I have no idea why this game has been given a 3.6 so far. There are obviously some trolls voting, because although I could understand a rating in the low B range, there is no way this game is in any way deserving of a fail. Even for the graphics alone, the game would be worth playing, but when you factor in the enjoyable story and gameplay, I have to give this game a score it rightly deserves. Eat it, haters.… Expand

I've only been playing for 4 days, and I can honestly say the perfection of this game has surprised me. I have been a fan of the series since Mystic Quest, and I have played all the installments, I expect nothing but the best from the saga, but I did not expect something like this! The gameplay is awesome and the graphics are mouth-watering in a colorful and detailed sense. A downfall for me in the game is the soundtrack. I have been used to Nobuo Uematsu's awesome composing and since the game is directed by Tetsuya Nomura, I expected the WHOLE team to be the same. The music doesn't take me inside the game like other soundtracks did. The story isn't really interesting to me to the point where I can't stop playing it to see what happens next, but the battle system is SO FUN I keep playing anyway. I think it has proven itself in the few days I've played that it will be a game to remember because it is THE FIRST OF ITS KIND.… Expand

The best Final Fantasy since X. The story is one of the better ones in the series, and has one of the most likable casts in any Final Fantasy game (except Sazh). The combat system is the most fast paced in the series yet, with an emphasis on the ability to adapt. The removal of MP may seem like a bad thing, but it allows for random battles to actually take some effort, instead of the normal attack, then heal after battle. The lack of having to manage MP does not make it any easier either, as the mechanics are in place to prevent outlasting strategies on bosses. There is also some great music, even without Nobuo Uematsu. The final boss theme Born Anew, in particular, stands with the best final boss themes in the series. Oh, and the graphics are the best I've ever seen (though I have yet to play Crysis).… Expand

For most of you, you think this game sucks. Well guess what... it DOESN'T! Final Fantasy games have never been mainly about focusing on in game play, it was just a side thing that was awesome. Anyway, the main thing is the story line, and if you actually pay attention it's really good! I admit that some of the characters I didn't like at first (Snow and Lightning to be exact) but then I started to like them after a while, it's an amazing game if you give it a chance but most of you haven't. If you have a problem with this game, then the problems with yourself.… Expand

I've been playing RPGs for a very long time, and the Final Fantasy series, like many other old-school RPGers, comes close to beloved status for me. FF3 (6), FF7, FF10, these have a special place in my RPG shrine, also known as a dusty corner in my closet.

So when I saw that FF13 was shortly due to be released, I decided to borrow my buddy's stormtrooper costume and go out for the midnight release. He opted to go as Voldemort. Much fun was had, and I returned excited to play.

Upon popping that disc in and loading up the intro movie, I experienced what I consider the major positive of this game: the graphics. Let me just state that plainly: from a technical stand-point, the graphics are gorgeous. The characters are modeled with exceptional detail. It really is a pleasure just to watch them. On the other hand, I found the stylistic side of the graphics to be something of a let-down. There's a lot of recycled corridors and monster models. Nothing ever really popped out at me; I never encountered any memorable sort of artistic moments.

So going from the intro screen, I had high hopes. And then I played the game.

The gameplay is both exceptionally linear and exceptionally easy, especially in the first parts of the game. Basically you can control only one person and even then your options are limited. Essentially the entire strategy of the game comes from switching roles. Sadly there are very few fights that require even that. During some of the early dungeons I literally held up on the joystick and pressed A over and over and beat them, while I was outside grilling salmon (wireless controllers ftw?) An entire dungeon, without looking, except for the boss. Which is unfortunate because I was also randomly using items and libra and other such things, but I still managed to win the day!

Let me elaborate further upon my claims of this being the most linear game ever: the game's dungeons are essentially corridors running in one direction, there are never any towns to explore, there are no extra townspeople to talk to, and your character development is more or less entirely linear. There are no choices to make because you can choose them all.

Simply put, the gameplay is boring. It's a game made for over-achieving zombies.

Now then let me move on to the story. A big letdown, for several reasons. For one, the dialogue is abysmal. The voice-acting is great, that's not my complaint: the script is terrible. Perhaps I was spoiled, coming from Dragon Age, but I found most of the conversations painfully formulaic. I understand that this game is made to be understood even by little kids, yet Pixar movies somehow manage to be entertaining and approachable for all ages so why couldn't FF13?

Starting from a poor script, the story can really only go down hill. The villains (like in FF12) are somewhat vague and/or absent. It's not really very clear until later, and even then only just so, why exactly I'm running through corridors, killing everything that moves.

As we say in the creative writing biz, the game never managed to "draw me in"; it never captured me and consequentially I couldn't careless about the fates of anyone involved.

The characters are, like everything else in the game, one dimensional. Snow is the cardboard cutout of a "hero" oblivious to reality; Lightning is the cardboard cutout of the gritty tough soldier, even though as a Guardian soldier, she's the equivalent of a national guard soldier in a completely peaceful country; Hope is the cardboard cutout of a weak unguided boy who has "great potential" or some other BS; etc, etc, etc. I actually found Vanille, which Gamespot's reviewer thought was annoying, to be the only character with any real depth. Unfortunately, the game feels the need to constantly blungeon you over the head with this: I HAVE A SECRET, I HAVE A SECRET. Yet, if you are at all cognizant of how Square localizes their FF games, her Australian accent (as opposed to the accents of everyone else) is a dead give-away what her secret is.

In short, this game has wonderful graphics and decent voice-acting and not much else. It'd be like if you gathered a bunch of beautiful actors, gave them a crappy studio with no props or tools or anything else, handed them a Danielle Steele novel to serve as a script, and told them: "Go at it." Then you'd have FF13.… Expand

I have played this game 3 times from start to finish. The game is visually insane and shows how much square's engine can dish out compared to unreal engine. The combat is a mix of turn based combat combined with real time. You select your characters actions and watch them move around the battlefield although you cannot directly control your character, although the arenas are so small its doubtful it would have any different impact if you were able to do otherwise. Going through the bosses on my first playthrough, I thought each one was perfectly oriented for a person with that much experience in the game. The end bosses were very hard and tested my mettle even with optimal strategies. Going though the game the second time, the beginning bosses were significantly easier because of my experience but the end bosses were as hard as ever. If there is anything I could complain about, it is how *possible spoilers* all the postgame content is developing your characters and weapons to the max and all sidequests are just monster hunting missions, although it is a small gripe as the endgame is optional and really only for achievement hunters *end possible spoilers* The characters are very believable and the only ones i thought were really annoying were sazh and snow with a dash of hope. the game challenges you to think about the best role configurations to defeat monsters. The story is epic in the highest sense as the story is not very outlandish (for a fantasy game). While the chapter and the linear progression are also minor gripes, it is acceptable because of the story.I could not recommend this game enough to anyone. All that is left for me now is to wait for 13-2 and versus 13… Expand

I really thought this game was quite fun, and it takes a long time to finish (around about 45-55 hours).
I can see why some people don't like it, but i don't agree. One of my favourites, personally.

