Final Fantasy XIII
by Square Enix
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Product Summary
Brand: Square EnixAudio: English (Unknown)
Format: CD-ROM
Release Date: 2010-03-09
Platform: PlayStation 3
Model: 662248910017
Publisher: Square Enix
Product features:
- Live an epic adventure in a dual-world universe featuring one futuristic civilization and another open-expanse world wrought with havoc
- Features the latest in cutting-edge technology
- Provides tangible, intuitive controls
- Delivers seamless transitions between real-time gameplay and stunning in-game cinematics
- Developed by Square Enix
Video Game Reviews of Final Fantasy XIII
Customer Review: Detailed & Story-Spoiler-Free Review:
Summary: 5 Stars
My first impression of this game: it was horrible. It lived up to (or down to) the critics reviews that this really is a very basic game. (Note I am speaking in the past-tense.)
However, I am loyal despite failure. I stuck to Apple despite their blunder with the iPhone 4's tendency to randomly drop a signal. I stuck to Sony despite their tech suport gurus having me back up all my data for my PS3 before reformatting it with recent (undisclosed to me) warnings that the new format of the OS would make it impossible to retrieve said data. I stuck to the Cowboys as America's team despite a 2-x-1 season, and a horrible streak for years in a row between the late ninety's and the early first-decade of the second millennium. If that doesn't speak of loyalty despite failures, I don't know what does. So far, my loyalty has always paid off in the end. So I decided to stick to my loyalty with Final Fantasy, and even more so Square's (SquareSoft, Square Enix, etc.) RPGs and try my luck. Well, it paid off.
First of all, this review will contain no spoilers regarding the story line, with the possible (but unlikely) information you can get from reading the back cover of the game. It may contain gameplay spoilers, but that's why you're reading this review to see what the game is like. I could simply say, "I give it 5 out of 5 stars. It's a great game;" but you want to know why I think that, so I'll tell you.
First, the game does start off extremely basic. You don't have all the annoying, "Talk to this NPC so he can tell you exactly how to play an RPG" that you had to do with many early Final Fantasy games. That was an extreme relief. And throughout the game you do get a number of optional tutorials, some in-battle, which can all be skipped. Many of the in-battle tutorials (if not all) can be retrieved via text instructions from the main menu later on.
The first chapter there is no exploration at all. You walk down a straight path with a couple of [-shaped detours on the map for obstacles, with perhaps one treasure chest "hidden" at a dead end immediately before or after one of the bends. There are no avoidable battles (though thankfully no random battles!), no respawning mobs that I am aware of, no forks in the road, no way of going back once you have reached a waypoint... it is more linear than the first Super Mario Brothers for the NES! The graphics were extremely great, but the linearity was horrifying! There wasn't even anything resembling an experience point system. I thought I was in for a well-designed adventure game.
When the story starts out, you control Lightning, who is accompanied by Sazh. As far as the storyline goes, you have no clue what's going on. It's almost as clueless as the start of Chrono Cross. Two unintroduced characters start fighting after some amazing graphics showing a clueless storyline. Sazh is mainly an accompaniment at this point. You see in the menu that you may have an opportunity to change his equipment, but other than that, there is nothing you can do to him (from the then-present perspective).
Lightning isn't much different, though you do get to control her actions during battle. There is no hint at an experience point system, or even of levels, new abilities, or anything like that. You get a rating at the end of the battle, somewhat like Devil May Cry with a whole lot more technicalities, but there does not seem to be any means of advancement or meaning to this at this time.
Chapter 2 introduces a means of playing with new characters. I forget which characters you play with in which order, but you at first take the lead with Snow and with Vanille, though we really dont' know who they are and don't have much introduction to the story. So we see we get to control new characters, but that's it. Still very straight forward, although chapter 2 does introduce a few more turns (still dead ends) and loops in the map, all of which are still obvious and nearly unavoidable.
However, once chapter three rolled around, I realized there were more options, and I started to enjoy it a bit more. (This was probably a good 10 hours into the game.) In chapter 3, the role system is introduced. What this means is that Lightning has, for example at this point, a role of a Commando (mostly physical attacks). The battles you've been fighting you've been accumulating CP, Crystarium Points. Similar to Limit Points in Final Fantasy XI, these Crystarium Points can be used to further develop the individual roles of the character. Each new crystal in the Crystarium will either unlock a new ability, increase your attributes by a specific amount, or give ou an option to equip an additional accessory. Later to be introduced are also Role Levels, which simply improve the character's overal performance of the role, though it does not specify how. So there isn't an experience point system to level up your characters. Rather, there is a Crystarium Point system in which to add attributes, abilities, and accessories to your character. (The monsters all do have levels for some reason though. However, I have yet to examine this enough to ascertain its importance.)
