A worthy title of the FF franchise, STOP reading negative reviews, read this one! :)

User Rating: 9.5 | Final Fantasy XIII PS3
By nestorafranco | Review Date:
No towns? No magic gauges? No EXP? For a franchise in a long development and so eagerly anticipated, its odd to say that FFXIII is defined for what it lacks. It is a very curious title to the Final Fantasy franchise, many of us thrive to criticize everything and every detail we anticipated from a title such as Final Fantasy, others are awed and pleased by the new style and concept of this title. I find this Final Fantasy hard to describe... It is unlike any of the other FFs, I have to say that FFVII and FFX are by far the most explosive and wondrous in the series, but FFXIII has its own level of promise and uniqueness that cannot be denied! You have a new equation and concept to the storyline, exploration, customization and leveling up, it focuses purely in the storyline and rare exploration throughout, the game is completely linear ( not until you you've gone extreme ways into the game ). The game's flow leaves behind the notion of what a JRPG should be, but Square Enix has taken a genre it knows so well and developed for years and trimmed away all the excess fat, leaving a lean and focused experience. The Traditionalists may be startled that this game has a higher sense of control, the game tells the story it wants to tell, how and when it wants to. People, for years, have adored the concept of having control of the characters actions and the matter they can be customized, almost having this false sense of control. FFXIII, though, applies the opposite to just that to what has become its theme, you have no control of your path because Lightning and the party have been set on a course beyond their control and prowess, so you follow the story, grind and witness how the characters break the shackles of their utterly hopeless, doomed destiny. Less talk, more action ;)

*Paradigm Shift: It is the new style to combat, it is fresh, effective, stylish, and most of all absorbing. The ATB system (Active Time Battle) forces you to think quickly and respond accordingly, there is constant movement with your party and the enemy, the gauge refills constantly as you decide what your next move will be. Instead of controlling each party member, each member can have a large variety of roles which can perform one type of action.
- Commandos and Ravagers : Attack
- Medics : Healing
- Synergists and Saboteurs : cast status effects
- Sentinel : Defending
You might want to start a battle with an all out assault to end it quickly, or take the defensive and heal when necessary, or for the big enemies, try to wear down their defenses while creating your own.

Crystarium: Each characters has a Crystarium for every Paradigm, much like the Sphere Grid system from FFX, the possibilities for developing Paradigms is vast.

Stagger: Each enemy has a gauge that will fill by chaining your attacks rapidly, and when you stagger them successfully, that is your golden opportunity to unleash devastating damage. Be careful though! Staying on the offensive too long might lead you to KO, but staying on the defensive too long will make fights feel eternal.

Gestalt(s): The powerful summons of FFXIII! Lightning's and Snow's are simply the best, but then again I haven't used the other ones... They are amusing to use, but there isnt much use for them, really... =(

*Visuals: Spectacular! The eye candy will make up for whatever seems to displease you about this game, I have never ever, EVER seen anything like it, this game sets the true example of the new generation graphics in every conceivable aspect, it is definitely the paragon to any form and style of graphics. Character designs are astonishing, the Cocoon world feels soooooo alive and engrossing, I get lost just by looking at the graphics and its very admirable for Square Enix's to accomplish such technology. The game is loaded with detail, detail that shouldn't be overlooked, and it probably won't, just look at Lightning and Vanille… ;)

*Soundtrack: Reminds me of the good old days of FFX, both are very similar! The battle theme is very fitting to the whole scenario, the soundtrack is well-done throughout, but I must admit that there are songs that tend to be repetitive and annoying. It would be a blessing to have Nobue Uematsu back in the soundtrack business with Square Enix. I love to listen to the mystical, soothing tracks as you progress in a comfortable point of the story! Nevertheless, this soundtrack is compelling and memorable!

*Story: Oooh yes... Perhaps my biggest strife to this Final Fantasy title is the storyline; it's such a wonderful concept, and yet half the time, you really don't know what the hell is going on, atleast I wasn't until I read this stuff online… =/ During the course of the game, I was pissed off because I didn't know what the characters were talking about in cutscenes when it came about Fal'Cie and Cie'th and Gran Pulse, fulfilling their Focus, Eden, Orphan, the Creator blah blah blah and all this other crap, there was no given background of the setting or cutscene that would help explain any of it, partly for Square's poor imagination to have these names more distinctive and meaningful. This was my problem with FFXIII, the story just wasn't making any sense! >=/ Now read the following quotes of the Prologue...

"Cocoon-a utopia in the sky.

Its inhabitants believed their world a paradise. Under the Sanctum's rule, Cocoon had long known peace and prosperity.
Mankind was blessed by its protectors, the benevolent fal'Cie, and believed that tranquil days would continue forever.

Their tranquility was shattered with the discovery of one hostile fal'Cie.
The moment that fal'Cie from Pulse-the feared and detested lowerworld-awoke from its slumber, peace on Cocoon came to an end.

Fal'Cie curse humans, turning them into magic-wielding servants. They become l'Cie-chosen of the fal'Cie.
Those branded with the mark of a l'Cie carry the burden of either fulfilling their Focus or facing a fate harsher than death itself.

A prayer for redemption. A wish to protect the world. A promise to challenge destiny.
After thirteen days of fates intertwined, the battle begins."

OOOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!! Now it makes perfect sense!! :D

The ONLY mistake of this game is the vague and lack of background knowledge that completely throws you off and keeps you wondering "what the hell is going on?". I didn't want to turn to Final Fantasy Wikia as a resource to my endless amount of questions and frustrations, but understanding this plot was more important, because its a title I had been waiting for so long, and finally, its Final Fantasy!!! We love FF for the amazing storylines, and I wanted to understand FFXIII's story so I could enjoy the game, and I did :D

In the end, Final Fantasy XIII ties off beautifully with a spectacular ending, it truly is a fascinating title of its own, despite its flaws with the plot. If you overcome this single detail, you would really like this game. People criticize this game WAAAAY too much, a lot of people didnt give it a chance because they would much rather go play Modern Warfare 2 and fry up their brains and deprive themselves of any logic ... Anyway, FFXIII came at a perfect time, during my summer vacation, I played through it peacefully at my house in a big HD TV just to admire the gorgeous graphics while being tuned at what was happening in the FIFA World Cup 2010 jaja... :) FFXIII is a great game, talking about it and reading all the negative reviews makes me want to play it even more! ((:

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