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. MrRPG
    Jan 5, 2015
    8
    Although i feel it was a step back from final fantasy 12 (Due to gameplay mechanic changes), Final fantasy 13 still has the magic of the previous games in terms of atmosphere, story and character development.
    Although the gameplay has become slightly more repetitive with less opportunity for customization as some of the previous final fantasies, but is still solid in it's own right.
  2. Vandral007
    Dec 11, 2012
    8
    For all it's faults, I found Final Fantasy XIII to be an enjoyable experience. Yes, the linearity of 80% of the game is off putting, and yes some of the characters are annoying idiots (looking at you Hope), but I found the scope and history, and most importantly the mystery of this world to be an incredibly absorbing affair. I didn't find reading the Datalog to be too big a deal (ThisFor all it's faults, I found Final Fantasy XIII to be an enjoyable experience. Yes, the linearity of 80% of the game is off putting, and yes some of the characters are annoying idiots (looking at you Hope), but I found the scope and history, and most importantly the mystery of this world to be an incredibly absorbing affair. I didn't find reading the Datalog to be too big a deal (This kind of thing is in Mass Effect too people). I actually like the combat system. Yes, it seems limited (especially at first) but once it opens up and lets you experiment you'll find it to be a great and fast paced tactical affair. It's not about selecting attacks, it's about selecting strategies! I found myself warming to most of the characters, the graphics are STILL spectacular, and the music is solid (not Uematsu good, but what is?) It doesn't have the same magic as past Final Fantasies, but it is still a solid entry into the series. If you're a fan of JRPG's check this one out.… Expand
  3. bulletchan
    Apr 11, 2016
    8
    Quite possible the worst final fantasy in the entire series. It shouldn't even be considered a true final fantasy. Nothing about this game is good, I returned it. Something that took 2 years to make, was delayed for ps3 for another 2 years and downgraded so they could put it onto 360. Pathetic. Besides that, graphics still are bad with ps2 style environments.
  4. Revoltz
    Nov 1, 2013
    8
    It's a very linear game, the gameplay is nice but have some issues, the worst are the fact that you can't trade the leader in the middle of the battle.
    The soundtrack are really nice and Fang is awesome!
  5. SenshiV
    Nov 7, 2013
    8
    Well, it's true that the linear part is bad, but not so much, I mean, maybe it was disliked because this was not the case with previous titles, but when you think about if, can't this be taken as some kind of revolutionary 3D side scroller instead? I really disliked this 'stagger' system where monsters have ridiculously big health pools, but whatever, you get used to it. I enjoyed theWell, it's true that the linear part is bad, but not so much, I mean, maybe it was disliked because this was not the case with previous titles, but when you think about if, can't this be taken as some kind of revolutionary 3D side scroller instead? I really disliked this 'stagger' system where monsters have ridiculously big health pools, but whatever, you get used to it. I enjoyed the game not as much as other FF titles but it had his own magic plot. At least I feel like wanting to play the sequel, so yeah, it took me ages to finish this game because I left it at some point (again, hate stagger mechanic) but retook it and well, next.… Expand
  6. ruriruri
    Dec 28, 2013
    8
    I had this game since release and it took me this long to complete it. Not from lack of trying but a general lack of interest. I finally sat down and decided to beat it and came across the realization that I had really missed out on something fun in the end. I wasn't bothered by the apparent linearity (most FF games are pretty linear if you realize it or not) or the characters (althoughI had this game since release and it took me this long to complete it. Not from lack of trying but a general lack of interest. I finally sat down and decided to beat it and came across the realization that I had really missed out on something fun in the end. I wasn't bothered by the apparent linearity (most FF games are pretty linear if you realize it or not) or the characters (although Hope was pretty annoying at the start) but I just didn't have the energy to continue it at first. Once I dug into it, I found an enjoyable experience as the action and pace kicked up and characters stopped being a little you know what (Hope).
    My biggest problem is that the final boss battles were a joke. It was entirely too easy to me, but it may have been due to all the grinding I had done beforehand. Hitting the end credits, I was still satisfied with my adventure but mildly disappointed by that final string of battles.
    Overall a good experience. Way better than the trash that was FF12, but nowhere near the best Final Fantasy titles (like 4).    … Expand
  7. Rodolfoluke11
    Jan 14, 2014
    8
    Final Fantasy 13 was a good game but it wasn't great. I enjoyed the story very much but constantly fighting the same creatures to level up wasn't that exciting.
  8. kaizidokiller
    Feb 11, 2014
    8
    The improved combat system and graphics is the only thing that this game got going for. The active time-based combat system is truly thrilling. Battles are more fast-paced and action-oriented. The graphics is breathtaking, from the moment you start playing. It's truly one of the best looking games of this generation. But the game is bogged down by the game's linear gameplay and weak story.The improved combat system and graphics is the only thing that this game got going for. The active time-based combat system is truly thrilling. Battles are more fast-paced and action-oriented. The graphics is breathtaking, from the moment you start playing. It's truly one of the best looking games of this generation. But the game is bogged down by the game's linear gameplay and weak story. The story is typically about a heroine and her team trying to save the world, not exactly the best they've come up with. The gameplay is just fight monster, fight boss, fight monster, fight boss, fight monster, fight boss throughout most of the game. There are 13 chapters so I would say about 10 chapters is basically the game on autopilot, you're constantly doing the same thing and you're constantly moving forward. All you can do is complete the game, there's nothing else to do after and during the game. You're free to explore, fight and obtain Platinum but there's no side stories or puzzles or anything like that which makes exploration pointless. In previous FF games, you're free to take a break from the main story to complete a series of side quests. None of that is presented in this game so it's likely that I'll never play this game, after completing it, again. A good game overall, but it doesn't do justice for the best JRPG franchise. Avoid if you're uninitiated but give the previous games a go because you're missing out. For fans, it's worth a rental!… Expand
  9. CynicalCyberCat
    Feb 28, 2014
    8
    Enter, a refreshing new female heroine, reminiscent of your previous cool aloof mains from the other titles, Lightning is very much like Cloud and Squall/Leon with their cold shoulder personality and military backgrounds.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Bottom line: it is a game typical of the FF universe, some interesting implementations that seem to be a hit or miss with its audience at times. It is of personal opinion in most cases. The combat system is definitely very interesting to use, it may take some time getting used to. Game play is the usual. Storyline isn't up to the usual standard. Graphics is top notch. Interesting characters and a satisfying ending. Not for all but it is all for some.    … Expand
  10. shadowdemon96
    Mar 19, 2014
    8
    this game is good but it has some down fulls one is the characters are a bit of a let down to the newly found series. it has very nice grapics on the ps3 that ive currently got and so far the game has never really cut out on me.
  11. gabzjmm23
    Sep 22, 2014
    8
    i get what why most fans doesn't like this game, due to it is more linear and no towns, NPCs. still love the new battle system. they could have handled the NPCs better and with towns but the director might have thought where to add those towns, NPC from the story. hence it was done like this. they really borrowed from the previous FF games in terms of character but i think Lightning isi get what why most fans doesn't like this game, due to it is more linear and no towns, NPCs. still love the new battle system. they could have handled the NPCs better and with towns but the director might have thought where to add those towns, NPC from the story. hence it was done like this. they really borrowed from the previous FF games in terms of character but i think Lightning is still a great protagonist.… Expand
  12. dashantaozi
    Aug 25, 2018
    8
    The game gets perfect score for art and music.
    However, the story makes no sense until chapter 9. Level design is also horrible.
    Combat is intense and satisfying towards the end, but this game don't have many memorable boss fights to complement that.
  13. sanluis20
    Nov 10, 2014
    8
    Definitely the best in the series, as the story is decent and the fighting is fresh and goes well with the game. The characters for the most part are likeable and the game has an excellent system. Again, you may not like this game as it is extremely linear, but I didn't mind it much. The game is fun and while the game can stall at times, it is still worth playing. On the other hand,Definitely the best in the series, as the story is decent and the fighting is fresh and goes well with the game. The characters for the most part are likeable and the game has an excellent system. Again, you may not like this game as it is extremely linear, but I didn't mind it much. The game is fun and while the game can stall at times, it is still worth playing. On the other hand, the entire FFXIII series falls well short of the previous games in Final Fantasy, which are epic and are must haves. Check them out on the PS store, as they aren't too pricey and are fun, that is if you don't care about graphics and care about great story telling.… Expand
  14. FantasyCritic71
    Nov 17, 2014
    8
    Is this game worth your time? Well yes and no.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Overall - Everything but the gameplay is amazing. The Gameplay brought something new to the table but its presentation could have been done better, there should have been more abilities for characters and we should have been able to revisit the places we explored already for extra missions and stuff. Other than that I would change nothing about this game its awesome.    … Expand
  15. NecroWtf319
    Jul 18, 2015
    8
    First of all I would give this game a 7 or a 7.5 out of 10 but I give in 8 just to balance things up with all the angry reviews.So the game is fun with a combat system that is more focused on timing and wants you to be quick rather than thinking .Enemies like every other Final Fantasy game have their weaknesses but in XIII you need to exploit them more like in X.The story is a mess,yeahFirst of all I would give this game a 7 or a 7.5 out of 10 but I give in 8 just to balance things up with all the angry reviews.So the game is fun with a combat system that is more focused on timing and wants you to be quick rather than thinking .Enemies like every other Final Fantasy game have their weaknesses but in XIII you need to exploit them more like in X.The story is a mess,yeah but if you give it some time and actually pay attention you may actually like it,but it's still not very strong.The characters are a give or take,you either like them or not,nothing more to say here(I personally like them all,except Hope).But the game IS linear for the first 20 hours or so (not something I hate though) and then it opens up. So having played VII,X,XII,XIII trilogy I have to admit that this game is one of the weaker entries on the series,BUT i do not believe it is a bad game and I am sure as hell it doesn't deserve all the 0 here.If you really want to see what a bad game is go play Ride to Hell Retribution.Also the game can be damn Hard sometimes,something I found that other entries on the series lacked.… Expand
  16. AriseAndBe
    Aug 5, 2015
    8
    While the story does sort of collapse at the end, for the most part I think the story is great. The characters are generally fine, with lightning and Fang definitely being my favourites (Snow really needs to shut up about being a hero). Everyone needs to stop hating on how whiny Hope is though, his mother literally died right in front of him and the guy who he thinks is responsible isWhile the story does sort of collapse at the end, for the most part I think the story is great. The characters are generally fine, with lightning and Fang definitely being my favourites (Snow really needs to shut up about being a hero). Everyone needs to stop hating on how whiny Hope is though, his mother literally died right in front of him and the guy who he thinks is responsible is constantly grinning like an idiot. I think I'd be a little unhappy too to say the least.

    The best parts of this game are definitely the presentation which is mesmerizing, and the battle system which is one of the best I've seen in any game.    … Expand
  17. legendarybad
    Jun 27, 2020
    8
    If you are going to play keep in mind that the game is linear, with a simple narrative and a story with several dramas. I consider the story to be regular, there is nothing so bad and nothing so good that it is worth emphasizing, and the fighting system is simple and easy to play. The graphics are good.

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

    Se você vai jogar tenha em mente que o jogo é linear, com uma narrativa simples e uma história com vários dramas. Eu considero a história regular, não há nada de tão ruim e nada de tão bom que valha seja pena ressaltada, e o sistema de luta é simples e fácil de jogar. Os gráficos para época são bons.    … Expand
  18. Empyrea
    Nov 19, 2017
    8
    I think people underrate this game. Graphics are great. Music is good as well. The battle system is different than in FFX or FFII but like in FFII you get used to it. Characters are ok but I miss other spicies in this game. You only see humans and enemy monsters. Plot is ok, it could be better. About the landscapes it is true that most of them are simply path with an exception of a bigI think people underrate this game. Graphics are great. Music is good as well. The battle system is different than in FFX or FFII but like in FFII you get used to it. Characters are ok but I miss other spicies in this game. You only see humans and enemy monsters. Plot is ok, it could be better. About the landscapes it is true that most of them are simply path with an exception of a big valley. It took me 60 hours. Some bosses may be tricky but if you look for help in the Internet it's easy to beat them. If you fight against all the enemies that you find during the game you won't have any problem to defeat the final boss (in fact was easier than I expected). Tu sum up, if you like RPGs and FF games you must buy it.

