voices of Ali Hillis (Lightning) and Georgia von Cuylenburg (Vanille) wonderfully reflect their characters' emotions, and are always on the ball to please and intrigue. Male voice actors such as Reno Wilson (Sazh) and Troy Baker (Snow) bring a comedic attitude to Final Fantasy XIII that is rare in such a game. The lip-syncing is generally exact as well, characters talk slowly enough to be understood and yet always portray that dire emotion the character is currently feeling.Voicing and lip-syncing loses its quality in the more common and generic scenes, such as the end of a battle. Here, syncing is occasionally off, but in cutscenes and in most other areas voicing is definitely an upside to Final Fantasy XIII.CONCLUSIONI know already I have missed out points in Final Fantasy XIII's structure that differs it from other games, but without a shadow of a doubt, it is definitely a game in the series worth purchasing. Any die-hard Final Fantasy fan may find themselves disappointed by the intial linear gameplay, but it soon widens out into something much more! Character-wise, we have the selfless and compassionate Yuna brought out in Vanille (albeit with a much darker tone); the cocky and determined Balthier in Snow; the humorous yet caring Wakka in Sazh... it doesn't take much to notice Final Fantasy has rekindled some of the characters we loved in years gone by.Visually, Final Fantasy XIII is one of the most lifelike games of 2010, with stunning graphics and amazingly generated field and battle sequences.Musically, Final Fantasy XIII is attuned and manages to remain ambient yet still perfectly allows gamers to distinguish an environment's history and current state.Altogether, Final Fantasy XIII has provided me with (currently) over eighty hours of game time, and with no sign of drawing to a close soon, it is one of the longest RPGs this decade! The increasingly frequent comments that Final Fantasy XIII has been a 'disappointment' and that Final Fantasy XIII-2 is likely to spell the end for the Final Fantasy series frankly make me laugh. Final Fantasy XIII has proved just as successful on the market, both in Japan and North America, as Final Fantasys VII, X and XII. For all those willing to put time and effort into a beautiful game with a truly stunning main storyline, be prepared, as Final Fantasy XIII will reward you.

10.3.2010

First off I have'nt read any kind of review for this anywhere! so I had no prior expectations or knowledge of any sort when I started playing this game. Second, I would like to point out that I am only 20hours in and have not completed the game yet...Ok... The graphics in this game and staggering, Square Enix have done what FF has always done and raised the bar yet again! FMV sequences are jaw dropping and the fantasy element again is top draw and as previous FF titles raises the bar in this area aswel. So, the graphics are immense.Gameplay.. The new battle system again is perfect for this game, its familiar enough to feel "Final Fantasy" but yet has a learning curve.See what SE had to do was somehow make the gameplay and style the same as previous titles but develop and innovate the exact right amount in exactly the right areas, and somehow they've done it! I mean its an absolute masterclass in making a fresh game but staying true to an aging franchise. The new "staggering" system is great and makes for fast and rewarding combat, also the battlefield feels much more open and you're free to move the camera. The actual learning curve for me was quite big as getting to grips with the job roles, speed of combat and the use of chains and abilities can be quite tricky, but again this is why the game works so brilliantly, because its like your playing a whole new game but its in a style and setting your so familiar with.Also I would like to point out the actual fights are so amazingly balanced and the boss fights are at a perfect difficulty level, But thats the least we should expect from a franchise so experienced in this field...Characters.... The real heart to any FF is the story and character progression and XIII is no exception, in fact this has the most in depth character personalities I have seen to date in any game! it's these characters that drive the story and wrap you up in the game. The tiny facial expressions and body language plays a massive part in this game. For the first time you really get a feeling that SE have had chance to let their imaginations run wild, mainly because the technology will finally let them and probably the uncapped budget. The detail on the characters (even in battle) is absolutely breathtaking and make the warming to and believability in them so much more real.Another place they have innovated is with the actual character personalities, the hero is not nessisarily the main character, and the charater who undertakes the biggest progression is not nessisarily the obvious one.Progression.... Ok so this is where it gets technical. Traditional leveling is out! and weapon/acessory upgrades are in!.. I'll explain how they work:Crystallium or CR is basically EXP or "sphere level" if you played FFX and you use this CR to work your way round your characters grid. You can tell massive influence has been taken from FFX's "sphere grid" but this is absolutely fine with me as I though it was by far the best character development mechanic to date. Basically, like the Shere grid you work your way round the grids activating nodes E.G. HP+10, Strengh+3 etc and you also come across abilities that can be learned, it all works very well and the only gripe I have with it is that it doesnt feel very open, its not got the freedom the sphere grid had, but still its a massive improvement on XII's offering and I like it. There are also job roles that characters can unlock and some are better at certain roles than others, (im not sure if this stays true throughout the game but at the point where I am it seems the character called Hope is the black mage and Lightning is the Warrior or "Commando" etc) But I have noticed as you go through the game more characters can unlock different job roles like "Synergist", "Sentinal" etc but at first they may not be as advanced or suited to that role as other characters, Mainly because other characters have those roles from the start.. Now for weapon/accessory development. This again has borrowed havily from FFX but instead of it being a minor endgame activity it is right at the centre of the gameplay in XIII. Stop at any savepoint and you can select the "upgrade" tab and start levelling your chosen weapons and accessories. You level them by using combinations of "drops" or "loot" you find on enemies, they all have a points value. Once you have decided what weapon or accessory you would like to level, select it and it will tell you how many point you need in order to level up. It seems quite in depth from what I have used so far and the tutorial goes out its way to point out a weapon that seems weak when first aquired can in fact become very powerful, and that combining different types of loot can actually change the attributes you gain when levelling....Story... I'm not going to spoil this for anyone so all i'm going to say is that it is just stunning, extremely well written with twists, turns, emotion and drama. Everything you would expect from an FF game and again raises the bar in narrative, character realism and animation.... Truly stunning.Summany... Ok to sum up as I'm sure your pretty tired of my waffle by now. I feel this game deserves a detailed review as the developer has clearly gone to extreme lengths, not only to preserve the heritage of this great gaming series, but to also innovate in different ways that respect the massive fan base this franchise has.... If only Bioware had done the same.An amazing game, and if you have enjoyed FF's in the past then this really was worth the wait!!...

