Customer Ratings & Reviews

This game was initially announced about two to three years ago? Initial test shots showed the capabilities of the PS3 to proccess and render the game at such a level that very few games at the time could do, (and if I'mm correct there are still few games which draw on the PS3's full capabilities.) from there Square-Enix developed the game ensuring that the graphic quality would be on par through cut scenes as well. There is a slight difference between cut scene quality and game play, but it really is not that noticabe. Every part of the game is rendered beautifully cities which you pass through during the chapters don't look pre-rendered and fake, or as an afterthought. Game play wise: For the Final Fantasy fan it is definitely a mindless button masher, but immediately it weens you off as it offers you more options while you play through. I believe the first 3 or so chapters are tutorials weeved into the story to ensure you understand what to do during your battles, and what upgrades for your characters. This is for the first approximate 15 to 30 hours (depending on fast you run through the chapters avoiding trivial enemy encounters and only focusing on the forced fights that progress the story.) After that you are given your full ability to mess with your characters, and whom you desire to use (as the first 30 hours is mainly important to establish the characters and their motivations so you're forced to use certain ones at certain times [which also allows the player to get used to each characer]) This leads up to the challenge of the game: you can definitely avoid minor encounters with ease, but you may pay for it later with lack of experience to progress pass some of harder batles ahead. If you avoid too many of the minor battles you will lose out on some treasure, but more importantly you will not have experience to reach critial abilities which are required to beat the important enemies... Outisde of that little quirk, Final Fantasy XIII is a game worthy of the Final Fantasy name and the price.

Gameplay: In traditional FF games, you input commands to your party members, but in XIII you don't have direct control except for the party leader. Instead you'll act more as a general on a battlefield telling your soldiers when to change up their strategy. This is the new Paradigm system. The game lets you assign 6 different jobs to your 3 current party members allowing you to change strategy on the fly. The jobs are: Commando (strength damage), Ravager (magic damage), Medic (party healer), Synergist (party buffing), Saboteur (enemy debuffing) , and Sentinel (party tank). The new Paradigm system has drawn criticism for being too much of nontraditional battle system but I liked how Square-Enix tried to do something different with this entry. It's what keeps me coming back to this series. Story: Unfortunately, this Final Fantasy is plagued with an incoherent story that is made worse with an unlikable cast (except for Lightning). And it only gets worse with XIII-2 and Lightning Returns (a.k.a. XIII-3) PS3 vs. Xbox 360 vs. PC: Game content for all 3 are the same. The only difference is with the graphics. Native game resolution for the X360 is only 576p while PS3 is 720p. PC version has additional graphics options and resolutions to choose from up to 1080p. Bottom Line: If you're a traditional FF player, you may not like the changes from past entries, but if you're open minded about changes to the series, then you'll find a JRPG with very deep battle mechanics that'll keep you busy for weeks. Just try not to think too hard about the story.

This is a great game! The story can be addicting. I am still playing this and enjoying it so far. The game is somewhat linear but it plays out rather well. I really enjoy the soundtrack for this game so much I imported it from japan.

I just have to say that the waiting for this game has been worthwhile. After all the delays, it's one of the best Final Fantasy games that has been out so far. The camera controls is a little confusing at first, but after playing for a while, not so bad. Graphic and sound quality is superb, battle strategy explained during tutorials helped a lot. Side missions available gives you more of a challenge. Character design and movement shows how much effort and time was put into creating this installment of the Final Fantasy Series. Music in the game is also very good.

Okay so it is a bit more linear than previous FFs, but I don't mind because I love the story. I have not yet finished the game, but I am very pleased with it. The fighting style reverts back to earlier styles, but remains active and only one character is controlled. Reminds me a bit of Chrono Cross, and some others, but adding the good parts of FF12. I like it better than FF12, personally. The music is much different than traditional Final Fantasy. Reminds me more of Phantasy Star, but it's okay.