Best Rol game of this generation.
Square did a masterpiece.

Despite being a polarized Final Fantasy, especially for letting many elements of previous titles aside, there is much to enjoy in Final Fantasy XIII. With a fast and functional battle system, flawless artistic direction, great narrative and a high quality soundtrack, Square-Enix proves that traditions are not necessary to forge an excellent game in the series.

Before I write the review I just have to say FFXIII trolls give this game way too much crap. This game is a great game, the linearity was not a huge issue. It's just westerners have gotten used to these WRPGs where you have a wide open world that you can easily get lost in (literally), not to mention the story is usually lacking. So the bad reviews is just westerners complaining that the JRPG is a different type of RPG. Also, the FF fanbase is very split and conflicted. If Square does one thing then half are going to be pleased and half not pleased. Honestly, I think you can't ever please more than 60% of the fanbase at one time anymore because we all want different things. Now on to the review.......Final Fantasy XIII is another great addition to the franchise. The story is a compelling tale and the characters play well off of eachother. The only short coming is Vanille's high pitched voice, but thats the voice coach's fault for wanting it that way. The characters are well developed and you see the main protagonist mature through the course of the game. The combat is fantastic, very flashy and fun, as well as fast-paced. It offers a refreshing change up for the series. The music is good also, but not quite up to what Nobuo Uematsu has offered for previous installments. That doesn't stop the soundtrack from being good, though. There are also over 60 sidequests to indulge in when you get the chance which offer plenty of post-story play. Final Fantasy XIII's more streamlined nature pays off in this epic tale of heroism.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of the best games of this generation of consoles. Beautiful graphics, interesting story, great world, deep characters, nice battle system.

Only - is closed-corridors levels.… Expand

Final Fantasy XIII is a game that has garnered quite a bit of backlash for largely misunderstood reasons. The game is linear yes, is that a negative aspect of the game? no it is not. Is the plot really that convoluted? no it isn't, you aren't even required to read the datalog that so many people dislike. The story of Final Fantasy XIII is it's strong point. The main character of the game is a young woman named Lightning. The story begins with her attempt to rescue her younger sister from the clutches of a god like being known as a fal'Cie. From there Lightning and her friends are put on the path of an adventure that will test both their battle prowess and who they are as human beings, calling into questions their morals. The battle system is a fresh take on the ATB system. Being able to que up to six consecutive attacks is something that the series has needed for a long time. The system revolves around two things, first is the paradigm shift system, which is the roles that you assign to your characters, second is the stagger meter, a bar that once full staggers said opponent and lowers their defence allowing you to inflict massive damage. The battle system has been criticized by "fans" of the series saying that it only consists of pressing X. That is not true but even if it were, what series have they been playing for all these years? Every FF game requires an over abundance of the use of X, that is just selective whining. XIII will require you to use the L1, directional pad and X in battle, not just one, unless you want to lose that is. The biggest bright points among Final Fantasy XIII when compared to the rest of the series is the protagonist of the game, Lightning, the character development of the party and their interactions of a group. Lightning has been compared to Cloud on a lot of message boards, but that isn't an apt comparison, there is a world of difference between the two. The development and characterization that Lightning undergoes through the game is a lot more human than anything Cloud has to offer. She is a very strong female lead that is so relatable that almost any player should be able to relate to her. The character development of the party as a whole is done a lot better than in previous iterations. Each character will come to realizations throughout the quest that will change who they are and how they view the world. The chemistry of the group also makes their interactions that much more meaningful. Another criticism is just how linear the game is. It's true that the game is indeed linear but it is done for a purpose. Final Fantasy XIII is a story driven game, moreso than it's predecessors. The linearity of the game is used as a story telling tool to help put you into Lightning and co's shoes. They are on the run and have no where to go but forward, they cannot stop to shop and lolly gag in towns because they are fugitives. The game is simply being realistic in it's plot and should be commended for taking such an effective approach to telling the story of Lightning so that you could relate to her situation and how she would be feeling. The soundtrack is also top notch, including beautiful orchestral pieces that fit perfectly with each scene. It adds another layer to the storytelling. Overall Final Fantasy XIII deserves a ten out of ten for it's epic plot, memorable protagonist and addicting battle system. There is not a better release in the series than this one. Definitely worth playing through.… Expand

This game needs to be enjoyed for what it is, not despised for what it isn't. On its own merits, I found this game to be incredibly enjoyable. The story was good and surprisingly character-driven when you think about it. The battle system, as has been noted, is great. The battles are the best of any FF game yet. I'm not going to complain about the lack of exploration in this game because that isn't what the game is about. The first five hours or so really stink. I felt that I was being treated like a bit of an idiot. The end makes up for that. Great game... though all-in-all not as compelling as X or XII.… Expand

Well worth its money. The graphics are stunning to say the least. The battlesystem is by far the best I've ever used. It's never boring, and it combines fast-paced action with tactic. I've a hard time seeing some "noob" being able to finish some bosses (without grinding for X hours), since it requires a deep understanding of the game mechanics. It's true that the game is alot of cinematics and fighting, and little else. Personally I don't have any problems with this, and neither should any true RPG-lover. The characters are good, and the story tight. However, for the first 25hrs (50-60% of the game), you don't really get alot of freedom in anything. This will change as you arrive at Gran Pulse, where you'll be able to take up a great deal of sidequests (even if they all are about "kill this mob for me"), which rewards you with nice stuff. All in all, it's a great game if you enjoy long stories with engaging characters and some j-grinding! … Expand

A truly excellent title with the feel of Final Fantasy 10 in terms of camera or graphics, with the classic sensibilities from Final Fantasy 7, 8, and 10 that is most obvious in the characters or environments that I found to be immensely entertaining and likable. Each character has a complex background story to them as well which pushes the epic, lore-rich story further along. The only problems are the quite often insanely hard battles, mostly the boss battles, but this finally makes strategy an important option by finally forcing you to use Elemental Resistance accessories you'd never use in other RPG's; even buffs such as Protect or Shell which you'd never use in some Final Fantasy games. Another problem is the slow starting point to the game, where the game follows a linear path for the first 15 hours or so, but it slowly opens up and gets better as you gain more abilities at your disposal and the beautiful world opens up to you. It is understandable for some to not like this game, but many Final Fantasy fans and veterans such as me will love this game! For newcomers, a lore rich world and intense combat system awaits!… Expand

