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145 of 181 people found the following review helpful:
First Impressions-- an Interjection
I'm only a few hours in to the game, but my experience is already so sharply different from what I've read online that I'm going to add my two cents a little early. I will address the two big controversies that are fueling a lot of misinformation: the Xbox 360 version's graphics and the linearity of the gameplay, both of which have been grossly exaggerated...
Published 6 months ago by Carlton W. Herbert
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281 of 328 people found the following review helpful:
Final Fantasy XIII - Doesn't Live Up To Its Legacy
Final Fantasy XIII - Doesn't Live Up To Its Legacy
Warning: This will be lengthy, detailed review (Spoiler Free).
Who Am I:
Avid RPG fan that grew up with the Final Fantasy (FF) series, dating back to FF2 (US). I've completed the game in just under 45+ hrs. I have no interest in doing the side quests - read below for more info on...
Published 4 months ago by H. Javed
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281 of 328 people found the following review helpful:
Final Fantasy XIII - Doesn't Live Up To Its Legacy, April 12, 2010
Fun:
This review is from: Final Fantasy XIII (Video Game)
Final Fantasy XIII - Doesn't Live Up To Its Legacy
Warning: This will be lengthy, detailed review (Spoiler Free).
Who Am I:
Avid RPG fan that grew up with the Final Fantasy (FF) series, dating back to FF2 (US). I've completed the game in just under 45+ hrs. I have no interest in doing the side quests - read below for more info on that.
The Final Fantasy series has been near and dear to my heart for a long time. Very few RPGs can match the universe that this series has built in each establishment. So with each new Final Fantasy installment, criticism will be at an all-time high because the game has the highest of expectations and standards in regards to a RPG. Each FF game should drive the RPG market and show the shortcomings of the other RPGs. Unfortunately, FF13 has taken a huge step back in regards to the series and its attempt to evolve the RPG universe.
Let's get started with the review.
Linearity:
I know this word has been stamped, engraved into FF13 reviews. But most reviews have it correct when they speak of FF13's linearity. The one thing I will expand on is how this affects the entire game overall and not just the gameplay aspect. First, let me go over the level design.
The entire game is mission based. So once you complete a mission, you are done with that area with no return later. You can go back to very few areas during the last mission. Every mission is the same which makes FF13 feel very repetitive. Like others have said, you pretty much go down a tunnel, fight some creatures, fight boss, cut-scene, rinse and repeat. This is where FF13's RPG feel pretty much goes down the drain. There is absolutely no exploration, no world map, no towns, and no mini-games.
Yes the world 'opens' up after Chapter 11. But don't be fooled by reviews which state it is 'open.' It's just a big area with creatures in which you are allowed to do side quests. Side quests are summed up as - Get quest, kill monster, get reward, complete mission. While I have no problem with that particular formula, the problem I have is that you can't even do most of the missions because your party is limited on how strong it can get. When you finish the game, you are finally allowed to gain extra levels in order to do the side quests. But what is the point besides achievements/trophies? I use the example of FF3/FF7/FF10 where you are allowed to max out your level, get the best items, then when you feel like it, go beat the game. I read a review where they said it felt like an after-thought, I couldn't agree more.
Due to the linearity of the game, the story and characters suffer tremendously which hurts the game overall and not just the gameplay aspect.
Story, Characters:
This is the bread and butter of the FF series. With each installment, we (fans) expect an epic story with incredible characters that we get emotionally attached to. This is probably where I felt most 'robbed' when playing FF13. The story is the cookie-cutter save the world with little to no twists. While I understand many of the FF series have the same story, FF13 did a poor job of execution of telling it. It's simply too drawn out and gets boring at times. A lot of this has to do with the linearity of the missions. With it being level based and no exploration, you never have a chance to become immersed into the world and get emotionally drawn into what the characters are fighting for.
The six characters all have their unique personalities but you never really get a chance to develop any attachment to them. While the game does attempt to give you background stories for each character, it simply just falls short. This is the first Final Fantasy I have played where there really is no main character. Lightning, whom is on the cover, is probably one of least developed characters in the game. At several points in the game, you would think Vanille is the main character with the amount of story focus on her. I don't know how FF2, FF3, and FF7 did it but they had the formula right when it came down to character development.
Battle System:
The battle system has been revamped from previous installations. The turn-based combat is gone and now battles flow in real-time. This can make battles fun at times because you need quick reaction but also frustrating because you can't take a moment to decide what attack(s) to execute. There is an 'auto-battle' button that essentially plays the battle for you by selecting the best moves to use in any given situation. Also, you now also only control one lead character in battle, and your teammates are controlled by AI scripts. If the lead character dies, then it's game over for the whole party. I found this very annoying because your AI healer (whose commands cannot be customized) will heal another party member with lower health and you'll get hit the by the boss and die. Thankfully you can retry after each battle with no death penalty but it makes it very frustrating when this happens near end of a boss battle which you spend 10-15 minutes on.
Characters have 'roles' during the battles. It is essentially the job-system. For those who are unfamiliar, jobs are essentially broken down to: Medic, Attacker, Spell-Caster, Tank, Debuffer, Buffer. You can shift roles during the battle by executing pre-made 'paradigms.' You will find yourself on many battles switching back and forth from attacker-attacker-attacker to healer-healer-attacker. While the battle system is quick and intense, it is also tedious.
