Final Fantasy XIII review by Gamekult

Gamekult is a very popular french webzine.
Here is the test of the wordly anticipated FF XIII on PS3.
The webzine gives a special selection when the game worth it, for Final Fantasy XIII it seems that the reviewer did not give it.

To all : Here is the notation system of Gamekult :
http://translate.google.fr/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=fr&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamekult.com%2Fapropos%2Fnotes.html&sl=fr&tl=en

[rbluetank]

can the game be this average? i am still getting it but squaresEQ needs to pick their game up!!!!

[ginsunuva]

Please thank a certain console and a certain greedy company...

[PC_Enthusiast]

I hate you i will never buy an xbox of any kind in my life!!!!!

[Saaking]

Yep, the game was promised to be this huge genre defining game by square enix and it all went okay... that is until they announced it was going multiplat. Ever since then it seems the game has just not been as good as expected. I'll still get it, but my hype is for FFversusXIII not FFXIII.

[Elven6]

Where is your proof that Microsoft is responsible for this and not Square Enix?

[Stinkinmushroom]

I know this website cause i'm french. It's a stupid website that gives bad scores to big games just for attention. Check other big games like MGS, other FF, etc.. you'll see

[himdeel]

...and it seems to me that FF13 has the same cloud around it as GTA4 did. Because it's the next big thing and because it's the first next gen FF game there WILL be a lot of folks sporting rose colored glasses. This is not to say that it won't be a good game but we see, hear, and enjoy what we want to enjoy.

We'll have to wait and see but I can guarantee this game will get some inflated scores just because and some deflated scores...just because.

[Eamon]

To all fools who are now complaining that it's MS's fault.

Wasn't it just a while ago you were all complaining that it's linear.

It's got nothing to do with any console. Whether this game was to be exclusive or not, this is the gameplay that FF13 has. Although it's sad, the people to be blamed are the developers which is Square-Enix.

They probably should have stuck by the original formula of Final Fantasy with menu and command orientated combat.

To be honest, I don't care about modern demands from RPG games where it HAS to be action based. Lost Odyssey's gameplay was very fun (only the story sucked).

I doubt I will see the day when S-E will return to the old school gameplay we loved and grew up with.

[GrandDragon]

Shoot...Shoot, Kill, Scream...Camp (Repeat mindlessly)

Seems to be the formula for achieving big sales and near perfect scores these days.

Sad

[sikbeta]

Guys is not M$ fault for gave money to SE, is SE fault for accept and this new "making games everywhere" strategy that is hurting them more than they thought

Great Move Wada and Crew, you're going to F*ck up SE and after that, Sony will need to buy some stocks again to save your and everyone at SE @$$€$

[Cold 2000]

If Lost Odyssey is everything FF13 IS NOT then how can this be the 360's fault ?

Anyways, I'll patiently wait till March to make my own opinion on the game. Not that I'm worried that is wont be stellar :)

[Saaking]

How would MS be responsible? Other than creating a lesser console, they had nothing to do with FFXIII's problems. It was all SE's fault. They promised big, but unlike ND and GG they did not deliver. Or so it seems. Again, I'm gonna wait to actually play the game before passing judgment on it.

[ukilnme]

@ some of the above.

Who says a 7 is bad? So stuck on blaming MS for everything. I am sure you will cling to FFversusXIII unless it goes multiplatform. If it does you will say it sucks too and blame MS again. Clowns like you are the reason N4G is such a laughing stock.

[Obama]

"If Lost Odyssey is everything FF13 IS NOT then how can this be the 360's fault ?"

LO only got like 78 average? Hardly an AAA game that can take ff place. ff13 may even score lower but all ff fans are waiting for the versus.

[Eamon]

There have been games on 360 with EXCELLENT GAMEPLAY.

Are you telling me S-E couldn't make a game with good gameplay due to Xbox 360 limited capabilities.

I'm sorry but that's just Bullsh1t.

I can understand if people complain about 360 causing graphics or content to be lessened. But gameplay is a completely different issue.

Regardless of console, it's up to the developer to make sure gameplay is fun. It's got nothing to do with the platform you are developing for.

@Obama: No, FF fans are waiting for FF games. A sad fanboy waits for his exclusives.

--

Edit at below: lol, my desperation? (Unless you're talking about how I am despeate for FF13 to be a good game) Annoyed would be the right word. And that would be due to, unsuprisingly, console bashing.
Sorry about my profanity but that's just how I speak in real life. "pathetic childish ploy" <-- LOL, now I think you're making stuff up. And I think fanboys are more suited for the Open Zone mate. I saw you're above comments, and you seem to be one.

[creatchee]

Really? It's hard to smell Eamon's fragrance over the brutal stench of that fanboyism that you're wearing.

[Ocelot525]

don't trust such amateur websites, they just want to raise controversy to increase the number of visitors

[Cold 2000]

"@Obama: No, FF fans are waiting for FF games. A sad fanboy waits for his exclusives."

That is so true! Bubbles!

Almost nobody used to talk much about Versus when FF13 was exclusive. It was all about FF13. The day it went multiplat all of a sudden there was a whole lot of "bah I never cared about FF13, Versus is way better", "FF13 is too girly" FF8 and especially FF10 were a whole lot girlier or "true fans are waiting for Versus".

What are you guys going to sa when Versus goes multiplat? I mean this is SE, you guys get get back in touch with reality.

@Obama:"Yes and most Japanese gamers are apparently disappointed with ff 13. So which is the next ff game? FF versus." Yeah right, ok, I'll take your word for that, you're special reporter in Japan right lol.

[Anorexorcist]

But hey, look at what's going on with FFXIII and try to use some basic deduction skills.

No major entry in the entire FF franchise has come this low with starting review scores. Even the under appreciated entry Final Fantasy XII did not come with such doubt before launch and as of now FFXIII has not sold as much as FFXII, either at launch or unit outlay in Japan. That in itself is a change because we all know the Japanese are certainly the most discerning Final Fantasy audience.

I mean seriously, look at the reality of this current situation with the franchise and The Xbox 360 itself; The Xbox crowd are known to not exactly migrate towards JRPGs and FFXIII is being criticized for being too "straight-forward and streamlined" which sounds like a design decision intended to accommodate less RPG-competent patrons like the Xbox 360 audience.

MS itself may not be directly responsible for the Franchise's turn around (after all, all MS did was write a check and give a handshake), but Final Fantasy straying from its core audience/design template is indicative of at least SOME influence that the Xbox 360 has had on the franchise.

[Obama]

"FF fans are waiting for FF games"

Yes and most Japanese gamers are apparently disappointed with ff 13. So which is the next ff game? FF versus.

