Final Fantasy XIII

Flammie

Apr 12, 2021

6

Final Fantasy XIII is a JRPG in the final fantasy series with new battle mechanics and all. I've really tried to hard to like this game and replayed it three times through, but there are simply not enough positive points to outweigh the negatives. It still is a final fantasy game with kind of captivating story, though it defintely is among the weakest in the franchise. The boredom ofFinal Fantasy XIII is a JRPG in the final fantasy series with new battle mechanics and all. I've really tried to hard to like this game and replayed it three times through, but there are simply not enough positive points to outweigh the negatives. It still is a final fantasy game with kind of captivating story, though it defintely is among the weakest in the franchise. The boredom of tunnelrunning cannot be overstated, there are few more interesting level designs towards the end of the game, but just like with the opening of the side quest system 80 % in the game, it's too little too late. And the new fighting system is kind of innovative but has crucial failures; bad AI and broken tank-class concept make for rather annoying battles. You cannot do much in the battles even though you know by entering specific commands you'd win all battles, the paradigm shift takes too long and battles seem too slow. Music, graphics etc. are great as expected, it really fails in the fun of gameplay section.… Expand

GalvinO

Mar 10, 2010

5

This review was written by a gamer that has been playing JRPGs since the SNES era and has been anticipating FINAL FANTASY XIII since it was first revealed at E3 2006. ------------- Prologue ------------- "If the main selling point of the software is the non-interactive story scenes rather than the actual gameplay then it's not a game." ~ Shigeru Miyamoto (Director: Super Mario 64, This review was written by a gamer that has been playing JRPGs since the SNES era and has been anticipating FINAL FANTASY XIII since it was first revealed at E3 2006. ------------- Prologue ------------- "If the main selling point of the software is the non-interactive story scenes rather than the actual gameplay then it's not a game." ~ Shigeru Miyamoto (Director: Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) "If a games designer chooses to have the story be the most important part of the video game then they must find a way to tell it interactively to the player. Even if it's a strictly linear and pre-scripted story, there needs to be some form of interactivity from the player when it's being presented. To have the most important part of a video game not require any interactivity from the player is a serious game design mistake." ~ Fumito Ueda (Director: Ico, Shadow of the Colossus) "The most important part of a RPG is the player feeling like they are taking the role of a character in a fully realised fantasy world. They can explore, visit various towns and places, talk to people, customise their character, collect various items, and defeat monsters. The story is not the focus of the experience and is only there to make the atmosphere of the fantasy world more interesting and engaging during the course of the game." ~ Yuji Horii (Creator of the JRPG genre/ Supervisor: Chrono Trigger) "Although the FF series has greatly advanced over the years, it's still a RPG. FF tends to be mostly story driven so I always try to balance the experience by putting more effort into the RPG gameplay." ~ Hiroyuki Itou (Director: FFVI, FFIX, FFXII) ---------------- Introduction ---------------- FINAL FANTASY XIII (FINAL FANTASY is referred to as "FF" for the rest of the review) is the latest main series FF from SQUARE ENIX (SQUARE ENIX referred to as "SQEX" for the rest of this review) and has been in development for almost 5 years by Product Development Division - 1. FFXIII is a game that numerically follows FFXII but the game is nothing like it as FFXII was made by a completely different development team called Product Development Division - 4. FFXIII instead is an evolution of the game design of the last main series FF by Product Development Division - 1 called FFX. However, the decision to skip the gaming innovations of FFXII and go back to the incredibly restricting and interactive move-like game design of FFX is ultimately the downfall of FFXIII. The leader of Product Development Division - 1 is called Yoshinori Kitase and he studied to be a Film Director before he joined SQEX. He has openly said in interviews that it's the intention of the games made by his division to play like interactive movies. After FFVII: Advent Children (a CGI movie released on DVD in 2005) was made he said in the bonus footage contained on the DVD that he, "Always wanted to make something like this." The problem with Yoshinori Kitase is that he values film and cinematic qualities over gameplay and good game design and that mentality has greatly affected the game design choices of FFXIII. FFXIII is an interactive movie with RPG elements. This is not a video game and it doesn't even try to pretend it is one. It is unashamedly a CGI movie with a stylish battle system and pretty growth system tacked on. Summing up the game is really that simple. --------------------------- RPG Game Design --------------------------- Firstly, what exactly is the game design of a RPG? It's about the player feeling like they're actually taking the role of a character in the story and virtual world. Therefore, what needs more depth is the story being told in a way that the player actually feels like they are the character in the story. The player must also feel like the virtual world is a real place in which the character can fully interact with. During the course of the game this character grows in strength and learns new abilities and techniques. That's the definition of a Role-Playing Game. If it just has a deep story that doesn't mean it's a RPG as any video game genre can have a deep story. The game design in FFXIII is atrocious and a shining example of why games will never become a majorly respected art form. It claims to be a RPG but you never once feel like you're assuming the role of a character, you only feel like you're controlling their bodies and everything else about them is cut off from you. You move them to the story scenes but during these story parts you completely lose control of them and they become their own person doing whatever they want. How is this then a RPG? It feels more like moving actors to their next story scene and when you reach it the actors turn off your console controller and do whatever the **** they want regardless of you being there or not. If you want to make a film then make a film; if you want to make a game then make a game. If you want to make a hybrid then go for it but don't call it a video game, instead call it an interactive movie and if you're making interactive movies then don't classify yourself as a games designer. I don't know why this beautiful medium that's built on interactivity as a foundation has people that keep using lengthy non-interactive cinema scenes as the main focus of the game. If I want to see pretty CGI from SQEX that I can't interact with then I'd watch FFVII: Advent Children Complete or FF: The Spirits Within on Blu-ray in 1080p. A film is a motion picture so no matter what the director tries to do it will always primarily be a visual moving photo. With a video game, it's interactive computer entertainment so no matter what the director is trying to accomplish it should be focused on the interactivity as a foundation. It can tell a deep story but it must first embrace the interactivity, just like a film must first embrace being a motion picture before it can provide a story to the viewer. FFXIII has been in development for almost 5 years and yet it appears that most of the focus was put on the non-interactive story scenes and graphics. The bad thing about this is that non-interactive story scenes and graphics can both be done in cinema. Interactivity cannot be done in film and as such is what needs to be focused on and perfected in order for games to really stand on their own two feet as an art form. FFXIII doesn't even try to present any form of interactive storytelling and is instead a story that is presented to the player in completely non-interactive motion picture format. I will not go into the specifics of what the story is about but I will say that while the story never becomes majorly epic, it does include a lot of character development for all the playable party members. Sadly, it also contains more melodrama than any other FF released to date. What hurts FFXIII besides the numerous non-interactive movies is that the parts where you actually play are incredibly alleyway-linear. I'm talking like an alleyway where a woman could get raped or a child get mugged, just that the alleyways in this game have been majorly decorated with superb art direction and some with beautiful skylines and vistas and others with numerous things going on in the background. You run down these pretty alleyways and fight some battles. The enemies are on the field but because the fields are so alleyway-linear it's mostly impossible to avoid these enemies and thus when you contact them it switches to a completely different field for the battle. The enemies are on the field but the battles are not seamless and take place on a separate field, a clear step back from the innovations of FFXII by Product Development Division - 4. After the battle ends you reach the next long non-interactive cut-scene. This cycle repeats for almost 40 hours making up 80% of the main game. You eventually reach a huge open environment near the end of the game but that whole big area is completely bland compared to the superb art direction of the alleyway-linear areas and it is also thrown in far too late into the gameplay experience. To make things worse, it's impossible to back track to the beautiful alleyway-linear areas once you complete them. You see an alleyway-linear area only once and if you want to see it again after you pass it you must start a new game. For a game that's been in development for 5 years this is the game design they're selling me? There's nothing remarkable about this as a video game. Only buy it if you want a beautiful looking interactive movie. Product Development Division - 1 has even axed the towns, shops, conversable NPCs, side-quests and other JRPG staples. Sorry, but I need to repeat this so really it hits home: - No towns. - No shops. - No conversable NPCs. - No side-quests. - No mini-games. - No airship. - No world map. With all this **** missing they have the audacity to call this a RPG? You'll realise this is barely a JRPG at all if you return to the Prologue section of this review and read the quote by Yuji Horii who created the JRPG genre. There is innovation of existing gameplay mechanics and there is removal of it, the **** Product Development Division - 1 have done is removal of it. They have just removed all the fundamental JRPG game design elements in their pursuit to make the game feel more like an interactive movie. They gave the non-interactive story scenes and graphics so much priority that important JRPG gameplay elements were given no attention. Don't get my words twisted, there is nothing wrong with playing a video game for the story but this story must be interactive and part of the gameplay experience and not separate from it. Think for a moment... If the main reason you're buying any video game genre is for the parts that are non-interactive then why should the developer even bother adding any interactivity to the game? If the non-interactive story is the most important part of the game and the reason you're buying it then the game should never have been a video game to begin with and instead just a film. FFXIII is a deep but non-interactive story with some brief gameplay on the side. This is not a video game that is striving to make this beautiful interactive medium the greatest art form of the 21st century. ------------------------------------------- Graphics and World Immersion ------------------------------------------- FFXIII is the most beautiful video game you will ever set your eyes on. I'm not going to waste time on this point, FFXIII is the best looking video game ever made. The Art Direction is also superb but it's expected as it's by Isamu Kamikokuryo (who was also Art Director of FFXII by Product Development Division - 4) but sadly Kamikokuryo has not been able to show the full extent of his talent. When he worked on FFXII he was allowed to design fully explorable locations and cities. With FFXIII he has been restrained to design alleyway-linear maps and his art just used mainly as background with no real feel of world immersion via exploration and interactivity. Also, sexy graphics do not make a great game and even though FFXIII looks like a burning hot girl, it plays like taking that girl home and discovering she is a dude in drag. It would appear that Product Development Division - 1 focused so much on graphics that they didn't bother to focus on world immersion. The majority of the locations in FFXIII resemble a movie set as they are straight to the point with no real breathing space. You often feel that if you could move out of the alleyway-linear maps you'd bump into the camera crew and set decorators. The world just doesn't feel like a real place at all. It has a nice sci-fi atmosphere but you never feel fully immersed and that it's a real world, instead you feel like it's just the setting of a film and that you have only one direction to move in that the film director has planned for you. Here's the first 10 hours of the game in maps. You will be able to see from this image that the maps are very alleyway-linear and unfortunately they make up 80% of the main game (SPOILERS): http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/9029/alleywayi.jpg -------------------- Battle System -------------------- Really, this is the only enjoyable interactive element in this game and sadly it's more flawed than the Active Dimension Battle (ADB) of FFXII. The name of the battle system in FFXIII is called Command Synergy Battle (CSB) and was an attempt to bring the stylish fight scenes seen in FFVII: Advent Children into interactive format. You have the ATB bar of past FF games but there are now up to 6 of them and depending on the move that you do it will take up one or more ATB bars. A standard "Attack" command will take up one bar while a move like "Firaga" will take up 3 ATB bars. You can mix and match as many moves as you have ATB bars for and then release them as a single chain of commands. This part of the game is very fun but then it becomes slightly tedious with the addition of the Break bar on enemies (Stagger bar in the NA/EU version). When you first begin combat with an enemy you will first have to make it fall into Break mode before you can do any real damage to it. You do this by attacking it as quickly as possible to fill the Break bar and when it's full the enemy will fall into Break mode and take much more damage. It's an interesting addition but it makes certain battles become overly drawn out and tedious. CSB would have been far quicker and streamlined if the Break bar was only on certain enemies instead of all of them, you could therefore damage the regular enemies straight away while certain powerful enemies and Bosses have a Break bar that needs to be filled before you can perform major damage on them. It would have made the system more interesting and varied, you'd have the enemies that you can speedily and stylishly defeat while others take longer to bring down. Also, while the underlying gameplay mechanics of the CSB system are fun, it's still lacking in areas. Firstly, there's the decision that you can only ever control one party member in battle and that the game will never present you with a choice to switch controlled party member during a battle. It's a shame as ADB in FFXII offered the feature and all past FF games let you control all party members in a battle. Say you're playing as Lightning in a fight but then want to play as Snow for a bit in the same battle, it's impossible to do that in this game. You can switch party member but only outside battle and even then you only get the ability to do this 80% through the main game so almost 40 hours into the game. What I don't understand is why they could not make it so that you can change controlled party member during battle like you could in the ADB system of FFXII. It would have been a simple process of swapping over the AI routine of the character you want to switch to with the character you're currently controlling. Also, why so late in the game to give the player the feature to choose their own party members? The reason is obviously the linearity and majorly story driven nature of the game. Because of how story driven the game is, it even scripts what characters you control and who your party members must be for 80% of the main game. Yes, you read right, you can only really begin to choose your own party members around 40 hours into the game. Everything about whose in your party is pre-scripted before this time. You only get to make a party made out of party members of your choice when you reach that big open area I mentioned earlier in this review. They have also made it so it's Game Over if the party leader dies. What this means is that if the current party leader is Lightning and she dies while the other two AI controlled party members are still alive it will be Game Over, even though there are two other party members that are still alive. It's a very harsh game design approach especially given that past FF games have allowed the whole party to be controlled. If it was so difficult for Product Development Division - 1 to allow the player to control all party members in battle with CSB they should have at least found a way to allow the player to switch to and play as another party member during a battle. What makes this Game Over feature even worse is that when you're fighting a boss or powerful key story related enemy, it will cast "Doom" on the party leader if you're taking too long to defeat it. It just feels very forced and cheap and makes the CSB system feel very user-unfriendly compared to the both ATB and ADB. The AI system that is used in FFXIII is called Optima Change (Paradigm Shift in the NA/EU version) and was added much later in the games development. Product Development Division - 1 initially had CSB having the player only controlling the party leader and the other two party members on AI with no editing from the player. They later decided that they needed to find a way to let the player control the party member AI rather than have them only control the party leader and that's how the Optima Change system was born. The Optima Change system is not even close to being as deep as the Gambit system that was in FFXII as the Gambit system existed in FFXII from the start of that games development. As I've just mentioned, Optima Change was a last minute addition to CSB in an attempt to give the player more control over the AI. The Optima Change system basically involves you having 6 AI roles to choose out from for each character in your party and by mixing them together in unique ways you create various party battle strategies. The problem is that the AI can't be customised to the degree it could be with the Gambit system in FFXII. Optima Change basically has you choosing a role for all three party members and the CPU then decides when and what move the two AI controlled party members do based on what role they currently are and what's going on in the current battle. You can't take over this position from the CPU and set your own AI routines so the AI characters act according to what you told them to do. The way it's set up works most of the time but there are times when you wish an AI party member did a different move instead of the one the CPU told them to do. The lack of control over party member AI in the Optima Change system is a huge step back from the Gambits in FFXII. ---------------- Conclusion ---------------- I'm a gamer who calls a game **** without any fear or hesitation, if it's a bad gaming experience then I'll openly say so regardless of what famous series it's part of. FFXIII is a shining example of a game that refuses to stand proudly on both legs as a video game and instead leans heavily on the film medium for support. To think this game took half a decade to produce and what we have is an experience that is not revolutionary is a crying shame. FFXII, which was released on PS2, is more innovative and more revolutionary as a RPG than this game is and it was released on far inferior hardware. What hurts more is that FFXIII has game design that is worse than JRPGs released on even the SNES. The majority of the time spent making this game went to the graphics and non-interactive story scenes but none of these aspects are important to make a great gameplay experience; none of these will help make video games be regarded as a major art form. The bottom line is simple: If you're buying looking for the sexiest and most beautiful looking interactive movie ever made then buy this without hesitation. However, if you're looking for a RPG with more than just pretty graphics and instead with good RPG game design and interactive storytelling then you should avoid it. ----------- Scoring ----------- - RPG Game Design: [ 2 ] - Graphics: [ 10 ] - World immersion: [ 3 ] - Battle System: [ 7 ] - Final Score (Not an average): [ 5 ].… Expand

9 of 13 users found this helpful

RichardT.

