Final Fantasy XIII

 PlayStation 3
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2976 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,797 out of 2976
  2. Mixed: 513 out of 2976
  3. Negative: 666 out of 2976
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  1. JD
    Mar 19, 2010
    5
    Worst Final Fantasy ever. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fanboy for sure, but this has got to be the worst in the series. First, it isn't a "game" per se, since you can get through the whole game mostly using "x" and a few directional keys. Second, the RPG element has been removed. It is hard to believe that Final Fantasy has been dumbed down to pretty graphics and awful, boring Worst Final Fantasy ever. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fanboy for sure, but this has got to be the worst in the series. First, it isn't a "game" per se, since you can get through the whole game mostly using "x" and a few directional keys. Second, the RPG element has been removed. It is hard to believe that Final Fantasy has been dumbed down to pretty graphics and awful, boring gameplay. This is basically a game for the attention deficit disordered millenial generation, and I'm afraid for the future.… Expand
  2. MrRPG
    Jan 5, 2015
    8
    Although i feel it was a step back from final fantasy 12 (Due to gameplay mechanic changes), Final fantasy 13 still has the magic of the previous games in terms of atmosphere, story and character development.
    Although the gameplay has become slightly more repetitive with less opportunity for customization as some of the previous final fantasies, but is still solid in it's own right.
  3. Breck
    Mar 9, 2010
    0
    Quite possible the worst final fantasy in the entire series. It shouldn't even be considered a true final fantasy. Nothing about this game is good, I returned it. Something that took 2 years to make, was delayed for ps3 for another 2 years and downgraded so they could put it onto 360. Pathetic. Besides that, graphics still are bad with ps2 style environments. Annoying characters, and Quite possible the worst final fantasy in the entire series. It shouldn't even be considered a true final fantasy. Nothing about this game is good, I returned it. Something that took 2 years to make, was delayed for ps3 for another 2 years and downgraded so they could put it onto 360. Pathetic. Besides that, graphics still are bad with ps2 style environments. Annoying characters, and the same damn plot you've heard 100 times. Unless your a 6 year old girl, avoid at all costs.… Expand
  4. Wildkry
    Nov 11, 2014
    9
    FF13 has quickly become one of my favorites in the series. The game is actually challenging and if you don't level your characters up correctly and efficiently, the ending of the game will be near impossible. The combat is very interesting with the Paradigms and having to switch them constantly to survive in battles. Your setup is crucial in boss fights. However, more often than not,FF13 has quickly become one of my favorites in the series. The game is actually challenging and if you don't level your characters up correctly and efficiently, the ending of the game will be near impossible. The combat is very interesting with the Paradigms and having to switch them constantly to survive in battles. Your setup is crucial in boss fights. However, more often than not, you're either hitting auto-attack or switching paradigms and that's all you really do in combat, which is both a pro and a con. I feel as though the combat could have been a bit too challenging had they didn't have you using auto-attack, but also it feels a bit simple regarding that particular aspect of combat. I fell in love with the story of this game and the characters that you encounter. Lighting is one of my all time favorite FF characters as a result of this game and I'm sure that the next 2 games in the lineage will strengthen that. The other characters are extremely interesting as well. The only complaint I have with the actual story is that the start of the game leaves you very confused and you don't begin to completely understand what is going on until a few hours into it, but once you do it is something that is quite spectacular. The world and creatures that inhabit it are beautiful and Square-Enix did an awesome job on everything this game has to offer.… Expand
  5. lgndsgn
    Aug 24, 2010
    4
    Before buying FF13 I knew of two crushing facts about it - no overworld map/controllable airship and extremely linear gameplay. One of the main reasons I bought a PS3 was for this game, so even after learning of the disappointments I still gave it a try. Now I've been an rpg fan for a long time. Playing through Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6, and Secret of Mana were some of the mostBefore buying FF13 I knew of two crushing facts about it - no overworld map/controllable airship and extremely linear gameplay. One of the main reasons I bought a PS3 was for this game, so even after learning of the disappointments I still gave it a try. Now I've been an rpg fan for a long time. Playing through Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6, and Secret of Mana were some of the most memorable expereices I've had. These games have a certain charm, a certain soul, that I believe Square has lost. Indeed, the brilliant minds behind these games are no longer working together (Sakaguchi, Amano, Uematsu, etc.). FF6 I believe was the pinacle, with my enjoyment declining with each subsequent release. There's something quite endearing about the old overhead-view and world maps. You're able to take it all in, your imagination turns, and you feel a real sense of the universe that's being portrayed. But now because of cut-scenes, fixed viewpoints or locations, and flashy graphics we're given a much more controlled and limited environment. With that said, I did enjoy FF7 and I wish they would have stuck with that format at least. I honestly cannot comprehend how they thought taking away a free-roaming world and airship travel would be received well by fans. Actually, I'm sure they realized it wouldn't be, but instead did not care and opted to appeal to a newer generation, thus making more money. Overall, this Final Fantasy is not for me, and I am ok with that. But it is a shame that the days of Final Fantasy as I knew it are gone.

    Ok, as far as FF13 goes... after 15 hours of playing I have completely lost interest. The story is the only reason I played this far, though at this point I feel as though I understand it enough to not continue with it. The major things that prevent me from finishing are the core gameplay (as I mentioned earlier) and the characters. The characters have stupid names. There I said it. Vanille, Snow, Lightning... Anyone of those is fine by itself but all 3 together? They act too childish. And with all their action, vibrancy of colors, their whining and shouting, I am somehow still left with a vapid taste in my mouth; not to mention how annoying some of the voices are. Most everything about this game comes off as way too contrived. Another thing that has not sat well with me since it was introduced are fight scenes, or cut-scenes in general. This is just a way of making the game more presentable and easier to consume by the masses, who by and large appreciate this and find it entertaining. I do not. I am not a huge movie/television fan to begin with so it does not appeal to me in the least. Maybe a few cut-scenes here and there are fine (like with FF7), but when it's done as much as it is in FF13 you feel as though you're playing an interactive movie, and in an essence that is really what it has become. So if you are new to Final Fantasy, I urge to to take a look at the older ones (or older Squaresoft games like Chrono Trigger or Secret of Mana), and try to have some patience and imagination and I am sure you will find a much more rewarding experience.    … Expand
  6. MrZ
    Mar 25, 2010
    3
    Attention gamers! Want to win your battles by outmatching and outwitting your enemies? No need! Just select 'Libra', mash 'auto-battle' and watch the pretty colours fly. Want any sort of say in the powers of your characters? Forget it! Hold down X and the thinking is done for you. Want hours of entertainment exploring a fantastical, otherworldly universe? Ever Attention gamers! Want to win your battles by outmatching and outwitting your enemies? No need! Just select 'Libra', mash 'auto-battle' and watch the pretty colours fly. Want any sort of say in the powers of your characters? Forget it! Hold down X and the thinking is done for you. Want hours of entertainment exploring a fantastical, otherworldly universe? Ever considered holding the left joystick in the 'up' position for hours on end instead? If you fancy doing nothing for ages and paying a few hours of wages for the privelege, then FFXIII is you. By a bored and previously avid FF fan. Apparently it gets better around the 25 hour mark. Usually the reward for 25 hours of play is something other than relief of boredom. As someone who got into gaming mainly because of FFVIII, I am in disbelief. Looks nice, though. Then again, so do flowers and fairies and lots of other boring crap.… Expand
  7. Mattaclysm
    Mar 29, 2011
    7
    FF13 is an average RPG put in an amazing environment. The graphics are hands down some of the best on consoles and the visuals are very nice in a lot of areas. Character models and people look good as well. What's ruined is that most areas are mainly narrow paths which I feel is a step back from FF12. Battle system is unique. Square has been trying to keep Final Fantasy's fresh ever sinceFF13 is an average RPG put in an amazing environment. The graphics are hands down some of the best on consoles and the visuals are very nice in a lot of areas. Character models and people look good as well. What's ruined is that most areas are mainly narrow paths which I feel is a step back from FF12. Battle system is unique. Square has been trying to keep Final Fantasy's fresh ever since 1 by adding new elements in every game and the Paradigm battle system is one of the worst idea's I think they've ever come up with. It becomes stressful and confusing mixing , matching and switching these to fight certain enemies, bosses and marks. What was wrong with the whole Attack Magic Item Defend style that they felt they needed to get rid of. The story isn't good. Though I don't think it's bad either. I had trouble getting into it for the first 15 hours or so which was about half of the game for me. I also was highly disappointed by the music it seemed like they used about 4 tracks in the whole game each had some form of rehash remix, which I felt got old after a while.
    I agree that Final Fantasy 13 is not as memorable as the older FF but it is the prettiest and probably one of the best looking games of this gen.    … Expand
  8. chare11
    Aug 2, 2011
    10
    While still playing this game, I can assure you that Square-enix took one step in the right direction. In Final Fantasy XIII you will find everything a game should have: Great story, well-developed and compelling characters, stunning enviroments, one of the best musical scores of the series, entertaining battle system, and DIFFICULTY. Every role is vital, and strategies are key for someWhile still playing this game, I can assure you that Square-enix took one step in the right direction. In Final Fantasy XIII you will find everything a game should have: Great story, well-developed and compelling characters, stunning enviroments, one of the best musical scores of the series, entertaining battle system, and DIFFICULTY. Every role is vital, and strategies are key for some battles. For those who like to compare FFXIII to other FFS just remember how great were FFVIII & FFVII, but how easy they were as well. I found that FFXIII is the oppossite of FFXII. Whereas FFXII gave you the freedom you 'need', tons of quests, it offered, IMO, the weakest story and character development of the series. In contrast, FFXIII is brilliantly developed, as characters and story is concerned. Sure, some things can be improved, some towns and quest can be added, but I, for one, cannot complain, as this game exceeded my expectations and I can't wait for its sequel. It's not a 10, as I gave. I would probably rate it as a 9.5, but hey, some put 0s and 1s so I wanted to raise the user score.… Expand
  9. Empyrea
    Nov 19, 2017
    8
    I think people underrate this game. Graphics are great. Music is good as well. The battle system is different than in FFX or FFII but like in FFII you get used to it. Characters are ok but I miss other spicies in this game. You only see humans and enemy monsters. Plot is ok, it could be better. About the landscapes it is true that most of them are simply path with an exception of a bigI think people underrate this game. Graphics are great. Music is good as well. The battle system is different than in FFX or FFII but like in FFII you get used to it. Characters are ok but I miss other spicies in this game. You only see humans and enemy monsters. Plot is ok, it could be better. About the landscapes it is true that most of them are simply path with an exception of a big valley. It took me 60 hours. Some bosses may be tricky but if you look for help in the Internet it's easy to beat them. If you fight against all the enemies that you find during the game you won't have any problem to defeat the final boss (in fact was easier than I expected). Tu sum up, if you like RPGs and FF games you must buy it.

    PS: Don't forget to spend the points of the team members that you don't usually use because if you have 999.999.999 and you don't spend them you'll be losing points (It happened to me with one character at the end of this game but it wasn't a problem cause I didn't use him).    … Expand
  10. Strannik610
    Jan 9, 2018
    10
    Финальная Фантазия 13 - отличная часть франшизы, которая наделена отличным дизайном мира и графикой, для своего времени, хотя и сейчас выглядит не плохо; основные персонажи харизматические и запоминающиеся, особенно главная героиня Молния, также мир наделён собственной мифологией и не плохим сюжетом за которым интересно следить, а боевая система парадигм не такая простая как кажется и еслиФинальная Фантазия 13 - отличная часть франшизы, которая наделена отличным дизайном мира и графикой, для своего времени, хотя и сейчас выглядит не плохо; основные персонажи харизматические и запоминающиеся, особенно главная героиня Молния, также мир наделён собственной мифологией и не плохим сюжетом за которым интересно следить, а боевая система парадигм не такая простая как кажется и если с простыми мобами в общем не будет проблем (что не плохо экономит время, как и возможность самому выбирать с кем драться), то в босс-битвах придётся попотеть. Относительно "коридорности", то она вполне оправданна крайне сюжетно-ориентированностью игры (хотя все финалки линейные, а "открытые мира" в основном пустые и предназначенные для гринда который утомляет) с большим и качественным количеством отличных кат-сцен. Музыка, как всегда отличная и атмосферная.… Expand
  11. LMAOpro
    Jan 25, 2022
    10
    My favorite game of all time by far, amazing environments, artistic design, one of the best soundtracks of all time, a beautiful history, a lot of lovely characters, just is soooo good in a lot of aspects, a must play and the best rpg of all time for me, lovely.
  12. 22446688Bb
    Jun 3, 2020
    10
    Trio 13 is excellent in all respects, offering an excellent story with very famous characters. Turns out to be like the old parts.
  13. Kezian
    Jul 30, 2019
    10
    I love Final Fantasy XIII ! I played this game on PS3 and PC at 100% each time !
  14. SolarConker
    Jan 21, 2019
    10
    I don't care what anyone says about this game, this game has an amazing story, characters and such a deep lore that most people get lost into and just say the game is full of plot holes all these reasons and much more is why this isn't just my favourite Final Fantasy but also my favourite game of all time
  15. tikka
    Apr 16, 2019
    10
    Underrated. Good battle system, good character arcs, good music, and beautiful art direction
  16. dafunkk
    Oct 31, 2021
    8
    Far from perfect. Very linear in terms of level design and character development. Takes 4-5 hours too long to fully open up and let you build your own battle party.

