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.
Oh Final Fantasy where shall we start on your newest epic? Let's start by diving straight in.
Characters, the main character or should I say ONE of SIX, Lighting is on a train full of unhappy passengers and armed guards, Sazh is also there. Lighting decides to start shooting and blowing things up, why? Well my friend that suspense will have to wait for about two or three hours, as you are thrust into a world where you assume you are the good guy. You are only reassured that you are are "good" by constant flashbacks, that are supposed to expand the characters. The most interesting character I found myself attached to was Sazh. The least interesting was EVERYONE ELSE. Snow was a giant whining, annoyance. Hope was a kid and about as annoying but at least he covered it up with rage and violence for a bit. Lighting was the "silent badass" type but by the end of her first arc was a waffling annoyance. Vanille seemed out of her god damn mind, and in a world filled with sunshine and butterflies, and I don't know about Fang, why? Because I stopped giving a damn by that point.
So after Lighting starts a riot on the train controlled by what's known as Cocoon for a nation, other trains also derail. and some start grabbing weapons to fight, this entire sequence is a mess. Not to mention they bring up something that's ultra important but what is it?! The l'Cie and the fal'Cie if you're scratching your head at this point, you're not alone.
I think my favorite part of this story is when Lighting and Hope decide to strike back at Cocoon, and try to take down the Cocoon leaders or fal'Cie or whatever. Halfway through this trip Lighting realizes she probably shouldn't keep going with Hope and letting his anger grow, so she decides to take Hope and go back to his hometown to drop him off at his father's. Why is this my favorite part? Because all the walking and game time spent on Lighting and Hope was, Survey Says: completely pointless!
So a lot of back story is gone through, some things happen it's all very confusing the only clear part by the time you reach Hope's hometown is the very beginning of the game, and the twenty-four hours that happened before the game started! I had to quit the game here, I was done I had suffered enough. i was told that the game, the story, and the characters get fantastic from there, but I could care less. There was no way Snow was ever going to be any more fun than passing a kidney stone. At this point I think I had every right to quit this game.
Now onward to Art!
Rating:
This game looks fantastic, it has amazing environments, everything looks vibrant and colorful. There would be times I would just wander back through areas to look at the scenery. The characters also moved quite smoothly, with attention given to every detail of these characters. Spells and abilities were bright and loud. Summons as always were big, grand, looking great, feeling great, and amazing. I don't know if I praise this game enough, for it's art.
Rating:
The sound was alright, but I was barely paying attention to any music or effects when I had the characters constantly bitching, and making small talk. Honestly these people never shut the hell up. But from what I remember the sound is pretty typical of most later Final Fantasy games. Where it reaches a small level above mediocre.
Rating:
I can praise this game for it's battle system and I can reprimand it for it as well. As good as the system is it also falls flat. I don't mind that the makers are trying to make Final Fantasy more action orientated, but an enemy can attack while I am trying to move through a nightmare of menus to pick my attacks, and once you realize that it's almost worthless to pick attacks and just mash the auto attack button, why am I even required in this equation for battle?
The paradigm system is an interesting system but ultimately means any character can do anything and be anyone at anytime. Remember how you used to have a healer? A fighter? A mage? And you had to pick your group around that deciding which might be best for the situation? Not anymore! They could have just put three stick figures into battle and it would be the same effect.
The levels are linear corridor, I'm told after the point I quit the world opens up and you have more freedom.
This game should be shunned, it's great they are trying something new, but it does not need to be rewarded.
Rating:
4.3333 (below average)
Reviewed by Distortion, Apr 16, 2011
Telling it like it is.
Obviously there's a few things I'd go in a fix with writing, but considering you churned it out right away it's well written and gets to the point and holds no punches. I hope to see more reviews like this from you in the future!
I would agree with much of what you had to say. Although I would have liked to see less language and a bit more detailed description to explain your dislike, I also appreciate that you kept things short and sweet and very to the point.
I have to admit, I think the opening up of the game environment by the end did nothing to make me enjoy it more, because by that point I was more than ready to be done with the game and did not feel like running for 20 minutes just to kill a random monster (really, that is all the sidequests were!) Needless to say, I am sure I will end up buying the sequel, though I really don't understand why.
Again, nice job!
well after FF went 3-D with 7 we had to take a step back and realize that gameplay went out the window. as did character development. FF has never been special but it used to have a fun battle system instead of this sort of interactive avatar like shit. the customization of your character used to make you have to think about you party. the thing is after FF6 and the introduction of 7 the games have fallen from power as a standard for those to lazy to take on an smt game. frankly the games were never good but this one astounds me in it's complete worthlessness as you have very well described. i mean FF used to be a good mediocre series for someone who didn't mind dumb characters who you'd rather shoot than deal with and a plot that had no effect on the player. so to those reading this review and realizing that the writer has hit on the ultimate flaws of FF since 7 go play a real series like SMT.
Very precise review on the game. The game was complicated at the beginning, yet got more interesting and challenging along the way. :)
I gotta say that the graphics outclassed everything else the game has to offer. The storyline aren't really that good, but I don't really have the problem with the characters talking cause if not then it's all graphics and running around :D
Okay this might sound weird but
I love your review, though it wasn't very detailed you got everything right, the final evaluation fits the game
very well. Exept for one tiny fact, I loved Fang, she and Sazh really were the only characters I really cared about.
Lightning was pretty nice at the beginning, smacking Snow right into his face, I even reloaded to watch it again.
Good review, better final Verdict, you got that right.
Info: I finished the game and I sold it afterwards, every other FF except X-2 is still here and now XIII is getting a sequel XIII-2 with the same "fightsystem" were players have nothing to do but waiting for the quicktime events that do not even punish you when you do not get it right.
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