CRank: 5Score: 610

User Review : Final Fantasy XIII

Ups
  • FF7 was good
Downs
  • Derivative

like final fantasy 7 only with slightly altered graphics

We all knew it had to happen eventually, Square are only human and finally they've done it. Square have squared the circle, or circled the square if you prefer; in short - they're rehashing an older version of Final Fantasy and pretending like it's a new version.

Final Fantasy XIII (or 13 to all you non-Roman-numeral-understanders out there) is essentially Final Fantasy 7 with slightly altered graphics and dialogue adjusted to take into account 21st century lingo.

Square have basically assumed the current Final Fantasy-playing public have forgotten the FF7 storyline, graphics and sound effects and won't notice the complete remake we have in our hands today.

That said, ff7 is contender for best game ever made so hopefully this should introduce some wonderment into modern gamer's lives today.

After several hours playing this game I felt like I was floating on a cloud towards Sephiroth's lair in order to obtain the underwater materia but... let's get serious.

The turn-based combat system is surprisingly intuitive, and not any where near as bad as possibly anticipated.

Vile Peaks is quite possibly the peak of the game though there is a lot of competition, I especially like the fact that wherever you go there's some chumming awesome music to accompany you.

Crystal points take the place of ff7's xp, with a convoluted 'crystarium' system for levelling up.

Overall I conclude this game is ff7 with a few minor and pointless tweaks and therefore Square are kind of taking the mickey out of us gamers. Oh well, still good though!

Score
7.2
Graphics
Atmospheric
5.0
Sound
Atmospheric
5.5
Gameplay
Atmospheric
3.2
Fun Factor
Atmospheric
10.0
Online
Very Atmospheric
Overall
9.9
ThatCanadianGuy5136d ago

Why? Because it hurt your feelings?

5.0 Graphics
Atmospheric
5.5 Sound
Atmospheric
7.2 Gameplay
Atmospheric
3.2 Fun Factor
Atmospheric
10 Online
Very Atmospheric

How do those low scores average to a 9.9?
And there is no online! How the hell can it be atmospheric??

SnuggleBandit5136d ago

^^^
Maybe this guy's real name is jim sterling?? lol

VigkVagk5130d ago

@ThatCanadianGuy: if you actually [i]read[/i] the review you'd realise that the out-of-ten section is [b]not[/b]an average, it must also be said that a game can score highly even if it has bad points, if the games' graphics and online are terrible and if it has a few gameplay elements that fall short it can still be a great game, well worthy of nine-point-nine out of ten, look at god of war three for the sony playstation three

Bodyboarder_VGamer5129d ago (Edited 5129d ago )

I agree. This is the worst review I have ever read (literally). Nothing makes sense and I fail to see any similarities between VII and XIII.

This has been written by either a retard or some pre-scholar kid...

Where's the materia system equivalent in FFXIII? Where are the sidequests, airplane, submarine, chocobo breeding, etc? None of the characters nor the story have any similarities, no real antagonist and completely different graphics style and art.

@_@

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 5129d ago
VigkVagk5137d ago

terrible score for a terrible review for a terrible [b]game[/b] next time review the original version on the microsoft xbox 360.

ChronoJoe5135d ago

Yeah sorry man but this is the worst review I've ever seen.

It doesn't make sense, the scores don't reflect your opinion in the post, there is no online yet somehow you revived it.

Seriously, are you sure what you were playing was FF13? It's also nothing like FF7, and much closer in nature to FF10 if anything.

Simply moronic.

C L O U D5130d ago

Terrible, just terrible.

How old are you?

If your an adult I feel sorry for what you just wrote.

DOMination5129d ago

I agree, people like this should be banned from N4G. I always wonder how this crap gets approved.

70°

The 7 Best Final Fantasy Characters: Unveiling the Legends

While FFVII ranks highly, there's more to the series than one game. Here's Chit Hot's picks for the seven best Final Fantasy characters.

220°

The older it gets, the more I respect Final Fantasy XIII

Alex Donaldson: "Hindsight is a hell of a thing, however, and in the years since Final Fantasy XIII, my respect for the decisions its developers made has skyrocketed. In the two Final Fantasy titles since we see both the brilliance and the folly in alternative approaches - and in Final Fantasy VII Remake, we get a more nuanced understanding of what FF13 was trying to accomplish from many of the same development leads."

Einhander1972142d ago

FFXIII is actually one of the best Final Fantasy games.