    PS: Don't forget to spend the points of the team members that you don't usually use because if you have 999.999.999 and you don't spend them you'll be losing points (It happened to me with one character at the end of this game but it wasn't a problem cause I didn't use him).    … Expand
  19. GamecubeLover
    Aug 4, 2016
    8
    Sure not as good as other final fantasy games but I still like it. The game is a bit repetitive and bland but besides that this game is pretty good to be honest.
  20. Dargorrof
    Jun 16, 2016
    8
    The graphics are fine even to this day I guess. However, exploration is very very limited and for the most part you'll be running in a straight line fighting battles until you get bored and start avoiding them all together. There are no hidden treasure boxes since all you have to do is just take a look at the map and realize there's an area outside the straight line you're supposed to goThe graphics are fine even to this day I guess. However, exploration is very very limited and for the most part you'll be running in a straight line fighting battles until you get bored and start avoiding them all together. There are no hidden treasure boxes since all you have to do is just take a look at the map and realize there's an area outside the straight line you're supposed to go to. The story is sort of nice, but considering the sequels and all it kinda doesn't make much sense sometimes, but then again, this happens a lot in final fantasy. Now about the battle system, it's nice but could be way better. You only get to control the party leader and until you reach chapter 11 (where the game stops being so damn linear) there are barely any interesting battles. Even boss fights are quite easy since all you have to do it buff up, use libra and spam auto-battle. I think it would be much more fun if there was no auto-battle, perhaps no libra and more importantly if we had control of the whole battle team -although the battles would have to run at a slower pace-. All in all it is a decent game, but quite different from previous titles. If you expect a classic then this game is not for you.… Expand
  21. Coreyhardie
    Jul 30, 2016
    8
    The hate this game gets makes little to no sense, yes it's linear as hell for most of the game, but the other criticisms make no sense to me, I like this story for the first half but the second half it made no sense, the Gameplay is great though the fact that when your leader dies it's game over, that's kind of retarded, the soundtrack and graphics are amazing, if your problem with theThe hate this game gets makes little to no sense, yes it's linear as hell for most of the game, but the other criticisms make no sense to me, I like this story for the first half but the second half it made no sense, the Gameplay is great though the fact that when your leader dies it's game over, that's kind of retarded, the soundtrack and graphics are amazing, if your problem with the gameplay is the auto battle mechanic then TURN IT OFF you **** idiots!… Expand
  22. flamesofexigo
    Dec 28, 2016
    8
    I have played most of the FF games and have beaten most as well. FF 13s main campaign is amazing. The game has the best combat system of any FF game, and the visuals and musical score are incredible. The story is terrible though, and the mission structure (Gran Pulse) and grinding are extremely tedious and poorly thought out. I would suggest you skip the cut-scenes and spend 30-40 hoursI have played most of the FF games and have beaten most as well. FF 13s main campaign is amazing. The game has the best combat system of any FF game, and the visuals and musical score are incredible. The story is terrible though, and the mission structure (Gran Pulse) and grinding are extremely tedious and poorly thought out. I would suggest you skip the cut-scenes and spend 30-40 hours playing the main campaign to get a 8.5 experience. If you try to plat the game though, then the score drops to about a 6. I think its ridiculous that you have to spend 15 minutes on foot to get to a monster that you can defeat in under a minute. Rinse and repeat for 64 missions, and you can see how tedious the game can get.

    Pros: Visuals, music, combat system.
    Cons: Mission setup/structure, plot, grinding.
    Caveats: The game is mostly linear. There are also no towns to explore or NPCs to interact with. Many fans seem to hate these issues, but I personally prefer linear games, and hate micromanagement and side/fetch quests so I liked that the game was linear.    … Expand
  23. CamyVero
    Jul 5, 2020
    8
    Good game of the genre JRPG. It's true that it's not the best in the saga, but it will keep you entertained for a good few hours. Perhaps its biggest problem compared to previous releases is that it's true that its development is quite linear. But it's enjoyable and as always in the saga very nice graphically.
  24. Yuri_Fantasy
    Nov 5, 2019
    8
    The game have some impressive visual effects and graphics, outstading CGs like any other FF game, but at the same time have a combat that becomes repetitive after some dozens of hours, and not the best plot in the series. They could get more from the FFXII combat. exploring is not that rewarding like were in FFXII. but is cool to observe the visually enjoyable well detailed scenery.
  25. dafunkk
    Oct 31, 2021
    8
    Far from perfect. Very linear in terms of level design and character development. Takes 4-5 hours too long to fully open up and let you build your own battle party.

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

    Gorgeous, even a decade later. Best soundtrack in the series. Great characters, great story (albeit confusing the first playthrough) and an awesomely addictive battle system. Personally my favorite since FF7. And, aside from 7, I've played this more than any other FF game. Very underrated and over-hated. Well worth you're 50 hours.    … Expand
  26. Alcaliso
    Feb 13, 2020
    8
    While the repetitive combat through linear hallways is easily tiresome, if you are invested in the characters all the way to the endgame, the combat nuances that open up are rewarding enough to provide an enjoyable experience with graphics ahead of its time.
  27. Sinmaker
    Sep 12, 2020
    8
    It's a polarize final fantasy. Some people truly love; others truly hate. Both have good points. I personaly think is the best final fantasy for PS3.