"Almost nobody used to talk much about Versus when FF13 was exclusive. It was all about FF13"

Where did you get this from? I remember when the versus trailer was released ppl are saying how it looks way more interesting than ff 13.

[Elven6]

MrJackOfAllTrades: So because I ask a completely logical question I am suddenly a fanboy?

Since you claim to be a master of such logic, please explain how this is Microsoft's fault and not anyone elses?

[blizzard_cool]

I'm a die hard Sony fanboy but there is still no proof that MS is responsible for FFXIII flopping (even thou I didn't play the game myself so I can't judge if it's a flop).

[kws1065]

MS: "Everything I touch turns to sxxt"

[blizzard_cool]

Is Drake finally good enough to be quoted?! Even better then Sullys ass :O

[Redempteur]

gamekult will never give a good score to their big titles because they need hits ...

They always does their review like that

Still gonna buy it regardless

[GameGambits]

I'm over 100 hours into FF13 on my Japanese version.

I give it a 9/10.

For reference here's how the other FF games rack up in my book(I won't include the pre PS1 era ones, because I give all those 9/10s from 3-6, but maybe exception to FF5 being slightly above a 9 as it was my favorite of the pre PS1 era FFs)

FF7-9.3/10
FF8-8.2/10
FF9-9.5/10
FF10-9/10
FF10Pt2-7.5/10
FF11-9.3/10(I spent 6 years playing this MMO)
FF12-8.8/10

That's how it sits in that book for me. It's just as good as FFX was for its time, and this is just as good for our time now.

Just ask yourself how did FF10 sit with you, and you'll know how FF13 should sit with you as well.

[Eamon]

MAiKU, I just read your new edited comment.

You seem to be avoiding what I keep point out to you.

G a m e p l a y

The console's limitations does not have an effect on whether the game will be fun or not. Proof: The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess. One of the best games ever made and made on a console much more limited than the 360 or PS3. If FF13 is as bad as reviews make it, then S-E couldn't make a good enough game on consoles with much more technical capabilities. The technology of consoles takes into a huge effect when talking about graphics, presentation, content etc.
I will repeat myself again, gameplay is completely up to the developers to handle.

If what you say is true, then why has Fallout 3, Oblivion, Eternal Sonata, Bioshock, Dragon Age Origins, Tales of Vesperia been successful? They are all multiplatform games.

I don't hate xbox 360 or PS3. I have both and enjoy games on both platforms. I've said this before and I'll say this again; In the end, the fanboys lose and the gamers win.

"Oh i'm sorry i guess i didn't explain it earlier, i hate the 360."
^^^ You damn well should have. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered posting any comments towards you.

Anyway, this is my last bubble and now I feel foolish because I wasted my time when I knew from the beginning that it's impossible to get through to a fanboy.

Peace.

[chaosatom]

It they had more space, then they could have put towns.

It's going to be 4 discs anyways but to avoid having more discs, they decided to cut out the towns part.

I am not sure if linearity was implemented so people won't have to constantly switch out discs, but I don't think that's a big issue as much as not having lots of towns and stuff.

That's what made FF7 so good, and it's epic proportion maps.

[CrazzyMan]

I mean, really, EVERY main FF game was always a HIGH QUALITY game.
I know, many hated FFXII, but it still was a high quality game, AND i liked it. I liked both FFX and FFXII.

It`s really hard for me to believe this score.
Maybe this all hate because FFXIII went multiplatform,
OR because x360 really limited FFXIII.

I still will get FFXIII and won`t count on those reviews, but only on my experience. This time, i really have no trust in reviews.

[Rocket Sauce]

It's hilarious how people always find a way to blame the Xbox for everyone else's problems.

"FF 13 got a 7/10 - Damn you Microsoft!"
"I spilled my coffee - M$ made me do it!"
"There's no toilet paper in the bathroom - Xbox strikes again!"

[leila01]

You know Lost Odyssey and Tales of Vesperia are on the X360, you know that right?
You also know that FFXIII had only 8gb of non-FMV content, you knew right?

Anyway, it's still a day one purchase for me.

[Dutch Boogie]

Most of you losers who are defending M$ and SE don't relies that MGS4 was on a 50gig blu ray disc and the game was epic. SE could have used a 50gig blu ray disk for FF13 but that wouldn't be practical for M$. That would mean SE has to royalties for extra disks and that is why they settled for 25gigs only.

[darthv72]

I think people are playing this off as guilty by association. Honestly, the gameplay looks to be what square had in mind from the beginning. If people recall the first look, it still resembles the finished product. That was way before MS got involved and wanted a copy for themselves.

The fact MS got involved labeled this an automatic fail in people's minds. seeing as we will never know the real intentions of this game and its creation because the moment square said it was coming for the 360 I saw a lot of wind die from the sails of ps3 gamers.

It happened to GTA. If the game isnt exclusive to one console then the gamers will begin feeling as if they have no interest in it anymore. Multiplat doesnt ruin gaming like people want to believe. Hype kills gaming and everyone has different levels of personal hype they apply to titles. If you dont let yourself get super hyped then you wont feel as let down by the end result. It could very well surprise you if you keep a neutral stance until try for yourself.

[Immortal Kaim]

The people who are already claiming this game sucks without even playing it = morons...

The people who claim MS is to blame for the apparent linear nature of FFXIII = morons...

The people who still can't get over the fact that Final Fantasy XIII is no longer PS3 exclusive = morons

Sorry Saaking, you're clearly a moron, nothing you can say or do will change this.

p.s Add Maiku and dutch to the list as well...

[TROLL EATER]

maybe they reviewed the inferior ps3 version. like bayonetta lool

[Pozzle]

I'm not going to blame Microsoft for something they have no bearing on. Square Enix simply made a bad (or average) game. They promised something big, and they didn't deliver. And it's a shame that people are blaming MS for ruining Final Fantasy, when it's Square Enix's fault for 1) accepting MS's offer, and 2) creating a game that didn't live up to expectations.

Even if the 360 DID hinder the game's development, that doesn't mean the game was destined to be crap. You can still paint a beautiful picture with half a packet of paint. Square clearly didn't do that.

Even if the game WAS a PS3 exclusive, that doesn't guarantee FFXIII woul dhave been good. For all we know, Square Enix would have still made an average Final Fantasy. Maybe they simply didn't have their hearts in it this time around.

[DaTruth]

I don't care what platforms it's on, or how much it's been downgraded; That was a great trailer that even has my girl wanting to play it(she does not play video games and has little interest in them).

Multiplat has a bad reputation for ruining games. When we see the quality of PS3 exclusives and then play the crappy multis, whenever a multiplat goes bad, PS3 owners know what to blame! MS has too little true exclusives to know what their exclusive quality is.

Multiplat just has a bad name!

