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. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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.
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. DanH.
    Mar 12, 2010
    4
    I'm as big a Final Fantasy fan as they come. So, you can imagine my excitement when this game finally came out. One of the two reasons I originally bought the Playstation 3. And... the game fell flat on it's face. I may be a huge fan of the series, but I will not blindly accept this garbage they sold us. There is no exploration in this game. Here is the formula: fight mobs > I'm as big a Final Fantasy fan as they come. So, you can imagine my excitement when this game finally came out. One of the two reasons I originally bought the Playstation 3. And... the game fell flat on it's face. I may be a huge fan of the series, but I will not blindly accept this garbage they sold us. There is no exploration in this game. Here is the formula: fight mobs > fight boss > LOST cutscene (flashback). On top of that the story is incredibly boring and elementary with characters who are strongly influenced by Japanese Anime stereotypes... I had to hold back the vomit while playing this game. I want to know what pill these other reviewers took before playing. The only redeeming part was the experimental battle system which could still use some work.… Expand
  11. SeanG
    Mar 16, 2010
    3
    The accessory & weapon upgrade system in this game is completely broken and they did a terrible job implementing it. Thats the main reason I stopped playing. Because at chapter 11, I was stuck. I had put experience in accessories that were quickly trumped by better random drops. No refund for experience spent. And my weapon, I upgraded it to the second level, but then found much better The accessory & weapon upgrade system in this game is completely broken and they did a terrible job implementing it. Thats the main reason I stopped playing. Because at chapter 11, I was stuck. I had put experience in accessories that were quickly trumped by better random drops. No refund for experience spent. And my weapon, I upgraded it to the second level, but then found much better weapons later I wish I could've upgraded instead, but with the vast lack of upgrade materials and lack of incoming GIL, you get terribly stuck. Plus, I found out there are ways to combine accessories to make better ones, but I found that out online in a forum, not in the game , so there I am retrying Bahamut and Carbuncle 7x each , when I could've upgraded my weapons and gear earlier in the game had they properly informed me. For all the hand holding early in the game, the complete silence on upgrading is a slap in the face. And furthermore the catalyst upgrade system is horrible. Why cap it? Why prevent me from moving on? If you just kept the CP tiered up, the rewards are diminishing for the amt of CP you are getting in the earlier chapters. Overall, I give the game a 5 for the graphics and battle system, but a 1 for the horrible story, horrible characters, horrible upgrade system and linear "on rails" progression system.… Expand
  12. James
    Mar 9, 2010
    2
    Wow, this is by far the worst Final Fantasy game I have ever played and I've played every game from and including FF7, how it is scoring so high is beyond me. The only good thing I can say about it is that it looks incredible, and it does. It;s probably the best looking console game I've ever seen, but that is where the praise ends. Everything that was great about the franchise Wow, this is by far the worst Final Fantasy game I have ever played and I've played every game from and including FF7, how it is scoring so high is beyond me. The only good thing I can say about it is that it looks incredible, and it does. It;s probably the best looking console game I've ever seen, but that is where the praise ends. Everything that was great about the franchise has been stripped out and replaced with either nothing at all or a bit pile of dumbed down blandness. The combat system is boring and shallow grind, meh is the perfect word to describe it. The world is a joke, it's just a series of corridors that you just have to keep grinding through. And when the world does open up (after 20 painfuly dull hours) it's just so underwhelming and WAY too little too late. Then theres the so called class levelling system, I say so called because in comparison to the FF games that came before it, not to mention every other RPG that you can buy today, it's beyond a joke. No real tactical choice can be made, just which of the available classes you want to spend your points in first. Even the camera controls suck ass, the crapness of this game go's all the way to the smallest detail, it's just that bad. If the developers were going fo a bland, grinding, boring JRPG with all of the awesomeness of the previous games removed and the memory of all that awesomeness completely shat on then the score of 8.3 is well deserved. The fact that this steaming pile of s**t is the first Final Fantasy game for this generation of consoles is just sad.… Expand
  13. BrettJ.
    Mar 12, 2010
    1
    I really dislike this game. For the comments related to this having some of the best graphics, you really need to go outside and play another game in your life, this must be your first one. Metal Gear Solid 4 which came out 2 years ago has better graphics, Killzone 2 last year has better. Crysis for PC came out 3 years ago has better... the list goes on and on. An extremely average I really dislike this game. For the comments related to this having some of the best graphics, you really need to go outside and play another game in your life, this must be your first one. Metal Gear Solid 4 which came out 2 years ago has better graphics, Killzone 2 last year has better. Crysis for PC came out 3 years ago has better... the list goes on and on. An extremely average graphics engine, nothing is going on in the environment, other than character models which look ok, everything looks generic and bland. A pathetically linear game for a jrpg. I have nothing against a linear game if its done well, but this is ridiculous for a game put into this genre. This is not a FF game. If it didn't have the name slapped on it, all these high scores would be no more than a 4. Blind love for the series is getting ridiculous. The battle system is ok, but it gets old. Unless your a 5 year old girl, you wont like the characters or plot (which is the same garbage we've seen 500 times before). Pass on this. It was only made for money, nothing more. I'm done with SquareEnix for good... there simply crap. Bioware can have my money now.… Expand
  14. JohnJ
    Mar 12, 2010
    3
    FF 13 does a great job of playing itself. The developers leave absolutely no room for the gamer to take ownership of the beautiful world they created. Graphics are the only positive. Story is average. Gameplay is absolutely terrible. As a long-time FF fan, I do not expect it to possess the open ended Fallout 3 or Mass Effect style. But the groupthink developers completely dropped the ball FF 13 does a great job of playing itself. The developers leave absolutely no room for the gamer to take ownership of the beautiful world they created. Graphics are the only positive. Story is average. Gameplay is absolutely terrible. As a long-time FF fan, I do not expect it to possess the open ended Fallout 3 or Mass Effect style. But the groupthink developers completely dropped the ball this time around. They must have been supremely confident in their vision of the game, because they leave no room for anyone else to jump into the fun.… Expand
  15. JimmyC
    Mar 15, 2010
    3
    Most of the reviewers have already narrowed it down but I needed to vent my frustrations for the game to more than just my wife who could care less about my video games so here it goes. The exploration is a joke. You run down corridors fighting packs of monsters trying to get in a pre-emptive strike over and over again. Battles consist of figuring out the right tactic for the right Most of the reviewers have already narrowed it down but I needed to vent my frustrations for the game to more than just my wife who could care less about my video games so here it goes. The exploration is a joke. You run down corridors fighting packs of monsters trying to get in a pre-emptive strike over and over again. Battles consist of figuring out the right tactic for the right monster and switching up your healer when your health is low. Eidolons are outrageously hideous but they are fun to use and fight with. The characters in the game are so insanely over-the-top anime cliche that I couldn't play the game after Vanille joined my party. I only played a few hours but I have never been so disappointed in my life at a video game besides possibly Fable 2. Anyway, trading it in today on God of War 3. The whole game was awful.… Expand
  16. HerrS
    Mar 17, 2010
    3
    Just a turd dressed in a very expensive and fancy dress, visually stunning, FMV's are mind blowing, but thats about it. No character development, or too much(Whine whine its hopeless). Characters are based of Anime sterotypes (The annoying 'I cant be bothered to watch this' kind.), No proper towns or sidequests till late in the game is a glaring oversight for any RPG that Just a turd dressed in a very expensive and fancy dress, visually stunning, FMV's are mind blowing, but thats about it. No character development, or too much(Whine whine its hopeless). Characters are based of Anime sterotypes (The annoying 'I cant be bothered to watch this' kind.), No proper towns or sidequests till late in the game is a glaring oversight for any RPG that wants to actually invite the player in and encompass them into the game world. They should of just re-made FF7 to be brutally honest.… Expand
  17. RyanK
    Mar 16, 2010
    3
    One of the worst RPGs I've ever played. Boring, poorly written, and terribly paced. The only grace is pretty graphics, but if you want pretty graphics only, then look out your window for free! The gaming press is easily fooled into thinking that nice graphics mean a quality game. As usual only Wired, Edge and Destructoid look at a game through an adults critical perspective. The One of the worst RPGs I've ever played. Boring, poorly written, and terribly paced. The only grace is pretty graphics, but if you want pretty graphics only, then look out your window for free! The gaming press is easily fooled into thinking that nice graphics mean a quality game. As usual only Wired, Edge and Destructoid look at a game through an adults critical perspective. The others may as well have been written by children dazzled by colorful lights.… Expand
  18. MattiasP
    Mar 14, 2010
    3
    I really, really wanted to like this game. But after 13 hours of play I finally gave up and threw away my controller in disgust. FFXIII is the worst title in the series and possibly the worst game I've played in ages, and that's saying something considering I've played most of the previous Final Fantasy titles and enjoyed them immensely . No amount of pretty graphics can I really, really wanted to like this game. But after 13 hours of play I finally gave up and threw away my controller in disgust. FFXIII is the worst title in the series and possibly the worst game I've played in ages, and that's saying something considering I've played most of the previous Final Fantasy titles and enjoyed them immensely . No amount of pretty graphics can hide the fact that FFXIII is a tedious, shallow and linear game that flounders in its own horrible game design. While the Final Fantasy games have always been linear by nature, FFXIII takes this to an entire new level. 90% of the time you just run along a single corridor or path, moving from point A to B, fighting monsters along the way. At point B either fight a boss or see a cutscene/cinematic. If that wasn't bad enough the new combat system is downright horrible. While there are a new interesting ideas (such as Paradigms and Staggering), they are sadly so badly implemented that the final thing makes you want to cry. For the majority of the fights you'll only use two or three of the available Paradigm roles, making the majority of them extremely underused. In addition, the game automatically controls your companions and most attacks can be automated through auto-chaining. The game does such a good job at this that for the most time you can win simply pressing the X button at all times. The combat ends up as a tedious, dumbed down affair that feels more like some kind of Tekken game. Heck, even your summons (Eidelons) are controlled by different controller combinations, like special moves. I get the feeling that Square Enix wanted to create a more action paced system suited for a new generation of idiot gamers used to 1st person shooters. Tactics and brains are not required. If that wasn't bad enough, the story moves at a snails pace. Even after 13 hours nothing of interest has happened except for some boring flashbacks. No interesting plot twists, villains or events. It's more fun to watch paint dry. The characters are also for the most pretty uninspiring. Lightning feels like a female copy of Cloud or Squall from the previous titles. Vanille is so damn annoying that I wanted to bash her brains in and toss her cold, dead body from a cliff. Suffering hours of her silly giggling and overly cutesy voice made me grind my teeth. The only character I did like was Sazh, perhaps because he doesn't come across as so convoluted. However, the major problem with FFXIII is not what's there. It's what's missing. Square threw away everything that makes a good roleplaying game. In fact, I can't even call FFXIII a roleplaying game. It's more like a cinematic fighting game, and a bad one at that. There are no towns to explore. No buildings to poke around in. No silly or interesting NPCs to talk to. No mini-games. No really well-hidden secrets. Nothing. The game feels shallow, empty, void. So barren and desolate that the pretty graphics are more like window dressing rather than something that could immerse you into an interesting world. Since I can't really interact with the world in any real sense it ultimately also means that I don't care for it. What made the previous titles so engaging compared to FFXIII is that they immersed you into the world, the protagonists and the plot in such a grand way that you felt part of it. FFXIII makes me feel disengaged from the world of Cocoon, like I'm some kind of voyeur. The world is abstracted into tiny details that end up being explained in the games Datalog. FFXIII may look pretty, sound great and it will dazzle you with its cinematics. But in the end it's like eating cotton candy. All sugar, but no filling.… Expand
  19. ChristopherC.
    Mar 14, 2010
    4
    How oh how in the world could any self-respecting Final Fantasy Fan call this hyperactive/repetitive action mess a true Final Fantasy game? This game has nothing of the deep heart-felt aspects that have always defined the Final Fantasy series, slowly bringing you into the world and story and characters so that you never want to ever leave. I'm afraid this is the death-knell for the How oh how in the world could any self-respecting Final Fantasy Fan call this hyperactive/repetitive action mess a true Final Fantasy game? This game has nothing of the deep heart-felt aspects that have always defined the Final Fantasy series, slowly bringing you into the world and story and characters so that you never want to ever leave. I'm afraid this is the death-knell for the series, and the trend of most video games in general. It is as if the developers now think that just throwing more hyper-kinetic activity at the player will hold the gamer's attention (especially if the little young gamer's Ritalin is wearing off. Heaven forbid they should have a moment to look around and absorb the nuances of the game, we might lose their MTV attention span.) Or, let's give them better graphics and that will make up for the lack of any real substance. I'm convinced that if there is a smart developer out there who's listening, try putting out an old-school graphic game but with a story and world that Square-Enix has now lost their way to create. You will make bank now that Final Fantasy is giving up the mold that first put them on the map and gave them their repected reputation (mostly Square). Hell, I can go back and play not only old-school FF but Grandia or Zelda and have WAY more fun than what passes for a fantasy RPG on the new generation consoles. Somebody please capatilize on Square-Enix's folly! Final Fantasy is about wanting to spend more time in the Final Fantasy world, but there is NOTHING about this game that will make you truly care about the characters or stories. Besides the major mistake of trying to build drama through flashbacks; which any writer will tell you is not the most effective way to build character sympathy, through exposition and the characters having to explain themselves and their motives; but the folklore of the world itself is BORING despite what other reviewers are claiming. Taken objectively, after every cutscene/character interaction, the upshot of the whole drama was dully repeated with the phrase, "We are enemies of Cocoon." Boring, and nothing epic here, unless you want to geek out debating the difference between a Fal'cie and and L'cie (I don't even care about the spelling!) However and above all, the worst offense this game puts on the true Final Fantasy Fan is the inability for the player to feel a true part of the experience. You cannot explore, interact (unless you call standing in front of a NPC and listening to them rattle on as interactive), cannot shop and customize to a "feel-able" degree, and CANNOT EXPERIENCE THAT YOU ARE TRULY POWERFUL AS YOU GAIN NEW SKILLS/MAGIC/STRENGTH. In a true Final Fantasy game you level up and then get to go try out your new power and revel in all your awesomeness. In this waste slapped with a number 13, the action takes precedence and is so fast you cannot tell if your leveling up really made any difference at all and definitely does not contribute to any real strategy. I just gained the skill to do such and such, why can't I sit back and SEE IT! (Yes, I know you get to see Launch, one of the few, but it grows beyond tiresome after the thousand's time.) The music, which to me is intergral to the Final Fantasy experience, and I own every soundtrack available, is as throw-away as a meal at a fast food restaurant, enjoyable for a moment and then entirely forgettable. For those of you who felt FF had lost it's beating heart with 12, and the wooden, expressionless, character-less Vaan, just standing there like a dork, this lack of heart applies to the Brittany Spears pop soundtrack of 13. I remember creating multiple save points on my old systems to go back and re-watch/enjoy the cut-scenes and music, not this time. I know I was ruined for future FF games, for despite all it's flaws, FF 10 was the first RPG I had experienced. Bear with me those of you who hated on 10, you cannot deny that it had heart. It is one of less than a handful number of games that has actually brought tears to player's eyes because the game knew how to hook the player emotionally. Final Fantasy without the emotion is not Final Fantasy. Period. If this game had come out from a different developer and under a different name, I would maybe rate it a 6 for technical achievements such as the graphics and lip-synching to English audiences, that is objectively impressive. But, those of us who have played all of the previous games and supported the Final Fantasy series for years, we may be witnessing the destruction of what made the games so unique, powerful, and worth waiting years for them to release in the West. Now there is talk from the developers about the interest in a FF13-2 which is probably all we have to look forward to as well as more multiplayer online stuff. Do any of the true fans remember not being able to wait to get home and fire up the console to go back to that FF world that was so incredible you stayed up all night and went to work the next day without sleeping? That has been lost somewhere along the way in trying to out develop other developers with graphics, gore, bust-lines that bounce realistically, and anything else they think will appeal to the kids that have to use Mom or Dad's credit card to pre-order their games. Last thing I wish to say, if you are a true Final Fantasy Fan, be careful about supporting this game with such high rankings because you are voting with Square-Enix to give up what made Final Fantasy so special. Hell, even Advent Children was emotionally touching. Please don't support the execs deciding what we want to see in future FF games. Think about it. I encourage all who agree to also write and vote in the hopes that maybe somebody who can make a difference, either within Square-Enix or another rogue developer who wants to grab for the carrot of a true fantasy RPG that we have not so far seen on the next generation consoles, will see it and make a difference. Peace.… Expand
  20. IsaacS
    Mar 14, 2010
    3
    Bad points: Chaotic combat system halfway between action and turns, totally linear, absolutely no sidequests except some "hunting" missions, no relevant NPCs, no cities, no exploration, cliched characters, hours and hours of cutscenes. Good points: Good graphics, sorta good story. This is not my Final Fantasy, this game is just the peak of current generation problems: Nice graphics, bad Bad points: Chaotic combat system halfway between action and turns, totally linear, absolutely no sidequests except some "hunting" missions, no relevant NPCs, no cities, no exploration, cliched characters, hours and hours of cutscenes. Good points: Good graphics, sorta good story. This is not my Final Fantasy, this game is just the peak of current generation problems: Nice graphics, bad everithing else. Totally not recommended unless you like 60 hour movies.… Expand
  21. IanA
    Mar 9, 2010
    0
    Worst first hour of gameplay ever. The dissapointment of realizing that shops were relegated to save points and that until I finish all the achievements and sell this thing back to some other unlucky sod I'd be going through endless, tedious dungeon crawling through an overly-detalied superficial coating of glitter and polish on a long, dark tunnel of shite. The battle system has Worst first hour of gameplay ever. The dissapointment of realizing that shops were relegated to save points and that until I finish all the achievements and sell this thing back to some other unlucky sod I'd be going through endless, tedious dungeon crawling through an overly-detalied superficial coating of glitter and polish on a long, dark tunnel of shite. The battle system has been completely dumbed down in favor of "simplifying and streamlining" combat which critics praise as "thrilling" and I call boring. I'm sure in the next game not only will party members be AI, but so will the lead character, towns will continue to be absent and all dungeon exploration will be automatically enabled so that all the player has to do is push the power button and just watch the computer play itself. The developers seemed to have realized how terribly pointless the battles have become, what with the lack of levelling and re-hash of X's sphere grid as done by a control freak with Down Syndrom, and so enable the player to completely sneak by a great deal of enemies and offer rewards by way of the new rank system for getting the fight over with as quickly as possible. The voice acting has a strong mix of barely competent and terribly irritating, the game over screen is a lie becuase it just re-starts you right at the beginning of the last initiated battle, and the terribly unrelateable characters all have silly names that, while totally acceptable to a Japanese culture, suffer something terrible in translation to a western audience. As much as I kept waiting for an orgasmic "O WAIT, THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!" moment I'm sad to say that it never came (hurr hurr) and that I won't be darkening my shelf with this game much longer. If you're a fan of JRPG's in the style of Druaga you might find some appeal here, but for fans of the series as a whole or the wider array of JRPGs just give it a miss and dig out your old copy of Suikoden and tell yourself that game developers will get it right again, some day. Until then, Avatar syndrom will keep its hold on everything; as long as its pretty enough or have a long-standing franchise (LOOKING AT YOU, SQUARE-ENIX) you can have a boring a plot and as stupid a cast of characters as you like and people will buy it.… Expand
  22. AdabrianA
    Mar 13, 2010
    0
    This game would be a 5/10 actually but the lack of soul, the terrible character designs, the ridiculous adolescent plot, the linear and boring gameplay, and everything else on a game with the Final Fantasy pedigree deserves a zero. XII with all its faults, was way better than this. Stay away if you are mentally older than a insecure 16 year teenager or you will despise this game.
  23. Bradan
    Jun 26, 2013
    4
    I'm a bit biased because I'm a FF fanboy but I dont think it's as bad as people make it out to be, but it's still pretty bad. But before I start a review a bit of a warning: DONT TOUCH THIS GAME IF YOU PLAN ON PLAYING IT ON XBOX. It takes the tiny bit of enjoyability out of the game. The reason? It's not in HD. The box claims it is but thats a lie. Here's a link to an explanation:I'm a bit biased because I'm a FF fanboy but I dont think it's as bad as people make it out to be, but it's still pretty bad. But before I start a review a bit of a warning: DONT TOUCH THIS GAME IF YOU PLAN ON PLAYING IT ON XBOX. It takes the tiny bit of enjoyability out of the game. The reason? It's not in HD. The box claims it is but thats a lie. Here's a link to an explanation: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-final-fantasy-xiii-face-off