28.10.2010

1st Impressions: I pre-ordered the game in advance and found myself very excited by the sound of the PS3 disc drive consuming the game for the first time. Spent time in advance of release watching previews and anticipating an amazing adventure. My first impressions was that this was the best looking game I had seen, graphically and from a game play perspective, really caught my imagination from the start.90%Controls: I found the camera control when running difficult to use at the start (not sure why). The use paradigms shifts was fantastic, I really enjoyed the non-stop approach provided. I also (like another reviewer) was frustrated by some lagging response when using the save point,but it doesn't ruin the experience.90%Gameplay: I was surprised with such a change in the dynamics of the battle system, looking at previews I understood that they wanted to create intensity, by leading the gamer from one battle directly into another. The use of shifts and the balanced difficulty of foes meant in the experience was more strategic than other FF's I have played in the past. For me this was an excellent move and I would have thought it would make the game more appealing to those Xbox gamers that have never seen a JRPG before, thus increasing the games market appeal.I was impressed that when you entered a battle (no matter the location in the story) the backdrop of the fight was always relevant to the location the fight start; it was a nice touch.80%Storyline: The story never really gripped me, never really understood the terms used and would have loved to have watched some of the cut scenes again to ensure I understood the point they were trying to make. My problem is that with FF it has four key points that make the game:Game play and battle systemSoundtrackGraphicsStory (which determines the characters)For me the story let the game down, and that's because I never felt like I was in control rather just along for the ride. For that reason it (felt like) never mattered if managed to stop the purge or kill the final boss, because the story had already made all the decisions for me... no control....I understand that JRPG don't generally allow this kind of story interaction, but its something that I have gotten use to as a gamer.Needless to say after completing the game I used Wikipedia to ensure I understood what the hell just happened, but by that time the magic was there.60%Character development: Due to the lack-luster story, the characters never gripped me they were simply there; and having three really annoying characters Hope (just depressing), Vanille (annoying voice and was unfortunately the narrator) and Snow (stupid name, and called him self a hero even though he hadn't achieved anything?) didn't help.I also felt really uncomfortable with the fact Serah looked fourteen, but was dress like a tart from Amsterdam.There was no room for choice within the upgrade system, which in turn meant I had no control over how my team developed.I feel that the weapon upgrade system could have been introduced better, for a long period of the game I was very concerned that if I start to upgrade I will be making a mistake and thus cause problems in the game going forward. If the game forced the player to upgrade a certain point using organic, Mechanical and catalyst then this system would have been much more enjoyable.60%Graphics: Graphics were just superb, I can't see the PS3 producing a better example of what its capable of (I hope GT5 proves me wrong). Although the linear game play meant I felt like I was on a treadmill for the first 10 chapters just watching the graphics pass by. However during that time I never felt like I had seen the same place twice, which is a achievement in its self; I could never say the same for a game like Fallout 3.100%Sound: The sound track was very subtle, and that is exactly what was needed for this game. I know this is sad but I have got home after football (soccer) at the weekend and just let the title music play in the background while I fall asleep, very nice experience (if only a little homosexual)90%Trophy Set: Trophies were fine, although I would have liked each trophy to have lead from rewards as part of the game, rather than grinding for hours.70%Your Favourite Moments: Two Favourite moments.When the group first go to Gran Pulse, very nice cut scene.When you arrive at Obera from the Atmos, as you walk up the hill on the first corner and the sun hits you purely from the reflection in the snow. This gave me fantastic memories of snowboarding, which just put a huge smile on my face.Worst Moments: Farming, it shouldn't be necessary, the developer needs to find a way to make this optional as part of the game and achieving trophies. I have no idea how this would work, but then again I'm not a game designer.Worth £40.00: Well worth the money, @ 90 hours playtime it equates to 45 pence per hour. If I could get that kind of value for money out of everything, I would be happy with a job paying £1 per hour.Conclusion: This is a game I have really enjoyed, however it does not gain a rating of 8/9 because I will not be playing it again once I have the platinum, rather I will be looking forward to the next FF instalment to be come available.However I see this game as a test by SE to investigate alternative gaming styles available to them, and on that basis it has succeeded.Overall Score: 68%