[Marceles]

God I hate people that bash games that they haven't played yet, the game is awesome post game and it's practically just like FFX. I'm 70 hrs into the game and having more fun with it even more after the story was over. Play the damn game first.

There ARE sidequests and "content in-between", you'll be on this game well over 100 hours by the time you've done everything you can. You might heal after every battle, but the battles aren't a cake walk. Each character is pretty much required to be alive during the fights or else you'll die. It's not like you can have 2 characters die like in previous FFs but your main character is so tanked out that you'll easily kill the enemies anyway. If 2 or even 1 of your players are dead against a reasonably tough enemy, you might as well restart on FF13 because it's game over.

[rezenu]

Before we play the blame game on Microsoft, did anyone consider that maybe it could be Square's fault? I would like to play the game for myself and see the gameplay for myself before I place blame on anyone.

[ikral]

...i should leave my FFXII unfinished, so i can play it in 2010. And yes, don´t be haytin´, we ´re all in the same sh!t. Happy New Year to PS3-ers and X360-ers, and to the oth-ers.

[AAACE5]

One thing stands out to me... "French magazine!"

Americans and Japanese seem to have different opinions than other territories. Didn't Kotaku give it a 39/40? Most American game reviewers will probably give it no less than a 9.

I don't want to offend anyone because i'm not too familiar with the area, but isn't france part of the UK? Don't they seem to prize Racing games and Soccer (...er... futbol) and shooters more than JRPG's?

I say take the review with a grain of salt. It's obvious that alot of you guys were hoping the game would be crappy so you could blame it on the multiplat status.

In the past, developers have made a game for one system, and made a game better on another system to take advantage of the other systems power! So it's the developer you should be mad at. When the Ps1 was out, they made games a bit better on there while the Sega Saturn and N64 had to suffer. Last gen, when they ported GTA 3 and VC to the 360, they took advantage of the xbox's power and made the graphics slightly better with better explosions.

It's the developer in the end... and let's not forget that SE hasn't been making the best of games as of late!

[Pika-pie]

What have SE been doing for the past 5 years. Its slowly becoming clear why Sony didnt lock this down as an exclusive, they may have not been overly impressed with it.

Still day one purchase for me though

[bakasora]

So FF13 flops? Lets go for FF13v. (And wait like it seems forever) No wait, Final Fantasy has gone out of its root. So lets wait for Kingdom Hearts 3 instead.

[Consoldtobots]

"There have been games on 360 with EXCELLENT GAMEPLAY.

Are you telling me S-E couldn't make a game with good gameplay due to Xbox 360 limited capabilities.

I'm sorry but that's just Bullsh1t"

it's IGNORANCE like this that keeps MS in business.

[DatNJDom81]

that microsoft's strategy was to gimp all games that were multiplat so that their version was superior. I could of sworn I read that as a news article someone posted up here. Aww well can't remember exactly where it was so I can't really use that as evidence. I agree that se dropped the ball on this one. all the blame shouldn't be targeted on microsoft, although, they do have some of the blame. the majority of the blame should be on se though. they are the ones that messed this up. aww well not even picking this up. will pick up a non gimped version called ff13vs and hopefully pick up the redone version of ff7 if its a ps3 exclusive.

[CimmerianDrake]

Every other FF game, from Nintendo to Sony, that was the first FF game to appear on a new gen console pushed the boundaries of story, gameplay, and technology.

Every 360 JRPG has been mediocre at best, and clearly clones of better JRPG games.

Now FFXIII is being called slightly above average as a whole. It's the first FF game of the new gen consoles, and is mediocre. Can you do the math?

[Monkey521]

I am not trying to defend Square at all, but I kind of want to wait for reviews by some people I know of....not these unknowns. Just saying...

[FishCake9T4]

Wow. This game is no where near as good as i thought it would be. Ill just wait till remake of 7.

[Rocket Sauce]

If they remake FF 7, the same people who made this game are probably going to work on it.

[TROLL EATER]

Lors de son périple, Lightning va rencontrer un certain nombre de protagonistes qui vont tous, à un moment ou un autre, se retrouver liés par la marque des L'cie.

"During his journey, Lightning will meet a number of players who are all at one time or another, find themselves bound by the brand of IE"

does this magazine even know lighting is a woman? ill wait for proper reviews not some back street french mag

[mfwahwah]

@1.1

Most of the FF7 team is on Versus XIII. That means they did work on XIII, but as extra help. I still don't see what your point is, though.

[Rocket Sauce]

Squaresoft was great, Square Enix has always sucked. If you think this game looks bad, you should be afraid of what they'd do to FF 7.

[rebirthofcaos]

well at least WKC is almost at the corner.I cant wait to play it

[Sangria]

Just to inform people, Gamekult is the french equivalent of Edge. They are not hype-sensitive, they are not corruptible, their reviews are not commercial-oriented.

For example, they gave Halo 3 a 7, Fallout 3 a 7, Killzone 2 a 8, Modern Warfare 2 a 8, Dragon Age Origins a 6 on consoles and 8 on PC, etc...

They are very hard with reviews but they are fair and truly unbiased. Among all the French video game websites, they are the only ones I trust. When a game is a crap, they just say it.
Their scale:
- 7: Good.
- 8: Very Good.
- 9: Excellent.
- 10: Perfect.

[GrandDragon]

Well In that case they made some elemental mistakes.

All characters in this Game can have access to all 6 types of Optima, and the Crystarium becomes far more complex and branches out once players reach the World Map.

I couldn't understand it entirely because of the translation but the arguments they made for the most part were valid.

I guess this site will never rate any game above an 8 (I find it hilarious that they rated MW2 an 8 WOW)

[Obama]

Gamekult may not be bias but Edge certainly is.

[Baka-akaB]

it is quite an insult imo to Gamekult to compare them to the edge . dont worry they are everything i think you said . I just dont believe Edge is the same way .

[cereal_killa]

Dont forget an 8 for MGS4

http://www.gamekult.com/tou...

[Ravage27]

can't believe i waited 4+ years for this

[Ninji]

Just more proof showing that FF13 is a flop (though common sense could've told you that).

[GrandDragon]

Coudlnt understand it, to predictable of a review.

I have played it my self and the story is amazing, and yes, you can interact with NPC when you are with Vanille and Sazh near the Chocobo park/ theme park.

Story is amazing, with amazingly detailed facial expressions capturing the mood really well

[FiftyFourPointTwo]

I shall patiently wait for the TRUE next-gen Final Fantasy experience only available and only possible on the console that only does everything, the AAAstation 3:
- Final Fantasy Versus XIII aka the superior FFXIII game

Thank you, Nomura. Screw you Wada, Kitase and Toriyama.