    The ps3 version easily contains the greatest cutscene graphics I've ever seen in a video game. As for everything else....its pretty bad. I enjoyed the story and managed to suck up the awful battle system to continue with the story but it really is the only redeeming quality other than the cutscenes. But therein lies the problem, you must first suffer through the battle system to experience the story. Actually, calling it a battle system is unfair. It's not a battle system it's an interactive cutscene where you just mash the X button. Square added an "auto battle" button which essentially ruins the point of playing a video game. You're not really playing the game, the game is playing itself.    … Expand
  24. BillG.
    Mar 16, 2010
    0
    Just beat this game, and I want my money back. I have played almost all Final fantasy games, and this by far is the worst. It's a Linear tunnel crawler, with cut scenes. I Never got that "Involved Feeling" with this Final Fantasy. By the end of the game I just wanted to finish it, and get it over with. It kind of makes me sad that Square Enix would do this to us.
  25. risky
    May 15, 2012
    2
    Final Fantasy 13 is a real disappointment. The characters are despicable and flat. Actually, if you would take a typical JRPG character, peel away all the game-specific personalization, cast some cheesy american voice actors and put on some typical japanese RPG clothes, you would end up with the characters of FF13.

    The story linearity is so frustrating you're ending up hitting X    Final Fantasy 13 is a real disappointment. The characters are despicable and flat. Actually, if you would take a typical JRPG character, peel away all the game-specific personalization, cast some cheesy american voice actors and put on some typical japanese RPG clothes, you would end up with the characters of FF13.

    The story linearity is so frustrating you're ending up hitting X frenetically to get by the battles just to see if there's something else at the end of the tunnel. But there isn't. The voice acting is depressing and unrealistic, the satiric FF humor is completely gone and there's no sign of trivia nor exciting hidden quests nor interesting plots besides the main one. Sure, the graphics are stunning at first and the battle sequences really look gorgeous, but it's all emptied out during the first gaming hour and you end up on some kind rave from the 90s where absolutely everything glows, twinkles and sparks, leaving absolutely no surprises visually.