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

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

    -->Negative points:
    . Too much linear progression. It's so obvious which way is right that you need to forcefully go to the wrong way to explore the maps.
    . Enemies visual designs are terrible. Some of then look like a pokemon from newer generations
    . Side quests are repetitive and you can't take more than one at time; which make you mindless run through the map just to pick a side quest.
    . In the machine that you save the game, you also buy stuffs and upgrade your gear. But you CAN'T switch between shop and upgrade inside the menu; you have to leave the machine and enter again if you wanna change to upgrade from shop or backwards. That sucks a lot.    … Expand
  28. Lightning189
    Jun 23, 2020
    8
    I played this game a few years ago and loved it back then, but never realized how much content I missed, after replaying the game and achievement hunting on it for over 90 hours (and still going up) I love the game even more, yes there are Linear parts to it, but with it being mostly story focus, I can give it a pass on that. This game is always going to be one of my favourite games,I played this game a few years ago and loved it back then, but never realized how much content I missed, after replaying the game and achievement hunting on it for over 90 hours (and still going up) I love the game even more, yes there are Linear parts to it, but with it being mostly story focus, I can give it a pass on that. This game is always going to be one of my favourite games, because the story felt different to most games I've played, and how all the characters worked out their grudges and banded together, over all it's a great experience to play again… Expand
  29. hector_bcn98
    Nov 9, 2022
    8
    Gran videojuego, mal Final Fantasy. Gráficamente espectácular, con un buen sistema de combate aunque demasiado automático y linealidad de exploración absoluta. Una oportunidad perdida para hacer historia en las primeras consolas de alta definición.
  30. Avid_StoryLover
    Aug 13, 2021
    8
    I feel this game gets a lot of hate, but I found it to be quite enjoyable. I loved the story characters and the world. The music was also top notch. My only real complaint is that it is a little too linear. I feel they could have avoided this by making dungeons with more exploration and less point a to point b. Also it would have helped if they had introduced world travel sooner in theI feel this game gets a lot of hate, but I found it to be quite enjoyable. I loved the story characters and the world. The music was also top notch. My only real complaint is that it is a little too linear. I feel they could have avoided this by making dungeons with more exploration and less point a to point b. Also it would have helped if they had introduced world travel sooner in the game. But I totally understand that the game was their first entry on a new generation of consoles which comes with its own production challenges. I would like to point out that the sequels to this game were really good and solved a lot of this games issues. I'm sad that a lot of people didn't give them a shot because of how they felt about this one. I would for them to release a remaster trilogy on newer consoles.… Expand
  31. THOUSANDEYEKAii
    May 5, 2023
    8
    Though it has it's flaws and was a huge disappointment I actually really enjoyed this game.
  32. 39BAKA
    Jun 22, 2022
    8
    A game that has been unfairly judged during its release from the public, but at large its a great game with a solid and unique combat system while the story is not the best it is still enjoyable. The story follows 6 characters with the majority of them you'll meet in the beginning of the game. The gameplay features a "Paradigms" system in which you basically change job class mid combat toA game that has been unfairly judged during its release from the public, but at large its a great game with a solid and unique combat system while the story is not the best it is still enjoyable. The story follows 6 characters with the majority of them you'll meet in the beginning of the game. The gameplay features a "Paradigms" system in which you basically change job class mid combat to effectively deal with the enemy front of you. The gameplay is much more fast pace as you'll be mostly switching Paradigms instead of selecting attacks as there is an auto select pick which does it for you, while it may seems to dumb done the game, it doesn't. Your main focus in combat is to switch between Paradigms to change between the pattern of the enemy and disassemble them. The OST is quite amazing as you'll be acquitted with an amazing set of musical soundtrack mostly being the main component of a piano. Overall the game is great that has a few and perhaps jarring flaws but not as jarring as you might think, the combat is fun and fast paces while still needing you to think and the OST which is the strongest part of the game in my opinion. You'll surly enjoy it now compare to those who act to quickly when first playing it.… Expand
  33. JrDouble
    Dec 20, 2022
    8
    Good Final Fantasy game overall. Very linear compared with XII, but a good looking game, solid voice acting, and interesting story.
  34. Santa-zero
    Aug 18, 2023
    8
    Stagger mechanics and the visuals safe it. Great head turner, even to this day. The art style boosts the looks of the game where the graphics lack.
  35. RichardD
    Mar 14, 2010
    7
    The good is the somewhat fun/fast, if not simplified, combat system. Gorgeous graphics from the environments and character detail to the incredible CG sequences. Story starts off confusing and weak. The characters have a irritatingly massive lack of self-awareness. First 11 chapters (25 hours or so in and there are only 13 chapters in the game) are essentially riding on a rail and using The good is the somewhat fun/fast, if not simplified, combat system. Gorgeous graphics from the environments and character detail to the incredible CG sequences. Story starts off confusing and weak. The characters have a irritatingly massive lack of self-awareness. First 11 chapters (25 hours or so in and there are only 13 chapters in the game) are essentially riding on a rail and using the Auto-battle button. Linearity and pacing is further restricted by the lack of towns, explorable areas, and character build customization. Summons have an uninspiring part in the story and the lackluster amount of classic summons is a personal major drawback. Few or no side-quests or mini-games compared to previous Final Fantasy installments. Soundtrack feels nonexistent using primarily one song for the majority of the cut scenes and no memorable tunes from battles or boss battles. For more Final Fantasy 13 is a step back for the Final Fantasy series I've come to enjoy it over the many installments.… Expand
  36. Joseph
    Apr 12, 2010
    7
    I've been playing Final Fantasy since the original NES release 23 years ago, and while FF13 was great in moments, I found the overall presentation fell flat on its face. The good points: The production values (as is expected from SE) were extremely high, the graphics were gorgeous particularly the cutscenes. The battle system was pretty solid but it took entirely too long for it to I've been playing Final Fantasy since the original NES release 23 years ago, and while FF13 was great in moments, I found the overall presentation fell flat on its face. The good points: The production values (as is expected from SE) were extremely high, the graphics were gorgeous particularly the cutscenes. The battle system was pretty solid but it took entirely too long for it to get fleshed out and no, I'm not just complaining because I can't let go of the older system. I liked how things were generally streamlined actually. I liked the personalities of the characters, and the voice acting wasn't terrible but... well that leads me to the bad: The story was terrible. Not only was the story bad, but the pacing of it absolutely killed the momentum of the game. I can think of several FF titles that were so engaging and story driven that I couldn't wait to make it through. With FF13... I just wanted it to be over. No direction, too much "well, gee, I guess we should like finish our Focus ... or not, idk." Spira (FFX) felt like a real place with a rich history and culture; FFXIII never comes even close to achieving this. I think a lot of the flaws could've been solved by not starting the story midway through and spent 75% of the game telling the story in reverse; it totally kills the pacing of the narrative. Surely they could've found a better way to present this... the potential was certainly there, even if it smacked of FFX and FFT's "humans defying the demi-gods and their own fate". Anyways, the combat and graphics saved the game from a lower score; 7 is being extremely generous... I can really only suggest this to RPG fans because there are so few decent J-RPGs being made these days. Otherwise... don't bother.… Expand
  37. GabB
    Mar 20, 2010
    7
    Maybe I'm jaded but this game feels very empty and souless. What you see is what you get. There's next to nothing in terms of towns, exploration, npcs, hidden items and sidequests. The game offers no depth and further more the story is so dragged out for so long and rarely do you feel any emotions for the characters(partially because they're so stupid). People compare it to Maybe I'm jaded but this game feels very empty and souless. What you see is what you get. There's next to nothing in terms of towns, exploration, npcs, hidden items and sidequests. The game offers no depth and further more the story is so dragged out for so long and rarely do you feel any emotions for the characters(partially because they're so stupid). People compare it to FFX when you argue that it's linear but FFX at least gave you the ability to backtrack and plenty of hidden sidequests and cutscenes AND towns. Not to mention some pretty good mini-games(ex.blitzball). This game simply put depresses me to the core because it forces you down one precise path with not even the slightest attempt to distract you and pull you off course. Fortunately the game has good graphics and music but after playing a game like uncharted 2 it's not really that breathtaking. This game is actually pretty generic for what it was supposed to be. Final Fantasy might as well be dead now since both this and FFXII and ffX-2 were massive letdowns to the final fantasy name. I'll probably pick up FFXIV simply because it's behind the guys who made my favourite mmorpg and versus XIII because it could be seen as a mature substitute for KH3 at the time. As for the main development team I couldn't care less really. They are more than likely going to make FFXIII-2 anyway since they said they wanted the XIII franchise to last 10 years.… Expand
  38. DanielP
    Mar 11, 2010
    7
    Who in Square Enix said: "Hey you know what we should do? Make this new installment of Final Fantasy as linear as a freaking two dimensional Sonic game!" "yeah man! That's a GREAT idea!" All I wanted to do through the entire first half of the game was go find an optional boss, go into an optional zone, or engage in a sidequest. For those of you who played FF7, let me put it this way, Who in Square Enix said: "Hey you know what we should do? Make this new installment of Final Fantasy as linear as a freaking two dimensional Sonic game!" "yeah man! That's a GREAT idea!" All I wanted to do through the entire first half of the game was go find an optional boss, go into an optional zone, or engage in a sidequest. For those of you who played FF7, let me put it this way, you don't get out of Midgar till the game is more than halfway over!… Expand
  39. Fix
    Oct 24, 2012
    7
    I honestly could not tell you what the story was about. Why is it so complicated? I played it till the end because of the fun gameplay and nice graphics, but I was kind of bummed that I never really felt a connection to the story. Hopefully they will come up with something better in the future. Overall, I'd recommend it. However, don't plan on being emotionally driven at all during that time.
  40. BDeyo01
    Sep 12, 2010
    7
    If you're looking for a good story, comparable to any of the previous FF's, you will not find it here. However, the Battle System is great. But that's all I find enjoyable about this game. I am very turned off by the direction the franchise is going, and I have pooled a lot of money into merchandise, video games, guides, and time, based on the franchise. This game has left a very sourIf you're looking for a good story, comparable to any of the previous FF's, you will not find it here. However, the Battle System is great. But that's all I find enjoyable about this game. I am very turned off by the direction the franchise is going, and I have pooled a lot of money into merchandise, video games, guides, and time, based on the franchise. This game has left a very sour taste in my mouth and I wish I had waited for the reviews to come out. As a stand-alone game, if you remove the intellectual property and give it a randomized name, then it just turns out to be a linear RPG with no ground breaking leveling or character improvement systems. Just about the only interesting / fun aspect of the game is the battle's. In the past, I have also ended up purchasing the sound tracks to the game, for nostalgia's sake, but I will not be doing so with this game as I am not impressed by the soundtrack either. At this time, Amazon is selling this game for $20 - well worth it, in my opinion, if you just need to feed your RPG appetite for the time being. However, Final Fantasy die-hards beware, this game has a high probability of disappointing.… Expand
  41. Mattaclysm
    Mar 29, 2011
    7
    FF13 is an average RPG put in an amazing environment. The graphics are hands down some of the best on consoles and the visuals are very nice in a lot of areas. Character models and people look good as well. What's ruined is that most areas are mainly narrow paths which I feel is a step back from FF12. Battle system is unique. Square has been trying to keep Final Fantasy's fresh ever sinceFF13 is an average RPG put in an amazing environment. The graphics are hands down some of the best on consoles and the visuals are very nice in a lot of areas. Character models and people look good as well. What's ruined is that most areas are mainly narrow paths which I feel is a step back from FF12. Battle system is unique. Square has been trying to keep Final Fantasy's fresh ever since 1 by adding new elements in every game and the Paradigm battle system is one of the worst idea's I think they've ever come up with. It becomes stressful and confusing mixing , matching and switching these to fight certain enemies, bosses and marks. What was wrong with the whole Attack Magic Item Defend style that they felt they needed to get rid of. The story isn't good. Though I don't think it's bad either. I had trouble getting into it for the first 15 hours or so which was about half of the game for me. I also was highly disappointed by the music it seemed like they used about 4 tracks in the whole game each had some form of rehash remix, which I felt got old after a while.
    I agree that Final Fantasy 13 is not as memorable as the older FF but it is the prettiest and probably one of the best looking games of this gen.    … Expand
  42. Albyproulx
    Jan 9, 2011
    7
    By far the worst Final Fantasy game. It was still decent, but anything with the name Final Fantasy attached has built up certain expectations. I feel that the franchise is losing its luster with each release. This game was so linear it's ridiculous. As a player I felt like I was just running from battle to battle, cut scene to cut scene. The story was interesting, but the game playBy far the worst Final Fantasy game. It was still decent, but anything with the name Final Fantasy attached has built up certain expectations. I feel that the franchise is losing its luster with each release. This game was so linear it's ridiculous. As a player I felt like I was just running from battle to battle, cut scene to cut scene. The story was interesting, but the game play has no depth. The visuals are very nice, but there is not much beyond that.… Expand
  43. Diogenes4evr
    Mar 14, 2011
    7
    After 70 hours I really wanted to hate this game but I can't. It's a long way from perfect (other than graphically) the story needed some clarification and some more character development wouldn't have been a bad thing. The battle system while responsive was a bit oversimplified for every battle but the major bosses and the stats adding was far too linear. As I played though I grewAfter 70 hours I really wanted to hate this game but I can't. It's a long way from perfect (other than graphically) the story needed some clarification and some more character development wouldn't have been a bad thing. The battle system while responsive was a bit oversimplified for every battle but the major bosses and the stats adding was far too linear. As I played though I grew attached to the characters and the story does have merit the surroundings change although they have to considering the linearity. Not perfect but if you like JRPGs pick it up.… Expand
  44. SnowDay
    Oct 11, 2015
    7
    What can I say about Final Fantasy XIII that hasn't already been said? Yes, the game is very linear, there is no world map, and the story is deep, yet empty. However, the battle system is quite intriguing and the graphics are incredible. Final Fantasy XIII's tag line should be: "Well, it's still better than XII".
  45. dobserver
    Nov 8, 2011
    7
    Final Fantasy has always been about the great story and gameplay. That is what has made it a very successful franchise, even today. Lately, though it seems that the developers are focusing more on the graphics then the core competencies. Final Fantasy XIII has great graphics, the cinematics are amazing and everything is pretty smooth. The gameplay and difficulty level is not bad, but it isFinal Fantasy has always been about the great story and gameplay. That is what has made it a very successful franchise, even today. Lately, though it seems that the developers are focusing more on the graphics then the core competencies. Final Fantasy XIII has great graphics, the cinematics are amazing and everything is pretty smooth. The gameplay and difficulty level is not bad, but it is not especially amazing either. The story is a bit recycled and linear but I didn't find it really 'bad' either. This game is simply 'okay.' There isn't anything particularly bad about it, but there isn't anything particularly amazing about it either. I'd get it if it was on sale. The difficulty level of the game is really easy until near the end, in which you have to grind a bit to catch up. But after grinding, the game is pretty easy in general. This might make it a turn-off for many players. It's not that this game was bad, but Squaresoft has been known for making groundbreaking games and it was just surprising to find that this isn't one of them. (Score: 7.0)… Expand
  46. rpgczar
    Dec 18, 2011
    7
    Graphics 9 one of best looking games on ps3 and 360 story the story is average at best I liked ff10 approach much better 13 story has alot of. Flashback type scenes and it harder to connect with characters though the connection is better than ff 12. Level design 7 this is one of the weaknesses of ff 13 the beginning is very linear making it feel like you are traveling down long hallwaysGraphics 9 one of best looking games on ps3 and 360 story the story is average at best I liked ff10 approach much better 13 story has alot of. Flashback type scenes and it harder to connect with characters though the connection is better than ff 12. Level design 7 this is one of the weaknesses of ff 13 the beginning is very linear making it feel like you are traveling down long hallways until you get to pulse where you must do lots of grinding and some monsters are just ridiculous in difficulty battle system is a 8 somebattles take much too long due to the stagger system which prevents you from taking large amounts of hp til its filled summons are more useful than in ff12 and can revive fallen allies once what I don't like is when the main character dies its gameover unless you hit he retry button which starts you back at where you left off the thing is some battles are so hard you will be hitting retry over and over another thing I hate is you can't switch between party members during battle therefore you can only use one characters summon also I thought the weapon customation sucked in this game because it takes forever to get enough money to upgrade weapons and when you do upgrade them the amount you take doesnt go up by much compared to ff10 where if your strength went up 100 you'd be taking alot more the games strengths are its music and its graphics the story is average the battle system is exhausting because of one fight after another and overall this game could have been much better.… Expand
  47. DeepDive
    Dec 20, 2012
    7
    in retrospect this is not the greatest nor it is critically acclaim as the previous entries however this does not mean it is a bad game, while it certainly has it flaws (I mean what game doesn't?). Many of the game's shortcoming can be heard from the fans that are dissatisfied with the game, most notably that it's infamous for it's lack of immersive exploration and story-wise filled within retrospect this is not the greatest nor it is critically acclaim as the previous entries however this does not mean it is a bad game, while it certainly has it flaws (I mean what game doesn't?). Many of the game's shortcoming can be heard from the fans that are dissatisfied with the game, most notably that it's infamous for it's lack of immersive exploration and story-wise filled with confusion terminology and obnoxious characters. While on these sectors it falls flat, there are other elements which stands out crediting the fast-pace combat, the well designed environments which for an outdated engine (that's running on the Crystal Tools) still looks visually absorbing and the cg cinematic which invigorated many past final fantasy. While the FFXIII is not necessary abhorrent as many fan many fan has describe, it is still one of the weakest title in the series and may disappoint many die-hard fan of the the turn-base genre.… Expand
  48. LilD
    Jan 9, 2014
    7
    Let's be honest, the crux of the Final Fantasy games are its stories. FFXIII has to have one of the worst stories of any game I’ve played let alone one that is meant to be a major blockbuster. It is overly confusing and convoluted that no one I talked to has any idea what is going on. Some have even tried writing down plot points into a note pad and are still baffled as to the storyline.Let's be honest, the crux of the Final Fantasy games are its stories. FFXIII has to have one of the worst stories of any game I’ve played let alone one that is meant to be a major blockbuster. It is overly confusing and convoluted that no one I talked to has any idea what is going on. Some have even tried writing down plot points into a note pad and are still baffled as to the storyline.