[Aquarius]

LMAO @ the people who are saying it's not M$' fault. SE obviously needed to cater to two platforms. One which is ridiculously inferior to the other.

Just wait till you see the flopfixme's review.
It's technically a different game.

Versus 13 will be our avenge ;)

[DigitalHorror81]

Rogue Warrior got awarded a 3.5. Last I checked, THAT would signal a failure. 7 is slightly above average, just a hair under solid. I'm going to play the game before passing judgment as should you.

[Bill Gates]

Thank you STUPID BABOONS for ruining another great series.

STUPID BABOONS....AHAHAHAHA

[GrandDragon]

Considering how this Website gives most Games a 7-8 rating, this review is very predictable for the most part.

Instead of judging the game for what it is, they try to draw a parallel with what RPG games are "suppose" to be like, without considering any alternatives or exception to why they idealise.

[reintype]

SE's decision to streamline FFXIII, will polarize both fans and critics alike.

Some are gonna like the changes made, because they whittle out a lot of the fluff and makes the game accessible to people, who may not give games like this a chance.

On the other side of the coin, some are also going to hate it, because they took away alot of what makes a JRPG truly is, since they basically stripped it down to its bare essentials.

I can understand where the reviewer is coming from, because Final Fantasy XII is un-final fantasy-like, and veers away from the usual JRPG template as well as its predecessor. Whereas previous iterations are like Richard Garriott's Ultima, XIII is like Diablo with cutscenes. They may bear the same name, but they are a different beast altogether.

For better or for worse FFXIII, presents a new direction to the series, time will tell if SE made the correct decision.

EDIT: FYI, I did not give you a disagree.

[chidori666]

the last hope is in ff versus..

[Obama]

I rest my hope on versus...

[sikbeta]

Like all of us

[DatNJDom81]

wont let us down or at least will be better than XIII. The darker more mature story alone bring my hopes up.

[Omega4]

And here comes the unjustified 360 hate....

[Consoldtobots]

thats the problem with you 360 fanboys, the myriad of ways in which the 360s architecture has limited this game has been discussed here FOR MONTHS on end. Yet you and the other clown on the first page want "proof" that this is MS's fault. At this point if Jesus and his angels themselves came down from heaven and told you the 360 is gimping games you would just call em biased fanboys on Sony's payroll.

[tunaks1]

ouch reviews seem to be lower then expected. I see Square and fans will blame MS but really if the game doesn't meet expectations its no ones fault but Squares.

[True_Religion]

many idiots here.. especiall Saaking. I really dont know what Microsoft has to do with this BAD game, like every SE game this gen.

If FF13 would be on the Wii, DS, on ALL plattforms.. this wouldnt change the fact, that its just an AVERAGE game with a middelcore story and so on.

MS has nothing to do with Square Enix, fools.

[Roper316]

I hear what you are saying but last gen all SE games were on the PS platform and all except FF X-2 were epic games. Enter this gen and add MS to the mix and SE games all stink and most of them are 360 exclusive. So before SE made games for the Xbox brand their games were all critically acclaimed now that they are a MP dev focusing mostly on the 360 their quality has dropped severley. So yes blame SE but I also feel if MS wasn't in the equation with their dated hardware & medium that the SE games would be better then they are.

[DaTruth]

Can't really argue with that! Epic on PS systems, mediocre on MS systems! How could MS not take the blame, except for Squares bad decision making!

[Consoldtobots]

why are you guys reasoning with a butt-hurt 360 fanboy? They don't care for logic or truth.

[HDgamer]

FFX and X-2 were really good games I guess some people are just butthurt than the X-2 had girls in it and not the usual FF type of guy they so love to look at.

[Homicide]

It's a rental; it's going to have to earn its purchase. I hate most of the things I've heard about FFXIII. Four years of waiting and we get a hallway simulator. No thanks SE.

[Vgameman]

Still buying it day one. I'll be the judge of whether or not I think it's good.

[Anti-PS3]

I agree with you. I have always been a Final Fantasy fan. I already have the game pre-ordered from Amazon. I believe Western RPGs are corrupting people minds. Just like MW2. Not every RPG has to be like ME, Oblivion, or Fallout.

[Eamon]

Vgameman, you're probably the most sane person here.

[bjornbear]

do so, because if anything, its just different

i doubt its as bad as people make it, its just getting bashed for being changed a bit

but change must be adapted to =)

[Midgard228]

good thing i dont pay to much attention to reviews. if i did i wouldnt have enjoyed infinite undiscovery, star ocean, or some of the other games that werent scored 9+, because this gen 7 is considered a 2/10 for some dumb reason.

if i listened to reviews then ff10 or 12 would be my fav and guess what? 12 is the worst in series in my opinion and im not a huge fan of 10.

u damn followers need to play games for urself. cuz guess what? back in nes, snes days there were almost no reviewers and everyone just played w/e the F they wanted, if they didnt like it then o well. now people dont like games before its even out because they pay attention to 1 persons inflated opinion.

im still going to play this game and i will judge if its good or not, u guys can follow the tails of the dogs a$$ and just pass it up if ya want

[bacon13]

I think reviews are very important considering the amount of money us gamers must invest to enjoy our hobby. $300 dollar systems and $60 dollar games add up after awhile. Solid and unbiased reivew scores are crutual to me before I plop down my hard earned money at a local game store.

[Eamon]

Midgard228, I almost completely agree with you.

It's just that games these days cost £40+ ($60+)
So people become sceptic before purchasing. So reviews help people know what they're buying and also help people make decisions over what they're buying.

But, unfortunately these days, nerdy social outcasts think that their lives depend on reviews. Or if a game is exclusive to their Godly console. Or if that exclusive game gets a 9+ rating. I remember when IGN gave Uncharted 2 a 9.5/10, the nerds on this site went on a rampage and demanded a perfect score.

[Midgard228]

wat u said is reasonable, but doesnt mean u have to buy the game when it comes out. u telling me if it was a 15$ game u wudnt pic it up because of the review? and again a 7/10 isnt a bad score, just means wait till its used score if u people r cheap or dont wanna rent it.

i mean when ur in the mood for a jrpg what is there to go too? apparently ff13 and end of eternity will be the only ones available in march till WKC.

i meann wtf, just gonna keep playin COD? lol, tho yes i know theres more than that by the time march comes.

besides its ur opinion and i just stated mine ;p

@Eamon lol yeah, thats wat i mean, wtf yes i luv uncharted 2 but y do people swear everything shud be rated a 10/10, and why do people think games suk if its a 7/10........w/e strange world.

to bad reviewers cant be trusted lol. CODMW2 score for example ;p games get judged for doing nothing new or innovative but the game thats always been the same adds dual wielding and a riot shield and it gets scored high lol

[Nitrowolf2]

wow low score i thought this game was going to be great and all but i still wasn't planning on getting it even if it had perfect score. Like i said many times even before the game went multiplat it just didn't interest me as much as FF1 versus, i hope versus is good, thank god Nomura is working on it.
And to the people who are saying its 360 fault, i'm not going to blaim it or MS, mybe FF13 could have looked better and include those DLC and all, but in the end its really SE fault, i couldn't open the website but if you think about it story and gameplay is determined by SE. Even the open world is, SE made it how it is, they are to blame if anyone is pointing fingers for a low score, likei said mybe for graphics you can blame MS. Two linear people complain blame SE for that, lack of cities, interaction, making it so you heal after every battle, little shops, no leveling up, thats all SE fault. But yes you can still blame MS for some things

[GrandDragon]

Well actually considering how many games got 7/8 on this website the score is predictable...and can not be regarding a "failure"...

