Final Fantasy XIII

 Xbox 360
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
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  1. AnthonyP
    Mar 15, 2010
    6
    Epic let down! First off id like to say this game is a fairly solid dungeon crawler/interactive movie. You jump from dungeon to dungeon, cutscene to cutscene. Minimal character interaction outside cutscenes, the best you will get is idle chatter while you explore the linear paths (Mostly stuff like "Hey this place is neat" or "Look at that") If you thought FF12's characters needed Epic let down! First off id like to say this game is a fairly solid dungeon crawler/interactive movie. You jump from dungeon to dungeon, cutscene to cutscene. Minimal character interaction outside cutscenes, the best you will get is idle chatter while you explore the linear paths (Mostly stuff like "Hey this place is neat" or "Look at that") If you thought FF12's characters needed more depth then you have not met Lightning the ex soldier without a personality...sounds like Cloud actually, but without the actual good plot twists that make him remotely interesting. The battles are either impossible or too easy, meaning if you know what to do they are simple but if you dont know the exact way 100% to fight a boss you cant win period. Why must I fight a boss EXACTLY one specific way ...that is boring. Moving on...Area's dont get interesting till chapter 10 (Out of 13), Summons are extremely cheesy...two blue sisters interlocking thier thighs making themselves into a motercycle is NOT my ideal Shiva. No towns, no shops, boring late-late game sidequests, boring item grinding, truly a dungeon crawler with cutscenes every 5 minutes. The game drops you in the middle of its storyline, it actually needs 10,000 flashbacks to explain itself, it feels almost like a cheap FF6 story, only without the ground breaking gameplay to make up for it. On a plus its graphics are great but not jaw dropping. The sound is amazing, voice acting is decent. On a side note character development is a pretty version of the sphere grid, only you cant really customize a character the way you want. Its monitered and capped in a way that basically everybody will end up with the same characters near endgame. I give this game a 7/10, but since its the most epic letdown of the past 10 years, it gets a 6/10 out of spite.… Expand
  2. HoldenO
    Mar 9, 2010
    6
    Main faults as i see em: No control over party (if your leader dies... so does party? wtf) - I dont like this at all. feels like more of a 1 player game with pets then a RPG to me. No towns? (cant talk to random people) - I miss being able to explore towns and talk to random people... tho if you walk up to people they do talk... just have to listen Auto-attack - This feature to me is both Main faults as i see em: No control over party (if your leader dies... so does party? wtf) - I dont like this at all. feels like more of a 1 player game with pets then a RPG to me. No towns? (cant talk to random people) - I miss being able to explore towns and talk to random people... tho if you walk up to people they do talk... just have to listen Auto-attack - This feature to me is both good and bad. Its good in the context of this system because you are rewarded for combos/chains on 1 enemy. However i think that the game looses its strategy due this and i find myself just pressing A during a battle to gain the best chains. - If i try to manage my attacks manually i enjoy it more but feel really rushed. Also i get 4 stars instead of 5 and if i use auto-attack its always 5 stars... this just encourages me to be lazy. Summons + Transformers = FAIL Things I like: Shops at save points Chrono Trigger like active battle system Story Graphics Edit: I hate the battle system.… Expand
  3. AngesterX
    Apr 21, 2010
    6
    Very pretty, but very boring. I played for about three hours before I realized I didn't care what happened to any of the characters. The fighting style is based on auto, which wouldn't be so lame if it wasn't time based fighting (no incentive to try out other moves). I assume a lot of people are going to like it, but I returned it to the rental place before it was due.
  4. JustinG
    Mar 13, 2010
    7
    The game, visually, is quite beautiful. The battle system is quite interesting and intuitive. This being said, I do not like that you can only the party leader, can not switch the party leader, and if your party leader is killed, your entire party just seemingly "gives up." This is not friendly to players at all, and has been the source of much of my frustration in the game. I will also The game, visually, is quite beautiful. The battle system is quite interesting and intuitive. This being said, I do not like that you can only the party leader, can not switch the party leader, and if your party leader is killed, your entire party just seemingly "gives up." This is not friendly to players at all, and has been the source of much of my frustration in the game. I will also agree with others that towns are missed in this game. The missions talked about in the instruction manual are misleading. It is meant to seem that they will be available quite early on in the game, but in fact, are only available on the last (3rd) disc. The game is too linear in my opinion. The game is fight after fight after fight after fight. Towns, missions, and a broad world give the player a break from the main story to explore. It's what made FFXII so fun to play: you could explore any location you've been to again and again. Now, I'm a Final Fantasy fan, but this game seems to deviate quite a bit from the others. I will say that Square-Enix has fashioned an interesting game, but has not considered all the individuals that play the game.… Expand
  5. BlakeW
    Mar 12, 2010
    5
    I have played and enjoyed every FF game to date except 12. So I thought, hey another FF, good to pass some time right? Wrong, what a waste of $60. I don't normally write in about games like this but wasting $60 (I cant return it to the store) just irks me. This game is on rails, no really, imagine you are on a train track: you have ZERO choice over anything you do, say, explore, I have played and enjoyed every FF game to date except 12. So I thought, hey another FF, good to pass some time right? Wrong, what a waste of $60. I don't normally write in about games like this but wasting $60 (I cant return it to the store) just irks me. This game is on rails, no really, imagine you are on a train track: you have ZERO choice over anything you do, say, explore, attack, I mean literally everything. I don't know how to emphasize this more, every environment you are in is straight and super narrow. Even the fighting is on rails I kid you not. There is an "auto-attack" button that queues up the best attacks for you. The only thing you have to do, on the very rare tough fights, is switch to healing mode for 2 seconds, then switch back to attack mode and mash auto-attack again. There is one exception to the linear path 30 hours into the game, which you are presented a nice huge field to fight monsters in, then it's on rails again to the end. All this wouldn't be so bad if the story was good. But honestly, I was so completely lost on what was going on I thought it was an inside joke or something. The game introduces so much terminology to you with no explanation as to what it means that I had to read on the internet to see what these things actually meant. There is one thing that is amazing about this game though. As with all FF games the graphics are top notch. Can't praise them more. The music is just so-so, some tracks I find myself humming and some get on my nerves. The voice acting is pretty good. To sum it up: buy this game if you enjoy truly excellent cut scenes followed by 1-2 hours of holding up while running through a true tunnel filled with not a single npc, just enemies, and auto attacking while battling (all while having no idea what in the world is going on).… Expand
  6. BryanM.
    Apr 12, 2010
    5
    Bah! This game redefines the word "linear". The first 20 hours you will be walking through corridors using an auto attack combat system that is incredibly tedious. It attempts to add some depth to the combat by way of paradigms to change your parties roles in battle, but this essentially means you will occasionally have to switch someone to be a healer for a little while. The exception Bah! This game redefines the word "linear". The first 20 hours you will be walking through corridors using an auto attack combat system that is incredibly tedious. It attempts to add some depth to the combat by way of paradigms to change your parties roles in battle, but this essentially means you will occasionally have to switch someone to be a healer for a little while. The exception will be the boss battles that requires you to figure out a sequence of paradigms to beat them that you really can't stray from. Other than that... no exploration, no towns, the shops are boring, it has a very simple crafting system... ugh. This is the worst Final Fantasy game in the series. Don't let the people giving this game high marks fool you, if it weren't for the Final Fantasy name no one would be playing this pile of garbage.… Expand
  7. Joe_E_Dee
    Apr 28, 2015
    7
    Being generous giving it a 7. This game is fairly terrible for the first 20 hours or so. The combat system is high paced and I found myself always needing to use different group makeups to take out bosses. Lots of items and weapons to choose from, with a upgrading system that keeps you interested. The game has its short comings though. Really linear and there isn't any towns or merchants.Being generous giving it a 7. This game is fairly terrible for the first 20 hours or so. The combat system is high paced and I found myself always needing to use different group makeups to take out bosses. Lots of items and weapons to choose from, with a upgrading system that keeps you interested. The game has its short comings though. Really linear and there isn't any towns or merchants. I found myself not interested in the story at all.… Expand
  8. Chowda
    Jan 4, 2016
    6
    Graphics, music, sound effects, battle sequences, weapons, upgrades, story, and characters are all great. The the quality of the cut scenes and battle animations are phenomenal......the battle system is different and interesting for about 15 hours and then it feels like just hitting the same button over and over again. I got very bored with the fighting system about 30 hours in and triedGraphics, music, sound effects, battle sequences, weapons, upgrades, story, and characters are all great. The the quality of the cut scenes and battle animations are phenomenal......the battle system is different and interesting for about 15 hours and then it feels like just hitting the same button over and over again. I got very bored with the fighting system about 30 hours in and tried to finish the game as fast as I could. I got to the end of the game and was underpowered and couldn't beat the final boss.