Mar 12, 2010

5

Quite possibly the most beautiful looking console game out there, but very, very dull. Run down corridors, engage in pre-arranged (no random encounters or grinding here) quasi-turn based fights that involve figuring out the correct tactic for the particular enemy and spamming it endlessly. No town, no XP, no gambit system and very little control - your party fight under AI control similar Quite possibly the most beautiful looking console game out there, but very, very dull. Run down corridors, engage in pre-arranged (no random encounters or grinding here) quasi-turn based fights that involve figuring out the correct tactic for the particular enemy and spamming it endlessly. No town, no XP, no gambit system and very little control - your party fight under AI control similar to Mass Effect (although in Mass Effect you can at least control your party's use of powers). Very weak and generic story as well. Apparently it all gets a bit better after about 25 hours, but who has the time to play a boring game for that long? The Edge and Wired reviews nail it pretty much perfectly I think.… Expand

9 of 14 users found this helpful

ChrisS

Mar 10, 2010

5

I can live with XIII. It is a very pretty game. But the epic feel, the interactivity of previous titles is just not there. Square got scared of the market. They see games like halo and MW2 in the west selling a bazillion copies, and want a piece of that mass market appeal. Mass market = we need to idiot proof our game. 2 equip slots, 2 stats. No running around to buy your items, the store I can live with XIII. It is a very pretty game. But the epic feel, the interactivity of previous titles is just not there. Square got scared of the market. They see games like halo and MW2 in the west selling a bazillion copies, and want a piece of that mass market appeal. Mass market = we need to idiot proof our game. 2 equip slots, 2 stats. No running around to buy your items, the store is at every save point. No towns for most of the game. Hell you don't even talk to npcs anymore, they just mumble something when you get near them. There is more but others have listed it all I know. This was an effort to make a Final fantasy game have a wider mass market appeal, this was an effort by Japanese devs to capture the western console market. In doing so however they have removed most of the things we loved about the previous FF games. They have produced a very pretty movie with some interactive scenes. FF needs to go back to its roots again. We need a real JRPG from them. Else they are going to loose the fans that made the series what it is, while gaming on the whims of the fickle modern gamer. Whos tastes change like the seasons. What i fear is that when Dragon Quest 9 comes out this summer on the DS, if it does not sell really well, they are going to use that as justification for the continued dumbing down of Final Fantasy.… Expand

8 of 11 users found this helpful

MohamedS

Mar 16, 2010

5

Linearity is not a bad thing. Resident Evil 4 is Linear and it's one of the best games out there. Mass Effect 2 is Linear and it's an awesome game. The difference is that those two games used their Linearity to deliver a focused intense gaming experience (the village fight in RE4 comes to mind) while FFXIII uses it to shove a story down the gamer's throat. That would be Linearity is not a bad thing. Resident Evil 4 is Linear and it's one of the best games out there. Mass Effect 2 is Linear and it's an awesome game. The difference is that those two games used their Linearity to deliver a focused intense gaming experience (the village fight in RE4 comes to mind) while FFXIII uses it to shove a story down the gamer's throat. That would be fine if the story was good or the characters likable but it's simply pretentious and the dialougue is hilariously bad (Snow is the biggest culprit here). The battle system is very close to becoming FFXII's autopilot as well and battles take a lot longer than they should (20 minutes for some large bosses) simply because it relies too much on the stagger system. Good points include great graphics and CGI, decent music and Sazh.… Expand

10 of 14 users found this helpful

ChrisT

Mar 21, 2010

5

This game is a huge disappointment. I've played over 20 hours so far and the game isn't just linear, but the beginning of the game starts with you running forward for 10 hours, I really don't care for linear games, since I've played games like Xenosaga. After the running forward for a few hours, we get to a few right turns, left turns, but it's always just run This game is a huge disappointment. I've played over 20 hours so far and the game isn't just linear, but the beginning of the game starts with you running forward for 10 hours, I really don't care for linear games, since I've played games like Xenosaga. After the running forward for a few hours, we get to a few right turns, left turns, but it's always just run straight forward. You can literally AFK a boss in this game, I've done it twice. I went downstairs to get food, ten minutes later, the boss is dead. The characters are annoying as can be, the little boy Hope is a whiny little emo brat who blames the entire group and won't take responsibility or finish his sentences. He's also a racist bigot. Snow won't stop talking about being a hero and his girlfriend, everything he says has to do with them, he never brings up a new topic. The game is confusing as hell in the beginning because you have no idea whats going on, they give you terms, but don't define them until way later. I only played this game for story, I typically don't care for gameplay too much, as long as it isn't boring, but the story is such a bore, half the characters you play as piss me off. That being said, Square Enix doesn't listen to their customers, Bioware and Bethesda do. Since the next gen consoles came out, JRPGs have been failing and western RPGs and Sandbox RPGs have been dominate, theres a reason for that, it's because they listen to their customers.… Expand

8 of 11 users found this helpful

KritU

Mar 9, 2010

5

I need to re-score this game. I gave the Japanese version a 0 for doing such a horrible job. I had a high hope it would help if I understand the story. Yes it did. I like FF13 a lot better. However, it's still far from being my favorite RPG. Still wouldn't make it to the top 10, heck it wouldn't even make the top 100 most favorite RPG of mine. Square-Enix, next time, please I need to re-score this game. I gave the Japanese version a 0 for doing such a horrible job. I had a high hope it would help if I understand the story. Yes it did. I like FF13 a lot better. However, it's still far from being my favorite RPG. Still wouldn't make it to the top 10, heck it wouldn't even make the top 100 most favorite RPG of mine. Square-Enix, next time, please just keep FF as a turn base, k? I love innovation but this is what I call "not true to to series".… Expand

9 of 12 users found this helpful

Matt

Apr 15, 2010

5

Good visuals. Annoying battle system. Not being able to move your AI characters out of aoe attacks cripple the battle system. A fight that should be easy can turn into a disaster if the AI places characters to close to the enemy. Convoluted story. Annoying characters. Tedious battles. Crappy weapon customization/progression. I finished it only because I felt like I had to because Good visuals. Annoying battle system. Not being able to move your AI characters out of aoe attacks cripple the battle system. A fight that should be easy can turn into a disaster if the AI places characters to close to the enemy. Convoluted story. Annoying characters. Tedious battles. Crappy weapon customization/progression. I finished it only because I felt like I had to because it's a FF game.… Expand

8 of 11 users found this helpful

JD

Mar 19, 2010

5

Worst Final Fantasy ever. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fanboy for sure, but this has got to be the worst in the series. First, it isn't a "game" per se, since you can get through the whole game mostly using "x" and a few directional keys. Second, the RPG element has been removed. It is hard to believe that Final Fantasy has been dumbed down to pretty graphics and awful, boring Worst Final Fantasy ever. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fanboy for sure, but this has got to be the worst in the series. First, it isn't a "game" per se, since you can get through the whole game mostly using "x" and a few directional keys. Second, the RPG element has been removed. It is hard to believe that Final Fantasy has been dumbed down to pretty graphics and awful, boring gameplay. This is basically a game for the attention deficit disordered millenial generation, and I'm afraid for the future.… Expand

16 of 24 users found this helpful

Valipex

Aug 30, 2010

5

Well I wouldn't say that the game was THAT BAD but it could have been SO MUCH BETTER. VERY disappointing as a FF game.

I mean, I haven't bought the game but I've watched the entire thing on Youtube and from what I've seen, there wasn't really much to do other than walking around and fighting monsters...Not much room for exploration at all dude. I DID enjoy the characters. All of them inWell I wouldn't say that the game was THAT BAD but it could have been SO MUCH BETTER. VERY disappointing as a FF game.

I mean, I haven't bought the game but I've watched the entire thing on Youtube and from what I've seen, there wasn't really much to do other than walking around and fighting monsters...Not much room for exploration at all dude. I DID enjoy the characters. All of them in fact, but some of them could have used some more time to develop ( i.e. Serah, Snow and Vanille ). And many aspects of the story still don't make sense to me ( AND I've read the novels )

The graphics were pretty tight though and unlike many people I really like that SE tried to go all futuristic with the series! Nothing wrong with trying new things! But you gotta succeed in doing so....… Expand

theshonen8899

May 13, 2011

5

You need to be aware of the following things before you buy this game. First, this is not like any other RPG you've played. That's not a good thing. It's extremely linear and you only get to wander around during one of the thirteen chapters. Second, the story and characters are extremely disappointing compared to well known Final Fantasy titles. The story is boggled and all over the placeYou need to be aware of the following things before you buy this game. First, this is not like any other RPG you've played. That's not a good thing. It's extremely linear and you only get to wander around during one of the thirteen chapters. Second, the story and characters are extremely disappointing compared to well known Final Fantasy titles. The story is boggled and all over the place and the characters act is alarmingly predictable and stereotypical ways. This is a first for a Final Fantasy chronicle title, as normally the characters are either extremely life-like as in Final Fantasy IV, VIII, and XII or they are simply silent and shallow like FFI, II, and III. They have rarely been blatantly annoying and forced into your face with cut-scene after cutscene. Third, the graphics and soundtrack and phenomenal. No video game has ever come close to creating as beautiful a setting as in FFXIII, and the soundtrack will keep you in euphoria, that is until Hope starts screaming about his mother or until Snow starts rambling about destiny and heroes or until Vanille and Fang share a lesbian moment. Play this game knowing that this is not going to be a Final Fantasy we will remember like IV, VI, VIII but as a FF you will forget but play because at the moment, there's really nothing else to play.… Expand

rave_rd

Feb 15, 2011

5

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game was very much a mixed bag for me (thus the five)....most of the other reviews here have covered anything, but I'm going to add mine because maybe it'll help me feel a little bit better about the 50+ hours I just sunk in to this game. Did I enjoy the story? Yes (I can handle some melodrama, that's fine...and sure I can swallow some of the awkward writing). No surprise about the game being beautiful (and it really, really is, especially in HD). Then there's the gameplay: linear, linear, linear. Walk cutscene, fight, walk, fight, cutscene. Ok, this mean the story needs to keep me interested (and it did, I kept going).

SPOILERS

Then Orphan shows up. Death To All? Really? So if I don't have the right accessory then I have to rely on luck to not instantly die? REALLY? 50+ hours later and I'm screwed--I don't have the gil to buy things, and my saves are at the ending...so I guess I lose. Thanks FFXII.
All I can say is make sure you read a walkthrough/guide, or expect to be really frustrated at the end.… Expand

jaga420

Dec 4, 2010

5

I absolutely loved the graphics and the gameplay.
The story was detestable at best. It has a good base but it has way too many cheesy moments and doesn't make much sense unless you read all the data logs. It only had one cutscene that wasn't cheesy and had meaning (with Sazh and Vanille just before he gets his summon)
The music was great and went well with the battles and environment, butI absolutely loved the graphics and the gameplay.
The story was detestable at best. It has a good base but it has way too many cheesy moments and doesn't make much sense unless you read all the data logs. It only had one cutscene that wasn't cheesy and had meaning (with Sazh and Vanille just before he gets his summon)
The music was great and went well with the battles and environment, but I miss Uematsu's work
The game was linear, but so was God of War.
The voices are the worst part. Vanille's is the worst of the worst, with many of her sound effects sounding more like orgasms than pain. I would have liked an option of changing the voices to the japanese versions and having english subtitles.
Overall, a huge disappointment but still worth a rent.… Expand

SalarymanDaishi

Jan 22, 2011

5

A grand journey like any Final Fantasy should be, sadly trimmed down to just bare essentials: flashy cutscenes and combat. As fine as both of them are, quite a bit of what makes an enthralling JRPG has been culled as well and the result is a linear and vapid ordeal of preciously little else than running and fighting for 50 hours. Sure, the story and the characters weren't bad at all butA grand journey like any Final Fantasy should be, sadly trimmed down to just bare essentials: flashy cutscenes and combat. As fine as both of them are, quite a bit of what makes an enthralling JRPG has been culled as well and the result is a linear and vapid ordeal of preciously little else than running and fighting for 50 hours. Sure, the story and the characters weren't bad at all but overall, the game is worthy of just one gigantic, heartfelt meh. Not because it wasn't what some of us stubborn FF purists wanted it to be but because it's not even a particularly memorable representative of its genre. Not exactly bad or good. Just... Meh.… Expand

XuDavella

Jan 4, 2011

5

Didn't like the idea that the entire game was all about fighting and pretty much nothing else to do on the side that didn't have something to do with fighting. You hear people talking about how it takes like 10 hours before you get to the part of the game that you can really appreciate....and that would have worked 20 years ago when people were living at a slower pace, but this is the 21stDidn't like the idea that the entire game was all about fighting and pretty much nothing else to do on the side that didn't have something to do with fighting. You hear people talking about how it takes like 10 hours before you get to the part of the game that you can really appreciate....and that would have worked 20 years ago when people were living at a slower pace, but this is the 21st century. I know I'm taking this out of proportion, but if I want to learn how to do something, I would like to learn how to do that quickly, not have to take a gradual step - lots of fighting and then another small step. Now I'm not saying the fighting is bad, in fact it really is kind of impressive - oh wait, all I have to do is set the damn thing on autopilot and it does it all for me! Now that's 21st century right there. *sigh* So the review is not 'all' bad. The graphics are to die for, and the story line will echo in my mind for a long time. It was musically heart warming and the relationships between the characters developed very very nicely. Oh and the weapon upgrade system was retarded.… Expand

DougBefell

May 2, 2011

5

This could have been oh so much better. The graphics are astonishing. Backgrounds are truly pleasing to the eye, and you'll find yourself, even 50 hours in, just rotating the camera and taking in the sights. The battle system is good. Not fantastic, not what Square wanted, either (Battles of equivalent excitement to Advent Children), but it's really interesting for about 35 hours. (thisThis could have been oh so much better. The graphics are astonishing. Backgrounds are truly pleasing to the eye, and you'll find yourself, even 50 hours in, just rotating the camera and taking in the sights. The battle system is good. Not fantastic, not what Square wanted, either (Battles of equivalent excitement to Advent Children), but it's really interesting for about 35 hours. (this game has a ridiculously slow and tedious learning curve, not putting much trust in the player.) Unfortunately, you'll be spending at least half of your time with very unpleasant and unlikeable characters. All they do is whine, have irrational flashes of anger, and pout. During loading screens, a scroll tells you what the characters are feeling, and why they're acting so poorly. Ever hear of 'show, don't tell,' Square? Voice actors are OK, with the massive exception of Vanille, who spends the entire game making little gasps, grunts and sighs. It is embarrassing. I am serious. No matter the levity or gravity of a situation, Vanille's reaction will be some sort of awful giggle, or moan. The plot doesn't go anywhere for the first 30 hours of the game. It just meanders as the characters all slowly grow up and decide to act like decent human beings. Only Sasz and Fang act decently. Vanille probably does too, but it's impossible to get over the voice acting. The bosses, and villains of the game stink. They have paper-thin motivations, and are cackling 'mu ha ha ha' stereotypes. The various gameplay systems are not nearly deep enough for a game of this length, they are hideously dumbed down. But I keep coming back to the characters. I didn't want to spend even an hour with them, why would I want to spend 70? Square failed in every conceivable way with this plot. It bores us with its lack of direction. It annoys us with its self-pitying 'heroes' by circumstance only. You will spend half of your time with this game bored and annoyed. Worst of all, this doesn't feel like a Final Fantasy game, and I've never really felt that of one of the core titles before. There are chocobos.... The spell names and some item names are familiar... that's it.