Quite good overall. I expect a lot of traditional fans will not like it as much as previous titles due to the gameplay changes (honestly it almost handles more like a recent-gen Shin Megami Tensei title). That said, it is - of course - very pretty, and the characters are engaging and likable. Those saying the plot and map are too linear must have chronic amnesia, as 13 is really no more linear a plot or map than 10 was and it does nothing to detract from the story - which is the whole idea. Kudos, Square, I liked this one and will be replaying it.… Expand

I must be missing something. This, to me, is the best RPG to come out in a long time. Possible dislikes: Battle system due to it being rather new, and the linearity. I'll start with the battle system. Generally speaking, you're not choosing each character's actions, since the auto select is intelligent enough and you want to keep the chain level high. But really, you're avoiding grunt work, and making higher level decisions about the way you want your party to work together. And, strange as it may seem, I found this to be the most strategic and engaging battle system that I've ever seen in an RPG. The linearity thing... well, I haven't gotten all the way through yet, though I'm sure that at some point soon I'll be getting an airship or something. I don't stress linearity in RPGs - they're all going to the same ending. They've been programmed in advance, people. Actually, I'd rather have an RPG that revels in its linearity, making one very strong core story (FFXIII is the most mature/followable story in the franchise as far as I can tell), as opposed to giving the illusion of control at the expense of real quality story telling. Anyway, I think that FFXIII is the best RPG I've played in over 10 years. I just get the feeling that square/enix paid the wrong people to write reviews, or didn't pay the right people. I truly don't understand how reviewers can have such high praise for anything Bioware, and then turn around and spit on this amazing game.… Expand

The story is gripping and immediately accessible. More-so than previous games in the series. It has likable characters that all compliment each other very well to create an intriguing ensemble. The new battle system is arguably the most exciting in the series although it does take a long time to get going. You are very much molly coddled for a long time at the start until you get to an adequate level. A very good game that has all the components to be exceptional. The linearity of large parts of the early game do feel like a step back in terms of gameplay but this is for the benefit of the story and character development. If Gaming is to be seen as a serious media form then all aspects of this game are an excellent example to all those nay sayers of fantastic story telling intermingled with intelligent game play.… Expand

Its a beautiful game, but it fails in the aspect that it is too linear and it still does not beat FFVII for story and variety. The battle system, while no doubt some will love it and some will hate it, i was disappointed by it. These flaws are i can only give it a 9

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Not great, not the worst. Graphics and OST are breathtaking, the storyline is good, although a little bit weird and twisted in the end. The fighting system was awkward at first but nice once you had trained it for some hours. The worst is the lack of secondary missions.… Expand

I really don`t know why people hate this game so much, i know ff xiii isn`t ff vii i know lightning is`nt cloud but you can`t pass your entire life waiting for a remake, ff xiii innovates and refresh the jrpg concept and that what square enix said before launching the game, in ten years this game will be remembered like one of the most underrated ff ever just for the obsession with cloud and company.… Expand

This game is a good game. The combat is certainly very boring if you choose auto-battle but if you actually choose your attacks (Yes you can do this) it becomes more challenging and certainly more engaging as you need to make quick decisions based on what enemies you are facing. I for one liked the characters and felt that they all developed well throughout the story which was overall, very entertaining. People complain about the linearity but I for one don't see it as so much of a problem, FFX was linear too and has a large group of stalwart fans. It does get tedious at some points in the beginning but the fact that they have such an amazing graphics engine and that the scenery is so interesting helped me keep going. Each area has a fitting and well composed theme, the enemy designs are detailed and interesting. Unfortunately the best part comes towards the end, when the game world opens up a little and you get sent on side quests somewhat reminiscent of the Hunts from FFXII. The main problem with this game is the Final Fantasy title. This game would have done well and sold well on it's own merits, (not as well as it did but certainly not abysmally.), but by making it a Final Fantasy game Square instantly set it up to be compared against it's predecessors. When you do that, there are many more Final Fantasy titles I would recommend before this one, I still do recommend it but there are definitely others you should play first. However I am very glad to see that Square is listening to their fans and are making XIII-2 into what this game should have been. Adding what they left out and refining that which needed it. At $20 this game is worth picking up for what it is, not for what the other Final Fantasy games are.… Expand

I just can't understand why the bad reviews. People seem to go all fanboy when a new game of a saga comes out, and something has been changed. I've played all Final Fantasy games up to date in all different Playstation and Xbox formats. People complain that the combat system has changed, that the maps have changed, that the eidolons have changed... well, let me tell you that the way of playing games have changed. I'm about 30 hours into this game and it plays beautifully: combats require some party preparation and although you can only control the leader, to tweak the AI and to administrate all the combat profiles is part of the game. The new combat system takes from the player all the boring management and just lets them get in what they like, to fight.

Technically, this game is constantly impressing me. Final Fantasy games are known for being epic and spectacular, but FF XIII has just gone over all that. It's like on a different level from any other thing. Beautiful graphics, masterpiece soundtrack, amazing motion capture, and a catchy storyline. It's hard to get better than this in terms of production quality. Too hard.

Fan gamers will just not even give this an opportunity, or even if they do, they'll be so stubborn about it being different that they'll be stuck. I think SquareEnix has done a great done adapting the Final Fantasy saga to mechanics with which players are more comfortable these days. And that's not bad, that's improvement.

The only drawback of it, and the reason why I don't give a 10, is that enhancing the weapons, and knowing which ones to use, where to get them, or how to optimize them can be a very intrincate task. It's as if you really couldn't figure it out without a guide.

Do yourself a favor: don't listen to the fanboys, don't compare it with old Final Fantasy games, and play it. It'll submerge you in a fantastic experience you won't regret.… Expand

Final Fantasy XIII is a beautiful RPG game with a easy to learn battle system and impressive graphics, with all this comes a great story that will really touch your heart as every character brings so much life into the game and some you might even relate too. This game is a very fun game to play,you might spend atleast 50+ hours on your first playthrough and by that time you feel attached to the hero's of this story. As for its flaws there are no shops and the game is very linear well untill you pop in disc 3 then you see a huge world full of life but these are its only flaws i have seen but overall this is a must have for RPG lovers and Final fantasy fans.… Expand

One of the best games I have ever played. While it is not perfect, it is a very engaging and interesting play. The main problem people seemed to have with it is that "it's not like the other FF games", but that is the point. Innovation can only happen if something differs. This doesn't mean it's a bad game. The story is completely amazing and it wouldn't be possible if the game would not follow on a "rail" for the first chapters. It is a worthy sacrifice for a deep story of this kind.
Visually there is no need to talk about anything. It looks gorgeous, just brilliant. I love the look of the game. The soundtrack and the effects have me enchanted as well. I'm still listening to tracks from the OST, especially Snow's Theme and Lightning's Theme are very awesome songs.
Gameplay-wise it is different from previous FF games. The combat is semi-real time, but pretty fast. Player's have to switch between paradigms to overcome different obstacles in enemies or bosses. I really love the combat system after I got used to it. It is very versatile, retains the tactical element of turn based combat, even adds a new layer with the paradigm system, but is more engaging than normal turn-based combat. The amount of text in the game is astounding as well. There is so much information about the world, the events, the characters and everything to read, it was a paradise for an avid reader like myself. The game also opens up largely in the last chapters and actually continues on after you finish the story. A chunk of content is only accessible after you finish the last bosses, because that opens up the last level of character upgrades, which allows you to go on a hunt for the biggest enemies in the game. It is a game with hundreds of hours worth of gameplay, a super-engaging and beautiful story, an amazing combat system and amazing graphics. I don't know how people cannot like it!… Expand