    Gorgeous, even a decade later. Best soundtrack in the series. Great characters, great story (albeit confusing the first playthrough) and an awesomely addictive battle system. Personally my favorite since FF7. And, aside from    Far from perfect. Very linear in terms of level design and character development. Takes 4-5 hours too long to fully open up and let you build your own battle party.

    Gorgeous, even a decade later. Best soundtrack in the series. Great characters, great story (albeit confusing the first playthrough) and an awesomely addictive battle system. Personally my favorite since FF7. And, aside from 7, I've played this more than any other FF game. Very underrated and over-hated. Well worth you're 50 hours.    … Expand
  17. dashantaozi
    Aug 25, 2018
    8
    The game gets perfect score for art and music.
    However, the story makes no sense until chapter 9. Level design is also horrible.
    Combat is intense and satisfying towards the end, but this game don't have many memorable boss fights to complement that.
  18. legendarybad
    Jun 27, 2020
    8
    If you are going to play keep in mind that the game is linear, with a simple narrative and a story with several dramas. I consider the story to be regular, there is nothing so bad and nothing so good that it is worth emphasizing, and the fighting system is simple and easy to play. The graphics are good.

    Se você vai jogar tenha em mente que o jogo é linear, com uma narrativa simples e    If you are going to play keep in mind that the game is linear, with a simple narrative and a story with several dramas. I consider the story to be regular, there is nothing so bad and nothing so good that it is worth emphasizing, and the fighting system is simple and easy to play. The graphics are good.

    Se você vai jogar tenha em mente que o jogo é linear, com uma narrativa simples e uma história com vários dramas. Eu considero a história regular, não há nada de tão ruim e nada de tão bom que valha seja pena ressaltada, e o sistema de luta é simples e fácil de jogar. Os gráficos para época são bons.    … Expand
  19. pirriaco
    Apr 27, 2020
    10
    Genial
    Best final fantasy
    Much better final fantasy 12
    Una historia apadionante, largo, divertido y con compatibilidad con xbox one x
  20. CamyVero
    Jul 5, 2020
    8
    Good game of the genre JRPG. It's true that it's not the best in the saga, but it will keep you entertained for a good few hours. Perhaps its biggest problem compared to previous releases is that it's true that its development is quite linear. But it's enjoyable and as always in the saga very nice graphically.
  21. Yuri_Fantasy
    Nov 5, 2019
    8
    The game have some impressive visual effects and graphics, outstading CGs like any other FF game, but at the same time have a combat that becomes repetitive after some dozens of hours, and not the best plot in the series. They could get more from the FFXII combat. exploring is not that rewarding like were in FFXII. but is cool to observe the visually enjoyable well detailed scenery.
  22. Alcaliso
    Feb 13, 2020
    8
    While the repetitive combat through linear hallways is easily tiresome, if you are invested in the characters all the way to the endgame, the combat nuances that open up are rewarding enough to provide an enjoyable experience with graphics ahead of its time.
  23. Tgh6767
    Apr 28, 2020
    10
    A great battle system with very good characters and story and a wonderful ending Thats gonna give Final Fantasy XIII
  24. Sinmaker
    Sep 12, 2020
    8
    It's a polarize final fantasy. Some people truly love; others truly hate. Both have good points. I personaly think is the best final fantasy for PS3.

    --> Strengths: . Great Graphics . Decent Lore . Great visual design from the main characters. (Lightning and Fang are beautiful). . Combat system are innovative for the RPG genre. . Amazing soundtrack. Have at least 3 songs that are    It's a polarize final fantasy. Some people truly love; others truly hate. Both have good points. I personaly think is the best final fantasy for PS3.

    --> Strengths:
    . Great Graphics
    . Decent Lore
    . Great visual design from the main characters. (Lightning and Fang are beautiful).
    . Combat system are innovative for the RPG genre.
    . Amazing soundtrack. Have at least 3 songs that are beautiful.

    -->Negative points:
    . Too much linear progression. It's so obvious which way is right that you need to forcefully go to the wrong way to explore the maps.
    . Enemies visual designs are terrible. Some of then look like a pokemon from newer generations
    . Side quests are repetitive and you can't take more than one at time; which make you mindless run through the map just to pick a side quest.
    . In the machine that you save the game, you also buy stuffs and upgrade your gear. But you CAN'T switch between shop and upgrade inside the menu; you have to leave the machine and enter again if you wanna change to upgrade from shop or backwards. That sucks a lot.    … Expand
  25. Lightning189
    Jun 23, 2020
    8
    I played this game a few years ago and loved it back then, but never realized how much content I missed, after replaying the game and achievement hunting on it for over 90 hours (and still going up) I love the game even more, yes there are Linear parts to it, but with it being mostly story focus, I can give it a pass on that. This game is always going to be one of my favourite games,I played this game a few years ago and loved it back then, but never realized how much content I missed, after replaying the game and achievement hunting on it for over 90 hours (and still going up) I love the game even more, yes there are Linear parts to it, but with it being mostly story focus, I can give it a pass on that. This game is always going to be one of my favourite games, because the story felt different to most games I've played, and how all the characters worked out their grudges and banded together, over all it's a great experience to play again… Expand
  26. Sharp8
    Jan 7, 2021
    9
    Tiene sus cosas buenas y sus cosas malas, como cualquier juego, pero cuando lo jugé no le di tanta importancia a las cosas malas como hizo la mayoría de jugadores y disfruté de la experiencia que me ofrecía.

    En mi opinión, diré que tanto en el apartado de personajes como el de historia, son a gusto del usuario y es como los colores, te gusta o no te gusta. Los videojuegos están para    Tiene sus cosas buenas y sus cosas malas, como cualquier juego, pero cuando lo jugé no le di tanta importancia a las cosas malas como hizo la mayoría de jugadores y disfruté de la experiencia que me ofrecía.

    En mi opinión, diré que tanto en el apartado de personajes como el de historia, son a gusto del usuario y es como los colores, te gusta o no te gusta. Los videojuegos están para divertirse, disfrutar, sentir nuevas experiencias, etc, no para separar a la gente y que discutan entre ellos masivamente. Que sí, Final Fantasy será una saga muy grande que según casi todo el mundo ya no es como antes, y que esperábais? Una empresa como lo es SE siempre va a evolucionar incluso teniendo a Sakaguchi, que seguro que lo tenéis en un pedestal.

    Quisiera añadir que almenos en España hay, por no decir demasiado pocos, pocos "defensores" de este juego y que la gran mayoría de youtubers españoles famosos, que se les conoce por haber jugado a la saga o se dedica a ello, como Alexelcapo, Dross, Jordi Wild e incluso Caith Sith lo desprecian a más no poder, cada uno a su manera, uno menos que el otro pero el punto es el mismo. No pretendo decir que este juego sea digno de llamarse así o que es un buen juego, sinó que me hubiera gustado que los demás hubieran experimentado lo que a mí me gustó de este juego.    … Expand
  27. aeroslimshady
    Apr 6, 2021
    10
    Absolutely fantastic. By far my favorite entry in the franchise to date. Great characters with memorable designs, the peak of the signature ATB system, intuitive combat system, gorgeous graphics that still hold up, incredible soundtrack that I could listen to for hours, and a wonderful story that left me wanting for more. Highly recommended.
  28. Supersaiyan9000
    Mar 13, 2014
    9
    The extreme linearity and sloppy plot did indeed bother me, but I am the kind of gamer who can patiently sit through linearity as long as it opens up at some point. When I got to the open world I really started to enjoy the game, especially with the monster hunt missions. The combat can feel disengaging because of the Auto-Battle, but I just changed the settings to make the cursor alwaysThe extreme linearity and sloppy plot did indeed bother me, but I am the kind of gamer who can patiently sit through linearity as long as it opens up at some point. When I got to the open world I really started to enjoy the game, especially with the monster hunt missions. The combat can feel disengaging because of the Auto-Battle, but I just changed the settings to make the cursor always appear on Abilities and it actually made the game feel much more strategic. Square Enix made a really good choice with designing the characters, especially Lightning who in my opinion has the best looking outfit in Final Fantasy history. Lastly, the graphics, visuals, and background art were outstanding. I sometimes found myself stopping in the middle of a level just to pan the camera around and enjoy the view. Haters, say to me what you want, but Final Fantasy 13 to me was definitely worth my money.… Expand
  29. SinonSinoff
    Dec 29, 2014
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A solid game, the views are always nice to gaze at when you see them, the character designs are great, and I like the fact that it tried to experiment with different things in the series because no one wants the same game over and over again, especially the battle system. Although the battle system could be polished up a bit, the pace of the matches par with the character's name, "Lightning".… Expand
  30. AriseAndBe
    Aug 5, 2015
    8
    While the story does sort of collapse at the end, for the most part I think the story is great. The characters are generally fine, with lightning and Fang definitely being my favourites (Snow really needs to shut up about being a hero). Everyone needs to stop hating on how whiny Hope is though, his mother literally died right in front of him and the guy who he thinks is responsible isWhile the story does sort of collapse at the end, for the most part I think the story is great. The characters are generally fine, with lightning and Fang definitely being my favourites (Snow really needs to shut up about being a hero). Everyone needs to stop hating on how whiny Hope is though, his mother literally died right in front of him and the guy who he thinks is responsible is constantly grinning like an idiot. I think I'd be a little unhappy too to say the least.

    The best parts of this game are definitely the presentation which is mesmerizing, and the battle system which is one of the best I've seen in any game.    … Expand
  31. ArchShadow
    Mar 20, 2014
    9
    Sure enough the game isn't for everyone but why not try and enjoy it. Some people say that everything is bad about it but the visuals and soundtrack is great. the story-line is gripping. Sure the fighting moments are kind of bad but look past that. Look at every positive thing about it. my opinion is to get the game, i think it is good.
  32. FantasyCritic71
    Nov 17, 2014
    8
    Is this game worth your time? Well yes and no.

    Alot of people will find the gameplay repetitive and probably boring those who don't usually play JRPG's or aren't fans of the FF Series might not like this game. Gameplay - I admit the gameplay does get a bit repetitive but its still a fun game to play why? Because of the Boss Battles they are exciting and fun and also the Summonings    Is this game worth your time? Well yes and no.

    Alot of people will find the gameplay repetitive and probably boring those who don't usually play JRPG's or aren't fans of the FF Series might not like this game.

    Gameplay - I admit the gameplay does get a bit repetitive but its still a fun game to play why? Because of the Boss Battles they are exciting and fun and also the Summonings are awesome + the Gameplay gets better as you continue to play.

    Graphics - This game has some of the best Graphics on the PS3 it rivals almost every game on the system Arkham City & Origins are probably the only games I can think of with this level of graphics. The Areas in this game look amazing you can just look at some of the areas in the game and just be in awe like wow who drew this ****

    Characters - Some people might be like Vanille Snow & Hope are all lame well newsflash they actually are lame. But they all get character development and very good character development. I'll add coolness points to Snow for having some good scenes and to Hope for becoming a man. Lightning is badass Sazh is just being who he is and I like him for that. Fang is another badass. Cid Raines is badass too.

    Story - Do I even need to say it? This games story is amazing **** amazing the story kept me playing from start to finish. When you want to figure out why FFXIII is so popular? The reason is because of the story.

    Soundtrack - The 2nd best thing in this game is the soundtrack its just as good as the story. The Soundtrack is amazing.