    I lost interest halfway through so the most I can give it is a 6.    … Expand
  9. MarkB
    Mar 29, 2010
    6
    Pros: Highly polished graphics, Superb cutscenes and transitions into playable areas, Diverse character design, Combat design excellent, Clever, if not original, leveling menu, Cons: Story largely inpenetreble with explanations of events coming in cutscenes that for all their splender lack a point, Characters are largely irritating, constantly fragmenting, and designed to JRPG Pros: Highly polished graphics, Superb cutscenes and transitions into playable areas, Diverse character design, Combat design excellent, Clever, if not original, leveling menu, Cons: Story largely inpenetreble with explanations of events coming in cutscenes that for all their splender lack a point, Characters are largely irritating, constantly fragmenting, and designed to JRPG stereotypes; e.g. Moody one, Happy one, Strong one, Cowardly one etc Opening 10 hours far too linear, Battles are largely boring against small to medium enemies and mostly luck based on big enemies; e.g. the first eidolen battle see's you, alone as Snow, pitted against a unbeatable creature, where the trick to winning is to take a lot of damage. So you can only win the fight, and the respect of the eidolen, if said creature attacks you enough, which you cant control. Summary: Story is poorly executed, if nothing else, this ruins the experience from the outset. Although the subtleties are explained in the menus, they should exist to enhance the story and the world ala codex entries from Mass Effect. FFXII relies on them to explain whats going on. The constant changing character roster at the beginning of the game is a clever idea to force you to learn the different mechanics, but by lumbering you with two characters I had zero empathy with it just turned into an endless slog of low level fights. This is a game that aims squarely at FF fans, and fans of JRPG games as a genre. It has little or nothing to offer western RPG fans who would be better suited to Mass Effect, Fallout 3 and Dragon Age.… Expand
  10. mr_dad
    Aug 30, 2015
    6
    Oh boy, another hallway to run down!

    When it comes to FF13, most people seem to fall into a "love it" or "hate it" category. Not a lot of people fall in the middle, but I happen to be one of them. FF13 tries to combine many different elements from previous games together into what is ultimately a messy cluster of both good and bad in both the story and gameplay. To say this game has    Oh boy, another hallway to run down!

    When it comes to FF13, most people seem to fall into a "love it" or "hate it" category. Not a lot of people fall in the middle, but I happen to be one of them. FF13 tries to combine many different elements from previous games together into what is ultimately a messy cluster of both good and bad in both the story and gameplay. To say this game has NOTHING good I far to extreme, but I think even a lot of its fans agree it's far from perfect.

    And yes, it's linear as heck.

    THE GOOD
    + There's a huge spike in quality in the final hours.
    + The battle system (when fully unlocked) is extremely deep, focusing more on speed and efficiency.

    THE MIXED
    +/- The characters are very hit or miss, depending on how easily annoyed you can be.
    +/- The linear nature greatly reinforces the themes of the game...but it's still super linear.

    The BAD
    - The first 10-20 hours of the game test your patience like few games before (if you can get that far.)    … Expand
  11. Paulie
    Oct 7, 2010
    6
    I did not enjoy Final Fantasy XII. The entire game is too linear and the combat is lame. You can literally hit auto attack and win 90% of the battles.
  12. Gamer10442
    Jun 20, 2011
    5
    Game looks great but i played through the whole thing and do not remember anything. Thats because its a whole lot of hitting a to auto battle and running in straight lines...
  13. AdamC
    Apr 18, 2010
    6
    The most linear Final Fantasy yet. Linear gameplay. Linear character "development". Convoluted storyline. Didn't feel anything for any of the characters. Too much automation makes the combat quite boring.
  14. FiZ
    Aug 13, 2010
    7
    A lot of the other reviews are correct on the surface: The good: graphics, battle and leveling systems, and the story actually gets interesting after about 30-ish hours. The bad: the characters are pretty badly written, and the game is almost offensively linear. On the other hand, I had to give this FF a "7" rather than a "6" for fixing the one problem I've had with every FF made in theA lot of the other reviews are correct on the surface: The good: graphics, battle and leveling systems, and the story actually gets interesting after about 30-ish hours. The bad: the characters are pretty badly written, and the game is almost offensively linear. On the other hand, I had to give this FF a "7" rather than a "6" for fixing the one problem I've had with every FF made in the past 10 years. No more treasure chests in the first few hours of gameplay that you have to skip if you want to pick up the strongest weapon in the game, nearly 40 or so hours later. I would have liked a lot more free exploration in the game, but at least SquEnix is finally fixing all those stupid tricks and secrets that have absolutely no method of discovery without a guide of some sort or incredible dumb-luck. I like secrets, but only when there's an actual rational method to discover/decrypt them without hitting gameFAQs before putting the disc in the console. That aside, the next non-MMO Final Fantasy needs some serious improvement in character writing and story pacing.… Expand
  15. makemenuconfig
    Mar 10, 2011
    5
    As a long Final Fantasy fan, I didn't like it much. And after spending 45 hours on it, I really don't have any good experience from it. Nothing is really memorable about this game. It's just mind-numbingly average.

    The plot is very shallow and doesn't have a "soul", it's even below the average "save the world" theme that occurs in most rpg's. You'll often find yourself confused about what    As a long Final Fantasy fan, I didn't like it much. And after spending 45 hours on it, I really don't have any good experience from it. Nothing is really memorable about this game. It's just mind-numbingly average.

    The plot is very shallow and doesn't have a "soul", it's even below the average "save the world" theme that occurs in most rpg's. You'll often find yourself confused about what are you supposed to be doing, what is the goal, who is the bad guy, and all those naming conventions is just atrocious ( L'cie, Fal'cie, Pulse L'cie, Ciet'h ) I mean c'mon did a 5 year old kid came up with those names. You just can't take it seriously. Characters are forgettable and no-one stands out or makes an impact on you. Also don't worry about getting lost, the game is one big hallway, you just force yourself forward.

    The battle system is a disgrace. Seriously, It is a button musher. You can win all the battles in the game just by pressing X all the time. You can only control one character, the other 2 just act on their own. Of course you can assign them jobs at each time, but they still act like retards and do whatever they want.
    There is no strategy on the battles, just Press X not to die, and from time to time switch jobs..
    Pathetic.

    Remember when most of FF music was excellent and had feelings? Your winamp is full of FF albums right? Well, you can skip getting the FFXIII album, because there isn't a single one piece of music that is memorable or that has a heart. I think that all music tracks of this game are all blunt and emotionless....

    Graphics are ok though, but they don't save the mess. If you are an rpg fan, skip this, If you are not an rpg fan, skip it, If you want to play this because you are really curious .. well.. get ready for the worst end boss & ending of any RPG ever made.. you have been warned.    … Expand
  16. The3AcademySins
    Jul 3, 2018
    6
    There's a lot to digest when it comes to examining Final Fantasy XIII. There's a lot to this game that I genuinely enjoy, and there is a lot to this game that leaves much to be desired.

    Let's start with the positives. The art design and soundtrack are quite superb. The battle theme is memorable, and the world is pretty to look at, especially once you get to Chapter 10 and are able to    There's a lot to digest when it comes to examining Final Fantasy XIII. There's a lot to this game that I genuinely enjoy, and there is a lot to this game that leaves much to be desired.

    Let's start with the positives.

    The art design and soundtrack are quite superb. The battle theme is memorable, and the world is pretty to look at, especially once you get to Chapter 10 and are able to explore Gran Pulse. The characters are well designed, and there are some solid voice acting performances, particularly from Lightning and Snow. The combat is fast-paced and intuitive once you unlock the whole function over the first 10 chapters. The gameplay itself is well animated, even if the cutscenes are very-over-the-top anime in style.

    Now the negatives:

    The story.

    Dear God, the story.

    It's an incomprehensible mess that requires reading over 400 pages of footnotes that are hidden in Datalogs that explain the nonsense we see in the cutscenes. Not once do the characters explain the world around them, or talk about how the feel. These emotions are almost all hidden in datalogs. The lore of the world is all hidden in these datalogs and slowly unraveled over the first 20 hours. We are expected to know what a L'Cie and a Fal'Cie are off the bat, as well as the Sanctums motivations, and the motivations of the characters with NO CONTEXT and it's a huge roadblock in developing the characters and the story and why we should care about their struggles. Instead this is SLOWLY rolled out through 20 hours of flashbacks, and the story never feels like it goes anywhere. I don't know who wrote this, but this is not an optimal way to tell a story. Things like Memento or Pulp Fiction work because we understand the context, and we never know the context here.

    Another huge problem is the linearity of the game. The first 20 hours are a long endless hallway with pre-determined battles that get you to where the game wants you to be, but the exploration element that made Final Fantasy great is notably absent until you hit Gran Pulse. Even there, inspite of the beauty of the world, there is very little substance other than hunting monsters.