This is the first Final Fantasy I have ever played, I expected a huge open world with towns, side quests among other things. However, there was none at all. You start off (after some Jaw-dropping cut-scenes) with the most basic moves of "Attack" as the game teaches you about this new battle system. This lead me to run in a very straight line and fight battles again and again with no idea of the characters or the story. By chapter 3, thankfully, you begin to understand what the game is about. The boss fights are pretty epic and will keep you entertained, but the fight that get you there will wear you out a lot. The story more than makes up for this though.

The game teaches you about the Paradigm System which changes a group of roles within a party. This makes you focus on switching between offensive and defensive strategies causing the battles to be a lot more fluid. I highly enjoyed this over the turn-based system I expected. It wasn't fun but it was tolerable. Mind you, you might not be able to play the game for more than an hour without it boring you.

The story and graphics are what this game is made for. The story is dramatic and touching (but can go overboard at times) as well as great CG cut scenes which I looked forward to as well. A Data-log option also keeps you up to date with any confusion you have which helped me hugely half way through the game. It's a game that rewards you as you play more, however I hated the first 10 hours. As i went through it i was entertained by the personalities of the different characters and how real they felt. Vanille was hugely annoying though. She never shut up. This will probably be the only Final Fantasy game i will ever play and i really did enjoy it. Its a game that i will remember. The criticisms of this game really does confuse me but I guess we are all entitled to our opinion!… Expand

This is the Avatar of video games. With jaw-dropping graphics, beautiful music, and incredibly well crafted and detailed environments, FFXIII is THE best looking and best sounding games EVER. OF ALL TIME. Another thing that is incredible is the magnificent, and emotionally capturing story and the colorful and memorable characters that we have come to expect from all the final fantasy titles. Not to mention the impressive, fun and challenging battle system. The things that annoy me about this game are that some of the dialogue is stupid, random, and corny( much like other Japanese games) and the 50 hour story may be a bit much for some gamers. Other than that, great game.… Expand

A solid final fantasy experience, graphics and presntation are out of this world and the battle system is well thought out and brings in a number of different tactics for different situations. The story is involving and the voice acting is good for the most part. Unfortunatly it's just missing the charm of its predecessors, and thats why it can't be scored as highly.

First off the Visuals are the BEST on the 360! There is no discerning between cut scenes and actual game play. The only jaggies can be seen when you move the camera closeup on the character and you get some straight line animations on the arms. But that really is a mute point as the characters look superb close up as the do far away! Graphics:10 So far missions have felt short and simple. I use auto battle the most as I just want to watch the great graphics but for those who want to get into the nitty gritty they can customize and slow down the battle. I really REALLY want to control the character. I want to battle myself, pushing buttons to punch or another button the slash, or that special button to achieve a special skill,but sadly it is not there. Basically just Que up what you want and sit back and watch. The early bosses look like they will be Huge challenges but often then not they are just as easy as early soldiers. Also sometimes during battles your star system is based on how quick you beat the bad guys, so to be perfect in stars you want to win as quick as possible. Also drops from battles can be incredible items, to nothing dropped, though this gets better as you progress through the game, as one would expect! Game Play: 7.5 Story Line can be somewhat confusing. Make sure you push that Y button on the 360 quite a bit and read the story progress as you may get somewhat lost. I would much have rather watched cut scenes then read this lengthy book they have, as it can take you out of the heat of the moment, but at least it is included. There are a few characters that will pull at your heart strings, but sometimes your left wondering why that character just behave that way, over all though it doesn't put a damper on the game play, though it does take you out of it due to all the reading. I feel this is the biggest fault of the game! Story:6 Camera Control, can be VERY frustrating. I find myself, clicking the stick to re-center the camera quite a bit. I wished often that I could just go into First person mode, and look at all the gorgeous detail instead of being stuck in this third person mode. Also looking at enemies in your data bank will find you wanting to zoom in and rotate, but forget it, your stuck with just a static view, that you can't zoom in on or rotate. Camera 7 Finally the downside to some is the discs, there are 3 for the 360. This has no effect on me, and I have not installed the game, and I just play it from discs. Overall this is a GREAT game for the 360, and should be the standard for all games of this type moving forward. Take note of some of the small flaws of this game and the next game of this type would be almost perfect. Final Fantasy fans will buy this no question, but if your not into this type of game, you will be blown away by the gorgeous visuals and be left scratching your head about the story line and frustrated over really wanting to get into the fight, so you may want to rent before diving in on the purchase. For me this was a Midnight buy and I have been enjoying it, with just a few wishes and complaints before the game moves on to another gorgeous site!… Expand

Overall I'd say thusfar it's a fairly decent game. The graphics are beautiful and the battle system is well laid out. Character Development isn't too shabby but the storyline hasn't fully sucked me in not quite yet. Hopefully it'll improve over time, but for now it seems a bit linear and a bit predictable at times. Overall I'd still say not a bad installment to the series.… Expand

This game will lose points with people for its linear nature and advanced battle system. But all I can say is I love it. It has that excellent character development and story that you expect with a Final Fantasy. The sound track is great, again, as you would expect from a FF. The controls and camera can be annoying but its not a huge issue. This is a good game that I would recomend to any fan of the Final Fantasy series.… Expand

While the fan reaction to Final Fantasy XIII is one of the most polarized that a Final Fantasy game has seen since the arrival of Final Fantasy IX, I find myself firmly on the fence. It's a great RPG, but it takes a lot of rather daunting risks with the traditional formula that fans have come to expect. Unsurprisingly, not all of them turn up roses.