One thing I find extremely nice is that there is no MP: magic can be cast at any time. Your HP is restored after every battle, and your TP (used for special abilities called techniques, such as libra or summoning, during battle) is slowly regenerated up to 5 points at the end of battles, and sometimes during battles. If you loose a battle and get a "Game Over," you can immediately retry and start up immediately prior to that battle without any loss of previous unsaved data (anything obtained such as enemy intel during that battle will have been lost). Also, every battle (including most if not all large battles) you can pause the game and hit select to "retry" the battle. It is the equivalent of escape, and never fails. I know it is available at the beginning of chapter 3. It may be available before that.
I believe it's at the end of chapter three that you get access to the workshop (my term, not a game term). Here you can upgrade your equipment, which does bring in an experience points system, though it is very much unrelated to the previous 12 games. It may be related to XIV, but I haven't played it yet, so I cannot determine that. Each mob drops treasure (hopefully). Some of this treasure are components for upgrading your equipment. Each component is worth so many experience points, plus it also has a positive or negative hidden multiplier value.
For example: 5 Sturdy Bones will increase the value of the following components (for that item only) by 25%. 36 Sturdy Bones will increase the value by 200%. The total increase of experience points is 200%, so you will have each experience point worth between 1x-3x of its original number of points for that item. All organic materials (bones, teeth, shells, etc.) will increase by a hidden amount. All mechanic materials (rings, conductors, etc.) will decrease the multiplier. Usually one mechanical item will drop the multiplier from 3x to 2x (the increments for all materials seem to be 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2.0, 3.0). However, the value will never drop below x1.
Also in chapter 3 we get to play with Sazh, so we start to see that every main character that is in your party (at least up until Chapter 10; I don't know if there are any "guest members" after chapter 10) we will be able to play with. Another thing introduced here is a hidden reward system, where certain actions will change the rewards in treasure chests in events later in the chapter.
In chapter 4 the Crystarium is expanded and we see that each character will also be able to play different roles, eventually obtaining up to three roles each, and I believe a total of 6 roles:
The Commando is mainly physical attack, though it does employ magic. I believe it is more meant to incur single instances of physical damage.
The Sentinel is your tank, with no offensive abilities as of chapter 10 other than a counter attack.
The Ravager is mainly magical attack, I think, though it definitely is more like physical magic than your traditional Black Mage. I believe the Ravager is meant to increase chain attacks.
The Synergist casts offensive and defensive status enhancements and en- spells, adding a magical effect to physical attacks (plus a nice graphical enhancement of the weapons).
The Saboteur enfeebles your enemies.
The Medic is the healer, and as of yet can cast cure, esuna, and raise. Esuna removes the latest debeff from one of your party members.
There is also an "Erase" type spell to remove a buff from your enemies, though I don't recall the name or the role which casts it.
Each character has a different set of crystals for their role, and each character can develop different levels of roles. It is important to figure out which characters you want to develop at which role. My recommendations thus far are to max out Lightning as a Commando, Snow as a Sentinel, Vanille as a Medic, and Sazh as a Synnergist; though the player's guide has different recommendations, I will not mention the other 2 characters by name, as they come into the storyline later (one in chapter 2, one not a ways until later), but I'd recommend a Synnergist and a Medic for the former, and a Sentinel and Commando for the latter. (However, the latter's Saboteur role is very useful as well, and that is what I am focusing on.)
Also in chapter 4 there are hidden areas, which you have to do something later in the chapter to unlock something earlier on the map that isn't obvious. Another thing that is not outright obvious, though it is fairly common sense, is that most chapters and many waypoints, when you start off, go backwards a few feet on the map for a treasure sphere.
Late in chapter 9, all 6 members of the party are together and you finally get to decide who is party leader and who is in your party. Up until that point, the party leader and who was in the party was predetermined, with all 6 having been leader at some point, and a variety of combinations of members for the party. Even though you have 6 members in your party, only 3 can be active, and they cannot be switched during battle like they could in XII, nor can the leader be switched during battle as in Star Ocean The Last Hope. In addition, you only control the actions of the party leader, although an "auto-heal" or "auto-attack" option for the party leader is also available and frequently comes in handy. You do not have to do so, but using Libra or a Librascope on the enemy (only necessary once per enemy per game, not per battle) will allow the AI to take over when using auto-attack (as well as to control your characters). If you fail to use Libra, your other party member or two party members may cast spells that will heal the enemy.