    The only positive thing with Final Fantasy XIII is that the next installment (besides FF13-2) will be better. Really, this is feels like something put together just to show off what the crystal tools for PS3 are capable of.    … Expand
  26. CoreyB
    Mar 24, 2010
    1
    I have played and loved all the Final Fantasy games since FF7 (with the exception of FF11). The series has long been the gold-standard in the JRPG genre; it's one of the few series where I am willing to buy the game the day it comes out without checking any reviews. All this is to say I'm biased towards liking any Final Fantasy and being forgiving towards the series flaws. Yet, I have played and loved all the Final Fantasy games since FF7 (with the exception of FF11). The series has long been the gold-standard in the JRPG genre; it's one of the few series where I am willing to buy the game the day it comes out without checking any reviews. All this is to say I'm biased towards liking any Final Fantasy and being forgiving towards the series flaws. Yet, despite this, all I can say is that FF13 is an incredible disappointment. While all the Final Fantasy games have been somewhat linear, FF13's linearity is oppressive. The battle system is awful; it involves no strategy, you don't even choose the specific attacks 95% of the time. The story is melodramatic, cliched, and completely unengaging. The characters are static and impossible to like. The only thing going for this game is the gorgeous graphics. All in all, this is an abomination that does not deserve the title of Final Fantasy. Absolutely awful.… Expand
  27. MarcusB.
    Apr 16, 2010
    3
    Notice that in Gaming Ages's Review they gave it 100, but none of it was about the gameplay Ok the graphics were great, and the normal battle theme was awesome. That's it, that's where i my praise ends for this game. They tried their best to cover up cliche character choices. I'm gonna compare it to the Tales of Series, partly because Tales of is good and also because Notice that in Gaming Ages's Review they gave it 100, but none of it was about the gameplay Ok the graphics were great, and the normal battle theme was awesome. That's it, that's where i my praise ends for this game. They tried their best to cover up cliche character choices. I'm gonna compare it to the Tales of Series, partly because Tales of is good and also because it is nearly diametrically opposed to every FF has. In Tales of they use many character cliches that FF has, but they do interesting things with the cliches, not cover them up. Pre-emptive Strick completely broke the battle system in most cases. This game got as close to being the Real time battle system as possible without being the same. When i heard about Final Fantasy having a real time battle system i was genuinely hyped, it ment i could start enjoying those graphics as i "controlled" the character instead of just issuing orders. But it turned out it was just the ATB system with a real time element. i.e ATB but you run over to hit them... I lost all hope in this game, ATB system ment i had to wait even more to attack and why the f*ck can't i start queuing my next attacks while i'm doing my current attack. The menu also decides to wait a menacing second each time i open something to fade it in or move it over to the middle. Tales of's menus left me mastering them so much i could fully change all the skills my characters were using and completely change are strategy we used in 20 seconds. Why can't i change the abilities my teammates use, i really hated it when my npc's would use magic phys attacks with magic attacks when the enemy has phys resist... STOP FOCUSING ON GRAPHICS PLEASE. PLEASE. I BEG OF YOU.… Expand
  28. JoshB
    Apr 26, 2010
    3
    Do you want to see what Final Fantasy would be if it was one of the most frustrating, boring, and underachieving games of all time. Look no further than Final Fantasy XIII. Sure the graphics are fantastic but that does not mean squat if you change everything else about the franchise that is great and make it all inferior. Thank you for ruining Final Fantasy and making me waste my money on Do you want to see what Final Fantasy would be if it was one of the most frustrating, boring, and underachieving games of all time. Look no further than Final Fantasy XIII. Sure the graphics are fantastic but that does not mean squat if you change everything else about the franchise that is great and make it all inferior. Thank you for ruining Final Fantasy and making me waste my money on what I thought was going to be a quality product. Opening up the exploration at Chapter 11 is pathetic and I am just glad I could sell this back before I waste any more time getting to that point.… Expand
  29. Breck
    Mar 11, 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
  30. Camille
    Jun 30, 2013
    1
    It just isn't very fun I'm afraid. Very linear and rather dull. The world is lovely but I cannot explore. The story is interesting but it's hidden in the datalog while the game focuses obsessively on a bunch of characters shouting about the same things over and over again. The gameplay looks great but all I am doing is watching it. It's like the game doesn't want me as a player. Give thisIt just isn't very fun I'm afraid. Very linear and rather dull. The world is lovely but I cannot explore. The story is interesting but it's hidden in the datalog while the game focuses obsessively on a bunch of characters shouting about the same things over and over again. The gameplay looks great but all I am doing is watching it. It's like the game doesn't want me as a player. Give this once great series a break and just go and make films SE.… Expand
  31. Cid_Highwind
    May 26, 2013
    0
    It doesn't matter who are you FF fan or not, this game sux anyway. Press X to win gameplay, boring storyline, uninteresting characters, terrible soundtrack... Yeah, CG amazing but i play games, not CG.
  32. ChadS
    Mar 13, 2010
    0
    "..." is what comes to mind. I have played every FF game since nirmal nintendo. I think I wactehd the trailer for this game a zillion times and read everything leading up to its release which i had on pre-order of course and bought the collectors edtion game guide. that being saif, i could not of been more disapointed in my life. The intro seemd promising with you fighting a seemingly "..." is what comes to mind. I have played every FF game since nirmal nintendo. I think I wactehd the trailer for this game a zillion times and read everything leading up to its release which i had on pre-order of course and bought the collectors edtion game guide. that being saif, i could not of been more disapointed in my life. The intro seemd promising with you fighting a seemingly cool epic kinda boss, although of course super easy to win it gave me a pleasure shiver juting thinking of what was to come next. well what came next was 25+ hours of the most boring story ever with the most annoying characters ever. lighting is the only char worth caring about. The other 5 just wine and complain and do stupid annoying things common to anime. this game might of well been a 2d side scoller cause that is what it is a linear p.o.s. suureeeee it looks good but so does any game for a next gen console if it isnt made by r-tards. now the battle system. what battle system? you mean the one click system, one char system??? and witht he paradimes every char basicially becomes the same. only some are a lil bit better in a role than others they all have the same moves and can be substitued with anyone else whcih u can't until chapter 10 of 13 WTFFFFFFFFF. OH yeah and the worst thing about this money sucking succubus of a game is that 90% of it is played with only TWO CHARACTERS!! wow i mean at least let the game be 2 player if your going to screw me out of a party system which is a conrer stone of any FF game. PLEASE STOP RATING THIS GAME 8+ JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE IN BED WITH THE COMPANY (like most of the online review sites) OR A BLIND FAN BOY!!!!! dont even rent this game cause it will just waste your weekend b4 u get to the good parts and have to take the game back. Id pay around 4$ for this crap.… Expand
  33. Abstractpurpose
    Oct 30, 2012
    3
    Here is a game riding in on all the fame and glory of the final fantasy series. A legedary rpg franchise with core elements weve come to expect. Towns with npcs stores with weapons and gear not to mention the large story and history filled worlds.....all of which are absent from this entry. Only having controll of 1 character is the first of my dissapointments followed immediately by theHere is a game riding in on all the fame and glory of the final fantasy series. A legedary rpg franchise with core elements weve come to expect. Towns with npcs stores with weapons and gear not to mention the large story and history filled worlds.....all of which are absent from this entry. Only having controll of 1 character is the first of my dissapointments followed immediately by the healing after every battle factor. In past games youd stock up on phoenix downs potio.s and ether before setting out giving it the true feeling of a journy to come. This game simply heals you entirely after winning the fight which is a serious downgrade to the nature of the game. Next is the summons being transformers.... And of course the fact that the game is 1 set path with no towns or npcs. All stores are on the save cubes making it feel more like shopping at amazon than an ff game. These are just basic rpg elements to emmerse you in the world but dont exist at all here. I wonder how many people noticed that various soundtracks from every ff game ever made were absent as well. The story was ok but several enemies that looked to be interesting only showed up once removing the feeling of having that non final boss arch enemy. Another dumb down factor us paradigm shift. In previous games the class system provided you with the meens to build or use prebuilt classes so you coukd structure the most efficient team. However with paradigm shift everyone can be every class all at the flick of a button mid fight. The combat system LITTERALLY plays itself. Set everyone to ravager and stagger the enemy then switch to assult and kill them. This meens boss fights can be won without looking at the screen when rotating between the 2 with a full medic paradigm in between. Auto attack lets your character do the most effective attacks without you ever even having to think. The game has lost all the rpg elements created a combat system that requires no thought a healing system removing the need to stock items and the lack of a mana bar to pay attention too. Its the perfect final fantasy for any 2nd grader with downsyndrom… Expand
  34. NoneNone
    Apr 9, 2010
    4
    More of an action game than an RPG. No exploration. Very guided character building. Extremely linear "hallway" maps. Poor storytelling and writing. You'll need to read the volumes of text in the in-game database to have even a basic understanding of the story. The battle system is the only the developers seemed to have spent time on gameplay-wise. You'll be fighting battle More of an action game than an RPG. No exploration. Very guided character building. Extremely linear "hallway" maps. Poor storytelling and writing. You'll need to read the volumes of text in the in-game database to have even a basic understanding of the story. The battle system is the only the developers seemed to have spent time on gameplay-wise. You'll be fighting battle incessantly from beginning to end. Overall, a poor outing. Would have worked better as a 9-hour action game than a 40-hour epic since the game's only strength is the battle-system.… Expand
  35. RyanM
    Mar 30, 2010
    4
    I've played the game to completion over 60 hours. What an irritating mess. The characters are all terrible and horribly translated from Japanese (unless they sucked this bad in the JP version too). Why does every character have to either grunt, sigh, or moan while onscreen? Why can my group of 3 take down a 20 ft tall turtle monster, but in the following cutscene they walk ten steps I've played the game to completion over 60 hours. What an irritating mess. The characters are all terrible and horribly translated from Japanese (unless they sucked this bad in the JP version too). Why does every character have to either grunt, sigh, or moan while onscreen? Why can my group of 3 take down a 20 ft tall turtle monster, but in the following cutscene they walk ten steps and are all out of breath. This game sounds like a porno if you're just listening to the characters voice tracks. The writing is horrid, I never want to hear the words L'Cie, Fal'Cie, Pulse, Cocoon, or Focus, ever again. On top of all that, the sound effect they use for the characters footsteps is way too loud and is the identical sound for all characters and the same for all surfaces. It sounds like a minor gripe I guess, but you'll be listening to the same sound on repeat for 60 hours (well maybe 40 hours if you subtract all the non-interactive scenes). You do nothing but press the X button for the first ten hours. After that a reasonably designed combat system is slowly introduced to you like you're some kind of retard who's never played a game before. Seriously, there have been 12 other FF games, half the fun is figuring out the battle system. I'd give the actual gameplay elements a 7 or 8 because of the beautiful presentation, but the "Movie" part of the game drags it down to a 4. This is a terrible, poorly translated, nonsensical, anime with very pretty graphics. I've played every FF game since FF2 on the SNES and I've never been so generally annoyed by FF characters. There is no point in the story where you're given any reason to care about any of them. You never give a shit about the Cocoon they're trying to save, it seems like a crappy place full of d-bags. I'd blow it up and go live on Pulse, at least I'd get to wander around and hunt monsters there. In summary, this game is a beautiful mess. It's an ok linear J-RPG stuck to a conceptually interesting story with the worst characters and voice acting since Resident Evil 1 (Ok, maybe not that bad, but...). A lot of the action you'll be watching is completely out of your control and is extraneous to the story and the characters. It's like they had a rough outline of a story, then the art department made a bunch of cool cutscenes, monsters, and character models, then they tried to fill in the gaps with a hackneyed script and linear stitched together dungeons. Easily the worst FF I've ever played.… Expand
  36. ChrisJ
    Mar 28, 2010
    3
    Yes Square, I understand your intentions for making the game linear. I just don't understand why'd you have to make it so crappy. Graphics are great (the UI especially), music is OK (far from the best). The overall story seems good, but the characters are trite and all dumbasses. I don't care about the world because I'm not exploring it. Hitting X over and over and Yes Square, I understand your intentions for making the game linear. I just don't understand why'd you have to make it so crappy. Graphics are great (the UI especially), music is OK (far from the best). The overall story seems good, but the characters are trite and all dumbasses. I don't care about the world because I'm not exploring it. Hitting X over and over and maybe the left bumper once and a while is hardly groundbreaking. and I wouldn't mind grinding if I had other stuff in the game to do! This is a disaster of a Final Fantasy! Like another poster stated, BioWare is doing things right.… Expand
  37. G1
    Apr 13, 2010
    1
    It's sad to see how far the genre has fallen. To think that over 10 years ago, in FF7, you had romance minigames and a worldmap, and now I have a single corridor to run down and grind through monsters.The entire game is an on-rails collection of fights followed by cutscenes where one character is feeling emo/depressed, and the other (usually younger) gives them a pep talk. Character It's sad to see how far the genre has fallen. To think that over 10 years ago, in FF7, you had romance minigames and a worldmap, and now I have a single corridor to run down and grind through monsters.The entire game is an on-rails collection of fights followed by cutscenes where one character is feeling emo/depressed, and the other (usually younger) gives them a pep talk. Character gets depressed/angry, then broods throughout most of the level, and finally a pep talk at the end of the level.The story, dialogue, and characters are like a bad anime.… Expand
  38. Gamepro3093
    Nov 27, 2020
    0
    A massive disappointment back when it released and still one to this day. There’s practically nothing to like here. The characters are annoying and badly written, the world design is bland and boring, the battle system is badly designed and so on. To date, this is the only Final Fantasy game I ever returned after buying it new. It was unfortunately a casualty of the early end of the 7thA massive disappointment back when it released and still one to this day. There’s practically nothing to like here. The characters are annoying and badly written, the world design is bland and boring, the battle system is badly designed and so on. To date, this is the only Final Fantasy game I ever returned after buying it new. It was unfortunately a casualty of the early end of the 7th generation of consoles, along with other disappointments like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto 4 due to the unnecessarily steep learning curve that came with the PS3 hardware and the way it made games more difficult to make and longer to make meaning that titles that would’ve probably been vastly superior were severely hampered and ended up being frankly **** Fortunately Final Fantasy 15 made up for this disaster.… Expand
  39. TriforceGem
    Mar 29, 2021
    3
    I have been a Final Fantasy fan for a long time. I pointedly ignored the FF13 franchise when it was being touted as the "Fabula Nova Crystallis." It was obvious they were trying to find the same success as the FF7 franchise and all the games and media around that story.