10.3.2010

A futuristic train travelling through what can only be described as a rollercoaster track, and now 4 and a half hours in. This game is an amazing game, well blended and crafted together.A lot of people had concerns about the feline heroine Lightning, don't get me wrong she needs an attitude adjustment, but the further you go into the game the more you realise why she is like that.Snow is a great character and you get the impression he is a love sick bare knuckle fighter, a hero to the people but all talk. Instantly you can see the tension between the heroine and this jumped up fighter from the ranks.Hope and his female companion are quite the pair, she has a funny accent and is quite the character and somewhat cheeky but loveable,and I have not made my mind up about Hope as of yet.Lastly from the people I have encountered so far, Mr. Chocobo head is the snap to reality kind of guy, never has his head in the clouds, except when his little yellow feathered friend decides to fly about.CRYSTARIUMThe Crystarium system is a lot like the sphere grid but less in depth and more linear to start off with. There are only a few roles your characters can develop in, such as Lightning can only progress in Commando and Ravager to start off with where as Snow can do Ravager and Sentinel. But the abilities you gain are very well animated and extremely pretty to look at. The Crystarium doesn't let you advance to the next tier of abilities until you reach a certain point in the story, so those people who farmed SP in FF10 wont need to here as there is no point till the higher tiers anyway.ROLESLike jobs in other FF games you get, Commando, Ravager, Medic, Synergist, Sentinel and one more but cant remember the name of it. They are all different and all unique in there abilities.Commando - Like the leader of the group, kicking butt using weapons and melee, expert in raising the chain bar to stagger mode quicklyRavager - Uses combat and magic to deal damage to opponent, this is know as the DPS of the roles.Medic - This is the white mage of the group, casting healing spells and such and so far that is all it does I have found, just heal no combat attacks as of yet.Synergist - From my understanding this class uses buffs for your group, its like a secondary class as once the buffs are cast there is no need to have synergist out so you may as well paradigm shift to another set upSentinel - A tanking class, this guy soaks up the damage, even has a taunt ability, however the damage is reduced for sake of the defence they gain.PARADIGM SHIFTParadigm is in my opinion the whole point of the new combat system, the paradigm is a default set up you choose before battle for roles you want your people as for instance, you can have a Commando and Two Ravagers in a Paradigm which would call it Relentless Assault, an all out attacking paradigm, or you can go for a paradigm called Diversity which is a commando, ravager and medic, usually the standard set up in a ff game. Being able to switch paradigms during battle is great, it takes a little time to shift but the animation is awesome and shifting is a necessity in most boss fights. Coupled with the Libra technique and auto battle its very strong battle system however if you wish to select your won abilities you have to be rather quick at getting your commands in while the ATB gauge fills upEIDONS - I have just got my first one being Shiva, you have to combat them to get them, but each combat is different like for Shiva you have to enter the Paradigm to sentinel mode and use steel breaker to absorb damage from Shiva and that's how you impress her to join you.GRAPHICS - I can't deny the graphics are gorgeous, the environments are lush for some reason the crystallised lake reminds me of the snow place in FF7, but it all looks fantastic and little to know pop up rate at all.MUSIC - When has anyone not appreciated the music for a FF game, again Square have done its self justice for the game, but there is no combat music. There is music form the surrounding environment during combat, it think its meant to give you the feeling that when you shift to combat mode its seamless rather than loading a combat sequence like so many older FF games seem to do.GAMEPLAY - So far it seems very linear but i am not that far through the game, I don't have free roam yet but following a storyline. I am sure like most FF games there will be a point where I free roam as I have already read that there is one boss like the weapon bosses in FF8 and the underwater boss in FF7. That's what I am looking forward to.PERSONAL CONCLUSION - The game is great, cant really fault it except on personal things that gripe on me, such as when ever you get a new item, new part in the story, new weapon or new anything it updates the data log and flashing exclamation marks go everywhere on the data log, and they stay there till you read what it was wanting you to see. I also just feel the game is missing something, don't get me wrong its great, I just think it misses something I don't feel the "OOOHHHH" or the "AHHHH" just yet apart from the graphics which are superb.