In the end, I played this game for two reasons: it was a graphical showcase for my new-to-me PS3. And I played it out of obligation, like many old Square fans. No more. Square has been living off the legacy of FFVI, Chrono Trigger, and FFVII for far too long. I've played exactly two Square games worth playing in the last decade (that wasn't a re-release): The World Ends With You, and Final Fantasy XII (and hey, they fired the director of that game). I'm done. Every Bioware game, or Shin Megami Tensei/Persona game, I've played has been better than all the Square games of the last decade combined. That's coming from someone for whom FFVI is still the best game ever, who used to be a giant Square fanboy. Don't reward Square's awful, juvenile, melodramatic, garbage storytelling with your money anymore. This game is not good. This game's story is a catastrophe.… Expand

lightning101

May 14, 2011

5

Not a game I would recommend to my friends or for people viewing this comment. They have good looking characters in it, I love Lightning, but the game is just not good enough. The story, character backgrounds, the ending, the sexual gasps being heard from Vanille is just bad. The trailer might be good but those are only the best parts of the game, the rest is just awful. And I am a fan ofNot a game I would recommend to my friends or for people viewing this comment. They have good looking characters in it, I love Lightning, but the game is just not good enough. The story, character backgrounds, the ending, the sexual gasps being heard from Vanille is just bad. The trailer might be good but those are only the best parts of the game, the rest is just awful. And I am a fan of this game, but it's just not good enough.… Expand

DemonWithin

Jun 3, 2011

5

Ok first off I am a HUGE RPG fan and Final Fantasy is one of my favorite series.But 13 let me down.The story was confusing the battle system is boring in my opinion and I don't really like any of the characters other than Lightning and Fang.The graphics are great but to me that doesn't make up for the game-play.I couldn't even finish this game I was so bored with it but after spending $60Ok first off I am a HUGE RPG fan and Final Fantasy is one of my favorite series.But 13 let me down.The story was confusing the battle system is boring in my opinion and I don't really like any of the characters other than Lightning and Fang.The graphics are great but to me that doesn't make up for the game-play.I couldn't even finish this game I was so bored with it but after spending $60 bucks I felt in titled to review it.It may be for some, I sure as hell wasn't one of them though.It's linear game play,I still can't get over that it's FF after all.I waited for this game since the first trailer and info was out,but it wasn't worth it.… Expand

Galbias

Jun 20, 2011

5

While it still has the production values one would expect from an AAA game, Final Fantasy XIII ultimately fails in the "game" part. It nearly plays itself; much of the game is spent running down repetitive corridors with no element of choice involved, and the combat and customization are similarly one-dimensional. As per usual for the FF series the graphics are fantastic and soundtrackWhile it still has the production values one would expect from an AAA game, Final Fantasy XIII ultimately fails in the "game" part. It nearly plays itself; much of the game is spent running down repetitive corridors with no element of choice involved, and the combat and customization are similarly one-dimensional. As per usual for the FF series the graphics are fantastic and soundtrack is good, but they can't save a game that isn't any fun to play.… Expand

JenJen

Sep 21, 2011

5

Pros: Amazing graphics. Details are impeccable and all aspects of the game ,visually, is wonderful. The gameplay is also ridiculously addicting and fun to explore.

Cons: Terribly forced dialogue which leads to forced emotions which leads to an awful way to present an already boring story. Typical character line-up; angsty protagonist, comedic relief, hot-head, annoying girl, etc. The plotPros: Amazing graphics. Details are impeccable and all aspects of the game ,visually, is wonderful. The gameplay is also ridiculously addicting and fun to explore.

Cons: Terribly forced dialogue which leads to forced emotions which leads to an awful way to present an already boring story.
Typical character line-up; angsty protagonist, comedic relief, hot-head, annoying girl, etc. The plot is linear: you cannot go between worlds or revisit worlds. Side quests are a joke.

Over-all, I didn't care much for the game. My emotional attachment to is none existent.… Expand

xEnAlex

Aug 19, 2012

5

Square Enix gave us a game that was decent, and overrated it. Overrating it killed the game.

1. SOME characters were over-sexed or overrated, seriously, they were literally flat through the entire game. None made changes that were big or dramatic, and they were the same boring self in the end. Do you want to know what a true character is? Look at Luke from Tales of the Abyss. And also,Square Enix gave us a game that was decent, and overrated it. Overrating it killed the game.

1. SOME characters were over-sexed or overrated, seriously, they were literally flat through the entire game. None made changes that were big or dramatic, and they were the same boring self in the end. Do you want to know what a true character is? Look at Luke from Tales of the Abyss. And also, Vanilla was seriously fan-service to the players who only play games for fanservice (Dead or Alive people, I am staring viciously at you). If you want an example, look at Tifa from Final Fantasy VII. See her? She's the reason why the FF VII community is full of fanboys.
2. The Plot was carried out horribly, despite it was a decent plot worth mentioning. If the plot was more focused on, or if the characters decided to 3. Gameplay was way too linear, this is a point I REALLY want to point out. Seriously, auto-battling was literally half the game. Meanwhile Cutscenes were two-fifths and thinking was one-tenths.

Now, coming from the perspective of a fan who play almost every single Final Fantasy game, I'll admit, I hated the games coming from VII to XIII. But XIII downright just set me off when I heard it from my friends.

And also: This isn't an WRPG, this is an JRPG, the reason why most fans were betrayed was because of the lack of thinking in this game. This game downright felt like a 8-year old Arcade junkie RPG, where all you do is just auto-battle through the entire game. This wasn't fun, why? You had NO control over two characters, you only controlled one. I mean, at least let us switch characters like FF XII. Now let me get on the good points. The music was good, okay, but there wasn't that emotional pull that always gotten me in games. It was action, more action, and action none the less. I was kind of disappointed because of that (You want a good JRPG music? Listen to Falcom).
Graphics, okay folks, I admit, the graphics were good. But you're missing one point:
GRAPHICS DO NOT MAKE A GAME.
Graphics does not help overly linear gameplay.
And Graphics certainly does not remedy the bad storyline.

If Square Enix wanted to make an Action RPG, they should have created an FF XII that actually let you move around in the beautiful landscape.… Expand

PecoTheGreat

Feb 17, 2012

5

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Millions of things have been sad about this game, and I have to agree with anyone who says this game does not feel like Final Fantasy game at all.

The premise of the game sounds promising at first glimpse, a large, futuristic town (Cocoon) built to protect its citizens from the wild world (Pulse) that lies beneath. Due to certain reasons, some inhabitants of Cocoon are supposed to be purged to Pulse, and in that progress our heroes arise because they are somehow connected with the purge. Sounds promising, right? You would expect epic clashes between the two different worlds, exploration of two gigantic areas with an enormous amount of different places, towns, NPCs, travveling between the two worlds and lots of characters with interesting stories to tell, right? Well, you don't get any of that. what really bothered me is that what sounds like a simple idea is twisted around and made so unnecessarily complicated that even people like me who play these games mainly for the story will become confused. Sometimes, keeping it simple works best, but they decided to go the exact opposite way.

Until the end, I failed to understand what the deal with Pulse is anyway, and I forgot the names of 90% of the bad guys just because they were that unappealing and boring. Wasn't that what FF used to be about? Memorable villains like Kefka or infamous Sephiroth? The game is that fast-paced that you won't even have the chance to think about the story, there is no balance between tough areas with lots of enemies and towns to relax. From the first moment, you force your way through all kinds of enemies. No towns, no time to relax, just dashing forward and never look back, much like Resident Evil 5.

The characters aren't very appealing either. I really did like Lightning as the main character, as she fits well with former characters, straight-forward, silent, brave and merciless but with a big heart. The other characters don't offer the variety former casts did, and most of them will only be a nuisance.

Storytelling-wise, all kinds of new things and names are thrown at you during the cutscenes, but as soon as you regain control it is the same rushing and fighting non-stop until the end. The game even teases you by having a pilot in the party and giving you an airplane twice, only to have it shot down shortly after. The feeling of slow advancing, getting a kind of vehicle to enable you to reach an area that was unreachable before, a world map that slowly grows, it is not there.

Despite all that, I still finished this game to platinum status, and I will tell you why. For one thing, I really like Lighning. She gets some ridiculous phrases ("worst birthday ever") but her bad-assness paired with her fighting abilities, sense of fairness and her serious tone just makes me like her. Second, this game is gorgeous. Sometimes, I just stood around somewhere, enjoying the scenery, especially on Pulse. (You will know the place when you see it)

The main factor why I wanted to mater this game was the fighting system. It appeals me in a strange why, maybe because there are some optional enemies that really force you to become a master in that system. As a Final Fantasy game, this game fails in almost every aspect except graphics. If you can get into the fighting system and the challenge the optional bosses offer, it can still be a somewhat worthwhile experience.… Expand

AceOfCakez

May 22, 2013

5

Alright, the people who are complaining about this game being linear are stupid. All JRPG's are linear (and some of the greatest games made are linear); that isn't the issue with this JRPG. The issue is that it's a story driven game and they don't even tell a good story. In fact, most of the important story details are stored in the database of the game. The first elementary aspect ofAlright, the people who are complaining about this game being linear are stupid. All JRPG's are linear (and some of the greatest games made are linear); that isn't the issue with this JRPG. The issue is that it's a story driven game and they don't even tell a good story. In fact, most of the important story details are stored in the database of the game. The first elementary aspect of writing that you learn is "show not tell." Final Fantasy XIII should have showed us all the important aspects of the story via diloague and cutscenes, not relegate them to some side database in the options menu.

The battle is definitely unique but once you hit higher levels, you'll mostly be just using auto-battle. The actual strategy lies in your paradigm set up and how you switch between those paradigms in battle. I have to say that this is one of the most challenging RPG's out there; however, part of the challenge is due to the fact that if the character you're controlling dies, you game over.

The graphics are amazing. The music is solid but everything else is below average. For a JRPG, it's about average. For a Final Fantasy, it's terrible.… Expand

dman4380

Oct 27, 2012

5

Final Fantasy XIII was one of the first games I played on my PS3. I'd never played a Final Fantasy game before, although I'd heard that the series in general is very good, so I decided I would give this game a go. And I must say, I was impressed... sometimes. There was very little to do other than to follow the plot line, and the level design was extremely linear for most of the game. TheFinal Fantasy XIII was one of the first games I played on my PS3. I'd never played a Final Fantasy game before, although I'd heard that the series in general is very good, so I decided I would give this game a go. And I must say, I was impressed... sometimes. There was very little to do other than to follow the plot line, and the level design was extremely linear for most of the game. The story, although interesting, confused the hell out of me quite a lot, tutorials kept throwing themselves at me, and the game bored me frequently during the opening chapters. Still, if you can get past the negatives, there's a lot of fun to be had with this. The playable characters were interesting as people and felt unique to play as - though Vanille will tick you off majorly. The musical score and visual quality of the game were both excellent. The Paradigm Shift and the ATB gauge made combat lively and kept me thinking on my toes, leading to an engaging, strategy-based battle system. All-in-all, I think this game is worth a play, as long as you don't keep you expectations too high.… Expand

Slsr

Jul 26, 2013

5

Meh, not terrible game but not too good either, fighting system kinda fails even if I have seen worse in jrpgs but basically it doesn't do its job well enough. I didn't really feel it game either, I don't like characters too much, story was OK. first half of game is just really dull as you don't have much freedom :x...

evangelism

Jan 21, 2014

5

Not horrible, but not good either. Extreme linearity with no attempt at all to hide it. Long stretches of copy pasted corridors with no plot development to pad the run time. No freedom for the player in terms of how they level up (FFX and XII) did it much better. Everything about this game screams handholding. You are not allowed to level up too fast (due to level caps for each chapter),Not horrible, but not good either. Extreme linearity with no attempt at all to hide it. Long stretches of copy pasted corridors with no plot development to pad the run time. No freedom for the player in terms of how they level up (FFX and XII) did it much better. Everything about this game screams handholding. You are not allowed to level up too fast (due to level caps for each chapter), you are not allowed to get lost, except with the story. The story is told horribly. With long stretches of not knowing what the hell is going on, things are explained long after they should be and by the end we still don't know the true motivations of the antagonists (SPOILER: they are suicidal, BUT WHY ARE THEY SUICIDAL?). The only thing that kept me playing was the promise it got better in the end and the battle system. Does it get better in the end? For a short period, yes. Chapter 11 gives you a land to explore and sidequests to complete. However the sidequests are very linear (go to location, kill boss, get next quest) with a lot of running around getting from starting location, to boss, to next quest giver, to boss, repeat 60 times. Then for chapters 12 and 13 it is back to the mind numbing linearity and repeating corridors. I feel like this game was made by either an entirely new team or was made to 'appeal to a wider audience,' the type of people who don't understand traditional RPG's. And it shows with the incredibly high and undeserved metacritic score this game has that they were successful. If you are reading this to determine whether you should play this or not, take heed of my warning. It is not worth it.… Expand

Dyscordia

Mar 25, 2014

5

Completely linear, with no choice character in the group, some charismatic characters, lightning is the only one who is saved, but I think a cheap clone cloud, engaging story but then bored.
only positive is the system combat.