    Overall - Everything but the gameplay is amazing. The Gameplay brought something new to the table but its presentation could have been done better, there should have been more abilities for characters and we should have been able to revisit the places we explored already for extra missions and stuff. Other than that I would change nothing about this game its awesome.    … Expand
  33. A7ibaba
    Apr 23, 2014
    8
    I can not say bad words for Final Fantasy XIII,because of really good story. Graphic is amazing,and combat is great,not perfect,but great. Ok,lets be honest and say,you have linear path and you are limited in exploration,but this is Final Fantasy,not some open world MMO.If you want exploration play Final Fantasy XIV Realm Reborn. I have 100+ hours and i must say that i really enjoyedI can not say bad words for Final Fantasy XIII,because of really good story. Graphic is amazing,and combat is great,not perfect,but great. Ok,lets be honest and say,you have linear path and you are limited in exploration,but this is Final Fantasy,not some open world MMO.If you want exploration play Final Fantasy XIV Realm Reborn. I have 100+ hours and i must say that i really enjoyed playing this game. This title definitely worth the money and you can't go wrong with FF XIII. On the end you will feel sad because you finished the game and you could play it atleast 50 more hours. But you know what they say.Everything that is good,last short.… Expand
  34. SunRider
    Jun 12, 2014
    9
    Although the game seemed boring from time to time, with pointless overacting dialogs, it's a great game overall, like each FF.
    Graphics are beautiful, as well as the soundtrack, story could be somewhat more interesting but what the hell.
    What I liked a lot was the new battle system, even if it seems stolen from the Grandia serial. I see that people argue about its linearity...I didn't    Although the game seemed boring from time to time, with pointless overacting dialogs, it's a great game overall, like each FF.
    Graphics are beautiful, as well as the soundtrack, story could be somewhat more interesting but what the hell.
    What I liked a lot was the new battle system, even if it seems stolen from the Grandia serial.
    I see that people argue about its linearity...I didn't mind it, as long as the rest is nicely done.
    Anyway, for all of you planning to play it, if you liked FFX, you'll like this one as well.    … Expand
  35. Garc79
    Sep 1, 2015
    8
    Lo jugué a su salida y no me gusto, lo he retomado hace unos meses y he de decir que una vez que sales de toda la toxicidad de los haters, los lovers y todo tipo de opiniones y análisis, el juego es bastante entretenido y con una historia que aunque no es de las mejores de la saga, invita a seguirla sin llegar a ser monótona o aburrida. Sistema de batallas distinto pero no por ello malo.
  36. sanluis20
    Nov 10, 2014
    8
    Definitely the best in the series, as the story is decent and the fighting is fresh and goes well with the game. The characters for the most part are likeable and the game has an excellent system. Again, you may not like this game as it is extremely linear, but I didn't mind it much. The game is fun and while the game can stall at times, it is still worth playing. On the other hand,Definitely the best in the series, as the story is decent and the fighting is fresh and goes well with the game. The characters for the most part are likeable and the game has an excellent system. Again, you may not like this game as it is extremely linear, but I didn't mind it much. The game is fun and while the game can stall at times, it is still worth playing. On the other hand, the entire FFXIII series falls well short of the previous games in Final Fantasy, which are epic and are must haves. Check them out on the PS store, as they aren't too pricey and are fun, that is if you don't care about graphics and care about great story telling.… Expand
  37. NecroWtf319
    Jul 18, 2015
    8
    First of all I would give this game a 7 or a 7.5 out of 10 but I give in 8 just to balance things up with all the angry reviews.So the game is fun with a combat system that is more focused on timing and wants you to be quick rather than thinking .Enemies like every other Final Fantasy game have their weaknesses but in XIII you need to exploit them more like in X.The story is a mess,yeahFirst of all I would give this game a 7 or a 7.5 out of 10 but I give in 8 just to balance things up with all the angry reviews.So the game is fun with a combat system that is more focused on timing and wants you to be quick rather than thinking .Enemies like every other Final Fantasy game have their weaknesses but in XIII you need to exploit them more like in X.The story is a mess,yeah but if you give it some time and actually pay attention you may actually like it,but it's still not very strong.The characters are a give or take,you either like them or not,nothing more to say here(I personally like them all,except Hope).But the game IS linear for the first 20 hours or so (not something I hate though) and then it opens up. So having played VII,X,XII,XIII trilogy I have to admit that this game is one of the weaker entries on the series,BUT i do not believe it is a bad game and I am sure as hell it doesn't deserve all the 0 here.If you really want to see what a bad game is go play Ride to Hell Retribution.Also the game can be damn Hard sometimes,something I found that other entries on the series lacked.… Expand
  38. Coreyhardie
    Jul 30, 2016
    8
    The hate this game gets makes little to no sense, yes it's linear as hell for most of the game, but the other criticisms make no sense to me, I like this story for the first half but the second half it made no sense, the Gameplay is great though the fact that when your leader dies it's game over, that's kind of retarded, the soundtrack and graphics are amazing, if your problem with theThe hate this game gets makes little to no sense, yes it's linear as hell for most of the game, but the other criticisms make no sense to me, I like this story for the first half but the second half it made no sense, the Gameplay is great though the fact that when your leader dies it's game over, that's kind of retarded, the soundtrack and graphics are amazing, if your problem with the gameplay is the auto battle mechanic then TURN IT OFF you **** idiots!… Expand
  39. flamesofexigo
    Dec 28, 2016
    8
    I have played most of the FF games and have beaten most as well. FF 13s main campaign is amazing. The game has the best combat system of any FF game, and the visuals and musical score are incredible. The story is terrible though, and the mission structure (Gran Pulse) and grinding are extremely tedious and poorly thought out. I would suggest you skip the cut-scenes and spend 30-40 hoursI have played most of the FF games and have beaten most as well. FF 13s main campaign is amazing. The game has the best combat system of any FF game, and the visuals and musical score are incredible. The story is terrible though, and the mission structure (Gran Pulse) and grinding are extremely tedious and poorly thought out. I would suggest you skip the cut-scenes and spend 30-40 hours playing the main campaign to get a 8.5 experience. If you try to plat the game though, then the score drops to about a 6. I think its ridiculous that you have to spend 15 minutes on foot to get to a monster that you can defeat in under a minute. Rinse and repeat for 64 missions, and you can see how tedious the game can get.

    Pros: Visuals, music, combat system.
    Cons: Mission setup/structure, plot, grinding.
    Caveats: The game is mostly linear. There are also no towns to explore or NPCs to interact with. Many fans seem to hate these issues, but I personally prefer linear games, and hate micromanagement and side/fetch quests so I liked that the game was linear.    … Expand
  40. QurChuck
    Sep 21, 2013
    9
    This Final Fantasy is totally different than series before. Game looks fantastic on PS3, much better than X360. The plot isn't a masterpiece, but Square Enix put a pressure on relations between characters. I'm fan of the series and even the longest tutorial in history of gaming had much fun with completing this. Anyway there is, like always, cut scenes and audio (original Japanese dubbingThis Final Fantasy is totally different than series before. Game looks fantastic on PS3, much better than X360. The plot isn't a masterpiece, but Square Enix put a pressure on relations between characters. I'm fan of the series and even the longest tutorial in history of gaming had much fun with completing this. Anyway there is, like always, cut scenes and audio (original Japanese dubbing and also whole music) are MASTERPIECES… Expand
  41. bulletchan
    Apr 11, 2016
    8
    Quite possible the worst final fantasy in the entire series. It shouldn't even be considered a true final fantasy. Nothing about this game is good, I returned it. Something that took 2 years to make, was delayed for ps3 for another 2 years and downgraded so they could put it onto 360. Pathetic. Besides that, graphics still are bad with ps2 style environments.
  42. shadowdemon96
    Mar 19, 2014
    8
    this game is good but it has some down fulls one is the characters are a bit of a let down to the newly found series. it has very nice grapics on the ps3 that ive currently got and so far the game has never really cut out on me.
  43. gabzjmm23
    Sep 22, 2014
    8
    i get what why most fans doesn't like this game, due to it is more linear and no towns, NPCs. still love the new battle system. they could have handled the NPCs better and with towns but the director might have thought where to add those towns, NPC from the story. hence it was done like this. they really borrowed from the previous FF games in terms of character but i think Lightning isi get what why most fans doesn't like this game, due to it is more linear and no towns, NPCs. still love the new battle system. they could have handled the NPCs better and with towns but the director might have thought where to add those towns, NPC from the story. hence it was done like this. they really borrowed from the previous FF games in terms of character but i think Lightning is still a great protagonist.… Expand
  44. GuideVault
    Mar 22, 2016
    9
    This is a topper to say the least. I have been playing FF since the NES was released and rarely if ever does Square fail to release a god FF title, this being one of the good ones.

    The focus of this game is the fantastic story telling which has been missing in most RPGs. The story focuses on the traditional Crystals. The game I will say is quite linear as there is zero side-questing    This is a topper to say the least. I have been playing FF since the NES was released and rarely if ever does Square fail to release a god FF title, this being one of the good ones.

    The focus of this game is the fantastic story telling which has been missing in most RPGs. The story focuses on the traditional Crystals.

    The game I will say is quite linear as there is zero side-questing available until your virtually at endgame which was a huge turnoff I will admit. But once you do reach the side-quests they really do keep you busy as a great deal of them require a lot of grinding to raise your crystarium to the proper levels. So you should not be disappointed with the side questing as it will be time-consuming.

    Again, the story is fantastic. Sticking to the legends of the crystals quite tightly they managed to make it like a storybook. If though you do find it boring (which I did at times) then power through it because that ending let me just say.. is one of the best FF endings I have ever witnessed bringing even me to near tears as most likely you will too.

    As with most FF the game will either focus on leveling to become powerful or item grinding to become powerful. Leveling is prominent in FF7, item grinding in FF9. Unfortunately FF13 focuses on item grinding with leveling replaced completely by the crystarium system. Now that isn't to say its all bad, but it was a real change from traditional FF games. It most likely threw many off as it did take time to learn & do it properly. One thing I will say which really is horrible is that because leveling crystarium doesn't include which type your character is, if you raise the wrong type you screw up your character forbidding you from gaining their ultimate attack until endgame. This is most likely where people will get angry.

    My overall opinion: Linearity aside, this game doesn't deserve huge amounts of negativity because it follows exactly what FF has been doing. Promoting powerful stories, defining character traits/personalities, memorable battles & amazing endings. Unless you began with FF10+ you will see this game as exactly what it was meant to be. A Masterpiece.    … Expand
  45. Rikku_X-2
    Mar 14, 2016
    9
    I love this game. The graphics are gorgeus (even able to make a crappy xbox look like its worth anything) The music is amazing, the story and cast are both amazing and the battle and paradigm systems are flawless. Linear at points, but not as bad as X. It spawned 2 sequels, but they're not as good. The ending is so amazing and i have completed this game through and watched the ending 8I love this game. The graphics are gorgeus (even able to make a crappy xbox look like its worth anything) The music is amazing, the story and cast are both amazing and the battle and paradigm systems are flawless. Linear at points, but not as bad as X. It spawned 2 sequels, but they're not as good. The ending is so amazing and i have completed this game through and watched the ending 8 times since it's release. It was my first final fantasy game since I played it at the young age of 10 but I still love it 5 years down the line.… Expand
  46. GamecubeLover
    Aug 4, 2016
    8
    Sure not as good as other final fantasy games but I still like it. The game is a bit repetitive and bland but besides that this game is pretty good to be honest.
  47. EevieRoseAmalee
    Nov 30, 2018
    10
    One of my favorite Final Fantasy games easily. The game is so unique and diverse I often lost track and fell in love with the cast as they are likable and I could relate to the main protagonist lightning on an emotional level. This game really hit home with me and helped me through a hard time. I give this game a 10 because of the amazing journey unlike no other that is delivered to me.
  48. Lordjyscal
    Apr 13, 2015
    9
    FF13 is subject to load of unnecessary hatred but upset fans for silly reasons. People don't like the fact that this game is so linear but that is not a drawback at all. This game is a story driven RPG it is not a open world do whatever the hell you want. The player follows the path the games makes for them because that is how the story is being told, this isn't the Elder Scrolls. TheFF13 is subject to load of unnecessary hatred but upset fans for silly reasons. People don't like the fact that this game is so linear but that is not a drawback at all. This game is a story driven RPG it is not a open world do whatever the hell you want. The player follows the path the games makes for them because that is how the story is being told, this isn't the Elder Scrolls. The gameplay itself might sound repetitive, just clicking attack, or magic commands over and over but so it has been in every final fantasy main series. The battles are intriguing and sometimes very challenging. The graphics are beautiful. The characters will feel like you've know them for years and have experience their highs and lows with them, even whiny Vanille. The story itself is awesome and so is this game… Expand
  49. pookie
    Jun 28, 2012
    8
    Extremely linear and streamlined. However, the visuals and music are the best I've seen and heard on PlayStation 3. The game focuses heavily on the battles. More so than any other Final Fantasy game. The battle system is fast paced and requires good skill of paragram shifts. It's pretty straight forward. Generally, the game is a bit of a disappointment. FFXIII makes FFX feel like all threeExtremely linear and streamlined. However, the visuals and music are the best I've seen and heard on PlayStation 3. The game focuses heavily on the battles. More so than any other Final Fantasy game. The battle system is fast paced and requires good skill of paragram shifts. It's pretty straight forward. Generally, the game is a bit of a disappointment. FFXIII makes FFX feel like all three of the Lord of the Rings movies. FFXIII feels more like The Hobbit. It's just not as epic. There are no towns to speak of. No airships. No open worlds. Regardless, the game will keep you coming back for more. The characters are all interesting if not generic. The battle system here is truly addicting. The Beautiful visuals and battle system is what makes this game work.… Expand
  50. LelouchR2
    Jul 23, 2012
    10
    Final Fantasy XIII is a game that has garnered quite a bit of backlash for largely misunderstood reasons. The game is linear yes, is that a negative aspect of the game? no it is not. Is the plot really that convoluted? no it isn't, you aren't even required to read the datalog that so many people dislike. The story of Final Fantasy XIII is it's strong point. The main character of the gameFinal Fantasy XIII is a game that has garnered quite a bit of backlash for largely misunderstood reasons. The game is linear yes, is that a negative aspect of the game? no it is not. Is the plot really that convoluted? no it isn't, you aren't even required to read the datalog that so many people dislike. The story of Final Fantasy XIII is it's strong point. The main character of the game is a young woman named Lightning. The story begins with her attempt to rescue her younger sister from the clutches of a god like being known as a fal'Cie. From there Lightning and her friends are put on the path of an adventure that will test both their battle prowess and who they are as human beings, calling into questions their morals.

    The battle system is a fresh take on the ATB system. Being able to que up to six consecutive attacks is something that the series has needed for a long time. The system revolves around two things, first is the paradigm shift system, which is the roles that you assign to your characters, second is the stagger meter, a bar that once full staggers said opponent and lowers their defence allowing you to inflict massive damage. The battle system has been criticized by "fans" of the series saying that it only consists of pressing X. That is not true but even if it were, what series have they been playing for all these years? Every FF game requires an over abundance of the use of X, that is just selective whining. XIII will require you to use the L1, directional pad and X in battle, not just one, unless you want to lose that is. The biggest bright points among Final Fantasy XIII when compared to the rest of the series is the protagonist of the game, Lightning, the character development of the party and their interactions of a group. Lightning has been compared to Cloud on a lot of message boards, but that isn't an apt comparison, there is a world of difference between the two. The development and characterization that Lightning undergoes through the game is a lot more human than anything Cloud has to offer. She is a very strong female lead that is so relatable that almost any player should be able to relate to her.