10.3.2010

I took collection of my copy of FFXIII yesterday afternoon and I expected it to be an epic RPG adventure on a par with the PS1s FFVII and the PS2s FFX only even better due to today's HD graphics.So far I have played for 10hrs and I have been awed by the stunning graphics, sound, amazing cut scenes.The battle system is the best yet of any FF game but FFXIII plays like FFX2 and is more like an adventure game/movie than an RPG that requires you to battle your way from scene to scene, like a 3D version of the old side scrolling adventure games of the past, just to be rewarded with the next cinematic cut scene.Don't get me wrong I'm always impressed by the effort Square-Enix puts into the cut scenesbut if I wanted to watch a fantasy movie spanning many hours I'd watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy.I am increasingly frustrated at the lack of exploration and how linear the game is.An RPG should have massive open areas to explore, side quests to complete, villages with shops and inhabitants to help or glean information from, an airship or some other form of quick transportation to explore the world with and hidden treasures all over explorable continents and some hard to find places like hidden caves and hard to reach islands etc.I have been a huge fan of the series since playing FFVII which along with FFX are in my opinion the best games in the series, Square-enix really needs to reflect on the qualities that made those two games special and firm favourites with fans then develop an epic RPG that fans can really sink their teeth into before they start to shun the series*.One of the biggest mistakes Square-Enix made prior to the release of FFXIII was to tempt fans into thinking they were going to do a remake of FFVII with the teaser trailer they produced not long after the PS3 was released. This just reminded diehard fans of FFVII just how ground breaking, epic and innovative FFVII was way back in 1997.FFXIII may be a technological marvel in terms of 3D graphics and high quality sound but lacks the soul and depth that made FFVII & FFX stand out and capture the hearts and minds of those that truly love the series.As an adventure game I'd rate FFXIII 10 of 10 but as an RPG I'd have to give it 5 out of 10 as it lacks so many of the qualities that make a true Final Fantasy RPG.*FFIV which is due for release later this year may just be that game but it is being developed as an online only MMORPG and after shelling out anywhere from £39.99-£59.99 for the game on Xbox-360 or PS3 who wants to pay additional mandatory £10 per month or so just to be allowed to play the game?I would like to add a foot note as I am editing this two days after my initial impressions above.*WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*FFXIII is split into two worlds Cocoon & Grand pulse the first half of the game is set on Cocoon.Cocoon is everything I described above and it will take you around an agonising 25-35hours of playing in that soul destroying linear manner before you reach Grand Pulse.But once you reach it things improve, the initial cut scene is breath taking and it's as if you've been transported to a world still in its Jurassic period.Here is where the game opens up and resembles the steppes of FFX and contains most of those missing elements I mentioned earlier such as a large open explorable area with free roaming enemies that initially are far too strong for your party.The Archlyte Steppe as it's called has side missions to complete, Chocobos to ride (After completing the appropriate side mission), teleportation stones for fast travel (again once you complete the side mission for that stone), treasure hunting while riding a Chocobo.There is only so much you can do at this point before you have to move on because the enemies are so tough, I personally spent 10hours here levelling up my characters and I can still only defeat a handful of the medium sized enemies on show.Although I have not completed the game yet I know you return here later in the game (possibly after completing the main story line) once your party is stronger but until then it's back to the super linear game I've already had 27 hours of.Based on having played the game a bit longer and having progressed much further I feel like this is still overall an adventure game but with the RPG style explorable area thrown in as an afterthought to keep people like myself happy, which to a degree it has, but if this is the future of console based Final Fantasy releases I could still see myself walking away from the series if with each new release I'm going to be forced to play in such a linear fashion for so long before reaching an explorable area, or even worse no explorable area at all.I get the feeling Square-Enix may be trying to move the stand alone games away from the RPG genre and into the Adventure game genre to attract a new fan-base forcing traditional RPG fans such as myself turn to the MMORPG games such as FFXI & FFXIV.This of course is just my opinion. Previously I rated FFXIII 10/10 for adventure and 5/10 for RPG I now amend the 5/10 to a more respectable 8/10