Kai82

Mar 14, 2020

5

It is a visual and stylish impressive game with lacks in storytelling and variety. The graphics are still impressive and the soundtrack is also good but I miss the Final Fantasy and Winning theme. The main story is a different thing. The plot holes are impressive. It looks like the story was rewritten a lot by different people because former parts of the story, lore and facts were ignoredIt is a visual and stylish impressive game with lacks in storytelling and variety. The graphics are still impressive and the soundtrack is also good but I miss the Final Fantasy and Winning theme. The main story is a different thing. The plot holes are impressive. It looks like the story was rewritten a lot by different people because former parts of the story, lore and facts were ignored or were a later addition / afterthought. Because of this some character development and decisions are strange up to idiotic. I will point out that I like the characters and their struggles. Especially Lightning, Hope, Serah and Sazh. Also the themes or reasons of their struggles are praiseworthy and could be a highlight. My first main critique is that there are no side activities in the game and the world opens up only after 20-25 hours. There is the statement that the game gets good after 20 hours. I disagree (it got a bit better). There is no exploration. At most each branch from the main path is at max 3-5 minutes long without battles. There is no side activity except more battles / monster hunting. You have even a Chocobo theme park with no races or anything else. The older games had much more. My other main critique is the battle system. While I found it interesting it is also unrewarding. Many said that it feels like you get an automated system and with a few tweaks you can avoid manual input at all. While this is wrong or lets say hyperbolism the point itself is valid. I must also mention the level up system. This game blocks you from leveling up until you reach certain points. I find this to be a friction pad. Also for some bosses you must defeat them in a certain way or you get instant death. This is not like in previous games were you enjoyed puzzling this out (Yunalesca from FF10 for example). More in the way: Oh you are winning this battle and we cant prevent you, lets just add an instant death timer. I like challenges but not in a way that the boss is no treat or even a challenge. Maybe I sound to negative. I enjoyed the game but it got boring after a while. I am not sure if I could finish it when it would be 5 hours longer. Overall it is a misstep but not a terrible game. They were too long in the development phase without actually developing the game.… Expand

Dionysus777

Feb 6, 2015

5

1 of my biggest disapointments in gaming history. What is this the spam sketch from monty python? Spam and eggs, Spam x spam attack spam x spam and look at ur map Spam x spam attack spam and spam bacon and Spam . I will never buy another ff w/o aprehension and any other in this Spam shoot Lightning Spam series.

SicSeph

Dec 15, 2015

5

Decent, but way below the expectations. Characters are not appealing, story has is moments.. sometimes.. i guess..! Summons... Well they just killed 3 big classics of the FF series, Bahamut Odin and Shiva are total crap, Alexander is the only one worth saving.
No exploration but it got at least challenging at some point, which is a miracle lately.
Still, not at all a FF level game.

ThecriticGoD

Mar 7, 2016

5

Final Fantasy XII was already a big mistake from Square Enix but this is the living proof that they are never gonna go back to making the great games Squaresoft once did. Poor characters (most of them), boring combat and character developing system, extremely linear, and most importantly, very poor story (making good stories was what always characterized Final Fantasy. The only good thingsFinal Fantasy XII was already a big mistake from Square Enix but this is the living proof that they are never gonna go back to making the great games Squaresoft once did. Poor characters (most of them), boring combat and character developing system, extremely linear, and most importantly, very poor story (making good stories was what always characterized Final Fantasy. The only good things I can think of are the music, the graphics and Lightning, which is a good protagonist, everything else is just very very distant from what to expect from a Final Fantasy game.… Expand

HTGamer

Nov 23, 2016

5

Final Fantasy XIII is a pivotal moment in the Final Fantasy series' history. It's a game that has polarised people and, along with the initial FF XIV failure, it almost ended the series.

FF XIII is a more casual and linear game than FF fans would expect. You mainly walk along a narrow path and battle enemies. You beat them, you proceed, and then battle more enemies. And the cycle goesFinal Fantasy XIII is a pivotal moment in the Final Fantasy series' history. It's a game that has polarised people and, along with the initial FF XIV failure, it almost ended the series.

FF XIII is a more casual and linear game than FF fans would expect. You mainly walk along a narrow path and battle enemies. You beat them, you proceed, and then battle more enemies. And the cycle goes on. No freedom of exploration, no towns, no NPCs, no side-quests, no dialogue choices, you can't even go back to previous areas (unless you backtrack, but there is no reason to do it). Only towards the end does the game offer you a huge map to freely explore on the world of Gran Pulse where you accept missions to hunt monsters for a reward, but it can only last so long, and the linearity returns until the end credits roll.

The story is a totally unoriginal mess that is summarised as "a bunch of mostly unrelated guys are united by chance and have to save the world from ancient deities", the characters are a joke (maybe aside main protagonist Lightning, who was made a mascot of the series), dialogue is most of the times atrocious.

On a more positive note, graphics and art are beautiful (as always in the FF games), the monsters and characters are colourful, the cut-scenes (especially the action scenes) are awesome, the soundtrack has many great and catchy songs. But the voice overs are underwhelming.

The heart of the game is its combat system, the Active Time Battle (no turn based combat). It's both great and bad at the same time. The good news is you can customise the roles of every party member on the fly. It's pretty awesome to watch the attacks and aerial manoeuvres during battles. The bad news is that because the ATB meter charges pretty fast you don't have time to properly select your moves and stand still until you hit the attack button, so it makes more sense to just hit the "Auto" button and let the AI do the job of executing the best attacks. All you have to do is attack, change roles for healing/buffing mates, change again to debuff enemies, change again to damage dealers, and change again relative to the situation until the enemies are defeated. Basically, you just sit there watching passively and just intervene to change the party members' roles and the AI does the rest.

Announced as part of Square Enix's multi-game Fabula Nova Crystallis, Final Fantasy XIII hyped people but failed to deliver. After the complaints of gamers Square Enix would attempt to correct the series' route by releasing 2 FF XIII sequels and 1 spin-off, but it would prove to not be enough. The whole Fabula Nova Crystallis plan has been abandoned, and now we wait to see if FF XV (formerly FF Versus XIII, also an original part of Fabula Nova Crystallis, but not any more) can restore the series to its former glory.… Expand

dr9188

Jan 11, 2017

5

The most beautiful game of the seventh generation of game consoles. Not only the most beautiful, but the most beautiful game that consistently pushed graphics quality as far as it would go on each console- a testament to their development teams and their game engine at a time when the PS3 was notoriously difficult to program for.

Also, the "Fabula Nova" mythos is a beautiful and tragicThe most beautiful game of the seventh generation of game consoles. Not only the most beautiful, but the most beautiful game that consistently pushed graphics quality as far as it would go on each console- a testament to their development teams and their game engine at a time when the PS3 was notoriously difficult to program for.

Also, the "Fabula Nova" mythos is a beautiful and tragic story of wars between Gods and their slaves. The saddest thing about it is it ended up being wasted on the XIII saga, with other previously linked games (Agito, Versus) very quickly cutting ties with the XIII branding and being renamed (to Type-0 and XV respectively).

Now I have got the positive out of the way... I don't think I could say a lot that hasn't been said before. It feels like a glorious 3D recreation of the tongue-in-cheek ProgressQuest. There is some depth with the Paradigm System, but largely you feel out of control even of your primary character. It is almost literally a stroll from A to B, with a reward of an uninteresting cut scene among characters you have little sympathy for... Not because they're bad or evil... But just because you don't care about them.

Although Snow is probably the worst character I've seen the talented Troy Baker play, he does actually show a huge amount of depth and darkness in Lightning Returns... 4 years too late.

If you are new to the series and considering XIII, I'd recommend you skip it and go to XV.… Expand

sakubo

Jan 28, 2019

5

I just could not relate to the story and it's characters. Battles and music were good though.

lukidior

Jul 20, 2020

5

The story telling part is not good. The direct unforked road is boring. The HP of the enemies are setting too high which cause taking too much time for each battle.

Addposer

Jun 23, 2020

5

Boring, unlike FF it is so linear that it feels like an old sonic game that you can only go foward and thats it.

basic123

Oct 16, 2022

5

This Final Fantasy never felt right. With a confusing story, shalow gameplay and boring main characters I didnt really enjoy it overall.

DanH.

Mar 12, 2010

4

I'm as big a Final Fantasy fan as they come. So, you can imagine my excitement when this game finally came out. One of the two reasons I originally bought the Playstation 3. And... the game fell flat on it's face. I may be a huge fan of the series, but I will not blindly accept this garbage they sold us. There is no exploration in this game. Here is the formula: fight mobs > I'm as big a Final Fantasy fan as they come. So, you can imagine my excitement when this game finally came out. One of the two reasons I originally bought the Playstation 3. And... the game fell flat on it's face. I may be a huge fan of the series, but I will not blindly accept this garbage they sold us. There is no exploration in this game. Here is the formula: fight mobs > fight boss > LOST cutscene (flashback). On top of that the story is incredibly boring and elementary with characters who are strongly influenced by Japanese Anime stereotypes... I had to hold back the vomit while playing this game. I want to know what pill these other reviewers took before playing. The only redeeming part was the experimental battle system which could still use some work.… Expand

11 of 17 users found this helpful

NoneNone

Apr 9, 2010

4

More of an action game than an RPG. No exploration. Very guided character building. Extremely linear "hallway" maps. Poor storytelling and writing. You'll need to read the volumes of text in the in-game database to have even a basic understanding of the story. The battle system is the only the developers seemed to have spent time on gameplay-wise. You'll be fighting battle More of an action game than an RPG. No exploration. Very guided character building. Extremely linear "hallway" maps. Poor storytelling and writing. You'll need to read the volumes of text in the in-game database to have even a basic understanding of the story. The battle system is the only the developers seemed to have spent time on gameplay-wise. You'll be fighting battle incessantly from beginning to end. Overall, a poor outing. Would have worked better as a 9-hour action game than a 40-hour epic since the game's only strength is the battle-system.… Expand

10 of 20 users found this helpful

ChristopherC.

Mar 14, 2010

4

How oh how in the world could any self-respecting Final Fantasy Fan call this hyperactive/repetitive action mess a true Final Fantasy game? This game has nothing of the deep heart-felt aspects that have always defined the Final Fantasy series, slowly bringing you into the world and story and characters so that you never want to ever leave. I'm afraid this is the death-knell for the How oh how in the world could any self-respecting Final Fantasy Fan call this hyperactive/repetitive action mess a true Final Fantasy game? This game has nothing of the deep heart-felt aspects that have always defined the Final Fantasy series, slowly bringing you into the world and story and characters so that you never want to ever leave. I'm afraid this is the death-knell for the series, and the trend of most video games in general. It is as if the developers now think that just throwing more hyper-kinetic activity at the player will hold the gamer's attention (especially if the little young gamer's Ritalin is wearing off. Heaven forbid they should have a moment to look around and absorb the nuances of the game, we might lose their MTV attention span.) Or, let's give them better graphics and that will make up for the lack of any real substance. I'm convinced that if there is a smart developer out there who's listening, try putting out an old-school graphic game but with a story and world that Square-Enix has now lost their way to create. You will make bank now that Final Fantasy is giving up the mold that first put them on the map and gave them their repected reputation (mostly Square). Hell, I can go back and play not only old-school FF but Grandia or Zelda and have WAY more fun than what passes for a fantasy RPG on the new generation consoles. Somebody please capatilize on Square-Enix's folly! Final Fantasy is about wanting to spend more time in the Final Fantasy world, but there is NOTHING about this game that will make you truly care about the characters or stories. Besides the major mistake of trying to build drama through flashbacks; which any writer will tell you is not the most effective way to build character sympathy, through exposition and the characters having to explain themselves and their motives; but the folklore of the world itself is BORING despite what other reviewers are claiming. Taken objectively, after every cutscene/character interaction, the upshot of the whole drama was dully repeated with the phrase, "We are enemies of Cocoon." Boring, and nothing epic here, unless you want to geek out debating the difference between a Fal'cie and and L'cie (I don't even care about the spelling!) However and above all, the worst offense this game puts on the true Final Fantasy Fan is the inability for the player to feel a true part of the experience. You cannot explore, interact (unless you call standing in front of a NPC and listening to them rattle on as interactive), cannot shop and customize to a "feel-able" degree, and CANNOT EXPERIENCE THAT YOU ARE TRULY POWERFUL AS YOU GAIN NEW SKILLS/MAGIC/STRENGTH. In a true Final Fantasy game you level up and then get to go try out your new power and revel in all your awesomeness. In this waste slapped with a number 13, the action takes precedence and is so fast you cannot tell if your leveling up really made any difference at all and definitely does not contribute to any real strategy. I just gained the skill to do such and such, why can't I sit back and SEE IT! (Yes, I know you get to see Launch, one of the few, but it grows beyond tiresome after the thousand's time.) The music, which to me is intergral to the Final Fantasy experience, and I own every soundtrack available, is as throw-away as a meal at a fast food restaurant, enjoyable for a moment and then entirely forgettable. For those of you who felt FF had lost it's beating heart with 12, and the wooden, expressionless, character-less Vaan, just standing there like a dork, this lack of heart applies to the Brittany Spears pop soundtrack of 13. I remember creating multiple save points on my old systems to go back and re-watch/enjoy the cut-scenes and music, not this time. I know I was ruined for future FF games, for despite all it's flaws, FF 10 was the first RPG I had experienced. Bear with me those of you who hated on 10, you cannot deny that it had heart. It is one of less than a handful number of games that has actually brought tears to player's eyes because the game knew how to hook the player emotionally. Final Fantasy without the emotion is not Final Fantasy. Period. If this game had come out from a different developer and under a different name, I would maybe rate it a 6 for technical achievements such as the graphics and lip-synching to English audiences, that is objectively impressive. But, those of us who have played all of the previous games and supported the Final Fantasy series for years, we may be witnessing the destruction of what made the games so unique, powerful, and worth waiting years for them to release in the West. Now there is talk from the developers about the interest in a FF13-2 which is probably all we have to look forward to as well as more multiplayer online stuff. Do any of the true fans remember not being able to wait to get home and fire up the console to go back to that FF world that was so incredible you stayed up all night and went to work the next day without sleeping? That has been lost somewhere along the way in trying to out develop other developers with graphics, gore, bust-lines that bounce realistically, and anything else they think will appeal to the kids that have to use Mom or Dad's credit card to pre-order their games. Last thing I wish to say, if you are a true Final Fantasy Fan, be careful about supporting this game with such high rankings because you are voting with Square-Enix to give up what made Final Fantasy so special. Hell, even Advent Children was emotionally touching. Please don't support the execs deciding what we want to see in future FF games. Think about it. I encourage all who agree to also write and vote in the hopes that maybe somebody who can make a difference, either within Square-Enix or another rogue developer who wants to grab for the carrot of a true fantasy RPG that we have not so far seen on the next generation consoles, will see it and make a difference. Peace.… Expand

9 of 15 users found this helpful

JesseC

Mar 19, 2010

4

The problem I have with FF13, is that it claims to be an RPG, but pulls that off terribly. This game has value in of itself, for what it really is, but it is far from being an RPG. Also, it sets expectations, being a title of the Final Fantasy series, that it was not able to live up to. This title felt more like a random, no-name JRPG that could have been randomly picked up at any game The problem I have with FF13, is that it claims to be an RPG, but pulls that off terribly. This game has value in of itself, for what it really is, but it is far from being an RPG. Also, it sets expectations, being a title of the Final Fantasy series, that it was not able to live up to. This title felt more like a random, no-name JRPG that could have been randomly picked up at any game store, on discount, rather than another epic produced by Square. Sorry, but because of all this, I'm going to have to give it a 4.… Expand