    The character development of the party as a whole is done a lot better than in previous iterations. Each character will come to realizations throughout the quest that will change who they are and how they view the world. The chemistry of the group also makes their interactions that much more meaningful. Another criticism is just how linear the game is. It's true that the game is indeed linear but it is done for a purpose. Final Fantasy XIII is a story driven game, moreso than it's predecessors. The linearity of the game is used as a story telling tool to help put you into Lightning and co's shoes. They are on the run and have no where to go but forward, they cannot stop to shop and lolly gag in towns because they are fugitives. The game is simply being realistic in it's plot and should be commended for taking such an effective approach to telling the story of Lightning so that you could relate to her situation and how she would be feeling. The soundtrack is also top notch, including beautiful orchestral pieces that fit perfectly with each scene. It adds another layer to the storytelling.

    Overall Final Fantasy XIII deserves a ten out of ten for it's epic plot, memorable protagonist and addicting battle system. There is not a better release in the series than this one. Definitely worth playing through.    … Expand
  51. StaticSpine
    Jun 2, 2013
    9
    My first PS3 game, I knew it would be before buying the console. And I must say I am not disappointed. The visual presentation of this game is just great. The cutscenes are breathtaking. The characters are unique and memorable. The battle system is elegant and smart. The story is decent and has some cool twists.
    Most of the people had issues with the game being too linear, I'm totally ok    My first PS3 game, I knew it would be before buying the console. And I must say I am not disappointed. The visual presentation of this game is just great. The cutscenes are breathtaking. The characters are unique and memorable. The battle system is elegant and smart. The story is decent and has some cool twists.
    Most of the people had issues with the game being too linear, I'm totally ok with that.
    One thing I didn't like much: the storyline slowed down in the second half, so the game could be shorter less battles in the end and more story. Overall, this is a really nice game, a mustbuy for every jrpg lover.    … Expand
  52. Revoltz
    Nov 1, 2013
    8
    It's a very linear game, the gameplay is nice but have some issues, the worst are the fact that you can't trade the leader in the middle of the battle.
    The soundtrack are really nice and Fang is awesome!
  53. SenshiV
    Nov 7, 2013
    8
    Well, it's true that the linear part is bad, but not so much, I mean, maybe it was disliked because this was not the case with previous titles, but when you think about if, can't this be taken as some kind of revolutionary 3D side scroller instead? I really disliked this 'stagger' system where monsters have ridiculously big health pools, but whatever, you get used to it. I enjoyed theWell, it's true that the linear part is bad, but not so much, I mean, maybe it was disliked because this was not the case with previous titles, but when you think about if, can't this be taken as some kind of revolutionary 3D side scroller instead? I really disliked this 'stagger' system where monsters have ridiculously big health pools, but whatever, you get used to it. I enjoyed the game not as much as other FF titles but it had his own magic plot. At least I feel like wanting to play the sequel, so yeah, it took me ages to finish this game because I left it at some point (again, hate stagger mechanic) but retook it and well, next.… Expand
  54. ruriruri
    Dec 28, 2013
    8
    I had this game since release and it took me this long to complete it. Not from lack of trying but a general lack of interest. I finally sat down and decided to beat it and came across the realization that I had really missed out on something fun in the end. I wasn't bothered by the apparent linearity (most FF games are pretty linear if you realize it or not) or the characters (althoughI had this game since release and it took me this long to complete it. Not from lack of trying but a general lack of interest. I finally sat down and decided to beat it and came across the realization that I had really missed out on something fun in the end. I wasn't bothered by the apparent linearity (most FF games are pretty linear if you realize it or not) or the characters (although Hope was pretty annoying at the start) but I just didn't have the energy to continue it at first. Once I dug into it, I found an enjoyable experience as the action and pace kicked up and characters stopped being a little you know what (Hope).
    My biggest problem is that the final boss battles were a joke. It was entirely too easy to me, but it may have been due to all the grinding I had done beforehand. Hitting the end credits, I was still satisfied with my adventure but mildly disappointed by that final string of battles.
    Overall a good experience. Way better than the trash that was FF12, but nowhere near the best Final Fantasy titles (like 4).    … Expand
  55. Rodolfoluke11
    Jan 14, 2014
    8
    Final Fantasy 13 was a good game but it wasn't great. I enjoyed the story very much but constantly fighting the same creatures to level up wasn't that exciting.
  56. kaizidokiller
    Feb 11, 2014
    8
    The improved combat system and graphics is the only thing that this game got going for. The active time-based combat system is truly thrilling. Battles are more fast-paced and action-oriented. The graphics is breathtaking, from the moment you start playing. It's truly one of the best looking games of this generation. But the game is bogged down by the game's linear gameplay and weak story.The improved combat system and graphics is the only thing that this game got going for. The active time-based combat system is truly thrilling. Battles are more fast-paced and action-oriented. The graphics is breathtaking, from the moment you start playing. It's truly one of the best looking games of this generation. But the game is bogged down by the game's linear gameplay and weak story. The story is typically about a heroine and her team trying to save the world, not exactly the best they've come up with. The gameplay is just fight monster, fight boss, fight monster, fight boss, fight monster, fight boss throughout most of the game. There are 13 chapters so I would say about 10 chapters is basically the game on autopilot, you're constantly doing the same thing and you're constantly moving forward. All you can do is complete the game, there's nothing else to do after and during the game. You're free to explore, fight and obtain Platinum but there's no side stories or puzzles or anything like that which makes exploration pointless. In previous FF games, you're free to take a break from the main story to complete a series of side quests. None of that is presented in this game so it's likely that I'll never play this game, after completing it, again. A good game overall, but it doesn't do justice for the best JRPG franchise. Avoid if you're uninitiated but give the previous games a go because you're missing out. For fans, it's worth a rental!… Expand
  57. Dargorrof
    Jun 16, 2016
    8
    The graphics are fine even to this day I guess. However, exploration is very very limited and for the most part you'll be running in a straight line fighting battles until you get bored and start avoiding them all together. There are no hidden treasure boxes since all you have to do is just take a look at the map and realize there's an area outside the straight line you're supposed to goThe graphics are fine even to this day I guess. However, exploration is very very limited and for the most part you'll be running in a straight line fighting battles until you get bored and start avoiding them all together. There are no hidden treasure boxes since all you have to do is just take a look at the map and realize there's an area outside the straight line you're supposed to go to. The story is sort of nice, but considering the sequels and all it kinda doesn't make much sense sometimes, but then again, this happens a lot in final fantasy. Now about the battle system, it's nice but could be way better. You only get to control the party leader and until you reach chapter 11 (where the game stops being so damn linear) there are barely any interesting battles. Even boss fights are quite easy since all you have to do it buff up, use libra and spam auto-battle. I think it would be much more fun if there was no auto-battle, perhaps no libra and more importantly if we had control of the whole battle team -although the battles would have to run at a slower pace-. All in all it is a decent game, but quite different from previous titles. If you expect a classic then this game is not for you.… Expand
  58. II_Smaug_II
    Mar 20, 2017
    10
    Very nice game. Nice heroes and story. Eclair Farron very beatyful.
    Story - 9.5
    Heroes - 10
    Gameplay - 9
    War System - 0
    Level Design - 10
    Game Design - 10
  59. Kenjiron
    Apr 21, 2017
    10
    The game starts restricting and becomes more open as you progress. You'll find strong evolution of ATB/Turn-base combat with fast battles that require deep strategy and FAST thinking. Customizing of party characters playable and battle roles. Complex story with many magical moments and superior music. The world is unique and colorful. A complete game.
  60. RogueTalon
    Oct 10, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Now you are probably asking yourselves why I gave a game hated by a lot of people has got a perfect 10/10, keep reading and you will see.

    Final Fantasy XIII's story begins by placing you in the shoes of one of the rare independent female protagonists named Lightning Farron, and introduces you to one of the other six protagonists named Sazh, after both of these characters escape the Purge train (Explained later) you are introduced to your first fighting tutorials. In this paralogue of the game you are able to play as 5/6 main protagonists, the others are called Hope, Snow and Vanille.

    These characters become something known as a L'cie which the game tells us about them. A L'cie is a being who was once a human but was branded by a Fal'cie, a mystical being full of magical power, these are most comonly found on Pulse, a dangerous world below the main world of Cocoon where our characters live. The Fal'cie are mainly used as sources of the people's needs (Food and Power) but when the Cocoon government discovered the L'cie, they purged them which is a train that sends all those who are L'cie and are suspicious of being a L'cie to the dangerous world of Pulse.

    In the beginning of the game (After being turned to a L'cie) gameplay can be slow whilst you are getting used to all the new mechanics such as Paradigm shifting, this is a function which allows you to change a character's roles in mid battle, all characters have access to three main roles then the other three as side roles. I personally enjoy this aspect of the game because unlike other games in this franchise, you can change who does what for instance you can make Lightning you attacker one moment then have her slinging black magic or healing the next so it gives you endless possibilities on what you can do.

    I personally enjoy this game for its fantastic story line but unlike most players of this game I believe that the characters actually make the story better, especially the dynamics between the fragile little boy Hope and the strong independent women like Fang (the final protagonist) and Lightning. This links in to how the summons in this game are introduced, because without the development we have between the many characters can cause their Eidolon (summon) to arrive and help fight them.

    Continuing on the subject of summons, we have returning favourites such as Odin, Shiva and Bahamut as three of the summons, and all of these summons have a new form as vehicles known as gesalt. This form gives your already very strong summons a massive boost in the damage dealing department but they come with a timer so you must be fast when you place them in this mode.

    Overall, I say this game is an exceptional addition to the Final Fantasy franchise, this is because of the character development and the storyline in general, I myself have come back for yet another playthrough playing differently to my original style of playing this game, trust me when I say this, this game is excellent for both veterans and people new to this amazing franchise.    … Expand
  61. Chespinlover308
    Oct 6, 2017
    10
    This is one of the best games I have ever played. The graphics are nice, the characters are likable, and the areas-the hallways-IMHO, are my favorite areas in the entire series.
  62. Xagunto
    Oct 23, 2017
    10
    It's quite a cryptic game plot-wise, with lots of mythology and background stories to discover from the datalog, which is quite important as a measure to tell everything the characters shouldn't know, I do not see it as a complement but more like a must to read. The main issue with this game is you have to read a lot, but the story there is well formed and explains details you didn't evenIt's quite a cryptic game plot-wise, with lots of mythology and background stories to discover from the datalog, which is quite important as a measure to tell everything the characters shouldn't know, I do not see it as a complement but more like a must to read. The main issue with this game is you have to read a lot, but the story there is well formed and explains details you didn't even think about. The final product may not result that desirable for many, but it is made for one specific style, as many Final Fantasies from X onwards. You should consider it a novel-focused game, not a typical heavy action rpg. Visuals and music are stunning, character's interaction and way of talking could be improved, you're going to see that, but it didn't ruin the game for me. The concept is really good and the overall sensation is pleasant and ethereal, I liked that.… Expand
  63. colingriffin4
    Jul 15, 2012
    9
    Despite the problems with linearity and lack of towns and restricted freedom, this game is still fun. Call me a old-school gamer but as long as a game is fun its worth a chance. The game also makes up for linearity with its stunning graphics, brilliant battle systems, and interesting characters leaving me with one of my favorite games.
  64. SamComedian
    Jan 20, 2019
    9
    Mi puntación sobre Final Fantasy 13 es de 9, me explico;
    Duración del juego ( sin misiones secundarias ) sobrepasa las 40 horas, punto positivo, yo tardé en pasármelo 45h y 20min. Para el 2009 gráficamente espectacular, se sigue viendo genial hoy en día. Personajes a mi parecer con muchísimo carisma y mucha fuerza hacia el jugador, sobre todo el personaje de Lightning, muy memorable,    Mi puntación sobre Final Fantasy 13 es de 9, me explico;
    Duración del juego ( sin misiones secundarias ) sobrepasa las 40 horas, punto positivo, yo tardé en pasármelo 45h y 20min. Para el 2009 gráficamente espectacular, se sigue viendo genial hoy en día. Personajes a mi parecer con muchísimo carisma y mucha fuerza hacia el jugador, sobre todo el personaje de Lightning, muy memorable, aunque es cierto que a una parte de los que lo han jugado no les gusta tanto, para gustos, colores. Una historia de búsqueda, una historia de amor o simplemente una historia de salvar a la humanidad, me vale cualquiera de las 3. Juego lineal? si, en parte... y que? lo sepultamos por eso? hay que jugarlo entero y sacar conclusiones. Desde el minuto 1 al último he disfrutado este juego lo que no está escrito, uno de mis juegos favoritos, si señor. Por eso le pongo un 9 sobre 10 ( comparándolo con juegos de su plataforma, PS3 o Xbox360 ). Mi segunda crítica u/o review en metacritic.    … Expand
  65. luneki
    Nov 27, 2013
    10
    XIII is a reinvention of the franchise, many fans don't like it precisely because, it's different and they don't like change, i love innovation and when franchises dare to go out of their comfort zone and do something different it's amazing, SE did that, and we got FF XIII, a completely new experience in the franchise that perhaps may not be as well receivred, but it's worthy of the FinalXIII is a reinvention of the franchise, many fans don't like it precisely because, it's different and they don't like change, i love innovation and when franchises dare to go out of their comfort zone and do something different it's amazing, SE did that, and we got FF XIII, a completely new experience in the franchise that perhaps may not be as well receivred, but it's worthy of the Final Fantasy title… Expand
  66. Blackluster
    Sep 16, 2014
    10
    I'm writing this out of pure shock from the FF fanbase. When I first picked up FFXIII, it was because I needed to try a new series. I had recently been playing Skyrim a lot, and I saw this on E-Bay for a cheap price. I'd decided to do some research on it first, and found out it was an JRPG. It had a 8.6 metacritic score. It seemed pretty good. Then I came across the countless forum postsI'm writing this out of pure shock from the FF fanbase. When I first picked up FFXIII, it was because I needed to try a new series. I had recently been playing Skyrim a lot, and I saw this on E-Bay for a cheap price. I'd decided to do some research on it first, and found out it was an JRPG. It had a 8.6 metacritic score. It seemed pretty good. Then I came across the countless forum posts directed at the game, and wow, what a bunch of whiny, spoilt brats complaining about the game. This totally put me off buying it because people wouldn't stop **** about it's linearity and nonsencical story. After a couple of months, I'd completely forgot about it, then I saw it in-shop a couple of months later. And I said **** it' because it was really cheap and I was going to buy it someday anyway. I went home. I played it. I literally played it for 2 days straight because I fell in love with it. I'll admit it, I have a relationship with this game because it's so good. It's so good that I recently found myself watching the 'movie' version on Youtube. It was 9 hours. It'd been 2 years since I last played it, and I'm so glad I refreshed myself of it.
    I just need to list a few reasons why this is a fantastic game:
    1. The story. It's different, that's what I love about it. The main charachter isn't your usual JRPG whiny teenager (even though thats a charachter in the story), it's a hardass, which I will admit is risky, but it worked. Maybe directing the central charachter at someone else wouldn't off because they weren't as emotionless. EMOTIONLESS, you say? Why, why oh why would you want an emotionless charachter? So you can build on it. There are loads of questions to be asked, opposed to someone who explained their life story in the first 1 minute. All you see in the first 1 minute of this game is Lightning fighting her way through a train, and into this gorgrous city. That's all you need to know so far; she's a badass. That's enough to get you hooked (unless you don't like that kind of stuff, in that case, stop reading).
    Now, the story. The main focus is it's cast. And, boy, do I love the cast. Now, I do have complaints. Hope. It's a pretentious name, I admit, but I expected him to have an interesting backstory. Instead he just complains about everything. Not that interesting. But on the other side, the rest of the cast is interesting and in some places relatable. You have Vanille, a perky 20-something? 13? 20? Who knows. Anyway, her accent is a little confusing sometimes (Italian, American)? But her backstory makes up for it. She has relations with a charachter you meet later on in the story, which makes her very important. She was born on Pulse, unlike everyone else, and she was a l'Cie, until she got turned to crystal. You see, this makes up for her flaws. And she's a love/hate person, so don't go in thinking you'll love her. Personally, she's my favorite out of all of them.
    Then you have Sazh, who you meet at the start. He is relatable because he's always questioning everything. And if I were in that situation, that's what I would be doing. Other than that, he is a fantastic charachter. He is again related to Vanille in some way, and another peroson we meet later on who has a major connection to Vanille and her friend; bringing those two together (why they have a section together).
    Then, Snow. Your hero. You need these in every story so someone has something to complain about (Hope). "Oh, you're the hero, everybody look at me!" Hope says, realizing that that's what Snow is exactly doing. He knows he's the hero. That's what makes him the non-typical hero. His mission is to save his fiance, Serah, a l'Cie who to turned to crystal. His story is interesting and so is his bold personality.
    Then, Fang. She comes in later into the story, and has connections with Vanille. You could say she's a bit of a hero, but I like to think of her as just brave, as she doesn't really have a mission of sorts, opposse to Snow. She's okay.
    Then the story, to accomadate the cast. All of these people, exclding fang, get turned to l'Cie. Then, they must fight against the government, as l'Cie are evry feared. This is a good contrast to real world; how people with unknown power should be feared, when they can just be normal. Then, they go up against Barthandelus, a corrupt leader who is a l'Cie himself. You fight him 3 times in the game. From there, you must journey through populated cities, to Gran Pulse, a greenland.