19.3.2010

It seems like a lot of people are giving this game a bad score because they don't like it, not because it's a bad game.I'll be honest, I was a little apprehensive about FFXIII for the simple reason that X-2 AND XII were so bad story wise.But XIII has a great story! There's nothing wrong with it at all and I love the characters. The great thing about a FF game is the ability of the story tellers to make you care about the characters. In any story, if you don't care about the characters you're not going to follow the plot. This is why, for me, X-2 and XII were so bad.Team Final Fantasy have redeemed themselves in that sense with XIII.Lightning is seriously cool.For anybody who says she's a Cloud rip-off the developers said years ago that they were planning on using another Cloud type character. Hence the name Lightning. It's not a disguised rip-off, it's part of the plan. And it works.Every now and then you come across a character in a Final Fantasy game that's similar to one from another. There's nothing wrong with that.My only complaint about characters is Venille. She's really annoying. Her only real purpose is to giggle and look cute, something you see in a lot of Japanese stories unfortunately.Every FF since VII has had a cutsie younger female character: Rikku, Selphie, Yuffie... Venille's just really annoying.She does grow on you as the story progresses... kind of. She's still not annoying enough to turn me off the game though, I just leave her out of my party.But not everybody cares so much about the story so let's get in to the gameplay.The battle system is amazing, the best in any FF game so far. Anybody who says it's rubbish is only saying that because they either don't like it which doesn't mean it's rubbish, or they're just no good at it.The Eidolons are great. Each character has one assigned Eidolon they can use briefly in battle. They're very simple to use.A lot of people complain that the game is very Linear. The first 2 discs were absolutely linear, but it's not a bad thing if you enjoy the story. I remember playing FFIX and thinking to myself while looking for Steiner's best weapon that I'd love just one FF in which I get the best stuff and experience the world through the story rather than having to spend hours or days on sidequests. I do love sidequests and exploring, but just one time, to see what it'd be like.That's what Final Fantasy XIII has given me. It's completely story orientated for the first 2 discs (XBOX). You get swept along with events as they unfold and experience an absolutely breathtaking world in the process. There was one point where I had to stop and gasp as my characters walked by an amazing waterfall. The image was beautiful.Then you get to disc 3 and just when you're thinking you'd like it to slow down a bit and let you have a chance to explore, it all opens up and gives you sixtysomething monster hunting mission sidequests and a gigantic, beautiful region to explore at your own pace, or at a chocobo's.I've been exploring at the start of disc 3 for 3 days now. I've hardly gone back to the story because I'm trying to level up and explore every last corner.There's very little in the way of interaction with non playable characters or exploring of towns like in traditional RPGs, but this is NOT A TRADITIONAL RPG AND IT DOESN'T PRETEND TO BE ONE. This definitely is, however, a Final Fantasy.There are a lot of things that you'd expect to see in a Final Fantasy game that this game leaves out, but it keeps a lot of traditional stuff (summoning monsters, chocobos, a guy called Cid) and adds it's own stuff too.This game isn't Final Fantasy VII, it doesn't have a huge world map for you to explore in a airship that you can control.It doesn't have Blitzball like Final Fantasy X.This game is Final Fantasy XIII. It's its own game and it's worth playing.A lot of love has gone in to this game (something that some traditional FF fans like me felt was missing from the last few installments) and it has reignited the series.Final Fantasy re-invents itself with each title. That's one of the things that makes the series so special. I'm not that big in to the crystal chronicle, dissidia or tactics spin-offs, but I have 1 to 13 of the main series including the sequels to VII and X, and Final Fantasy XIII is my 4th favorite of them all.Only VII, VIII, and X are better than it. But it's hard to be as good as those three.