    Naturally, a bad story leads to awful characters. This is partly true. A few characters are memorable: Lightning and Fang, a few that just occupy space: Vanille and Sazh, and a few that are completely irritating: Snow and Hope. This volatility is a theme of how this game’s production is. With a series that has brought us Sephiroth and Auron, the characters are generally forgettable.

    I know Final Fantasy games can be cutscene heavy, but it almost felt as if you were playing between cutscenes at many times. One of the biggest complaints is its linearity. I personally didn’t find this to be a problem. It does open up slightly in the latter parts of the game.

    One of XIII’s strengths is that it just feels fluid and polished. The smooth graphics, the quick and stylish UI, and has hands-down the best battling system. For me, this game’s saving grace was its battling system. Battles never felt like a chore and kept me interested in the game despite an awful story.

    As a Final Fantasy game, it is a letdown. If viewing in isolation, it is a decent RPG. Despite its many shortcomings, it only took me like a week to get through the 60+ hours of gameplay, a marathon only a few games have warranted.    … Expand
  49. Chaeote
    Feb 24, 2013
    7
    I'm not going to go into great detail here, as there's already plenty of that.

    All I'll say in addition to a list of pros and cons is this: The game is NOT bad. It's very pretty. The characters and the world grow on you. I did not finish it. (I got about half-way through chapter 11, and said "screw it". The game just makes SUCH an incredibly huge difficulty spike at that point, that    I'm not going to go into great detail here, as there's already plenty of that.

    All I'll say in addition to a list of pros and cons is this:

    The game is NOT bad. It's very pretty. The characters and the world grow on you. I did not finish it. (I got about half-way through chapter 11, and said "screw it". The game just makes SUCH an incredibly huge difficulty spike at that point, that honestly, the story isn't worth it. It's easier just go go on You Tube and watch the cutscenes.

    Now, pros and cons:

    Pros:
    - Pretty
    - Combat system is interesting, once you understand that it's less about choosing attacks, and more about choosing and timing the right paradigms and targets.
    - Characters are believable, and for the most part genuinely likeable.
    - The world is very interesting.

    Cons:
    - There's NOTHING to do except fight, or watch cutscenes. Even the one "side quest" that's present is just the mark hunting system from FF12. It get repetitive fast.
    - As I mentioned, the HUGE difficulty spike when you get to Pulse.
    - The crystarium's exp requirements, mean you either grind the hell out of your characters, or just stick to their top two primary roles so you can actually get some decent abilities.
    - Upgrading weapons is weird... I dunno what else to say about it, it needs a better explanation.
    - No side quests
    - No mini-games (triple triad, blitzball, etc)

    That being said, I am gonna play FF13-2 still, see if the changes they made catches my attention, especially since just looking at the titles of the articles on gameFAQ makes it look there's actually side quests and mini-games.    … Expand
  50. ninja_dolphin
    Feb 8, 2013
    7
    A game that excels in some areas and fails in others leaving a pretty mixed experience. The graphics are gorgeous and the locales you visit are incredible to look at. The score for the game is great as expected from a final fantasy game and the story, while not the best in the series was fairly interesting if a little complicated. The characters are mainly likable and the cast is certainlyA game that excels in some areas and fails in others leaving a pretty mixed experience. The graphics are gorgeous and the locales you visit are incredible to look at. The score for the game is great as expected from a final fantasy game and the story, while not the best in the series was fairly interesting if a little complicated. The characters are mainly likable and the cast is certainly better than the crew from final fantasy X. The main problem is the battle system feels too shallow and doesn't require any strategy except changing formations every once in a while. I didn't really have that much of a problem with the battle system but it did become extremely boring while fighting bosses with large amounts of HP. The main problem I have with this game is for what I played it was a massive straight line which I hated since I loved the world they created but couldn't explore or talk to NPCs. Very much a battle focused game which I wasn't a fan of. I appreciate that it opens up about 30 hours into the game but I can't be bothered to slog through 30 hours of this game to get to the 'good part'.… Expand
  51. DemonKnight94
    Mar 20, 2014
    7
    FFXIII is a very repetitive game. At very few times i found it fun for the sake of gameplay. And that is the combats fault. It´s to repetitive and for the first half of the game u basicaly mash one button in manny battles lasts forever aswell as its undramatic. Fighting, running around enviroments and watch cutscenes is what u do in this game, Usualy that is not a problem for me but iFFXIII is a very repetitive game. At very few times i found it fun for the sake of gameplay. And that is the combats fault. It´s to repetitive and for the first half of the game u basicaly mash one button in manny battles lasts forever aswell as its undramatic. Fighting, running around enviroments and watch cutscenes is what u do in this game, Usualy that is not a problem for me but i found running around the enviroments thte creative and beautiful, at times spectacular inviroments and watch cutscenes more interesting.

    Aswell as that FFXIII has a soundtrack that u hear when running around the world and during cutsceenes that is great but not to often, all you hear is Combat Theme trough every fight. Great estetics, poor gameplay    … Expand
  52. AJCk19
    Nov 18, 2022
    7
    Game is all round beautiful from the score, and graphics during it's time. However, the game doesn't really open up until 50 hours in. Yet I still enjoyed myself because not all JRPGs have to be open/sandbox, a linear story driven experience can have its own benefits.

    But my biggest problem was being forced to be stuck with whiny characters like Hope, there was no new game plus (but to    Game is all round beautiful from the score, and graphics during it's time. However, the game doesn't really open up until 50 hours in. Yet I still enjoyed myself because not all JRPGs have to be open/sandbox, a linear story driven experience can have its own benefits.

    But my biggest problem was being forced to be stuck with whiny characters like Hope, there was no new game plus (but to be fair, if it is with hope, just nvm then), and it was kind or rpg lite.    … Expand
  53. CiloH
    Nov 26, 2013
    7
    FF-XIII falls short of being the innovative Final Fantasy game it had striven to be. The game offers luscious CG cut-scenes accompanied with unforgettable soundtracks; The story is also not terrible for a J-RPG. Character models are beautifully drawn and their character development is quite decent. Game mechanics, however, lacks the depth and intricacy that was once present in itsFF-XIII falls short of being the innovative Final Fantasy game it had striven to be. The game offers luscious CG cut-scenes accompanied with unforgettable soundtracks; The story is also not terrible for a J-RPG. Character models are beautifully drawn and their character development is quite decent. Game mechanics, however, lacks the depth and intricacy that was once present in its predecessor: FF-XII. The dreaded "Auto-Battle" command is the most immersion-killing part of the entire game. This button essentially allows the game to play itself, since also the game is not difficult in any sense. FF-XIII's battle mechanics is basically a super dumb'ed-down version of FF-XII's. There a tiny traces of the gambit system in the form of the Paradigms, but now it is simplified to the point where it is as if it was teaching you "Rock beats paper, scissors beat paper, and paper beats rock. Do you need me to hold you're hand some more? How about I beat the game for you?". The battle game play is bluntly: Boring.… Expand
  54. sacredbear
    Sep 10, 2014
    7
    Final Fantasy XIII commits some sins for sure. The game has large stretches of extremely linear level design, and does not attempt much to hide the fact. The cast is likely the most uninteresting, unlikeable cast I have seen in a Final Fantasy game. Those facts (at the very least, well informed opinions) out of the way, this is still an enjoyable game with many qualities to like. TheFinal Fantasy XIII commits some sins for sure. The game has large stretches of extremely linear level design, and does not attempt much to hide the fact. The cast is likely the most uninteresting, unlikeable cast I have seen in a Final Fantasy game. Those facts (at the very least, well informed opinions) out of the way, this is still an enjoyable game with many qualities to like. The visuals and the music are easily the most polished in the series (again, well informed opinions...). With a few tweaks (no auto battle, less obvious linearity) this could be up there with the best of the Final Fantasy games. Is it the worst Final Fantasy? Probably. Is it still a good game, worth playing? Yes, definitely. Ignore the overblown criticism and try it out.… Expand
  55. Unhyper
    Feb 6, 2015
    7
    The battle system is great, but the world is lifeless. My first FF was FFVII, and I keep going back to it because you have so much freedom in it. You can travel almost anywhere whenever you like, you can enter houses and talk to NPCs, and many of them not only have interesting things to say but their dialogue also changes depending on where you are in the game's story.

    From FFX onward,    The battle system is great, but the world is lifeless. My first FF was FFVII, and I keep going back to it because you have so much freedom in it. You can travel almost anywhere whenever you like, you can enter houses and talk to NPCs, and many of them not only have interesting things to say but their dialogue also changes depending on where you are in the game's story.