    I decided, after returning to FF12 and completing it, to give FF13 a try. I gave it a good long try, 29 hours, and I    I have been a Final Fantasy fan for a long time. I pointedly ignored the FF13 franchise when it was being touted as the "Fabula Nova Crystallis." It was obvious they were trying to find the same success as the FF7 franchise and all the games and media around that story.

    I decided, after returning to FF12 and completing it, to give FF13 a try. I gave it a good long try, 29 hours, and I finally realized what this game is: a multi-million dollar auto-battler. Hallway fights. Cool upgrades/leveling, but extremely grindy to get anywhere decent (especially with the items, holy crap). Story, unimportant and boring. I want to like this game, but I found myself, eyes glazing over, thinking "no one cares" while story dialog happened. I will not finish it. It is just so boring and the story is just monotonous exposition and data logs.

    What a terrible game.    … Expand
  40. cloudvalentine7
    May 25, 2021
    0
    Final Fantasy honestly quit being Final Fantasy after the 9th edition! The stories are all now hard to follow, the characters all have boring personalities, you no longer get to interact with non playable characters, you don't get to explore the creative fantasy worlds using airplanes or even submarines, you don't get to farm and upgrade the Chocobos and search for the greatest weapons inFinal Fantasy honestly quit being Final Fantasy after the 9th edition! The stories are all now hard to follow, the characters all have boring personalities, you no longer get to interact with non playable characters, you don't get to explore the creative fantasy worlds using airplanes or even submarines, you don't get to farm and upgrade the Chocobos and search for the greatest weapons in the fantasy worlds. The Final Fantasy Games have been demolished into a playable, horrible, boring, movie. We used to have interesting Characters with unique and sometimes distant personalities. In some cases, you could even recruit optional characters such as Yuffie from the FFVII edition! And Cloud's actions could land him on a date with various characters which was humorous and made for interesting gameplay. Final Fantasy, you simply ended after the 9th edition! I'm not spending another buck on you!… Expand
  41. Avsky
    Apr 11, 2010
    2
    Not since "Two Worlds" has a game left me feeling like my money would have been spent contracting herpes. This game is merely a battle mechanic wrapped around a horribly pathetic and flat story, filled with ridiculously flat characters I have no desire to identify with, not that the developer gives you a reason to do so in the first place. There is no depth to either the characters OR the Not since "Two Worlds" has a game left me feeling like my money would have been spent contracting herpes. This game is merely a battle mechanic wrapped around a horribly pathetic and flat story, filled with ridiculously flat characters I have no desire to identify with, not that the developer gives you a reason to do so in the first place. There is no depth to either the characters OR the story. The game is a linear as can be, removing pretty much any hint of player choice and customisation including the ability to choose your battle teams. The music is bland, the characters are bland... the only thing this game does right is offer a visual feast - but that alone can't carry a game.… Expand
  42. billc
    Mar 15, 2010
    0
    Right !! can anyone tell me where the heart is in this game? im yet to see it. now i may be on my own BUT isnt the point of a game to relax and have fun, be a "FUN pastime?" So far all this game has to offer is bad game play, The music is shocking! a battle system thats terrible... if your a old school gamer dont bother, if your a new age gamer that only cares about graphics and couldnt Right !! can anyone tell me where the heart is in this game? im yet to see it. now i may be on my own BUT isnt the point of a game to relax and have fun, be a "FUN pastime?" So far all this game has to offer is bad game play, The music is shocking! a battle system thats terrible... if your a old school gamer dont bother, if your a new age gamer that only cares about graphics and couldnt care if its a pile of crap, and you know no better, Then this games for you.… Expand
  43. EthanL
    Apr 3, 2010
    2
    This game had many great things going for it and a huge number of wonderful creative ideas and developmental risks that gave it such huge potential. But ultimately it had to be marked down as a huge disaster for one very simple reason. It seems to push the player to want to stop playing. The game takes forever to get anywhere, and the paths in between are littered with massive numbers of This game had many great things going for it and a huge number of wonderful creative ideas and developmental risks that gave it such huge potential. But ultimately it had to be marked down as a huge disaster for one very simple reason. It seems to push the player to want to stop playing. The game takes forever to get anywhere, and the paths in between are littered with massive numbers of pointless battles that serve only to slow down the game even further. And even if you get past all that once you figure out the convoluted systems. Once you get to anything remotely interesting, suddenly the game throws at you horribly impossible fights with no way guide or method to deal with them effectively. These become horrible experiences of torture where there is simply no way to progress without insane bonuses, micromanagement, and ridiculous item use.… Expand
  44. ArkonBlade
    Jul 12, 2011
    4
    i heard such mixed reviews from my friends and other on this game that i waited awhile to buy it and since sqaure's track record hasnt been very good lately on RPG's. the first thing ill say is wow the graphics are fantastic it looks amazing . then you start playing and you are like huh? what the hell is going on? and after 7 hours i was still asking myself that . the combat system justi heard such mixed reviews from my friends and other on this game that i waited awhile to buy it and since sqaure's track record hasnt been very good lately on RPG's. the first thing ill say is wow the graphics are fantastic it looks amazing . then you start playing and you are like huh? what the hell is going on? and after 7 hours i was still asking myself that . the combat system just sucked and sucked so hard . honetsly this makes FF8's combat system look kinda good . the ability to control only 1 charicter just burned me . when i play a RPG i want 100% control on what my party is doing . not i control the leader which by the way swiches up every 30 minuites and annoyed the living hell out of me and have my other 2 party members doing what they want. so what they have instead is this switch tactics mode which feels so very very very very very off and HORRABLE! i mean usaully i can get through a crappy combat system if the story is solid like FF8 i mean that combat system in that game sucked but the charicters and story are very well done and i could get past that . but after 7 hours of going WTF IS GOING ON!? i couldnt do it any more . i mean the charicters seemed like they might get intresting and they wernt badly voice acted at all but after 7 hours i just couldnt care any more .… Expand
  45. PlutoniumTiger
    Oct 23, 2010
    3
    You know I can understand why some people would see the Environmental linearity as a plus; it keeps the action rollicking along at a fair pace. Okay. Sure, I can accept that. But what I most certainly do not understand is how anyone could not take issue with (perhaps their Zombies?) the phased linearity of the character progression. No sane person would enjoy constantly using the same 3You know I can understand why some people would see the Environmental linearity as a plus; it keeps the action rollicking along at a fair pace. Okay. Sure, I can accept that. But what I most certainly do not understand is how anyone could not take issue with (perhaps their Zombies?) the phased linearity of the character progression. No sane person would enjoy constantly using the same 3 skills for hours.… Expand
  46. UUSKA
    Dec 25, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I tried hard to like this game but no, FF13 is meant for people who like movies where they can interact a little, if you like to play an j-rpg where you actually are holding the controls this isn't for you, this game was meant for people who decide oh golly what is on the television while hitting the x-button on the controller.
    Even though you can choose paradigm's later on it still has so little impact, there is no reason to do anything else than choose a good paradigm then auto-attack to win since it takes a lot longer to stack different attacks, and since the AA chooses the best ones automatically there is no need for that.

    Characters.... you hate almost everyone one of them since most of them are irritating and annoying, Hope is this whiny brat who is such a huge mama's boy, vanille is this girl who accidentally smashed his happy pills with depressants and hogged everything in. Snow is just a normal brute who got brain of an oyster. Now this is only 3 of the very boring.
    in conclusion they did character design wrong, i'm supposed to remember, but instead you gave me these champs that you want me to like but tried too hard.
    And the early part where hope see's his mom dropping to her death is not sad it is fu**** irritating first you see she is dropping hope is like NEJ! then after snow drops no biggie. in later of the game you can see hope blaming snow for killing his mom...... mind-blown... genius story telling.

    Story:
    They say you can forgive a lot of a game if it has a good story. I call bs on this one. I like a good story in a video game. I can forgive some story if the game-play is good and vice versa. but the problem is story is told so boringly. if they would throw me constantly with a flowing story i would appreciate it. Here it is part of a story followed by a loooooong and i mean LOOOOOOOOOOOONG corridor with nothing in it, you get baddies, some random lines, but there is no main plot inserted here. The only reason why there are long a** corridors is.... there is none. it feels like busy work. but on with that in a sec.
    so in the end. the story would maybe been good. but i just could not play long enough to enjoy it.

    Game-play:
    Simply.... there is none. As for roaming there is nothing. Only hallways, long hallways.
    Battle system? there is no challenge, all you do is hit x. but sometimes on boss battles you get a hard blow on your squad so what you do? if i remember right.. R1 up X X X X X R1 down X X X X... Repeat that for like 40 or 50 times and bam you win the boss battle. As i said there is no challenge, and boss battles don't differ in any way... Or maybe in one way. they are 100 times longer.

    In the end. you don't control the game, you just watch it from a distance ask if you can do anything you pat the game 3 times in the head and sit back.

    Overall:
    It delivers nothing, if you can see i typed something wrong on the details THAT is just because that is the impact this game has left me... absolutely nothing.
    In games i respect quality over quantity. I hate when there is little quality and so much useless content. Wonder where the 1 singer star comes from?
    There is nothing good in this game. characters are forgettable, story is told slowly, graphs were nothing extraordinary (dunno why people praise this game for graphs). music is horrible AND forgettable. Leveling up system is busy work, the interaction of merchants and shopkeeper's have been deleted. EVERYTHING i love bout j-rpg's is gone in this game. This is no j-rpg, this is an slightly interactive document, a boring one that is
    and the challenge is all gone, POOF TO THE GULAG, boss appears, you die. you did not save? no worries since there was a checkpoint 10 ft away and you can keep all your stuff and exp.....
    There is no penalty
    Wonder where the 1 point comes from?
    the 1 point comes from the battle themes violin part, i actually liked that. But i'm a sucker for violin played themes.

