When I first heard of the FFVII remake I was so surprised because it has been teased for years and years but now they are finally serious. At first I was unsure if this could work because FFVII is my favourite game of all time and it is absolute perfection. I still play it a lot now though not as much as I used to when I was younger because there is a lot of new games I got to play. So I thought I'd give my thoughts on what changes I want to see but what I also want kept.
To Stay
The Materia system: One of the best ways to customize your characters in all of the FF games and maybe they might make even more materia even though there are lots already.
The light - hearted humour: Though the overall story is serious there are a lot of fun times with the group like the (obvious one) Cloud's crossdressing, the time in Costa Del Sol, the Chocobo Race, hunting Yuffie in Wutai and many more.
Vehicles/airship: Bring back the airship in these modern FF games! I want to fly the Highwind again!
World Map: Stepping out of Midgar for the first time is one of the best moments in gaming so I just hope they keep the massive, open - world map but of course improve it for the more modern era.
The Golden Saucer: Who doesn't like blowing off some steam in the various mini games at the Golden Saucer or fighting in the battle arena? They have got to keep this theme park but of course like the world map they have got to make it even bigger.
All it's mini - games: Besides the Golden Saucer I want all of the other mini games to stay as well.
Side Quests: FFVII had tons of extra side quests to complete either for more powerful gear or just for the fun of it.
WEAPONS: Some of the best bosses in the FF games and I want to fight them all again!
Aeries's death: Though it is sad to see her go it is also one of the most pivotal and important moments in gaming and we can't just throw it away in the remake.
Infiltrating the Shinra building: Maybe my favourite part of the whole game! Loved the music, the atmosphere, the different floors, the enemies, the sneaking, the part when you are captured and the whole look of the building itself. While of course I want them hopefully to add even more to this part I really want the while rescuing Aeries subplot to still stay.
Chocobo breeding: A side quest that you have to invest a great amount of time in (which I don't mind because I like quests that take ages) and should still be included. I mean who doesn't want to raise their own champion racers again? to race them in the Golden Saucer and breed all of the different colours that have different abilities.
Changes/Add - on
Yuffie and Vincent are permanent characters: I want to see these two in the CGI cutscenes so I want the side missions to get them to be mandatory. Vincent of course will stay the same and I think a good time for Yuffie to join would be on the way to Junon (I always get her at that earliest point).
More WEAPONS: These have got to be some of the best bosses in Final Fantasy and if possible I just want even more of them to fight.
Monster Arena: The monster arena in FFX was one of the best side quests in all of the FF games because it took ages to do, you unlock powerful enemies to fight and you get great rewards. Always wished future FF games would include this and I hope VII remake does.
Ride a bike like in Advent Children: Now this would be cool for a new vehicle.
Real Time Combat instead of Turn Based: While I still really enjoy the turned based combat with it's strategy I admit the combat has to change with the times and be like FFXV And Kingdom Hearts. I mean wouldn't it be really cool to slash away with Cloud's sword then perform one of his Limit Breaks?
Control the summons: I liked it in XIII but it would be cool to control one in a non turned based battle.
Better Chocobo Races: They where great in the game but they have to improve the controls and include way more race tracks,
More expansive equipment menu: What I mean by this is that instead of just equipping a Weapon, Armour and Accessory let there be more stuff to equip them with. Like in FFIX and FFXII they had Chest, Arms and Legs as well.
Costume changes: While they can only be deco rational and have no impact on stats I would really like to be able to change the team's costume for combat and cutscenes.
More expansive Midgar: I absolutely loved Midgar but I would like to visit more of it in the remake like all of the different Sectors; the slums and the upper plates.
Card game: This just needs to make a comeback!
Improved underwater missions: The parts in the submarine where really great in FFVII but there was barely anything to do and you where really limited in where to go. So if they bring this back it should be way more expansive.
There you a quick list of what I want though there are probably more. I really can't wait for this remake and I hope for some gameplay videos soon!
Showing posts with label FINAL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FINAL. Show all posts
Monday, 6 July 2015
Friday, 16 January 2015
Game Review: Lightning Returns
Finally, finally a review on the last entry of the XIII series.
