As a die hard Final Fantasy fan, I have been eagerly awaiting the next installment ever since it was announced. When I first placed the disk into my PS3 on Tuesday I was ramped up and ready to play some Final Fantasy. I have been aware of the criticisms about the gameplay being linear and there being no towns, but all those criticisms never made me think twice.

Where else can you begin if it isnt the visuals. The visuals in Final Fantasy XIII are absolutely stunning. Character models are fantastic, the backgrounds and vistas are breathtaking and the CG cutscenes are phenomenal. When playing the game one an HD television you are treated to a game that is so pretty, it hurts.

The game isnt just a pretty face, there are other presentation qualities that make this a very unique title. I am about 10 hours into the game and the story is very interesting. It gets me thinking as to what the conclusion will be and how it will all unfold. The voice acting is also top-notch. So far I have to commend the voice acting for the characters of Sazh and Lightning. All othercharacters have their moments, except of course for Vanille, seriously stop with that fake british accent...your not Madonna.

The musical composition, in this gamers opinion, is one of the best in the entire FinalFantasy series. The battle music has a mixture of a techno quality and and orchestrated quality and it will be stuck in your head the very first time you hear it. The boss music is asepic as most Final Fantasy boss themes are. The background music in certainareasfits the tone of the area quite well, it definately isntoverdone.

The gameplay is where my first complaintbegins to surface. Yes the game is linear...VERY LINEAR.There areno branching paths or optional areas toexplore indetail until later in the game, and I havent reached that part yet. The linearity isnt a big problem but it does get very tedious after a while. The tedious nature of the game has actually been a factor into whyIhave only played 10 hours. Most Final Fantasy games, you will see me playing upwards of 5-6 hours a day on a weekend since there is so much to do. In XIII however your on one path and your constantly going forward. Due to this I have only played for a maximum of 2 hours a day and then I need a break.

The combat system is a breath of fresh air. It combines everything I loved about Final Fantasy XII with everything I love about the turn-based gameplay of previous entries. Although it starts off slow since your only choice is attack, once you unlock the paradigm system the combat opens up in a bigway. The combat is fast and intense and a lot of fun.

Overall, my early impressions of the game are positive without a doubt. The wait was worth it but only a little bit. I certainly would like some mini games and sidequests but I can wait 8 chapters. I am thoroughly enjoying this game and I am sure other Final Fantasy fans will too.

:)