It's the same Final Fantasy games we know and love, and at the same time it's not. As a fan of the series, I rank 13 among the best. While there is certainly room for improvement, if this is what FF fans have to look forward to, the future is bright! While there are some people who refuse to enjoy the game, I feel that the vast majority of all gamers will be able to walk away satisfied. Graphics: 5/5 - Nothing else needs to be said about this. On a 1080 TV, you will see what a truly beautiful game is supposed to look like. Flaws are few and far between. Cut scenes and "in-game" blend nearly perfectly. The level of detail is on an enormous scale. It's the purest form of eye candy. Gameplay & Story: 4/5 - The game feels almost like a sci-fi more than a fantasy at times. Flying robots wiz around, and superior technology is common place in this world. But yet there is magic and mystical areas that are the heart and soul of all FF games. It's also different in that this is a darker game. This story is not "cute" like some of the other games. There are no mini-games. It's no more confusing than any other JRPG, so don't buy into the hype that it is so confusing that it's not enjoyable. If you can't keep up with the dialog, there is a journal in the Datalog that details every event in writing. It reads like a book. The story line is considered by some to be "linear," but I feel like it's really no more so than any other FF game. In all other FF games, the story is driven by completing a certain task, or going to a certain place in order to continue the story. True, there is no world map, so general exploration is impossible, and I believe that is what people complain about. However, some reviews make it sound like have to grind away on some asphalt road for 10 hours. That is simply not true. In fact, about 1.5 hours into the game, you are off the "road" and in the Pulse l'Cie temple. I compare this style of play to FF X. You always are driven in the direction of the story with little chance to deviate, but it's not boring, and there are many fresh sites and events along the way. The exploration is more on the micro level as you run around, rather than going to some distant island on the world map. It's not a treasure hunt, and there aren't many "secret" locations or hidden items, but it is fun. The focus of this game is on combat, not exploration. That's the bottom line. Battle System: 4/5 - Unlike turn based style RPGs, the ATB system means the enemy is attacking you even while you're selecting your next move (and even while attacking an enemy!). You must think fast and choose wisely. You control only your lead character, but with many options to choose from and a furious battle raging around you, it would be nearly impossible to successfully control each character. It doesn't get boring controlling just one since you are indirectly telling your teammates generally what to do by placing them in "roles." In one role, they may have a certain ability, but in another role they have an entirely different ability. You change these roles, called paradigms, constantly during battle usually to heal, attack, defend, etc. A wrong choice at the wrong time will definitely get your party killed. While this frenzy is entertaining, I feel it lacks the punch that other FFs bring. Attacks are quick, and the camera is constantly moving. It's almost dizzying sometimes as numbers and lights whirl around. I often found myself watching the HP bars or selecting my next moves instead of enjoying the battle before my eyes. For this reason I give it 4/5. Music & Sound: 4/5 - It's hard to knock the music for any FF game, but I do feel like there is room for improvement in 13. While the music is good, it's often forgettable. It's hard to describe other than it lacks the emotion found in some of the other games. Sometimes it reminded me of elevator music... just something I hear in the background while I slay monsters. Still, overall it's quite good, but maybe not as epic as I hoped. The game sounds are pretty much on par with the rest of the series. My only complaint here is that most of the game there is a lack of bass in the sounds. It's usually clicks and clinks as sword meets armor. At times a craved a deep explosion or something like that to break the clink cycle. It's not going to be like listening to a movie, but still pretty good. Overall: 4/5 - My two favorite FF games were 7 and 10. I rank 13 right alongside 10. FF 7 still has the best story by far, and since that's what RPGs are all about, I'm biased toward 7. This story and gameplay remind me of FF X in that some things I liked, and some things I thought were lame, but in the end, I came away very satisfied. There is a vast amount of customization, so don't be worried that you just grind monsters the whole time. The story gets better as it goes, and is worth the time to play the game. Every fan of the series should own this game.

Coming from someone who has played the Japanese version now, I don't believe everyone will enjoy this game. Those who are great fans of the turn-based battle system found in VII, VIII, IX, and X, and those who feel like the battle system was half the fun of the game may be disappointed. If you can look past this and a handful of slight adjustments to the normal interface (such as in the transition from X to XII) you will probably find a great enjoyment from beginning to just about the end. About 3/4 of the way through you gain the every area independence you normally do towards the end of every Final Fantasy. This is where the game really took off for me. I don't want to spoil anything, but I highly recommend buying it for the full experience. Although not as epic as VII VIII and IX in story line, the story rarely has a dull moment and the only boredom I found in the game was the battle system when gaining levels. Think Star Ocean 4 + FFXII for the battle system in XIII.

The graphics are visually stunning, unlike any other video game of its kind. The music is just as good, perfectly matching the tone and setting the mood of this gaming experience. The amount of thought and consideration I put into character growth and team strategizing was incredible. Super long game too. But it sucks that it doesn't have towns or cities. A less linear path would have been better too.

In my opinion, this is the best game ever created. I have NEVER seen better annimation than this game. I play world of warcraft, and this game puts it to shame, graphics wise. Its not a short game at all, will take about 70hrs and up to beat. Great story line, actually intrests me. This game is a deffinate buy. 5 stars!!!! I dont see any problem letting children to play it. Not gorey at all.

