Final Fantasy XIII

 Xbox 360
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 54 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 54
  3. Negative: 2 out of 54
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. The A.V. Club
    42
    A game whose concept of player agency is so dull that you can conquer large portions by mashing one button. You don’t play FF13; you’re grudgingly invited to participate in it.
  2. NTSC-uk
    40
    With Final Fantasy XII being such a revolution to the series, creating the series’ best battle system in the process, Final Fantasy XIII feels like a massive backwards step.

Awards & Rankings

45
#45 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2010
12
#12 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2010
22
#22 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2010

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 692 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 312 out of 692
  2. Mixed: 174 out of 692
  3. Negative: 206 out of 692
  1. 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, orGamepro 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.… Full Review »
  2. moonman1994
    Jul 15, 2012
    4
    Final Fantasy XIII is a pretty game but it lacks all the elements that make a Final Fantasy game good. The characters are boring, unmemorableFinal Fantasy XIII is a pretty game but it lacks all the elements that make a Final Fantasy game good. The characters are boring, unmemorable and at some points even annoying. Lightning is a perfect female replica of Cloud if you take away all of the details that make Cloud interesting. The game is extremely linear and even when you reach Pulse. The battle system is extremely annoying because your party tends to randomly wander around the field and that causes problems during many boss battles when a boss is able to do damage over a specific piece of area. Leveling up is also annoying in the game because you have to use the crystal system. It's not the worst game I've ever played but it's nowhere near the excellence of the games 7 to 10 of the Final Fantasy series.… Full Review »
  3. muzziklover
    Dec 23, 2011
    1
    New update review: I decided to give 13 another shot since my previous criticism was slightly biased. After 8-10 hours of gameplay, it isNew update review: I decided to give 13 another shot since my previous criticism was slightly biased. After 8-10 hours of gameplay, it is still a piece of absolute crap. I'll get the good parts out.:Graphics are astonishingly beautiful, the combat system is quite decent and the soundtrack is awesome. Now to the bad parts: Unbearable and annoying characters, poorly written story, disengaging gameplay and limited freedom because of linearity. Let me quote the comment of FF13's director on its criticisms on linearity: "It becomes very difficult to tell a compelling story when you're given that much freedom". NO, NO, NO, NO!!! The story in this game is as compelling as watching a clock and waiting for the minute hand to move! Hell, watching a clock is more compelling than the story of this game. If the story was good, then the linearity wouldn't be a problem but it is because the story sucks!!! Have they not learnt from previous FF games that players enjoy exploring the mythology and landscape that they made while at the same time still engaged at the story? The previous games managed to tell a good story without sacrificing freedom. What the hell happened? From the first time I played the game, I instantly hated most of the characters in this game. There are only two kind of likable characters but the rest are unbearable and annoying, especially Hope, who should go die in a ditch. Probably the worst thing about this game is its overall gameplay. The player does little to no involvement in the game and even though the combat system is quite decent, there is little to no strategy. The characters in your party does most of the attacking anyways and the majority of most of your combat involves pressing X (PS3) or A (360) over and over again. This new take on FF's gameplay is so disengaging, it really breaks my heart. I heard that it gets good after 20-25 hours. Are you kidding me??? Why would anyone torture themselves to go through 20 hours of crappy, hard to understand story, unbearable characters and uninteresting gameplay to reach the good part in this abomination? Probably me because I do want to know if its good or not. Final Fantasy 13 scares me. Final Fantasy is one of my most beloved gaming franchise and this is what it came to? As I ended with my previous review, this is the worst Final Fantasy game ever. Wait, I wouldn't even call this a "game".It is a huge betrayal to the series and completely desecrates on what its predecessors achieved in terms of gameplay, characters and storytelling. Overhyped and highly overrated.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »