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."

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In a sentence, all this amounts to a pretty simple statement: The things Final Fantasy XIII does well, it does really well. The things it does badly are really, truly disappointing.

Final Fantasy XIII has a lot of potential in its design, be it visual, gameplay or story. The areas where it fulfils that potential – the character development, the visual design, the music and the attempt to bridge the gap between Action and Turn-Based gameplay – are truly remarkable and something for other developers to admire and learn from.

The areas where it has failed to fulfil that potential – villains, sidequests, and the development of Cocoon and Pulse as actual places rather than playgrounds to fight in – are really poor. The missed potential and opportunity to build something truly special in all areas is what keeps Final Fantasy XIII from true greatness.

Missed potential aside, Final Fantasy XIII will give you hours of enjoyment, a considerable challenge, stunning visuals and a satisfying storyline experience. It’s still a brilliant game in the face of all its faults.

Miss Razz via ps3.rpgsite.net »