    2. The Gameplay. Yes, people say it's just push one button and go, but see how that works out if you do it the entire game. There is stratergy involved. Pshh.

    I loved it.    … Expand
  67. Jerome2812
    Oct 18, 2015
    10
    Okay, first of all: I know it's ''probably'' not a 10, and yes I know a lot of people dislike the game.. But for me, it's just an awesome game. The first Final Fantasy I picked up, and enjoyed.. a lot! Back in 2010, the graphics were extremely good and for me it was a movie like experience. It does take a while to understand what is going on, and the gameplay itself is a bit odd. But it'sOkay, first of all: I know it's ''probably'' not a 10, and yes I know a lot of people dislike the game.. But for me, it's just an awesome game. The first Final Fantasy I picked up, and enjoyed.. a lot! Back in 2010, the graphics were extremely good and for me it was a movie like experience. It does take a while to understand what is going on, and the gameplay itself is a bit odd. But it's the whole package that's really enjoyable, a beautiful world, great characters ( yes I actually think so ) and a lovely art style :)

    Maybe it's like Zelda, the first one you played is the one you remember as the best one..    … Expand
  68. BarrySven
    Jan 25, 2017
    10
    The game is highly enjoyable, this is coming from a Final Fantasy 7 fanboy. It's not like previous FF, but that's been the case since every FF after X. Despite that it has many traditional details which is unlike other recent FF15 and arguably FF12. The characters are diverse, the battles is a unique fast take on Turn-based ATB, and the music is amazing, and put together with epic cgiThe game is highly enjoyable, this is coming from a Final Fantasy 7 fanboy. It's not like previous FF, but that's been the case since every FF after X. Despite that it has many traditional details which is unlike other recent FF15 and arguably FF12. The characters are diverse, the battles is a unique fast take on Turn-based ATB, and the music is amazing, and put together with epic cgi scenes and a complex yet unique story! I say give it try!… Expand
  69. Harurei
    May 7, 2017
    9
    Todo mundo critica Final Fantasy 13 por ser linear mas esquecem que o 10 também era e todo mundo ama. Final Fantasy 13 traz uma das melhores protagonistas e uma grande quantia de personagens carismáticos como Vanilla, Sazh, etc. Seu plot político mesmo sendo um pouco confuso traz criticas sociais bem interessantes
  70. CynicalCyberCat
    Feb 28, 2014
    8
    Enter, a refreshing new female heroine, reminiscent of your previous cool aloof mains from the other titles, Lightning is very much like Cloud and Squall/Leon with their cold shoulder personality and military backgrounds.

    Characters are varied and typical of the franchise. Their responses are typical but that what makes it the signature Final Fantasy game. Some personality changes occur    Enter, a refreshing new female heroine, reminiscent of your previous cool aloof mains from the other titles, Lightning is very much like Cloud and Squall/Leon with their cold shoulder personality and military backgrounds.

    Characters are varied and typical of the franchise. Their responses are typical but that what makes it the signature Final Fantasy game. Some personality changes occur a bit too quickly for comfort but this isn't a huge game breaker as you spend much more of the game utilising the new combat system.

    This game introduces the new battle system, although many people say pressing 'A' will play the game for you, I disagree. This mechanic requires the player to chain abilities with the use of particular damage classes such as the Ravager or the Commando - a system which hasn't been implemented in the other games. The new instantaneous switching between roles provides relief as it doesn't take as long as some changes in other games (FFX-2 Dress-spheres for instance which took one turn each time you changed).

    It brings clearly defined roles to your party which can be set in the options according to your likes. Various characters are more suited towards particular classes such as Lightning - Ravager/Commando, Snow - Sentinel/Commando and so forth. There are Ultimate items as there has been in some titles but they require some crafting to be created.

    Storyline is not the best but it is interesting, the race created by the Gods, fal'Cie, and then those who are chosen by the fal'Cie. Those who are chosen, the l'Cie' are given a task called the 'Focus'. You explore Lightnings home 'city' the Cocoon, before venturing to the rumoured hell: Gran Pulse. Although somewhat linear you do explore areas and grind as you do in the usual games although you're just on a shorter leash this time.

    Music is quite a pleasure to listen to, a bit more modern than the usual fare. Reason being a new composer on the block. The graphics are amazing and most actions are seamless and smooth - what I'd expect from Square Enix's quality of work.

    Bottom line: it is a game typical of the FF universe, some interesting implementations that seem to be a hit or miss with its audience at times. It is of personal opinion in most cases. The combat system is definitely very interesting to use, it may take some time getting used to. Game play is the usual. Storyline isn't up to the usual standard. Graphics is top notch. Interesting characters and a satisfying ending. Not for all but it is all for some.    … Expand
  71. Xiperoploa
    Nov 26, 2015
    9
    The only negative points in this game are:
    1- The equipment upgrade system requiring too much grinding
    2- The lack of more diverse side-quest besides the ciet'h missions 3- The lack of more open world exploration (traveling around cocoon again would have been nice) The positives are: 1- Great battle system and character development system 2- Good story (if you pay attention and    The only negative points in this game are:
    1- The equipment upgrade system requiring too much grinding
    2- The lack of more diverse side-quest besides the ciet'h missions
    3- The lack of more open world exploration (traveling around cocoon again would have been nice)

    The positives are:
    1- Great battle system and character development system
    2- Good story (if you pay attention and take some time to read)
    3- Great music score
    4- Great graphics    … Expand
  72. Akuma75
    Jan 28, 2017
    10
    This game is good and not as bad as ppl say. Those ppl obviously never went pass the beginning linear part, which in my opinion is way better than FF15's approach dropping u in the open world with almost zero back story. Anyways battle system is super fast and tactical especially on bosses. Actual back story for each of the characters unlike FF15. This game has alot of content like manyThis game is good and not as bad as ppl say. Those ppl obviously never went pass the beginning linear part, which in my opinion is way better than FF15's approach dropping u in the open world with almost zero back story. Anyways battle system is super fast and tactical especially on bosses. Actual back story for each of the characters unlike FF15. This game has alot of content like many spells and summons and side bosses as you progress through the story.
    Dont listen to those who have passed the beginning linear part which is less than 7hrs of gameplay.

    Quick facts:
    Magical spells - (FF13 - 20+)(FF15 - 3)
    Teammembers - (FF13 - 6)(FF15 - 4, 0-females)
    Useable summons - (FF13 - 6)(FF15 - 4)
    Story length - (FF13 - 61+ hrs)(FF15 - 20hrs or less)

    Support the game that gives you more content or else they will continue sell us half ass'd games like ff15.    … Expand
  73. extremeprey
    Feb 3, 2016
    9
    To be honest the hate for this franchise is outstanding. Listen I know this game has flaws but they're tiny compared to the overall appeal of this game for me. This game for me held my attention from beginning to end and whilst the story did have moments where it was all over the place I was still intrigued. The gameplay, whilst toned down, was still as fun as entries like X.
    The    To be honest the hate for this franchise is outstanding. Listen I know this game has flaws but they're tiny compared to the overall appeal of this game for me. This game for me held my attention from beginning to end and whilst the story did have moments where it was all over the place I was still intrigued. The gameplay, whilst toned down, was still as fun as entries like X.
    The characters could be dull at times but to me they're realistic. "Hope is sad and moody all of the time"... dude did you play the first hour of the game! "Lightning has no emotion" which they address in a really cool way. "Snow is a hot head"... that's the point. All of the flaws with each character are addressed in a really cool and real way that it was the reason I kept playing. Saying that each character is generic would be like looking at a page but not the writing on it. For a FF game it's quite dark and deals with real problems in a real manor instead of pretty much every other entry in the franchise where a character's death equates to the main cast as much as a spec of dust on their arm. Don't get me wrong I love the other FF games it's just that they all shine in different ways and this one is no exception. I'm glad I played this and happy I still own it!    … Expand
  74. FFFiend
    Jan 28, 2017
    10
    EXPAND for big points below - For JRPG fans this is a Great game especially the battle I enjoy the most, which tests your skill and speed.
    Some people were hating on the game because of some changes they made like only controlling one character, but thats every new jrpg nowadays look at ff15. Some will say its linear but like lol really dude? its an rpg have you not played FF10? that    EXPAND for big points below - For JRPG fans this is a Great game especially the battle I enjoy the most, which tests your skill and speed.
    Some people were hating on the game because of some changes they made like only controlling one character, but thats every new jrpg nowadays look at ff15. Some will say its linear but like lol really dude? its an rpg have you not played FF10? that whole game is super linear.

    Anyways it's a FF game and it's great.
    1. Has lots magic
    2. Has lots of summons
    3. Has lots of characters
    4. Has lots of hidden/side bosses
    5. Has a great fast pace battle system
    6. Has a great leveling system, unlock Tank/DD/Mage/Buff-Debuff abilities on all characters
    6.5 also prevents Cheaters from Lv grinding and super overpowering story bosses - Future FF games now have a easy mode because this game was too hard for the weak

    That's it, typical FF greatness.
    I can't say the same for FF15 tho, idk what happened there... guess no one cares for story, magic, summons, battle anymore.
    Just hope they make more games like FF13... can't believe FF15 turned out so bad :(    … Expand
  75. KritU
    Mar 9, 2010
    5
    I need to re-score this game. I gave the Japanese version a 0 for doing such a horrible job. I had a high hope it would help if I understand the story. Yes it did. I like FF13 a lot better. However, it's still far from being my favorite RPG. Still wouldn't make it to the top 10, heck it wouldn't even make the top 100 most favorite RPG of mine. Square-Enix, next time, please I need to re-score this game. I gave the Japanese version a 0 for doing such a horrible job. I had a high hope it would help if I understand the story. Yes it did. I like FF13 a lot better. However, it's still far from being my favorite RPG. Still wouldn't make it to the top 10, heck it wouldn't even make the top 100 most favorite RPG of mine. Square-Enix, next time, please just keep FF as a turn base, k? I love innovation but this is what I call "not true to to series".… Expand
  76. Commotion
    May 1, 2021
    10
    This game, while not absolutely perfect, is an example of a really good and flawed Final Fantasy experience.

