I review this for what it is, not what it was expected to be.
With all the controversy surrounding this title I was rather pessimistic about it a few days before it launched. I had pre-ordered it a few months ago and was eagerly awaiting the release. Then the reviews and message boards starting coming in and was thinking my worst fears had come to life.
I decided I needed to buy it and simply try it. I have enjoyed every Final Fantasy in existence, with the exception of X-2 (Solid game but I lost interest about half way through), because I was able to enjoy the differences that each one offered as opposed to thinking that every new FF game should be like "that one".
Needless to say I am glad I bought the game. This has been the most enjoyable gaming experience that I have had in a long time, despite some flaws that honestly prevent it from being perfect.
First let us start off with the bad. Simply put, the first few hours are downright mundane. I understand that SE was trying to develop the storyline and set up the characters, but the fact that the battle system wasn't fully usable yet made the battles brainless. There is a reason for your characters lacking magic abilities, so I see why SE had to do this in order to keep the story structure. However, they could have shortened the playing parts and simply set up the story with a few more cut-scenes. That would have gotten the point across while not making the player feel what they did was pointless.
The player will move back and forth between character groups in the beginning in order to introduce them. The issue here is that since all the characters are in the same area, it feels like you are playing the same area over and over again.
The other major drawback lies in the writing more than the story. People often mix the two, but the story is quite interesting and offers quite a few metaphors and allegories that are easily applied to our own situations in racial relations, politics, religion, philosophy, and even Orwellian theory.
A vague story is not necessarily a bad thing because it allows for the player to input their own ideas into the story. The problem comes in the form of dialogue. Dialogue can be downright embarrassing particularly in the beginning few hours. The one liners are terrible and are repeated.
The voice acting overall is excellent and the voices match perfectly. Vanille is definitely annoying, but not as bad as she is made out to be.
Fortunately for FF XIII, this is where the complaining stops.
Once the battle system opens up, there is nothing better. Gone are the days of standing in a line, awkwardly sprinting up to an enemy, landing a hit, and then returning back in line. The characters move to chase enemies and the paradigm shift allows for instant job changes. The best analogy that I can think of is to take Grandia's "action rpg" battle system and merge it with FF V job's, except jobs are changed in mid-battle as opposed to outside of battle. The result is a fast, furious, strategic, and beautiful experience unlike any rpg that I have played. I hope SE keeps this system, or at least something like it, for FF XV.
Despite the awkward writing in the beginning, the dialogue seems to loosen up as the characters develop through the story. There is the occasional cut-scene where they could have left talking out for the simple fact that it failed to add anything to the experience other than "another cut-scene".
The story itself is quite good and the developers did a fine job of creating a sense of urgency. This sense(s) of urgency is why exploration is nullified until later in the game. The story would lose its pacing if people were allowed to "stray the path".
Musically, this is game is on par with anything Uematsu has contributed to the series. While there are not as many memorable melodies, character themes are well done and personify the personalities well. Also, the music is actually performed by real instruments as opposed to synthesized (the majority of the time). This truly creates movie like experience. The compositions contain numerous time signature changes, something that Uematsu's music didn't do enough of. The audio feels seamless as the transition from cut-scene to in-game takes place making the soundtrack feel like it is an absolute necessity for the overall experience.
Visually speaking, I am impressed. That's saying a lot for a FF game as SE always has this series in top notch visual form. The backdrops for this game are gorgeous. The beginning areas are just a taste of things to come as the planet of Pulse and the city of Eden are jaw-dropping. The lighting is phenomenal and no other game has been able to create emotion visually the way SE has done with this game. The character models are almost CG quality. Lip synchronization is almost perfect and the little nuances like eye and lip reactions have created the most life like character models that I have seen in a video game. The Uncharted series and Heavy Rain are the only comparisons.
The Summons are gorgeous and are actually fun to use. In my time spent with FF XII I never really needed to use the summons. Never had a need to since I could just chain mist attacks if I got into trouble. The Eidolons (summons) are actually needed for the story as opposed to just some cool ability. That is good since it makes the battles against the Eidolons actually mean something. They are not just some roadblock that you need to pass.
FF XIII is a blast all around. I can't wait to spend more time in the end game finding the extra's and completing those side missions. I recommend any rpg or action fan to pick this one up. Don't listen to the cynics who can't get over the fact that FF VII isn't going to be remade. As good as a game it was, it had it own flaws. Nostalgia is the only thing holding those people back. I loved VII, but realize that you gotta try and appreciate a game for what it is trying to do, not what people expect it to be based on previous entries in the series. Otherwise SE would be like EA with Madden every year.
Most people will enjoy the battle system, the relationship of the characters, the weapons customization, and the sheer video/audio experience that this title puts out.