    The Crystarium is a cool concept, and improves on the "GridSphere" feature introduced in Final Fantasy X, but the fact that all of the characters eventually unlock every role really makes them feel identical, and there is no reason to use all of the characters. Games with job systems like Final Fantasy X-2 or Final Fantasy III and V worked because the cast was limited, so you could experiment with classes and jobs as you wanted. With a party of six, and only three participants in combat at a time, it really doesn't add to the gameplay, and instead detracts from it.

    All in all, this is a fun game if you want to turn your brain off and not think too hard for a few hours and look at pretty worlds. Sometimes we need that.    … Expand
  17. JohnX
    Apr 11, 2010
    5
    The plot is adequate, but the maudlin voice acting and dialogue made me want to stop playing at several points. There's a severe lack of side quests in the game . . . they put in 64 hunting missions and decided that's all they needed. Combat in the game is somewhat interesting, but only because enemies are rather difficult. Other than that, it's not all that ingenius. The plot is adequate, but the maudlin voice acting and dialogue made me want to stop playing at several points. There's a severe lack of side quests in the game . . . they put in 64 hunting missions and decided that's all they needed. Combat in the game is somewhat interesting, but only because enemies are rather difficult. Other than that, it's not all that ingenius. I've played FF VI, VII, VIII, IX, X and XII, and I felt that this entry was by far the weakest in the series.… Expand
  18. ChronoFlareZero
    Sep 14, 2010
    7
    The game is a tunnel, yes. The first twenty hours of Cocoon still give me second thoughts. If the game had some sort of side quests, mini-games, anything... a nice diversion from the linearity and monster hunting, it would have been perfect. The graphics are some of the best I've seen for the PS3/360, the music is astounding, the characters are likable but with a convoluted plot and 24/7The game is a tunnel, yes. The first twenty hours of Cocoon still give me second thoughts. If the game had some sort of side quests, mini-games, anything... a nice diversion from the linearity and monster hunting, it would have been perfect. The graphics are some of the best I've seen for the PS3/360, the music is astounding, the characters are likable but with a convoluted plot and 24/7 linearity, and the fans biggest disappointment is the lack of staples that make this almost not deserve the Final Fantasy title... it's not perfect, but it's not bad either.… Expand
  19. VermillionHaze
    May 9, 2012
    5
    This game is a slap in the face to loyal FF fans. All the good things the series is known for such as character development, exploration and a wealth of extra content is thrown out for a simplistic point A to point B experience that will leave you scratching your head. The battle system is equally boring, and it's tutorial lasts about 6 hours. Graphically it's amazing and the cutscenes areThis game is a slap in the face to loyal FF fans. All the good things the series is known for such as character development, exploration and a wealth of extra content is thrown out for a simplistic point A to point B experience that will leave you scratching your head. The battle system is equally boring, and it's tutorial lasts about 6 hours. Graphically it's amazing and the cutscenes are stellar but apart from that it's a dismal direction for FF. I cared absolutely nothing for any of the characters 10 hours in and even less about the mangled excuse for a plot. It's worth a rent or a $9.99 or below price tag.… Expand
  20. JenJen387
    Jun 13, 2013
    7
    Shamefully this is the first Final Fantasy game I've ever played. It gave me a decent impression. I think they focused too much on the graphics, but I must admit, they're beautiful. The characters can be kinda irritating and the quotes aren't very convincing.. Unfortunately, players can't talk to non-playable characters, probably due to the scenario of being a l'cie and all. The game lacksShamefully this is the first Final Fantasy game I've ever played. It gave me a decent impression. I think they focused too much on the graphics, but I must admit, they're beautiful. The characters can be kinda irritating and the quotes aren't very convincing.. Unfortunately, players can't talk to non-playable characters, probably due to the scenario of being a l'cie and all. The game lacks decent transportation considering the unnecessarily huge settings. There are too many cutscenes and the story goes on forever making it repelling to finish the game. And after you actually do finish the game, theres not much of a reason to continue on. Though I can tell a lot of effort was put into this game. This game has not failed to impress me on the soundtrack. It's greatly composed and currently in my music lists.… Expand
  21. csabber
    May 11, 2014
    7
    The thirteenth installation of Final Fantasy took everything that made the previous entries successful, put them together, added great graphics, but even so it can’t scratch the ankle of the likes of 7 or 9. It’s not even the best JRPG of the year it came out. It’s good, but long time FF fans might not appreciate it.

    MORE ON: http://prosncons.22web.org/ + Now this one of the most    The thirteenth installation of Final Fantasy took everything that made the previous entries successful, put them together, added great graphics, but even so it can’t scratch the ankle of the likes of 7 or 9. It’s not even the best JRPG of the year it came out. It’s good, but long time FF fans might not appreciate it.

    MORE ON: http://prosncons.22web.org/

    + Now this one of the most beautiful games that the Xbox360/PS3 ever produced. The character models of the protagonists, backgrounds and enemy models are of the highest quality.
    + Square-Enix doesn’t stop inspiring fans when it comes to battle systems is their favorite franchise. The paradigm system has a long learning curve, but it is one of the best in the series. It has great enough depth, for the player to feel their choices matter. We have to tactically approach every tougher battle, because brute force sometimes won’t be enough.
    + Final Fantasy games are well-known for their great boss battles. 13 isn’t different in that regard. There are huge monsters and difficult enemies which can take 20+ minutes to destroy.
    + We must emphasize the soundtrack. It successfully combines electronic music with classical themes. The battle theme will ring in your ears days after putting the game down.

    ~ While the game is awesome long (around 40 hours) it continues to bug you with tutorials up to the halfway point. That is extremely long-drawn.

    - The story wants to be epic, that unfortunately it fails badly . It’s very hard to follow with flashbacks making it even confusing. The biggest problem is when the story doesn’t follow it’s own rules, making it even more muddled. You’ll ask “what?” and “why?” more times than you meet chocobos.
    - The game is essentially an incredibly long corridor. There’s almost no room for exploration, only the path to follow all the time. Towns, which are a trademark elements of every Final Fantasy games, are missing. You buy and upgrade in save points.
    - The first half of the game is underwhelming and sometimes frustrating. The game clearly holds itself back compared to the second half. You are very much limited in what you can do and who you can play with. It’s simply too much.