I liked the game and instantly loved some of the characters, but for some reason it didn't really keep my attention like Final Fantasy X or X-2 did, this one seems....dull in some areas. Don't get me wrong, i'm very happy i bought but this game reminds me of Final Fantasy 7 (the newer version 1), after i beat the game once, i never touched it game. This game is sorta the same, i may play it over, but eh.… Expand

Being the newest game in one of the most beloved and successful video game series is never easy and while XIII doesn't hold a candle to the best FF titles, it is still a good game in its own right. The first note to make has to be regarding the fantastic visuals which are some of the best of this console generation. However, visuals are not why FF games are so popular. The real point of interest is the combat. The paradigm system is a fresh take on the job system generally associated with III and V. Characters switch roles in the heat of battle, meaning a constant creating and revision of strategy, adding depth and complexity to fighting. The crystarium is very similar to the sphere grid of FFX so it is not a revolution in player growth. The story is much more character driven than other FF games with each struggling with problems connected to others in the group. Though it sags in the third act, the story is much more mature and modern than that of other games in the series. With a combination of graphics, gameplay and story, on paper this looks like an instant classic. FFXIII's real problem is in its mishandling of these elements. The camera is constantly trying to direct the player to the scenery and the visual dazzle occasionally overwhelms and prevents immersion. The game takes too long to reveal all elements of its battle system, withholding the ability to change roles and leaders until certain sections of the game. The characters personal conflicts take much too long to resolve themselves, usually because a character is too afraid to speak up. Though I liked most of the characters, Vanille was unbearable, with an optimistic attitude that is completely at odds with the story and the rest of the characters. This game will divide fans who question whether this is a game worth of the FF name. But to do this game justice, gamers should judge FFXIII on what it is and not on what it isn't.… Expand

Pros: Superbly beautiful graphics, scenery, cutscenes, and fairly interesting story. Plays out like a movie. Offers a truly unique experience from other video games. Cons: Is not true to franchise, simple combat, sidequests and exploration are nonexistant. Character building is also linear meaning no replayability. Barely counts as an RPG.

Overall: I think FFXIII is a refreshingly unique experience. I think it was cool to see a game play out like a movie, but at the same time I would not want all my games to do such.… Expand

While a departure from the series the game, when taken as a stand alone, is very fun to play, especially in the later chapters. That said, the early chapters do tend to drag a bit, with the exposition being laid on much slower than it could have been. The characters, as a whole, seem to be a matter of taste. While some may find them quite enjoyable, others will detest them. The plot is nothing new for a Final Fantasy, though the gameplay offers some fun challenges, though again later on (5-6 of 13 chapters are overtly simple to play.) Overall, if you tend toward RPGs, specifically JRPGs, then this is a solid, enjoyable title.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Please everyone stop hating because of the terrible start. After a while the story will come together and you will get a chance to explore. You will finally understand the fal'cie l'cie cie'th pulse and all the stuff like that. But if you rented this game you wouldn't get a chance to get to that bit.
Overall not as good as e.g. X or VII but still a great game… Expand

As an Action RPG game goes, this game was great! As an RPG game goes, it was just meh. I agree that a true RPG has to be completely open and let you do whatever you want whenever you want and this includes exploring towns, talking to random people and so on. I found it funny that some of my friends didn't like it because they couldn't think quickly enough to play this game, especially during battle. All they did was Auto-attack the entire time. I only auto-attacked in the beginning when you have no other attacks and didn't know what I was doing. Then I started developing strategies and it became a lot more fun. I would have liked this game to have more sidequests earlier on, but I can deal with major exploring during the later portions of the game. The graphics were AMAZING! being my first Final Fantasy game, I was astounded at the movie scenes, the in-game graphics and gameplay graphics. There weren't really any glitching enemies or characters. I didn't notice the lip-dubbing too often, it was only certain times that I really noticed it. The characters are great in that you really get attached to them. They grow throughout the game, especially Hope, Sazh and Lightning. The main character starts off stoic, but becomes more open and more "real" as the game progresses. I take away some points from the score because you don't really get to control your party until the 10th chapter and the game doesn't really open up until even later.… Expand

I was new to the genre and was blown away. Everything from combat to the art felt amazing. The storyline is set and you do not get to change it anyhow, it is on rails and you´re just moving along rails, the dialogues are sometimes poor and the over-the-top emotions do feel a bit awkward, but it has a certain naive charm that made me love it. And the music is brilliant.

7.6/10. I've put in around 20 hours into the game and really dont wanna to keep going anymore. It's the most linear game I have ever played besides FPS. I just dont understand how the developers thought keeping the game linear for 20 hours and still not opening up is beyond me. The combat system is actually fun, but the linearity of it all... ruins the whole experience. Play it for the graphics and CGI effects. I played it on the 360 and it looks alright, but there are a lot of jaggies. Playing the 13-2 demo on my new ps3, I can tell there's a huge difference.… Expand

I thought I had totally given up on Final Fantasy. X is one of my all-time favorite games, but XI and XII were absolutely awful. XIII definitely has its ups and downs. The characters are just ok, linear gameplay, and the story was clearly written by someone on crystal meth. However, the graphics, sleek menus, and above all...the combat were top notch. The combat is bar none my favorite of any RPG. Had the combat been different, I probably would have rated this game a 2. I finished the game in a week logging around 50 hours and had a blast doing it.… Expand

II liked the games story and combat but got really repetitive.

The problem with this game, was that it was way too linear. Square Enix basically made a game compromising of 13 chapters and about 50 side quests, and then they made the players wait till Chapter 11 before they could even start doing any of the 50 side quests. Their justification for this was that the combat system is completely new to the series, and that players need extra time to learn it, but they took it a bit too far, forcing us to play past 40 hours of content before the real game began.
But if we set that aside, everything else about the game is amazing. I did everything in this game. The strongest monster in the game was a big harmless grass eating turtle, who was so massive you had to break it's legs before it would fall down and then you could deal damage to it's head. I thought that was kinda unnecessary and a bit over the top, but go figure.
I loved the story and loved the combat system past the first 40 hours. 8/10 for the Xbox version as it's graphics are not as good as the PS3 versions.… Expand

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

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.

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

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 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

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 24/7 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

Well, I think LONG, would be one word to describe this game, which is by no means a bad thing. I think it's best if I start with the game's negatives first. To start with, I think that the game is indeed extremely linear. There aren't really any "towns" or really any places to actually talk to anybody. All that the game mainly consists of is you moving through a relatively straightforward area to the next fight, cutscene, or next area. The tutorial is ridiculously long, consisting of the first 6 or so hours of the game and the storyline during the tutorial doesn't really pick up much either. One thing that I will say about the game is that the battles tend to rail on your nerves at certain times. There is no blurred line when it comes to battling; either you annihiliate the monster/boss or the monster/boss annihiliates you. Some of the battle encounters are more luck than strategy and skill, with you praying that the monster won't use that one special move that downs your leader in one hit with absolutely nothing you can do about it. Or how some monsters/bosses have just enough damage to down your entire party in two hits, causing you to be thrown into what I like to call a "healing rut", where you can barely heal just in time to be struck again by the same move, causing you to have to heal over and over without dealing any damage back. Another thing in my opinion that is a negative is some of the characters. I think that half of the characters are likeable and the other half could die in a fire and I really wouldn't care too much. But, then again, I've seen worse characters in other games, and they do compliment the story well. The last thing, and this is just for achievement whores such as myself, is obviously the achievements. Most of them require dozens of hours to get and basically ask you to play the game for hours even after you've beaten the game. Now to move on to the positives. First, the graphics are astounding. The cinematics look amazing and the cutscenes look like some other games' cinematics. The storyline is very engrossing and although it is not as emotional as for instance, Final Fantasy X, it still manages to touch you on a deeper scale. The battles are extremely fun when you're not getting squashed in one hit, and all of the attacks and techniques look awesome. Some of the monsters in the game are very creative and others are a little cliche. The upgrade/stat system (Crystarium) is basically a prettier version of Final Fantasy X's and works the same. The weapon and accessory upgrade system needs some improvements, but still manages to get the job done. Overall, this game is definitely in the same spirit as other Final Fantasies and is highly recommended to fans of the series or anyone looking for a good JRPG. It does not appeal, however, to novice RPG fans, and most should probably stay away from this one. The graphics are great, the combat is fun (most of the time), the cutscenes drive the engrossing story forward, and you definitely get your money's worth from this game, seeing as how it's so long.… Expand

