A well crafted tale set in a beautifully detailed world and featuring a deep and rewarding battle system.
The battle system is one of the most advanced and intricate to date, and also throws many Final Fantasy conventions out of the window, which in my opinion is a good thing. After all, who wants to have remake after remake of a game with the same features? Based on 6 different roles (RPGers could consider them classes) which can be assigned to certain characters, and later in the game all characters, you can chose from tanking roles (Sentinel), healing roles (Medic), magic offensive (Ravager), physical offensive (Commando), enemy debuffer (Saboteur) and finally a party buffer (Synergist). These roles can be switched mid-battle (Paradigm Shift) to allow for a huge scope in battle strategies, though you will find at times that the number of really effective strategies may be somewhat limited. The abilities that you can use vary according to role which makes implementing Paradigm Shifts an absolute necessity to your battles. During fights you can select individual abilities which can be stacked or used immediately; an auto-fight function in which the game selects the optimum moves for you; the tried and tested items menu where you can select Phoenix Downs, Potions, Antidotes etc; and a techniques menu from which you can summon Eidolons and use abilities like Libra. As far as the pacing of battles is concerned your attack timing is based on an ATB which allows a number of abilities to be inputted rather than just one, as was the case in previous Final Fantasies; eventually you will have the choice to enter up to 6 separate commands. During battles you only control one character: the party leader, and the others work on AI in the roles that you would have predetermined for them, however this is not a huge problem as the AI is usually pretty good except for the odd occasion when a healer focuses on another party member and not the leader; this can prove incredibly frustrating if you run out of hp as when the leader dies it's game over. The summons are awe-inspiring and fun to pull off, allowing you to actually control your summoned beast before unleashing a strong finishing attack before the summon is dismissed and your party fully revived.
This game is without a doubt one of the most visually stellar titles I have yet to of seen. The character models are wonderfully detailed and animated and the scenery is breathtaking more often than not. You won't encounter any screen-tearing or lag and the game runs perfectly and looks absolutely beautiful. Final Fantasy XIII is not without its issues however, often you will find yourself presented with no alternative route options or opportunities to explore, a staple to any RPG in my opinion, and you will be running down long linear routes to reach the next cutscene. This part of the game is very annoying as Square Enix could have so easily added a few more route options, or at least could have disguised the monotonous linearity with more eloquence. This being said the game does open up a in later chapters which makes for a nice touch but doesn't stop the earlier maps from being boring as hell, even with the stunning visuals unfortunately. However the linearity issue is a small flaw compared with the rest of the game's story and gameplay achievements. After the main story is completed there are plenty of reasons to keep playing, there are 64 optional missions which involve taking out marks and then reaping the rewards, and chocobo riding, weapon upgrading and slaying bad-ass bosses really makes the post-game features worth a play.
All in all Final Fantasy XIII is a beautiful game with an immersive, emotional and, of course, epic story line. The battle system is complex and challenging and is paced well, I just wish we could have been given the chance to explore Cocoon and Pulse more freely.