    From FFX onward, not only have the worlds become increasingly less accessible beyond the scripted track, but Square has increased the recycling of assets: less different NPC designs, and just copy and paste the same ones everywhere. Both of these factors, in my opinion, do more injury to immersion than an incoherent story.    … Expand
  56. Markkykung17
    May 8, 2016
    7
    Great Game-play But Worse Story. The worse thing in this game is Leader death. The Most Annoying character in final fantasy games in in XIII. The paradigm was so great. just like when you change job on other FF
  57. BlitZeR_95
    Apr 29, 2018
    7
    I'm a HUGE Final Fantasy fan! I love this new combat style and the cutscenes are amazing just what you expect from a Final Fantasy game but that's about it for the good part of this game.
    The characters are weak, none of them you can relate to as they're very unrealistic. Story is very confusing unless you play it multiple time but not many people have time to play a Final Fantasy game    I'm a HUGE Final Fantasy fan! I love this new combat style and the cutscenes are amazing just what you expect from a Final Fantasy game but that's about it for the good part of this game.
    The characters are weak, none of them you can relate to as they're very unrealistic. Story is very confusing unless you play it multiple time but not many people have time to play a Final Fantasy game multiple of times. Very disappointing    … Expand
  58. Moriquendi
    Feb 21, 2022
    7
    Lo estoy volviendo a jugar después de 12 años sabiendo que es una kk de juego pero sin esperar grandes cosas y la verdad es que me esta sorprendiendo gráficamente y lo estoy disfrutando mas, debido a que posiblemente fuera el primer final fantasy de ps3 esperábamos mucho ya que Sony vendió muchísimo humo nos creímos que volveríamos a ver otro FF7 FF8 FF9 y nos encontramos algo muy distintoLo estoy volviendo a jugar después de 12 años sabiendo que es una kk de juego pero sin esperar grandes cosas y la verdad es que me esta sorprendiendo gráficamente y lo estoy disfrutando mas, debido a que posiblemente fuera el primer final fantasy de ps3 esperábamos mucho ya que Sony vendió muchísimo humo nos creímos que volveríamos a ver otro FF7 FF8 FF9 y nos encontramos algo muy distinto con visión propia.
    Repito si lo juegas sabiendo que no tienes que buscar ninguna referencia a sus títulos anteriores se puede disfumar como un titulo independiente de la saga con algún que otro altibajo.    … Expand
  59. Leontorres7
    Nov 15, 2018
    7
    The game could have been better and its lacking a lot of elements but still it is entertaining.
  60. Vexyy
    Nov 27, 2018
    7
    Yes it's good.
    But if you do not have the patience to play RPG in turn, DO NOT PLAY THAT GAME.
    He is slow, with a very realistic gameplay, but he has a problem, which in another point of view, can be considered ART.
    Its complexity.
    It is very complex, with paradigms, crystarium, among others.
    But it is still another game of the consecrated Final Fantasy franchise
  61. WhiteEagle
    Apr 27, 2022
    7
    I love some of the characters, namely Vanille and Fang, but the battle system is just too underwhelming. So often I find normal roadside encounters developing into long, tiring and excruciating ones and I've died more times than in any other Final Fantasy game even at normal difficulty. To me the battle system in FF 13 is just unenjoyable at all, in comparison, the polished version of thisI love some of the characters, namely Vanille and Fang, but the battle system is just too underwhelming. So often I find normal roadside encounters developing into long, tiring and excruciating ones and I've died more times than in any other Final Fantasy game even at normal difficulty. To me the battle system in FF 13 is just unenjoyable at all, in comparison, the polished version of this battle system in FF 13-2 proved to be much more entertaining and also reasonable. The battle system aside, the extreme linearity of the first 10 chapters(the game has 13 chapters) is also a big problem.… Expand
  62. Th3StartButton
    Jun 4, 2019
    7
    I honestly enjoyed Maybe its cause I was pretty new to Final Fantasy it was fine man just try it
  63. Tidu
    May 23, 2022
    7
    If FF12 was "just ok" game for me, XIII doesn't even top that. I don't like the setting that much and the characters are not that likeable(except for a few). Hope was especially annoying for me.
    Game is also too much of a tube run, and even through FFX was it kind of also, this one doesn't work as well.
    Still somehow we got couple sequels which worked a bit better, but it felt like that    If FF12 was "just ok" game for me, XIII doesn't even top that. I don't like the setting that much and the characters are not that likeable(except for a few). Hope was especially annoying for me.
    Game is also too much of a tube run, and even through FFX was it kind of also, this one doesn't work as well.
    Still somehow we got couple sequels which worked a bit better, but it felt like that Final Fantasy magic was lost for me.    … Expand
  64. aaronnmp96
    Jan 30, 2023
    7
    Very linear, the story is good but certain characters can be tedious, the Gameplay seems fun and strategic
  65. AnthonyP.
    Mar 12, 2010
    6
    Epic let down! First off id like to say this game is a fairly solid dungeon crawler/interactive movie. You jump from dungeon to dungeon, cutscene to cutscene. Minimal character interaction outside cutscenes, the best you will get is idle chatter while you explore the linear paths (Mostly stuff like "Hey this place is neat" or "Look at that") If you thought FF12's characters needed Epic let down! First off id like to say this game is a fairly solid dungeon crawler/interactive movie. You jump from dungeon to dungeon, cutscene to cutscene. Minimal character interaction outside cutscenes, the best you will get is idle chatter while you explore the linear paths (Mostly stuff like "Hey this place is neat" or "Look at that") If you thought FF12's characters needed more depth then you have not met Lightning the ex soldier without a personality...sounds like Cloud actually, but without the actual good plot twists that make him remotely interesting. The battles are either impossible or too easy, meaning if you know what to do they are simple but if you dont know the exact way 100% to fight a boss you cant win period. Why must I fight a boss EXACTLY one specific way ...that is boring. Moving on...Area's dont get interesting till chapter 10 (Out of 13), Summons are extremely cheesy...two blue sisters interlocking thier thighs making themselves into a motercycle is NOT my ideal Shiva. No towns, no shops, boring late-late game sidequests, boring item grinding, truly a dungeon crawler with cutscenes every 5 minutes. The game drops you in the middle of its storyline, it actually needs 10,000 flashbacks to explain itself, it feels almost like a cheap FF6 story, only without the ground breaking gameplay to make up for it. On a plus its graphics are great but not jaw dropping. The sound is amazing, voice acting is decent. On a side note character development is a pretty version of the sphere grid, only you cant really customize a character the way you want. Its monitered and capped in a way that basically everybody will end up with the same characters near endgame. I give this game a 7/10, but since its the most epic letdown of the past 10 years, it gets a 6/10 out of spite.… Expand
  66. GaryW
    Apr 4, 2010
    6
    So fast-forward to now, and here is Final Fantasy XIII; a game I thought would bring me back to the old days and loving the series again. In fact, I think everyone was thinking the same; as the game's director was the same one that worked on Final Fantasy VII. And here I introduce the big problem of this game: not only was I trying my hardest to enjoy it, but this game was obviously So fast-forward to now, and here is Final Fantasy XIII; a game I thought would bring me back to the old days and loving the series again. In fact, I think everyone was thinking the same; as the game's director was the same one that worked on Final Fantasy VII. And here I introduce the big problem of this game: not only was I trying my hardest to enjoy it, but this game was obviously trying its hardest to be enjoyed. From a character heralded as the female version of FFVII's main character Cloud (hell, even her name was fairly similar, being Lightning and all...) to stupidly detailed cut-scenes (that really give away how bad most of the graphics actually are in the game), this is a game that wants to be loved so badly. OK, I lie; it's a game that wants to make Square Enix money. The in-game graphics really are quite horrible for at least the first half of the game, where they look no better then the previous FFXII's environments. It's not just the graphics are bad, but the environments seem carelessly designed. For example, in one part Sazh (one of the few decent characters I will come back to later on) and Vanille (a horribly "australian" voiced character who, thankfully, I will not come back to again) are travelling through a forest. This forest just looks like any bog-standard, generic one you would see in any other game. But it looks boring, too. It's not until you get in the last third of gameplay that we begin to see some of the wow-factor and huge environments a Final Fantasy game should be. And I don't want to sound like a graphics whore, but when compared to in-game graphics of a game like Uncharted, you begin to feel the frustration that Square could have actually created something arguably just as good as in the already mentioned amazing cut-scenes. Well, amazing definitely described the look of the cut-scenes. Their editing and direction leaves much to be desired. Maybe I'm coming at it as I have done video-editing, but you get the feeling they let a child or something mess about with the footage before the game was released. Horrible, sweeping camera angles I'd associate with lesser games unfamiliar with cinematography are used to death. Scenes and lines cut-short, along with music that rarely properly reflects the atmosphere or what's happening on screen. The voice acting is terrible. But the worst thing is the writing. Whoever wrote the English script should find a whole to crawl into before I find them, as it was extremely disappointing. Forget decent characterisation or trying to tie and emotional bond with the gamer. No, it's just full of bad cliches and a horrible narrative. Which leads to the biggest problem. I really don't care what happens to just about all the characters. Rather than take a primary character who we see develop, with well developed supportive roles, we see a narrative that tries to make all the characters have a more or less equal role. Which simply doesn't work; by the time we start to develop some sort of feeling for the characters, it swaps to the other half of the team for a few hours. There is one exception to the rule: Sazh. In my opinion, he has the best character, voice actor, and role in the game. He's an older guy who has been thrown into this mess because he wants to save his toddler son. He is also really likeable, compared to the rest of the gang of freaks. But I think the ageism in the game says it all: in his mid-thirties, he's an "old man". All the other characters are younger, (apparently) sexier, and just as fake and one-dimensional as the probable target audience of the product. He ends up taking a back-seater by the middle of the story, being used from then on as someone to give the odd annoying one-liner. The annoying thing is this is meant to be a role-playing game. But the dialogue is so awful you can't ever fit into a role. There is also no exploration whatsoever, at least until the final chapters in a section full of side-quests which seems more like it has been bolted on to please hardcore fans. And this is one of the few parts that looks amazing; it is so huge. There is no "world-map" you can explore, and most of the game you are getting from a-to-b. Not even any "exploration" exists, as your map in the top-right corner makes it pretty obvious that the very rare off-shoot of the path probably hides some treasure. There's no sense of "home" throughout, and no more towns you can explore or find useful things out from the townsfolk. In the few sections you can converse with people, they repeat the same thing over and over. Finally (and arguably the flagship of any RPG) is the battle system. And in all fairness, at the beginning you think it is really well done. You control one character by selecting their attacks/defence in battle, and can select the "stance" (or paradigm, as this game decides to call them) the other two people in your team have. i.e. whether you want them to keep healing, keep using magic attacks or physical attacks etc.It all starts off well, but very quickly you see it's limitations. It all feels too on-rails, like the rest of the game. They've even provided an "auto-battle" mode so you don't even have to control your main man/woman!! And more usually than not the other two party members act in a way you never would if you were actually controlling them. Indeed, I doubt any sane man would act that way either. They made one massive, massive mistake with the battle system though: if the party leader gets knocked out, it's game over. Why the hell did they decide that? Do your other party members, who are quite happy to use revive magic to any one else on the team, suddenly forget how to heal you? There isn't even any logic for this decision in terms of the battle system as a whole. It seems just a lazy decision on Square's part to make the game a bit harder. So overall, I was very unimpressed with the game. It is trying too hard to make money and look all glitzy and great, but you can't base the soul of a good game or storyline on making money. You don't feel the passion they put into their games anymore... it seemed to all disappear after the 10th instalment of the series (which compared to this really wasn't that bad). If they wanted a guaranteed cash-cow that I would buy and actually enjoy, they should have re-made Final Fantasy VII like everyone begged them to. Interestingly, the related game/tie-in/sequal Final Fantasy Versus 13 really doesn't look that bad. In fact it looks a lot darker, like in FFVII. And it has a world map to explore. Seeing as they seemed to lose their way after getting rid of a world you travel around, maybe it's a sign they'll go back to their roots. Maybe.… Expand
  67. Seth
    Mar 10, 2010
    6
    Where is all the exploring? In this game you fight, walk, watch a cutscene and repeat. Over and over. There are practically no options to customize your character, you cannot control more than one character at a time. The story is probably the weakest Ive played in the series. The music is bad. It makes me miss the old Nobuo Uematsu tracks. The only thing this game has going for it are Where is all the exploring? In this game you fight, walk, watch a cutscene and repeat. Over and over. There are practically no options to customize your character, you cannot control more than one character at a time. The story is probably the weakest Ive played in the series. The music is bad. It makes me miss the old Nobuo Uematsu tracks. The only thing this game has going for it are the graphics. The only thing that allows this to be called an RPG is the turn based combat, which is outdated. The combat in XII or X was far superior. There is no sense of "role playing" rather, you are watching a FF movie with a few turn based limited combat situations.… Expand
  68. TinoH
    Mar 14, 2010
    6
    This game suffers from MANY flaws. I can't understand people / magazines giving it perfect scores. There is nothing outstanding except the graphics. Even the story is extremely cheesy and boring. The battle system is a strain on my thumb because you can beat 95% of all encounters by repeatedly pressing "X" from fight start to fight end! The enemies have soooo much HP that you will be This game suffers from MANY flaws. I can't understand people / magazines giving it perfect scores. There is nothing outstanding except the graphics. Even the story is extremely cheesy and boring. The battle system is a strain on my thumb because you can beat 95% of all encounters by repeatedly pressing "X" from fight start to fight end! The enemies have soooo much HP that you will be hacking "X" for 1-5 m inutes EVEN FOR NORMAL ENEMIES! The battle system offers no challenges at all except keep your "leader" alive. One of the 2-3 people you walk around is is your "leader" - if he dies the game is instantly lost. But dont worry - you will not have to replay anything. Because if you fail a fight you can just RETRY it .... The list of flaws continues but I don't want to write anymore.… Expand
  69. Joshua
    Mar 27, 2010
    6
    This Final Fantasy is an utter dissapointment. First the good points: Graphics and story (sort of). This game is beautiful as everyone has said. No doubt about it. The story is also very cool except that at several points I literally stopped at verbalized a WTF which I don't usually do, and sometimes the dialogue gets a little FFX Tidus-esque. But overall very good story. The bad: This Final Fantasy is an utter dissapointment. First the good points: Graphics and story (sort of). This game is beautiful as everyone has said. No doubt about it. The story is also very cool except that at several points I literally stopped at verbalized a WTF which I don't usually do, and sometimes the dialogue gets a little FFX Tidus-esque. But overall very good story. The bad: Super linear. It is boring as hell to walk straight for 1 minut fight for 3 minutes watch cutscene for 5 minutes repeat. Since everyting is like a long hallway it feels claustrophobic and uninteresting even when you change scenery. Somtime I could change from a cityscape to a forest and not even feel like I went anywhere because I was just so disengaged. The battle system is crap. Paradigms sound cool for about 3 seconds but when you have to switch back and forth every turn in some battles it gets pretty annoying. Plus it just feels cheap when you don't have a perfect paradigm set up so one character is doing nothing useful for a turn or when you want to cast slow once then go back to attacking but can't because to cast slow you have to be in a job that doesn't have a normal attack. The stagger system is ridiculous in my opinion. All it amounts to for me is a sensation of being extremely weak and underleveled in every single battle for the whole game with no real way to level up, but with the possibility to suddenly do normal or good damage in the last 5 seconds of a battle. Yay. Overall this game is very average in terms of an RPG, you could definitely find better out there, even in this RPG drought generation. As a huge fan of the FF series this game feels pretty close to a last straw. XV is no longer a must buy for me.… Expand
  70. SeanR
    Mar 29, 2010
    6
    I can't understand how so many people give this game such high scores. A 6, at best, is what it deserves. JRPG's aren't exactly known for their steps in innovation, but they are at least consistent. The previous FF's added onto the previous one, or at least did something better. For XIII, Square Enix just chopped off whole elements and replaced it with cliches.
  71. Trevor
    Apr 7, 2010
    6
    I tried and tried through out the entire 60 hours to care about this games story and characters, but no matter how much I tried, I simply could not. The battle system is, for the most part, fun. However, the story is just horrible, I expected WAY more from the company who brought us FFVII and X. I tried to over look the lack of side quests and cities, but could not do so. This just feels I tried and tried through out the entire 60 hours to care about this games story and characters, but no matter how much I tried, I simply could not. The battle system is, for the most part, fun. However, the story is just horrible, I expected WAY more from the company who brought us FFVII and X. I tried to over look the lack of side quests and cities, but could not do so. This just feels like a mediocre game wrapped with the occasional FF reference. A definite rent, but be buy at your own risk. If you love FF VII and X's stories, prepare to be disappointed.… Expand
  72. Pat
    Mar 17, 2010
    6