I also sort of was disappointed at the time, never as much as the bandwagon. But really all the fantastic 3D rendered cutscenes and I actually liked the characters and the story though convoluted was actually fantastic and the ending was extremely emotional. So much budget and time were put into that game Square had such big plans, I actually have always felt kind of bad for how things played out.

I have been thinking for years how great it would be to get all three games on one disk for PS4 or 5.

Nyxus142d ago

I always liked this game, and I agree, a rerelease for current gen would be nice.

Shane Kim141d ago (Edited 141d ago )

Gotta take off the nostalgia glasses. It's the worst FF. Shiva as a bike, I mean come on.

Elda141d ago

Shiva as a bike is strange but saying FFXIII is the worst FF is not at all a fact, that's simply your opinion.

Terry_B140d ago

*One of the 3 equally bad FF's

DivineHand125141d ago (Edited 141d ago )

When I got my series X a year ago, I bought FF13 for nostalgia reasons but ended up being disappointed. When I first played it around the time it launched, I didn't have a lot of experience with final fantasy games, so I enjoyed it. Fast forward to when I played it again, I found that the game had many unnecessary filler moments instead of just giving us meaningful content.

The game is also very linear and a quote on the article said it best. "It is like a sewage pipe that leads to the ocean until it opens up on Grand Pulse."

The story didn't make much sense either and I believe it is my mistake as I played the FF7 remake on PS5 prior which is a night and day difference in terms of pacing, storytelling and likeable characters even though cloud is aloof.

FinalFantasyFanatic141d ago (Edited 141d ago )

Probably was a mistake to play any of the golden era FFs first (e.g. FF6 through FF10), it makes it harder to enjoy some of the FFs that aren't as good. I think FF12 was where major issues with the series started becoming apparent, and it just got worse from there.

FinalFantasyFanatic141d ago (Edited 141d ago )

I didn't really care for it that much, the only saving grace was that it had a better story than 15 (overall it was better than 15) and possibly 12, and even then, you had to read some of it through primers, like reading a book. Plus the battle system was reasonably fun for what it was, even if it was more the spectacle that was exciting for me (e.g. summoning). And to be fair, the 13 trilogy got better with every games, I still don't like Snow though.

Gamingsince1981141d ago

Ff13 is only good if you haven't played a ff before, or any other games that are decent for that matter.

-Foxtrot140d ago

It is in fact no way the best Final Fantasy game, it's one of the worst

Linear corridors, Cutscene, Fight, Cutscene...rinse and repeat

Dialogue and characters are pretty bad, especially Lightning as the main FF hero, they literally said they tried to make a "Female Cloud" and they failed.

Story was pretty awful

I could go on

I think the only alright thing that came from the game was the music.

Elda140d ago

That's not a fact that's your personal opinion. The game sold 11 million copies between its 2009 release up until 2014 including critically reviewed as an 8 out of 10 or an 80 out of 100. The game does have some issues but it's not at all a fact as one of the worst FF games.

-Foxtrot140d ago

Elda

Not just mine mate

A large majority

So….

Traecy140d ago

N4G commenters such as yourself aren't the majority. The game was well received.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 140d ago
+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 140d ago
gold_drake142d ago (Edited 142d ago )

i liked the game alot but i didnt like how they handled the terminology.

i dont mind reading data logs but it had soo many.

but i always loved the music and how it looked. the battle system wasnt too bad either.

but i like 13-2 more :)

i still dont understand why we never got a remaster of the trilogy

Eonjay140d ago

Xbox kinda did. Besides the video files of course which are still best on PS3 due to bluray.

Snookies12142d ago

XIII is a pretty solid game, but XIII-2 is WAY better. XIII-2 was one of the few games I decided to go for a Platinum trophy in, early on. Had so much fun the entire way through getting it too!

Eonjay140d ago

Totally agree. FF 13 was okay but 13-2 is my favorite FF game ever.

shinoff2183142d ago (Edited 142d ago )

I hated this to when it released. I haven't much liked a ff game since ff10 as much , aside from ff7remake. I decided to give it another shot on my series x since it's not on a current ps and was liking it quite a bit(just takes me some time to get over things ) until star ocean 2 remake came out I was all over that.

Square should definitely remaster it or something for ps4 ps5

KillerB141d ago

my favorite jrpg trilogy ever

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70°

Interview: Making music with Masashi Hamauzu

Square Enix Blog: "How do you compose iconic songs that help define a legacy? We speak to legendary composer Masashi Hamauzu about his work on Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XIII, and Final Fantasy VII Remake, and how to make unforgettable music."

Read Full Story >>
square-enix-games.com