10.3.2010

Finally, they've released a Final Fantasy for the 360. Its taken them sometime, but the result is amazing. Im around three hours in at the moment and i'm hooked to the storyline. I shant explain the story because it would take too long but so far it is a complicated plot of revenge and love based around the six main characters. Wikipedia it.First off, graphics. Wow. Enough said really. The video segments remind me of Avatar - well maybe not quite that good, but still amazing. The gameplay graphics are a very slightly dulled down version of the video graphics, which still surpass most games I can think of on 360.Gameplay. Well,if you've played Final Fantasy before you'll be used to the turn based fights which are separate from the free roam - you zoom out into the fight, then come back. Well its the same on this one, except for some huge battle changes. Also the transition is much smoother and quicker. Fights are no longer just turn based. Its a kind of semi-real time fight. Much more entertaining to do as you have to think on your feet and control the fight rather than just selecting an attack and waiting. The ATB guage fills up over time - around one bar every 2 seconds, maybe quicker - and its these that replace mana and other attack points. Each character has a unique amount of bars in their ATB guage. Each ability/attack is valued. For example, a standard attack only uses one bar, where as a more powerful attack or spell such as the 'Blitz' attack take up more. You can stack attacks until all your bars a full and then execute them all as a combo, or you can choose to only use a limited amount of your energy which carries over. The enemy I assume has the same setup for their attacks. This all means that while you dont attack as you would in many games, you are in control of combos and it puts a tension and excitement into the battles.Instead of jobs you now have Paradigms (random name?). These are like setups within your party which assign roles to the members, and you can switch them at any point in a fight. For example, one setup is relentless assault - a commander (melee attack), and two reavers (dps). The reavers attack whatever the commander attacks building up a guage which allows you to stagger the enemy. An enemy staggered takes more damage and does little to attack back for a short period. You and customize Paradigms for fights and switch to adapt to the fight. There are various Paradigms involving different party members, so there are magic based ones, defence based ones etc. It works very well and is very smooth. My only dig at the fighting would be that you only control the party leader, however Pardigms allow you to assign roles to your party, and to be honest, its so fast paced, you wouldn't be able to control three members, one can be a challenge at times!I love final fantasy games as the storylines, while sometimes cliched, are always original and the characters always have real personalities. They aren't really for the casual gamer as there are lots of cutscenes. Its almost like an interactive movie. But many will fall under the spell of this game. It is amazing so far, and I've barely scratched the surface. I prefer the less futuristic Final Fantasy's usually, however the sci-fi blend of magic, guns and swords with amazingly cool attacks and cutscenes make this a game definately worth buying. If you aren't sure if the gameplay is for you, play something like Lost Oddessy first. It doesn't have a scratch on this but is good none the less.Buy it. Im hooked.

8.5.2010

I'm shocked at all the bad reviews! I understand that any game won't be everyones cup of tea, but that no way means thats it's a bad game! I personally loved it.Its the first FF game that I've actually beaten, because, believe it or not I prefer more real time battle to turn based. And the people who dont like it, its probably because they are so bad at games, they play turn based so they have the freedom to take 10 minutes to think about every move they make. For a not turnbased RPG you'd be wrong to think that this game is a button masher. Its definately a strategy based battle system, it's just that you have to think of the strategy quicker. Which, yes some people are sadly unable to do.I love the paradigm system, which is where a lot of the strategy comes in. You have to think outside of battle which combinations of the jobs(commando's, ravagers, sentinels, saboteurs, synergists and medics) you will need for the fight, and during battle which combination would be most efficient at that moment in time. And a tip for anyone who buys this game (and you should) cast libra every time you see a new enemy, and check the enemy data. Makes it much easier.The graphics in this game are breathtaking. There are moments when you do just stop and think "wow: this game belongs in an art gallery, not my humble Xbox." Its not just that they are incredibly clear, detailed and realistic, they are imaginative, creative and artistic and fit the story beatifully.Also, the music is perfect. There is different types of music and it all fits together well. There is dramatic music that gets your hearts beating, but also focused. There is emotional, calm music that gets you feeling melancholy. Also many people may be disheartened upon learning that the theme tune is by Leona Lewis. But dont worry, its only in once near the end and you hardly notice it. And after playing it i think that the true themetune is a different tune, one that turns up in various forms throughout the game. In addition to this some of the background music has lyrics that, even if you dont understand the japanese, adds extra depth.Another thing about this game is the mass of sidequests. They aren't just unfun extra's to make to game last longer and there is a lot more to be discovered about the beautiful land of gran pulse by doing them.Lastly, there's the charachters. People have complained about a lack of background, but do you seriously have to know a characters life story to like them. The characters seem like real people. For example lets take Hope Estheim. At the start you just want to give him a good slap, like i'm sure some of the other charachters do. But you grow to like him as the other charcachters do. Also Hope grew to be my favourite character though the battle because i relied on him most, as my best medic. And unlike most AI he did what i actually wanted him to do ALL the time. Another thing is a lot of people found vanille irritating. I didn't.There are some MINOR flaws however. One is linearity, but i didn't have issues with that personally. Another is the absoloute final boss is too easy. Over all the game is hard though, which makes it all the more satisfying when you beat it.Overall, this game is a WORK OF ART that you NEED to have in your life. Honestly.