    This game makes you appreciate final fantasy 12 so much. FF13 is Final Fantasy for dumb people. Go from point A to point B. Fight a few enemies. Fill up the predetermined skill path. Be annoyed by two characters, one that doesn't stop whining and one that just doesn't stop squealing giddily. "My feet hurt, this is too hard, its all your fault!," "Don't worry!, you have to This game makes you appreciate final fantasy 12 so much. FF13 is Final Fantasy for dumb people. Go from point A to point B. Fight a few enemies. Fill up the predetermined skill path. Be annoyed by two characters, one that doesn't stop whining and one that just doesn't stop squealing giddily. "My feet hurt, this is too hard, its all your fault!," "Don't worry!, you have to have hope, we can't give up!, everything will work out in the end!, HE HE!" After the first few hours of gameplay you figure out that you really only need to kill a few enemies every chapter to fill up the skill grid. They cap the grid so once you hit the cap, you just stop fighting until they raise it again. So then it becomes a game of how fast can you run to the next cutscene without punishment for being weak when you get to the next boss fight. Boss fights tend to be much easier than the normal fights oddly enough. Randomly their are very hard enemies. Advice to developers, if you are going to have a game where you lose when the party leader dies, do not put enemies that one shot you, it is annoying. Graphics wise, I am typically a PC gamer so this isn't all that great looking. CG cutscenes are still beautiful, characters other than the two I mentions are a bit better. But yeah, final fantasy 12 was the like the pinnacle of customization. Sure it was a bit overwhelming at first but once you get everything set up the way you like it was great. 13 is like hey, you are this, you get to use this move, spam it. I also do not get how people think the fight system is good. I just sit there tapping x and occasionally pressing L1 to change "paradigms." And it is not that I don't enjoy a big produced cinematic game. I loved 10. But it needs to be done right, 10 made you feel like part of the game. You were there with the characters, you cared about them, you wanted everything to work out. Thirteen does not do this, I don't care about anyone, they seem to blabber on about random crap that does not relate to anyone. Everyone's parents died when they were a child in the game. Like seriously, every time someone starts explaining their past in the game, its starts off with "I am an orphan, I never got to know my family much" Game is way too easy + some retarded annoying piss you off type hard parts. It doesn't just hold your hand it holds them both, and your feet, while giving you a back massage. I am hugely disappointed. I give it a 6 because the cutscenes are pretty.… Expand
  73. Iqbal
    Aug 24, 2010
    6
    Shocked. The wait was not worth it. As someone who plays Final Fantasy for only the story telling aspect i was shocked to see such an unnecessarily complicated plot that it took away all meaning from the game. As an old school Final Fantasy player i was bitterly disapointed to find out the lead is not a blond haired male. Infact there were no traditional character roles at all. NoShocked. The wait was not worth it. As someone who plays Final Fantasy for only the story telling aspect i was shocked to see such an unnecessarily complicated plot that it took away all meaning from the game. As an old school Final Fantasy player i was bitterly disapointed to find out the lead is not a blond haired male. Infact there were no traditional character roles at all. No summoner, no black magic specialist etc. What a disapointment.… Expand
  74. Hikaru
    Sep 13, 2010
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well... all I can say for FF13 is WOW.
    Good and bad, i found no in between here. All the good was amazing, the bad was... horrible.
    The story-line and most of the fighting styles were great, and put a new edge to the Final Fantasy series. Unfortunately, while the story and graphics were amazing, the fighting was great, I simply could not get my head around some of the changes from the old final fantasy elements.
    Turning summons into (for lack of a better word) mounts was ridiculous, and many boss fights were just pointless. Unless you were a longtime FF fan and knew how to defeat certain types of enemies, the only way to defeat some enemies was grinding levels and hoping for the best.
    While i HAD to play it because of it being part of the FF series, I would not suggest this game to anyone looking for a reminder of past Final Fantasies.    … Expand
  75. austinbond
    Jan 15, 2011
    6
    A lot of the characters are unlikable, the game is incredibly linear and it is short for a Final Fantasy game. The combat is the best part of the game and the music is still beautiful, but I'm not going to say the game is great because of the graphics, as there are glaring holes in the gameplay department, and I only care about gameplay.
  76. Zorgly
    Feb 8, 2011
    6
    There is a lot to love and a lot to hate in this game. For starters the story in FF13 is absolutely pitiful. Nearly nothing is explained and the game insists on making you read these gigantic pamphlets on the back story that are just boring and destroy the pacing. The game play consists of walking down hallways (sometimes it can take up to 4 hours game time to get through a single hallway)There is a lot to love and a lot to hate in this game. For starters the story in FF13 is absolutely pitiful. Nearly nothing is explained and the game insists on making you read these gigantic pamphlets on the back story that are just boring and destroy the pacing. The game play consists of walking down hallways (sometimes it can take up to 4 hours game time to get through a single hallway) and then hopping into fights. The fighting is just as pathetic in that all you do is press the "Auto-Battle" button which does all the work for you. at this point you watch the same 2 animations over and over and over and over and over and over again. Tedious is the word that best describes both the gameplay and story. However, this game still will not receive a failing mark from me. why? Art Direction. This game is strikingly, unbelievably beautiful. I forced myself to endure through all the pathetic fights, brainless dislikeable character's, long winded dialogue, and tourist pamphlets simply because I wanted to see what world I would have the pleasure of walking through next. Giant glacial walls stretching miles above you, vast green fields covered in fascinating creatures, crazy futuristic amusement parks. It's all awesome, and it is the single reason I made it through the whole game. To the casual gamer, I simply cannot recommend this. It's to tedious, to confusing, and to slowly paced. An art connoisseur like myself however still found alot of beauty and value in this game. Even with its overwhelming amount of shortcomings. I dream of a day when art directors from Square Enix go and join rockstar games or something, and make an open world masterpiece in a fantasy world like this.… Expand
  77. Davidm4
    Jul 23, 2011
    6
    I'm not surprised that people say that the game has no challenge. This isn't true, as it is arguably is one of the most difficult of the series, but it takes so long before the game actually gives you a challenging fight. The first time most people will die is usually the eidolon boss fights, but you only have to be aware of your characters primary role to overcome them. If you excludeI'm not surprised that people say that the game has no challenge. This isn't true, as it is arguably is one of the most difficult of the series, but it takes so long before the game actually gives you a challenging fight. The first time most people will die is usually the eidolon boss fights, but you only have to be aware of your characters primary role to overcome them. If you exclude these as challenges then you may spend close to 20 hours of gameplay before you come across a challenging boss. For people who have a few hours of play time a day, this is going to be hard to take. Those who are used to playing hours on end won't find it to be a problem. Those who state that you can mash "x" to win are correct, as you can use auto battle throughout the whole game, but you just need to use the correct paradigms at the right moments. Linearity is fine, but repetition isn't and this game rarely stops to take a break from fighting. There was nothing like the Golden Saucer to mess about with for a while. This game doesn't even try to hide it. I felt that the music was disappointing as it was mostly atmospheric music rather than the memorable, melodic songs that have been in previous installments (to zanarkand/fishermans horizon/melodies of life). I don't believe that the open world of Grand Pulse makes the game any better, as you are still just fighting/grinding, except you now have a chance to get lost rather than just travel in one direction. It certainly isn't enough for the amount of time it takes to get there anyway. The saving grace of the gameplay is the boss fights in the later stages of the game, which provided enough challenge to make the game decent for me. Without them, it would have certainly been a poor game.… Expand
  78. AlienSpaceBats
    Oct 7, 2014
    6
    A JRPG aimed at casual players that skips any pretence. FFXIII does not begin well, my first 6 or 7 hours were an internal struggle where I debated putting the game down - I later learned that the first 20 hours would be an increasingly tedious tutorial - all but three of the characters (Fang, Vanille and Sazh) are annoying, angsty, self-absorbed cretins. I suspect this is due to the VAs;A JRPG aimed at casual players that skips any pretence. FFXIII does not begin well, my first 6 or 7 hours were an internal struggle where I debated putting the game down - I later learned that the first 20 hours would be an increasingly tedious tutorial - all but three of the characters (Fang, Vanille and Sazh) are annoying, angsty, self-absorbed cretins. I suspect this is due to the VAs; talented as they are, I did not care for their characterization - watching the Japanese version in action confirmed this. It's fair to say that the game is linear, and like most JRPGs you need to grind the heck out of your characters, FFXIII isn't coy about that though, it throws corridors at you populated with groups of enemies and asks you to slay them all. Sure enough, by the time you've done that you'll have maxed out your Crystarium and can move on to the next stage.If there was one thing I liked, it was the absence of random encounters, and the fact that there's no need to heal or use Phoenix Downs after battles - the game does that for you (yay?) The battle system is decent most of the time, but is obviously aimed at casual players and has taken control out of the hands of the player. Both party members are AI controlled and there is no way to tell them what you want them to do, there is no way to direct an ATB stack in more than one direction (ie: I've stacked 2 Curas, I can't send one to character A and one to character B), if I've got Vanille or Hope in a Medic role, there's no way to use Esuna instead of Cure, this applies to all Paradigms. If a Synergist is in the party, I want Protect, not Haste, but the AI goes out of its way giving you the buffs it thinks it should have. Later battles with three or more challenging enemies are problematic, you can not direct them to attack a single enemy and instead they waste time trading blows with un-staggered units. Everything is done on auto, chances are if your party knows the enemies weaknesses they will act accordingly but a lot of the time the lack of control was frustrating. I don't think I started actually properly enjoying myself until Taejin's Tower (25+ hours in), because there's things to actually do there, and getting through requires input from the player (as opposed to a long corridor). Overall a decent experience, but it feels linear, stripped out and dull a lot of the time. The characters aren't the best, the story is obtuse, the world feels empty, but it looks amazing, even for a four year old 7th gen title. Some of the music is absolutely stunning (does that go without saying with FF games now?)… Expand
  79. Regal4point1
    Jul 31, 2012
    6
    FF13 is definitely one of my guilty pleasures, and this makes the game hard to recommend. It has its highlights, but the restriction required to get there isn't often worth it. The battle system is fast and fun, but easily exploitable. The plot is good but horribly executed. The characters are multi-dimensional but deliver rotten dialogue. The game's world is beautiful but restrictive.FF13 is definitely one of my guilty pleasures, and this makes the game hard to recommend. It has its highlights, but the restriction required to get there isn't often worth it. The battle system is fast and fun, but easily exploitable. The plot is good but horribly executed. The characters are multi-dimensional but deliver rotten dialogue. The game's world is beautiful but restrictive. Every aspect of the game has at least one issue holding it back. Did I enjoy my time with it though? Oddly enough I did. You might be one of the few like me to get something out of it though.… Expand
  80. Professor
    Nov 2, 2011
    6
    Way too linear as everybody mentions, what happened to the choice in exploring and return visits for necessary missions ? Very limited in this regard. A trigger happy x button child could complete 90percent of the game successfully. Too slow to start and leveling up above level 4 was just painful. This could have been a good game but poor story line and limited choices spoilt it. Glad toWay too linear as everybody mentions, what happened to the choice in exploring and return visits for necessary missions ? Very limited in this regard. A trigger happy x button child could complete 90percent of the game successfully. Too slow to start and leveling up above level 4 was just painful. This could have been a good game but poor story line and limited choices spoilt it. Glad to complete it and stop wasting my time. In the end feels like they all failed and the l,ice was successful in destroying cocoon after all - what a disappointment .… Expand
  81. Jouna92
    Jul 31, 2012
    6
    I hoped more from this game. This game was OK. First the good: Graphics, Music, Lightning and visuals. Then the bad: This game is a long hallway toward an orange target symbol on your mini-map that triggers a cutscene, a boss fight, or both. Also the leveling up system is ridiculous you dont have any freedom in it. Characters are irritating and stupid. The story is also stupid and confusing.
  82. heychrisfox
    Oct 26, 2012
    6
    Final Fantasy XIII takes the series in a new direction as it spearheads the famed series on the latest series of next-gen consoles. With mind-numbingly beautiful graphics and intense detail put into this release, Final Fantasy XIII looks phenomenal, and pushes the visual qualities of video games to an entirely new plateau. But the game falls short of perfection due to its two oddities:Final Fantasy XIII takes the series in a new direction as it spearheads the famed series on the latest series of next-gen consoles. With mind-numbingly beautiful graphics and intense detail put into this release, Final Fantasy XIII looks phenomenal, and pushes the visual qualities of video games to an entirely new plateau. But the game falls short of perfection due to its two oddities: changes and length. New to the series is the absence of traiditional turn-based combat. Now, in battle, the player controls only one of the three characters allowed to participate in combat. Each character in the party is assigned a role - known as a paradigm - by the player before the battle, a role which dictates the sort of actions they make (healing, defense, offense, etc.). The player transitions between these paradigms mid-battle to form a flowing form of fighting. While some may appreciate this drastic change, others may be put off by the loss of the traditional turn-based aesthetic. Secondly, the length of this game is simply MASSIVE. Furthermore, with an emphasis on en medias res, the main plot points of the game aren't delivered until around 15 hours of gameplay as fast; the time spent leading up to this seems a little aimless at times, as if you're traveling forward (down the many linear corridors that the game puts you on) with little purpose or objective, except for maybe discovering what lies at the end of said corridors. But despite these somewhat majors issues with the game, Final Fantasy XIII is a respectable addition to the series. The story told is extremely engrossing once you've allowed yourself to be swayed by the fantastical world you're given to explore, and the characters - while sometimes a bit stiff - are all varied and interesting. The many homages the game serves toward Final Fantasy VII - an inspiration for this title in the series - are also quite noticable, and serve for a sense of nostalgia players of the classic will appreciate. And when you boil down to it, once you get a hang of the paradigm feature, the battles are extremely fun and offer a fast-paced version of the traditional turn-based model, allowing for a blend of action and strategy. While Final Fantasy XIII may not be perfect, it is worth the time for fans of the series.… Expand
  83. alexaxa
    Oct 30, 2012
    6
    First of all, this isn't a final fantasy game. The combat are different and boring (pressing "auto" non-stop and change paradigm once in a while). The story is great but it's progression is so slow that it kills it. I finished the game but i don't plan to play this again. I give this game a 6.5 since i did managed to get through the game (if it was THAT boring, i wouldn't have finished it).
  84. sJagstang
    Mar 15, 2013
    6
    Final Fantasy XIII has a lot of issues with linear gameplay, some bad characters with annoying voice actors and a confusing story, It has some good points with it's combat system being fun to play even if it's nowhere near as good as previous final fantasy games and the graphics are quite nice, Square Enix has really lost it's way with the Final Fantasy series, There are a lot of otherFinal Fantasy XIII has a lot of issues with linear gameplay, some bad characters with annoying voice actors and a confusing story, It has some good points with it's combat system being fun to play even if it's nowhere near as good as previous final fantasy games and the graphics are quite nice, Square Enix has really lost it's way with the Final Fantasy series, There are a lot of other JRPG developers out there making better games then the Final Fantasy games of recent times, There is no denying that Final Fantasy is a franchise that has great potential to make fantastic games if you look back at there track record, But Square Enix is going the wrong way with the franchise.… Expand
  85. Nednerb
    Jun 1, 2013
    6
    Final Fantasy fans will accept this game as a passable title in the franchise but by no means is this game a masterpiece. Experienced RPGers may be disappointed. As one can expect, the visuals are impressive. The main protagonist is well designed with a suitable voice over, unfortunately the other characters lack any real conviction. One main flaw with the game is the lack ofFinal Fantasy fans will accept this game as a passable title in the franchise but by no means is this game a masterpiece. Experienced RPGers may be disappointed. As one can expect, the visuals are impressive. The main protagonist is well designed with a suitable voice over, unfortunately the other characters lack any real conviction. One main flaw with the game is the lack of customization. The game is set in a linear fashion which is good in a way and allows the player to remain focused on the story but at the same time the lack of side quests does not give the game its trademark experience. The story is palpable, but does not compare to its legendary predecessors such as Final Fantasy VII or X. The soundtrack is for the most part enjoyable, however there are some exceptions. The battle system is innovative, and focuses on constant role changing and to a small degree a bit of strategy to defeat the heavy hitting foes. For an experienced RPGer you will find this game 100% completed within a short time and with hardly any difficulty. Players will enjoy the game to some extent. But don't put all your eggs in the basket, if your expecting a long challenging game you will be sadly disappointed.… Expand
  86. Genelegasse
    Sep 21, 2014
    6
    Loseing their touch. They could have been alot better... Feels like a twilight video game... perhaps good for girls? Lost their classic feel and the free-roam came much later and just didnt make up a good final fantasy in the end.
  87. IkqXP
    Nov 13, 2013
    6
    Probably the most linear game of the Final Fantasy series, lacking depth but packed with beautiful graphics and inspiring characters.