    So who can i recommend this movie? People who don't have anything ANYTHING at all to do.
    Retards
    Casual gamer's, those kinds of casual players who think solitaire is hardcore.    … Expand
  47. FogCityRoller
    Nov 26, 2015
    0
    Basically a joke of a Final Fantasy game. It should have been released as an expansion to a Mary Kate & Ashley adventure series. xxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooo
  48. GoogooG.
    Mar 25, 2010
    4
    Bought my PS2 and PS3 systems to play FF games.. just finished the game am am left with a decidable dirty taste in my mouth as if the Square team have just shoved a large phallic salami down my through and told me to swallow because this is good. im all for experimentation but this is just cud, yes spat out, reworked, Spat out and reworked one more time before final packaging. I remember Bought my PS2 and PS3 systems to play FF games.. just finished the game am am left with a decidable dirty taste in my mouth as if the Square team have just shoved a large phallic salami down my through and told me to swallow because this is good. im all for experimentation but this is just cud, yes spat out, reworked, Spat out and reworked one more time before final packaging. I remember seeing my first final fantasy game and being blown away, how it pushed the envelope it was jaw dropping , now i wouldnt drop my pants to piss on it . Yawn you lazy poor excuse for a FF development team. Battle system was interesting though .good job on that. next time maby we can interact with the world before being mindlessly thrown into battles or mindless running in straigth lines. Dear sqaure please rent some games that were made in the last 3 years and play them see if you can learn something called immersion either that or give me my money back.… Expand
  49. Caestus
    Mar 4, 2013
    3
    Unbelievable that SE released something like this. Its just going straight running from one cutscene to another and auto battling enemies. The story is not worth to mention, characters are annoying as hell and the soundtrack is the worst, that I ever heard in a Final Fantasy game. The graphics are not that bad though.
  50. Kendojosh
    Apr 18, 2013
    1
    Firstly, I am a Final Fantasy fanboy. Happy to hold up my hand to admit it. FFVII best game in the history of games.
    Secondly, before giving this a 1/10 I tried really hard to think of a reason to bump it to a 2 or 3, because I tend to see scores like this as being born of ill-considered hostility, rarely accurately reflecting the true quality of the game.
    In all of my 25 years of    Firstly, I am a Final Fantasy fanboy. Happy to hold up my hand to admit it. FFVII best game in the history of games.
    Secondly, before giving this a 1/10 I tried really hard to think of a reason to bump it to a 2 or 3, because I tend to see scores like this as being born of ill-considered hostility, rarely accurately reflecting the true quality of the game.
    In all of my 25 years of gaming I have never been so upset about a game in my life. I've been disappointed plenty of times. Aliens CM was disappointing. But FFXIII was damn upsetting. Probably because I'm such a series fanboy. I felt -angry- at Square for insulting the Final Fantasy brand with this piece of garbage.

    So, rant done, what is actually wrong with it? The problem with FFXIII is that it is the OPPOSITE of everything that was great about the rest of the series. The score I give it is applied with respect to how it stands among the great FFs that it SHAMES by taking their name.

    Great characters? Nope. We get vapid, shell-like stereotypes. These FF characters are PARODIES of those that have come before in the least humorous way possible.

    Great story-line? Nope. What story-line? The flimsy excuse for a narrative that this 'game' exposed me to for the 30 or so hours that I suffered through, hoping, excruciatingly, in vain that it would improve at some point never seemed to evolve or progress into anything more than a series of inane dialogues and sigh-inducing intermissions between running forwards and 'fighting' clutches of useless enemies (such is my love for the rest of the series that I sat, simmering with growing contempt, through 30 hours of what I can only describe as being like watching a seemingly never-ending scene of someone defecating on your childhood).

    Great battle system? The FF battle systems have been revolutionary. What does FFXIII give us? BUTTON MASHING. You will spend the first several hours running up to an enemy and mashing the A button. You'll win, you'll run a bit further, you'll mash that button some more. Rinse and repeat and repeat and repeat, and you keep hoping that as you gain more abilities, you'll be able to do more stuff, but somehow, someway, the button mashing never seems to end!!

    FFXIII gets the 1 point I can bring myself to award it because it is pretty. Well done, Square, you created the prettiest piece of trash capable of enraging me like this since my ex-wife.

    SO if you like platform games where you can't do anything but run at an enemy and jam that 'Action' button, and you like RPGs that don't let you go anywhere but forward, and you like story-lines that only make sense if you smoke a little sumtin-sumtin, and characters that make you care about them as much as the that live under your sink, then FFXIII is for you.    … Expand
  51. Vanbir
    Jan 16, 2011
    0
    Seriously one of the worst games I have ever played. Why would anyone want to play a game that involves pushing 1 button. On top of that the story line is very weak. Don't waste your money.
  52. Jho88
    Jul 14, 2011
    3
    This is definitely my least favorite final fantasy game, and I've played them all. I had previously felt that FF12 was a real let down, and playing this made me sincerely miss 12. It was that bad. None of the characters were interesting at all, Vanille was annoying as hell to listen to, the plot was not particularly interesting, nor was it told very well, and the music was not at allThis is definitely my least favorite final fantasy game, and I've played them all. I had previously felt that FF12 was a real let down, and playing this made me sincerely miss 12. It was that bad. None of the characters were interesting at all, Vanille was annoying as hell to listen to, the plot was not particularly interesting, nor was it told very well, and the music was not at all memorable (which to me is perhaps the biggest let-down since the music of the previous games was arguably the best part). There were no towns to explore, shops to visit, NPCs to interact with, side quests to perform, or other basic RPG elements. The leveling system was really dumb: the tried to give the illusion of choice by having a pathway with branches so you could either pick like HP+200 or Str+50 for example, but each branch was only 1-2 elements long, so it's not like you could choose different ways to specialize your characters. The battle system was horrible because you really couldn't tell what was going on. Often I would upgrade a weapon or learn a new spell and try to use it in battle to see how much damage it did, but there are so many numbers flying all over the place it was really hard to tell who was doing how much damage with what. It basically devolves into mashing 'X' and switching to a more defensive paradigm if you're getting hurt too much. For all final fantasy games until this one, when the game was over I felt sad for a little while, like I wished it would continue because I missed the characters and places. When this game ended, I was glad I would never have to touch it again. I felt like I had finished a homework assignment. "That's done, now I can go do something fun." Please don't waste your money on this crap, and don't let square enix think it's okay to butcher their series like this.… Expand
  53. ArcticZombie
    Nov 18, 2011
    3
    Industry leading graphics, really good music (minus that disgusting fruity-pie song that was "popular" for a bit), and some really great menus and options. But why the failing score? For starters; the cast is completely forgettable. The story is predictable and poorly dialogued. And the game is very much on rails most of the time. The inventory system overall feels overly-simplified.Industry leading graphics, really good music (minus that disgusting fruity-pie song that was "popular" for a bit), and some really great menus and options. But why the failing score? For starters; the cast is completely forgettable. The story is predictable and poorly dialogued. And the game is very much on rails most of the time. The inventory system overall feels overly-simplified. Actually, the main problem here is: everything essential about this game seems too streamlined and simplified. I've been hoping since FF8 that the series would grow in complexity and challenge, and offer me an even bigger open-world to explore. But what's happened is that SE is only interested in making things "more accessible" to gamers. In this case it shows. And it shows way too much. No open-worlds to explore, just graphics, graphics, graphics. A boring, cheesy, lame-charactered snore-fest that should have never been included in the Numbered Series of FF. Not where games (especially RPGs) should be headed. It's an interactive movie with battles tacked on, with a weak character building system and world. This game broke my faith in the franchise. The final nail in the coffin for me.… Expand
  54. DBZ19
    Nov 25, 2011
    0
    Like most negative reviewers i was deeply and utterly disappointed with this game. Looking at the amount of positive reviews this got, they just can not be true FFFs. I remember getting this game it was a friday (the day of release) i was extremely excited as i just purchased one of the greatest rpg series around. within 2-3 hours in i HATED it. I've played FF7-10 and within the said timeLike most negative reviewers i was deeply and utterly disappointed with this game. Looking at the amount of positive reviews this got, they just can not be true FFFs. I remember getting this game it was a friday (the day of release) i was extremely excited as i just purchased one of the greatest rpg series around. within 2-3 hours in i HATED it. I've played FF7-10 and within the said time i became completely immersed (read ChristopherC. reviews) in the final fantasy world, but not his rubbish. I hated the characters i couldn't careless about them, in fact i REALLY hoped (no pun intended) hope was killed in the most horrible way. His constant whining was giving me a headache and i still hear vanille's voice when i close my eyes. Also am i the person who felt that the characters DIDN'T actually look like there represented ages?? Snow looked AT LEAST 25+ and serah looked 12. It was disgusting to say the least and i just DIDN'T feel anything for them when serah turned to crystal/ice, i just didn't care at all.

    everything from summoning to battles was just out of place and disjointed. RPG is meant to immerse the player make them feel that they are they for the long haul and at the end you'd get a sense of happiness and enjoyment; that the world is now saved. how this game got such a high score when it is soo badly linear is beyond me i don't care how well presented the game FF is all about character development, rich graphics and a happy ending. this game has none of those.    … Expand
  55. Aquilla
    Jun 12, 2012
    1
    The characters are uninspiring, flat, and disappointing. They're a badly cobbled-together cookie-cutter Jrpg bunch, and in a way that does no credit to the genre. The world is nonsensical. SE clearly has the money to put out eye-popping visuals -- why not spend a bit more time and make a good story/compelling narrative/creative world? Instead, they gave us a rehashed plot with blow-upThe characters are uninspiring, flat, and disappointing. They're a badly cobbled-together cookie-cutter Jrpg bunch, and in a way that does no credit to the genre. The world is nonsensical. SE clearly has the money to put out eye-popping visuals -- why not spend a bit more time and make a good story/compelling narrative/creative world? Instead, they gave us a rehashed plot with blow-up dolls for characters. Disgusting and disappointing. If you're a FF fan, or a RPG fan: run from this game.… Expand
  56. scorched595
    Jan 16, 2013
    0
    The worst final fantasy game by a long shot. It is essentially a no surprises typical JRPG with the "goofy" characters, the angsty characters, and just the out right retarded characters. The gameplay is also your typical JRPG fair, just grind a **** ton until you win. The level design is just one huge **** corridor repeated over and over again with an occasional reskin, it may branch offThe worst final fantasy game by a long shot. It is essentially a no surprises typical JRPG with the "goofy" characters, the angsty characters, and just the out right retarded characters. The gameplay is also your typical JRPG fair, just grind a **** ton until you win. The level design is just one huge **** corridor repeated over and over again with an occasional reskin, it may branch off occasionally, but you hit a dead end and have to go back onto the corridor. The story is just outright stupid, and I won't even bother explaining it. Not to mention to keep up with the story you have to read a bunch of stupid journal entries, which is fine in small doses, but TO KEEP UP WITH THE PLOT?! **** that. And seriously? an 8.0 for this game? what horse **** it's probably from the final fantasy fanboys who have been spoon-fed the same bull**** for many years and that's all they want to eat now. This series is just dead, there is nothing redeeming about this series anymore, and there is nothing redeeming about the fanbase anymore either. Seriously, this review is gonna get downvoted to hell, all because of some raging fanboys who think "How DARE he insult this perfect game series", well, **** YOU, go back to masturbating to your creepy final fantasy porn, **** head… Expand
  57. MusicxxAddicted
    Sep 10, 2013
    3
    I only played it once, can't believe we had to wait for... how long? Oh yeah, FOUR YEARS to hear about a decent new FF game! This game makes me wonder why Squeenix made this the main title instead of Versus aka FFXV. This piece of sad gaming history is flung into the darkest corner of gaming history and will only be remembered for showing game designers how NOT to make games. As a cherryI only played it once, can't believe we had to wait for... how long? Oh yeah, FOUR YEARS to hear about a decent new FF game! This game makes me wonder why Squeenix made this the main title instead of Versus aka FFXV. This piece of sad gaming history is flung into the darkest corner of gaming history and will only be remembered for showing game designers how NOT to make games. As a cherry on top of this rotten pie *whispers* I was happy it was finally over.… Expand
  58. agentesupremo
    Sep 20, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. bad game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1… Expand
  59. jonathanM21
    Jan 3, 2011
    1
    Se claims the disappointment with this game is western audiences expecting open worlds. In truth this is a bad game even for JrPG and FF fans. So linear, confusing and boring story, battles that require you only to monitor classes if you wish, horrible characters...its all so bad. I want to love it but I can't . Skip this.
  60. Ignatius_Reilly
    Jun 29, 2011
    4
    Final Fantasy is dead. This game is proof. It's a boring slog through one long corridor with little to no attention from the player. Everything is dumbed down to the point where an 8 year old could beat it with both hands tied behind their back. The storyline is needlessly complicated and just non sensical and all of the characters are insufferable. The creative well at Square Enix hasFinal Fantasy is dead. This game is proof. It's a boring slog through one long corridor with little to no attention from the player. Everything is dumbed down to the point where an 8 year old could beat it with both hands tied behind their back. The storyline is needlessly complicated and just non sensical and all of the characters are insufferable. The creative well at Square Enix has been dry for a long time and this game shows it. Long gone is Sakaguchi and all that is left is a bunch of amateurs drowning in a kiddie pool. This series has become a joke.… Expand
  61. Onikami
    Aug 18, 2013
    0
    I've heard a lot of people harp on the complaint of the game being linear however this cannot be true as Final Fantasy X was very linear and achieve greatest, so why did this game utterly fail? There is nothing from with changing mechanics however Square changed their core engagement. Why do you play a Final Fantasy game over every other game?