22.4.2010

First of all, after reading other reviews I have to say that I agree with those saying that bad reviews don't mean this is a bad game, but just that the players don't like it.So, yes, at first it is a bit of a shock because you don't find what you were expecting based on the previous FF games: you're thrown straight in the middle of a battlefield and the pace is set pretty fast, plus you keep on switching between different characters' stories, which can get a bit confusing and desorientating. But then, when you start thinking you could do with slowing down a bit and catching your breath, it all starts coming together and, well, it makes sense and the true adventure then starts.You are taken to beautiful places (everybody agrees,the graphics are absolutely fantastic) and start your journey. You do feel at first that you haven't got much control over any events (including battles) and the game just takes you where it wants you to go, but there is so much to grasp that it is actually for your own good. As you move further into the game, the battle system gets more complex and you do get to work out your own strategies and, even if you feel that things are going a bit too fast at times, the real time action definetely gives you a deeper sense of urgency and action that you don't get with a turn-based system. It might also seem like the point when you gain more control over fighting decisions comes quite late in the game, but this has been cleverly designed to make sure that you get full control when you're ready for it. The linearity of the game also ensures that your party will always be strong enough to fight the enemies you encounter, which means that there is no more grinding for experience because your characters were too weak (which could be annoying when you found yourself in this situation).It is true that you have to follow a pre-set path and that you don't get any interaction with other characters but this is not all bad. You do get to go off the path looking for hidden treasures but at least you know you will always end up in the right place. As for the interaction with other characters, when you think about the story, it is quite logical and obvious why you can't go round talking to anybody you meet on your journey. So, it all makes sense really...I think the only criticism I have concerns the Eidolons (summons). Each character has one that they can summon but you come to realise pretty quickly that they are not really of much use and you end up not seeing them very much. It feels a bit like it is one of the things that everybody expects from an FF game so they incorporated in the development, but with no real purpose. A shame.So in conclusion, yes this game is very different from the previous installments of FF and I can see why it could disappoint some fans, but you should really try not to compare, see past all the differences and enjoy it for what it is: a great game with great graphics, a great story, lovable characters and quite a few innovations that could give you many hours of entertainment. Change isn't all bad you know!

25.1.2011

I've played most of the Final Fantasy games, across multiple platforms. As such, I approached XIII a little cautiously after having read multiple reviews online, from critics and consumers alike, which were pretty negative; pretty much a first for the main entries in the Final Fantasy series (bar XI, but I don't count that due to it being an MMO.)Indeed, I very nearly didn't buy this game. I'm overwhelmingly glad that I did.Final Fantasy XIII isn't just, in my mind's eye, the best in the series; it's also one of the greatest games I've ever played too.I'll start by addressing the negatives I read in many reviews:Linearity: This game is very linear, and so if you dislike running down a pre-set path to the next objective,then this isn't for you. It's a little bit of a shame, but not the huge disappointment many make it out to be. I actually enjoyed the linearity in all honesty, as it allowed for a much tighter and closer narrative, and I didn't have to wonder where I was supposed to go like I did in some earlier Final Fantasies.Combat: I've heard people say that the combat in XIII is a simple case of mashing the "A" button. That's not true. Yes, the tutorial is unnecessarily long and the game holds your hand when you don't want it to, but once Square Enix decides to kick off the training wheels the complexity and brilliance of Final Fantasy XIII's combat system comes into play. Rather than focusing on selecting the right attacks, this game has you change the roles of party members to suit the situation.For example, if an enemy is on the attack, you might want to switch one of your three party members to "Sentinel" to attract the enemy and help deflect the attacks, perhaps also setting one of your members to "Medic" to heal when needed and maybe one to "Synergist" to 'buff' your party with protection spells. If your enemy is defending, you might switch to "Ravenger" to cast spells, "Commando" to attack physically and "Saboteur" to cast 'de-buffs' on the enemy, weakening it with curses and such.It works brilliantly, and is definitely the best and possibly most difficult Final Fantasy combat system I've seen.Story: Anyone who says the story is no good is wrong. The only flaw is the lack of a strong, clear-cut antagonist but this game isn't about you stopping a Sephiroth or Kefka. It's set in a beautifully crafted universe with a gripping and emotional plot about pre-determined fate and free-will, as well as the rebellion against total power and the effect senseless fear can have on the world. You're fighting fate and destiny, not a madman. It's definitely one of better Final Fantasy plots.Sure, overall the game has a couple of flaws but other than those it is absolutely fantastic, and whilst you'll sometimes curse the difficulty of some sections or the slow plotting you'll come away at the end thinking, rightly, that the game was one of the greatest gaming experiences you've ever played through.Roll on, XIII-2.