Summons (called Eidolons) for the most part are useless in the game. While they played a crucial part in other FF installments, they essentially are pointless in FF13 battles. There are only six summons (one for each character) and only the lead character can use their summon (typically once) during each battle. If you are expecting summons to do tremendous damage, well you will be disappointed. The only reason to summon is if your health is low and you know the boss is about to kill you, you can summon and your whole party will be at full health (and resurrected) after the summon has executed its attack. The best part of a summon is its animation and the fact you can skip the animation after seeing it once.
Graphics/Music:
This will be short. The game is very beautiful and crisp. The cut-scenes are top-notch. The problem is that you start to notice where all the attention went into and what other areas suffered because of this.
Music also has been a very high spot of the FF series. FF13's music director, Masashi Hamauzu, simply did not do a good job with this installment. Nobuo Uematsu has been the original composer for most of the FF series but this was the first one he wasn't involved in and you can tell the difference. While the music wasn't terrible, it wasn't anything memorable. Also, the most unusual part is that no where in the game is the traditional FF crystal theme music.
Final Thoughts:
Final Fantasy 13 was more of a chore to get through for me. While I did enjoy some moments of the game, mainly near the end, it was very lackluster overall. During no time in the game did I feel like this was a Final Fantasy (except the chocobos). I felt as if the Director was trying to make his own niche and sway from the formula. Well in my opinion it was a failed experiment. RPGs need exploration and deep story telling to be successful. This is why you always see games such as FF3(6) and FF7 on top of the list. There is a reason why those games, to this day, are considered masterpieces. You don't sway from masterpieces, you build off of them. Anyway, I know I left out some things such as equipment and upgrading but honestly I just wanted to focus on the main categories when reviewing a game of this magnitude.
Feel free to leave comments.
Overall Rating: 5/10
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145 of 181 people found the following review helpful:
First Impressions-- an Interjection, March 12, 2010
Fun:
I'm only a few hours in to the game, but my experience is already so sharply different from what I've read online that I'm going to add my two cents a little early. I will address the two big controversies that are fueling a lot of misinformation: the Xbox 360 version's graphics and the linearity of the gameplay, both of which have been grossly exaggerated.
Playstation 3 owners are very disappointed that Square-Enix has given so much support to Microsoft lately, and FFXIII going multiplatform was to many an abomination to God. I get it. Really, I do. This happened about fifteen years ago when Squaresoft shifted support from Nintendo to Sony after giving us Final Fantasy I, II(US), III(US), Chrono Trigger, and Secret of Mana, all of which I played and loved as they were released. Nintendo was THE Square system back then, just as many feel Playstation is today. But times change. Instead of being grateful that FFXIII is MULTIplatform instead of a Microsoft exclusive, many Sony fans and professional critics have started a smear campaign against the 360 version that has gotten way out of hand.
The Final Fantasy XIII graphics for the Xbox 360 are inferior to the Playstation version. The CGI video is compressed and the in game graphics are of a lower resolution. The framerate and loading times on the Xbox 360 version are better than on the Playstation. HOWEVER, if you are running the game on a reasonable sized television, the graphical difference is NEGLIGIBLE. The game looks absolutely fantastic to me on my modest 36" LCD screen. On all the online HD video comparisons I have seen, I see NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL between the two versions, with the exception of a little more tearing on the character's hair from time to time (I only noticed this after rewinding about six times,squinting, and holding my mouth just..so). So the bottom line with the graphics is: unless you are playing on a very large screen TV and have an obsessive attention to graphical detail, the XBOX 360 and Playstation versions are graphically identical.
Now for something just a little more important: the gameplay. There is a lot of hate for the linearity of the gameplay, so much so that it's already cliche and the game just came out this week. Phrases like "Corridor RPG," "Like a tunnel," and "Mash forward and A, then repeat," are floating around. This is true for the first HOUR, as it was for FF VI and VII as I recall. After that the maps start branching out a bit more, and much later the game world opens up for exploration (as is commonplace in previous final fantasy games). Final Fantasy and Japanese role playing games in general have always been very linear in nature. FFXIII has been streamlined a bit to emphasize the narrative and action, favoring momentum over the illusion of choice. But the extent of this has been greatly exaggerated. After the first hour, the maps are no more linear than any other FF game since VII. They are more or less straight forward with a few little detours and dead ends with extra enemies and chests. It is true that there are no towns (on the first disc anyway), but there is a shop at every save point. It is NOT true that you can not level up or customize your characters. About two hours in you are introduced to the leveling system, to which you invest experience points for skills that build up XIII's version of the job system. The battle system is a lot of fun, and is essentially the old school Active Time Battle system that started with FFIV, but streamlined for a much faster pace. It is true that you only actively control one team member at a time, but it works.
Much has been said about FFXIII as a technological marvel. The graphics and art design are gorgeous. Fully rendered cut scenes take the place of virtually all in-game dialog (no text bubbles!). The game has a level of shine and polish rarely seen in video games, regardless of whether you buy it for the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. But for all this advancement, the game still feels very traditional. Playing it doesn't feel much different from Final Fantasies of old, going back to Super Nintendo days really. I've been a Final Fantasy fan since the first installment back in 1987. I've watched the series grow, triumph, and falter. So far I'm very pleased with Final Fantasy XIII, and am excited to see what happens next.