    Time to beat: 40 hours.
    Replay Value: 1/5
    In one word: Disappointing as FF
    On P’n’C scale: Fun Time
    Must give points: 73

    MORE ON: http://prosncons.22web.org/    … Expand
  22. cajuncrusher
    Mar 28, 2011
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have played all the Final Fantasy games and this one takes the prize for worst game of the series. First the Good: Beautiful graphics; No random battles. End of battle you replenish your hit points automatically.
    Bad: Terrible gameplay mechanics, you basically spend your time switching between "classes" to heal, attack and that is basically all you do. There is no strategy to it at all. It is also extremely hard in places especially when you have to defeat Eidolons(creatures you summon) within a certain time period in order to use them(did I mention you have to do it). So in a nutshell a graphically beautiful FF game with little to no redeemable qualities.    … Expand
  23. Notdavidbowie
    Jun 21, 2012
    7
    This game indeed lacks that certain spark usually found in Final Fantasy. The characters aside from Lightning come across as bland and boring with a storyline that is overly complicated. This does not make it interesting! I didn't get a lot of what happened in this game until I played the sequel, thankfully it was more clear. You have you're new fighting system, unlike that of any otherThis game indeed lacks that certain spark usually found in Final Fantasy. The characters aside from Lightning come across as bland and boring with a storyline that is overly complicated. This does not make it interesting! I didn't get a lot of what happened in this game until I played the sequel, thankfully it was more clear. You have you're new fighting system, unlike that of any other Final Fantasy game. Though its more action orientated, it's quite boring. I must say though, I did play the game fully through and found it... pretty decent. There a whole bunch wrong with it, but I still enjoyed it. The setting is quite interesting with fairly interesting monsters and creatures to fill it. I will say I'm slightly biased to the series and have never missed a game (Except those horrible online ones). In short I feel that if you enjoyed Final Fantasy and enjoy J-Rpgs, I'd say give it a go! If you dont like these kind of games... I can't imagine you liking this at all!… Expand
  24. TrevorP
    Apr 9, 2010
    7
    I took a while to get into the game and actualy start liking it. Once I did I eventually got very board. The combat system is the only thing holding this game together and even that starts to get old quick.
  25. John
    Mar 13, 2010
    7
    Amazing graphics. The sound is just as good. The music is a great set this time around. Get the sound track, you will enjoy it. The combat is fun. The characters are intersting and the shop/save system is worth it. Why a 6/10? Well to tell the truth the game feels...empty? I played it for 7 days. Got very far in to it and I could not play it anymore. I just could not get in to this game. Amazing graphics. The sound is just as good. The music is a great set this time around. Get the sound track, you will enjoy it. The combat is fun. The characters are intersting and the shop/save system is worth it. Why a 6/10? Well to tell the truth the game feels...empty? I played it for 7 days. Got very far in to it and I could not play it anymore. I just could not get in to this game. Though the characters are intersting, most are just too over the top in the voice acting department and aside from that....the interactions between members more often than not are really uninteresting. Though the combat is fun and VERY hectic at times, it feels....wrong? Again, this is a hard one. The combat in the others games was great if you liked micro managing your party and taking complete control over what they ALL did. In this iteration you only control the main party member and sort of rely on the other guys to do the roles that you assign to them. Fun? Yes. But not fun enough to do it over and over again. It failed to keep me gripped. Spell effects are just amazing by the way. Good to see them looking this good again. Now was just my opinion. Get the game, check the return policy for your store and try it out. You might enjoy it. I hope you do enjoy it more than I did. Really, I do. It is just that for my money, I found that Dragon Age was a lot more interesting and a lot more fun to play. This is coming from a guy that enjoys Jrpg's and Western. I just did not enjoy this Jrpg. More is the pitty.… Expand
  26. Dannyboy
    Dec 31, 2010
    6
    Being a man who transitioned from the first Playstation to the Xbox, there were 2 game franchises i have missed out on. The Metal Gear series and Final Fantasy. Playing Final Fantasy VIII and IX on the PS1 as a child holds good memories for me so you can imagine my excitement when buying the first Final Fantasy on the Xbox. However, 20 minutes in, it just didnt feel the same to me.Being a man who transitioned from the first Playstation to the Xbox, there were 2 game franchises i have missed out on. The Metal Gear series and Final Fantasy. Playing Final Fantasy VIII and IX on the PS1 as a child holds good memories for me so you can imagine my excitement when buying the first Final Fantasy on the Xbox. However, 20 minutes in, it just didnt feel the same to me. Whether it was because i was a child playing the older games or not i dont know but they are not the same as the old classics. I didnt really care about the characters or the plot and the gameplay is pretty much the same but they fidget about in combat while waiting for their turn. However, if you are a graphics lover then you will have a virtual orgasm playing this game, i will give it that. It is a beautiful game to watch.… Expand
  27. GestalReplicant
    Nov 19, 2011
    7
    Final Fantasy XIII is a game of contradictions, and ultimately disappointment. It begins with a spellbinding introduction filled to the brim with jaw-droppingly gorgeous visuals and smart dialogue, and slowly winds down from there. it ultimately reaches the jaws of death about two-thirds of the way through, and then rises up to a respectable (but not redeeming) conclusion. A roller-coasterFinal Fantasy XIII is a game of contradictions, and ultimately disappointment. It begins with a spellbinding introduction filled to the brim with jaw-droppingly gorgeous visuals and smart dialogue, and slowly winds down from there. it ultimately reaches the jaws of death about two-thirds of the way through, and then rises up to a respectable (but not redeeming) conclusion. A roller-coaster ride in a more accurate idealization of the idiom, Final Fantasy XIII is a strong game, but ultimately a failure. That's no reason not to take the ride, though: even the more average of roller coasters are enjoyable.… Expand
  28. Tyrannis1964
    Mar 13, 2012
    7
    A good game I liked the characters the story and the gameplay.I was happy with the character development that accured. the game was very pretty but it was too linear. not the best installment in the Final Fantasy series but an okay one
  29. chronoT
    Sep 6, 2012
    6
    This game was disappointing to me overall, showing that Final Fantasy may never return to its' epic roots. FF 13 feels more like a generic Devil May Cry than it does a FF. The game is extremely linear once again but even worse than 10/10-2, the story is bland and some of the characters are extremely annoying. This really hurts because as a kid I absolutely loved FF 1-9, and ever since 9This game was disappointing to me overall, showing that Final Fantasy may never return to its' epic roots. FF 13 feels more like a generic Devil May Cry than it does a FF. The game is extremely linear once again but even worse than 10/10-2, the story is bland and some of the characters are extremely annoying. This really hurts because as a kid I absolutely loved FF 1-9, and ever since 9 its has been steadily going downhill. I could name a few positives, the graphics look very nice and battle system is different but actually really fun to use.… Expand
  30. JamMasterJayFan
    May 1, 2014
    6
    I reviewed this game back in late 2013, and I started to get really into it. The problem with me and games is that I won't play a game to completion until something about it grabs my attention, or else I'll play other games and only continue it later. I'm wishy-washy when it comes to completing games nowadays, and what's disheartening about this game was the fact that I was finally aboutI reviewed this game back in late 2013, and I started to get really into it. The problem with me and games is that I won't play a game to completion until something about it grabs my attention, or else I'll play other games and only continue it later. I'm wishy-washy when it comes to completing games nowadays, and what's disheartening about this game was the fact that I was finally about to beat it.