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 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

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 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

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-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

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

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 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

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 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

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

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

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

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.

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.

The game has an alright story that only picks up after the first half of the game. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 are very boring to play. Only at about Chapter 10 or 11 is where the story picks up.

The last boss is pathetically easy, I'm not gonna give out spoilers, but he is ridiculously easy. Then you get the final Crystarium Upgrade and you can do post-game. Well, there isn't a whole lot to do in post-game. When I beat the game, I told myself that I was going to get Platinum on this game. I never got Platinum because post game is just farming turtles to get Trapezohedrons and Platinum Ingots. Apart from that there is the 64 Cie'th Missions which are all exactly the same - go kill this monster, you get a reward. It got so tedious and boring, I don't play it anymore. Also, the amount of damage you can deal in comparison to the average enemies health after you've maxed Crystarium is ridiculous. If an enemy had say, 4 million health, I could take it out in 2 and a bit turns if I dealt max damage with all characters I had on the field.

It does have brilliant graphics, superb cutscenes, though they are a bit melodramatic, the menu and level up system is good aswell.… Expand

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.

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

A convoluted story and a linear initial 30 hours is saved by an incredibly fun and strategic battle system and jaw-dropping graphics. The only real aspect that defines XIII as a Final Fantasy title is the focus on the bond between the six main heroes trying to save their incredible world, despite what little we see of it. Other than that, the music, lack of towns, minimal npc interaction, nonexistent puzzles and minigames all help XIII twist staples of the series (and genre) around to a great degree. Nonetheless a solidly fleshed out world remains, as self-contained and bloated with its own lore as it may be.… Expand

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

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.

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 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

I will always give a Final fantasy game a chance but i really could have lived without this one.

With that being said after the famed 25-28 hour mark where the world opens up, the beauty that this game could have been all a long shines through. The problem is that i HATED the first 25 hours of this game and found myself just rushing past Gran Pulse to just finish it and after that i lost interest after maybe 5 hours in Gran Pulse (which looks like it would take another 25-30 of side questing to finish).

Combats different which is not the best out of all FF's but different is sorely needed in games now days and i support changing it up.

The reason i'm reviewing this game late is because i recently decided to give 13-2 a chance and Square Enix completely redeemed themselves and then some. Please do not miss FF 13-2, it is the first truly epic FF experience i have been waiting for in a long while(minus the ending).… Expand

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

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

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. I9;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

The Bad: Bland characters; bland, linear story; forgettable main villains; forgettable music; and weak gameplay for the most part, though there were some pretty challenging battles at the end of the game, especially if you try to 5 star every Hunt (getting 1000 gamerpoints on this game is no joke!!! Took me over 100 hours!). Good: Graphics. Seriously, the only thing that is above average is the graphics, but even those are not the best out there (Mass Effect 2 has better graphics for example). FF13 is like a pretty car with nothing under the hood (that's one good way to describe it). I generally like linear JRPGs, but FF13 takes linear to a whole new extreme - you just walk down straight corridors! There is no exploration until the very end. I actually did like the battle system some, but it is not nearly as good the Final Fantasys of old. Why are they trying to fix what was never broken? My favorite FF game is FFIV for the Nintendo DS (Kain is my favorite character of all time!), and I also loved FFVI on the SNES (Kefka is the greatest villain of all time!). This game is a joke compared to FFIV and FFVI.… Expand

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 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

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

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

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...

Gamepro descriped this game best: "a long hallway toward an orange target symbol on your mini-map that triggers a cutscene, a boss fight, or both. Frankly for the first six chapters I thought this game had longest tutorial ever, with total lack of towns, exploration or people to talk to. In short anything fun. There are some good points in the game of course. Story isn't horrible, it isn't anything to write home about either, and combat is much improved, however all together game is just bad even with all the improvements. If you want to play final fantasy I suggest you play any other number from I-XII, they are all better than this one.… Expand

The worst FF yet. Square has taken its "can do no wrong franchise" and experimented it out of the whole "RPG' pigeon hole. sure its pretty, and the voice acting is top noch, but its more a "interactive story" now, with an akwardly placed 100 side quests tossed in around chapter 11. not that they are really side quests, rather just hunting missions. it takes 2 hour to just get to the point where you can start leveling up. Summons are pointless and do less damage than nomal attacks, limit breaks are gone and weapon crafting is frustrating as for the vast majority of the game you cannot earn any money. even now at a cheap $20, i feel ripped off. avoid this game, and square enix as a whole. This company has bit the farm as far as i am concerned. I am baffeled that the same company that made my beloved FF tactics, FF 7, FF9, Crono Trigger, Crono Cross, Xenogears,and FF10 are the same folks that churned out this crap.… Expand

Not a great game. Final fantasy producers should be ashamed of themselves. When you look at the games they produced in the past eg the one with sin, waca and yuna, see i still even remember the names of the characters. I couldnt name a single character from the last 3 final fantasy releases. The reason for there complete and utter failure in recent years is quite simple, they are investing heavily in graphics at the expense of good rpg gameplay. Would not recommend playing this game.… Expand

Ill start by saying I was a massive fan of near enough every final fantasy game before this (except XI) but I must say that this game is nothing like the other games. This is a very bad thing . there is no over world it is soooo linear and also the battle system is terrible

Nonsensical story telling, bland two dimensional characters and gameplay which more often than not boils down to mashing the A button until it's over. The game is horrendously on rails with nothing to do bar hunt marks once the main story line is done. Graphics are excellent, but that's about it. The battke system shows some ingenuity, but sadly utterly fails to capture all but the most basic stratergy and tactics. A true dissapointment and a new lowpoint for the series. Easily the worst of the series so far.… Expand

Poor story, too much auto combat options, little exploration, good art & movie animations, graphics good.