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169 of 214 people found the following review helpful:
Prepare for Linearity (at first), March 9, 2010
Fun:
This review is from: Final Fantasy XIII (Video Game)
I have completed the main story arc, and am now working on Marks. Here's my (4.5-Star) review:
-As many preliminary reviewers have stated, this iteration of the Final Fantasy series is quite noticeably linear in nature in its first half. Compared to the previous FF installments, which allow you to explore a vast open world from the outset and take on various optional side-quests, FFXIII gives you neither for the first 18-20 hours of the game. Things open up after that point, but your options are still very limited compared to earlier FF games. There is also little opportunity to "level grind" (although the term doesn't explicitly apply here, more on that later) until you reach this point. You are given a proverbial "ceiling", a temporary limit to which your party members can be strengthened and developed, and for better or worse, you have to make the most of what's available to you to overcome the next challenging boss battle. Also, NPC interaction is highly limited, almost to the point of non-existence. Luckily, the story development balances all this out very nicely. It's like one big, long, winding corridor full of hurtles to jump, though the game manages to become more and more fun to play as you progress. And damned if it isn't the most visually appealing corridor I've ever seen.
-Which brings us to the graphics. Square Enix has historically made painstaking efforts to keep its Final Fantasy games on the very cutting edge of the graphics scene, and FFXIII is no exception. The characters--even token NPCs--are all meticulously rendered and animated, each doing justice to the art of the series' premiere character artist, Tetsuya Nomura. Their facial subtext is unprecedented in the series, making for very convincing performances. The way they move in battle is consistently a treat to watch, particularly in Lightning's case, as she vaults and flips about, slashing up baddies and tossing fireballs around the arena. Despite participating in chaotic battles with as many as 10 enemies on-screen, I've noticed absolutely no lag or slowdown in the framerate. The environments are positively SPECTACULAR in both their scope, lighting, and design. It's enough to make you cry, knowing that you're chained to a single path and unable to freely explore these awe-inspiring vistas, but don't worry, you'll get more freedom to roam in the latter half of the game. The prerendered cutscenes are even more beautiful, in my opinion surpassing the taut action and visual appeal of even the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete [Blu-ray] feature film. They occur fairly often, and they're an absolute joy to watch.
-About battles: the new battle system is a great departure from what FF vets might be used to. There are up to three party members fighting on your side, and you directly control the actions of the leader only. The other two members provide AI support based on their role in your party's currently active Paradigm (a battle plan that assigns specific roles to each party member, and can be changed on-the-fly at any time). Timing these Paradigm Shifts is the name of the game, otherwise you'll get pummeled in short order.
Gone are the days when you'd have to manage your party's HP and MP between battles; HP is automatically refilled for all party members (even KO'd ones) after every battle, and MP is non-existent.
Magic spells take the form of elemental techniques that are seamlessly integrated with physical attacks and other special techniques, in long hitstrings that cost only ATB Meter stocks. The focus is not only to survive and win battles, but to finish them quickly and decisively. It pays to have your strategy thought through before challenging the next group of enemies. Judiciously switching Paradigms in mid-battle is indespensible to victory, and necessary to receive a 5-star rank at the end of the battle, and ultimately more valuable spoils.
Summons take the form of Eidolons, who join you as AI-controlled battle buddies when called upon. You can also press Square to enter the Eidolon's "Gestalt Mode", wherein it transforms into some sort of vehicle that the summoning character rides on/in, unlocking new attack options and enabling you to execute the Eidolon's ultimate technique on command. Only the party's currently assigned Leader may summon an Eidolon.
"Limit Breaks" (as they are more popularly known) can be unlocked for each character once they've reached Chrystarium Level 4. They do not cost TP, and there are no special prerequisites for executing them; fire away to your heart's content. As with Eidolons, only the Party Leader can execute his/her Limit Break.
It takes some getting used to, but the game offers plenty of tutorials to explain how to make the most of the options available to you. Personally, I find this new battle system to be a lot of fun.
-Character levels as you know them are gone as well. Your party members' stats are boosted through the expenditure of Crystogen Points (CP) in the Chrystarium Development system (very similar to the Sphere Grid system of FFX). As you advance through the Chrystarium, you gain new techniques and spells, and increase the levels of each character's available Roles.
What does level up are your weapons and accessories. Spoils you earn in victory can be spent to allocate Experience Points to your equipped gear, raising their stat bonuses and special attributes, and even transforming them into other, more powerful items. I guess this is your incentive to shoot for that 5-star battle score.
-Camera movement feels a bit sluggish, but smooth. It gives the battles a cinematic feel, but when you're running around the map, it can be a pain. I like to sneak up on enemies so that I can get the initiative when the battle starts, but the slow-turning camera has robbed me of this opportunity more than a few times (though it's not a game-breaker).
-BOTTOM LINE: It's definitely worth checking out, but I recommend you rent this one first, even if you're a Final Fantasy veteran. FFXIII has its own unique style and flow; you either love it or you hate it. The story is deep, mysterious and compelling, and the characters each have very interesting, multi-dimensional personalities. If you can stick it out, you'll be handsomely rewarded with gameplay that just gets more and more exciting as you progress.
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109 of 137 people found the following review helpful:
~30 HOURS IN . . . I QUIT!, March 21, 2010
Fun:
[SPOILER FREE]
A veteran of Final Fantasy 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and Tactics, for the first time, I have finally given up on a Final Fantasy game. Here are the contributing factors:
LINEARITY:
This word has been used so much in reviews that I feel it needs to be re-defined. Are the maps linear? In a general sense, yes, but there are dead ends, forks and roundabouts en route to your destination. You aren't walking down a hamster tube the whole time as some would have you believe.
However! One often FEELS as if they were walking down a hamster tube because this game lacks things that most great RPGs have in common:
Decision-making!
A good RPG should NOT be a novel. A good RPG should be more like a CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE-type book. In an RPG, there is no little to no fun in following a story that is completely predetermined.
Variety!
In the ~30 hours I've played this game, not once have I seen any side quests, mini-games or other distractions.