    I purchased this game over the summer and didn't really play it that much until school started. Then all of a sudden the game really ramped up, and I saw myself completing disc one, and after that I was hooked. Disc 2 was an incredible experience from beginning to end, as it was breathtaking visually and the story got more and more interesting. Later on, I beat disc 2, and I couldn't wait to continue on to disc 3, finally beating this game. I was ready for that great sense of completion one gets when they beat a game they've had on their backlog for so long.

    But alas, the third disc was a horrible miscalculation. It went from an enjoyable experience overall to a shocking, horrendous slog. It's so freaking hard that I simply couldn't keep up with the enemies. I put 30 hours into the game, only to have a brick wall erected in front of my progress. It turns out that in order to even stand a chance in disc 3, you're supposed to do all the side missions. This is terrible. And it's a shame too.

    I was having a great time with this game, but unfortunately I was rendered unable to complete it. This game gets a 6 for horrendous difficulty spikes. It really is a shame, because late disc one and all of disc 2 were a very enjoyable way to pass the time.    … Expand
  31. chr1so
    May 11, 2014
    7
    As always with FF the story & cutscenes were mint, not predictable at all. The fighting tho is the worst I've seen in a FF game, most fights I was just mashing A for auto-battle and switching formations every now & then. Worth playing but no classic
  32. jeffcloudy
    Apr 11, 2014
    5
    The game was fine. But a boss along the name of ODIN ruined it for me. The boss battle is unfair and seemingly poorly created. I cannot attack fast enough due to the constant barrage of enemy attacks - most of my time was spent healing myself. When I do manage to get a constant ring of attacks - the timer runs out. Therefor putting me to death. I give this game a 5 out 10 because of this.The game was fine. But a boss along the name of ODIN ruined it for me. The boss battle is unfair and seemingly poorly created. I cannot attack fast enough due to the constant barrage of enemy attacks - most of my time was spent healing myself. When I do manage to get a constant ring of attacks - the timer runs out. Therefor putting me to death. I give this game a 5 out 10 because of this. If I manage to beat the boss in the future - I might reconsider changing this score.… Expand
  33. rotku
    Apr 12, 2011
    7
    Visually fantastic and with a good storyline it makes the game worth persevering with until the challenge really starts to kick in on disc 2. It's the same old tried and tested Final Fantasy concept of linear running around, levelling up the characters, reaching the next cut scene, repeat again and so on, however what I found make this game an improvement on previous versions is that inVisually fantastic and with a good storyline it makes the game worth persevering with until the challenge really starts to kick in on disc 2. It's the same old tried and tested Final Fantasy concept of linear running around, levelling up the characters, reaching the next cut scene, repeat again and so on, however what I found make this game an improvement on previous versions is that in this game it does make you feel that character development and balance is more important so some strategic planning is required. Recommended to fans of the series otherwise there is nothing new to appeal to those looking for something different.… Expand
  34. LordOFlibertY
    Jun 1, 2011
    7
    Final Fantasy XIII is a a game with many ups and downs but mostly ups. The graphics is amazing however the gameplay itself is quite controversial. For many hardcore FF fans they will not like it due to the massive overhaul of the game but for new comers it can be quite extraordinary. The first hour or two is very boring and repetitive but if you can live through it is very enjoyable. As aFinal Fantasy XIII is a a game with many ups and downs but mostly ups. The graphics is amazing however the gameplay itself is quite controversial. For many hardcore FF fans they will not like it due to the massive overhaul of the game but for new comers it can be quite extraordinary. The first hour or two is very boring and repetitive but if you can live through it is very enjoyable. As a gamer that spends alot of time in the story/lore, the game's storyline is fairly good but can drag in some areas and some of the character's dialogue is very 'not something you hear' though this is probably due to some translation fault. One of the character, Hope turned out to be a total rascal in my eyes. He starts out as an ignorant little brat but later on the writers try to make it so that we feel sympathy/empathy towards him. But so far I cant see it and I hate him. 5.5/10 in the character creation. Overall Final Fantasy XIII shines as an absolute inspiration for new comers of the series but for previous FF fans they may not like it or even hate its gut out. All I can say is that I personally loved the game and can't wait for Final Fantasy XIII-2… Expand
  35. TheRedZombie
    Nov 22, 2011
    6
    I have to admit that I am fairly new to the whole Final Fantasy series. I admittedly only really got into the series after FFX after have played FFIX and FFVIII casually when i was younger. FFXIII was a mixed bag for me. I liked the story and the character development, The evironments and graphics were amazing. But I just couldn't get past the fact that the game led you by the nose for 95%I have to admit that I am fairly new to the whole Final Fantasy series. I admittedly only really got into the series after FFX after have played FFIX and FFVIII casually when i was younger. FFXIII was a mixed bag for me. I liked the story and the character development, The evironments and graphics were amazing. But I just couldn't get past the fact that the game led you by the nose for 95% of the story and you could play almost the entire game with the automatic combat button. I know the whole series has tried to get away from the old school turn-based combat for some time now as it has become a little unpopular with the younger generation. Although I had some real fun playing FFIII, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed in some of the choices the developers made. I have played this game to it's conclusion, and even finished about 90% of the side quests but I don't see myself going through the story a second time.… Expand
  36. el_rico12t7
    Nov 15, 2011
    6
    Final Fantasy XIII is a decent game. Its very liner with good graphics and a decent storey. I cant help but think that its popularity is piggy-backing off the back of final fantasy 7. After playing every final fantasy since FF7 im beginning to lose hope that square enix will ever come close to replicating the greatness of FF7.
  37. lambdafish
    Apr 14, 2012
    7
