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Final Fantasy XIII | 
| From: Square Enix
Category: Video Games
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $54.95
as of 3/11/2010 19:25 EST details
You Save: $5.04 (8%)
New (10) Used (3) from $54.95
Seller: kjkrisay1
Rating:  59 reviews
Sales Rank: 3
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
Genre: role_playing_games
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Batteries Included: No
Age: 12 - 20 years
Operating System: PlayStation 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.6
Memory Card
MPN: 91001
Model: 15783001
UPC: 662248910017
EAN: 0662248910017
ASIN: B000FQ2DTA
Release Date: March 9, 2010 (New: This Week)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Newest installment of Final Fantasy features futuristic civilization illuminated by the Light of the Crystal | | • | 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 |
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 59
 Why.... March 11, 2010
Matthew Siebert (Fenton)
15 out of 18 found this review helpful
I remember when FFXII came out, after watching the opening scene I had a tear drop from my eye because I *knew* they did the game right. Now, after playing FFXIII I've had several tears flow... tears because all the lower reviews are nonsensical crap, tears that there are so many 5 star reviews, and most of all... tears that this game was privileged with the title Final Fantasy...
Lets start off with the good, which undoubtedly is unanimous and undeniable amongst anyone who plays this game. The graphics are breathtaking, the story is deep, the character development is perfect, the battle system mechanics flow smoothly, and the game sucks you into a world unlike any other.
So what could be wrong... what could possibly substantiate a two star review? Unfortunately... plenty... in fact way too much....
First, let's look at how linear the game is. At first I didn't think it would bother me, I am generally one to go right through the game without a break to do many side quests. But the presentation of this game is indeed beyond ridiculous... it is *literally* like running through a series of tubes from point A to point B.Granted beautifully designed breath-taking tubes, but tubes none the less.
Along with this there are no towns. Again, I didn't think it would be that big of a deal... just a slight change. But it soon became apparent I was exploring a world all but devoid of life. I feel like the game is more like a prototype for a final fantasy rather than the game itself.
Next we come to the battle system... oh lord... where do I begin. The battle system is gorgeous but flawed. If you have one character attacking and another casting spells to reduce defense (see Saboteur), eventually all the enemies defenses will be minimalized. It is at this point you would expect the character casting the spells to lower defense to join in and attack, but you would be wrong. The character instead just sits there with a thumb up their (explicit). This is mainly a problem early in the game where character roles aren't as developed... yet I cant believe it was overlooked.
Also, the battles seem like nothing more than pressing X to auto-battle. The battle system goes so fast it is almost as if the game doesn't want you to choose your characters actions, only switch roles. I feel absolutely no sense of accomplishment after winning a battle, it wasn't me that won... it was the auto-battle. Sure I switched roles to heal and maybe cast some spells but all the actions were chosen by the computer. And I hear some of you screaming already, FFXII's battle system is also impersonal, how do I get off complaining about FFXIII? Yes FFXII was impersonal compared to other final fantasies but it was still ME modifying the actions it was ME choosing what EACH character was going to do next. It wasn't the computer. I just don't feel the same accomplishment switching "roles" during a battle, especially as unnecessary as it generally is.
Even though you control one character, it doesn't feel like it. When exploiting an enemy's weakness using Libra the characters automatically attack using the appropriate spell. Ugh, its sickening - I have absolutely sense of accomplishment yet again, the game does everything for me. Does no one recall in the original final fantasies how GOOD it felt to find a weakness against that one enemy who whooped you butt, then exploit that weakness and get a buttload of experience and gold? You EARNED that experience and EARNED that gold, dammit YOU found its weakness. Not anymore.
Then again, you don't even get money after battles in this game, further making them pointless. Sure, their required to advance character skills, but to what avail? Now the computer will do more for me as I sit there and watch and continuously press X to do auto-battle. Gone is the feeling of going to town and upgrading all your equipment after hours of hard work and coming back into the world to dominate your opponents. Gone again is that sense of accomplishment. And for what? I get to watch the computer do my battles for me!
I would dare say that if you compared every persons game file at the end of the game there would be little or no difference. Where are my bragging rights for having rare unique items? My bragging rights for having the best equipment? Anything? Nothing.
There not even mana or magic points in this game for frick sake! In the original final fantasy only certain characters could cast certain spells period... this has been a downfall in other final fantasies as well - diffuse roles amongst characters. But to have a final fantasy without any form of mana or magic regulation?!?! Blasphemy I say, blasphemy!!!
