FF 13 Review
Graphics
The graphics are amazing. There are a handful of low resolution textures in the game, but there is so much detail in very nearly everything that it’s hard not to be impressed. It’s hard to imagine a current gen game this big looking any better.
Story
The story provides ample twists and turns to satisfy any Final Fantasy fan. The ending is a little bittersweet, but it makes for a wonderfully interesting ending. This is probably the highlight of the entire game.
Battle Gameplay
The battle system is fun but flawed. There’s one particularly glaring glitch that happens several times through the game. Only one monster causes this glitch to happen almost every time, though.
Leveling System
The leveling system is great fun! It makes leveling hard enough without making it overbearingly difficult. It is similar to the Sphere Grid from Final Fantasy X, and is one of the better leveling systems in the series.
Pacing and Exploration
The game is the most linear Final Fantasy to date, beating out FFX in that department. However, the linearity allows the developers to really craft the pacing of the game and the story. However, exploration is extremely limited as a result.
Continuing Playability
There are plenty of things to do after you’ve beaten the game. You can become much stronger, and there are plenty of missions to complete. It is unfortunate that there are no entertaining mini-games, though.
Import Friendly?
There is no way to really consider this game import friendly. It will play easily enough on American and European PS3s, but there is just too much reliance on the Japaense language itself. Without knowing Japanese, it’s essentially impossible to understand what’s going on in the story.
This has been a brief but accurate review of Final Fantasy XIII. For a more in-depth review of FFXIII, take a look at this Final Fantasy XIII review. It is highly recommended!