STORY:
To be honest, I found the general story behind FF13 much more interesting than the story of FF12. Despite that, it still falls short of the superb storylines found in games like FF 4, 6, 7, Xenogears, Chrono Trigger and the Lunar series.
MUSIC:
Being honest again, I did think the title music was very good, as was the choir-driven boss music when you fight Barthandelus . . . ~20 hours later! All the music in between was either too soft to hear, some funky jazz stuff that needed to stay in Kansas City, or some weird drum and bass jungle beats.
Nobuo Uematsu is not god. There are other composers who have also cranked out great video game soundtracks: Yasunori Mitsuda, Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata, to name a few.
But what all those great composers possess, is the ability to match the music to that particular moment on the screen.
Simply put, in FF13, most of the music doesn't fit the moment. The battle music is especially pathetic. Real good battle music should really get you in a MOOD to beat some guys around, not lull you to sleep.
CHARACTERS:
There are some good characters in this game. My favorite would be Sazh with the chocobo chick in his head. He's not as funny as Dave Chappelle, but he tries.
On the other end, the most annoying by far is . . . you guessed it! . . . VANILLE! She has just witnessed the Final Fantasy equivalent of 9/11, and here she is grinning and smiling and running around like a ditzy schoolgirl. On top of that, she moans and groans more than most adult entertainment.
But most inexcusable is the exclusion of the most important character:
YOU! THE PLAYER!
Final Fantasy 6 realized that the player was just as much a character in the game as the others were. If you recall, during the ~20 minute ending to Final Fantasy 6, the last character introduced was ". . . YOU!"
You were a character in that game because YOU got to DECIDE whether the raft went left or right, how to split up your teams, which town the airship landed near, which characters you rediscovered, whether Shadow got saved, and so forth.
So although Final Fantasy 13 has some good characters, in the end one ultimately feels detached because the player is not PARTICIPATING along with them.
WORLD MAP:
The lack of a world map was a terrible idea.
At the very least, a world map gives one the ILLUSION OF FREEDOM. You may be forced to walk down a mountain path on a world map, but you may also see villages on the other side of those mountains, seemingly inaccessible and mysterious. It may make you want to play the game more so that you can discover more of the world. In addition, it gets rid of the feeling of tunnel-vision claustrophobia that one gets in this game.
I had a hard time visualizing the world of FF13. Another thing that a world map does, is give the game some cohesion. Instead of just walking into towns, you now know where those towns and dungeons are in relation to each other. If you think about it, just about every major fantasy novel has a map.
I wonder why . . .
COMBAT:
In a nutshell, the combat is basically a dumbed-down version of the combat found in FF12. Instead of programming the actions of all your characters, you merely pick what task they should be doing and they automatically go out and do it.
If only your characters weren't so bloody stupid!
There are bonuses for characters attacking the same target. But guess what? If you have Lightning help out Snow, in the hopes of taking out that monster faster, what does Snow do? He switches over to the monster you just left! You can have 3 characters in your party fighting 3 individual battles.
So much for teamwork . . .
If the leader in the party dies, it is game over. The Medic often seems oblivious to this fact, healing characters that are not a priority, especially when you're at 245 HP and almost dead.
Early on in the game, there were some nice touches to spice things up a bit: You could find enemies that were fighting amongst themselves or change the weather to fight different types of enemies. A nice try at variety, but the developers didn't follow through with it or include it as often as they could have.
SUMMONS:
Not only is it mandatory to fight Eidolons, but once you get them, the reward is very small. Instead of the powerful creatures that laid waste to everything in sight, the Eidolons are now about as dangerous and effective as a Navy Seal with a Super Soaker. The Eidolons are good for healing and that's about it.
TOWNS:
There ARE towns in FF13, like Palumpolum . . . but they're just set-pieces, places where you fight your battles, not buy your gear.
STORES:
I thought the idea of "computerized stores" at the Save Points made sense for the futuristic world of FF13. After all, you are reading this review on Amazon, which is basically the same thing and here it is 2010.
But I was disappointed in how the upgrade system worked. While it is easy to pick out the best weapons and accessories, there is no indication of what materials actually DO and how they will help you meet your upgrading needs. You basically have to do it by trial and error, which is further complicated by the fact that gil is nearly impossible to come by.
POLISH:
The game is definitely polished and has some nice touches. I like the text on the load screens bringing you up to date. I liked the short animation of the character's faces on the Status screen. I liked the "Datalog" encyclopedia. A few other things. But if you take a piece of gravel from your backyard and polish it, is it worth anything? No. Although it looks nice on the outside, deep down it's still a worthless piece of gravel. FF13 may be polished, but polish means nothing when the original material is severely flawed.
GRAPHICS:
There is a reason why I mention graphics last, and that is because in an RPG, graphics are not all that important. Part of the joy of fantasy is using your IMAGINATION. Unfortunately, as graphics have gotten more life-like, less is left to the imagination. Sometimes for the better, but often for the worse.
That being said, the graphics in FF13 are definitely impressive, even on the Xbox 360. Honestly, I don't feel like I'm missing much graphics-wise by not playing it on a PS3.
CONCLUSION:
Is Final Fantasy 13 a terrible game? No. Like I said, it has its good points and it is polished up pretty well, but deep down, there are severe flaws that ultimately made this game unenjoyable for me. It's not much of an ROLE-playing game when the most important character--the player--has little to no input or ROLE at all.
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35 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
Final Fantasy XIII - Doesn't Live Up To Its Legacy, April 12, 2010
Fun:
Final Fantasy XIII - Doesn't Live Up To Its Legacy
Warning: This will be lengthy, detailed review (Spoiler Free).