    The two main element would be exploration    I've heard a lot of people harp on the complaint of the game being linear however this cannot be true as Final Fantasy X was very linear and achieve greatest, so why did this game utterly fail? There is nothing from with changing mechanics however Square changed their core engagement. Why do you play a Final Fantasy game over every other game?

    The two main element would be exploration and story with idles of being on a hero's quest perhaps. Now Final Fantasy X was linear however the world varied enough, while juxtaposed with times in towns and peaceful settlements with battles to create a flow while Final Fantasy seem very little various and takes too long for it to happen; run through the same jungle with three difference groups of characters. Now, Final Fantasy X had a slow start for sure but Final Fantasy 13 flat out beats this without tell us anything basic about the world and only leaves us more confused unless we continue or read up on it. The exposition dumps fro Final Fantasy X were annoying but they fit because they were teaching Tidus, a everyman thrust into a new world with us, they were teaching us the player, meanwhile FF13 doesn't want to teach us anything but the world or it's characters. Both FFX and FF13 are linear but FFX had colourful characters and world so we didn't notice or it didn't matter while FF13 has spent all its money on graphics and paid for it.

    You can say FF13 got a good score but did it? Every single FF since six has gotten anywhere from 8-11 points above this one so while it could be "good" it is bad as a FF. However, this is where my argument breaks down as I didn't get to finish FF13. I know that the world opens up, and I've seen the gameplay of it, about 20 hours in but honestly to goodness my system caught fire after 18 hours. Perhaps it does get good after this point but than the 18 hour long tutorial was bugging me a bit.

    See with the loss of Sekaguchi FF has lot its way. Final Fantasy moved over to the playstation for more disk space and this served them well because they used it to teach a better story while the story here seems best suited to serve the graphics. Maybe there was a story but it wouldn't explain it self or let me in to understand it at all. Instead, I'm on the outside wondering who these people are or why I should care.

    I should talk about the simplification of the combat a bit. Now normally the slow turn based menus are great for tactical play and allowing you to control all your characters but the moment you speed things up controlling everyone isn't possible. This isn't bad, games like Kingdom Hearts showed us a good way to do this. However, Final Fantasy 13 throws you in and doesn't explain a thing. Not only that my input on the battles is very loose. Now, again I've seen gameplay of later in the game in which it does appear to get a bit hectic however, does this mean that the first 20 hours are all tutorial? If it was meant for the game to progressive and get harder as we go, well that's a good idea but it never came. 18 hours in and I was still doing nothing but changing classes for when I needed to heal, the curve never came. Also, I must admit being healed to full after every battle killed the game and took all challenge away. I know you want the game to be easy so all can play but all tension is now gone. However, I must admit FF has been off the combat I like for a while. FF9 was great because each character had a set of skills and that was all they had. Not only did they have to work together but it gave the sense that their skill (lets say black magic) was something hard that they had mastered and not everybody and their dog could do it.

    If you're just scrolling down to the end to see what I'm going to say I'll repeat. Final Fantasy 13 fails not because it's linear but because it changes the core engagement. I play a FF game for a well crafter stories with colorful characters in a varied world. FFX showed us that linear worlds aren't a bad thing but FF13 shows that that unvaired repeating ones are. While save points that heal you to full made earlier games too easy, being healed after every battle is beyond overkill to take out any challenge or tension. Finally, FFX may have had exposition dumps but it served to explain the world while FF13 doesn't care to. FF13 doesn't care to explain itself at all but throw a bunch of proper nouns at me and never explain a single one nor teach me or give me anything likeable about the cast.

    I"LL SAY IT AGAIN. FINAL FANTASY 13 FAILS NOT BECAUSE ITS LINEAR BUT BECAUSE IT CHANGES IT'S CORE ENGAGEMENT!! Everything we love to see in FF game is not here for changes no one asked for and a pursuit of graphics over gameplay, story, or world. This may be the lowest rated FF in the main series in the best 20 years for a reason guys (and only because those games ((FFV)) are being judged by today's standards).    … Expand
  62. SliverPatriarch
    Jan 27, 2014
    0
    Final Fantasy 13 is nothing less than pure garbage. It spits on the foundation of RPGs as we know them. It's linear, enough said. Final Fantasy is never linear. There is no customization that doesn't involve formations. I heard that it gets good, but when you've played through 20 hours of boring x-mashing gameplay, and you've just now gotten the entire party together, you say F**K THIS!Final Fantasy 13 is nothing less than pure garbage. It spits on the foundation of RPGs as we know them. It's linear, enough said. Final Fantasy is never linear. There is no customization that doesn't involve formations. I heard that it gets good, but when you've played through 20 hours of boring x-mashing gameplay, and you've just now gotten the entire party together, you say F**K THIS! The characters are bland, the story sucks, and is hard to follow because it's so boring. There is one path, gear is the last thing on your mind, enemies are forgettable. The only thing you remember about the bosses is how long they took. You just mash x, sometimes use a potion, and wait to stagger it. The summons are nothing more than transformers. But that brings me to another point. Why does the main black character dual wield guns, have a summon that transforms into a car, and has a chocobo living in his afro? Why does Square think this is a good game, and give it TWO sequels? Seeing Lightning in Cloud's costume, is a disgrace to the series' former glory. Don't buy this, or the sequels, and if you have any of these games, trash them. They're a waste of time and money.… Expand
  63. Seraphy
    Aug 16, 2010
    4
    Gamepro descriped this game best: "a long hallway toward an orange target symbol on your mini-map that triggers a cutscene, a boss fight, or both. Frankly for the first six chapters I thought this game had longest tutorial ever, with total lack of towns, exploration or people to talk to. In short anything fun. There are some good points in the game of course. Story isn't horrible, it isn'tGamepro descriped this game best: "a long hallway toward an orange target symbol on your mini-map that triggers a cutscene, a boss fight, or both. Frankly for the first six chapters I thought this game had longest tutorial ever, with total lack of towns, exploration or people to talk to. In short anything fun. There are some good points in the game of course. Story isn't horrible, it isn't anything to write home about either, and combat is much improved, however all together game is just bad even with all the improvements. If you want to play final fantasy I suggest you play any other number from I-XII, they are all better than this one.… Expand
  64. neuro-punk
    Feb 25, 2016
    0
    Final Fantasy XIII is one of the very worst games ever made and nothing like a Final Fantasy game. This game is a plague/curse to the franchise and i would not wish this crap on even my worst enemies. Can't even change party members with ATB turn based combat, no world map, no airship/vehicles, no exploration, no mini-games, no fun, it's lacking almost everything that makes Final Fantasy,Final Fantasy XIII is one of the very worst games ever made and nothing like a Final Fantasy game. This game is a plague/curse to the franchise and i would not wish this crap on even my worst enemies. Can't even change party members with ATB turn based combat, no world map, no airship/vehicles, no exploration, no mini-games, no fun, it's lacking almost everything that makes Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy.

    Whoever likes FFXIII has horrendous taste and should stop playing video games if they like this crap.    … Expand
  65. JHango
    Jan 28, 2011
    1
    I feel exactly the same way like Igndsgn
    Final Fantasy has lost they soul. The last good Final Fantasy was FF9, and FF8 was a total crap, a little better them this ridiculous FF13.
  66. SolidLinkSnake4
    Nov 4, 2011
    2
    Final Fantasy should be called Final Corridor XIII or Final Hallway XIII. This game is so linear and doesn't live up to the previous Final Fantasy titles at all. Never get this game. Wait for Kingdom Hearts 3 or Final Fantasy versus 13 , because this game is horrible.
  67. JawnMan
    Feb 8, 2012
    4
    Final Fantasy XIII is the worst Final Fantasys I have played. I started out with IV and each Final Fantasy follows certain JRPG conventions that have stuck throughout not only the series but also other games because they work. Final Fantasy XIII ditches these conventions to create a more mainstream experience. This makes for an extremely dumbed down game with none of the excitement fromFinal Fantasy XIII is the worst Final Fantasys I have played. I started out with IV and each Final Fantasy follows certain JRPG conventions that have stuck throughout not only the series but also other games because they work. Final Fantasy XIII ditches these conventions to create a more mainstream experience. This makes for an extremely dumbed down game with none of the excitement from past titles and a whole lot of boredom. The list of why this game is bad is so long that it makes me angry just thinking about it. The plot is boring. The characters are uninteresting and the only thing theyâ… Expand
  68. prevbean
    Oct 15, 2010
    0
    This game sucks linear boring levels, garbage characters except for the **** he was funny.
    Weeabo wana be slants will only like this game. egggggggggggggggggggggg eggggggggggggg
  69. onlyelisha
    Feb 28, 2011
    0
    The Final Fantasy series has been on a decline ever since the release of FFX. This is just another push in the wrong direction. Hopefully Versus XIII will be better.
  70. lorddavy
    Aug 26, 2011
    3
    The worst game quality/price that i had ever played. Only graphics game. Really hard end it. In the beginning i was expected, some hours later i was deathly bored. Frustrating pay more than 100 euros for it + guide. The worst buy in my life.
  71. nabushi
    Jan 10, 2012
    3
    I played this game for 25 hours. I really wanted to enjoy it. Even after i had heard that it was linear, with no real overworld, I still wanted desperately to believe this was a great addition to a great series of games. Once i got to the 25 hour mark, i realized that I could not go on deceiving myself. The story of the game was fairly engaging, but to understand all of the things goingI played this game for 25 hours. I really wanted to enjoy it. Even after i had heard that it was linear, with no real overworld, I still wanted desperately to believe this was a great addition to a great series of games. Once i got to the 25 hour mark, i realized that I could not go on deceiving myself. The story of the game was fairly engaging, but to understand all of the things going on, there was an encyclopedia that was there to basically enhance your knowledge of the world that you found yourself in. As i spent more and more time reading these entries, I did not feel a connection growing with this world, rather it felt like boring reads that added nothing real to the game. When I play RPG's i tend to enjoy overleveling myself. this allows me to enjoy the story of the game without having to worry about the combat as much. When I discovered that there were caps to how powerful your characters could get at any given point in the game, it was upsetting. The combat itself was much less engaging than just about any other game i have ever played. I found myself analyzing my enemy, and selecting auto-attack over and over again, as the game would pick the best abilities to use anyway, and my input was hardly needed. this removed me further from the actual game, and made me feel more like i was watching a movie than playing a game. One of the things that really hooked me when I started the game was the graphics, but once the allure wore off, i began to realize that amazing graphics, while nice, did not make up for horrible story and gameplay. Square likes to change things up between Final Fantasies, and they definitely did that here. I will not condemn that, they did something innovative and new, even though it did not work out.… Expand
  72. FlippySuper
    Feb 7, 2013
    0
    OK, i can go on and on about how much i hate this garbage but lets put my hatred to this game very simple,the entire game is a corridor....Enough said!
  73. bigtakilla
    Jul 3, 2013
    0
    The timeless score of the series is ditched for J-Pop which sounds dated the moment it was released, the World is nothing more than a pretty painting in the background in which you cannot interact with AT ALL EVER, the story is cliche, the characters are shallow, the voice acting is okay at best, the gameplay is insulting, the strategy is non existent, the ending is, well lets just put itThe timeless score of the series is ditched for J-Pop which sounds dated the moment it was released, the World is nothing more than a pretty painting in the background in which you cannot interact with AT ALL EVER, the story is cliche, the characters are shallow, the voice acting is okay at best, the gameplay is insulting, the strategy is non existent, the ending is, well lets just put it this way, there are three games in the series so tell me how good you even think the ending is, the number of spells are limited, the summons are the worst since the japanese FF 3 (maybe, never played actual the actual FF2 or 3) and they turn into vehicles but guess what, you never get to control the vehicles.