23.7.2010

I think this game is brilliant. It's true that it is linear for the first two discs. But I think it works quite well with this game. It really takes at least 7 hours before things get really good, and I know that sounds like a tall order but you have to understand even before the 7 hours you're constantly learning new stuff for the battle system, character skills etc. and it really is understandable.By the time the game has taught you all it has to offer it gets really intense. And I'm not exaggerating. The battle system becomes so much more complex, but not so much that it makes your brain hurt. More like a satisfying combination of quick thinking, real time and turn-based action.It really is a brilliant blend.The story made me care about the characters, the music was really good and the graphics were awe-inspiring. There were several times when I just stopped to look at the scenery and go "wow".It is a long wait but once you get to the 3rd disc, you're rewarded with the open world, free roaming area which is HUGE. And I mean huge. It takes ages to get from one place to another, and there's wild animals/enemies roaming the place, from tiny slimy ones to gargantuan ones; all approachable to battle. This is when you understand why the game kept it linear for so long. Once you go out to fight some of these enemies, several of them will completely tear you apart. You'll have a hard time adjusting and the game won't offer any more help to you, from here on out it's up to you to figure out new strategies, have well timed attacks and the lot. Tonnes of side missions, ultimate versions of weapons, upgraded equipment, there's loads to do here.You can always go ahead after a point and carry on with the game, or stay there to your heart's content. And trust me, you will want to stay there for a while. You can always come back to it as well, which is a welcome choice.All in all, impressive game. If you're a FF fan I assume you already certain expectations of this game. It does seem to deviate from the general FF games (my friends have 7 to 12) but even so this game is a powerful piece of media.If you like RPG's but have never played FF, give this one a go. If you're worried about the anime style then don't worry too much, it's not really that exagerrated like most anime-like games and has truely amazing graphicsthat you'll end up appreciating.The key is not to give up at the start of the game (which will seem slow) but to carry on and reap the rewards as you progress. You won't regret it. I've turned into a bit of a completionist and have completed it 100%, investing 70+ hours into it. (That's right!!) Don't worry if you don't want to spend a decade on it!! I just fell in love with the game, you can finish the game in probably half the time, if you're good that is :).

6.7.2010

OK, first things first, and I know you probably hear it all the time, but this is not an RPG and is far from any of the other games in the series, and you know why? It wasn't meant to be.Square Enix always bring us games that immerse us and make us empathise and express emotions with the characters they create, FF13 pulls that off superbly with a cast of many different personalities and points of view which all twist and turn together in one epic storyline and game.This time around SE have endeavoured to make a game that sucks you into the story and focuses, pretty much, solely on that. Now this of course will have a major effect on how the game is played, the big one being that it is very linear and story heavy:1.

30.3.2010

Like most people I was very disappointed to hear that FFXIII followed a very linear path and that there would be no towns to visit especially as I like the exploration part in RPG'S so I went from desperately waiting for this game to I will try it eventually.As it happened I had nothing to play on release day and got my self a collector's edition game and guide.I wont go in to the story but at first I was a bit confused but the story soon starts to back track and things get explained to you, also the data logs help flesh out the story and its an excellent story and I personally feel that all the characters are really cool yes dialogue is cheesy at times but no serious issues to contend with.

20.7.2017

First off, I would like to address the hate this game seems to generate.As a long time Final Fantasy fan, I've come to know that each entry in the franchise is different to it's predecessor's and will NOT be exactly the same as the previous.Yes, there will be familiar elements from the previous installments in some of the other games, but they have to include new elements to progress the franchise too. You can't throw the dummy out of the pram because you've been kicked out of your comfort zone and thrown into the unknown!In this case, all I seem to hear is that the battle system was crap, didn't work, was too clunky blah blah blah. Then, if it wasn't that, then it was the linearity of the world.While there is some linearity,

29.4.2010

I have only recently been introduced to the Final Fantasy series of games (played VII and X) and so was really looking forward to playing XIII. This game is very different from the others I have played but this does not make it a bad game contrary to what many people have been saying. Here are the pros and cons:Positives:Graphics - Probably the best graphics I have seen in a game. Beautiful and highly detailed, this really makes you feel like you are on a different world with almost no lag in terms of frames.Battle System - the innovative paradigm shift function works really well, allowing your characters to change their role during battle.

Final Fantasy XIII - Reviews

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