Also after each battle, characters automatically gain all their health back. Again stripping me of any accomplishment I have from exploiting enemy weaknesses. Status alignments? Haha, what a joke. Hardly used at all and minimally threatening. And if for some reason I do die I just click retry. Never mind scratch that, if I start off a battle poorly and wanted I could just click retry. No need to be prepared for a malboro getting a sneak attack on me completely debilitating my characters, killing two right off the bat, yet by some miracle, being able to make a comeback and kill the SOB... I just click retry.
And on top of everything else the game chooses, it also chooses your party... sick. This is truly a game that plays itself.
I feel like this is a bad joke. Like square-enix was sitting around saying "You know what would be really cool, and funny, well screw with the entire Final Fantasy fanbase. Lets make a final fantasy with no gameplay where the computer decides everything, yah, lets also make it devoid of any content, just one single line after another. But to keep people from thinking it's a joke, well have the best visuals the world has ever seen along with an amazing story and unseen character development."
I wont lie, they have something good here. They have something real good, but its only the beginning. They have great characters and a beautiful battle system. They need to make the REAL final fantasy 13. One where I have a sense of control, one where I have a sense of accomplishment, one where my characters are MY characters. This game does not feel like a game, it feels like a demo, or a VERY early beta. I cannot for the life of me understand how this got released and, more so, how so many people like it. I can't imagine that other people have played the other Final Fantasies, enjoyed them, and had this game appeal to them in any manner whatsoever.
I have no problem with people calling this a breath taking adventure with a story and visuals beyond what the world has ever seen. I do have a problem with people calling this a video game. I just want to break down and cry when I hear people call this a Final Fantasy.
 Pick Up the Game Today March 11, 2010
Susan W. (So Cal)
the following are quick blurts of my opinion of the game:
the game is stunning, it's just too pretty to look at, cut scenes and all. the gameplay is a bit different from the previous FF versions in a way that it doesn't hinder the game or the story line. no more optional sidequest, character leveling up, and MPs. you now only control the main character while the rest of your party are on AI support during battles. and as for the game being too linear, that doesn't bother me one bit, direction is good, it's better to have a purpose during the game that progresses the story along, rather than running around a vast world trying to figure it out.
Lovin' it! March 11, 2010
anonymous
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was worried about this installment. The series seemed to be losing steam since VIII (well, for me anyway, and I've played since the very first one.) I quit XII about 20 hours in out of boredom. I made it to the end of X, but found out I wasn't strong enough and had to backtrack to "unlock" stuff, and quit because the combat system was like nails on a chalkboard to me. So, I pre-ordered and canceled the order several times before I stuck it out on this one (I had just got burnt on pre-ordering Demon's Souls and White Knight Chronicles, so I was extra cautious here.) Well, I've played several hours into it, and here's the verdict: It's great!
Many of the complaints from the previous titles seem to have been minimized, or have simply vanished. The combat system is fast paced. You have some control, but mot all. The AI does a fine enough job picking jobs. Is it perfect and going to make everyone happy? Probably not. But I like it. Most of he characters are likable too. Your main character isn't a whiny brat (though they have one in the mix, but fortunately his dialog is minimal compared to others.) You also get the obligatory aggressively cheerful girl in the group too.
Story, visuals and sound are where this game (and most of the series) really shines. Graphics are very cinematic, and the sound's there to match. The story is outstanding! I've been hooked since the beginning. A major complaint that many seem to be having is this idea of "linearity." I'm sorry, but all the Final Fantasy games have been linear. Until you reach a certain stage of the game, you follow the path of "Got from point A to point B to point C" and you cant' stray from it. If you do, you get smacked down by monsters that are way too powerful. The only difference is that most of the previous titles had hours of running around said points leveling and making money to upgrade your stuff. Once you're strong enough, you completed your task for 10 minutes of story. Lather rinse and repeat. Well, this game took out the repetition. You get lots of story, separated by some button mashing. For me, this change is rather refreshing.
The only complaints I have are rather minor. Hope needs to be repeatedly punched in the stomach. And the voice acting is a bit overdone sometimes. There have been several instances where silence would have been perfectly fine, but they decided to fill in the silence with random grunts, gasps, giggles and other strange noises (mostly from the kids.) Over all, it sounds almost pornographic. Facial expressions would have done just fine.
 What happened!? March 11, 2010
J. Oliveira (USA)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
A little background on my FF experience:
I've been a big fan of this series ever since 6, 7, 8. They were great games. After these, however, I feel the series started getting progressivly worse. That being said, they're still good games -- They just don't live up to their previous titles.
FF13 continues this downward trend. It takes away everything we loved about FF and RPGs in general. I'll go ahead and list some of the pros and cons ( note that these are pros and cons based off the FF series )
=======Pros=======
SE is experimenting, trying to keep the series fresh.