This game starts out in all the excitement of a new "Final Fantasy" release, but i'm afraid the more you play it the more disappointed you will feel. In the end the game drags to the point were it feels more like a obligation to try and finish it that a desire. Liked it? - It was DISAPPOINTING.… Expand

Final Fantasy XIII is a pretty game but it lacks all the elements that make a Final Fantasy game good. The characters are boring, unmemorable and at some points even annoying. Lightning is a perfect female replica of Cloud if you take away all of the details that make Cloud interesting. The game is extremely linear and even when you reach Pulse. The battle system is extremely annoying because your party tends to randomly wander around the field and that causes problems during many boss battles when a boss is able to do damage over a specific piece of area. Leveling up is also annoying in the game because you have to use the crystal system. It's not the worst game I've ever played but it's nowhere near the excellence of the games 7 to 10 of the Final Fantasy series.… Expand

This title contains the worst character design and dialog I've seen from Square Enix, and possibly the worst in a modern AAA game. There is no camp value to be had from the playable characters -- they are unlikable in the extreme. The plot and dialog is just awful; it's so bad I can't play this when others are around -- it's just too embarrassing. These would be forgivable sins, but for the fact that the title is in love with its own awful brand of storytelling. About the only positive thing to say about the game… Expand

Emo Hallway Simulator 13 is one of the most dissappointing games I've played in years. There isn't much good to say about the gameplay itself. The storyline is worse than laughably bad, the characters are over-emotional and terribly annoying, the graphics are so-so, sound and music are lazy, the cut scenes get stale very quickly, the new fighting system results in mindless button mashing.... all that aside the real tradgedy of this game is how it has exposed the unapologetic scam that is the game-review industry. It is beyond me how any professional outfit could rate this junk higher than even a 7/10, yet I'm seeing 10/10s everywhere. Shame on you world.… Expand

Uttter **** the first 6 hours you constantly spam one button and run along a linear corridor, later in the game you can switch stances witch only is useful between the boss fights aka "hours of boring bull**** for some other bull****".

The story is only good for weaaboos.

Beautiful beautiful game with some fairly decent voice acting. However, that's where the positive parts of my review end. The story, such an important part of a Final Fantasy game, is so obscure and indecipherable in XIII that at certain points I was completely and utterly lost. The thing is, the story is actually quite straight forward, it's just the game is so poorly written that I found myself relying on online wikis just to understand it. This isn't helped by some terrible cut scenes that occur at a phenomenal rate. In fact the first 15-20 hours (maybe more) of XIII consist of walking down a corridor from cutscene A to cutscene B. Square Enix could have got away with this if they had created characters that are in any way likeable, but no, again, failure on all fronts. Every character is either depressed and/or completely deluded. They constantly moan about how terrible their lives are which just isn't fun to watch. This is the first final fantasy game where I have detested every single character. As for the battle system, well it's incredibly boring. The paradigm change thing feels very derivative and really limits your character customization. Also, the auto-attack function is just depressing. The game actually tells you what combination of attacks or abilities to use. Of course you can ignore it, but all so very often it's telling you to do what you were already planning, so you just hit auto-attack again, and again, and again, until your health is low and you switch to medic and back again, rinse and repeat. It is extremely boring. Also, you can only control one character in your party of three at any one time while the other two are controlled by the AI, which is disgraceful. Never have I seen a game series become so tremendously dumbed down to the point where the game doesn't need you to proceed. The character progression has also become linear and tremendously unexciting. The weapon crafting is also horrendous and almost completely obsolete. It's also very ugly and boring to use. There are also no towns or NPCs to speak to, no side missions to flesh out the world or add depth to the story, and, contrary to believe, no breaks from the linear formula of the game. Yes you do eventually get to a rather large green area with big monsters that look great. The problem is, there's pretty much nothing to do. Yes you can indulge in some monster hunting like Final Fantasy 12, but it's so charmless and quickly just becomes a list of things to spam auto-attack at to make dead. It has none of the charm of Final Fantasy 12. In this big area there is nothing exciting to explore, no cool items or summons to find or anything else really. Basically this large area that comes into the game after torturous corridor crawling is completely shallow. All style, zero substance. Honestly this game is a travesty. I hear there's a sequel coming out this month? Why Square Enix? Why on earth would you not want to ditch this horrid world and move onto something new?! Apart from some actually very pretty graphics, this is an excruciatingly boring and shallow game.… Expand

Awful game. Captures non of the magic of FFVII, the only final fantasy game I ever liked. This game sucks in everyway possible, a game can suck. I cant even face playing it just for the achievements. It

I am really disappointed.. I really enjoyed playing FF XII. FF VII I played through 10 times or so. This is really the worst Final Fantasy game I have ever tried. By far, the worst, no question. It feels like a job getting through this game. The graphics are not even that good. There is no way they make up for the horrible game play. The first time I saw the Odin sommon I nearly through my controler it looked so stupid. When you play this game and tell yourself that some things were sacrificed for graphics, then see the horse make the awkward turn, it will make you so mad. You run from movie to movie with very little interaction. Seriously, you tap "X" ("A" on XBOX) over and over. It almost relieving when you die becuase you know you finally get to think. Each movie looks good I guess but this whole game has removed the player completely. Whoever gave this game a good review works for Square. If I wanted to watch a movie, i would put in a DVD! Final Fantasy 12 made leaps and bounds for the series. The annoying screen glass shattering and fighting music started got really old in the previous games. FF 12 got rid of that and allowed you to run during battle. As a player, you could control so much more. How can you go from a game that made so many improvments, to this piece of garbage? They brought back all that was bad and kept non that was good. If you want to make a game with good graphics, re-make FF VII, or ANY final fantasy game from 1 to 8. Seriously, anything would have been better. I will never buy a new FF game again. I was so looking forward to this and it is a huge let down. I gave this game a 2 because of the name and in respect to the series as a whole. It was the best video game series of all time but this game ruined that.… Expand

This is just not a good game. It might have made a good movie (indeed, the graphics are phenomenal), but FFXIII, to the extent that one even "plays" it, is a very poor game. The voice acting is absolutely, positively atrocious. The writing is equally awful. Dialogue is disjointed, nonsensical and usually just silly (but not in the entertaining way). The characters are incredibly annoying, and the story doesn't make sense through most of the game. Combat is streamlined to the point of pointlessness. The leveling system is almost completely linear. There are no sidequests other than "Hunts" similar those in FFXII, but you don't access those until almost 30 hours in. There is no true "open ended" part of the game, where you are free to roam the entire universe of the game. There is nothing at all to redeem the completely lackluster experience of "playing" this game. And I cannot stress enough how poor the writing and voice acting are.… Expand