So far there has only been two reviews and both say its a good game, with aspects that are missing.

Gamekult - 7/10 Good

rpgland - Very Good

[happy_gilmore]

versus will get 11/10, like what unchartes 2 did

[hudsoniscool]

its SE's fault they cant release quality titles.

[cliffbo]

this game was cut down to enable it to fit on less DVDs (MSs fault for wanting it on their system) clearly the open world has gone, the towns have gone, the shops have gone and the NPCs have gone, all in the name of 'compression'. remember that word when you play Alan Wake, the once flouted open world game, now linear with stripped down graphics. wake up and smell the roses. if you want more on screen, with more varied textures (the Blu-ray advantage), better AI and better physics, stick with Cell. if you are happy playing last gen games with a coat of this gen, then play the 360

[justaddh30]

i'm almost relieved to be able to mark this one off the list
now heavy rain, GT5???

[LittleBigSackBoy]

Someone on my friend list has this, he loves it. I don't really care what scores FF XIII gets. This Gen has been weird, it seems reviewers have a slight bias towards JRPGS. Nearly all the JRPGS released this Gen don't deserve the low scores they get. This is the Gen of FPS's, they get easy passes, while JRPGS get bias reviews. We won't see a JRPG with a really high meta because of this.

[Midgard228]

i dunno wtf is up with this gen, all the sony hating, all the jrpg hating, everything is going backwards from previous gens lol.

i just dont understand. im sick of playing halo and COD clones, SICK OF IT, enough freakin shooters dammmit. ugggh. thank god for diff games like demon souls, lbp, mod nation racers, heavy rain, infamous etc....... even bad shooters get good scores

[Baka-akaB]

seriously ! I dont even dispute that the game could even be bad , or good but less than expected ... hell i've never be a fan of the overly clean futuristic tone of that FF and it's mecha summons (as opposed as the usual "dirty" steampunk mixed with tradition) ... and i often dislike Nomura's artstyle ..

What i often dont get , is how so easily everyone jump of the title for doing something that is quite a staple of the franchise , being linear and for not being a WRPG (except the part about no little town wich indeed isnt common).
Especially when the previous one breaking that mold was supposedly hated .

Gamekult , unlike many of those import ff reviews , quick to judge and dismiss posters , judge the game for what they feel about it ... not because it's not a wrpg . So i can live with their score . Especially when i never follow their opinion on jrpgs anyway .

I'd ask however if some of the people "happy" or agreeing with the low score here , even follow Gamekult on a regular basis , or are ready to jump and follow any kind of review , especially if weirdly translated by google ?

[ukilnme]

I don't need the reviews. I plan on picking this up for PS3 when it hits the states. As for all of the Sony hating, it's not like MS isn't attacked on a daily basis here on N4G and Nintendo is constantly blamed for destroying gaming as we know it.

[FwanK]

two sevens already

In my dictionary that means mediocre

[GrandDragon]

And the two 7's are from unknown, dubious, miscellaneous Websites that have probably rushed through the game up until the Story ends to give first hand reviews for hits.

When previous FF games were released reviewing at this paste did not exist, people took their time to review games.

And besides both reviews so far gave it a 7 meaning Good or Very good.

I hardly see that as a disappointment considering how for the first time Square had to develop this game for two platforms with different capabilities!!

[r0adrunner]

most reviews that happen like this on games that no one played are to kill your hopes for a game and to deter you from getting the game, a game like the caliber of final fantasy was prone to this type of hate no matter if it was great or horrible anyway, so im waiting til i get it im sure its gonna blow me away and i will beat it several times

[jhani]

Years of wait and we get a mediocre game?

[cliffbo]

the next one will be a side scoller like Valkrie Profile

[Meryl]

There is no denying at how much this game had to be gimped so it could run on the xbox 360, you only have to look at the original development screens to see how much it has been gimped from the original idea that SE had, now all I'm glad Nomura is around and will make FF XIII vs the next true FF, FF XIII was just a way to get more money admit it already people, it's mediocre.

[divideby0]

I dont really care for in depth RPGs, so this game sounds ok to me, but I as many are surprised by the change in this game.

[JonnyBigBoss]

Well, it's a good thing that Heavy Rain, ModNation Racers, White Knight Chronicles and God of War 3 are coming out. I had FF13 reserved on FF13 but canceled it.

[Energy-HL]

A review is just the reviewers opinion of the game. The final score may differ from yours if you were to review it. Best review for you is your own review.

[silkrevolver]

wait for the Western Reviews for the English version of the game. They may end up being average scores or Great scores, but I don't really trust any of the reviews that have been released. I've heard good and bad feedback for this game, now I'll just wait a few months for reviews from GT, IGN, GI, etc...

[Odreus]

7 is not that bad ...

[Odreus]

you would not judge the game by two sevens. Look at the Monster Hunter Series, the game got average scores, but it`s one of my favorite series, because I didn`t believe such average scores, bought the game and enjoyed it. And if the game should be really bad, than it`s not Microsoft or Sonys fault, it`s SE.

[PirateThom]

Not to point fingers, and I certainly don't blame the 360 more than the developers, but it seems like every game that goes multiplatform, isn't as good as it's last gen counterparts.

What's the deal? Is it just lack of imigination?