The story of Lightning Returns is set five hundred years after the events of XIII - 2 and the old world was been completely erased and a new world now stands in it's place. The Chaos that was unleashed has stopped humans from aging and the death of Etro has stopped any new humans from ever being born. Lightning has returned from her crystal sleep after all this time by the God Bhunivelze who informs Lightning that the world has only thirteen days left before it's destruction and she must save as many souls as she can so they can be reborn in the new world the God wants to create. In return for this service Bhunivelze has promised to return Serah to her so Lightning, aided by a now young Hope, must do the God's bidding and save the human race.
Like with the other two XIII games I will first start off with my thoughts on the story and in my opinion it is stronger than XIII -2 but not as good as XIII. Overall XIII's story with Fal'Cie, artificial world and a rag - tag group of misfits trying to save it is better, this is probably to do the fact that besides the supernatural elements its was a lot simpler. What I mean by that is that in XIII - 2 they add in time travel and made the whole game feel episodic where you jump from one time to the next dealing with other problems. In this one they basically got rid of the entire world of Gran Pulse and Cocoon and included more powerful Gods etc. It just felt like the whole thing has gotten out of hand from the first entry. Many characters from the previous games return however most of the time they are against Lightning and usually serve as the final boss for one of the storylines.
Now for what makes Lightning Returns really great is the gameplay; out of the three games in the XIII series they put the most effort into the gameplay for this one. Firstly they have finally created a massive open world that the previous two entries didn't have, it was so massive that it felt like you where playing a MMO but single player (like Skyrim!). They may have had only four areas but like I just said they where just so big and I like the diversity in them because you have two cities, a grassland and a desert. There is lots to do in these areas such as finding items, fighting monsters and completing side quests. Side quests are actually more important now then they have ever been before because completing them increases your stats. The good thing about this is that it gives you a lot of things to do in the game however in my opinion I would have preferred some kind of levelling system because that is just more traditional really.
Also just like with the massive world there is now more freedom with the main quests as you can complete part of it, do something else and then comeback. This is a really enjoyable way to approach the main missions and reminded me of a lot of the older Final Fantasys however this is hampered by the 13 day rule. You only have 13 in game days to complete the main and side quests which actually seems pretty long when I was playing it and I get why they have done it because it ties with the main story however I really wished they didn't include this because it feels restrictive about what I can do. Again you have more freedom to complete the missions then any of the other XIII games however I kind of felt a bit rushed sometimes to make sure I fit in all I can.
Now for the best part of Lightning Returns and that is the battle/garb system! You may only control Lightning in the game but it is one of the best battle systems in Final Fantasy, just as good as the Dress Sphere system in X-2. I think the ability to change outfits and in to different job roles is the best way to fight in Final Fantasy because it offers so much variety and different styles of fighting the enemy. Lightning has lots of garbs in this, each one having it's own strengths and weakness and Lightning just looks great in all of them too. You can even customize them in the menu for new abilities, change their colours and even add accessories; wish the last one was a bit more flexible as you can only equip one accessory per garb. You also have a wide array of weapons and shields that offer their own abilities or stat increases and can be gain from shops or side quests.
Overall Lightning Returns certainly stands out from the previous XIII games and was a great way to end the series. This review defiantly wasn't as in depth as I would have wanted but that it because it is a quick one I wanted to do while I was writing all the Arrow reviews.
SCORE: 8/10
Highlights: Battle system
Bigger map and more things to do
Garb system
Let - Downs: The first XIII game still has the best story
The 13 day time limit
The story of Lightning Returns is set five hundred years after the events of XIII - 2 and the old world was been completely erased and a new world now stands in it's place. The Chaos that was unleashed has stopped humans from aging and the death of Etro has stopped any new humans from ever being born. Lightning has returned from her crystal sleep after all this time by the God Bhunivelze who informs Lightning that the world has only thirteen days left before it's destruction and she must save as many souls as she can so they can be reborn in the new world the God wants to create. In return for this service Bhunivelze has promised to return Serah to her so Lightning, aided by a now young Hope, must do the God's bidding and save the human race.
Like with the other two XIII games I will first start off with my thoughts on the story and in my opinion it is stronger than XIII -2 but not as good as XIII. Overall XIII's story with Fal'Cie, artificial world and a rag - tag group of misfits trying to save it is better, this is probably to do the fact that besides the supernatural elements its was a lot simpler. What I mean by that is that in XIII - 2 they add in time travel and made the whole game feel episodic where you jump from one time to the next dealing with other problems. In this one they basically got rid of the entire world of Gran Pulse and Cocoon and included more powerful Gods etc. It just felt like the whole thing has gotten out of hand from the first entry. Many characters from the previous games return however most of the time they are against Lightning and usually serve as the final boss for one of the storylines.