New update review: I decided to give 13 another shot since my previous criticism was slightly biased. After 8-10 hours of gameplay, it is still a piece of absolute crap. I'll get the good parts out.:Graphics are astonishingly beautiful, the combat system is quite decent and the soundtrack is awesome. Now to the bad parts: Unbearable and annoying characters, poorly written story, disengaging gameplay and limited freedom because of linearity. Let me quote the comment of FF13's director on its criticisms on linearity: "It becomes very difficult to tell a compelling story when you're given that much freedom". NO, NO, NO, NO!!! The story in this game is as compelling as watching a clock and waiting for the minute hand to move! Hell, watching a clock is more compelling than the story of this game. If the story was good, then the linearity wouldn't be a problem but it is because the story sucks!!! Have they not learnt from previous FF games that players enjoy exploring the mythology and landscape that they made while at the same time still engaged at the story? The previous games managed to tell a good story without sacrificing freedom. What the hell happened? From the first time I played the game, I instantly hated most of the characters in this game. There are only two kind of likable characters but the rest are unbearable and annoying, especially Hope, who should go die in a ditch. Probably the worst thing about this game is its overall gameplay. The player does little to no involvement in the game and even though the combat system is quite decent, there is little to no strategy. The characters in your party does most of the attacking anyways and the majority of most of your combat involves pressing X (PS3) or A (360) over and over again. This new take on FF's gameplay is so disengaging, it really breaks my heart. I heard that it gets good after 20-25 hours. Are you kidding me??? Why would anyone torture themselves to go through 20 hours of crappy, hard to understand story, unbearable characters and uninteresting gameplay to reach the good part in this abomination? Probably me because I do want to know if its good or not. Final Fantasy 13 scares me. Final Fantasy is one of my most beloved gaming franchise and this is what it came to? As I ended with my previous review, this is the worst Final Fantasy game ever. Wait, I wouldn't even call this a "game".It is a huge betrayal to the series and completely desecrates on what its predecessors achieved in terms of gameplay, characters and storytelling. Overhyped and highly overrated.… Expand

I only played this game(using the term loosely) for a short while, and that was all it took for me to completely lose faith in Square Enix. They decided to remove as much control from the player as possible. In battle you can choose to have the game auto-pilot and win about 90% of the battles. You don't control player movement, and you can only control the predetermined leader of that chapter. This bothered me, because Lightning has an AoE attack at her disposal, but since you can't strafe and bunch the enemies together, you are left to wait on the enemies bunching themselves, and hoping that Lighting gets the attack off before they disperse. All you really get to do is walk a couple steps down a linear corridor, when you get hit by ANOTHER CUT SCENE. Square Enix really wanted to make a movie, not a game. All the characters are annoying, and the voice actors must have had no self respect. Vanil is an obnoxious teenager that giggles after everything she says. Hope is hopelessly depressed and equally obnoxious. Lighting is a b*tch for no reason. Sazh was tolerable until a scene when he stared at Vanil's ass. Pedophiles are hilarious, right? Snow was the only actually tolerable character. The story makes no sense, the characters keep expressing that they want to be turned into crystals, or something. I don't know or care. I hear the game gets good about 40 hours in. I guess I'll never know.… Expand

One of the biggest let downs in gaming history. This game is an insult to the millions of true Final Fantasy fans out there. FF fans are RPG fans, as FF's have historically been RPG's. FF13 is NOT an RPG, therefore SE has alienated its core fan base, to gain a new fan base of people who prefer style (nice graphics) over substance.

Final Fantasy was all about "Take my hand, I'm going to show you the world"! Not "take my hand, I am now going to force you to go where I say, which is down a bunch of stupid paths"!!

FF used to be a massive adventure game series.... where is the adventure in this?! The game doesn't let you adventure in the slightest. The characters suck, the battle system is just a pathetic insult to my intelligence! I want to play the game, not you!!! The weapon upgrade system is a joke, their are NO side quests except some stupid pointless stones which offer no reward, hence being totally pointless.

So long Final Fantasy series, I fell in love with you with FF7, and continued to be in awe of your beauty with FF8, FF10 and even FF12 to some extent. Unfortunately, you have lost your way, and as much as it pains me... this is where we part ways, as you have betrayed me.… Expand

What FF XIII is is a bunch of atrocious design ideas all heaped up into one great big mess and been decorated in lots of colors and detail that falls hard on its face to hide the shallow game underneath. Of course I've played plenty of JRPGs and I know that poor or outdated design is rather typical of them, FF XIII however just takes the whole cake and runs off with it. I played through the whole game and not once did I feel impressed by any of the game mechanics, storytelling/plot devices, characters, creature design, leveling process, level design, combat and countless other things that slip my mind. Rather, all of these things are just either really irritating, really boring or both. There was nothing good about the Gameplay and I'm not exaggerating, there is absolutely nothing it that I can think of in my 30+ hours of playing that was well designed. People tell me that FF XIII was made like this so that it could introduce new players to the Final Fantasy franchise. If this is true then Square Enix clearly have no idea what it is they're doing. The game has been dumbed down to the point where it is moving close to the border of what separates a video game from an interactive movie. You spend your first 20 hours selecting auto-attack to win every fight and running down corridors, literally auto-attack for EVERY SINGLE fight excluding boss fights and EVERY SINGLE level in the first 20 hours is a corridor and they don't try to hide it. The unlikable characters and nonsensical story would also contribute in the repelling of any FF newbie. Even after 20 hours there wasn't much more to the maps or the combat, it still felt repetitive, lifeless and utterly boring. I only completed this game for a bet and amazed I didn't kill myself in the process.… Expand

Since the last good Final Fantasy game, FFX, and before that the very best, FFVII, I've been trying out the new games. Hoping to get an equally great experience as the franchise used to give me. However I end up more and more disapointed. It's like having your best friend becoming addicted to heroin. You try your best to support him but at the same time you sort of stand by watching him slowly ruin himself and getting closer to the enevitable death. The game is linear. Move from point A to point B, watch cutscene, engage in combat with a terrible combat system, learn about shallow characters you couldn't care less about and in the end, if you actually get there before quitting, defeat the final boss. Squaresoft took the winning formula from previous successes, and broke it into pieces. I don't know what's going on. If it's change in management or if they just don't care anymore, but the Final Fantasy that I know is long dead and it's sad.… Expand

i am just not a fan of final fantasy you take turns fighting its like pokemon do not buy it comes with 3 darn discs nobody wants 3 discs DO NOT BUY THIS GAME IT IS LAME

Forgot to move score bar down to 1, and gave it 10 on accident, therefore using zero to counteract the accidental 10 score................................................................................

Maybe the most desapointing Final Fantasy ever. The game has the best beggining of the series, but after chapter 8 it started to get poor and Hope it's the only good character of this game.
The combat is more like (watch the movie) and this game is so freaking linear. Don't have shops and cities. Bad FF, bad Fabula nova crystallis.