In Chapter 11, from what I have heard, it ceases to become so much of a JRPG and more of an adventure RPG. Side quests become available, and places may be revisited. I'll try to update this review later after I have played through the entire game. So far, I am at 60 hours and three second at the beginning of chapter 10, the "midpoint in the storyline," but by far not the midpoint in the game.
The advantages of the battle system include an ATB gauge, which means you can perform so many actions at the same time. So far, each action takes 1 - 3 ATB gauge slots. If, for example, you cast Raise (3 slots) and then Cure (1 slot), the action will perform automatically when all four slots are full. If you want, you can hit ' on the PS3 to cut off the charging at any point, so that when 3 slots are full you can cast Raise and then move on to charging to use Esuna (2 slots) on another character rather than using up the 4th slot. When you start the game, you start with 2 slots. At chapter 10, most characters have 4 slots, and I believe soon I get a 5th.
Regarding the storyline, early on you find out there are 13 days preceding the start of the story, so events soon take on meaning. Also, in addition, in the datalog there are sections regarding these 13 days, the characters, myths, societal life, and many more things. This datalog is an evolving piece of work, with many additions and revisions to the 13 days, the characters, and events being added throughout the game. It will give you a flashing information icon when there is new information. I recommend checking it every time there is new information, as some of the information does change and cannot be reread later in the game. Most of it, however, is simply updated. I believe the only information that actually changes is on the characters, but I could be mistaken. Enemy intel is also available in the datalog. It will contain every enemy encountered, and will have a checkmark by it if you have used Libra on it. Make sure in the first 10 chapters that you have used Libra on every mob if you are a competionist, as you cannot go back in (or to) the first 10 chapters to refight. Sometimes this will necessitate using a LIbrascope on a boss fight in order to scan every enemy that you will only encounter once. Most of the time, I simply sell the Librascopes, but it is good to have 1 or 2 on hand.
Gil is not dropped, and is rarely found. You need to sell stuff to buy components to upgrade your weapons and accessories. The primary things to be sold are your premuim items: Credit Chips, Incentive Chips, Cactuar Dolls, Moogle Puppets, Tonberry Figurine, Plush Chocobos, Gold Dust, Gold Nuggets, and Platinum Ingots. These are near-worthless (worth 1 exp, no hidden multiplier value) as components, and are not consumable. They can be sold for 500 gil (quite a lot early on) to 150k gil. Never sell items that end with -ite unless you know you have the maximum you will ever need. They are somewhat rare drops/treasures, very expensive, and are the only items used for catalysts to upgrade your weapons or accessories past the ' level in order to get new or upgraded abilities.
The last thing to comment on is the Eidolons (formerly avatars, guardian beasts, etc.). Each eidolon is custom to one character. The eidolon can be summoned for TP (tactical points) gained at or during battles. They will fight alongside your lead character for a time or until their health is depleted, where they will return to their celestial place and allow your other party member(s) to return.
'''''Slight Story Spoiler'''''
In addition, the Eidolons adopted the popular Transformer cult mentality that has recently swept the stage in mainstream media. In addition to fighting alongside you, the god(dess/es) (such as Odin) can transform into a vehicle (such as a horse) upon which the character (in this case Lightning) can ride in order to perform super abilities. Shiva ceases to be a single goddess and becomes a duo of sisters who can transform into a motorcycle for (guess who!?) Snow. They're still the sexy goddesses from early Final Fantasy eras, but the ideology somewhat is altered. Some former Eidolons are mere gods in this story and cannot be summoned. It is uncertain as to whether or not Eidolons and Fal'Cie (such unsummonable gods and goddesses) are the same beings.
