Mind blowing visuals and innovative new design choices make XIII one of the best Final Fantasy games ever.
Final Fantasy XIII follows Lightning, the beautiful and deadly heroine on the front cover, and her companions as they attempt to save a world ruled by personified gods, all the while being cast out by society themselves. While it may be overly cheesy and melodramatic in parts, the story does a fantastic job at drawing you in from start to end. It should also be noted that Square Enix has done a tremendous job in improving their scriptwriting and cinematography. That doesn't mean that the game has lost its Japanese roots, but it does mean that the game now has a much more bearable Western tone for North American fans.
The provided cast is a very likable group of heroes, even as cliche as some of them may seem. Lightning as the main character has very dynamic progression, and while her motives may not always seem so obvious, she's cool enough for me to be able to call her my favourite protagonist in series history. The remaining characters share better diversity in emotions and character design as seen in other games of the same genre. My personal favourite is Hope, who in losing his mother early on in the game quickly learns to live life on his own, albeit with the help of Lightning. Of course, there's the former pilot Sazh with a chocobo living in his afro as comic relief, the overly perky Vanille, the lionhearted Fang, and the ignorantly optimistic Snow. All 6 characters together end up keeping the story worth seeing all the way through, which is astonishing given the game's astronomical length of 55-plus hours.
To deliver the adventure, Square Enix has given Final Fantasy XIII some of the best production values ever seen in a videogame. The art direction immediately stands out the most, with some truly peculiar and breathtaking environments, not to mention very detailed character models. Since the game features a much more linear design, areas have been given that extra layer of polish and shine, and it definitely shows. Textures could be a little better in a few areas, but given the scope of the game that's an understandable flaw. Animations are just as impressive as the art, and the framerate stays solid throughout, aside from a few moments of slowdown in some of the more open environments. Cutscenes as always have been given the most attention, and simply look incredible. If you happen to be buying the Xbox 360 version, you may notice the game runs at a lower resolution, but it still look great.
While Nobuo Uematsu may be absent from the development team, his absence is not as pronounced as you may think. Final Fantasy XIII features some very impressive music which ranks among the series' best scores. The battle theme in particular is the catchiest. Characters are voiced rather impressively, more so than any other Japanese RPG beforehand in actuality. Ali Hillis who voiced Liara T'Soni in Mass Effect 2 takes leads the cast as Lightning and she does an admirable job. In fact, many of the voice actors do a great job, and aside from a few odd lines, the script itself is well done.
Linearity may be the first thing that comes to mind as you play through Final Fantasy XIII. It's true that the first 25 to 30 hours of the game are entirely linear, leading you through a series of levels which progress the story. Things open up at a certain point midway through the game, but some veterans may be put off. However, don't look at this as a flaw, but as a strength. Because the game keeps you constantly moving forward, there is little downtime to ruin the pace of the adventure. It's a definite change from the Final Fantasy norm, but I personally enjoyed this design, and I'm sure many other gamers will. It's not bad, it just might not be what you expected.
And it's that pacing which remains Final Fantasy XIII's biggest trait. A very lengthy game, XIII takes a while to get rolling, with the final tutorial taking place about 10 hours into the experience. Although this may seem strange, it's for the best as the combat system and other gameplay mechanics need to be eased into the mind, because all introduced at once, the mechanics would seem an impossible wreck.
The biggest gameplay change from the series standard is the combat system, which takes place almost entirely in real-time. Characters have far fewer skills and abilities than a series veteran is probably used to, but the main draw to depth here is the Paradigm system. There are six roles that act as character classes available, ranging from the defensive Sentinel, to the magical Ravager, to the healing Medic. The key to success in many of the tougher battles is to ensure you've assigned a decent mix of paradigms to your party of three and then have the necessary tactics to be able to switch among each set of roles in the midst of battle.
You control just the party leader as opposed to all three characters, and the result is pretty exhilarating. Gone are the micromanagement nightmares of previous Final Fantasy games and in its place is a much faster paced, action oriented combat system. Of course, every action is still controlled by a pretty menu system, and you still summon creatures called Eidolons (which you have to fight and defeat before you can use), and potions are still a necessity. I'm certain you wouldn't have it any other way.
That isn't to say that Final Fantasy XIII is easy. It's actually anything but easy. Some of the boss fights can honestly test your patience and wits until you just give up for about a week. It's happened to me, and it will happen to you. Unlike previous games, once your party leader is downed, it's game over, so watching that HP meter is essential. Some boss fights will have you spend dozens of minutes of your time only to cast a death spell on you. It should also be noted there's a massive difficulty spike near the end of the game, which does well to mix things up, but it should cause you to level up your characters prior to.
Speaking of leveling up, the Crystarium system is what you'll be using. After each battle, you gain Crystogen points which are used to advance a character's position on a chart of skills and abilities for a certain role. Higher level abilities cost more points, so it's possible to have a character be a low level of every class, but that's not recommendable. it's best to spend time leveling up one or two classes for a character so they specialize in it and become stronger. The Crystarium sysyem works well, even if it give you little choice. Just like the actual game, it's linear progression the whole way through.
Final Fantasy XIII is not a game for everyone, despite Square Enix's good attempts to make it more accessible. Its streamlined and linear approach actual serves the game justice, creating an excellently paced adventure that serves to entertain from beginning to end. There's a section of the game that lets you explore and take on side missions, and that part is certainly enjoyable. However, the linear sections which take up about 85% of the game are the real meat, and luckily the enhanced and deep combat system will test your wits and keep you on edge. While there are no towns as shopping is done at save points, and side missions are taken at waypoints, there's still a ton to do and a lot of ways to customize your characters' weapons and accessories. The Paradigm system works well, so does the Crystarium system. As far as the story goes, the characters are memorable and cool, the production values are through the roof awesome, and the pacing is excellent. And although large chunks of the game may feel repetitive due to a limited abilities list, it's the newly added strategy that keeps the game fun. It's a beautiful, visceral, long, and challenging experience that has depth that isn't so obvious. While it may not appeal to a wide audience, if you go in with an open mind, you're going to fall in love with Final Fantasy XIII just as I did. The bottom line: if you're a fan of role playing games and you aren't opposed to cheesy character interaction or linear design, Final Fantasy XIII is a must buy. It's one of the most memorable games I've personally played in a long time, and it's one of the best Final Fantasy games ever created.