    First and foremost, I am a Final Fantasy fan, have been since FFVIII, and have played all the previous ones before it since. As you can imagine, I was excited about FFXIII. Was I disappointed? Yes! Does this make it a terrible game? No. FFXIII does have many flaws which many people point out as the entire game, when they do not look at the good points. I'll start by talking about theFirst and foremost, I am a Final Fantasy fan, have been since FFVIII, and have played all the previous ones before it since. As you can imagine, I was excited about FFXIII. Was I disappointed? Yes! Does this make it a terrible game? No. FFXIII does have many flaws which many people point out as the entire game, when they do not look at the good points. I'll start by talking about the story. FFXIII is the story of a band of l'cie, beings branded by fal'cie and are from then on rejected by society. I did not understand this at first, as the story is slow to get into, however being a fan of the series, I went with it. Im so glad I did as the vague introductions do lead into a memorable journey that binds the party together. Each of the characters are well developed, and you grow to love some of them (sazh), although a few do annoy me (vanille - I wont let this retract from the score though). The battlesystem is usually the defining point of any final fantasy game with exception to the story, and I feel that SE created an odd battlesystem here. Some people love it, and some hate it, but the paradigm system is certainly new. What SE tried to do was do away with micromanagement, and switch to a much simpler system, where the player is able to choose the job roles of their party, and utilise the job at the correct moment. For some reason, some do not see this at all and only see the glowing auto-battle button. I do not agree with this in the slightest, as the only mistake made there is that they should have named it "Action," as that is what it is. The player chooses the job, and then performs that jobs actions at that moment, and that is the meat of the system. Do I prefer it? No. However, i feel that many people do not play enough of the game to unlock the full potential of the system (i.e. unlock all of the jobs). Further into the game, battles actually get very difficult, and you need to learn to fully utilise the system to strategise victory.
    The other main issue, and this is the big one, is the linearity of the game. This is why I am not giving this game a 9 or 10. The game is essentially moving from A to B, fighting through the obstacles in your way (i.e. where the battles come in), I felt that there was some variety in the environment design, on how it felt like you were making progress, however the journeys just feel too boring as there is nothing to do except battle and pick up chests. Linearity has been seen in previous Final Fantasy games, such as the Midgar section of FFVII and FFX, however their linear sections were full of life, whereas FFXIII is only full of the same battles, over and over again (2 points deducted).
    Overall, I felt satisfied with my journey in FFXIII, I play Final Fantasy to explore new worlds, and experience new stories, and FFXIII delivered on both of these points. I did have to persevere with the navigating of the world however, and I felt that it was highly underdeveloped. I hope to see this improved in FFXV. Other than that, another great, if slightly dwarfed by its predecessors, entry into the legendary series.    … Expand
  38. NickPVT
    Dec 5, 2013
    7
    It took a while for me to get through this game and it didn't leave me with that desire to come back to it every evening. I had to force my way through the first half of the game before i started to enjoy it. Once things opened up and i was free to roam around (a little) I was drawn in to the hunting side quest. Obviously the visuals were top notch, i don't think anyone can fault thisIt took a while for me to get through this game and it didn't leave me with that desire to come back to it every evening. I had to force my way through the first half of the game before i started to enjoy it. Once things opened up and i was free to roam around (a little) I was drawn in to the hunting side quest. Obviously the visuals were top notch, i don't think anyone can fault this game for that. The story was OK but I didn't feel for the characters as much as i did in past FF games.… Expand
  39. jcarl663
    Aug 12, 2016
    7
    It's ok. It has the groundbreaking visuals and soundtrack that we're all used to in Final Fantasy. It definitely loses points for being extraordinarily linear though and the story is not the strongest aspect. The characters are a mixed bag. While the main hero Lightning and Fang are both super awesome, I could care less for Sazh and Snow, and Hope is not very likable. That said, I doIt's ok. It has the groundbreaking visuals and soundtrack that we're all used to in Final Fantasy. It definitely loses points for being extraordinarily linear though and the story is not the strongest aspect. The characters are a mixed bag. While the main hero Lightning and Fang are both super awesome, I could care less for Sazh and Snow, and Hope is not very likable. That said, I do appreciate the world building and, while I MUCH prefer turn based RPGs, I drastically prefer this battle system to FF12's. What this really showed me, though, is that we will NEVER see an RPG like FF7/8/9 again and I think that's the worst part.… Expand
  40. Dagamingphoenix
    Jul 25, 2016
    6
    Final Fantasy was THE go-to JRPG series. It MADE Square and is the 10th highest selling video-game franchise of all time with 111 million games sold.
    And my oh my, this series fell
    hard. For a start, 3 of my points go towards the graphics and cinematic cutscenes because one of two redeeming qualities about this game is very pretty. The first time I layed my eyes on those visuals...    Final Fantasy was THE go-to JRPG series. It MADE Square and is the 10th highest selling video-game franchise of all time with 111 million games sold.
    And my oh my, this series fell
    hard.
    For a start, 3 of my points go towards the graphics and cinematic cutscenes because one of two redeeming qualities about this game is very pretty.
    The first time I layed my eyes on those visuals...
    just AMAZING!!
    The other point goes towards Lightning, stoic, determined, fearless. Truly inspiring. (Although she sounds board for the majority of the game and even more so in it's sequels)
    Everything else about the game is bad.
    Autobattle is a crime and is another obstacle in my journey to the abilities tab.
    If it wasn't for the internet, I would have drowned in the swirling storyline.
    The gameplay follows the same pattern, run, fight, run, OOOOHH TREASURE SPHERE!! Run, fight, run, talk, cutscene, boss battle, repeat.
    All characters (except Lightning) are generally "meh"
    And don't get me started on Vanille.
    AND THE MUSIC IS HORRIFIC!!
    Thank God I got this second-hand for 4 quid.    … Expand
  41. Locke_Cole
    Apr 23, 2017
    5
    Cuando jugué este juego por primera vez pensé: "Square se relajó al hacer éste Final Fantasy"

