Final Fantasy XIII for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

Although this game had many redeeming qualities, the bad just outweighed the good.

Level after level of stunningly gorgeous scenes with smooth animations and remarkable details, this game was fun to just look at. Combined with an incredible story, filled with suspense and character development, it should be a gamer's dream. I badly wanted to give this game a great rating; unfortunately there were two flaws that were just too great.

This was my first time playing a Final Fantasy game. Having heard nothing but good about the series, and wanting to sink my teeth into a quality RPG, I decided to give it a try. Instead of an RPG, I found twelve linear levels, hallways with small branches for poorly hidden powerups, and one open level to explore.

Even in the free roaming level, which offered a series of optional missions, I found it difficult to find the location of the mission starts. After the completion of a mission, I wasted valuable gametime covering already explored areas to find another mission. I began to miss the linear levels; at least I could make progress.

With all the grandeur, the linearness probably could be overlooked, if it weren't for the level-up system. Choice after choice of accessories and weapons, were enough to leave even the most decisive person's head swimming in the overwhelming ocean of "what do I do?" Characters leveled, accessories leveled, weapons leveled, multiple times, then changed forms and leveled again.

If not confusing enough, all accessories and weapons gained levels by collecting numerous seemingly random odds and ends, "components," to apply to an accessory or weapon. Each of these valuable components offered a set amount of experience and an experience multiplier. Not only must the player decide what to level, he must guess or calculate how to be efficient or endlessly farm resources to survive.

Overcome with monotony, I quit on the last level and still don't know how it ends. If you try it, consult a