6 of 9 users found this helpful

RyanM

Mar 30, 2010

4

I've played the game to completion over 60 hours. What an irritating mess. The characters are all terrible and horribly translated from Japanese (unless they sucked this bad in the JP version too). Why does every character have to either grunt, sigh, or moan while onscreen? Why can my group of 3 take down a 20 ft tall turtle monster, but in the following cutscene they walk ten steps I've played the game to completion over 60 hours. What an irritating mess. The characters are all terrible and horribly translated from Japanese (unless they sucked this bad in the JP version too). Why does every character have to either grunt, sigh, or moan while onscreen? Why can my group of 3 take down a 20 ft tall turtle monster, but in the following cutscene they walk ten steps and are all out of breath. This game sounds like a porno if you're just listening to the characters voice tracks. The writing is horrid, I never want to hear the words L'Cie, Fal'Cie, Pulse, Cocoon, or Focus, ever again. On top of all that, the sound effect they use for the characters footsteps is way too loud and is the identical sound for all characters and the same for all surfaces. It sounds like a minor gripe I guess, but you'll be listening to the same sound on repeat for 60 hours (well maybe 40 hours if you subtract all the non-interactive scenes). You do nothing but press the X button for the first ten hours. After that a reasonably designed combat system is slowly introduced to you like you're some kind of retard who's never played a game before. Seriously, there have been 12 other FF games, half the fun is figuring out the battle system. I'd give the actual gameplay elements a 7 or 8 because of the beautiful presentation, but the "Movie" part of the game drags it down to a 4. This is a terrible, poorly translated, nonsensical, anime with very pretty graphics. I've played every FF game since FF2 on the SNES and I've never been so generally annoyed by FF characters. There is no point in the story where you're given any reason to care about any of them. You never give a shit about the Cocoon they're trying to save, it seems like a crappy place full of d-bags. I'd blow it up and go live on Pulse, at least I'd get to wander around and hunt monsters there. In summary, this game is a beautiful mess. It's an ok linear J-RPG stuck to a conceptually interesting story with the worst characters and voice acting since Resident Evil 1 (Ok, maybe not that bad, but...). A lot of the action you'll be watching is completely out of your control and is extraneous to the story and the characters. It's like they had a rough outline of a story, then the art department made a bunch of cool cutscenes, monsters, and character models, then they tried to fill in the gaps with a hackneyed script and linear stitched together dungeons. Easily the worst FF I've ever played.… Expand

7 of 14 users found this helpful

JoeR

Mar 11, 2010

4

OMG what a disaster, awful characters that will get on your nerves, a mediocre story, unsurprising cinematics and 0, I repeat 0 feeling that you are actually in an RPG adventure this felt more like an interactive movie. This is my goodbye to J-RPGs specially the ones from Square-enix, Im a Bioware guy now.

5 of 7 users found this helpful

GoogooG.

Mar 25, 2010

4

Bought my PS2 and PS3 systems to play FF games.. just finished the game am am left with a decidable dirty taste in my mouth as if the Square team have just shoved a large phallic salami down my through and told me to swallow because this is good. im all for experimentation but this is just cud, yes spat out, reworked, Spat out and reworked one more time before final packaging. I remember Bought my PS2 and PS3 systems to play FF games.. just finished the game am am left with a decidable dirty taste in my mouth as if the Square team have just shoved a large phallic salami down my through and told me to swallow because this is good. im all for experimentation but this is just cud, yes spat out, reworked, Spat out and reworked one more time before final packaging. I remember seeing my first final fantasy game and being blown away, how it pushed the envelope it was jaw dropping , now i wouldnt drop my pants to piss on it . Yawn you lazy poor excuse for a FF development team. Battle system was interesting though .good job on that. next time maby we can interact with the world before being mindlessly thrown into battles or mindless running in straigth lines. Dear sqaure please rent some games that were made in the last 3 years and play them see if you can learn something called immersion either that or give me my money back.… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful

ArkonBlade

Jul 12, 2011

4

i heard such mixed reviews from my friends and other on this game that i waited awhile to buy it and since sqaure's track record hasnt been very good lately on RPG's. the first thing ill say is wow the graphics are fantastic it looks amazing . then you start playing and you are like huh? what the hell is going on? and after 7 hours i was still asking myself that . the combat system justi heard such mixed reviews from my friends and other on this game that i waited awhile to buy it and since sqaure's track record hasnt been very good lately on RPG's. the first thing ill say is wow the graphics are fantastic it looks amazing . then you start playing and you are like huh? what the hell is going on? and after 7 hours i was still asking myself that . the combat system just sucked and sucked so hard . honetsly this makes FF8's combat system look kinda good . the ability to control only 1 charicter just burned me . when i play a RPG i want 100% control on what my party is doing . not i control the leader which by the way swiches up every 30 minuites and annoyed the living hell out of me and have my other 2 party members doing what they want. so what they have instead is this switch tactics mode which feels so very very very very very off and HORRABLE! i mean usaully i can get through a crappy combat system if the story is solid like FF8 i mean that combat system in that game sucked but the charicters and story are very well done and i could get past that . but after 7 hours of going WTF IS GOING ON!? i couldnt do it any more . i mean the charicters seemed like they might get intresting and they wernt badly voice acted at all but after 7 hours i just couldnt care any more .… Expand

Seraphy

Aug 16, 2010

4

Gamepro descriped this game best: "a long hallway toward an orange target symbol on your mini-map that triggers a cutscene, a boss fight, or both. Frankly for the first six chapters I thought this game had longest tutorial ever, with total lack of towns, exploration or people to talk to. In short anything fun. There are some good points in the game of course. Story isn't horrible, it isn'tGamepro descriped this game best: "a long hallway toward an orange target symbol on your mini-map that triggers a cutscene, a boss fight, or both. Frankly for the first six chapters I thought this game had longest tutorial ever, with total lack of towns, exploration or people to talk to. In short anything fun. There are some good points in the game of course. Story isn't horrible, it isn't anything to write home about either, and combat is much improved, however all together game is just bad even with all the improvements. If you want to play final fantasy I suggest you play any other number from I-XII, they are all better than this one.… Expand

lgndsgn

Aug 24, 2010

4

Before buying FF13 I knew of two crushing facts about it - no overworld map/controllable airship and extremely linear gameplay. One of the main reasons I bought a PS3 was for this game, so even after learning of the disappointments I still gave it a try. Now I've been an rpg fan for a long time. Playing through Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6, and Secret of Mana were some of the mostBefore buying FF13 I knew of two crushing facts about it - no overworld map/controllable airship and extremely linear gameplay. One of the main reasons I bought a PS3 was for this game, so even after learning of the disappointments I still gave it a try. Now I've been an rpg fan for a long time. Playing through Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6, and Secret of Mana were some of the most memorable expereices I've had. These games have a certain charm, a certain soul, that I believe Square has lost. Indeed, the brilliant minds behind these games are no longer working together (Sakaguchi, Amano, Uematsu, etc.). FF6 I believe was the pinacle, with my enjoyment declining with each subsequent release. There's something quite endearing about the old overhead-view and world maps. You're able to take it all in, your imagination turns, and you feel a real sense of the universe that's being portrayed. But now because of cut-scenes, fixed viewpoints or locations, and flashy graphics we're given a much more controlled and limited environment. With that said, I did enjoy FF7 and I wish they would have stuck with that format at least. I honestly cannot comprehend how they thought taking away a free-roaming world and airship travel would be received well by fans. Actually, I'm sure they realized it wouldn't be, but instead did not care and opted to appeal to a newer generation, thus making more money. Overall, this Final Fantasy is not for me, and I am ok with that. But it is a shame that the days of Final Fantasy as I knew it are gone.

Ok, as far as FF13 goes... after 15 hours of playing I have completely lost interest. The story is the only reason I played this far, though at this point I feel as though I understand it enough to not continue with it. The major things that prevent me from finishing are the core gameplay (as I mentioned earlier) and the characters. The characters have stupid names. There I said it. Vanille, Snow, Lightning... Anyone of those is fine by itself but all 3 together? They act too childish. And with all their action, vibrancy of colors, their whining and shouting, I am somehow still left with a vapid taste in my mouth; not to mention how annoying some of the voices are. Most everything about this game comes off as way too contrived. Another thing that has not sat well with me since it was introduced are fight scenes, or cut-scenes in general. This is just a way of making the game more presentable and easier to consume by the masses, who by and large appreciate this and find it entertaining. I do not. I am not a huge movie/television fan to begin with so it does not appeal to me in the least. Maybe a few cut-scenes here and there are fine (like with FF7), but when it's done as much as it is in FF13 you feel as though you're playing an interactive movie, and in an essence that is really what it has become. So if you are new to Final Fantasy, I urge to to take a look at the older ones (or older Squaresoft games like Chrono Trigger or Secret of Mana), and try to have some patience and imagination and I am sure you will find a much more rewarding experience.… Expand

Tridus

May 20, 2011

4

This game got high praise because of its name, and because it's got very shiny graphics. As a game, it fails. Player involvement is minimal, and uninteresting when it does actually need you. There's no exploration at all, and for most of the game not even a need to go any direction other then forward. As a corridor simulation it's great, though.

nmaxw63

Jan 14, 2011

4

What a waste of money. Only a FF fanboy could like this drivel.
Amazing graphics. Silly story. Mindless combat (kept waiting 4 combat 2 get interesting). Annoying cliched characters. Good voice acting.
Worst rpg in long time. Dragon Age is way better. Hell, Eternal Sonata is better (combat has element of strategy).

MOGEnrique

Apr 10, 2011

4

Final Fantasy XIII is probably one of the biggest disappointments of the 7th generation of gaming. Role-playing elements are inexistent, combat mechanics are anything but innovative, you need very little strategy and tougher enemies are beaten with the same formula you use with weaker ones. Its level design is simplistic and uninspiring. The story is cliche and boring, so as theFinal Fantasy XIII is probably one of the biggest disappointments of the 7th generation of gaming. Role-playing elements are inexistent, combat mechanics are anything but innovative, you need very little strategy and tougher enemies are beaten with the same formula you use with weaker ones. Its level design is simplistic and uninspiring. The story is cliche and boring, so as the characters. Everything is told with cutscenes making the player feel that there's a wall between him/her and the game world. In-game visuals are average at best and the soundtrack is forgettable. Square Enix's only purpose to make Final Fantasy XIII was to tell a story but forgot it was supposed to be a game.… Expand

GooGooguru

May 18, 2011

4

Having Played Several FF games over the years i was deeply disappointed in this title, Bland uninteresting Story, Forgettable uninteresting characters, Unengaging Combat that practically plays the game for you.. color me unsatisfied

Le_Shorte

Mar 3, 2013

4

I can't stand to play more, and I've gotten about 6 and a half hours in. I don't need to explain my rating, as every other review giving this a mediocre rating contains exactly what I would say.

Cell1e

Apr 1, 2013

4

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was exceedingly disappointed with this game, I thought the Final Fantasy games were supposed to be wonderful experiences. This sure wasnt.
Initially I enjoyed the pretty graphics but pretty soon into the game I started to get annoyed with the linear corridors and wave after wave of awful same monsters. The character teams keep switching but the monsters and gameplay sure didnt. Only one way to level and it was to fight thousands of pointless and exceedingly boring monsters. No other form of leveling. The system for improving weapons was complicated and risky and really unrewarding too. The only shops were machines, no other npcs or interactions, I can't understand how this game could call itself an rpg.
I got really tired of Vanilles squeals and noises during gameplay and her awful accent. Snow was an ass, Hope a misery and the only characters I could enjoy using were Sazh, Fang and Lightening (even tho for most of game she was a leaving the kids to fend for themselves)
There was no difficulty setting in the game and some of those boss fights got really hard, for a first playthrough I found things getting really stressful as I tried to work out where I had gone wrong in my levelling and weapon development. Looking online I read you have to grind, grind, grind.... (Grinding should never leave mmos, never heard of any good single players with grind, should be able to level with gameplay quests and crafting) Money really hard to get, again the answer to that problem? More grind!
So to sum up this isnt a game, its an exercise in futility with excessive and painful grinding, a poor story and poor character development enabling little or no emphathy for the existing characters. Totally NOT worth the money and I would not recommend anyone to buy this.… Expand

Ignatius_Reilly

Jun 29, 2011

4

Final Fantasy is dead. This game is proof. It's a boring slog through one long corridor with little to no attention from the player. Everything is dumbed down to the point where an 8 year old could beat it with both hands tied behind their back. The storyline is needlessly complicated and just non sensical and all of the characters are insufferable. The creative well at Square Enix hasFinal Fantasy is dead. This game is proof. It's a boring slog through one long corridor with little to no attention from the player. Everything is dumbed down to the point where an 8 year old could beat it with both hands tied behind their back. The storyline is needlessly complicated and just non sensical and all of the characters are insufferable. The creative well at Square Enix has been dry for a long time and this game shows it. Long gone is Sakaguchi and all that is left is a bunch of amateurs drowning in a kiddie pool. This series has become a joke.… Expand

DrBrogbo

May 11, 2012

4

This is not what Final Fantasy is supposed to be. If anything, this is Final Fantasy for Dummies. There is no exploration, no leveling up, and no incentive to keep playing. The story is boring, the gameplay is UTTERLY linear, and the characters are annoying. Not only that, but it is way WAY too easy at first, then takes a drastic jump in difficulty. As for the individual characters, HopeThis is not what Final Fantasy is supposed to be. If anything, this is Final Fantasy for Dummies. There is no exploration, no leveling up, and no incentive to keep playing. The story is boring, the gameplay is UTTERLY linear, and the characters are annoying. Not only that, but it is way WAY too easy at first, then takes a drastic jump in difficulty. As for the individual characters, Hope is so annoyingly whiny he should be named Shinji, Vanille sounds like she's making sex noises all the time, Snow says stupid idiotic one-liners like "Heroes don't quit!" ALL THE TIME, Lightning goes through mood swings you wouldn't believe, and Sazh... well, I liked Sazh. He was funny, and the only character that didn't actively annoy me. I could forgive this game its shortcomings if the battle system actually required much input, OR if you could actually explore the beautiful environments, OR if it were more focused on gameplay and less cutscenes, OR if it were actually fun. Honestly this game came across as nothing more than Squenix trying to make a movie but failing, and then deciding to turn it into a game. If this is the big fantastic HD Final Fantasy game people have been clamoring for for years, then give me PS1 graphics back. Maybe then, a little more effort could be put into the gameplay. A mark of a good game is one that I can't wait to play again. THIS game, however, I can't wait for Gamefly to receive so they can send me my next game. Now excuse me while I go play a real RPG, like Xenoblade.… Expand

JawnMan

Feb 8, 2012

4

Final Fantasy XIII is the worst Final Fantasys I have played. I started out with IV and each Final Fantasy follows certain JRPG conventions that have stuck throughout not only the series but also other games because they work. Final Fantasy XIII ditches these conventions to create a more mainstream experience. This makes for an extremely dumbed down game with none of the excitement fromFinal Fantasy XIII is the worst Final Fantasys I have played. I started out with IV and each Final Fantasy follows certain JRPG conventions that have stuck throughout not only the series but also other games because they work. Final Fantasy XIII ditches these conventions to create a more mainstream experience. This makes for an extremely dumbed down game with none of the excitement from past titles and a whole lot of boredom. The list of why this game is bad is so long that it makes me angry just thinking about it. The plot is boring. The characters are uninteresting and the only thing theyâ… Expand

Kowachi

Aug 13, 2012

4

Final Fantasy XIII is awful.