    The combat system is absolutely perfect, and anyone who has ever said you can just click "auto-battle" and the game plays itself hasn't faced Barthandelus, or any actual boss in the game. Yes, there is an auto-battle option, but you can even change it in the options, if you want    This game, while not absolutely perfect, is an example of a really good and flawed Final Fantasy experience.

    The combat system is absolutely perfect, and anyone who has ever said you can just click "auto-battle" and the game plays itself hasn't faced Barthandelus, or any actual boss in the game. Yes, there is an auto-battle option, but you can even change it in the options, if you want to mash more buttons (as you'd have to click like 4-5 times to have them actually do anything). However, the battles are difficult! Even for very seasoned RPG players, you need to know how to use the different abilities and roles so you can beat normal story bosses, and even mob fights can be a challenge! It's easy to learn (despite how long it takes for it to open up) but it's extremely hard to properly master. Previous FF games faced the problem where there's one or two post-game bosses that are actually difficult, while in XIII you need to plan proper strategies to take down some story bosses.

    The story is linear. It's about as linear as X, where there's one time when you can decide what to do in the Calm Lands, either continue the story or do a little side quest here and there. XIII's story actually prohibits you from exploring too much, as you're on the run, until you land on Pulse and you can actually roam around and actually get lost, possibly! Many people complain the story is jibberish throughout, but if you actually pay attention to cut scenes you'll get it. If not, you have the datalogs to read if you want extra lore or more explanations, which seems like a good layout to me.

    The OST is also marvellous. It sounds RICH and lush, the battle theme is iconic. The only issue audio wise was probably having the English voice actors rely on the Japanese interpretations, which made it feel like a weird anime thing. However, some people like weird anime things. And that's fine too.

    A big flaw for the game is how long it takes to actually let you have some fun, that's granted. But it's not worth the many 0s, 1s and 2s around here. Many people I assume have only played the few hours and quit, and I can't blame them. It's a long long game, and most of the fun content is from the halfway point until the end. I get it cus I have started and stopped playing many more times than I can even remember, just quitting and putting on a more fun RPG instead every time. However, if you're patient, you've got a great game here.    … Expand
  77. FraenLynn
    Dec 29, 2012
    9
    I wouldn't say I'm an avid FF fan. I've played about four of the games, and enjoyed every one immensely. This is no different. Sure, this game, at times, became 'boring'. But I use this word in its loosest sense. The game kept me on my feet, yearning for what was going to happen next. I enjoyed the character's stories and their relationships with others. Many people disliked the battleI wouldn't say I'm an avid FF fan. I've played about four of the games, and enjoyed every one immensely. This is no different. Sure, this game, at times, became 'boring'. But I use this word in its loosest sense. The game kept me on my feet, yearning for what was going to happen next. I enjoyed the character's stories and their relationships with others. Many people disliked the battle style, but I found it intriguing and different. So many games are just, *press b to slash* or *hit this button to use a special move*. But you actually had to use your brain for this. Tactics were needed instead of button mashing. I would have given this game a ten, hands down, but one thing. Towards the end, the story sidetracks, and you are placed in the middle of nowhere. You have to fight a billion (quite literally) monsters to be good enough to move on. It took me, personally, at least ten hours (also literally) to be even close to killing the monster in the next area. In some ways, I enjoyed this because I could see how much I improved not only by the amount of damage I could deal, but by the tactics I used. As soon as I finished the game, I immediately went to buy the next one. Final Fantasy XIII is not for everybody, I understand that. It makes you think, it keeps you on your toes, it incorporates a very different battle style to ones used so often today. If you like games that are straight forward, easy, and not satisfying, don't get this game. However, if you are like me, someone who likes to get into their games, who likes to wrap their minds around them, who likes to analyze them and work out the best possible strategy to defeat that certain enemy, buy this game right now. Heck, by a PS3 just to buy this game.… Expand
  78. ChrisS
    Mar 10, 2010
    5
    I can live with XIII. It is a very pretty game. But the epic feel, the interactivity of previous titles is just not there. Square got scared of the market. They see games like halo and MW2 in the west selling a bazillion copies, and want a piece of that mass market appeal. Mass market = we need to idiot proof our game. 2 equip slots, 2 stats. No running around to buy your items, the store I can live with XIII. It is a very pretty game. But the epic feel, the interactivity of previous titles is just not there. Square got scared of the market. They see games like halo and MW2 in the west selling a bazillion copies, and want a piece of that mass market appeal. Mass market = we need to idiot proof our game. 2 equip slots, 2 stats. No running around to buy your items, the store is at every save point. No towns for most of the game. Hell you don't even talk to npcs anymore, they just mumble something when you get near them. There is more but others have listed it all I know. This was an effort to make a Final fantasy game have a wider mass market appeal, this was an effort by Japanese devs to capture the western console market. In doing so however they have removed most of the things we loved about the previous FF games. They have produced a very pretty movie with some interactive scenes. FF needs to go back to its roots again. We need a real JRPG from them. Else they are going to loose the fans that made the series what it is, while gaming on the whims of the fickle modern gamer. Whos tastes change like the seasons. What i fear is that when Dragon Quest 9 comes out this summer on the DS, if it does not sell really well, they are going to use that as justification for the continued dumbing down of Final Fantasy.… Expand
  79. ChrisT
    Mar 21, 2010
    5
    This game is a huge disappointment. I've played over 20 hours so far and the game isn't just linear, but the beginning of the game starts with you running forward for 10 hours, I really don't care for linear games, since I've played games like Xenosaga. After the running forward for a few hours, we get to a few right turns, left turns, but it's always just run This game is a huge disappointment. I've played over 20 hours so far and the game isn't just linear, but the beginning of the game starts with you running forward for 10 hours, I really don't care for linear games, since I've played games like Xenosaga. After the running forward for a few hours, we get to a few right turns, left turns, but it's always just run straight forward. You can literally AFK a boss in this game, I've done it twice. I went downstairs to get food, ten minutes later, the boss is dead. The characters are annoying as can be, the little boy Hope is a whiny little emo brat who blames the entire group and won't take responsibility or finish his sentences. He's also a racist bigot. Snow won't stop talking about being a hero and his girlfriend, everything he says has to do with them, he never brings up a new topic. The game is confusing as hell in the beginning because you have no idea whats going on, they give you terms, but don't define them until way later. I only played this game for story, I typically don't care for gameplay too much, as long as it isn't boring, but the story is such a bore, half the characters you play as piss me off. That being said, Square Enix doesn't listen to their customers, Bioware and Bethesda do. Since the next gen consoles came out, JRPGs have been failing and western RPGs and Sandbox RPGs have been dominate, theres a reason for that, it's because they listen to their customers.… Expand
  80. Matt
    Apr 15, 2010
    5
    Good visuals. Annoying battle system. Not being able to move your AI characters out of aoe attacks cripple the battle system. A fight that should be easy can turn into a disaster if the AI places characters to close to the enemy. Convoluted story. Annoying characters. Tedious battles. Crappy weapon customization/progression. I finished it only because I felt like I had to because Good visuals. Annoying battle system. Not being able to move your AI characters out of aoe attacks cripple the battle system. A fight that should be easy can turn into a disaster if the AI places characters to close to the enemy. Convoluted story. Annoying characters. Tedious battles. Crappy weapon customization/progression. I finished it only because I felt like I had to because it's a FF game.… Expand
  81. initialmender4
    Oct 15, 2011
    10
    a perfect Final fantasy game, from the story to the graphics to the actual gameplay. i could literally play for most of a day at a time and still want to keep going
  82. pandaman3608
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    I thought this game was great. Awesome battle system, beautiful graphics. The story was going along great until I got to the final boss, then i was like, "WTF"?! It's also pretty difficult when you get to the last level, but other than that, I think this is a great entry in the series and it shows the company moving forward and trying new things.
  83. firstevil87
    Mar 13, 2012
    9
    Final fantasy 13, a game so divisive that the mere mention of it can cause fan rage all over the internet.

    I am one of the few that actually liked the game, because for the first time in years I was interested in the story, From the very beginning I was hooked, shocked, intrigued and I kept playing just to see what was going to happen. Exploration may seem linear, but is it really an    Final fantasy 13, a game so divisive that the mere mention of it can cause fan rage all over the internet.

    I am one of the few that actually liked the game, because for the first time in years I was interested in the story, From the very beginning I was hooked, shocked, intrigued and I kept playing just to see what was going to happen. Exploration may seem linear, but is it really an issue? Were earlier final fantasies really open world to begin with? In earlier installments it was easier to fake non-linearity by using technical limitations as cheap tricks.
    I think that a lot of content was cut or dumbed down in order to fit into the xbox dvd format, even the lack of back tracking, it's obvious that each area is stored in different dvds.
    Fighting is fun, fast paced and it's very different from "press x until the monster dies". I loved the paradigm shift system because now fighting requires more strategy.
    I thought that the main content of the game was the fighting itself instead of running around during useless fetch quests.
    I also thought that it would have been better to be in control of some situations instead of watching an action cutscene.
    In the end, though, I have to admit that I loved the game, I reccomend it if you like a mature story with a lot of twist and engaging characters.
    Linearity can put off someone, but give it a chance, you might be surprised.    … Expand
  84. MissFelixia
    Mar 13, 2013
    10
    the storyline for this game keeps you hooked. the only shame is no backtravel and the fact that the game opens up really late into the game big sigh
  85. smelly
    Dec 28, 2013
    10
    While it's easy for me to see why people don't like this game, I honestly loved it. In many ways, it was perfect for the mind-state I was in and the amount of time I had during the day to play it. Great graphics, distinct character designs, INCREDIBLE soundtrack, and the kind of storyline that I really like that involves normal people fighting against an unjust fate. For gameplay, IWhile it's easy for me to see why people don't like this game, I honestly loved it. In many ways, it was perfect for the mind-state I was in and the amount of time I had during the day to play it. Great graphics, distinct character designs, INCREDIBLE soundtrack, and the kind of storyline that I really like that involves normal people fighting against an unjust fate. For gameplay, I thought it struck a great balance between simplicity and strategy that is fast and rewarding...coupled with the linear nature of the game, you get battles that are never too easy, sometimes too hard, but always intense.

