Final Fantasy XIII is set in a futuristic world controlling advanced technology and magical crystals. Pulse, the world Final Fantasy XIII is based on, has had an evil history which has resulted in the construction of the floating utopian city called Cocoon. The citizens of Cocoon fear the world below. Lightning, the heroine of the game is seen fighting soldiers in Cocoon in the E3 2006 trailer but we aren't sure why. All we know about her is her codename and the fact that she has amnesia.
Story Introduction
Coccoon , a city that floats in the midst of the air , levitating itself from the dangers of the world of Pulse that
lies below it.
But a few individuals were stripped from their right of a peaceful life for they have been marked by the Fal'Cie of
Pulse , entities that brands them a danger to the safety of Coccon and brought about a fate of demise that stalks at
their very heels.
With this burden at heart , the characters have little choice but to fight against their own fate , a fate unjustly
brought upon their everyday lives.
Early Character Introduction
Lightning
Lightning was once a member of the Guardian Corps , a force the ensures the safety of Coccoon , however , upon knowing
that her sister was branded an I'Cie , she willingly allowed herself to be "Purged" out of Coccoon with
the others in order to save her.
She wields a retractable gunblade and bears impressive athletic skills and her mark as an I'Cie lies above her
right chest.
Personality
Lightning is cold but also strangely reliable.
Her words may sting but her love for her sister and the fact that she wants those around her to be safe and well
contradicts her cool and firm personality , though she does also lose her temper at times , particularly around the
irrational Snow whom she can not bear for his behaviour at times.
Snow Villiers
Snow is the fiance of Serah , who also happens to be the sister of Lightning who disapproves of their relationship.
Snow is also part of NORA , an independant group of rash youths who took it into their own hands to protect people ,
under his leadership.
Personality
Snow allows himself to be distracted and lead on by the sole instinct of emotions and not the thought of rationality.
He is stubborn and keep on doing what he believes he is right and this behaviour alone had caused much nerves to rise
from Lightning's temple.
Sazh Katzroy
Sazh was initially seen to be with Lightning and he is a father of Dajh , the son whom he cherishes and the greatest
self-motivation he ever have left.
He also have a Chocobo chick living inside his afro and it's not named for various reasons.
Personality
Sazh , being the oldest in the group , acts of his age and tends to look over some of the younger characters like
Vanille at times , perhaps treating her like his own daugther.
However , this self-proclaimed old man is not without of his problems and he may find himself comforted by those he
tries to set an example to at times.
Hope Estheim
Hope is nothing more than a teenager , caught in the matters of the Purge and he can only watch as his own mother drops
into the abyss after an incident.
He soon bears a grudge against Snow , firmly believing that he is the reason why his own mother was killed.
Personality
Hope is quick to blame others and initially , is little more than a brat.
However , under the guidance of Lightning , whom he calls "Light" and after witnessing Snow's
determination to help others , Hope slowly changed his mindset and begins to mature over time.
Oerba dia Vanille
Vanille is a mysterious girl whom dresses in a fairly tribal-like fashion and is seen hanging around Hope in the early
stages of the plotline.
Little is known about her early on in the game.
Personality
Vanille bears a cheerful and happy-go-lucky personality despite the burden she bears in her heart.
She also seems have taken a liking to Hope , seeing that she treats him something like a younger brother by comforting
him from time to time.
Story Overview
One word bears my emotions and thoughts of this game : Disappointment.
Final Fantasy , for all these years , were known for one thing , their stpryline and most importantly , characters whom
we grow to love after witnessing their pain and their sorrow , their regrets and their grief , their strengths and their
passion as well as their romance and determination.
It is lacking in strength , it is lacking in details , it is lacking in fortifude in this game.
Not all of the characters are likeable and if the producers think that all of their fans are of an understanding sort ,
their wrong.
Hope's personality was simply behaving like a brat for most of the game and he doesn't even have much time
left in the remainder of the game to excel at his best whilst Snow... well , you can't deny his a tough muscle-man
, but his brains seems to be also made of muscles.
Vanille simply hugs Hope when they had just met to comfort him and most of the characters lacks this distinct feature which makes them original and unique from other existing Final Fantasy characters.
For the plotline itself , it does have it's potential , but it lacks proper in-game development and the concept
itself was poorly executed.
The denial of a cruel fate , the struggle amongst despair , the waves of emotions that could be finely delivered , the
unique plotline that this game bears - All these were not made use of nor brought to their fullest potential.
Not to mention that the storyline just keeps on going and going , without any minor events nor break points in between
to relief the player from the continuous marathon to the finish in this game.
In conclusion , Square could've done better , but they did not.
Rating:
Graphics Review
One can't deny the visual beauty that this game has to offer.
The emphasis on the flows and burns of magic in battle , the beauty of the flower petals that swirls in the deathly wind
of Odin's might , the flash and sparks that is emitted from the blades in battle or perhaps just the details of the
environment and characters themselves , one is unable to deny that they have brought the graphics quality of RPGs to the
next level.
It is most certainly on an entirely different level compared to the previous series and the franchise itself had seen
major improvements across the ages in terms of graphics , from the sprites they once used to the beautiful 3D models
they have to offer now , not to mention the stunning visual effects that this game have to offer but perhaps would not
appreciate , whilst bringing beauty the game does not feel mechanic for the actions were smooth and without a hitch , it
is obvious that much effort has been put into the animation of this game.
Rating:
Music Review
Some people feels that the music of Final Fantasy XIII is ill befitting it's battle scenes , for the orchestratic
music theme that it bears , but I myself disagree along with many others who would probably think the same.