[Thoreau]

i loved ff12, but the story line was boring as was the character design. ff13 maybe not be the best ff but it is only because square wanted to go in a different direction. it is a shame when western rpgs have more of an rpg feel than jrpgs (except for demon's souls)

[tiamat5]

I am not sure if I should blame Microsoft for this one but it does seem like everytime a game is taken off exclusiveity and goes to Microsoft, the results are less then satisfying. It either becomes crap or becomes subpar or average. But I think the main reason for this is that these games hit their peak years ago. Xbox owners celebrate when the game goes multiplatform but they don't realise is that they are getting the scraps.All the good ideas have been used. The developer probably wishes they could move on,but money talks so they milk the series until you can practicality smell the stink. I mean do you really think after twelve Final Fantasys that this one would still be as good? Of course Xbox owners will say yes to argue a point but we who have played Final Fantasy since the PS1 know its about time to drop the whole series and start over fresh

[Blitzkid]

Since a few years i enjoy to read N4G and i'm a huge FF fan! I never saw it neccessary to write a comment, but i was amused to read the comments of other people, mainly the war between the fanboys :) Today is the day, where i'm ready to write my first comment:

so im really angry concerning the FFXIII reviews. If this game is really that avarage, i think it is absolutely the blame of Microsoft and it's XBOX360!!!

[fallingdove]

We all knew that this would happen - individuals that bought the PS3 with FF13 anticipation would scream if it were anything less than perfect because of the 360 port announcement.

I do find it interesting however, the design choices that were made that conspiracy theorists can draw links to:

The game was simplified to segment the story and gameplay into chapters. (The multiple discs for Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX had identical data on them which allowed you to revisit areas on previous discs, the only differing information was in the FMV sequences) One could argue that the reason FF13 was divided into chapters wih level caps and no exploration was to limit the amount of duplicate information that had to be copied to each disc - thus reducing the royalties Square-enix had to pay microsoft for multi-disc usage. Its also interesting that the chapter format (a first in this fashion for the numbered Final Fantasy series) allows developers to cleanly divide the story over 3 discs.

I am lowering my expectations for this one. Its a shame if FF13 gameplay was indeed gimped due to the storage limitation on the 360, I would have prefered a step down in the visuals if it was for a complete final fantasy experience.

[abcd]

Gamekult:

"The graphics are superb"
"Graphics fabulous"

So don't blame xbox 360.
And:

gamekult gave MGS 4 a 8/10
gamekult gave fallout 3 a 7/10.

[Manberg900]

wow

[horndog]

The ps3's architect is a f^cken mess and a lot of time and resource is spent on that sh^t. The droids keep forgetting that just because ND had the resources, time and money given by sony it doesn't mean that all other devs get that luxury. In this case SE just runed out of budget. Thank your developer friendly ps3. Lol. Stupid droids.

[stonecold1]

thought to let you know atleast it wont get gipmed because of the dvd m$ living in1996 enjoy your last gen console and have fun swapping those dvds over m$ this is 2009 not 96

[Meryl]

what fantasy land do you live in?? you do realize this game was far better before it went multi-platform, now as a result a lot of people are disapointed at how much it has been gimped...

[Blaster_Master]

lets see, Naughty dog made Uncharted 2 in 18 months. I hardly call that enough time, they are just good devs. BTW, lets pass judgment on this game until it actually comes out in english. Then we will see if its rubbish or not.

[horndog]

and ps3 fans have no choice but to play a gimped rpg. Lol.

[Jrome]

This is expected. Square Enix = sell outs, so of course their games will reflect how much they have sold out, no longer focusing on making the best game but rather making the most profit.

Here`s to hoping it got 7 because they put all their time into making the ps3 exclusives ff13versus and ff14 online(yeh its on pc too) :) realizing they would be able to put more content into those games due to lack of limiting factors :).

EDIT

I`m also going to admit that I didn`t read the full review so I may also be wrong and this game may have an unjust 7/10.

[sofocado]

I don't understand something. Can someone explain this to me? Why blame MS?

[ukilnme]

Consider the source of such comments and it will become clear. Simply put, they are MS haters and make crap comments because this game is no longer exclusive to the PS3. Of course it would be praised like no other if it was still exclusive. The link below will give more insight to their pathetic mindset.

http://www.n4g.com/up/13764...

@ Jrome

From what I have read, the PS3 version was pretty much finished prior to porting it to the 360. Besides that, there are many great multiplatform titles out there that run better on the 360. Do we blame MS for that too? Oh no we blame the developer right?

One more thing, a 7 is not a bad score. I'll see for myself if the game is good or not.

[Jrome]

Multiplatform = less focus on game and more focus on making the game for 2 systems.

It would be the same if halo went to ps3...it just wouldn't be right.

Unless they take a ridiculously long time to develop the game, eliminate the "lead platform" and develop to each consoles full capabilities.

[Jrome]

1. Notice how at the post above I stated that I might also be wrong because I didn't even read the review (personally i'm getting the game either way)

2. if this game was still exclusive a 7 would have gotten sony executed by means of lethal injection.

3. Yes, we blame the developer for not making the ps3 the lead platform or developing the game for each platform on equal grounds (no lead platform).

And yeh the game was almost done, and then we heard it's coming to 360 and the release date got pushed back, also the fact that it was almost done doesn't mean it didn't effect the final outcome of the ps3 version at all.

[Armyntt]

Can someone explain the saying i see on here 40 times a day. "M$ just wrote a big check so they would go multi." I mean is there pictures online of Bill Gates holding one of those big lotto checks to SE or anyone else for that matter? Is there a link that shows cash flow from MS to SE? You know from like from some financial site. Where is the proof that M$ is writing checks? Besides MS telling SE hey we have a console with millions of loyal customers that would love to purchase your game i dont see where MS paid anyone. If you prve it ill accept it but i have never seen proof besides hear-say in online forums or talking to people. Thanks

[Jrome]

Where is the proof that sony paid to put their new ads on tv? They could have just used a coupon or struck a deal with the television stations.

Where is the proof?

/sarcasm

It doesn't take a smarty pants to realize that both sony and microsoft have invested money into games to gain exclusivity, the point of the matter is the microsoft used their money to go for sony exclusives so that sony wouldn't have as much of an advantage, it doesn't matter if they gave them money for DLC, or gave them money to help with development.

[DigitalAnalog]

Why is this game so bad?

Let us check out a quote from Tetsuya Nomura: ( http://www.thekoalition.com...

"He (Nomura) at one time via Famitsu stated that “all visions come true” when a game is exclusive."

AND

“It’s not just about how pretty the graphics are (<--- read this) but more of how much limited amount of movement we can put on one go and how big our imagination and ideas are. (<-- and this) The PS3 is the machine that is closest to being able to express our imagination. (<-- AND THIS)”

All the review scores, impressions and such comes to no surprise at this point.

-Go Figure!

[ukilnme]

Pfffft!!!

It's a known fact that Nomura is in love with Sony. Of course he is going to say that.

[stuntman_mike]

i dont know about Ms fault or anything but whats ther bets 360 version gets perfect scores.

[cheameup]

havent the best FF games been on snes and ps1 ? blame the developer for making a bad game .MS have nothing to do with it

[Pillville]

More importantly, the best FF games have been exclusives.