    Worst in the series hands down, and downright an insulting entry for the JRPG genre. The strangest part of all is, people are actually defending this title.    … Expand
  74. Octavio87
    Feb 16, 2015
    0
    Worst game I have ever played and I started playing on my Gameboy about 20 years ago.

    Annoying characters (especially that emo-crybaby and that wannabe- Paris Hilton- Barbie), horrible and hectical fighting system (why the **** the game ends, when Lightning is defeated, even though there are other characters who could easily revive her?), mega linear maps (basically just one direction-    Worst game I have ever played and I started playing on my Gameboy about 20 years ago.

    Annoying characters (especially that emo-crybaby and that wannabe- Paris Hilton- Barbie), horrible and hectical fighting system (why the **** the game ends, when Lightning is defeated, even though there are other characters who could easily revive her?), mega linear maps (basically just one direction- alleyways), annoying music, that repeats itself and repeats itself until your brain goes numb. Besides that the actual game gets interupted with cutscenes every 10 minutes or so, so there is no fluent gameplay at all.

    I even enjoyed playing Ride to Hell: Retribution more than this, that game made you laugh at least, while FFXIII just makes me angry as hell. So **** this game, **** it to oblivion.    … Expand
  75. mario7489
    Dec 29, 2013
    0
    The game's playing itself Jon. The games just playing itself Jon. THE GAMES JUST JON JON JUUUSSAHHHHAHA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhahahhghbhnhn AHGHAGHNM SAHHWNEUYHUU GGEHH WMEMWNNANH EHEH AHT HWP JUSY APPLAYIG NANFMMAN HHHAJ OON JO N
  76. PatternFalls
    Feb 11, 2014
    0
    This game is an insult to fans and an insult to anybody who bother to pay for this absolute trivial excuse for a game.
    Final Fantasy is horribly written, has terrible combat and does everything in it's power to make you hate the experience.
  77. MOGEnrique
    Apr 10, 2011
    4
    Final Fantasy XIII is probably one of the biggest disappointments of the 7th generation of gaming. Role-playing elements are inexistent, combat mechanics are anything but innovative, you need very little strategy and tougher enemies are beaten with the same formula you use with weaker ones. Its level design is simplistic and uninspiring. The story is cliche and boring, so as theFinal Fantasy XIII is probably one of the biggest disappointments of the 7th generation of gaming. Role-playing elements are inexistent, combat mechanics are anything but innovative, you need very little strategy and tougher enemies are beaten with the same formula you use with weaker ones. Its level design is simplistic and uninspiring. The story is cliche and boring, so as the characters. Everything is told with cutscenes making the player feel that there's a wall between him/her and the game world. In-game visuals are average at best and the soundtrack is forgettable. Square Enix's only purpose to make Final Fantasy XIII was to tell a story but forgot it was supposed to be a game.… Expand
  78. help_ma_boab
    Apr 1, 2011
    2
    Poor game. To call it a game is an insult to the modern video game. I played FFX and FFXII and loved them both. I'm not one of these anti-progress types who insists that games from 20 yrs ago are better. As I said, I loved FF XII and the main reason I bought the PS3 was this game. In the meantime I played Oblivion and thought 'this is amazing, just think how amazing the new FF could be!!'.Poor game. To call it a game is an insult to the modern video game. I played FFX and FFXII and loved them both. I'm not one of these anti-progress types who insists that games from 20 yrs ago are better. As I said, I loved FF XII and the main reason I bought the PS3 was this game. In the meantime I played Oblivion and thought 'this is amazing, just think how amazing the new FF could be!!'. It could have been amazing but it was terrible. It's basically a nice looking, barely interactive movie with a poor story. The player's input into this game is so limited. You follow the line on your mini map fighting utterly boring battles, just waiting for the next cut scene, waiting for the game to come alive. Never once did I give up hope that all the mundanity was a pre-cursor for an explosion of the usual FF charm, ingenuity, beauty (more than surface beauty), incredible story, characters. I had faith but I was horribly let down. This is nothing more than a badly acted soap opera. Awful.… Expand
  79. Angeredsoul
    Jun 7, 2011
    3
    So finally picked this game up after waiting for it to drop in price after reading alot of reviews. I thought they might have been just final fantasy haters. But 6 hours in, and I am about ready to snap this disc in disgust. Annoying characters, terrible story, and so damn linear its not even funny. In fact I can't think of any point up till now where I've had to make a choice story wise.So finally picked this game up after waiting for it to drop in price after reading alot of reviews. I thought they might have been just final fantasy haters. But 6 hours in, and I am about ready to snap this disc in disgust. Annoying characters, terrible story, and so damn linear its not even funny. In fact I can't think of any point up till now where I've had to make a choice story wise. The combat isn't too bad and I like the system they have implemented, just a shame that everything else fails. Shame Square-Enix.… Expand
  80. medv4380
    Feb 2, 2012
    0
    Purchased the game at launch and in almost 2 years I could not bring myself to finish it. For even a linear RPG it's far too linear. Mazes, dungeons, or instances should never be just strait hallways all the way through. The battle system is basically auto play, and trying to do otherwise will result in failure. I usually like to keep my games, and until the system dies I usually buyPurchased the game at launch and in almost 2 years I could not bring myself to finish it. For even a linear RPG it's far too linear. Mazes, dungeons, or instances should never be just strait hallways all the way through. The battle system is basically auto play, and trying to do otherwise will result in failure. I usually like to keep my games, and until the system dies I usually buy new. This game has gone into the small pile of trade-ins of unplayable games.… Expand
  81. sorastrife2890
    Apr 21, 2016
    0
    i am a very final fantasy fan. but this game is just **** **** i dont know why the people like this game. is just a rect line, a very bad story, very bad characters and a very bad game sistem. dont buy this game please
  82. Le_Shorte
    Mar 3, 2013
    4
    I can't stand to play more, and I've gotten about 6 and a half hours in. I don't need to explain my rating, as every other review giving this a mediocre rating contains exactly what I would say.
  83. DrBrogbo
    May 11, 2012
    4
    This is not what Final Fantasy is supposed to be. If anything, this is Final Fantasy for Dummies. There is no exploration, no leveling up, and no incentive to keep playing. The story is boring, the gameplay is UTTERLY linear, and the characters are annoying. Not only that, but it is way WAY too easy at first, then takes a drastic jump in difficulty. As for the individual characters, HopeThis is not what Final Fantasy is supposed to be. If anything, this is Final Fantasy for Dummies. There is no exploration, no leveling up, and no incentive to keep playing. The story is boring, the gameplay is UTTERLY linear, and the characters are annoying. Not only that, but it is way WAY too easy at first, then takes a drastic jump in difficulty. As for the individual characters, Hope is so annoyingly whiny he should be named Shinji, Vanille sounds like she's making sex noises all the time, Snow says stupid idiotic one-liners like "Heroes don't quit!" ALL THE TIME, Lightning goes through mood swings you wouldn't believe, and Sazh... well, I liked Sazh. He was funny, and the only character that didn't actively annoy me. I could forgive this game its shortcomings if the battle system actually required much input, OR if you could actually explore the beautiful environments, OR if it were more focused on gameplay and less cutscenes, OR if it were actually fun. Honestly this game came across as nothing more than Squenix trying to make a movie but failing, and then deciding to turn it into a game. If this is the big fantastic HD Final Fantasy game people have been clamoring for for years, then give me PS1 graphics back. Maybe then, a little more effort could be put into the gameplay. A mark of a good game is one that I can't wait to play again. THIS game, however, I can't wait for Gamefly to receive so they can send me my next game. Now excuse me while I go play a real RPG, like Xenoblade.… Expand
  84. Pauliina
    Oct 14, 2011
    2
    After playing IV to X of Final Fantasy series, I must say that I had such high expectations of this...
    But sadly, the game was just a long long, long movie :/ Played about 5 hrs, then quit.
  85. Kowachi
    Aug 13, 2012
    4
    Final Fantasy XIII is awful.

    I consider myself a FF fan, but I am not a hardcore fan. I
  86. KezarHighwind
    Feb 7, 2013
    4
    Final Fantasy XIII is a mess. That simple. It has not only changed the face of the series, but has also damaged the image of the JRPG to the world. With an amazing concept of the floating world above Gran Pulse, where the people have been enslaved by god-like beings called the fal'cie, amazing a beautiful art, as well as memorable and majestic music, the game itself was only destined toFinal Fantasy XIII is a mess. That simple. It has not only changed the face of the series, but has also damaged the image of the JRPG to the world. With an amazing concept of the floating world above Gran Pulse, where the people have been enslaved by god-like beings called the fal'cie, amazing a beautiful art, as well as memorable and majestic music, the game itself was only destined to fail. Then, what happened? Aren't these things enough to make a good game? No, they aren't. Final Fantasy XIII is one of the most awful and annoying RPG's I've played. Indeed, the game can only be compared to a cheap iOS game in modern days. The story is so boring and confusing, that people can't even get what are Lightning and friends talking about. Not to mention the gameplay, which, again, was a good concept terribly executed. These new Final Fantasy titles are sinning of having extreme complexity, which it is supposed to be good, but this case is not. The gameplay is boring, frustrating and hard for both, simple gamers and hardcore RPG gamers, like me. The great factor that joined all these together, is the linearity of the game. You, are practically not playing at all, as 2/3 of the entire party is played by the AI. The linearity is described by Motomu Toriyama and Square Enix as a "story driven game", but don't cheat on me, it's like if you were playing a visual novel. I can't save much of Final Fantasy XIII, except the great wasted music, as well as the nice visuals, but this time Square Enix, that didn't save your game at all.… Expand
  87. Evangellist
    Oct 9, 2013
    1
    Unfortunately this marked the end for Final Fantasy, for me, personally. Square Enix made the game linear, so much so that the gameplay literally consists of holding forward, and pushing A, oh, and don't forget pressing the start button to skip cutscenes, because the story is NONSENSE. I don't even think Square Enix knew what the story was supposed to be, because the important parts of theUnfortunately this marked the end for Final Fantasy, for me, personally. Square Enix made the game linear, so much so that the gameplay literally consists of holding forward, and pushing A, oh, and don't forget pressing the start button to skip cutscenes, because the story is NONSENSE. I don't even think Square Enix knew what the story was supposed to be, because the important parts of the story are hidden away in menus. Gotta love that conveyance....

    I hate that I am forced to hate this game, I wish it was better, but it just isn't. From the people that made a JRPG series that DEFINED the genre for years, and the people who made my favorite game of all time, this pains me to see this direction. The gameplay and combat is shallow, repetitive, and streamlined to all hell. The story would be predictable if I knew what the Hell was even going on, they leave you in the dark story wise the whole game, and are beyond vague about everything.

    JonTron said it best, "The game is a Hallway, a long, boring, uninteresting, vague.,... hallway. AND GAMES SHOULD NOT BE HALLWAYS!:    … Expand
  88. bigboss1964
    Nov 21, 2015
    4
    Final Fantasy XIII

    Game-Play:The game-play is turn based but not traditional I usually like that kind of game-play but the way they made it is very frustrating and i got bored quickly but I kept playing it because I am a huge final fantasy fan but in the end there was nothing special in the game-play. Story:The plot is boring with a ton of uninteresting characters and it was one of    Final Fantasy XIII

    Game-Play:The game-play is turn based but not traditional I usually like that kind of game-play but the way they made it is very frustrating and i got bored quickly but I kept playing it because I am a huge final fantasy fan but in the end there was nothing special in the game-play.