I consider myself a FF fan, but I am not a hardcore fan. I

KezarHighwind

Feb 7, 2013

4

Final Fantasy XIII is a mess. That simple. It has not only changed the face of the series, but has also damaged the image of the JRPG to the world. With an amazing concept of the floating world above Gran Pulse, where the people have been enslaved by god-like beings called the fal'cie, amazing a beautiful art, as well as memorable and majestic music, the game itself was only destined toFinal Fantasy XIII is a mess. That simple. It has not only changed the face of the series, but has also damaged the image of the JRPG to the world. With an amazing concept of the floating world above Gran Pulse, where the people have been enslaved by god-like beings called the fal'cie, amazing a beautiful art, as well as memorable and majestic music, the game itself was only destined to fail. Then, what happened? Aren't these things enough to make a good game? No, they aren't. Final Fantasy XIII is one of the most awful and annoying RPG's I've played. Indeed, the game can only be compared to a cheap iOS game in modern days. The story is so boring and confusing, that people can't even get what are Lightning and friends talking about. Not to mention the gameplay, which, again, was a good concept terribly executed. These new Final Fantasy titles are sinning of having extreme complexity, which it is supposed to be good, but this case is not. The gameplay is boring, frustrating and hard for both, simple gamers and hardcore RPG gamers, like me. The great factor that joined all these together, is the linearity of the game. You, are practically not playing at all, as 2/3 of the entire party is played by the AI. The linearity is described by Motomu Toriyama and Square Enix as a "story driven game", but don't cheat on me, it's like if you were playing a visual novel. I can't save much of Final Fantasy XIII, except the great wasted music, as well as the nice visuals, but this time Square Enix, that didn't save your game at all.… Expand

Bradan

Jun 26, 2013

4

I'm a bit biased because I'm a FF fanboy but I dont think it's as bad as people make it out to be, but it's still pretty bad. But before I start a review a bit of a warning: DONT TOUCH THIS GAME IF YOU PLAN ON PLAYING IT ON XBOX. It takes the tiny bit of enjoyability out of the game. The reason? It's not in HD. The box claims it is but thats a lie. Here's a link to an explanation:I'm a bit biased because I'm a FF fanboy but I dont think it's as bad as people make it out to be, but it's still pretty bad. But before I start a review a bit of a warning: DONT TOUCH THIS GAME IF YOU PLAN ON PLAYING IT ON XBOX. It takes the tiny bit of enjoyability out of the game. The reason? It's not in HD. The box claims it is but thats a lie. Here's a link to an explanation: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-final-fantasy-xiii-face-off

The ps3 version easily contains the greatest cutscene graphics I've ever seen in a video game. As for everything else....its pretty bad. I enjoyed the story and managed to suck up the awful battle system to continue with the story but it really is the only redeeming quality other than the cutscenes. But therein lies the problem, you must first suffer through the battle system to experience the story. Actually, calling it a battle system is unfair. It's not a battle system it's an interactive cutscene where you just mash the X button. Square added an "auto battle" button which essentially ruins the point of playing a video game. You're not really playing the game, the game is playing itself.… Expand

darkprophet

Nov 26, 2013

4

tldr XIII's concept of a beautiful gem that just happened to be covered in a steaming pile of fecal matter by whoever "assisted" with its development that almost completely obscures the excellent core idea. It is not a game because there is no actual fun involved in playing it or watching the non-plot character interactions.

Attention to the story in its current form is onlytldr XIII's concept of a beautiful gem that just happened to be covered in a steaming pile of fecal matter by whoever "assisted" with its development that almost completely obscures the excellent core idea. It is not a game because there is no actual fun involved in playing it or watching the non-plot character interactions.

Attention to the story in its current form is only recommended in extremely small doses with copious amounts of drugs and/or alcohol, otherwise a loss of faith in humanity and a urge to destroy Japan may occur. The only cure to this is to play FFXIII-2 which will remediate all of these urges except for the realization that it is what XIII SHOULD and COULD have been.

Extended Cut Review
This game makes me seethe and writhe in frustration because of all the wasted and lost potential. Where to begin?

Frustrating, arbitrary and grueling battle system.
The "easiest" enemies later in the game take 10-15 minutes each simply due to the vast amount of hp and their damage output. If you don't use autobattle and make it basically a interactive movie with minor control, then combat in this game will be beyond frustrating and irritating. My girlfriend and I are both veterans of the final fantasy series which is to say, since the original game, and into chapter 11 we reached a point where there was literally no reason for bashing our heads against the mechanical system despite a deep desire for both of us to get to the end of all the plot threads dangled. Don't get me started on Eidolon battles and certain bosses if you did not build exactly the way the devs wanted you to, hope you like hearing Vanille and everyone's death cries.

Plot, coherence, and narrative or lack thereof
There is a intruiging plot backbone in the background which is never fully explored or explained except for a fully formed codex at the start of the game which is interesting but completely detached from the narrative of the game. The character interactions in plot scenes are top notch and compelling, as characters should be, but in the rest of the game they are reduced to mere stereotypical archetypes with completely nonsense exchanges, "observations" and no true character development.

Nothing is explained about why the events that occur occur, even when many examples clearly contradict the game's existing lore and established narrative. Why do the characters get sent where they do and then come back? Never explained, ever. The only explanation to many things that contradict everything else is "power of friendship", which is unacceptable without some further establishment or explanation.

Pacing
The main criticism of the game from the community has been its pacing. The 30 hour tutorial is not a exaggeration and it is just as frustrating as it sounds, given you only truly "start" the full open proper game in the last 3 or 4 chapters of chapter 13. Compounded with the resounding question of "why are we here?" that is never truly answered, giving any thought to the game will give you aneurisms.

Music and Sound
The basic battle theme made me want to gouge out my ears. There were a couple of themes that were great, like Snow's, but some of them were completely discontinious like Sazh's. The repetitive battle effects and character combat lines were made worse by the ridiculious length of the battles.Overall, I preferred to listen to something else.

I do not understand why this game is rated inferior to Final Fantasy XIII-2, which is superior to it every way. There was clearly a great conceptual idea that was handed off to a team of incompetent monkeys for implementation of certain core parts who butchered them completely. There were at least two main character writing teams, one for plot events (the great one) and one for side conversations the trash one), which held no standard continuity between the two. Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a vast improvement upon the two, with a streamlined battle system that SHOULD have been, a unified narrative, characterization, and a incredible soundtrack.… Expand

vank

Feb 21, 2014

4

This game was an unfortunate attempt to pander to the LCD of gamers. I have (a slipping) faith in Square Enix, and like to see merit in most anything they produce. Still as a longstanding fan of the Final Fantasy series, and after waiting for years for something to come out after FFXII, this came, at the very least, as a disappointment to me. To me, what makes an RPG good: round, humanThis game was an unfortunate attempt to pander to the LCD of gamers. I have (a slipping) faith in Square Enix, and like to see merit in most anything they produce. Still as a longstanding fan of the Final Fantasy series, and after waiting for years for something to come out after FFXII, this came, at the very least, as a disappointment to me. To me, what makes an RPG good: round, human characters that are able to be identified with; an intricate story that is mysterious (not confusing!); the ability to customize characters; a sort of real-world verisimilitude (shops, inns, money); a requirement for a player to carefully consider his game-play actions that is challenging yet manageable; and an extensive world that allows for exploring and revisitation. FFXIII had very little of these qualities. The story was hardly engaging for me (I didn't give a damn about the l'Cie and that... and I still don't know what Orphan is all about?); the characters were distant and a player doesn't really get to see enough of them to begin to identify with them (Yeah, Lightning, you're an icy wench, we get it); and the biggest irritation was the game play, specifically the battles, which is supposed to be the part where the gamer has most control and actually "plays" was simply a holding down of a singular button to continually select "auto-battle." It wasn't fun, and will probably only be remembered to me as the worst FF game I've ever played.… Expand

bigboss1964

Nov 21, 2015

4

Final Fantasy XIII

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

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

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

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

Notes:The FF-XIII is just an eye candy nothing more nothing less if you are a huge Final Fantasy Fan buy it at a big price drop like 70 or 80 % to everyone else rent it if you want play it .This game is just below average.… Expand

chris_1_s

Sep 19, 2014

4

I can honestly say this is the worst Final Fantasy game I've ever played.
- The story was completely broken and made little sense.
- I personally found the characters to be dull, uninspired and had very little back story.
- Pacing in the game wasn't very good.
- You had to go searching the datalogs for any kind of exposition.
- Visuals were nice though.

Noin007

Jan 4, 2015

4

The CGI was absolutely amazing.
The musical score was straight up beautiful.
There's nothing else good I have to say about Final Fantasy XIII. The characters' personalities are bland as can be. The character designs are bland and yet completely over-produced at the same time that just scream that they're trying so hard to look like they're not trying too hard. The story is told quiteThe CGI was absolutely amazing.
The musical score was straight up beautiful.
There's nothing else good I have to say about Final Fantasy XIII.
The characters' personalities are bland as can be.
The character designs are bland and yet completely over-produced at the same time that just scream that they're trying so hard to look like they're not trying too hard.
The story is told quite possibly worse than any I've ever seen in a video game, and the story itself isn't even good. Basic story telling elements are completely left out and you're given an in-menu encyclopedia to read if you want to know what things are.
I recommend this game to only the hardest of hardcore fans.… Expand

Aelvir

Aug 19, 2015

4

It is straight-on insulting to be considered an RPG. The battle system is nothing more than a dummed-down pseudo real-time battle system. In the sense that its just turnbased while they move around on their own. And the worst of all is they restrict you to only one person to control. You can only control the party leader but guess what? You can choose who the party leader is. ..near theIt is straight-on insulting to be considered an RPG. The battle system is nothing more than a dummed-down pseudo real-time battle system. In the sense that its just turnbased while they move around on their own. And the worst of all is they restrict you to only one person to control. You can only control the party leader but guess what? You can choose who the party leader is. ..near the end of the game. Whoop-de-freakin' do. And Masashi Hamauzu does god-awful music in this. Blinded By Light is the only thing remotely close to decent song in the game. We couldn't have Takeharu Ishimoto do the music again? No, no, we had to put this random guy no one knows of. The game layout is nothing more than a straight hallway. It's even more insulting that SQUARE thought this would sell and not Saga 3 DS, saying Saga 3 wouldn't sell very well That's a pure insult .Play FFXII or Saga 3. They are far better.… Expand

Necroatoan

Jul 10, 2017

4

The linear level design, and boring combat made this game very hard to play. The characters were unique, but none of the resonated with me. The graphics were amazing, but that loses its effect once you realize that the environment cannot be explored. This was the only Final Fantasy I ever struggled to finish. Even the Final Fantasy MMO's had better story lines.

egoBorder

Aug 9, 2021

4

Certainly the worst in the series. This game has a ton of problems (alongside some genuinely great ideas) but the most urgent one is the story and writing. The entire game feels like it was written by a teenager trying to impress an infant. But not only are the themes uninteresting, the dialogue is rotten too. It makes it hard to latch onto any of the characters, so you're just stuckCertainly the worst in the series. This game has a ton of problems (alongside some genuinely great ideas) but the most urgent one is the story and writing. The entire game feels like it was written by a teenager trying to impress an infant. But not only are the themes uninteresting, the dialogue is rotten too. It makes it hard to latch onto any of the characters, so you're just stuck with people you don't like on an adventure you won't enjoy. Gameplay? Well, the game id the very definition of the word "linear." Most progression is locked behind the story, so it is literally impossible to understand the mechanics fully until near the end of the game. Like, the last 5% of the game so I hope you're patient. And the game world appears interesting but you only experience it in long corridors, making it impossible to connect to it as a location. Bizarre choices like this make FF13 a charmless experience, save for a few quality aspects like the soundtrack. None but the most curious need apply.… Expand

ZXSth

Feb 4, 2023

4

To see such a legendary franchise create such a pretty-looking yet abysmal game was shocking. I recall playing this game for about 30 minutes before recognizing my own immense boredom and frustration. This was one of the first games I played that I would have truly considered to be "bad," and was taken aback by my own boredom.

If you have enjoyed other Final Fantasy games, you mightTo see such a legendary franchise create such a pretty-looking yet abysmal game was shocking. I recall playing this game for about 30 minutes before recognizing my own immense boredom and frustration. This was one of the first games I played that I would have truly considered to be "bad," and was taken aback by my own boredom.

If you have enjoyed other Final Fantasy games, you might find this marginally tolerable. Otherwise, do yourself a favour and give it a pass.… Expand

DarkwingSchmuck

Mar 3, 2022

4

The worst single-player game in the mainline Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XIII is a misfire in nearly every way. From its immense lack of self-awareness, to its bland cast and sterilized story, Final Fantasy XIII feels like it was manufactured by machines into a heavily focus tested, cynical corporate product. The one area with any sort of promise is its battle system, which isThe worst single-player game in the mainline Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XIII is a misfire in nearly every way. From its immense lack of self-awareness, to its bland cast and sterilized story, Final Fantasy XIII feels like it was manufactured by machines into a heavily focus tested, cynical corporate product. The one area with any sort of promise is its battle system, which is completely ruined as the system's are drip fed to you through 20-hours worth of tutorials. Final Fantasy XIII is a bore.… Expand

MrZ

Mar 25, 2010

3

Attention gamers! Want to win your battles by outmatching and outwitting your enemies? No need! Just select 'Libra', mash 'auto-battle' and watch the pretty colours fly. Want any sort of say in the powers of your characters? Forget it! Hold down X and the thinking is done for you. Want hours of entertainment exploring a fantastical, otherworldly universe? Ever Attention gamers! Want to win your battles by outmatching and outwitting your enemies? No need! Just select 'Libra', mash 'auto-battle' and watch the pretty colours fly. Want any sort of say in the powers of your characters? Forget it! Hold down X and the thinking is done for you. Want hours of entertainment exploring a fantastical, otherworldly universe? Ever considered holding the left joystick in the 'up' position for hours on end instead? If you fancy doing nothing for ages and paying a few hours of wages for the privelege, then FFXIII is you. By a bored and previously avid FF fan. Apparently it gets better around the 25 hour mark. Usually the reward for 25 hours of play is something other than relief of boredom. As someone who got into gaming mainly because of FFVIII, I am in disbelief. Looks nice, though. Then again, so do flowers and fairies and lots of other boring crap.… Expand

15 of 28 users found this helpful

JohnJ

Mar 12, 2010

3

FF 13 does a great job of playing itself. The developers leave absolutely no room for the gamer to take ownership of the beautiful world they created. Graphics are the only positive. Story is average. Gameplay is absolutely terrible. As a long-time FF fan, I do not expect it to possess the open ended Fallout 3 or Mass Effect style. But the groupthink developers completely dropped the ball FF 13 does a great job of playing itself. The developers leave absolutely no room for the gamer to take ownership of the beautiful world they created. Graphics are the only positive. Story is average. Gameplay is absolutely terrible. As a long-time FF fan, I do not expect it to possess the open ended Fallout 3 or Mass Effect style. But the groupthink developers completely dropped the ball this time around. They must have been supremely confident in their vision of the game, because they leave no room for anyone else to jump into the fun.… Expand