    As a game experience, this one was perfect for me and ranks among my favorite games of all time. This is all in the face of thinking I wouldn't like this game (based on how much trash people talk about it), but I took a chance and was rewarded immeasurably. Too bad the sequels go overboard on the crazier aspects of the FFXIII universe lore, and lose the human element. Oh well.    … Expand
  86. MohamedS
    Mar 16, 2010
    5
    Linearity is not a bad thing. Resident Evil 4 is Linear and it's one of the best games out there. Mass Effect 2 is Linear and it's an awesome game. The difference is that those two games used their Linearity to deliver a focused intense gaming experience (the village fight in RE4 comes to mind) while FFXIII uses it to shove a story down the gamer's throat. That would be Linearity is not a bad thing. Resident Evil 4 is Linear and it's one of the best games out there. Mass Effect 2 is Linear and it's an awesome game. The difference is that those two games used their Linearity to deliver a focused intense gaming experience (the village fight in RE4 comes to mind) while FFXIII uses it to shove a story down the gamer's throat. That would be fine if the story was good or the characters likable but it's simply pretentious and the dialougue is hilariously bad (Snow is the biggest culprit here). The battle system is very close to becoming FFXII's autopilot as well and battles take a lot longer than they should (20 minutes for some large bosses) simply because it relies too much on the stagger system. Good points include great graphics and CGI, decent music and Sazh.… Expand
  87. JoeR
    Mar 11, 2010
    4
    OMG what a disaster, awful characters that will get on your nerves, a mediocre story, unsurprising cinematics and 0, I repeat 0 feeling that you are actually in an RPG adventure this felt more like an interactive movie. This is my goodbye to J-RPGs specially the ones from Square-enix, Im a Bioware guy now.
  88. Vandral007
    Dec 11, 2012
    8
    For all it's faults, I found Final Fantasy XIII to be an enjoyable experience. Yes, the linearity of 80% of the game is off putting, and yes some of the characters are annoying idiots (looking at you Hope), but I found the scope and history, and most importantly the mystery of this world to be an incredibly absorbing affair. I didn't find reading the Datalog to be too big a deal (ThisFor all it's faults, I found Final Fantasy XIII to be an enjoyable experience. Yes, the linearity of 80% of the game is off putting, and yes some of the characters are annoying idiots (looking at you Hope), but I found the scope and history, and most importantly the mystery of this world to be an incredibly absorbing affair. I didn't find reading the Datalog to be too big a deal (This kind of thing is in Mass Effect too people). I actually like the combat system. Yes, it seems limited (especially at first) but once it opens up and lets you experiment you'll find it to be a great and fast paced tactical affair. It's not about selecting attacks, it's about selecting strategies! I found myself warming to most of the characters, the graphics are STILL spectacular, and the music is solid (not Uematsu good, but what is?) It doesn't have the same magic as past Final Fantasies, but it is still a solid entry into the series. If you're a fan of JRPG's check this one out.… Expand
  89. Mogipoki
    Apr 18, 2017
    9
    This was frankly my first FF game and also my first Playstation 3 game. I was blown away by the graphics, story and characters. I've been playing it for years, and recently I just finished it once again. The game truly only as a one flaw for me, the open world map restriction was the problem. Being forced to go to different areas, and not return to previous ones was kind of irritating. ButThis was frankly my first FF game and also my first Playstation 3 game. I was blown away by the graphics, story and characters. I've been playing it for years, and recently I just finished it once again. The game truly only as a one flaw for me, the open world map restriction was the problem. Being forced to go to different areas, and not return to previous ones was kind of irritating. But that problem is only subdued by the end of the game, when you can travel to only 3 different areas freely. Other than that, this game is a classic in my collection and most likely will always bring a nostalgic happiness for years to come.… Expand
  90. LarryD
    Mar 23, 2010
    3
    The extreme linearity was a gamble that bet the farm on the narrative and characterizations being worthwhile enough to hold it all together. Sadly, the story is an abject failure. The first 20 hours are filled with painstaking cutscenes that attempt to humanize consciously-unlikeable archetypes, as well as occasional dropping clues to an overarching mystery. By game's end, you will The extreme linearity was a gamble that bet the farm on the narrative and characterizations being worthwhile enough to hold it all together. Sadly, the story is an abject failure. The first 20 hours are filled with painstaking cutscenes that attempt to humanize consciously-unlikeable archetypes, as well as occasional dropping clues to an overarching mystery. By game's end, you will hate the characters even more and, even worse, realize there was no mystery to speak of--the overarching conflict was just that bland, simplistic and irrelevant. The villain (insomuch as any villain could be argued to exist) has no impetus or motives to speak of. Not even lazy and cliche motives like "evil" or "nihilism"--nothing. The plot and characters compare unfavorably even with the half-hearted, pot-smoker effort of something like Bad Dudes.… Expand
  91. GalvinO
    Mar 10, 2010
    5
    This review was written by a gamer that has been playing JRPGs since the SNES era and has been anticipating FINAL FANTASY XIII since it was first revealed at E3 2006. ------------- Prologue ------------- "If the main selling point of the software is the non-interactive story scenes rather than the actual gameplay then it's not a game." ~ Shigeru Miyamoto (Director: Super Mario 64, This review was written by a gamer that has been playing JRPGs since the SNES era and has been anticipating FINAL FANTASY XIII since it was first revealed at E3 2006. ------------- Prologue ------------- "If the main selling point of the software is the non-interactive story scenes rather than the actual gameplay then it's not a game." ~ Shigeru Miyamoto (Director: Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) "If a games designer chooses to have the story be the most important part of the video game then they must find a way to tell it interactively to the player. Even if it's a strictly linear and pre-scripted story, there needs to be some form of interactivity from the player when it's being presented. To have the most important part of a video game not require any interactivity from the player is a serious game design mistake." ~ Fumito Ueda (Director: Ico, Shadow of the Colossus) "The most important part of a RPG is the player feeling like they are taking the role of a character in a fully realised fantasy world. They can explore, visit various towns and places, talk to people, customise their character, collect various items, and defeat monsters. The story is not the focus of the experience and is only there to make the atmosphere of the fantasy world more interesting and engaging during the course of the game." ~ Yuji Horii (Creator of the JRPG genre/ Supervisor: Chrono Trigger) "Although the FF series has greatly advanced over the years, it's still a RPG. FF tends to be mostly story driven so I always try to balance the experience by putting more effort into the RPG gameplay." ~ Hiroyuki Itou (Director: FFVI, FFIX, FFXII) ---------------- Introduction ---------------- FINAL FANTASY XIII (FINAL FANTASY is referred to as "FF" for the rest of the review) is the latest main series FF from SQUARE ENIX (SQUARE ENIX referred to as "SQEX" for the rest of this review) and has been in development for almost 5 years by Product Development Division - 1. FFXIII is a game that numerically follows FFXII but the game is nothing like it as FFXII was made by a completely different development team called Product Development Division - 4. FFXIII instead is an evolution of the game design of the last main series FF by Product Development Division - 1 called FFX. However, the decision to skip the gaming innovations of FFXII and go back to the incredibly restricting and interactive move-like game design of FFX is ultimately the downfall of FFXIII. The leader of Product Development Division - 1 is called Yoshinori Kitase and he studied to be a Film Director before he joined SQEX. He has openly said in interviews that it's the intention of the games made by his division to play like interactive movies. After FFVII: Advent Children (a CGI movie released on DVD in 2005) was made he said in the bonus footage contained on the DVD that he, "Always wanted to make something like this." The problem with Yoshinori Kitase is that he values film and cinematic qualities over gameplay and good game design and that mentality has greatly affected the game design choices of FFXIII. FFXIII is an interactive movie with RPG elements. This is not a video game and it doesn't even try to pretend it is one. It is unashamedly a CGI movie with a stylish battle system and pretty growth system tacked on. Summing up the game is really that simple. --------------------------- RPG Game Design --------------------------- Firstly, what exactly is the game design of a RPG? It's about the player feeling like they're actually taking the role of a character in the story and virtual world. Therefore, what needs more depth is the story being told in a way that the player actually feels like they are the character in the story. The player must also feel like the virtual world is a real place in which the character can fully interact with. During the course of the game this character grows in strength and learns new abilities and techniques. That's the definition of a Role-Playing Game. If it just has a deep story that doesn't mean it's a RPG as any video game genre can have a deep story. The game design in FFXIII is atrocious and a shining example of why games will never become a majorly respected art form. It claims to be a RPG but you never once feel like you're assuming the role of a character, you only feel like you're controlling their bodies and everything else about them is cut off from you. You move them to the story scenes but during these story parts you completely lose control of them and they become their own person doing whatever they want. How is this then a RPG? It feels more like moving actors to their next story scene and when you reach it the actors turn off your console controller and do whatever the **** they want regardless of you being there or not. If you want to make a film then make a film; if you want to make a game then make a game. If you want to make a hybrid then go for it but don't call it a video game, instead call it an interactive movie and if you're making interactive movies then don't classify yourself as a games designer. I don't know why this beautiful medium that's built on interactivity as a foundation has people that keep using lengthy non-interactive cinema scenes as the main focus of the game. If I want to see pretty CGI from SQEX that I can't interact with then I'd watch FFVII: Advent Children Complete or FF: The Spirits Within on Blu-ray in 1080p. A film is a motion picture so no matter what the director tries to do it will always primarily be a visual moving photo. With a video game, it's interactive computer entertainment so no matter what the director is trying to accomplish it should be focused on the interactivity as a foundation. It can tell a deep story but it must first embrace the interactivity, just like a film must first embrace being a motion picture before it can provide a story to the viewer. FFXIII has been in development for almost 5 years and yet it appears that most of the focus was put on the non-interactive story scenes and graphics. The bad thing about this is that non-interactive story scenes and graphics can both be done in cinema. Interactivity cannot be done in film and as such is what needs to be focused on and perfected in order for games to really stand on their own two feet as an art form. FFXIII doesn't even try to present any form of interactive storytelling and is instead a story that is presented to the player in completely non-interactive motion picture format. I will not go into the specifics of what the story is about but I will say that while the story never becomes majorly epic, it does include a lot of character development for all the playable party members. Sadly, it also contains more melodrama than any other FF released to date. What hurts FFXIII besides the numerous non-interactive movies is that the parts where you actually play are incredibly alleyway-linear. I'm talking like an alleyway where a woman could get raped or a child get mugged, just that the alleyways in this game have been majorly decorated with superb art direction and some with beautiful skylines and vistas and others with numerous things going on in the background. You run down these pretty alleyways and fight some battles. The enemies are on the field but because the fields are so alleyway-linear it's mostly impossible to avoid these enemies and thus when you contact them it switches to a completely different field for the battle. The enemies are on the field but the battles are not seamless and take place on a separate field, a clear step back from the innovations of FFXII by Product Development Division - 4. After the battle ends you reach the next long non-interactive cut-scene. This cycle repeats for almost 40 hours making up 80% of the main game. You eventually reach a huge open environment near the end of the game but that whole big area is completely bland compared to the superb art direction of the alleyway-linear areas and it is also thrown in far too late into the gameplay experience. To make things worse, it's impossible to back track to the beautiful alleyway-linear areas once you complete them. You see an alleyway-linear area only once and if you want to see it again after you pass it you must start a new game. For a game that's been in development for 5 years this is the game design they're selling me? There's nothing remarkable about this as a video game. Only buy it if you want a beautiful looking interactive movie. Product Development Division - 1 has even axed the towns, shops, conversable NPCs, side-quests and other JRPG staples. Sorry, but I need to repeat this so really it hits home: - No towns. - No shops. - No conversable NPCs. - No side-quests. - No mini-games. - No airship. - No world map. With all this **** missing they have the audacity to call this a RPG? You'll realise this is barely a JRPG at all if you return to the Prologue section of this review and read the quote by Yuji Horii who created the JRPG genre. There is innovation of existing gameplay mechanics and there is removal of it, the **** Product Development Division - 1 have done is removal of it. They have just removed all the fundamental JRPG game design elements in their pursuit to make the game feel more like an interactive movie. They gave the non-interactive story scenes and graphics so much priority that important JRPG gameplay elements were given no attention. Don't get my words twisted, there is nothing wrong with playing a video game for the story but this story must be interactive and part of the gameplay experience and not separate from it. Think for a moment... If the main reason you're buying any video game genre is for the parts that are non-interactive then why should the developer even bother adding any interactivity to the game? If the non-interactive story is the most important part of the game and the reason you're buying it then the game should never have been a video game to begin with and instead just a film. FFXIII is a deep but non-interactive story with some brief gameplay on the side. This is not a video game that is striving to make this beautiful interactive medium the greatest art form of the 21st century. ------------------------------------------- Graphics and World Immersion ------------------------------------------- FFXIII is the most beautiful video game you will ever set your eyes on. I'm not going to waste time on this point, FFXIII is the best looking video game ever made. The Art Direction is also superb but it's expected as it's by Isamu Kamikokuryo (who was also Art Director of FFXII by Product Development Division - 4) but sadly Kamikokuryo has not been able to show the full extent of his talent. When he worked on FFXII he was allowed to design fully explorable locations and cities. With FFXIII he has been restrained to design alleyway-linear maps and his art just used mainly as background with no real feel of world immersion via exploration and interactivity. Also, sexy graphics do not make a great game and even though FFXIII looks like a burning hot girl, it plays like taking that girl home and discovering she is a dude in drag. It would appear that Product Development Division - 1 focused so much on graphics that they didn't bother to focus on world immersion. The majority of the locations in FFXIII resemble a movie set as they are straight to the point with no real breathing space. You often feel that if you could move out of the alleyway-linear maps you'd bump into the camera crew and set decorators. The world just doesn't feel like a real place at all. It has a nice sci-fi atmosphere but you never feel fully immersed and that it's a real world, instead you feel like it's just the setting of a film and that you have only one direction to move in that the film director has planned for you. Here's the first 10 hours of the game in maps. You will be able to see from this image that the maps are very alleyway-linear and unfortunately they make up 80% of the main game (SPOILERS): http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/9029/alleywayi.jpg -------------------- Battle System -------------------- Really, this is the only enjoyable interactive element in this game and sadly it's more flawed than the Active Dimension Battle (ADB) of FFXII. The name of the battle system in FFXIII is called Command Synergy Battle (CSB) and was an attempt to bring the stylish fight scenes seen in FFVII: Advent Children into interactive format. You have the ATB bar of past FF games but there are now up to 6 of them and depending on the move that you do it will take up one or more ATB bars. A standard "Attack" command will take up one bar while a move like "Firaga" will take up 3 ATB bars. You can mix and match as many moves as you have ATB bars for and then release them as a single chain of commands. This part of the game is very fun but then it becomes slightly tedious with the addition of the Break bar on enemies (Stagger bar in the NA/EU version). When you first begin combat with an enemy you will first have to make it fall into Break mode before you can do any real damage to it. You do this by attacking it as quickly as possible to fill the Break bar and when it's full the enemy will fall into Break mode and take much more damage. It's an interesting addition but it makes certain battles become overly drawn out and tedious. CSB would have been far quicker and streamlined if the Break bar was only on certain