Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 574
 Some flaws but overall a great game September 8, 2010
Lee Chang (Sacramento, CA United States)
I understand some of the flaws of the game such as Linearity and cheesy lines by some of the characters. Those things bother me too but at the end of the day, I look at how much time I spend on the game and do I keep going back for more. The answer is yes, I have spend more time on this game then any other games in years and I just love playing it. Top notch graphics and music. This is just a very enjoyable game.
I think it's a great game September 6, 2010
Mercedes (Colorado, USA)
After not gaming for several years I'm getting back into it. And this game is the main reason why. I fell in love with Final Fantasy VII, and most of the following games. I've read the other reviews on this game and I guess I'm looking at this differently. I really like this game. The graphics are just amazing. The soundtrack is pretty darn good too. I love the characters, all but Hope (he's a whining little pain). The game flow is pretty good, there are a lot of cut scenes and they pulled me into the game. There are lots of battles and I had some trouble getting the hang of it as it's not really turn based anymore. I do miss that. I don't care for the fact that I can't control the other characters; only the main character can be controlled. However, despite these flaws I was unable to turn the game off; it was that great for me. I recommend any rpg lover or Final Fantasy lover add this to their collection.
Even though it lacked...I give it 5 Stars September 6, 2010
Wendell Albin
Gameplay: The first thing that makes a video game is obviously gameplay. I was able to enjoy 80 hours of Final Fantasy XIII before I got fed up with it. The reason being; was because there was lots to unlock and several things to do even upon passing the video game. The biggest disappointment (statistically) is the way battles are fought. If the party leader should K.O during a battle, then it's a game over. One other thing I found to be another flaw was the summoning system; each character has their own assigned Eidolon. This means, you may just have to use your least favorite character , just to summon your favorite Eidolon. There are several other gameplay aspects that may disappoint, but there are also several things that make up for it. I still stand by the side of FFXIII due to it's amazing story and characters. You just have to bare with getting through a bunch of chapters with the hardship of fighting with just 2 characters for the most part of the game. THERE IS A LOT OF CHARACTER SWITCHING! Which you have no control over till the end of the game.
Graphics: The graphics in this game are by far beautiful! If you don't have an HDTV or any form of HD access, you won't reap the full benefit of playing Final Fantasy XIII. Graphics of this game are what fill a hole in it's many flaws. This game is almost HD to it's fullest extent.
Storyline: This is the main reason I had purchased Final Fantasy XIII (thus why I've purchased any Final Fantasy.)It's one of the more mellow stories told in the FF series, also it's something very different. Each character is somehow connected. I loved the storyline- it was well built and given the best characters ever. I really enjoyed it; I'm sure several others out there will.
Overall: I give this game a 5, because it's one of my favorite Final Fantasy's since 7. Even though it's flawed in many ways; there are things I just love about this game. I forgot to mention how great the music is in this game. The only disappointment is it's gameplay, which I didn't mind much- but give it a shot! I bought it when it first came out at it's introductory price; I would say the price it's at now is well worth it.
Enjoy!
Good enough for me September 6, 2010
DJ Somera (San Jose, CA)
I liked it. I have played many FF games before and I enjoyed this one too. Yeah it's not like the other ones and who says it has to be? The farming weapon system is definitely unique and keeps you playing longer to try unlock more high quality weapons and accessories. Definitely worth giving it a shot if you're a true final fantasy fan that believes in diversity than the same old concept.
 Recently finished the game... September 3, 2010
DK
... and I've got to say it was worth the experience.
However, what I didn't like is the linearity (mentioned everywhere).
I don't mind the linear concept itself, it's just that it limits the game's potential that much more whereas story and fun is to be had.
This installment focused more on the fast paced story and development. Because of that, they didn't put in a lot of interactions a player can do with the world. If it wasn't linear as it is, it might have given more immersion, but they'd have to incorporate that much more details.
Previous Final Fantasies did well in that factor, immersion.
The soundtrack was highly enjoyable for me so that's a plus.
The battle strategies were addicting when I was playing against a friend's progress.
To me, the best entertainment has to do with how immersible it can be, and Final Fantasies were the king of it in RPG with their story lines, graphics, progression, and music.
This would be the first Final Fantasy that broke that line of immersible interaction with its linearity and underdeveloped characters. To me, Final Fantasy X was the beginning of the linearity, yet the story and its world were so immersible, it was fine. Final Fantasy XII was one where the exploration was great, yet the story lacked immersion. Finally, Final Fantasy XIII, both the story and world lacks immersion.
I'd like Final Fantasy to stick to what it made it highly enjoyable: story interactions, plot, character development, graphics, and most importantly, immersion.
Sadly, I couldn't really get into the story or the characters. As for the character, it could have been the voice actors. I compared the Japanese to English actors, and the Japanese ones gave more of an "oomph" that would've made it more emotionally charged, whereas the English version had its characters indifferent, calm and quizzical (at the most) most of the time. The difference in the lyrical soundtrack also changes the mood of the game from the Japanese version to the English one. The Japanese one has more of what western audience may call "cheesy" tunes for a pop music. However, without this element, the content ends up flat and numb.
From the voice and musical comparisons I made, the game's tone changes drastically whereas I'd enjoy the former (Japanese) one more than the latter in the factors of immersion and characters. It'd change the story from "I can't believe this is happening to us (groan)" to a "This is a matter of life and death!"
I really hope the future installments will remedy this by making the audio interchangeable, regardless of platform equality.
As for the story, there were tons of deus ex machina and a lot of glitz. If the story was to be centered on the characters, as I believe that's what it was meant to be, it would've worked if it wasn't so shallow. Because the character story left a lot to be desired, the focus then turns to the flashy and wondrous fal'Cie and the curious world. These weren't meant to be the bulk of the story, judging by the lack of a story on them besides serving as plot devices.
So I was left confusedly satisfied and unsatisfied. Satisfied by the graphics, game play, musical score, and character personalities; unsatisfied by the story, immersion, and its world.
Therefore, I rate this:
FUN 4/5
OVERALL 3/5
Showing reviews 1-5 of 574
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