Who Am I:
Avid RPG fan that grew up with the Final Fantasy (FF) series, dating back to FF2 (US). I've completed the game in just under 45+ hrs. I have no interest in doing the side quests - read below for more info on that.
The Final Fantasy series has been near and dear to my heart for a long time. Very few RPGs can match the universe that this series has built in each establishment. So with each new Final Fantasy installment, criticism will be at an all-time high because the game has the highest of expectations and standards in regards to a RPG. Each FF game should drive the RPG market and show the shortcomings of the other RPGs. Unfortunately, FF13 has taken a huge step back in regards to the series and its attempt to evolve the RPG universe.
Let's get started with the review.
Linearity:
I know this word has been stamped, engraved into FF13 reviews. But most reviews have it correct when they speak of FF13's linearity. The one thing I will expand on is how this affects the entire game overall and not just the gameplay aspect. First, let me go over the level design.
The entire game is mission based. So once you complete a mission, you are done with that area with no return later. You can go back to very few areas during the last mission. Every mission is the same which makes FF13 feel very repetitive. Like others have said, you pretty much go down a tunnel, fight some creatures, fight boss, cut-scene, rinse and repeat. This is where FF13's RPG feel pretty much goes down the drain. There is absolutely no exploration, no world map, no towns, and no mini-games.
Yes the world 'opens' up after Chapter 11. But don't be fooled by reviews which state it is 'open.' It's just a big area with creatures in which you are allowed to do side quests. Side quests are summed up as - Get quest, kill monster, get reward, complete mission. While I have no problem with that particular formula, the problem I have is that you can't even do most of the missions because your party is limited on how strong it can get. When you finish the game, you are finally allowed to gain extra levels in order to do the side quests. But what is the point besides achievements/trophies? I use the example of FF3/FF7/FF10 where you are allowed to max out your level, get the best items, then when you feel like it, go beat the game. I read a review where they said it felt like an after-thought, I couldn't agree more.
Due to the linearity of the game, the story and characters suffer tremendously which hurts the game overall and not just the gameplay aspect.
Story, Characters:
This is the bread and butter of the FF series. With each installment, we (fans) expect an epic story with incredible characters that we get emotionally attached to. This is probably where I felt most 'robbed' when playing FF13. The story is the cookie-cutter save the world with little to no twists. While I understand many of the FF series have the same story, FF13 did a poor job of execution of telling it. It's simply too drawn out and gets boring at times. A lot of this has to do with the linearity of the missions. With it being level based and no exploration, you never have a chance to become immersed into the world and get emotionally drawn into what the characters are fighting for.
The six characters all have their unique personalities but you never really get a chance to develop any attachment to them. While the game does attempt to give you background stories for each character, it simply just falls short. This is the first Final Fantasy I have played where there really is no main character. Lightning, whom is on the cover, is probably one of least developed characters in the game. At several points in the game, you would think Vanille is the main character with the amount of story focus on her. I don't know how FF2, FF3, and FF7 did it but they had the formula right when it came down to character development.
Battle System:
The battle system has been revamped from previous installations. The turn-based combat is gone and now battles flow in real-time. This can make battles fun at times because you need quick reaction but also frustrating because you can't take a moment to decide what attack(s) to execute. There is an 'auto-battle' button that essentially plays the battle for you by selecting the best moves to use in any given situation. Also, you now also only control one lead character in battle, and your teammates are controlled by AI scripts. If the lead character dies, then it's game over for the whole party. I found this very annoying because your AI healer (whose commands cannot be customized) will heal another party member with lower health and you'll get hit the by the boss and die. Thankfully you can retry after each battle with no death penalty but it makes it very frustrating when this happens near end of a boss battle which you spend 10-15 minutes on.
Characters have 'roles' during the battles. It is essentially the job-system. For those who are unfamiliar, jobs are essentially broken down to: Medic, Attacker, Spell-Caster, Tank, Debuffer, Buffer. You can shift roles during the battle by executing pre-made 'paradigms.' You will find yourself on many battles switching back and forth from attacker-attacker-attacker to healer-healer-attacker. While the battle system is quick and intense, it is also tedious.
Summons (called Eidolons) for the most part are useless in the game. While they played a crucial part in other FF installments, they essentially are pointless in FF13 battles. There are only six summons (one for each character) and only the lead character can use their summon (typically once) during each battle. If you are expecting summons to do tremendous damage, well you will be disappointed. The only reason to summon is if your health is low and you know the boss is about to kill you, you can summon and your whole party will be at full health (and resurrected) after the summon has executed its attack. The best part of a summon is its animation and the fact you can skip the animation after seeing it once.
Graphics/Music:
This will be short. The game is very beautiful and crisp. The cut-scenes are top-notch. The problem is that you start to notice where all the attention went into and what other areas suffered because of this.
Music also has been a very high spot of the FF series. FF13's music director, Masashi Hamauzu, simply did not do a good job with this installment. Nobuo Uematsu has been the original composer for most of the FF series but this was the first one he wasn't involved in and you can tell the difference. While the music wasn't terrible, it wasn't anything memorable. Also, the most unusual part is that no where in the game is the traditional FF crystal theme music.
Final Thoughts:
Final Fantasy 13 was more of a chore to get through for me. While I did enjoy some moments of the game, mainly near the end, it was very lackluster overall. During no time in the game did I feel like this was a Final Fantasy (except the chocobos). I felt as if the Director was trying to make his own niche and sway from the formula. Well in my opinion it was a failed experiment. RPGs need exploration and deep story telling to be successful. This is why you always see games such as FF3(6) and FF7 on top of the list. There is a reason why those games, to this day, are considered masterpieces. You don't sway from masterpieces, you build off of them. Anyway, I know I left out some things such as equipment and upgrading but honestly I just wanted to focus on the main categories when reviewing a game of this magnitude.
