A quick update here. Thought to just bring you up to speed on my Final Fantasy XIII progress! Well, the good news is, that I'm final, no pun intended, done! 43 hours clocked in and I'm through!
Final Fantasy XIII has a setting I like, and that’s what brought me in. Remember now, that I'm not really a huge Final Fantasy fan, nor do I play many RPG’s. With that in mind, it takes a setting and story I've been pulled into tens of hours to reach the ending in. Throughout my playthough, I've loved the environments, the setting and the visual style.
I've also enjoyed a few of the main characters greatly, the relationship between them being the most interesting. The main story, however, I still don’t fully understand and I frankly don’t care all that much about it. It’s been far too “out there” for me and simply doesn't sum itself up that well.
Gameplay then, how is it? Well, actually it’s been very good. The game steadily introduces and explains new features at the beginning of the game. The final stage that lets you alter paradigms and party members kicks in a little late though. In other words, I felt the learning curve was somewhat slow. It becomes a little too easy in it's first ten hours, where you fall back on simply pressing the auto-attack. You'll definitely be challenged later on in the game, so learn how to change paradigms early and set up your own favourites!
Review
Played on: Xbox 360
Released: 2009
Released: 2009
I've also enjoyed a few of the main characters greatly, the relationship between them being the most interesting. The main story, however, I still don’t fully understand and I frankly don’t care all that much about it. It’s been far too “out there” for me and simply doesn't sum itself up that well.
Going back to the characters though, I really enjoyed the dialogue and the personality of Lightning and Sazh. These two characters alone carry a lot of the story. Their dialogue has a more serious tone, the grown-ups of the cast, with thought put into their personalities. Lightning reminds me of Cloud from Final Fantasy VII when she's a little moody and dark, but far less emo and properly responsible and skilled compared to him. Sazh is the older, mature and sensible character. Both Lightning and Sazh have great his voice actors too! Hope starts out whiny and emotional, although who can blame him after losing his mom, but ends up being a person to like and you want to learn more about.
However, that’s however with a huge sigh. Vanille, she's the typical hysterical and hugely childish Japanese girl, and Snow who's over the top, cocky, punk are far harder characters to enjoy. Yet, somehow, over the course of the story they grow on you. It seems like many Japanese games love to have endless, annoying, cliche characters that behave like eccentric idiots over and over. Spoiling moments of actually building an atmosphere in the relations between people.
However, that’s however with a huge sigh. Vanille, she's the typical hysterical and hugely childish Japanese girl, and Snow who's over the top, cocky, punk are far harder characters to enjoy. Yet, somehow, over the course of the story they grow on you. It seems like many Japanese games love to have endless, annoying, cliche characters that behave like eccentric idiots over and over. Spoiling moments of actually building an atmosphere in the relations between people.
And let me not get going about the boss personality and behaviour. Let’s just say they love to have evil laughter and are hell-bent on simply destroying the world, no matter what. And oh, he becomes a God at the end. How...original.
Gameplay then, how is it? Well, actually it’s been very good. The game steadily introduces and explains new features at the beginning of the game. The final stage that lets you alter paradigms and party members kicks in a little late though. In other words, I felt the learning curve was somewhat slow. It becomes a little too easy in it's first ten hours, where you fall back on simply pressing the auto-attack. You'll definitely be challenged later on in the game, so learn how to change paradigms early and set up your own favourites!
Nevertheless, combat can feel a little shallow after 40 hours. I used a lot of time trying to improve my stats by fighting the same enemies over and over to gain Crystantinum, that’s XP in normal RPG terms. In order to take out special enemies you'll need to grind the hell out of the progress system for each character. Luckily, experience is gained for all your party members, even though they're not in combat.
Now, let’s look at the shallow level of interaction of the environments. Seriously, they feel like a PS2 game. This series needs to move into modern times and allow proper interaction with the environments. I want to explore more, the game is simply a walk through beautiful looking environments on a linear corridor.
Now, let’s look at the shallow level of interaction of the environments. Seriously, they feel like a PS2 game. This series needs to move into modern times and allow proper interaction with the environments. I want to explore more, the game is simply a walk through beautiful looking environments on a linear corridor.
This is further obvious when the game never has any sort of mini-games or exploration of items and such. It’s unbelievable how shallow the environments are considering the time they took to develop the game. Have they ever looked at trends and changes in other releases during development?
There's a huge plus for the visual size of buildings and the sci-fi inspired, polished, design of the areas you travel through though, they have nailed a stunning aesthetic. Combined with a typical Final Fantasy style!
To sum up, I enjoyed my playthrough, I really did. The great visual style, the ending and the touching story between the characters made it all worth it. I can't stress enough how amazing the artwork truly is, each location looks beautiful and unique. The art style overall, through the menus and character screens too, are beautifully designed.
To sum up, I enjoyed my playthrough, I really did. The great visual style, the ending and the touching story between the characters made it all worth it. I can't stress enough how amazing the artwork truly is, each location looks beautiful and unique. The art style overall, through the menus and character screens too, are beautifully designed.
The focus on the overall, end-of-the-world, main story, is far too complicated though and it’s explained in a typically JRPG, diffuse, way to the viewer. Far more enjoyable are the interactions and back stories to the characters. Worse still is the naming of two races, humans and supernatural, being L'Cie and Fal'Cie. The most confusing two names that I constantly got mixed up all the time.
While the modern take on Final Fantasy combat gameplay does its job, it allows a lot of beginners to the series jump straight in, doesn't hold up well after 40 hours. It quickly becomes repetitive.
I would've preferred a far more interactive environment, a deeper sense of progression to the battles and more focus on a smaller scaled story and the relationships between the main characters. A great story doesn't always have to be epic and on an intergalactic scale. Take note SquareEnix!