7 of 11 users found this helpful

MattiasP

Mar 14, 2010

3

I really, really wanted to like this game. But after 13 hours of play I finally gave up and threw away my controller in disgust. FFXIII is the worst title in the series and possibly the worst game I've played in ages, and that's saying something considering I've played most of the previous Final Fantasy titles and enjoyed them immensely . No amount of pretty graphics can I really, really wanted to like this game. But after 13 hours of play I finally gave up and threw away my controller in disgust. FFXIII is the worst title in the series and possibly the worst game I've played in ages, and that's saying something considering I've played most of the previous Final Fantasy titles and enjoyed them immensely . No amount of pretty graphics can hide the fact that FFXIII is a tedious, shallow and linear game that flounders in its own horrible game design. While the Final Fantasy games have always been linear by nature, FFXIII takes this to an entire new level. 90% of the time you just run along a single corridor or path, moving from point A to B, fighting monsters along the way. At point B either fight a boss or see a cutscene/cinematic. If that wasn't bad enough the new combat system is downright horrible. While there are a new interesting ideas (such as Paradigms and Staggering), they are sadly so badly implemented that the final thing makes you want to cry. For the majority of the fights you'll only use two or three of the available Paradigm roles, making the majority of them extremely underused. In addition, the game automatically controls your companions and most attacks can be automated through auto-chaining. The game does such a good job at this that for the most time you can win simply pressing the X button at all times. The combat ends up as a tedious, dumbed down affair that feels more like some kind of Tekken game. Heck, even your summons (Eidelons) are controlled by different controller combinations, like special moves. I get the feeling that Square Enix wanted to create a more action paced system suited for a new generation of idiot gamers used to 1st person shooters. Tactics and brains are not required. If that wasn't bad enough, the story moves at a snails pace. Even after 13 hours nothing of interest has happened except for some boring flashbacks. No interesting plot twists, villains or events. It's more fun to watch paint dry. The characters are also for the most pretty uninspiring. Lightning feels like a female copy of Cloud or Squall from the previous titles. Vanille is so damn annoying that I wanted to bash her brains in and toss her cold, dead body from a cliff. Suffering hours of her silly giggling and overly cutesy voice made me grind my teeth. The only character I did like was Sazh, perhaps because he doesn't come across as so convoluted. However, the major problem with FFXIII is not what's there. It's what's missing. Square threw away everything that makes a good roleplaying game. In fact, I can't even call FFXIII a roleplaying game. It's more like a cinematic fighting game, and a bad one at that. There are no towns to explore. No buildings to poke around in. No silly or interesting NPCs to talk to. No mini-games. No really well-hidden secrets. Nothing. The game feels shallow, empty, void. So barren and desolate that the pretty graphics are more like window dressing rather than something that could immerse you into an interesting world. Since I can't really interact with the world in any real sense it ultimately also means that I don't care for it. What made the previous titles so engaging compared to FFXIII is that they immersed you into the world, the protagonists and the plot in such a grand way that you felt part of it. FFXIII makes me feel disengaged from the world of Cocoon, like I'm some kind of voyeur. The world is abstracted into tiny details that end up being explained in the games Datalog. FFXIII may look pretty, sound great and it will dazzle you with its cinematics. But in the end it's like eating cotton candy. All sugar, but no filling.… Expand

8 of 13 users found this helpful

IsaacS

Mar 14, 2010

3

Bad points: Chaotic combat system halfway between action and turns, totally linear, absolutely no sidequests except some "hunting" missions, no relevant NPCs, no cities, no exploration, cliched characters, hours and hours of cutscenes. Good points: Good graphics, sorta good story. This is not my Final Fantasy, this game is just the peak of current generation problems: Nice graphics, bad Bad points: Chaotic combat system halfway between action and turns, totally linear, absolutely no sidequests except some "hunting" missions, no relevant NPCs, no cities, no exploration, cliched characters, hours and hours of cutscenes. Good points: Good graphics, sorta good story. This is not my Final Fantasy, this game is just the peak of current generation problems: Nice graphics, bad everithing else. Totally not recommended unless you like 60 hour movies.… Expand

9 of 15 users found this helpful

JimmyC

Mar 15, 2010

3

Most of the reviewers have already narrowed it down but I needed to vent my frustrations for the game to more than just my wife who could care less about my video games so here it goes. The exploration is a joke. You run down corridors fighting packs of monsters trying to get in a pre-emptive strike over and over again. Battles consist of figuring out the right tactic for the right Most of the reviewers have already narrowed it down but I needed to vent my frustrations for the game to more than just my wife who could care less about my video games so here it goes. The exploration is a joke. You run down corridors fighting packs of monsters trying to get in a pre-emptive strike over and over again. Battles consist of figuring out the right tactic for the right monster and switching up your healer when your health is low. Eidolons are outrageously hideous but they are fun to use and fight with. The characters in the game are so insanely over-the-top anime cliche that I couldn't play the game after Vanille joined my party. I only played a few hours but I have never been so disappointed in my life at a video game besides possibly Fable 2. Anyway, trading it in today on God of War 3. The whole game was awful.… Expand

7 of 11 users found this helpful

SeanG

Mar 16, 2010

3

The accessory & weapon upgrade system in this game is completely broken and they did a terrible job implementing it. Thats the main reason I stopped playing. Because at chapter 11, I was stuck. I had put experience in accessories that were quickly trumped by better random drops. No refund for experience spent. And my weapon, I upgraded it to the second level, but then found much better The accessory & weapon upgrade system in this game is completely broken and they did a terrible job implementing it. Thats the main reason I stopped playing. Because at chapter 11, I was stuck. I had put experience in accessories that were quickly trumped by better random drops. No refund for experience spent. And my weapon, I upgraded it to the second level, but then found much better weapons later I wish I could've upgraded instead, but with the vast lack of upgrade materials and lack of incoming GIL, you get terribly stuck. Plus, I found out there are ways to combine accessories to make better ones, but I found that out online in a forum, not in the game , so there I am retrying Bahamut and Carbuncle 7x each , when I could've upgraded my weapons and gear earlier in the game had they properly informed me. For all the hand holding early in the game, the complete silence on upgrading is a slap in the face. And furthermore the catalyst upgrade system is horrible. Why cap it? Why prevent me from moving on? If you just kept the CP tiered up, the rewards are diminishing for the amt of CP you are getting in the earlier chapters. Overall, I give the game a 5 for the graphics and battle system, but a 1 for the horrible story, horrible characters, horrible upgrade system and linear "on rails" progression system.… Expand

9 of 14 users found this helpful

RyanK

Mar 16, 2010

3

One of the worst RPGs I've ever played. Boring, poorly written, and terribly paced. The only grace is pretty graphics, but if you want pretty graphics only, then look out your window for free! The gaming press is easily fooled into thinking that nice graphics mean a quality game. As usual only Wired, Edge and Destructoid look at a game through an adults critical perspective. The One of the worst RPGs I've ever played. Boring, poorly written, and terribly paced. The only grace is pretty graphics, but if you want pretty graphics only, then look out your window for free! The gaming press is easily fooled into thinking that nice graphics mean a quality game. As usual only Wired, Edge and Destructoid look at a game through an adults critical perspective. The others may as well have been written by children dazzled by colorful lights.… Expand

10 of 16 users found this helpful

HerrS

Mar 17, 2010

3

Just a turd dressed in a very expensive and fancy dress, visually stunning, FMV's are mind blowing, but thats about it. No character development, or too much(Whine whine its hopeless). Characters are based of Anime sterotypes (The annoying 'I cant be bothered to watch this' kind.), No proper towns or sidequests till late in the game is a glaring oversight for any RPG that Just a turd dressed in a very expensive and fancy dress, visually stunning, FMV's are mind blowing, but thats about it. No character development, or too much(Whine whine its hopeless). Characters are based of Anime sterotypes (The annoying 'I cant be bothered to watch this' kind.), No proper towns or sidequests till late in the game is a glaring oversight for any RPG that wants to actually invite the player in and encompass them into the game world. They should of just re-made FF7 to be brutally honest.… Expand

7 of 11 users found this helpful

MarcusB.

Apr 16, 2010

3

Notice that in Gaming Ages's Review they gave it 100, but none of it was about the gameplay Ok the graphics were great, and the normal battle theme was awesome. That's it, that's where i my praise ends for this game. They tried their best to cover up cliche character choices. I'm gonna compare it to the Tales of Series, partly because Tales of is good and also because Notice that in Gaming Ages's Review they gave it 100, but none of it was about the gameplay Ok the graphics were great, and the normal battle theme was awesome. That's it, that's where i my praise ends for this game. They tried their best to cover up cliche character choices. I'm gonna compare it to the Tales of Series, partly because Tales of is good and also because it is nearly diametrically opposed to every FF has. In Tales of they use many character cliches that FF has, but they do interesting things with the cliches, not cover them up. Pre-emptive Strick completely broke the battle system in most cases. This game got as close to being the Real time battle system as possible without being the same. When i heard about Final Fantasy having a real time battle system i was genuinely hyped, it ment i could start enjoying those graphics as i "controlled" the character instead of just issuing orders. But it turned out it was just the ATB system with a real time element. i.e ATB but you run over to hit them... I lost all hope in this game, ATB system ment i had to wait even more to attack and why the f*ck can't i start queuing my next attacks while i'm doing my current attack. The menu also decides to wait a menacing second each time i open something to fade it in or move it over to the middle. Tales of's menus left me mastering them so much i could fully change all the skills my characters were using and completely change are strategy we used in 20 seconds. Why can't i change the abilities my teammates use, i really hated it when my npc's would use magic phys attacks with magic attacks when the enemy has phys resist... STOP FOCUSING ON GRAPHICS PLEASE. PLEASE. I BEG OF YOU.… Expand

7 of 13 users found this helpful

JoshB

Apr 26, 2010

3

Do you want to see what Final Fantasy would be if it was one of the most frustrating, boring, and underachieving games of all time. Look no further than Final Fantasy XIII. Sure the graphics are fantastic but that does not mean squat if you change everything else about the franchise that is great and make it all inferior. Thank you for ruining Final Fantasy and making me waste my money on Do you want to see what Final Fantasy would be if it was one of the most frustrating, boring, and underachieving games of all time. Look no further than Final Fantasy XIII. Sure the graphics are fantastic but that does not mean squat if you change everything else about the franchise that is great and make it all inferior. Thank you for ruining Final Fantasy and making me waste my money on what I thought was going to be a quality product. Opening up the exploration at Chapter 11 is pathetic and I am just glad I could sell this back before I waste any more time getting to that point.… Expand

7 of 13 users found this helpful

RubenG

Mar 17, 2010

3

I have been a lifelong Final Fantasy fan & had been anticipating this game for so long now. I was so excited to get it only to be met with total shock & disappointment. Everything I loved about the series was stripped away. Square Enix promised us a reboot of the series which gave me hope for a great game that more would enjoy but they went the other way. They stripped the franchise of I have been a lifelong Final Fantasy fan & had been anticipating this game for so long now. I was so excited to get it only to be met with total shock & disappointment. Everything I loved about the series was stripped away. Square Enix promised us a reboot of the series which gave me hope for a great game that more would enjoy but they went the other way. They stripped the franchise of anything that was good & left us with just pretty graphics. Sadly unlike most people including some of these "Professional" reviews....I don't care about graphics, that's not what makes a game, it is the gameplay & story, which this game is severely lacking in. This is easily one of the biggest disappointments to me the 26 years I've been gaming & also this is easily the worst Final Fantasy in the main series, perhaps in the future they should go back to the classic way the game should be, or else they will lose me as a fan forever.… Expand

6 of 9 users found this helpful

LarryD

Mar 23, 2010

3

The extreme linearity was a gamble that bet the farm on the narrative and characterizations being worthwhile enough to hold it all together. Sadly, the story is an abject failure. The first 20 hours are filled with painstaking cutscenes that attempt to humanize consciously-unlikeable archetypes, as well as occasional dropping clues to an overarching mystery. By game's end, you will The extreme linearity was a gamble that bet the farm on the narrative and characterizations being worthwhile enough to hold it all together. Sadly, the story is an abject failure. The first 20 hours are filled with painstaking cutscenes that attempt to humanize consciously-unlikeable archetypes, as well as occasional dropping clues to an overarching mystery. By game's end, you will hate the characters even more and, even worse, realize there was no mystery to speak of--the overarching conflict was just that bland, simplistic and irrelevant. The villain (insomuch as any villain could be argued to exist) has no impetus or motives to speak of. Not even lazy and cliche motives like "evil" or "nihilism"--nothing. The plot and characters compare unfavorably even with the half-hearted, pot-smoker effort of something like Bad Dudes.… Expand

7 of 10 users found this helpful

ChrisJ

Mar 28, 2010

3

Yes Square, I understand your intentions for making the game linear. I just don't understand why'd you have to make it so crappy. Graphics are great (the UI especially), music is OK (far from the best). The overall story seems good, but the characters are trite and all dumbasses. I don't care about the world because I'm not exploring it. Hitting X over and over and Yes Square, I understand your intentions for making the game linear. I just don't understand why'd you have to make it so crappy. Graphics are great (the UI especially), music is OK (far from the best). The overall story seems good, but the characters are trite and all dumbasses. I don't care about the world because I'm not exploring it. Hitting X over and over and maybe the left bumper once and a while is hardly groundbreaking. and I wouldn't mind grinding if I had other stuff in the game to do! This is a disaster of a Final Fantasy! Like another poster stated, BioWare is doing things right.… Expand

6 of 12 users found this helpful

PlutoniumTiger

Oct 23, 2010

3

You know I can understand why some people would see the Environmental linearity as a plus; it keeps the action rollicking along at a fair pace. Okay. Sure, I can accept that. But what I most certainly do not understand is how anyone could not take issue with (perhaps their Zombies?) the phased linearity of the character progression. No sane person would enjoy constantly using the same 3You know I can understand why some people would see the Environmental linearity as a plus; it keeps the action rollicking along at a fair pace. Okay. Sure, I can accept that. But what I most certainly do not understand is how anyone could not take issue with (perhaps their Zombies?) the phased linearity of the character progression. No sane person would enjoy constantly using the same 3 skills for hours.… Expand

spi280

Dec 31, 2014

3

bland characters, a crap story that requires you to read through tons of flavour text to even understand it and of course you probably already know that every level is very linear. the only positive thing this game has going for it are its great music and how the cutscenes are very well animated.

Angeredsoul

Jun 7, 2011

3

So finally picked this game up after waiting for it to drop in price after reading alot of reviews. I thought they might have been just final fantasy haters. But 6 hours in, and I am about ready to snap this disc in disgust. Annoying characters, terrible story, and so damn linear its not even funny. In fact I can't think of any point up till now where I've had to make a choice story wise.So finally picked this game up after waiting for it to drop in price after reading alot of reviews. I thought they might have been just final fantasy haters. But 6 hours in, and I am about ready to snap this disc in disgust. Annoying characters, terrible story, and so damn linear its not even funny. In fact I can't think of any point up till now where I've had to make a choice story wise. The combat isn't too bad and I like the system they have implemented, just a shame that everything else fails. Shame Square-Enix.… Expand

Caestus

Mar 4, 2013

3

Unbelievable that SE released something like this. Its just going straight running from one cutscene to another and auto battling enemies. The story is not worth to mention, characters are annoying as hell and the soundtrack is the worst, that I ever heard in a Final Fantasy game. The graphics are not that bad though.

