Final Fantasy XIII for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

I guarantee that if this game had any other name besides FF slapped on it, the critics and reviews would tear this game apart. Just because it has FF on it everyone is liberal with 9 and 10 reviews which is baffling since this is one of the worst FF games ever. I bet if you stick the FF name on PONG everyone would give it 10. So if you see a 9 or 10 review ignore it and save your money.

WHAT I LIKED:
The graphics. As with many FF games the graphics are crisp, clean, very detailed, and vibrant. The storyline is great too. You're branded by these entities and have to perform a task called Focus otherwise you turn into a monster or fall into a crystal slumber.

WHAT I DISLIKED:
Almost everything else. This game is horribly linear. There is NO exploration whatsoever you move from point A to B. No mini missions, no side missions, no quests of any kind just the main story quest that's it. No overhead map of the land, no revisiting of prior locations and your party is split in half for 9 chapters. You work with only two at a time. You get only one weapon slot and one accessory slot, another later on but that's it. Abilities aren't universal, you can't heal if you're a soldier and can't fight if you're a medic. You have to constantly switch during battle to use certain abilities. This game is NOTHING like prior FF games. You also hardly ever visit any locations like towns. You briefly go to a park but it's pointless. Shopping is done through kiosks now. The game is terribly stingy with money which you no longer get from enemies. You have to find a chest (rarely) or sell items which you need to upgrade weapons.

THE GOOD
Graphics
Storyline

THE BAD
Bland battle system.
Constant changing character roles.

THE UGLY
Way too linear.
No revisiting locations.
No quests or side missions.
Shopping and upgrades at kiosks.
Does not hold true to the FF name.

I'm not gonna lie, the first time i played this game my initial reaction was "this is very pretty, but it lacks everything". But let me tell you, after playing this game my mind seemed to morph into whatever format Square Enix was working on and this has become possibly my favorite game for the Xbox 360.

Graphics: without doubt, amazing. Even the people who hate this game will tell you these graphics are top of the line.

10/10

Music: I was amazed at the wondrous music. It was no strange occurence when i found myself running around in circles before i entered the next zone just so i could continue listening to the music. At one point, i went as far as setting the game down and just listening to the music while i cooked dinner. (That was in some wonderland place with a lot of chocobo's, you're looking for your little frocobo)

9/10

Story: This is where skeptics jump in and begin making their claim, heck, i was one of them. Like the title says, it grows on you. In fact, i seriously considered returning the game up until about 8 hours in. The story began to capture me, and characters the i had previously considered huge tools had already started to grow on me.

8/10

Battle Sequences: Another "at one point iffy". At the beginning, the battles were basically pressing one button and defeating your opponent in literally 10 seconds. But as the game progressed you came unto more paradigms (classes changes not unlike FF X-2) this game became a lot more fun. The screen always captured you because there was never an empty moment and your brain is always on edge whether or not to change paradigms or not. 2 points off for the beginning but 10 for the rest of the game

8/10

Characters: At first i wanted to shoot them all, and for people who've played Lost Odyssey you'll know what i mean when i say they grow on you. Like i said, i called them all tools but after awhile i learned to love them.

9/10

I strongly recommend this game. wish i had more characters to type with.lol