Feel free to leave comments.
Overall Rating: 5/10
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Great looking, terrible everything else, April 25, 2010
Fun:
NOTE: there are SPOILERS in this review, so bail now if that's not your cup of tea.
Let me start out by saying that I am a Final Fantasy fan, and I have looked forward to this game for quite some time. I went out and bought it, played it, finished it, and was stunned by how disappointed I was.
The best thing I have to talk about are the graphics - they are phenomenal, even on the 360. I've seen this played on the PS3, and unless you are exceptionally nitpicky, the graphics are essentially the same. The soundtrack is also OK. Unfortunately, now I have to move on to my gripes, and there are many.
First and foremost, have they mentioned the linearity before? Of course they have, but as it is the most fatal flaw of this game, it bears repeating AGAIN! You are forced down each path just as fast as you can button mash your way through the numerous enemies, your road set before you to the point that you could almost rubber band your controller, press A like crazy, and survive. Unlike most RPG's, XIII doesn't give even the illusion of explorability. There are several factors contributing to the linearity. First, There are no extensive side paths to add mystery, and side quests are nonexistent until late in the game. Even when side quests are finally available, they consist of simply going to kill different monsters, much like the marks of FFXII. Second, there are no towns or cities. Well, OK, there are a couple cities, but not ones in which you get to relax and stop fighting so that you enjoy a mini-game (there are none) or something. Third, You buy things from the save points, eliminating virtually all NPC interaction until much later in the game and any hope of juicy tidbits from the rest of the world. Without towns, this game becomes a rather boring series of battles, one after another, and the only breaks come from the numerous cutscenes. Fourth, there is no world map or ability to travel to previously visited locations. I had no choice about where to go and what to do, and this is something that I should never have to say about ANY game.
I'll talk about the battles next. While battles are occasionally visually entertaining and adopt a fast-paced feel, I still found my eyes drooping with a sleepy boredom on more than one occasion. I have several problems with the combat system in this game. First and foremost, I was only able to control my party leader. Also, until very late in the game, I was rarely even allowed to use more than two characters while fighting. This meant that, 9 times out of 10, my actions during a battle were limited to two simple actions: hitting A to tell my leader to attack, or asking my buddies to shift their "paradigm" to heal or buff the team. There was no strategy involved, and I used items so rarely they may as well not have existed at all. Second, I didn't see a noticeable difference in combat when I improved my character through the chrysarium, which is basically a flashier but dumbed down version of FFX's sphere grid. Battles were uniformly moderately difficult throughout the game, never super easy, never super difficult, and eventually mind-numbingly boring. My third problem arose with the lack of any real rewards. For me, a five star rating and a refill on Tech Points don't count. Although I occasionally obtained items that could be used to "improve" weapons or accessories (there was no armor), I never received money (virtually useless in this game anyway) or useful items for my trouble. Fourth, I couldn't go back to 99% of the areas of this game, so farming and level grinding were impossible. Despite the absence of materialistic satisfaction, of greater loss to me was experience. Don't get me wrong, my characters gained experience from each fight. However, as my level was capped at virtually every stage, most of the time, I really had nothing to do with experience gained and no motivation to go pick any fights. The joy of creating an unstoppable demi-god was squarely squashed. Fifth, for the most part, all the monsters looked the same. For all the graphic beauty of this game, the monsters all looked like different colored versions of monsters conquered in previous chapters! Sixth, I can't forget the aeons/gf/or whatever they're called in this game - I actually have forgotten, because I never used them. Summons provided some more brief moments of graphic awe, but I rarely used them due to the fact that they were useless. The leader is the only character enabled to use a summons during a fight anyway, and they didn't stick around long enough to do significant damage anyway.
Next, I feel the need to mention the lack of treasure. For me in the past, I received a great deal of joy in battling to the deepest depths of a dungeon in the most remote part of an obscure corner of the world to find the ultimate treasure. My fun was squashed here due to the facts that there was no really valuable treasure, and what treasure existed was blind-man easy to find. You could buy any weapon or accessory that could be found and upgrade it to it's "ultimate" status, so once again I experienced a lack of motivation to go and look for something better.
Finally, I wanted to mention character development. The cutscenes in this movie (game?) do a passable job of developing the characters, even if characters are developed into FF stereotypes. However, the development of the main character, YOU, is nonexistent. I did not feel like I was ever truly, deeply involved in the development of my characters.
I tried to like this game. I wanted to like this game. I just couldn't like this game. As a stand-alone game, the only plus that FFXIII has going for it are the graphics and, maybe, the story line. As a continuation to an epic series, well, it isn't, it doesn't, it shouldn't.