    Story:The plot is boring with a ton of uninteresting characters and it was one of the few times that I complain about a game be to long this game is 50 hour long only for the story.

    Graphics:This is the part that the game is amazing .

    Notes:The FF-XIII is just an eye candy nothing more nothing less if you are a huge Final Fantasy Fan buy it at a big price drop like 70 or 80 % to everyone else rent it if you want play it .This game is just below average.    … Expand
  89. Bulbotrax
    Jul 18, 2019
    0
    everything in this crappy game is badly done: the script is stupid (what drives lightning and hope is dumb), the gameplay sucks (it's only corridor with silly fight, and the battle system is a shame), the music is poor , the designs are ugly... a shame for square.
  90. egoBorder
    Aug 9, 2021
    4
    Certainly the worst in the series. This game has a ton of problems (alongside some genuinely great ideas) but the most urgent one is the story and writing. The entire game feels like it was written by a teenager trying to impress an infant. But not only are the themes uninteresting, the dialogue is rotten too. It makes it hard to latch onto any of the characters, so you're just stuckCertainly the worst in the series. This game has a ton of problems (alongside some genuinely great ideas) but the most urgent one is the story and writing. The entire game feels like it was written by a teenager trying to impress an infant. But not only are the themes uninteresting, the dialogue is rotten too. It makes it hard to latch onto any of the characters, so you're just stuck with people you don't like on an adventure you won't enjoy. Gameplay? Well, the game id the very definition of the word "linear." Most progression is locked behind the story, so it is literally impossible to understand the mechanics fully until near the end of the game. Like, the last 5% of the game so I hope you're patient. And the game world appears interesting but you only experience it in long corridors, making it impossible to connect to it as a location. Bizarre choices like this make FF13 a charmless experience, save for a few quality aspects like the soundtrack. None but the most curious need apply.… Expand
  91. nmaxw63
    Jan 14, 2011
    4
    What a waste of money. Only a FF fanboy could like this drivel.
    Amazing graphics. Silly story. Mindless combat (kept waiting 4 combat 2 get interesting). Annoying cliched characters. Good voice acting.
    Worst rpg in long time. Dragon Age is way better. Hell, Eternal Sonata is better (combat has element of strategy).
  92. sharkpro
    Sep 21, 2011
    1
    Major disappointments with this game. It doesn't live up to expectations from the previous series. Boring storyline, gameplay, game design, linear straight path for the most part of the game. A real disappointments for those buying a ps3 just for this game.
  93. FantasyFanatic
    May 5, 2012
    1
    Even though this Final Fantasy game has beautiful graphics and breathtaking locations it cannot save this entry from being one of the worst. The game structure is too linear and it keeps the game from being any fun. There are no towns, no overworld, no gameplay variety and barely any NPC's (non-player characters) and when the game starts to open up the game you will already have almostEven though this Final Fantasy game has beautiful graphics and breathtaking locations it cannot save this entry from being one of the worst. The game structure is too linear and it keeps the game from being any fun. There are no towns, no overworld, no gameplay variety and barely any NPC's (non-player characters) and when the game starts to open up the game you will already have almost completed the game so when it comes to this it is one of those "too little too late" situations...it really upset me. Combat gets way too hard especially the boss fights the bosses feel almost invincible and you will spend hours using the crystarium and upgrading your weapons just to get past a boss, the lack of control in battle is also infuriating because you can only control one character during battle and once the character you are controlling dies then it's Game Over. The story is also problematic all it is is just a bunch of cutscenes crammed together and in turn it makes it feel too much like a long boring movie than a game that is supposed to be enjoyed. Plot twists, characters, and story development are badly done they are predictable and cliche and they screw up in more ways than one. I have been a RPG and Final Fantasy nut for a long time but this entry takes the cake this game does not live up to any of the series standards (apart from the graphics). Whatever Square Enix is doing they driving the series in a bad direction with this entry I had high hopes but they have been crushed big time. If you are a fan of older entries like Final Fantasy 5, 6 or even 7 you are better off playing those but whatever you do avoid this Final Fantasy game at all costs I beg of you.… Expand
  94. dz9
    Jul 22, 2011
    3
    Starting off my review, I must say that the reason why I give this so low of a score is not because Square made changes to FF that took the franchise in a different direction... it's because the changes they made were terrible. I understand Square has to evolve FF to a more action styled experience to accomodate to the times and to compete with bioware games... so it was no surpriseStarting off my review, I must say that the reason why I give this so low of a score is not because Square made changes to FF that took the franchise in a different direction... it's because the changes they made were terrible. I understand Square has to evolve FF to a more action styled experience to accomodate to the times and to compete with bioware games... so it was no surprise that the turn based style was more active. Although they evolved the game, they should not have completely left everything that made FF so special; guided yet open exploring, deep engaging characters, incredible story, immersive world, and strategic gameplay... And only one of those was even close to being fulfilled. The characters were all cliche's: Lightning was the tom-boy, Fang was the clone of Lightning, Hope was the vulnerable child, Snow is the jar-head, Panille is the free spirit, and Sazh is the only character who contains depth. That is honestly all they tell you about the characters, and that's also all you need to know. As for story, the story was not BAD, mainly because it wasn't even really there, the story is vague and barely engaging at all, and the pacing is awful. The only real story development is actually character development, which I have already stated that the characters are uninteresting empty shells. As for the open world? Simply put...THERE IS NONE. The world the game puts you in looks nice enough and on the exterior seems amazing but due to the lack of characters, story, and the extremely linear feel of the game... the seemingly awesome world is reduced to nothing. The gameplay is really the only place the game shows innovation. Don't get me wrong, it's far from perfect, but for Square's first "crack at it," it presents a good milestone for them to improve and perfect in later titles. The main drawback to the gameplay is the level up system, you are held back to "level up" by milestones in the story. Example: You cant excede level 1 warrior until you reach the next chapter even though you have enough crystal points. And for the game mechanic titled "Paradigm," it promotes side jobs but the level up system punishes you for venturing into side-jobs... it's extremely counter intuitive. For example: For Lightning to level up her warrior to level 1 costs 10,000..... but for Lightning to level up Sentinel to level 1, will cost 1,000,000. This by itself does not RUIN the combat , but all the minor flaws with the combat do add up. The Good: Although graphics are nothing more than scenery, the game is gorgeous and presents a lot of detail in design. And square does-in-fact show a few innovative ideas which however werent entirely capitalized on. The Bad: Simply put... Square takes away everything that FF fans and RPG fans alike would expect. If this game was any other RPG game, i would give the game a 5.5/10, because it does have a few fun moments and amazing graphics. But for the final fantasy game it was suppose to be, it's barely worth a rent at redbox… Expand
  95. Ogr
    Feb 26, 2014
    1
    Seriously, is this a joke? It's not only the worst Final Fantasy ever, it might be the worst RPG on PS3 and 360. How could things go so wrong for SE? A poor world, poor Story, poor Gameplay and poor Characters. Just nothing really good about it. Sounds like trolling or nerd-rage, but it's just how I really see it.
  96. takeoky
    May 14, 2011
    2
    The dream that Square ever has brought us, definitely it has over. There isn´t trace of the great components that que has make great games. Since we see a game play very rigid, sometimes the battles are funny, but there no more. Linear as a few, the game weary, bore and tire. The composition of the BSO is only his salvation of burn.
  97. ozarmidrashim
    Jul 24, 2011
    1
    To put in simple, this is not a final fantasy, this is not even a jgdr.
    There is no exploration, no freedom in character upgrade, no strategy, no city, no secondary mission, is only a long, very long highway.
    The combat system is spectacular but very ripetive, you can win almost battle with the same formation, with one button only. you may need just one or two more formation for the boss    To put in simple, this is not a final fantasy, this is not even a jgdr.
    There is no exploration, no freedom in character upgrade, no strategy, no city, no secondary mission, is only a long, very long highway.
    The combat system is spectacular but very ripetive, you can win almost battle with the same formation, with one button only. you may need just one or two more formation for the boss battle. The gameplay is surprisingly linear and in the end very boring besides the the difficulty of the game is too low.
    The characters don't leave you anything and soon you forget them, especially they are very poor if you compare with the glorious character of the past (cloud, terra, tidus).
    The story may be attractive but is too confused and the characters with there poor dialogues don't help.
    Is my personal opinion but i believe that this game don't offer anything beyond the graphycs, is better replay the real Fianal Fantasy, FFVI-VII-VIII-IX-X, the game of the squaresoft.
    Probably the Final fantasy Saga, the real Final fantasy games, is dead.

    PS sorry for my English.    … Expand
  98. pdhenrique3
    Mar 19, 2012
    1
    GRAPHICS ARE THE MINOR ASPECT OF A GOOD RPG GAME. Final Fantasy XIII is not a RPG game for me and another million of FF fans. Yes, the graphics made stop playing and stare at the scenario many times, but this is it. The development system SUCKS, It's linear, there is no "level-up". You can't talk to people (actually there are not so many people around to try to speak with). The game is soGRAPHICS ARE THE MINOR ASPECT OF A GOOD RPG GAME. Final Fantasy XIII is not a RPG game for me and another million of FF fans. Yes, the graphics made stop playing and stare at the scenario many times, but this is it. The development system SUCKS, It's linear, there is no "level-up". You can't talk to people (actually there are not so many people around to try to speak with). The game is so linear that if someone who never played Final Fantasy before plays it will call it an ACTION game. WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE MAGICS AND THE KNOWN MONSTERS?!?! The battle system is different, but far, VERY FAR from better than the older series. Side mission? What side mission?! Ah, you mean that cieth stones... Come on... What were they thinking about while they were developing this game?!?! There are no SHOPs, no INNs, only some F%$#&* flying computers where you do everything. Where is that epic harp melody that everybody loves on the Main Menu?! I can't tell more, it's frustrating, I can't believe it, the SquareEnix killed it... You you are a FF fan, pretend this game never existed at all... I gave it 1 only for the graphics, but a prefer to play Final Fantasy 2 on NES than this one...… Expand
  99. sirojasb
    Jan 22, 2013
    0
    this game it´s the most dissapointing installment of the series since the playstation era, the gameplay it´s not enjoyable at all, the character development it´s boring, the soundtrack it´s well produced, but it´s far behind from emotions that can bring uematsu´s soundtracks. There are a bit of memorable moment´s, what saves the game is itsthis game it´s the most dissapointing installment of the series since the playstation era, the gameplay it´s not enjoyable at all, the character development it´s boring, the soundtrack it´s well produced, but it´s far behind from emotions that can bring uematsu´s soundtracks. There are a bit of memorable moment´s, what saves the game is its impeccable production and presentation. Gameplay linear, boring and frustrating which only makes sense in the middle of the game until the end… Expand
  100. archonome
    Feb 16, 2014
    1
    Do yourself a favor... stop caring about graphics and go play FF7,FF8,FF9.

    This game was a huge let down...but I expected this after FF10. This isn't a Final Fantasy Game, they should give it a new name. 1. No overworld map 2. Unlovable characters 3. Overly Feminine characters, Emos everywhere 4. Overly complex story that doesn't make any sense Basically, this game lacks the    Do yourself a favor... stop caring about graphics and go play FF7,FF8,FF9.

    This game was a huge let down...but I expected this after FF10.

    This isn't a Final Fantasy Game, they should give it a new name.

    1. No overworld map
    2. Unlovable characters
    3. Overly Feminine characters, Emos everywhere
    4. Overly complex story that doesn't make any sense

    Basically, this game lacks the atmosphere of the previous FF series... it doesn't have the Charm anymore.

    Rule #1 of FF games: You must have an outstanding Story and the Main characters must be EPIC.... "lightning" lol what a joke.    … 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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
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