Rather than listening to some repetitive rock music , why not focus all your stress on the battle scenarios? The
continuous loop of rock music in video games would end up to be repetitive and well , a heck of an annoyance to the ears
, but the orchestratic and beautiful tunes that this game have to offer is different , for they are not only just
beautiful , they even reduces the pressure you might possibly have in tougher battles.
Generally , I am fairly fond of the music theme in Final Fantasy XIII , it bears a trait that is distinct and unique
from the other franchises for it's relaxing and emotional tunes.
Rating:
= This is a Review of Final Fantasy XIII
=
To be fair , Final Fantasy XIII have a form of gameplay that differs greatly from that of the previous franchises.
Whilst retaining the original formula , it requires more active thinking and strategizing from the player , whilst messy
and annoying at first , it would soon grow onto you as you grow used to it and that in itself is a form of beauty that
this game has to offer.
But the beauty of this game , the music , the gameplay and the graphics , are marred by the linearity of this game , the
poorly developed characters and the fact that the story has failed to excel nor amaze as it was expected to have done
so.
Some may argue that a game is a game and not a storybook , the Final Fantasy series have proved , until now , that it
was indeed a storybook with gameplay as it's secondary factor. But in this franchise , it is obvious to see that
the developers had lost their way , for graphics and gameplay had came before the strength of their characters and
plotline.
Overall ( Others )
Age Rating : Teen
Gameplay
Though it may prove complicated and perhaps fustratingly new at first , once you grow used to it , it may not be as
annoying as you think it once was.
As the player requires to input various commands in a single turn at an efficient speed , that would mean they require a
quick mind and nimble fingers to get things right , particularly in a difficult battle.
Not to mention that this game features a "Crystarium" system which is not unlike the Sphere Grid in Final
Fantasy X , however , Final Fantasy XIII does not feature a Level system , which discourages players from getting past
boss battles in a breeze from training their characters to surpass these bosses themselves , for the Cystarium only
updates itself as the storyline progresses.
The player also only gets to control one character in the party , which means careful strategizing is neccessary and there is a system for that of changing the movesets and behaviour of your allies and making the Final Fantasy franchise a more tactical approach to it's gameplay.
However , the only problem in the game is the linearity of things. Whilst the player do not have to think about where to
go next , playing the game itself is like running for a marathon as IT DOES NOT STOP!!!
No unique events , no bonus events , no sunny day at the beach , no one to dance with the protaginist in the ball , no
Moogle tries to send you some odd letter out of the blue and absolutely no one stealing your items , causing you to
side-treck and hunt down the thief.
There's no major exploring , no vast explorable world maps and no secrets to unfold , it does make it look pretty bitter even when compared to the oldest of Final Fantasy games.
Trivia :
- There is a sequel , called Final Fantasy XIII-2
- It is not related to the other Final Fantasy XIII but bears a similar universal setting
- A material book of sorts called Ultimania Omega was released
- There is a prequel of Final Fantasy XIII , explaning Lightning's and the others' lives before the incident
Rating:
7.3333 (above average)
Reviewed by z827, Apr 10, 2011
i may not play final fantasy...but i think its a series that deserve rating 10...i know it sounds familiar and stuff,but its a series recognized by everyone in the gaming world...even the ones not playing it like me... :)
but anyway...that was a good review i guess... :D
Good review! I agree that my major complaint was that it was too linear. The other problem I had was that it holds your hand all the way until the end of disk two (for example, I hated that I would have like 5 people with me in the game but as far as I know it wouldn't let me pick which three I used in battle).
The only thing I noticed was that you didn't include anything about Fang in the story section, though all of the other characters were there. Also, I believe that FF 13 verses is the game that is in the same universe but unrelated, while FF 13-2 I've read is a directly related sequel and not a prequel. It's possible I'm mistaken, but everything I've read has suggested that.
Overall, good job!
Very nicely done review, z287. I personally think you were incredibly generous with the story and characters in terms of scoring, as I found that the characters were one of the reasons why I stopped playing FF13.
While I didn't mind the gameplay, I also felt that it was fairly bland in aspects and certainly counter-intuitive from the previous series. I liked that they went for a more dynamic feel and the system was fairly in depth. However, what truly ruined it was how linear it was. A game that, for the majority, puts you on a guided path cannot truly be called an RPG in my book. No doubt it was a creative approach for them and I give credit where it's due, but it takes away so many of the aspects that make an RPG truly enjoyable, and different from the rest of the gaming genre.
Well done!
Spot on, many people think the same for the Final Fantasy franchise with poorly designed features and characters and not a well-developed story like the previous final fantasy. Many gamers like myself already lost interest in it. I remember the original final fantasy in the console version was so much better, it had the fun of a real fantasy and story-telling journey that takes you all over Spira, I was so touched by its gameplay and its fantasy and story that I spent hours playing it non-stop.
The developer I think intended final fantasy 8 to be a non-RPG and I agree it more like a story book with game play. Its graphics I think are beautiful but lost the meaning of what games are suppose to be about which is fun and not boring.
That is a very well thought out review, you really cover all the basics :D I think the developer have focus far too much on the game graphics and not everything else that matters. Fans aren't going to pull in by just beautiful environments and hopefully the sequel isn't repeating the same concept as its prequel.
I'm not too fond of all the characters, Lightning and Fang are two of the main ones that drives me to play till the end. I think it took too long for us to be able to decide the battle teams, some battles in the front would have been easier if we were able to have a free will to choose :D
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