    If you want a short, followable game that you can just mend along with, Final Fantasy XIII may definitely be your choice. However, if you wanted an explorative, dense & replayable experience that Final Fantasy usually offers, this game may cut your    Probably the most linear game of the Final Fantasy series, lacking depth but packed with beautiful graphics and inspiring characters.

    If you want a short, followable game that you can just mend along with, Final Fantasy XIII may definitely be your choice. However, if you wanted an explorative, dense & replayable experience that Final Fantasy usually offers, this game may cut your expectations completely    … Expand
  88. semperfi1503
    Oct 14, 2014
    6
    I'm a newcomer to Final Fantasy and generally speaking, I'm caught with mixed emotions towards this entry "XIII". Beautiful graphics and environment, polished character models, and... that's all I could say to the pros of this game. Rather than that, the linear environment is almost unbearable to me, and it gets worse after I find out that some previous installments of the series didI'm a newcomer to Final Fantasy and generally speaking, I'm caught with mixed emotions towards this entry "XIII". Beautiful graphics and environment, polished character models, and... that's all I could say to the pros of this game. Rather than that, the linear environment is almost unbearable to me, and it gets worse after I find out that some previous installments of the series did indeed feature open-world environment. And the first few moments of the story feel like a drag, I couldn't figure out whatever it is going on in the game world, only after spending some time on the datalog did I understand some parts of the events going on in the game. The combat, even if your characters acquire new skills, would get repetitive over time, which combines with the usual pace of running around in confined spaces, engaging some groups of enemies, with no sidequests available would render the total experience repetitive. The only thing that keeps me going is to finish the story, and perhaps to maintain the hope that the game would get better overtime. It has a lot of potential, but could've been executed way better than this.… Expand
  89. walzero
    May 25, 2015
    6
    Its a good game, nice grafics and all but it is more a linear movie then a role playing game, very linear gameplay. Battle scenes are back(some people like it, i dont, i rather the ffxii system of open maps with enemies) but other than it, its a good game.
  90. AndyClimax
    Nov 6, 2014
    6
    When it takes a good dozen hours of gameplay for a game to "get good" then you know you've got a problem. The graphics are excellent, and score is typically good, but the irritating characters and insane plot dumbfound you for most of the playthrough.
  91. tsakiym
    May 21, 2015
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not have to say anything. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it.................................… Expand
  92. Imaobob
    Mar 28, 2015
    6
    This game defines the word "polarizing". On the one hand, the combat system, while incredibly different from anything a Final Fantasy game has ever seen before, is very exciting and exhilarating, although it can become repetitive(what rpg isn't though?) On the other hand, the story is such a mess that by the time you get to the cutscenes, you legitimately cannot care. In previous FinalThis game defines the word "polarizing". On the one hand, the combat system, while incredibly different from anything a Final Fantasy game has ever seen before, is very exciting and exhilarating, although it can become repetitive(what rpg isn't though?) On the other hand, the story is such a mess that by the time you get to the cutscenes, you legitimately cannot care. In previous Final Fantasy games, the cutscenes were a "reward". In this one, you find your self hoping characters just shut up already, because everything they say just seems uninteresting or even annoying.

    On a personal note- I prefer less linear rpgs, and this one is EXTREMELY disappointing in that regard. By the time you can "mess around", its almost over. And I think this game would have done itself a huge favor by using terms for its alien crystal magicky plot that were easier to follow. The fact that you NEED the glossary to get what everyone is talking about, even 30+ hours in, is a mistake.

    That said, the gameplay kept me going, and I was always having fun PLAYING it, especially when I was able to get to the "endgame" options. But aggravating characters, and annoying/confusing story elements drags this down.    … Expand
  93. StrayMan
    Nov 20, 2016
    6
    I was very excited for this game; I made the upgrade from Wii to PS3 just so I could play it. My roommates were also excited, and came in to watch the first bit of it. Not long after, they left, apparently underwhelmed. Can't blame 'em.

    From the start, this game is a hot mess. It throws you in, and you don't really know what's going on. There's a pretty action sequence, and then a    I was very excited for this game; I made the upgrade from Wii to PS3 just so I could play it. My roommates were also excited, and came in to watch the first bit of it. Not long after, they left, apparently underwhelmed. Can't blame 'em.