In summary, it seems like SE has sacrificed everything that makes a good game for good graphics. I have bad news for them - graphics alone will not sell games! I, for one, will probably rent the next SE creation instead of buying on opening day. In fact, if the next FF doesn't improve drastically, I will discontinue my support of their products entirely, and I imagine that there are many hardcore fans as well as first-timers that feel the same way.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
A Disappointing Grind Fest, April 19, 2010
Fun:
Easily the most disappointing game I have ever played. I was going to sit this generation of console gaming out, but when I heard about FFXIII, I quickly changed my mind. Fast forward to release day, my wife and I were extremely excited when we got the game in our hands. The game got off to a shaky start, but did get fun for a little while. As we progressed forward we noticed that even though the "bad guys" were getting a bit tougher, the game itself was getting stagnant and boring. The A button on our brand new controller control was already getting worn out due to the games rather mundane controller configuration, and other than wanting to see the next cut scene, there seemed to be no challenge or reason to move forward. It lacked everything we've enjoyed in past FF games, and the game became nothing more than a grind fest. The battle system seemed great at first, but over time, got old and boring. Even worse, is there was no connection to the characters or the world they live in. In the end, both my wife and I were very disappointed and wished we had never even bought the game. FFXIII is easily one of the worst games of the franchise, and by far one of the most over-hyped games of all time. I applaud SE for trying something different and trying to move things forward, but in this case, they failed dramatically
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44 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
Its still Final Fantasy just with a new twist!, March 9, 2010
Fun:
I know what a lot of reviews and previews have said. This is a stripped down final fantasy....the graphics arnt as good as the PS3 version...etc.
I am here to tell you that first of all the graphics still look amazing on the 360. If you do not have a PS3 and only have the 360 you will NOT be let down in any way by playing it on the 360. Unless you own both systems and both copies of the game and are playing it side by side.. i do not think you will really mind. It looks just as good as any other 360 game out there if not better.
I took the time to play through the first part of the game twice (as the first time i was in bright sunlight in my room so wanted to play it at night for a better view). Haven taken the time to examine the cut scenes and close of views of the in game model of lightning and scenery and such. I believe it looks amazingly good. Lightning alone looks better then any pre-made CGI Final Fantasy character in the past!
While some may gripe about the linearity of the game. I say it is a good thing. Lets face it how many of you here have played a rpg only to not know what the heck to go ....or what to do? You have to wander through town talking to 100 mindless NPCS till you find the right one to trigger the next event or wander a cave with 50 passages and floors just to find the correct path of the way out? This game cuts that out but still gives you a very enjoyable experience
a big thing to keep in mind is even though it is more straight forward the game still manages to take a good 50 to 60 hours to finish! So that means..that despite the one track path in many cases. the game still has just as much content as any other final fantasy game...just in a different way. Meaning that ...you will still get your moneys worth out of the game!
Some say this is an "action game" and not a "RPG" well the battle system is still menu based and once it opens up you still have to deal with much tactics...you still advance your charterers and gain new items and abilities over time. The story is still epic and detailed... and the scenery is still Final Fantasy.
This is not some game that was redone with the "Final Fantasy name" tagged on (ala Final Fantasy the movie) this IS Final Fantasy just in a different light.
Also to note after you finish the game there are still around 60 side missions you can take part in too! and you can return to previous areas in the end you visited so its not like its just ..one story...one path and then nothing else.
The main thing that should draw you to the game is the story, the scenery and the adventure. It may not be your old final fantasy you are used to but i think its just as good enough to stand as it's newest member. and to be honest after playing for a while i feel just as excited for it as i did with Final Fantasy 7. While i wont say this is "better" then final fantasy 7 per say...i will say it if you put on the right mindset ...it can be just as fun!
Give it a try!
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57 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
True Review, March 10, 2010
Fun:
Final Fantasy XIII.. Ah such a topic of complaint. However keep in mind that the people writing these other reviews have not even scratched the surface of this game. IT CAME OUT YESTERDAY. Yet they complain about how bad it is and they are only 3-5 hours into the game.
The graphics... 5 stars, beautiful absolutely amazing.
Battle system... 5 stars, completely new and stunning, an earlier review said that it was just mashing the A button, well the first 5 hours.. DUH! its completely new, they break you into it over time slowly so they dont confuse you, at first you can just push A to win. They apparently havent gotten to paragrim shifts and all that good stuff which would be entirely confusing without the slow introduction to it.
story... 3.8 stars, It's an amazing story!... but don't get me wrong, final fantasy has definately done better.
voices... 4 stars, i would say 5 stars, but the pre teen girl is high pitched and obnoxious like you wouldnt believe.
I will go into more of a review as i myself get farther into the game, but as of now there is no real reason to complain, it is just a game that you should BE PATIENT with and not hope to grasp the entirety of it within the first few minutes.
Please comment on this review if you wish to know more at anytime. I will try my best to keep updated at regular intervals.
UPDATE*********
I am now a bit further along into the story, and as for the people that complained about it being too linear with no side quests or anything here goes:
This game has really opened up ALOT it is now more free roaming than it was in the begining, I still engulfed in the story and it hasn't been hurt at all by the NOW AVAILABLE side quests.
voices i'm still liking, even the girl has grown on me.
Graphics still superb and beautiful
battle system.. This changes and alot from the begining of the game, it is no longer just pressing the A button over and over, you can switch styles, choice attacks and who to attack tactically during a battle and yes this all actually helps you win, it matters who you defeat first.
This game is REALLY quite fun. i bet most reviewers now change their reviews about how linear the game is and it starts getting better reviews, will still keep updated as i go along in the game. Please rate if this review is helpfull :)
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Final Fantasy 13... chi chi chi ah ah ah, April 22, 2010
Fun:
How long have I been playing Final Fantasy? Since 7th grade? So what, 1997? That's 13 years. So I like Final Fantasy. I've kept coming back for a while. It might be a good thing, for me anyway, that Final Fantasy XIII helped me divorce the franchise.
Recently I had a chat with a dude who works at GameStop. I was trading in Final Fantasy XIII for the xbox360 and the guy said it was a good game. I said that's fine and dandy, but I didn't think so. He went on to say everyone compares it to FFVII. He then said that FFVII was just as linear as FFXIII so that is no excuse to dislike the game.