    Ahora lo he rejugado varios años después de mi primera experiencia, y sigo creyendo lo mismo. Veo una historia interesante, un buen sistema de pelea, gráficos punteros en su época , una gran banda sonora y un diseño artístico con personalidad. El problema es que todo aquello se ve arruinado por    Cuando jugué este juego por primera vez pensé: "Square se relajó al hacer éste Final Fantasy"

    Ahora lo he rejugado varios años después de mi primera experiencia, y sigo creyendo lo mismo. Veo una historia interesante, un buen sistema de pelea, gráficos punteros en su época , una gran banda sonora y un diseño artístico con personalidad. El problema es que todo aquello se ve arruinado por tres motivos: Mala narrativa, pésimos personajes, horrible diseño de niveles.

    El problema es que esos son tres de los elementos mas importantes en la saga de Final Fantasy, por ello el hate de algunas personas a esta entrega. La forma de la narrativa intenta con todas sus fuerzas que no la entiendas, tomando giros incoherentes y llamando de forma estrambótica cosas muy sencillas. Los personajes son desagradables, actúan sin motivos, sobre reaccionan, van en contra de u propio guion y son clichés de las personalidades mas desagradables que hay, llorones, filósofos inentendibles y malos chistes. Por último el juego es un pasillo, un horrible pasillo que se estructura en base a cinemática/dialogo/luchas/dialogo/esfera de guardado/jefe. Y aunque esa estructura es típica de los juegos, al menos el diseño de nivel lo intenta ocultar, aquí esa formula es incluso visible en el mapa.

    Es una pena lo de éste juego. Tiene bases sólidas, pero algunos de los aspectos mas importantes de cualquier juego, y mas aún de un Final Fantasy son francamente horribles. Al ponderar todo esto en una nota tenemos un juego mediocre, en el sentido literal de la palabra. Un juego medio que no puede ser recomendado. El peor Final Fantasy que he jugado.    … Expand
  42. Charlybs
    Jan 22, 2018
    7
    Gráficamente muy bueno, sobretodo en las batallas que se vuelve muy espectacular y cinematográfico. Jugablemente es un pasillo a seguir, y puede llegar a ser repetitivo. Hay bastante variedad de enemigos, y personalización de armas y accesorios equipables con la posibilidad de ir mejorándolas a lo largo de la aventura. Algunos jefes muy buenos.
  43. CloudStrife05
    Aug 16, 2021
    7
    FFXIII was ok. I do like Lightning and the battle system was alright. The lack of side quest through most of the game did not help. And once the side quest do start coming in, by them you have over half way done with the game and by that point you have either quit or just want to rush through it to the end. Hope is by far one of the most annoying FF characters ever.
  44. 113
    Aug 17, 2023
    7
    So this game is about my old crystal girlfriend that goes into the future to do things, however I dont really know why. All I remember it that you can use the funny chickens against Kyle the apparat antagonist . There is a cat like creature that follows you around the ENTIRE GAME that is super annoying and yet is so important to the story that i completely forget him while writing thisSo this game is about my old crystal girlfriend that goes into the future to do things, however I dont really know why. All I remember it that you can use the funny chickens against Kyle the apparat antagonist . There is a cat like creature that follows you around the ENTIRE GAME that is super annoying and yet is so important to the story that i completely forget him while writing this review. A Yuna lookalike died like 20 times in the game which most of them were very, very preventable while you just kind of stood by and watched it happen. Very cool game, very cool.

    Also something to note, Snow still likes 15 year old girl which is kinda weird. And the Shopkeeper is a Chicken Lady (I feel like should be noted). And for some reason Hope is basically King which is the compete opposite of the first game which I appreciate that the writers went out of there way to do a full 180 on his character to make me like him (He may or may not a hat now but I won't spoil you.) The best part of the game was you can gamble on some chickens which is very innovative.

    Would rate higher if it had more cute girls. Not just the same cute girl who died 30 times. Kyle didn't deserve that at the end. He was simply misunderstood and he only wanted what was best for    … Expand

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. GamesRadar+
    100
    The streamlined, focused structure eliminates potential tedium without dumbing anything down, and the battle system strikes an elegant balance between strategy and fast-paced action. Stunningly beautiful graphics and a pervasively meticulous level of polish throughout only add to the experience.
    Read full review
  2. Vandal
    92
    We can't assure it is a turning point in the series, but it manages to make fights fun and it's no doubt an outstanding game.
    Read full review
  3. Official Xbox Magazine
    90
    While the game's first 10 hours still give me pause, the 60 magnificent hours after those initial steps onto Cocoon make up for the tunnel-vision tutorial. [Apr 2010, p.68]
See all critic reviews »