I have read many gaming reviews and after a while they start sounding the same; linear, good graphics...blah blah. They all focus on the linear part of it and it typically gets about a 8-9 out of 10. Thats all garbage. If anyone has really played other final fantasy games, like VII, they are all pretty "linear" to keep you on the story line, it's just that other games had the world map to travel on. Occassionaly you could stumble into an area ealier that you "should", but you would be defeated by the strong enemies that were there anyways. I have not gotten there yet, but I am told that the game really opens up towards the end of the story, and once the main story is complete, you can do all sorts of missions, at your own pace. Since I take my time to level up, I am, according to the strategy guide, about half way through the game with a logged time of 25 hours. Not to shabby! And it was all fun along the way. That kind of quality is a rarety in video games these days! My best advice is to by the game, don't let others tell you whether you should or shouldn't by it. Judge it for yourself. My guess, you will love it too!

Final Fantasy XIII is a beautiful game with good characters and a strong storyline. Square Enix really created another universe with realistic graphics that are almost as good as the cut scenes. Hours of game play that keeps you wanting to play more.

Now those that are FF lovers, you need to buy this game. The paradigms are awesome its a new form of fighting different styles during battle it is great, just make sure you set them. what i wish this game did have is more battles, i have yet to beat the game so i wont be too critical but i do have 12 hours in so i know a little information. they have battle and some are harder then most but you know when you will be in battle cuz now you see ur enemies before u battle which is cool and not cool. also in battle you do find urself pushing X a lot with the auto attack. but once u earn more fighting techniques you no longer push auto unless ur lazy. but still this game kicks @$$ by far a huge upgrade, graphics are unreal even though they should be but best graphics out of all my games that i have on PS3. FFVII still the best FF ever but FFXIII comes very close must buy

Besides the lack of being very difficult who can complain? FF13 delivers a engaging, stunning HD experience with new characters and a interesting story. A MUST for any RPG fan this is probably one of the best looking RPGs in a long time.

The graphics, story lines, and characters are what make the video game so amazing. The games takes too long till it begins, but its still worth. I recommend it to any final fantasy fan, and whoever likes action RPG games.

The game begins with some stunning visuals and a bunch of cut scenes. Then the game looks a lot like FFXII with real-time enemies to engage as you follow the linear gameplay. The minimap system is nice and informative. The crystal-leveling system is a throw back to both FFX and FFXII: you accumulate points and spend them to upgrade attributes and abilities instead of the traditional level-ups. All in all, the game has amazing visuals. However, the game is very linear and you are basically without choices. The characters are querky but keep you engaged.

Final Fantasy is a great RPG game that is worth $60. Square-Enix does a great job with developing the graphics and the storyline. It is really addicting, and time passes by fast, but altogether, this is an amazing game.

Easily the best looking game in the series and possibly of the current generation. Great story and welll paced. The game seems linear at the onset but once you play it longer, it only gets better as it goes.

Good fun. Linear gameplay several chapters in but it helps keep the story consistent and you don't get sidetracked.

I think that this might be my favorite Final Fantasy game to date. I like the innovative Paradigm battle system and the crystlarim leveling system. It combines what Final Fantasy X did in leveling your character and what Final Fantasy XII did in battle. A win, win for me. I can't really say that there is any negative in the game for me, although it is a bit linear for the first 20 hours. But to be honest what Final Fantasy isn't linear for the first 10-20 hours anyway. I am really enjoying this game and plan on continuing to enjoy it until completion.

This is by far the most beautiful Final Fantasy game of the series to date (on the PS3 at least). The game relies heavily on cut-scenes. So much so, in fact, that I would describe the game as being as much cut-scene as there is playable time. This fact makes the game very interesting -- sort of like you are playing a movie. In addition, Square has done a great job of presenting several intertwining story lines at once. The only drawback is that most of the time (at least the first half of the game) you are playing only two of the several main characters (although which particular two you play changes often as the different storylines are presented). I am not entirely enthused with the battle system. True classic RPG enthusiests beware -- the battle system this time around is real-time. Battles are won an you get a "score". Now, for the life of me I can't understand what good the score is, because you also get EXP (called "CP" now -- another ssemingly useless and annoying change), but it allegedly affects the creature drops at the end of battle (I'm not convinced). Also, the game is pretty much a guided game as opposed to being free-rome. No "missions". Think Call of Duty, but even simpler in concept. I would have preferred they open it up a little more. But, even given these two (arguably silly) complaints, I have very much enjoyed playing the game and would recommend it to fellow FF fans! Just be sure to buy it with the Piggyback Interactive paperback or collector player guide, you'll save yourself hours of time trying to figure out the crazy "weapon upgrade" system!