Full Review for Final Fantasy XIII by Vasco

Introduction

I wrote my first review a few years ago. I was young, and easily impressed, so when I picked up Final Fantasy XII - my first RPG - I was amazed. Never had I seen a world that provided so much entertainment. Even though my English was absolutely terrible, I decided to share with the world my tale of beauty and joy.

My gaming vision has changed quite over the years, slowly shaping what I initially thought of the game - not that I now think Final Fantasy XII is a bad game, but I've had many wonderful experiences since then. They allowed me to realize our vast the RPG realm is.

I was expecting a lot from Final Fantasy XIII, and that's why this review is coming so late. I've had the game ever since it came out, and I can't remember the last time I played it. It's a shame, really. Scroll down.

Graphics

The graphics are phenomenal. Final Fantasy games have always been known for their fantastic details, but this thirteenth title takes the series to a whole new level. The world is breathtaking, the characters are ridiculously likable and Vanille is the cutest thing my eyes have ever seen. As soon as you reach Chapter 11, you will, without a doubt, enter one of the most (visually) fantastic games you ever had the pleasure of playing. Once you gaze upon the sky and you feel the world trembling below your feet, you will be proud to say: "I am the owner of Final Fantasy XIII!".

Kudos to you, Square! Job well done, it almost made me forget Lightning is, in fact, the exact copy of Cloud - but the feminine version.

Sound

I'm quite disappointed, to be honest. I can easily whistle some tunes from previous Final Fantasy, but I can only remember one song from Final Fantasy XIII; and that's because "My Hands" was such a controversial theme, the community couldn't let it slip by!

Most of the tracks aren't memorable, and you'll soon be thinking if you ever heard that tune before. The fact they're repeated over and over again doesn't help, either. I was a big fan of the Battle Theme when I first listened to it, but it did get somewhat bothersome after the 200th time. Forget about area-themes, you will be listening to the exact same song on every battle.

I did enjoy the Main Theme, it's easy to notice how Square took pride in it, but it's hardly enough to stand up to the quality of previous titles.

Gameplay

And here we are. I'll try to make this brief, but I've been holding back for far too long.

The battle-system is, quite simply put, the worst I have ever seen - if you can call it a "battle"-system. You only have control over one character, while the other two perform actions based off of a previously assigned role. This process is called Paradigm Shift, and throughout the game you will realize Final Fantasy XII weren't Gambits weren't that bad. At all. Over the entirety of the game, you will do nothing but press the X button. Literally. Nothing.

Allow me to explain: Final Fantasy XIII is against strategy. To start a battle, you need to approach your enemies - you may do it from the front, or you can wait, wait, and wait to perform a Pre-Emptive Strike. A Pre-Emptive Strike is automatically engaged once you reach an enemy without him realizing your presence. Doing so will grant you ridiculous bonuses, which ends up meaning you want to catch your enemies off-guard. It sounds great, theoretically, but it's tremendously boring - like a bad version of Splinter Cell. Once you (finally) start the battle, you get to press X again. And again. And again. And - guess what? You got it! Again! Final Fantasy XIII presents you with the option of choosing your own move or pressing Auto-Battle. Then why am I asking, you ask? I can select my own options?! Of course I can, but the actions are performed at such an incredible pace you'll soon realize it's much easier (and more rewarding, in game terms) to let the AI take care of everything. Once you admit this to yourself, you will know this game is not meant to be actually played.

I should, also, leave you with a word of warning: the first twenty hours that are supposed to work as a "Tutorial" are exactly like the rest of game. You can only go forward, and exploration is seen as something to avoid. It does get slightly more varied, later on, but you'll be so frustrated with the "battle"-system it won't be enough to stop you from turning off the console.

Lastability

There's not much to do, and I'm not ashamed to admit I couldn't be persuaded into finishing the game. This game's depth is determined by the number of side-quests it doesn't have and the amount of customization that doesn't exist. If you used to smile inside every time you got a new sword or armor, you will now be crying once you realize the number of items per character this game has to offer.

It's repetitive, straightforward and simply boring. If you've already finished it, I'll congratulate on your patience. There's nothing new for you to try out, and no incentive to grab all the Trophies other than to see all the themes - which, I may add, are quite simply and easy to get elsewhere.

Overall

I expected a lot from Final Fantasy XIII, and that was exactly what I got: a lot of blank content. This experience is like watching a 50 hours movie in which you have to press the X button every few seconds for it to keep playing.

It's a bad game, and a huge disappointment to every loyal fan. Only worth playing if you enjoy the storyline and design, as you won't find much more.

Final Score: 50%