    From the start, this game is a hot mess. It throws you in, and you don't really know what's going on. There's a pretty action sequence, and then a tutorial boss. People running around in panic, etc. Felt very style over substance.

    Then, you start to get to know your main character... she's kinda a **** They were going for "strong, no-nonsense" female, but they came up with "cold, unfeeling and uncaring" female, who's perfectly fine with letting a kid die because he's slowing her down. She also has a habit of punching instead of using words. Halfway through the game, she starts to become halfway decent... and then that's it. She's halfway decent. Halfway likable. She goes from being a **** to a stoic, bland character instead. None of the 5 other party members are that much better. They range from irritating to passable to alright. Sazh is the most likable character. He's also the least usable character in battles by the end, unless you obtain his absolute best weapons. NPCs, furthermore, are nearly nonexistent, and when they do show up, they're paper thin, and/or die off quickly.

    The long corridor. Oh, the long corridor. It wasn't the worst part of the game. In fact, if other facets of the game were better, it might've been easy to overlook. Still, a lack of exploration until the end of the game for a final fantasy is pretty lame. Couple that with a lack of npc's and a lack of towns, and you've largely got an rpg that leans on its gameplay to be enjoyable...

    It took me months to beat this game, because getting through areas and battles began to feel like a chore for me. I remember a time where I had been playing for a couple of hours, and I needed to go somewhere. I needed to get to a save point for any of my play time to be worth anything, so I was desperately trying to get to one... and then I ran into an enemy I knew would take forever to beat. I got about 10 minutes in to what would probably be a half hour fight, said "screw it," and just took my loss and turned the game off. It was infuriating.

    I have friends who say "You can't call a game horrible for just one thing." Well... I mentioned multiple things here, I think. While I don't think it's totally horrible, I also don't think it's particularly good, either. I have fairly middling feelings about it. It had some highs, but not enough to make me ever want to play it again.    … Expand
  94. Wifflum
    Oct 7, 2016
    6
    I simultaneously hate and love this game. I just finished it yesterday, and I absolutely loved the combat in this game. Probably equally important is the character development and story in this game.

    The extent of the character development, I mean some things happen, like a near suicide, but generally this game's character development is "the mean girl smiles at the end". That's about    I simultaneously hate and love this game. I just finished it yesterday, and I absolutely loved the combat in this game. Probably equally important is the character development and story in this game.

    The extent of the character development, I mean some things happen, like a near suicide, but generally this game's character development is "the mean girl smiles at the end". That's about it. Everyone is one-note, cliched, and most interactions feel very "cheesy".

    As much as I loved the action in the game, I absolutely despise the characters in it, and their lame interactions.

    I don't know what to think of the story quite yet, but if you've ever played The Witcher 3, and compare these 2 games on story, dialogue, and characters, FF13 is gonna be about a 0.3, and the Witcher 3 is a 10.    … Expand
  95. supermalik987
    Jun 26, 2020
    6
    So i decide to give this a chance since 2010 when i was a dumb teenager . And what did think i fought the game was okay . It does have problems and this review is going to based on the pc and Japanese dub . combat isnt the best leveling up takes a long time . reading a lot of story log to understand the game wasn't the best idea . And its something to remember the the six gen game hadSo i decide to give this a chance since 2010 when i was a dumb teenager . And what did think i fought the game was okay . It does have problems and this review is going to based on the pc and Japanese dub . combat isnt the best leveling up takes a long time . reading a lot of story log to understand the game wasn't the best idea . And its something to remember the the six gen game had the struggle to make games and a lot had to be cut out . But i do say give it second chance . Make in the future we could have remake of the game .… Expand
  96. OraNGEMiST
    Feb 7, 2018
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Final Fantasy XIII is a fun experience when your characters are under-levelled. I say this because grinding on this game makes it ridiculously passive and boring, the auto-battle feature is good when you're just trying to get through the game to see the story, but i don't believe that the story is worth it, the majority of the characters are awful and the conflict between them is often meaningless. The story itself is well thought out up until a certain part, but like most of the Final Fantasy games, they begin to turn into confusing, hard to follow nightmares. The characters are labelled as terrorists because of their mark from a Gran Pulse fal'Cie, they become l'Cie and must fulfil their purpose based on glimmers, they gather from their glimmers that they have been assigned the same task all the while being hunted by PSICOM, in spite of this, the characters decide to split up based on their interpretations of the purpose they are to carry out. After a short while, two of the characters end up being captured, the rest of the party are to rescue them, when their plan fails, the captured characters escape from their holding cell, the full party meets up to confront the game's main antagonist who turns out to be a fal'Cie. I'm not going to go through any further than that but i already know you're thinking what the f-. However, this does not mean that Final Fantasy XIII is a bad game, the strength of Final Fantasy games is generally in the music and this game lives up to the musical expectations everyone had for it. The combat in this game is very interesting and fantastic but was not utilised as well as it could have been, the paradigm system (basically a job system) and the staggering mechanic were excellent, but underutilised in my opinion and at a certain point in the game, all characters have access to all paradigms, essentially sacrificing the individuality of each of the characters, who in the beginning were clearly assigned a certain role (e.g. Lightning - Ravager, Snow - Sentinel, etc.), of course these characters were stronger at their assigned roles and had perks based on them but this made the game less enjoyable as a tactical game (deciding which characters to use in a boss fight, etc.).
    Overall, the game had great potential and was clearly well thought out, however, nearing the end, it was clear that this game was definitely not what it had players expecting, i enjoyed this game when i played it under-levelled and i noticed that the only major challenges i had with it were the end game activities, however these were repetitive and attempting to achieve the platinum trophy would be an impossible task for me because of how boring it becomes end-game. Because of the points I've listed and my personal experience with the game, i have decided to give Final Fantasy XIII a 6/10.    … Expand
  97. mynameiscalled
    Sep 4, 2021
    6
    First off - I am a HUGE Final Fantasy fan. Been loving this series ever since I played the FF7 back when I was a little kid... so, here goes...

    The game isn't that great. Don't get me wrong - there is a lot to enjoy here, but the previous FF bar is set pretty high and the XIII doesn't deliver. I sank 53 hours into this game, finished it, went back and grinded abit more for the role    First off - I am a HUGE Final Fantasy fan. Been loving this series ever since I played the FF7 back when I was a little kid... so, here goes...

    The game isn't that great. Don't get me wrong - there is a lot to enjoy here, but the previous FF bar is set pretty high and the XIII doesn't deliver.

    I sank 53 hours into this game, finished it, went back and grinded abit more for the role trophies and that is it.

    The game consists of tubes that you can run through, up to chapter 11, then it opens up abit, and I mean abit. The game has almost no free-roam-do-whatever-the-hell-you-want aspect in it. It's just running, killing enemies, watching cutscene and repeat. The cutscenes are beautiful tho, the story is kinda classic "final fantasy'ish" story, nothing to say about that. Characters are likeable (Except Hope, I dont like the brat lol)

    The main reason I gave this game a 6 is cause I'm a loyal die hard FF player, so abit biased here. In reality though, I would have hard time recommending this to a person who doesen't know much about FF. I would most definitely not recommend playing this as anyones first FF game. With that being said - I still had fun and am not regretting playing it. It will be a one-time gig though. Not gonna replay this game.    … Expand
  98. Sitheral
    Jun 14, 2020
    6
    Incredibly linear game with an interesting battle system, story that does a very bad job of telling itself and so-so characters. It does open up later on, but really, we are talking about like 30+ hours, for many it might be too late and the Grand Pulse isnt that fascinating anyway. This game couldnt even bother to have a trade npcs, you just buy stuff from the menu. None of this really isIncredibly linear game with an interesting battle system, story that does a very bad job of telling itself and so-so characters. It does open up later on, but really, we are talking about like 30+ hours, for many it might be too late and the Grand Pulse isnt that fascinating anyway. This game couldnt even bother to have a trade npcs, you just buy stuff from the menu. None of this really is that terrible on its own, but when you combine it all, FF13 offers a world you just can't believe in.… Expand
  99. INU4SH4
    Jul 13, 2020
    6
    I never got to finish this game because the story and gameplay just took forever to develop and most characters are annoying. The gameplay wasn't good, although the graphics were quite ahead of its time. That was the only truly praise-worthy aspect of this game.

    I might get to finish this one day, but I highly doubt it. It's just too slow and uninteresting.
  100. chrisdan23
    Jun 9, 2022
    6
    Final Fantasy war schon immer ein Franchise, das sich von Ableger zu Ableger neu zu erfinden wusste. Dies ist im Laufe seiner Geschichte auch immer wieder durchaus hervorragend gelungen. So waren bereits die PSOne Klassiker, trotz Ähnlichkeiten in ihrem Kampfsystem, vor allem hinsichtlich ihres Settings und des Artdesigns deutlich eigenständig. Der direkte Vorgänger, Final Fantasy XII,Final Fantasy war schon immer ein Franchise, das sich von Ableger zu Ableger neu zu erfinden wusste. Dies ist im Laufe seiner Geschichte auch immer wieder durchaus hervorragend gelungen. So waren bereits die PSOne Klassiker, trotz Ähnlichkeiten in ihrem Kampfsystem, vor allem hinsichtlich ihres Settings und des Artdesigns deutlich eigenständig. Der direkte Vorgänger, Final Fantasy XII, brach dann auch mit den eher rundenbasierten Kämpfen in separierten Arenen und integrierte diese direkt in die Semi-Open World des Spiels. Mit dem Einstieg in die XIIIer Trilogie muss ich allerdings gestehen, dass mich Square, als eigentlichen Fan des Franchisen, nun größtenteils aber abgehängt hat.

    Weiß das Setting des neuen Nova Crystallis Universums durchaus zu faszinieren, und auch das actionreiche, aber trotzdem sehr taktische "Paradigma" Kampfsystem zu überzeugen, sind es vor allem die arg clichehaften Charaktere, aber auch das extrem lineare Gameplay, das einem den Spass an der Freud letztlich deutlich eintrübt. Kann man mit Lightning als Hauptheldin der Spiele vielleicht noch etwas anfangen, brauch ich solch peinliche Figuren wie Snow, oder die unsägliche Serah, nun wirklich nicht. Vor allem aber sind die Areale meist so schlauchig gestaltet, dass man sich eigentlich nur "gerade aus laufend" von Cut Scene zu Cut Scene vorwärts kämpft, was mit der Zeit einfach extrem öde und eintönig wird. Wäre da nicht die hervorragende Präsentation des Titels, ich glaube FFXIII hätte mich kaum bei Laune halten können. Viel zu spät im Spiel finden wir einmal ein größeres Areal vor, in dem wir uns nun frei bewegen, Nebenaufgaben annehmen und uns ein wenig austoben können. Towns und generell NPCs finden sich dort aber auch nicht an, weshalb die plötzliche Freiheit auch eher etwas konstruiert wirkt. Da war SquareEnix mit der konsequent offenen Spielewelt eines Final Fantasy XII bereits völlig wo anders unterwegs.

    In der Quintessenz muss man sagen, dass Final Fantasy XIII aufgrund des spannenden Settings und der überragenden, cineastischen Präsentation ein durchaus ganz gutes Spiel geworden ist, das freilich auch seine starken Momente hat. Als Reboot des hochdekorierten Final Fantasy Franchises hat es viele Fans aber weitgehend enttäuscht. Sicherlich hat SquareEnix mit FFXIII versucht auch jüngere Gamer mit ihrem Langzeitfranchise wieder neu anzusprechen. Doch insgesamt ist Square mit ihrem Einstieg in die XIIIer Trilogie konzeptionell zu schlampig und inkonsistent unterwegs, als dass es gereicht hätte, an die teils wirklich großartigen Vorgängern anzuknüpfen. Schade.    … 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

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 83 Critic Reviews

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