When they were made for SNES, they could concentrate on SNES hardware and get the most out of the game,
When they were made for PS1, they could concentrate on PS1 hardware and get the most out of the game,
etc...

But with multi-platform, if system1 has features A,B,C and system2 has features B,C,D then the game can only use features B & C.
Multi-platform games of any kind, lessen the game.

So, to me, it's not about what the Xbox is capable of. I'm sure if it was an Xbox exclusive, it would be better than the game they are releasing. It's about who caused it to go multi-platform.

[PLAYstar]

Need to wait for a more recognized official review. No FF should deserve such rating. If it's really true, this is the worst FF ever!

[n4gno]

"Gamekult is a very popular french webzine."

gamekult is also well know for "hard" notes (and really biased, worst than edge against ps3)

[Thoreau]

seems that you have a problem...

[Henry Cain]

Square tried to make the game more appealing to the western audience. They took out exploration of the towns, from what I understand you can,t even control all the characters or level up. They did this all to make the game faster. I have a feeling the same thing is going to happen to MGSR. JRPG games do not sale well on the 360. Square might have shot themselves in the foot with this one. Its not M$ fault, its Square fault. The game will be fallen of the charts in Japan shortly. Like I said FF13vs will be the true next gen FF game.

[stonecold1]

this one final fantasy vs will be the real next gen series at least it wont get gimped by the dvds 8 so im happy to wait 2010 or 2011 when it released to many games locked down for 2010 on ps3 im getting. no towns no shops in the game no buy for me but this game had potenial but not any more no chocobo rides in the games it would have game out ages ago for ps3 but the 360 did hold the ps3 version back as the game was going to be released and both are coming out the same time im afraid this game may look like a last gen game vs i will be waiting forthat th ereal next gen final fantasy vs exclusive to the ps3

[SDF Repellent]

I am switching my PS3 pre order to the X360 version.

[Son_Lee]

Why would you get the lesser version just to piss people off?

[PirateThom]

Enjoy your 5/10 version.

[Meryl]

looking at the user name u created i bet u don't own a ps3 anyway, so you probably would have got the x360 version anyway.

[bjornbear]

it would make me happy

i don't want to have people like you on PSN and enjoying this years best games.

thanks for doing us all a favour ;)

[ukilnme]

@ SDF Repellent

Don't do it because of these idiots. I can't stand them either but I'm still getting the PS3 version. I'll never let any fanboys change my gaming decisions.

[hoops]

Was not the PS3 version almost finished before they annoucned a version for the Xbox360?
Besides. FF series IMO is old school compared to games like Oblivion and Fallout 3 and Mass Effect.

[Blackcanary]

Oblivion was a fantastic game can't wait for the next installment.

[hoops]

@roper316

"So yes blame SE but I also feel if MS wasn't in the equation with their dated hardware & medium that the SE games would be better then they are."

Odd. Last Generation the PS2 was the system with "dated hardware"
and one could imagine if they put FF12 on the Xbox1 how much better it would have been.

[hoops]

The irony will be if VS turns out to be crap....How will the SOny fans take it? Will they blame MS for that also? LOL

[Blackcanary]

If SE wanted to make this game they way they wanted it to be they would of used more disk for the 360 version and they didn't.

How many disk did FF8 have was it 4 can't remember and that was a fantastic game.

Maybe SE are slowly running out of idea's it seems like they are trying so hard to make another big bang like they did with 7,8,9 and 10 and 12 if u liked it cause they did make a lot of money from that game.

Maybe they should get someone from Studio Ghibily to write the script for a FINAL FANTASY game who knows the story could be better than all the old games with new script writers and fresh ideas for a story line.

[fallingdove]

@blackcanary

Unfortunately, SE doesn't have the luxury of spreading the game across as many discs as they want. The have to pay Microsoft extra money for every additional disc they use. It doesn't make fiscal sense for them to put the game on 1 blu-ray for PS3 and 6 DVDs for the 360. They would have to charge a significant amount more for the 360 version to have the same profit margin across platforms. So to reduce the number of discs on the 360, PS3 fanboys argue that SE trimmed down the content. Don't know if its true or not, but thats what has them so upset.

[ukilnme]

@ fallingdove

I guess we'll never know. Other than having to spend more time and money on development, I just don't understand why devs can't/don't make multiplatform titles all they can be for each console. Is there some rule that says disc versions of the games have to be equal?

[fallingdove]

@ukilnme

We may be able to deduce the reality of the matter if Square-enix begins releasing a large amount of DLC containing side-quests, new areas etc. This might indicate that the data they trimmed for consistancy across platforms, lent itself to post sale and addressed the multi-disc issue on the 360.

Unfortunately there is a rule that says disc versions of the games have to be equal within both Sony and Microsofts licensing contracts.

Both agreements basically say that, for disc based multiplatform games, the games have to have the same content and that the performance of the games have to be to of a certain standard. The way both Sony and Microsoft have looked to circumvent their competitors agreements have been through exclusive DLC.

[ukilnme]

Well that agreement sucks. I may be off base here but I wonder if they could have done something like Tecmo did with the Ninja Gaiden games. I know the PS3 versions had more content but I wonder if SE could have done something like that with FFXIII.

Out of bubbles now. Thanks for the response.

[Son_Lee]

I still think the game will be amazing, only because of what I like in an RPG. I don't like exploring aimlessly for hours on end, no towns actually excites me. Yes, I'm serious. Besides, the game allows side quests and other goodies near the end of the game, so I can do that stuff then. I never did side quests till I got near the end of an RPG or beaten it anyway, with the exception of Triple Triad in FFVIII.

On a related note, M$ needs to stop this ridiculous crap. They are ruining gaming for everyone. The only reason they put out the 360 in 2005 was to get a year headstart on the competition. All Microsoft cares about are statistics, they don't care about the quality of the games. Yes the 360 has good games, but no one can dispute the FACT that the PS3 is the superior system. Everyone is finally starting to realize that even more since Sony pulled their heads out of their a$$es and developed a great marketing campaign and lowered the price.

Microsoft, you disgust me and every last one of your fans. I hope I don't come across as a fanboy, but I think everyone with logic would agree with me that Microsoft is sucking the fun out of gaming, and limited developers' creativity. Buying exclusives, lowering the quality of games, it makes me so mad. We're paying for these games, we should get the best experience possible. I never buy anything from Microsoft. Ever.

[Meryl]

I agree with you, plus don't forget M$ came into the business with two priorities:
1. Make loads of $$
2. Get rid of Sony

M$ does not care about the industry, they only care about being the one in control of everything and making loads of money.

[Blackcanary]

Not gonna take notice of any of the reviews but if this game is anything like FF12 i'll play it for about 4 hours and then never go back to it.