I agree. Final Fantasy VII wasn't so non-linear. Actually, as far as RPGs go, the whole Final Fantasy franchise is damned linear. And I'm fine with that. What FFVII had that XIII doesn't, is fun.
That's it plain and simple. FFXIII isn't fun.
By why isn't it fun? It looks beautiful, that's a sure thing. But there is a fine line between beauty and the beast. If that makes sense. Anyway, I want to start with the combat system. Can I start with the combat system? Yes? Thanks.
Combat in FFXIII is not fun. It is not fun because the player does nothing. Yes, that is right. You have a few options in combat mode: auto-battle, ability (do-it-yourself battle), and item. There might be some other menus, but they were so not important that I don't even remember them. Now, auto-battle is this niffty option that takes the best abilities your character can do in that turn and does them. You can use ability and chain a few moves together yourself, but then you might do moves that are no good in that certain battle. Items was the funnest part about combat, because you could use them at will and it was the most interaction I felt in the game.
So in FFXIII say goodbye to controlling your whole party. I actually didn't mind this! I had just got off Mass Effect 2 where you really only control the main character and I had a good ol' time with that. You do get to choose the conditions in how your teammates do battle (ex. you can set them to healers, or attackers, or whatever). Didn't really mind that, and I also liked the idea of chaining together moves. That seemed cool. It's just I didn't chain moves, all I did was press the command button over and over again and make sure no one died. That isn't fun. That's like watching a friend play a game and telling him to heal when he's low on health. BORING.
Next on the agenda: No more towns. Why? Was FFXIII too good was towns and shops and inns? Towns, shops, and inns really set the mood for the world of a good classic FF game. They also offered a peaceful break from the conflict. FFXIII did away with all of that, giving us players the save and shop all in one floating computer save point. I felt like the game just wanted to rush me, depriving me of the good old times when I'd just mozy around a town at my own pace. The floating computer things are just too un-mystical and boring and NOT FUN.
Speaking about floating computers, how about those floating orb treasure chest. Every time you find a treasure chest you have to watch your character reach out and touch it. Then a swirly color thing happens. The whole process consumes a few seconds. Now there is a time in where going slow is a good thing, like exploring a down, and taking your party to the inn. And there is a time to speed things up, like opening a damned treasure chest. Not so much fun.
Alrighty, on with the leveling up system. Probably the funniest level up system I've seen in a FF game. And I thought X's was bad! So you have these flower crystal things on your level up screen. It looks really nice and pretty. But it is easy to max out abilities. Its like, bam, bam, bam, Hope is leveled up in everything. Well that was easy. What was so bad about gaining EXP when you kill enemies and bosses? Really what was so bad about that? I liked that! The scheme in this game makes you think you are customizing your characters with job classes and abilities, but your not. Unless you do nothing. But then your characters would be weak. So why not just level them up for us? Like in FFIV. Fight a few bad guys and Rosa's stats level up automatically and she learns cure. It was that simple. FF7 had the best level up system, where your characters' stats would improve with the EXP they got from enemies, but you could mix and match their magic and abilities with materia that had its own set of EXP. That was fun. Pretty Crystal flowers look nice... but they are not fun.
Much like FF7, FFXIII starts out with a train and a rebels fighting and stuff. Cool. I was down for that. I was like, "Yeah! Action! Cool stuff!" I even over looked the guy with a chocobo living in his fro. I overlooked that... When a story starts off with action, or something happening that draws the player/reader/viewer in, that's called in media res. That's Latin or something for "RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THINGS." That creates a reason for the viewer to stick around and find out what's going on. Only in FFXIII we don't find out what's going on. Ever. Oh, wait, no, no there is something on the menu screen... What is this? A datalog? Oh, and it tells you what's going on in exposition... So what, they couldn't weave the exposition into the story? You have to open up the menu every time and check out the datalog whenever it updates us on the story? What the... NOT FUN!!!!!
A story, or lack there of, is nothing without its characters. Here we go, back to FF7, we had Cloud, a full of himself merc with deep rooted issues towards one of his mentors that betrayed him years ago. Back to XIII, enter Lightening (Cloud... Lightening... connection). Lightening is a girl, cool I'm diggin' it. A tough girl, even cooler. She was also in the military like Cloud was. I'm down with that! So what's her motive? kldfsgodfjgijibvjpiaoegmoijviojesgitjisj. That's her motive, a bunch of confusing nonsense thrown in with a bad birthday. So her sister came into contact with some monster thing and got turned into... a crystal???? How about a villain with a clear motive? Why did I have to have a bunch of confusing names like "faowlcee" thrown at me? Also we got confusing names like that but then we got simple names like "Hope". What's going on here? Also hope is probably the most pathetic character to hit the FF series. I thought Squall was bad with his "she-loves-me, she-loves-me-not" moments squirming around in bed. Sorry Squall ol' buddy you got topped by this little worm. Then we got the black guy. He's got a chocobo living in his hair. Hmmm. I just couldn't get over that. Barret (the other FF black dude) had a gun arm. Chocobo in hair vs. Gun arm. Hmmm.
So in comparison: FFVII = Fun. FFXIII = NOT FUN
That is the comparison. I can only recommend this game to people who cannot look past the Final Fantasy title. Seriously, I had more fun play the Wii ware game "My Life As a Dark Lord" then I did playing this game. Let's go back to basics people. If you want a play a good game with Final Fantasy in the title, play Tactics Advanced 2. You actually play it and it's *gasp* FUN!
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