'''''End Spoiler Alert'''''
Now, I am an avid fan of the series, but I am even more so an avid fan of storyline games, and RPGs in general, not in sticking with the basics of Final Fantasy. I do not stick to the classic RPG genre. I don't even idolize Final Fantasy VII as one of the two greatest games in all history (I recognize the debate between Final Fantasy VII and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.) My rating of the mainline Final Fantasy goes in this order: XIII, XII, Chrono Trigger, X, X-2, VIII, VII, IX, III (on the DS), VI (never finished), V, II, I, IV (never finished). (I don't count XIV or XI in the mainline games, and I didn't get far enough into Chrono Cross to evaluate it, as I have had 3 copies crash on me shortly into the game, though I expect it would be somewhere between XIII and X-2.) My favourite game of all time is Star Ocean: The Last Hope International, followed by this one most likely, though I have not finished either yet. (I was 110 hours into Star Ocean: TLHI when I was told to reformat my PS3...)
So giving this game a 5-star review is not saying that it is a 5-star Final Fantasy game. The theology/philosophy of the game is significantly different than former games, and if thought about rather than just enjoyed, can be very disturbing. There's much more to this story that good vs. evil and a nobody becoming a hero surmounting impossible odds to become a magician capable of defeating an evil deity. In fact, if there is a good-vs-evil in this game, I have not yet figured out what it is. The heros are (mostly) nobodies of the former Final Fantasy era, but I don't even know if they know if they are good or evil, or if a good even exists (evil is albeit obvious). It doesn't rank with Devil May Cry, in that they are obviously evil attempting to undo that evil and be good, but throughout the story thus far it is unclear as to whether or not anything good truly exists. Even the ultimate goal of saving oneself or others can be misinterpreted as evil.
The gameplay obviously is not Final Fantasy. It is not even classic RPG. But it is RPG, and it is amazing. If you're looking for Final Fantasy VII, the only resemblance you will see is the icons (chocobos, eidolons, spell names (some), item names, etc.), and the violence. This is most definitely not classic Final Fantasy. It is not classic anything! But I hope it defines a new classic that 20 years from now we are modeling our RPGs off of.
As far as audience, I would recommend late teens or early adulthood. This game is very violent and very disturbing philosophically. The T rating is appropriate, given the ESRB standards, but I think ESRB standards are a little too low. It is not as violent as Final Fantasy VII, but it is not something I would want my 13- or 14-year-old kid playing, although I do let my 21-month-old watch frequently hoping he won't here all the violence. The violence is very vocal, but it is not bloody, and there isn't a lot of foul language. I don't recall seing any contorted bodies, although there is a picture in the guide of a main NPC with blood on his face (not very graphic). I recall hearing the "formal" words for "dang" and "heck" (I don't know if Amazon permits using the "formal" words) a few times, but that is it. I don't recall hearing "poop" ever, and had I heard the f-word, I would probably not have continued playing it. I actually don't recall hearing "god" either, or any other theologically slang curse words that can be disturbing to some.
Despite the lack of good-vs-evil, there are good messages in the game as well. If you know of someone who is holding a grudge, feels like they can't do something, or doesn't know the purpose of continuing their fight in life, (these are not inter-related), this is a game for them. I always like gleaning some sort of philosophical message from story games, and this is one that has a few of those.
Overall, like I said, I give it a 5-star review. Again, it's not classic Final Fantasy, nor is it classic RPG. Really, I think this game should define a new genre of games: the MRPG--movie role playing game. A lot of the game is cutscenes, and they are beautifully rendered. Actually, the whole game--music, FX, vocals, video, story, gameplay--is rendered beautifully. I no longer call this a video game when I'm talking to my son. I ask if he wants "to come watch Daddy play his Movie Game?" It's an advancement in technology, ingenuity, gameplay style, and storyline that should be appreciated; not because it is a classic, but because it will someday become one.
Description of Final Fantasy XIII
From the creative minds behind Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy X comes the latest installment in the critically acclaimed series. As Final Fantasy VII was for PlayStationr, and Final Fantasy X for PlayStationr2 computer entertainment system, Final Fantaxy XIII will be the first numbered Final Fantasy title for the PlayStationr3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360r, and will look to once again reestablish the series as the RPG brand. Players will follow Lightning, Snow, and the other heroes who are dealt a hand of fate by the god-like fal'Cie. Cursed and regarded as enemies of society, they have the world against them and nobody to rely on but each other. Will they find the strength within themselves to break free of their curse and determine their own fates, or will they succumb to this higher power? With a story that is sure to connect with players' hearts, diverse new characters from world-renowned creator and character designer Tetsuya Nomura, and exciting new game play features centered around an evolved Active Time Battle system, Final Fantasy XIII will be the pinnacle in gaming experiences.Role-Playing Games
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