Fainaru fantajî XIII

One of the very few videogames to ever have fully capture me.. Super immersive and captivating, I found myself completely engulfed and taken over by this game ever since I started to play. It is super rare for me to get fully immersed with a game to the point where I can't get it off my mind, as I am normally pretty tough to please with my standards for games. It has one of the most likeable cast IMO next to FFX and FFVII, the soundtrack is so beautiful and epic, the graphics are the best, and the battle system is perfect and flashy. I'm intrigued by the story as well, it is one of the best Final Fantasy stories and a top contender in terms of personal appeal for me. As for the linearity everyone complains about, that's exactly why I love this game. I am not a big fan of non-linear games, and so FF13 along with FFX, and FF7 remake, are my top three favorite Final Fantasy games. I feel like this game is vital to the franchise because it is only the third modern FF turn based game (not including the sequels to FF13) before the switch to action rpg style. And so as much as I love FFX, which is my all time favorite, it's nice to get to see an upgraded and more advanced Final Fantasy turn based game as well in terms of graphics and gameplay.

Stunning graphics,good plots and strong characters.All of that is still not enough to make this game superior to FF 7;FF 8;FF 9;FF 10 and mainly to FF 12. The lack of optional things to do in this game is its greatest flaw.While in other FFs we have several optional bosses,stories and stuff,this one only has hunts!Why one would waste its time hunting monsters,many of them that can only be defeated after the end of the game,to earn items to make your characters stronger to fight no-one else but these hunted monsters??

We can have good times playing this one.All magic lies on the first time you play it.It is a Final Fantasy,thus it deserves to be played,only once, not twice.We can't spend too much time playing this one.

This has been an event four years in the making. With the power of PS3 and Xbox360 behind it, Final Fantasy XIII is something special to behold.

From the first cut scene, to the unforgettable race track scene near the end of the game, the graphics are something that we have not seen before. There were moments in this game that took my breath away and made me think how far we have come since Final Fantasy VII.

The major criticism of this game is how linear it is. I do agree that the game is very straightforward, but that is the only real major problem I had with it. Even that, it didn't really bother me as much as my fellow gamers.

I think the best feature of the game is the battle system. It kind of reminded me of FF X-2, where you can change battle styles in the middle of battle. This makes for not only exciting battles, but battles that must be thought through with careful detail. It also prevents from you using the same characters the whole game, at least for me. I had the same team throughout most of the game, until the end.

The story is pretty interesting and the characters are well rounded. If you love video games or Final Fantasy...pick up this game...It is damn fun.

I honestly loved this game. It's beautiful in almost every aspect--the visuals are probably the best visuals in a video game to date, the narrative is amazing, the voice acting is flawless, and the combat system is nothing short of brilliant. The major criticism this game is receiving is its linearity--which I agree, was a bit irking.

The game is very linear, with beautiful landscapes but paths so narrow you almost feel claustrophobic. However, if you think about it this was probably a tactical move by Square Enix in order to draw in new players without overwhelming them. The game is designed to be friendly to the new FF player, and hopefully after the disappointment that was XIV, Versus XIII will keep the new players hooked on the series, along with XV if Square decides to continue the series (and I hope they will).

The combat system is one of the most challenging you will find today. It starts out very simple--choose an attack and wait for the gauge to fill up, then repeat till the enemy is dead. However, soon you are introduced to roles, magic, and Paradigms--combinations of different roles to combine different attacks and moves. After all this, the challenge is choosing the right Paradigms, because that is the difference between victory and defeat in this game. It keeps you hooked and never bores you, and prevents players from just going through the motions.

The visuals are amazing, after the opening scene I was amazed that it was all CGI. The cinematics are beautiful on the PS3, so I urge you to get the PS3 version. Many environments are breathtakingly beautiful, such as a crystal lake, a house of moving stairs, and many more.

The narrative is brilliant and fits with the very likable cast of characters. You meet Lightning, a young woman who is portrayed as very cold, but slowly opens her heart up while keeping her ice cold determination; Sazh, a man who is drawn into Lightning's plans through curiosity and ends up getting more than he bargained for; Snow, a headstrong, confident young man who is engaged to Lightning's younger sister; Hope, a teenager who, despite his name, has no hope, but matures and gains confidence and courage; Fang, a strange woman with a past she can't recall; and, unfortunately, Vanille-- an upbeat redhead with a very annoying voice who will probably drive you crazy, but is hiding something dark within.

All these characters are citizens of Cocoon--a city-world in constant fear of invasion from Pulse, the world below. The government is corrupt and is run by godly beings known as fal'Cie, who carry out the Purge, in which people who live too close to Pulse fal'Cie and/or are or might become its slaves, Pulse l'Cie, are transported from Cocoon to Pulse against their will.

All in all, the game is beautiful and the storyline is touching and better than most Hollywood films. The linearity is bothersome but nothing too bad. I definitely think this game could be made into a movie, and end up as one of the greatest animated films of all time. I would recommend this to anyone.

Final Fantasy XIII almost became the best, unlike its predecessors, the HP could reach 100,000.

After three months and 72 hours of gameplay, the game was deleted. With so much training time, the Cactus hitting kills makes playing it discouraging.

*Story: Acceptable plot, but having to receive so many names like Fal'cie, l'cie, Pulse city, right away and only later studying and understanding the fantasy is boring. It's interesting to see Lightning and her friends receiving the l'cie mark and being victims of racism and hatred. Characters overcoming anguish and fear, hatred against religion and the system, and a lot of love for others.

*Gameplay: Good evolution in movements, less robotic characters and more simulation with human movement. The fights also have beautiful action scenes.

*Music and sound effects: Menu sound, dubbing, and all sound effects in the gameplay, nothing to complain about, top. And especially great music by composer Hamauzu, Final Fantasy XIII has the best music in the franchise.

Negative points.

❌ Not always having control of Lightning, making any other character the leader, and forcing you to evolve a character you don't want to play.

❌ Gameplay limitations, the game following a pre-defined script.

❌ It takes a while to access the fighting skill and magic.

❌ Limited evolution system.

Positive points.

✅ Beautiful graphics, and good character design.

✅ Best music in all of Final Fantasy.

✅ Incredible battle system, no strategy, no victory.

Game Awards 🏆 Game of the Year: Final Fantasy XIII 🏆 Best RPG: Final Fantasy XIII 🏆 Best Soundtrack: Final Fantasy XIII 🏆 Best Game Song: Frances Maya (The Sunleth Waterscape) - Final Fantasy XIII 🏆 Best Graphics: Final Fantasy XIII 🏆 Best Actress: Naho Nakashima (Lightning) - Final Fantasy XIII.