enemies instead of all of them, you could therefore damage the regular enemies straight away while certain powerful enemies and Bosses have a Break bar that needs to be filled before you can perform major damage on them. It would have made the system more interesting and varied, you'd have the enemies that you can speedily and stylishly defeat while others take longer to bring down. Also, while the underlying gameplay mechanics of the CSB system are fun, it's still lacking in areas. Firstly, there's the decision that you can only ever control one party member in battle and that the game will never present you with a choice to switch controlled party member during a battle. It's a shame as ADB in FFXII offered the feature and all past FF games let you control all party members in a battle. Say you're playing as Lightning in a fight but then want to play as Snow for a bit in the same battle, it's impossible to do that in this game. You can switch party member but only outside battle and even then you only get the ability to do this 80% through the main game so almost 40 hours into the game. What I don't understand is why they could not make it so that you can change controlled party member during battle like you could in the ADB system of FFXII. It would have been a simple process of swapping over the AI routine of the character you want to switch to with the character you're currently controlling. Also, why so late in the game to give the player the feature to choose their own party members? The reason is obviously the linearity and majorly story driven nature of the game. Because of how story driven the game is, it even scripts what characters you control and who your party members must be for 80% of the main game. Yes, you read right, you can only really begin to choose your own party members around 40 hours into the game. Everything about whose in your party is pre-scripted before this time. You only get to make a party made out of party members of your choice when you reach that big open area I mentioned earlier in this review. They have also made it so it's Game Over if the party leader dies. What this means is that if the current party leader is Lightning and she dies while the other two AI controlled party members are still alive it will be Game Over, even though there are two other party members that are still alive. It's a very harsh game design approach especially given that past FF games have allowed the whole party to be controlled. If it was so difficult for Product Development Division - 1 to allow the player to control all party members in battle with CSB they should have at least found a way to allow the player to switch to and play as another party member during a battle. What makes this Game Over feature even worse is that when you're fighting a boss or powerful key story related enemy, it will cast "Doom" on the party leader if you're taking too long to defeat it. It just feels very forced and cheap and makes the CSB system feel very user-unfriendly compared to the both ATB and ADB. The AI system that is used in FFXIII is called Optima Change (Paradigm Shift in the NA/EU version) and was added much later in the games development. Product Development Division - 1 initially had CSB having the player only controlling the party leader and the other two party members on AI with no editing from the player. They later decided that they needed to find a way to let the player control the party member AI rather than have them only control the party leader and that's how the Optima Change system was born. The Optima Change system is not even close to being as deep as the Gambit system that was in FFXII as the Gambit system existed in FFXII from the start of that games development. As I've just mentioned, Optima Change was a last minute addition to CSB in an attempt to give the player more control over the AI. The Optima Change system basically involves you having 6 AI roles to choose out from for each character in your party and by mixing them together in unique ways you create various party battle strategies. The problem is that the AI can't be customised to the degree it could be with the Gambit system in FFXII. Optima Change basically has you choosing a role for all three party members and the CPU then decides when and what move the two AI controlled party members do based on what role they currently are and what's going on in the current battle. You can't take over this position from the CPU and set your own AI routines so the AI characters act according to what you told them to do. The way it's set up works most of the time but there are times when you wish an AI party member did a different move instead of the one the CPU told them to do. The lack of control over party member AI in the Optima Change system is a huge step back from the Gambits in FFXII. ---------------- Conclusion ---------------- I'm a gamer who calls a game **** without any fear or hesitation, if it's a bad gaming experience then I'll openly say so regardless of what famous series it's part of. FFXIII is a shining example of a game that refuses to stand proudly on both legs as a video game and instead leans heavily on the film medium for support. To think this game took half a decade to produce and what we have is an experience that is not revolutionary is a crying shame. FFXII, which was released on PS2, is more innovative and more revolutionary as a RPG than this game is and it was released on far inferior hardware. What hurts more is that FFXIII has game design that is worse than JRPGs released on even the SNES. The majority of the time spent making this game went to the graphics and non-interactive story scenes but none of these aspects are important to make a great gameplay experience; none of these will help make video games be regarded as a major art form. The bottom line is simple: If you're buying looking for the sexiest and most beautiful looking interactive movie ever made then buy this without hesitation. However, if you're looking for a RPG with more than just pretty graphics and instead with good RPG game design and interactive storytelling then you should avoid it. ----------- Scoring ----------- - RPG Game Design: [ 2 ] - Graphics: [ 10 ] - World immersion: [ 3 ] - Battle System: [ 7 ] - Final Score (Not an average): [ 5 ].… Expand
  92. Seth
    Mar 10, 2010
    6
    Where is all the exploring? In this game you fight, walk, watch a cutscene and repeat. Over and over. There are practically no options to customize your character, you cannot control more than one character at a time. The story is probably the weakest Ive played in the series. The music is bad. It makes me miss the old Nobuo Uematsu tracks. The only thing this game has going for it are Where is all the exploring? In this game you fight, walk, watch a cutscene and repeat. Over and over. There are practically no options to customize your character, you cannot control more than one character at a time. The story is probably the weakest Ive played in the series. The music is bad. It makes me miss the old Nobuo Uematsu tracks. The only thing this game has going for it are the graphics. The only thing that allows this to be called an RPG is the turn based combat, which is outdated. The combat in XII or X was far superior. There is no sense of "role playing" rather, you are watching a FF movie with a few turn based limited combat situations.… Expand
  93. TinoH
    Mar 14, 2010
    6
    This game suffers from MANY flaws. I can't understand people / magazines giving it perfect scores. There is nothing outstanding except the graphics. Even the story is extremely cheesy and boring. The battle system is a strain on my thumb because you can beat 95% of all encounters by repeatedly pressing "X" from fight start to fight end! The enemies have soooo much HP that you will be This game suffers from MANY flaws. I can't understand people / magazines giving it perfect scores. There is nothing outstanding except the graphics. Even the story is extremely cheesy and boring. The battle system is a strain on my thumb because you can beat 95% of all encounters by repeatedly pressing "X" from fight start to fight end! The enemies have soooo much HP that you will be hacking "X" for 1-5 m inutes EVEN FOR NORMAL ENEMIES! The battle system offers no challenges at all except keep your "leader" alive. One of the 2-3 people you walk around is is your "leader" - if he dies the game is instantly lost. But dont worry - you will not have to replay anything. Because if you fail a fight you can just RETRY it .... The list of flaws continues but I don't want to write anymore.… Expand
  94. DrunkC
    Mar 10, 2010
    1
    For an RPG, it would be an 8 for a FF game a 1. This game takes the FF formula and throws it out the window, with linear gameplay, poor characters and story and minimal exploration. Content was cut to make it on the 360, and SE wouldn't spend the extra cash to put another disk and give all users (PS3 and 360 alike the full experience). Only people who like this game are FF For an RPG, it would be an 8 for a FF game a 1. This game takes the FF formula and throws it out the window, with linear gameplay, poor characters and story and minimal exploration. Content was cut to make it on the 360, and SE wouldn't spend the extra cash to put another disk and give all users (PS3 and 360 alike the full experience). Only people who like this game are FF fanboys/girls, SE new motto, call it FF and watch it sell.… Expand
  95. JesseC
    Mar 19, 2010
    4
    The problem I have with FF13, is that it claims to be an RPG, but pulls that off terribly. This game has value in of itself, for what it really is, but it is far from being an RPG. Also, it sets expectations, being a title of the Final Fantasy series, that it was not able to live up to. This title felt more like a random, no-name JRPG that could have been randomly picked up at any game The problem I have with FF13, is that it claims to be an RPG, but pulls that off terribly. This game has value in of itself, for what it really is, but it is far from being an RPG. Also, it sets expectations, being a title of the Final Fantasy series, that it was not able to live up to. This title felt more like a random, no-name JRPG that could have been randomly picked up at any game store, on discount, rather than another epic produced by Square. Sorry, but because of all this, I'm going to have to give it a 4.… Expand
  96. Joshua
    Mar 27, 2010
    6
    This Final Fantasy is an utter dissapointment. First the good points: Graphics and story (sort of). This game is beautiful as everyone has said. No doubt about it. The story is also very cool except that at several points I literally stopped at verbalized a WTF which I don't usually do, and sometimes the dialogue gets a little FFX Tidus-esque. But overall very good story. The bad: This Final Fantasy is an utter dissapointment. First the good points: Graphics and story (sort of). This game is beautiful as everyone has said. No doubt about it. The story is also very cool except that at several points I literally stopped at verbalized a WTF which I don't usually do, and sometimes the dialogue gets a little FFX Tidus-esque. But overall very good story. The bad: Super linear. It is boring as hell to walk straight for 1 minut fight for 3 minutes watch cutscene for 5 minutes repeat. Since everyting is like a long hallway it feels claustrophobic and uninteresting even when you change scenery. Somtime I could change from a cityscape to a forest and not even feel like I went anywhere because I was just so disengaged. The battle system is crap. Paradigms sound cool for about 3 seconds but when you have to switch back and forth every turn in some battles it gets pretty annoying. Plus it just feels cheap when you don't have a perfect paradigm set up so one character is doing nothing useful for a turn or when you want to cast slow once then go back to attacking but can't because to cast slow you have to be in a job that doesn't have a normal attack. The stagger system is ridiculous in my opinion. All it amounts to for me is a sensation of being extremely weak and underleveled in every single battle for the whole game with no real way to level up, but with the possibility to suddenly do normal or good damage in the last 5 seconds of a battle. Yay. Overall this game is very average in terms of an RPG, you could definitely find better out there, even in this RPG drought generation. As a huge fan of the FF series this game feels pretty close to a last straw. XV is no longer a must buy for me.… Expand
  97. LungY
    Mar 14, 2010
    0
    I used to be a FF fan, but this game just destroyed the franchise for me. I Played FF13 for 8 hours, and hated it. I was basically smashing the x button for most battles except for boss fights. I didn't get drawn in with the story or the characters. I hate how they are introduced and their unrealistic reactions. So far, in my 8 hours of gaming, puzzles and areas are ridiculous I used to be a FF fan, but this game just destroyed the franchise for me. I Played FF13 for 8 hours, and hated it. I was basically smashing the x button for most battles except for boss fights. I didn't get drawn in with the story or the characters. I hate how they are introduced and their unrealistic reactions. So far, in my 8 hours of gaming, puzzles and areas are ridiculous linear... Enemies AI is just plain stupid. They are constrained in a small region. When you get detected, the enemies would follow you up to the limit of the small region. You can basically have the enemy right in front of you doing nothing. The control and camera are terrible too. There are invisible walls everywhere. Clearly, when there is no prop blocking the way, I expect to be able to move in... On top of this, the moving animation does not look fluid at all. On many occasion, the camera control becomes unresponsive and tedious. Sure, the cut scenes are pretty, but they are overdone and doesn't make much sense. This is a HD game? Only the main character's head look good, everything else looks low poly. Clearly, I am done with Square Enix. I have not enjoyed any of their games since FFX. One last thing... Summons==Transformers... Really square?... really?!… Expand
  98. RubenG
    Mar 17, 2010
    3
    I have been a lifelong Final Fantasy fan & had been anticipating this game for so long now. I was so excited to get it only to be met with total shock & disappointment. Everything I loved about the series was stripped away. Square Enix promised us a reboot of the series which gave me hope for a great game that more would enjoy but they went the other way. They stripped the franchise of I have been a lifelong Final Fantasy fan & had been anticipating this game for so long now. I was so excited to get it only to be met with total shock & disappointment. Everything I loved about the series was stripped away. Square Enix promised us a reboot of the series which gave me hope for a great game that more would enjoy but they went the other way. They stripped the franchise of anything that was good & left us with just pretty graphics. Sadly unlike most people including some of these "Professional" reviews....I don't care about graphics, that's not what makes a game, it is the gameplay & story, which this game is severely lacking in. This is easily one of the biggest disappointments to me the 26 years I've been gaming & also this is easily the worst Final Fantasy in the main series, perhaps in the future they should go back to the classic way the game should be, or else they will lose me as a fan forever.… Expand
  99. Truth1065
    May 13, 2012
    8
    Final Fantasy XIII looks amazing. Everything is so detailed and gorgeous with great characters to flesh out it's interesting world, but unfortunately half of the game is very linear and you can't fully customize your party until the 20 hour mark. I can actually understand the linearity because it fits in with the opening chapters of the story which is good because there's a great storyFinal Fantasy XIII looks amazing. Everything is so detailed and gorgeous with great characters to flesh out it's interesting world, but unfortunately half of the game is very linear and you can't fully customize your party until the 20 hour mark. I can actually understand the linearity because it fits in with the opening chapters of the story which is good because there's a great story here and a more better one than FFXII. There are hunt quests present similar to XII's and they are challenging and fun. The non-linear part of the game on the world of Gran Pulse is big with new regions to unlock. FFXIII's battle system is my personal favourite but the lengthy tutorials in the beginning of the game may put some players off. The music is fantastic and some are memorable like the battle theme. I spent over 60 hours with this game with over 40 hours just on Gran Pulse. Overall it's a great game that will be liked by some and disliked by others.… Expand
  100. Avid_StoryLover
    Aug 13, 2021
    8
    I feel this game gets a lot of hate, but I found it to be quite enjoyable. I loved the story characters and the world. The music was also top notch. My only real complaint is that it is a little too linear. I feel they could have avoided this by making dungeons with more exploration and less point a to point b. Also it would have helped if they had introduced world travel sooner in theI feel this game gets a lot of hate, but I found it to be quite enjoyable. I loved the story characters and the world. The music was also top notch. My only real complaint is that it is a little too linear. I feel they could have avoided this by making dungeons with more exploration and less point a to point b. Also it would have helped if they had introduced world travel sooner in the game. But I totally understand that the game was their first entry on a new generation of consoles which comes with its own production challenges. I would like to point out that the sequels to this game were really good and solved a lot of this games issues. I'm sad that a lot of people didn't give them a shot because of how they felt about this one. I would for them to release a remaster trilogy on newer consoles.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

37
#37 Best PS3 Game of 2010
2
#2 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2010
3
#3 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 83 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 73 out of 83
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 83
  3. Negative: 1 out of 83
  1. RPG Fan
    81
    As an RPG, it is an excellent experience that provides a beautifully crafted world and engaging battle system. However, as a Final Fantasy game, it falls short of expectations somewhat.
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  2. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    90
    Ten hours in you might have doubts, but stay with it and you'll be smitten right through to the frankly unbelievable end. [Apr 2010, p.104]
  3. Everyeye.it
    85
    An unexpected Final Fantasy. The 13th chapter has a great story and some of the most incisive characters of the whole series, and even the battle system works very well, being deep and complex (even if you control only a single character). But on the other side the overwhelming linearity of the plot, the absence of cities to explore, and the small amount of side quest will disappoint fans' expectations.
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