Jho88

Jul 14, 2011

3

This is definitely my least favorite final fantasy game, and I've played them all. I had previously felt that FF12 was a real let down, and playing this made me sincerely miss 12. It was that bad. None of the characters were interesting at all, Vanille was annoying as hell to listen to, the plot was not particularly interesting, nor was it told very well, and the music was not at allThis is definitely my least favorite final fantasy game, and I've played them all. I had previously felt that FF12 was a real let down, and playing this made me sincerely miss 12. It was that bad. None of the characters were interesting at all, Vanille was annoying as hell to listen to, the plot was not particularly interesting, nor was it told very well, and the music was not at all memorable (which to me is perhaps the biggest let-down since the music of the previous games was arguably the best part). There were no towns to explore, shops to visit, NPCs to interact with, side quests to perform, or other basic RPG elements. The leveling system was really dumb: the tried to give the illusion of choice by having a pathway with branches so you could either pick like HP+200 or Str+50 for example, but each branch was only 1-2 elements long, so it's not like you could choose different ways to specialize your characters. The battle system was horrible because you really couldn't tell what was going on. Often I would upgrade a weapon or learn a new spell and try to use it in battle to see how much damage it did, but there are so many numbers flying all over the place it was really hard to tell who was doing how much damage with what. It basically devolves into mashing 'X' and switching to a more defensive paradigm if you're getting hurt too much. For all final fantasy games until this one, when the game was over I felt sad for a little while, like I wished it would continue because I missed the characters and places. When this game ended, I was glad I would never have to touch it again. I felt like I had finished a homework assignment. "That's done, now I can go do something fun." Please don't waste your money on this crap, and don't let square enix think it's okay to butcher their series like this.… Expand

dz9

Jul 22, 2011

3

Starting off my review, I must say that the reason why I give this so low of a score is not because Square made changes to FF that took the franchise in a different direction... it's because the changes they made were terrible. I understand Square has to evolve FF to a more action styled experience to accomodate to the times and to compete with bioware games... so it was no surpriseStarting off my review, I must say that the reason why I give this so low of a score is not because Square made changes to FF that took the franchise in a different direction... it's because the changes they made were terrible. I understand Square has to evolve FF to a more action styled experience to accomodate to the times and to compete with bioware games... so it was no surprise that the turn based style was more active. Although they evolved the game, they should not have completely left everything that made FF so special; guided yet open exploring, deep engaging characters, incredible story, immersive world, and strategic gameplay... And only one of those was even close to being fulfilled. The characters were all cliche's: Lightning was the tom-boy, Fang was the clone of Lightning, Hope was the vulnerable child, Snow is the jar-head, Panille is the free spirit, and Sazh is the only character who contains depth. That is honestly all they tell you about the characters, and that's also all you need to know. As for story, the story was not BAD, mainly because it wasn't even really there, the story is vague and barely engaging at all, and the pacing is awful. The only real story development is actually character development, which I have already stated that the characters are uninteresting empty shells. As for the open world? Simply put...THERE IS NONE. The world the game puts you in looks nice enough and on the exterior seems amazing but due to the lack of characters, story, and the extremely linear feel of the game... the seemingly awesome world is reduced to nothing. The gameplay is really the only place the game shows innovation. Don't get me wrong, it's far from perfect, but for Square's first "crack at it," it presents a good milestone for them to improve and perfect in later titles. The main drawback to the gameplay is the level up system, you are held back to "level up" by milestones in the story. Example: You cant excede level 1 warrior until you reach the next chapter even though you have enough crystal points. And for the game mechanic titled "Paradigm," it promotes side jobs but the level up system punishes you for venturing into side-jobs... it's extremely counter intuitive. For example: For Lightning to level up her warrior to level 1 costs 10,000..... but for Lightning to level up Sentinel to level 1, will cost 1,000,000. This by itself does not RUIN the combat , but all the minor flaws with the combat do add up. The Good: Although graphics are nothing more than scenery, the game is gorgeous and presents a lot of detail in design. And square does-in-fact show a few innovative ideas which however werent entirely capitalized on. The Bad: Simply put... Square takes away everything that FF fans and RPG fans alike would expect. If this game was any other RPG game, i would give the game a 5.5/10, because it does have a few fun moments and amazing graphics. But for the final fantasy game it was suppose to be, it's barely worth a rent at redbox… Expand

lorddavy

Aug 26, 2011

3

The worst game quality/price that i had ever played. Only graphics game. Really hard end it. In the beginning i was expected, some hours later i was deathly bored. Frustrating pay more than 100 euros for it + guide. The worst buy in my life.

ArcticZombie

Nov 18, 2011

3

Industry leading graphics, really good music (minus that disgusting fruity-pie song that was "popular" for a bit), and some really great menus and options. But why the failing score? For starters; the cast is completely forgettable. The story is predictable and poorly dialogued. And the game is very much on rails most of the time. The inventory system overall feels overly-simplified.Industry leading graphics, really good music (minus that disgusting fruity-pie song that was "popular" for a bit), and some really great menus and options. But why the failing score? For starters; the cast is completely forgettable. The story is predictable and poorly dialogued. And the game is very much on rails most of the time. The inventory system overall feels overly-simplified. Actually, the main problem here is: everything essential about this game seems too streamlined and simplified. I've been hoping since FF8 that the series would grow in complexity and challenge, and offer me an even bigger open-world to explore. But what's happened is that SE is only interested in making things "more accessible" to gamers. In this case it shows. And it shows way too much. No open-worlds to explore, just graphics, graphics, graphics. A boring, cheesy, lame-charactered snore-fest that should have never been included in the Numbered Series of FF. Not where games (especially RPGs) should be headed. It's an interactive movie with battles tacked on, with a weak character building system and world. This game broke my faith in the franchise. The final nail in the coffin for me.… Expand

nabushi

Jan 10, 2012

3

I played this game for 25 hours. I really wanted to enjoy it. Even after i had heard that it was linear, with no real overworld, I still wanted desperately to believe this was a great addition to a great series of games. Once i got to the 25 hour mark, i realized that I could not go on deceiving myself. The story of the game was fairly engaging, but to understand all of the things goingI played this game for 25 hours. I really wanted to enjoy it. Even after i had heard that it was linear, with no real overworld, I still wanted desperately to believe this was a great addition to a great series of games. Once i got to the 25 hour mark, i realized that I could not go on deceiving myself. The story of the game was fairly engaging, but to understand all of the things going on, there was an encyclopedia that was there to basically enhance your knowledge of the world that you found yourself in. As i spent more and more time reading these entries, I did not feel a connection growing with this world, rather it felt like boring reads that added nothing real to the game. When I play RPG's i tend to enjoy overleveling myself. this allows me to enjoy the story of the game without having to worry about the combat as much. When I discovered that there were caps to how powerful your characters could get at any given point in the game, it was upsetting. The combat itself was much less engaging than just about any other game i have ever played. I found myself analyzing my enemy, and selecting auto-attack over and over again, as the game would pick the best abilities to use anyway, and my input was hardly needed. this removed me further from the actual game, and made me feel more like i was watching a movie than playing a game. One of the things that really hooked me when I started the game was the graphics, but once the allure wore off, i began to realize that amazing graphics, while nice, did not make up for horrible story and gameplay. Square likes to change things up between Final Fantasies, and they definitely did that here. I will not condemn that, they did something innovative and new, even though it did not work out.… Expand

Abstractpurpose

Oct 30, 2012

3

Here is a game riding in on all the fame and glory of the final fantasy series. A legedary rpg franchise with core elements weve come to expect. Towns with npcs stores with weapons and gear not to mention the large story and history filled worlds.....all of which are absent from this entry. Only having controll of 1 character is the first of my dissapointments followed immediately by theHere is a game riding in on all the fame and glory of the final fantasy series. A legedary rpg franchise with core elements weve come to expect. Towns with npcs stores with weapons and gear not to mention the large story and history filled worlds.....all of which are absent from this entry. Only having controll of 1 character is the first of my dissapointments followed immediately by the healing after every battle factor. In past games youd stock up on phoenix downs potio.s and ether before setting out giving it the true feeling of a journy to come. This game simply heals you entirely after winning the fight which is a serious downgrade to the nature of the game. Next is the summons being transformers.... And of course the fact that the game is 1 set path with no towns or npcs. All stores are on the save cubes making it feel more like shopping at amazon than an ff game. These are just basic rpg elements to emmerse you in the world but dont exist at all here. I wonder how many people noticed that various soundtracks from every ff game ever made were absent as well. The story was ok but several enemies that looked to be interesting only showed up once removing the feeling of having that non final boss arch enemy. Another dumb down factor us paradigm shift. In previous games the class system provided you with the meens to build or use prebuilt classes so you coukd structure the most efficient team. However with paradigm shift everyone can be every class all at the flick of a button mid fight. The combat system LITTERALLY plays itself. Set everyone to ravager and stagger the enemy then switch to assult and kill them. This meens boss fights can be won without looking at the screen when rotating between the 2 with a full medic paradigm in between. Auto attack lets your character do the most effective attacks without you ever even having to think. The game has lost all the rpg elements created a combat system that requires no thought a healing system removing the need to stock items and the lack of a mana bar to pay attention too. Its the perfect final fantasy for any 2nd grader with downsyndrom… Expand

MusicxxAddicted

Sep 10, 2013

3

I only played it once, can't believe we had to wait for... how long? Oh yeah, FOUR YEARS to hear about a decent new FF game! This game makes me wonder why Squeenix made this the main title instead of Versus aka FFXV. This piece of sad gaming history is flung into the darkest corner of gaming history and will only be remembered for showing game designers how NOT to make games. As a cherryI only played it once, can't believe we had to wait for... how long? Oh yeah, FOUR YEARS to hear about a decent new FF game! This game makes me wonder why Squeenix made this the main title instead of Versus aka FFXV. This piece of sad gaming history is flung into the darkest corner of gaming history and will only be remembered for showing game designers how NOT to make games. As a cherry on top of this rotten pie *whispers* I was happy it was finally over.… Expand

MisterNoodles

May 17, 2013

3

I have played only a few Final Fantasy games. So ya this was terrible compared to the one other Final Fantasy game. The gameplay was crappy and you felt like the game was almost playing itself. The only real positive to this game was the story. It was the ONLY thing keeping me going. It would have gotten a ZERO if it wasn't for that story. Now in opinion the best part of the game is theI have played only a few Final Fantasy games. So ya this was terrible compared to the one other Final Fantasy game. The gameplay was crappy and you felt like the game was almost playing itself. The only real positive to this game was the story. It was the ONLY thing keeping me going. It would have gotten a ZERO if it wasn't for that story. Now in opinion the best part of the game is the story, but this story could not carry the game...… Expand

Yukari

May 3, 2013

3

This is game is just aw full! Yes it has amazing graphics but the rest is just wrong. The story is so bad and beside the characters are very well design their personality is just aw full and annoying. The game play is linear and the battle system it looks like it has been butcher. It makes me so sad to talk bad about a Final Fantasy game but it's one is just.....god aw full!!

CptThreepwood

Feb 27, 2014

3

As a long time FF fan I was really looking forward to this game when it was first released. FF XII was a huge disappointment so I was expecting that this game would definitely be an improvement. Sadly, I was wrong. I could not adjust to any of the characters at all. I played this game for 40 hours, didn't finish it and the only character I started to like after several hours was Lightning,As a long time FF fan I was really looking forward to this game when it was first released. FF XII was a huge disappointment so I was expecting that this game would definitely be an improvement. Sadly, I was wrong. I could not adjust to any of the characters at all. I played this game for 40 hours, didn't finish it and the only character I started to like after several hours was Lightning, once she stopped acting like a total b*tch. One character is total pointless to the story, and the other characters just don't make sense. Years later I found out that if I had kept playing, there would have been a turn in the story and all the characters (except for the earlier mentioned one) would have made sense. but I never reached that point. Maybe I got spoiled by FF VII, IX and X which I played when I was quite younger, but FF XIII was easily the worst I have played. Anyways, I can recommend to give FF XIII-2 and Lightning Returns a shot! You don't really need to finish the first game to get the main plot because unsurprisingly they manage to summarize the whole story of FF XIII in a few sentences during the beginning of second game.… Expand

kmj856

Oct 5, 2013

3

This is not a good FF game. The first 40 hours are spent running in a complete straight line, reading mountainous piles of extra text to try to figure out what's going on and who all these people and different factions and organizations are. The game won't open up for you until you've run in a straight line for 30-40 hours.

MarcinOS

Dec 27, 2013

3

The worst part of the Final Fantasy series ever. The game is just boring. I'm a big fan of the Final Fantasy series, but I'm completely disappointed. Music is weak, what surprising, since each part of the FF can boast a fine soundtrack. Gameplay worse. Just constantly press the X button and directional buttons. The game is very linear. Characters are boring too, without expression No mapThe worst part of the Final Fantasy series ever. The game is just boring. I'm a big fan of the Final Fantasy series, but I'm completely disappointed. Music is weak, what surprising, since each part of the FF can boast a fine soundtrack. Gameplay worse. Just constantly press the X button and directional buttons. The game is very linear. Characters are boring too, without expression No map of the world is a huge minus. The only plus is the graphics and cut scenes, but the locations are boring for me. The title has sold so well probably only because we all flew to the magic of the series. I also I regret.… Expand

dmasz91

Jan 23, 2017

3

There are so many more negative things than positive about this game. I've been a long time FF fan and I lost interest in the game within the first day of playing it. It's so linear, and the story plot is so boring and doesn't make any sense at all, making it just horrendous compared to the previous FF games in the past. The only thing that makes it bearable is the flashy graphics, butThere are so many more negative things than positive about this game. I've been a long time FF fan and I lost interest in the game within the first day of playing it. It's so linear, and the story plot is so boring and doesn't make any sense at all, making it just horrendous compared to the previous FF games in the past. The only thing that makes it bearable is the flashy graphics, but still there are way too many long cut-scenes. The characters don't seem to have a goal that makes sense. I kept asking myself, 'what is their goal'? It's cool to get to summon eidolons, but there was no real tutorial on how to use their moves in gesalt mode with regards to the arrow pointer. the crystarium thing is also very linear. You're not truly getting control over their special abilities because by the time you can level up their abilities, you've pretty much filled out all the slots anyway. Another big negative factor is that there's no more free-roaming like an RPG, no world map to travel and explore. There aren't even good treasure finds along the path. It's just as bland as it gets, maybe made for an even younger audience to play. The only thing that was positive about the game is that you can see your enemies in the path rather than having invisible enemies pop up every so often, which was always annoying, but it's such a disappointment and not worth buying. I don't know if they've improved the FF games since this one, but i would definitely recommend skipping over this game. I agree with what other negative reviews are saying, it was annoying to not be able to level yourself up more if you have trouble beating a boss.… Expand

Signas501

Mar 22, 2015

3

Final fantasy XIII introduces the newcomer lightning, as she and several other characters attempt to raid the city of cocoon. After destroying the cities core, (and several flashbacks and future insights) you are able to freely roam the world, meeting new members to the group along the way.

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