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"Final Fantasy and myself haven't been getting along for years now. Since Final Fantasy X2, I just can't seem to see Final Fantasy in the same light I saw it in when I first played Final Fantasy VI on the Super Nintendo at the tender age of six, and continued on with the series as I grew up and started supporting Sony instead of Nintendo. Don't get me wrong, Final Fantasy X2 and XII had good intentions, but the storylines just weren't engrossing enough, and neither were the characters. But at ..."
"Final Fantasy is a series that started off as Square's original swansong, into an innovator in the RPG genre, and now into Square's cash cow with at least twenty two million spin off games for the DS, PSP and Wii. Of course, nothing in the series has managed to top the success of Final Fantasy VII, nor have any been as good as Final Fantasy VI (in my opinion, at least). It's quite unfortunate that Final Fantasy XIII doesn't do the series justice, either. In fact, it was pretty weak. It wasn't..."
With too much emphasis on character backstories and visual gluttony, the true star of Final Fantasy XIII, the incredible battle mechanic, unfortunately takes a back seat. A review of Final Fantasy XIII focusing on the relationship between the game, when it was made, and the original Playstation 3.
"For a game series which has become a watchword for ‘epic fantasy RPG’ to have become mindnumbingly boring is a real disappointment. On paper, the idea of all of the l’Cie as terrorists or freedom fighters, the whole moral ambiguity of the game, sounds like compelling plot … but it really isn’t. It’s like labouring through a badly written history text book."
"So when I finally got smacked upside the head and realized that indeed this is a Final Fantasy game, but not so much the traditional Final Fantasy, I decided it was time to beat it. When all was said and done though, I wasn't left wanting more as I have in the past. No, I was left thinking, "Seriously?""
While some gamers long for - well - long games, many simply want something that would take no more than say 6- 10 hrs max, and along comes one that you'd best plan on having a holiday, if you plan on finishing it within a 7 day period (with adequate breaks of course.)
Many Japanese RPG's are like this, but Final Fantasy XIII was supposed to bridge those gaps, but did it?
Come check out OXCGN's US correspondents review on the game, you may agree, you may not, but you do need to check it...
"Final Fantasy is a series that is constantly undergoing evolution. With each game’s world being completely independent of each other, Final Fantasy XIII has the opportunity to re-invent itself like a phoenix from its ashes. Far away from the tales of knights and wizards, we now come to visit the futuristic utopian world of Cocoon. So what awaits us in this latest installment, and does Square-Enix really deliver upon four long years of hype?"
"Since Final Fantasy XIII’s announcement all the way back in 2006, the hype train for the game was truly going full speed ahead for the full four years since its original announcement, however, the journey was not without its stops, and the choice to port the game to the Xbox 360 was one that Square came under fire for, with fanboys boycotting the game and even all other Square Enix products, however, the train rolled on, until the game finally arrived on my doorstep in march."
"House gracing a bustling town centre, it's no use getting an early night around here if a blockbuster game warrants so much attention that not one single human being on the face of the planet can wait for the sun to rise in order to grab such visual delights."
"The Final Fantasy series has seen a large number of installments, and in the process it has racked up a large sum of followers. The time has come for the franchise’s first appearance on the next-gen consoles, but will it manage to please the fans as well as newcomers? We’re about to find out."
Today Yahtzee lets Square Enix's latest romp have it. Given parodies like this, he's certainly got a lot to work with. Hit the source for the review.
After scoring the 360 version of Final Fantasy 13 a 7/10, All Age Gaming's Khye Davey takes a look at the Playstation 3 version of the game. Was the PS3 version done better, especially since the Final Fantasy series traditional home is on Playstation consoles? Read on to find out.
Final Fantasy 13 has been a long time coming and is the first true Final Fantasy game built for the current generation of consoles. The Final Fantasy series has been a mainstay on Sony consoles, until now. Finally, Xbox gamers get a taste of the series on the 360. Was the Xbox 360 version worth the effort? Find out after the jump.
Final Fantasy XIII is Square Enix's excuse to show off the White Engine. However, pretty graphics do not a good game make. Can the rest of the game hold up under the weight of its own pleasing aesthetics?
"Final Fantasy XIII has perhaps one of the worst introductions a Japanese RPG has ever had. Square Enix thought it would be a good idea to not tell the player what is happening, and as a result, the first ten hours of the game feels like a conversation that the player has stumbled in on halfway through. All the characters know what's going on, and talk as if the player should know, leading to a very alienating narrative that ensures the player never truly connects with it. When you finally do ..."
"Final Fantasy is one of those few series that has managed to stand the test of time with games that were never dependent upon each other. Each game possessed the same elements, but always managed to throw in a great story, interesting cast of characters, and satisfying JRPG gameplay. Final Fantasy XIII continues that trend, offering not only a compelling story, but some fast-paced gameplay and a truly grand presentation that is unmatched by previous installments. Though the typical fan base m..."
