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Final Fantasy XIII (13)
Topic Started: Jul 18 2010, 12:44 PM (554 Views)
Arayvenn
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Stirred, not shaken.
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Quick notes

I made this review a while ago and got some hate the last time I posted it. I'm a guy who likes to explore while playing RPG's. I like to do sidequests, and find hidden caves that might hold treasure for me. That being said, enjoy the review.

This is an opinion based review, I am not a professional critic.


Keep in mind I played the Xbox 360 version of this game and have no idea if the PS3 version is any differents. Other than some sharper textures on the playstation, I assume they're the same.



A few facts

Title: Final Fantasy Xiii
Developers: SqaureEnix
Series: Final Fantasy (duh)
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Genre: JRPG (Japenese Roleplaying Game)
Modes: Single Player
Release Date: JA:December 17th 2009. NA: March 9th 2010


Overview

The Long awaited next installment of the final fantasy series.


Story

I have mixed feelings on the story line for Final Fantasy 13. I feel it throws you into the game with no prior knowledge. You start in the middle of the plot wondering what's going on. I also feel the story is far more complicated then it needs to be. The story begins with Lightning, a soldier for the planet Cocoon which has been invaded by Psicom soldiers from the planet Pulse. She breaks loose from the train she was prisoned on with a man named sazh. Together they fight to escape the planet. They also find Snow, who is engaged to Lightning's sister, Sarah. They see a Fal'cie space ship (A group which inprisons people into completing a task for them or they will be turned to monsters.) They find Sarah on the ship only to find she is tatood with the symbol of the Fal'cie. She tells Snow to save cocoon and turns to crystal. We then hear about the myth that when a Fal'cie completes their task, they turn to crystal. The gang attempts to kill the Fal'cie only to wake up and find themselves tatood. Game really starts here. Complicated right? Not so much when you've played the game.


Gameplay

Mixed feelings here aswell. The games battle system revolves around the different classes characters can be. You can have 3 people in your party at a time and each will unlock classes as they level up (eg. Medic (Healer) Ravager (Magic damage) Commando (Physical damage) etc.) You then use paradigms to customize how you would like. (eg. paradigm 1= Medic, commando ravager. Paradigm 2= ravager, ravager, ravager) You may switch paradigms in battle to accomodate to the situation you're in, need to heal? Switch to an all medic paradigm. The battles are real time, but with a turn based feel. Everying you do is done in chunks. You will usually hit the auto attack button and the game will string an appropriate combo for the situation you are in. You can switch paradigms at any moment and use items, but if you're not quick you will be knocked down.

As far as exploring goes, I have a bone to pick. The game is very linear, this will strongly upset long time fans of the series. It opens up a little bit in the middle, but most of the game is rushing you down a hallway, or road to reach a cutscene or fight. There are no towns where you can stop for a moment and have a breather. This makes it lack the feel of an rpg and almost makes it feel like a beat em' up. An unwelcome change in my opinion.


Graphics

Absolutley amazing. Final Fantasy 13 is one of the best looking games I've ever seen. The faces look real, the abilities look cool, the world is bright and colorful, textures look great and shadowing is some of the best I've seen. It's hard to explain how well they are without you seeing them. I'll show a picture below, but to really appreciate them I suggest looking up a video on youtube.


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Enjoyment

I somewhat enjoyed Final Fantasy 13. It felt like it was marketed towards casual gamers. It was great to look at, I enjoyed the battle system and the character development was good. However, the linearity of the game almost ruins it all. Had this been marketed as a beat em' up it would have been above average, but it bears the Final Fantasy name, and it doesn't serve it well.



Verdict

The game will take you a good 40-60 hours to complete depending on how you go through it. It doesn't raise the bar for todays Rpg's and I hope the series doesn't follow in its footsteps. Even with that said, Final Fantasy 13 is not a bad game. It's just a bad Final Fantasy. It gives you your moneys worth when it comes to length which is something a lot of new games can't say, but if you're a Final Fantasy fan or even a rpg fan looking for a grand new adventure, this game lacks the feel.

Final Score - 7.5/10


Edited by Arayvenn, Jul 18 2010, 12:45 PM.
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