Only people to blame is SE for making a flashy game with a crap story line and game play.

That's what i'm gonna say if i don't get hooked to the game like i did with FF5, FF6, FF7, FF8, FF9, FF10, FF10-2 and FF11 online.

Right now WKC looks to be the better game for me Level 5 to me are slowly turning into the alto ego SE with improvements with IMHO.

Bring on WKC 1 and 2 and Dark cloud 3.

I'm craving for a killer NEXT gen FF game so it better be good when it comes out in the UK or i'll be looking forward to FFVS13 as my Final Fantasy ice cream craving as i like to call it.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

It's a great game.

These guys just want attention.

Lol.

Morons.

[g4n]

So they fowled it up eh, dam 360...
Its not M$ fault, its SE decision to go to the lolBox. But M$ is the root cause of this problem.
As a lifelong FF fan (since FF1) i think FF is dead, they have failed in the past 4 new games

[L-a-i-n]

I have been playing the Japanese version and I will say it is not the best game they have made. In no way is it MS fault I chalk this one up to overall bad development. SE is 100% to blame for this one. If I were to review the game it would get around 7-7.5 that is with me being nice. If you are looking for a redefining FF game you will be waiting awhile. This one is very disappointing. Lets hope Verses will be better or SE could have some really big problems in the future. Well maybe not they would just release more ports to DS to save their buts.

[Sorvan]

Problem is that today reviews give 9 and 9.5 to every game that's not crappy as hell. If an american review give a 8 or 7, it's a horrible game.
The score system of Gamekult is to say that a 10 is impossible, a 9 is a game that will mark history of videogames, 8 is a excellent game that is a must have and 7 is a very good game, etc.
Gamekult is a very serious website, the review is not bad, read the text if you can, that's what is important, it says that half the game is linear, not sidequest, no town, no NPC, no interaction with the environment, straight linear tunnel/way/road, no U Turn, no epicness, it's a character oriented story, but the graphics are superb, the fighting system is very good, the story is not as bad as we can think at first, second half of the game is more open like a Monster Hunter style game, with more freedom and challenge.

I like the some of the lines :
"this is a bad RPG, a bad Final Fantasy, but a nice hybrid between reflexion and contemplation"
"the story is a mix between great SF and highschool fanfic"

[N2NOther]

I'm sorry but how is is this score Mircosoft's fault?

[SuperSaiyan4]

After Final fantasy 7 and 8 many were saying that the ones after were not as good especially when number 12 came out that was a huge dissapointment so was it Microsoft's fault then?
Just because the game is being released on multiplatform Sony fans yet again have to blame someone other than the developer for what they made.

I bet if versus ends up being poor Sony fans will still blame Microsoft.

I cannot help but facepalm everytime I see an absolute stupid comment by Sony fans who are always two faced on here you guys are a disgrace to the gaming community.

[fallingdove]

Lets not paint only the PS3 fanboys into the absurdity corner. All extremists could be classified this way.

The point of concern for PS3 fanboys is that reviewers fault Final Fantasy 13 for linearity and a lack of content(uncharacteristic of the series). It is easy for them to draw conclusions that the lack of content was a result of shoe-horning the game onto DVDs for the 360. So in understanding their logic.

>Mediocre Game (because of) Lack of content

(because of) Lack of disc space on 360 - due to multi-disc situation and cost per disc royalty

(because of) Multi-platform

(because of) Microsofts Payoff

So FFXIII is a bad game because of Microsofts Payoff.

Make sense?

[mfwahwah]

Meh, I'm still getting FFXIII. I'll decide for myself whether I enjoy it or not (I can EASILY have fun playing a game that's "average")

[Alcon Caper]

man the sony fanboys are so stupid here. where are the mods????

[volgam]

OK:
- to the person who sucks (big time) at geography: France is NOT part of the UK (haha).
- to the person who's not so smart: Gamekult's reviewer for FFXIII knows that Lightning is a woman. In your quote, "son périple" means "HER journey", not "his". Hello, you know Google translation is far from being perfect, right?
- to ALL people blaming gamekult.com, if you *honestly* were regular users of this web site, you would know it's well known for its professionalism and most of time for its strict-but-fair reviews.

7 is a very good score,just have a look at the notation system as suggested by N4G.

[Squall_Leonhart]

So the first thing I see when I stroll along through the comments is the 360 is to blame? How come the 360 is automatically associated with this? Like all the other people have said the game is linear though, I for one cannot say it is seeing as how I haven't played it. I'll be getting it on day one and I for one will see if what these reviewers are saying is the truth.

[tiamat5]

You can protest all you like but a 7 is a not a very good score no matter how you slice it. This is not the days of Sega and Nintendo where average is okay. In there modern times a 7 just doesn't cut it. Why should i buy a game that could potentially be an average experience when there are so many other games in 2010 that have epic potential. People are looking for any reason to cross out any game on their long growing 2010 list and getting 7s and anything lower isn't helping their situation.

[artsaber]

While continuing to play Demon's Souls... Trial by rental confirmed.

[ismejks]

i don't know is if this is micro$oft's fault but ONE THING FOR SURE

is they didn't include PS3's optional language subtitle just to compromise for some X console.

[sam2005]

the main reason why SE agreed with Microsoft to do multiplat is because of the simple fact that the xbox has a larger install base than sony's PS3 even though the ps3 is much more superior in terms of the quality of exclusives it has to offer and the power in terms of graphics and hardware that is can achieve. SE knew they can sell more copies of FF XIII to their western audience who are 360 owners. however, SE also knew that because of this deal the quality of their game will suffer, i totally agree with earlier comments, SE is a leading developer in terms of pushing a console to its limits but they couldn't do that this time because the game is multiplat, pushing the game to its limits on one console would lead to a poorly ported game on the other console, look at Beyonetta. FF XIII was designed on the ps3, but businesses want money and so its on the 360, SE knew they had to make limitations even though they denied this and sed they would start porting the game on the 360 after japanese release, this obviously did not happen as evident from e3. there is 2 reasons why this happened, they didnt want to keep western customers waiting too long and SE knew the game had to be downgraded so it would be less of a hassle when porting. i hope SE learn their lesson and that regardless of how much money microsoft offers, the company will make future releases of FF on sony only, i also wish for Hirnobu to come bak to square seeing as ken kutagari has left sony, but i know this would not occur. Tetsuya Nomura is a ps3 fanboy and good on him, he realises the consoles potential and that gamer experience is more important that the gamer's wallet. FF XIV is on the ps3, but for how long, i just hope versus XIII becomes the game hat should've been xiii. SE please learn ur lesson.

[edoman20]

the same thing that happen with RAGE

cut the game to fit 3 DVD`s and not pay royalties to Microcrap

Stupid console holding back the games