"This one is going to get messy. Final Fantasy XIII is going to divide gamers like few other titles this year. It's a game with some really great attributes – it looks amazing for a start, but it's clearly been designed with extreme accessibility in mind, and that has resulted in a great loss of control for the player. Some will be able to forgive it this, others won't."
Gametrailers recently reviewed Final Fantasy XIII, but is the game a failed experiment, or does it represent a bold new direction for Japanese RPGs?
RPG Site have reviewed the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII and, despite some disappointments, they were mostly impressed, giving the game an overall score of 85%
They praised the "interesting" and "challenging" battle system, "beautiful" graphics and "incredibly well done" vocals.
But they were disappointed with the "lack of a fleshed out world," the "weakly developed" enemies, the fact there were no "proper" sidequests besides repetitive hunts, and the "lack of a proper main villain."
...
""Final Fantasy XIII is a game that impresses easily – merely looking at this game will have eyes popping and jaws dropping. However, get beyond that and there is a very linear game with many prototypical J-RPG elements in place. While there is some latitude for how battles are fought, for the most part, the game holds the player’s hand and escorts them through this fantastical land that is part fantasy and part sci-fi.""
"Just to show we love games, and are true gamers, here’s one of the teams recent acquisitions being unboxed for you, and his opinion on the quality and pricing of it.
We’ve done it before with several Collectors editions, which you’ll find links for at the end of this small item, and we’ll continue to do it, no matter what the platform.
If we like it, we’ll play, review and publish any game we see fit to. So those Sony fans who believe that a Xbox Site should stay an Xbox site – our sugg..."
"Is there any reason for me to continue playing the game after I’ve finished the story? This is a little different from replay value in that I’m not referring to starting the game over, but rather whether or not you will want to continue to improve your characters and completing optional content once the final boss has beaten. The answer: yes, you will."
"It was a matter of time before media outside of Japan where going to get hold of a full copy of Final Fantasy XIII. Official Playstation Magazine UK has been the first publication outside of Japan to review the game, with it only missing one mark, totalling the score to an impressive 9/10."
A "casual, borderline-retarded journalist" (yes, the review's disclaimer actually said that!) from a popular Hong Kong gaming magazine has given Final Fantasy XIII a mere 4/10, calling it the "biggest swindle in gaming history" and the "biggest joke of 2009."
The review itself seems biased, but still, a 4/10? Ouch!
[Discuss in the Final Fantasy XIII forum]
Final Fantasy XIII hasn't been recieving the best reviews lately, but don't start worrying just yet. David Szyszko of SK has reviewed the Japanese version of Final Fantasy XIII and he was impressed, giving the game an overall score of 9/10, and saying that the game has an "excellent battle system, absorbing visual experience, unique style and excellent fine-tuning of all the details."
Read the full translated review here.
[Discuss in the Final Fantasy XIII forum]
Nowgamer.com's fluent Japanese-speaking Ryan Winterhalter recently reviewed Final Fantasy XIII. Despite giving the game a 7.9/10 he admitted that it didn't live up to the hype, and said: "while individual aspects work well and give motivation to keep playing, other aspects fall flat."
He praised the "entertaining" characters, but was disappointed with the scenarios they were placed in and the villains who failed to "invoke any of the strong emotions that previous antagonists in the Final ...
RPGLand gave Final Fantasy XIII a 7/10, and now popular French website Gamekult.com has done the same. They adored the combat system, the graphics and the second half of the game, but were disappointed with the generic plot, linearity and disappointing first 20 hours of the game.
Forgive the online translation below.
[Discuss in the Final Fantasy XIII forum]
After so many years of waiting, Final Fantasy XIII is finally here. But has it been worth the wait?
RPGland.com have written the first (real) English review for the game and, while they enjoyed it, they admit that FFXIII may disappoint many fans.
[Discuss in the Final Fantasy XIII forum]
Electronic Theatre delivers an analysis of an imported version of Final Fantasy XIII, stating that the game is compelling despite the obvious difficulties arising with the language barrier.
[Discuss in the Final Fantasy XIII forum]
The guys at Famitsu magazine apparently got their hands on Final Fantasy XIII and they were impressed, giving it an almost perfect score of 39/40.
Go to the source for the full review.
[Discuss in the Final Fantasy XIII forum]
![Box shot of Final Fantasy XIII [Europe]](http://i.neoseeker.com/boxshots/R2FtZXMvUGxheXN0YXRpb25fMy9Sb2xlLVBsYXlpbmcvRmFudGFzeQ==/final_fantasy_xiii_frontcover_small_kJe0jbRjTu3lrz4.jpg)