Graphics have a nice fantasy feel to them.
Good Soundtrack
Story - It sort of falls in the middle but I put it as a pro. It starts off very slowly but it picks up to your typical plot.
=======Cons=======
No antagonist - Ok, so maybe we don't always want a boyish looking villian with white hair, but could we at least have some kind of story-driven character(s) to fight.
Leveling system - Is a dumbed down version of FFX. You're provided with differnt "jobs" that you can learn skills from as well as improve your stats ( You only have Strength and Magic stats in this game ).
Minimal Strategy - What I loved about FF was having to strategically setup your characters (7, 8, 9 and 10 being best examples of this ). FF13 provides a much more simplistic system that doesnt require much thought. Boss battles don't require much strategy either, most of the time you can look the other way and mash x, maybe switch to medic or pop a potion in the middle.
Leader KO - When the leader goes down its game over? really? Why can't we take control of another character?
Retry Option - Whenever you die you get to "retry" and start right back up where you died -- this takes away from the "danger" feel of dungeons.
No world map -- Ok, so they've done this before but its still a con.
No Sidequests -- One of the signiatures of RPGs is to be able to take the game at your own pace... Being able to branch off from the story is an essential part of RPGs Which brings me to another problem...
No Towns - That's right no towns. no stopping for a break, no visiting an Inn, no going to a weapons shop, armor shop or any shop for that matter. The game is one BIG dungeon.
Save Point Shopping -- You shop from a save point menu where you can buy non-essential items. These save points are everywhere, you must run across one every 5-10 min.
=======Overall=======
If you had nothing to one day and decided to go to your local game store and pickup a game, then this would be a decent one, it has enjoyable gameplay, good cinematics, story, ect.
If you compare this game to other FF games however, I would say its very poor and I would have trouble giving it more than 1 star.
Buy this game, but don't buy it with the intention of buying a FF title or you will be very dissapointed.
Not the best from Square March 11, 2010
goresorearedore
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Clear time:
40 hours
Pros:
Battle system - best part, fast yet requires a lot of strategy (might be a turnoff in early game)
Intriguing plot - initially then it kind of collapses on itself later
Superior graphics - expected, but the leap is less impressive as compared to, say when FF12 was released. Maybe too much emphasis on light/darkness, but the entire game feels like a top quality movie.
Special effects - impressive. It does feel like every action serves a purpose
Characters come with a good mix of personalities
BGM - generally excellent although the main theme doesn't feel RPG-ish
Great map design and functionality
Minimal loading times
Cons:
Battle system does evolve into button mashing and feels pressured due to having to queue 5+ actions under 5 seconds
Repeated encounters are tiring, therefore you eventually look to... letting the AI do it for you
Optima system - can't direct party member to perform specific tasks (e.g. buff/heal) that need to be done during boss battles.
Post battle scoring depends solely on speed, discouraging big, fancy moves. Think Valkyria Chronicles in which S-ranks are obtained by scout rushing
Character "leveling" is much like FF10, only this time it's a bigger mess and difficult to follow exactly what benefits your characters are gaining.
Item leveling - monotonous, lacks customization features. This is not good because weapon choices are VERY limited to begin with
Can't explore world, linear gameplay - the game imposes a predetermined sequence of battles and cutscenes on the player until... chapter ELEVEN (out of thirteen). On the bright side, this does help the player stay focused and play the game on a schedule.
Excessive number of distracting movies, almost seems like the game exists for CG scenes instead of the other way around
Camera issues - annoying when split second battle decisions matter
Omission of traditional RPG elements, e.g. towns/NPCs/puzzles/treasure chests
Summons, while awesome, require too much preparation
Game favors repeatedly killing TURTLES for quick experience gains
Excessive monster recycling
Late enemies get ridiculously high HPs, sign of bad design in any game
Too many enemies with splash damage + party members start out in designated spots = frequent random, unavoidable deaths
Crappy loot and equipment
Story is difficult to follow, much is unexplained, contains no surprises/turns, predictable to the average gamer
Lack of objective storytelling - the game instead conspicuously appeals to emotion, which feels awkward and uncomfortable
Characters like to mention things such as "saving the world", "friendship", etc. but this largely seems forced and sudden
No real protagonist, resulting in story getting spread out too thin
Antagonist needs to be more self confident/convincing/charismatic
Conclusion:
FF13 tries to experiment but loss of several RPG defining elements are missed. This with poor storytelling - game unfortunately does not live up to expectations. This might appeal to those looking for a simple, structured environment game, but the story is lacking and that is why I recommend renting or waiting for a price drop. I did finish the game out of loyalty to Square but I doubt I will buy their game again if this downward trend continues.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 59
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