Now for what makes Lightning Returns really great is the gameplay; out of the three games in the XIII series they put the most effort into the gameplay for this one. Firstly they have finally created a massive open world that the previous two entries didn't have, it was so massive that it felt like you where playing a MMO but single player (like Skyrim!). They may have had only four areas but like I just said they where just so big and I like the diversity in them because you have two cities, a grassland and a desert. There is lots to do in these areas such as finding items, fighting monsters and completing side quests. Side quests are actually more important now then they have ever been before because completing them increases your stats. The good thing about this is that it gives you a lot of things to do in the game however in my opinion I would have preferred some kind of levelling system because that is just more traditional really.
Also just like with the massive world there is now more freedom with the main quests as you can complete part of it, do something else and then comeback. This is a really enjoyable way to approach the main missions and reminded me of a lot of the older Final Fantasys however this is hampered by the 13 day rule. You only have 13 in game days to complete the main and side quests which actually seems pretty long when I was playing it and I get why they have done it because it ties with the main story however I really wished they didn't include this because it feels restrictive about what I can do. Again you have more freedom to complete the missions then any of the other XIII games however I kind of felt a bit rushed sometimes to make sure I fit in all I can.
Now for the best part of Lightning Returns and that is the battle/garb system! You may only control Lightning in the game but it is one of the best battle systems in Final Fantasy, just as good as the Dress Sphere system in X-2. I think the ability to change outfits and in to different job roles is the best way to fight in Final Fantasy because it offers so much variety and different styles of fighting the enemy. Lightning has lots of garbs in this, each one having it's own strengths and weakness and Lightning just looks great in all of them too. You can even customize them in the menu for new abilities, change their colours and even add accessories; wish the last one was a bit more flexible as you can only equip one accessory per garb. You also have a wide array of weapons and shields that offer their own abilities or stat increases and can be gain from shops or side quests.
Overall Lightning Returns certainly stands out from the previous XIII games and was a great way to end the series. This review defiantly wasn't as in depth as I would have wanted but that it because it is a quick one I wanted to do while I was writing all the Arrow reviews.
SCORE: 8/10
Highlights: Battle system
Bigger map and more things to do
Garb system
Let - Downs: The first XIII game still has the best story
The 13 day time limit
Thursday, 23 October 2014
Game Review: Final Fantasy XIII - 2
Finally got round to reviewing the second game in the Final Fantasy XIII series. Thought I'd say that there will be no screenshots in this and for anime reviews because it is harder to find then for films and TV shows. SPOILERS
Final Fantasy XIII - 2 takes place three years after the fall of Cocoon and the crystal pillar still supports the artificial world. The residents of Cocoon and Gran Pulse now co - exist with each other with many of Cocoon citizens moving down to Gran Pulse. However all is not well because Serah Farron, younger sister of Lightning, believes her sister to still be alive even though everyone remembers her giving up her life along with Fang and Vanille to form the crystal pillar. She is right however as Lightning is guardian of the Goddess Etro in a world called Valhalla and is constantly defending it from a powerful man named Ciaus Ballad. One day a mysterious youth named Noel Kriess enters the world of Valhalla and Lightning tasks him with finding Serah and saving the world from Valhalla. Their journey will take them across many different times in history as Ciaus does not wish to just destroy the world but time itself.
In my previous review I said that XIII strong point was that it has such a compelling story that I can still play it over and over again despite it being mostly walking in a straight line. With its sequel however I find that to not be the case, don't get me wrong it is enjoyable but I don't find the idea of time travelling as good as Fal'Cie Gods in XIII. I didn't find the whole story of Yuel, the Guardians, Chaos and Time Paradoxes to have been as well thought out. Also despite there being a whole overarching story it feels overshadowed by events in each timeline that don't feel relevant to it. For example in one time you have to stop a giant flan and in another one spot an out of control A.I., they try to weave it into the main story but it feels poorly done. Also the game feels a lot shorter as well because take away all the side quests and optional time periods then it won't take anyone too long to finish it.
As for the settings and environment it is all nicely done however despite the maps being a lot more flexible and big it still does feel like you are moving in a straight line. When you enter another time period it really is just one big area and it never really feels all that big once you reveal the whole map. Another thing is that even though all of the areas do look really beautiful and it is interesting to travel throughout all of them they reuse a lot of the same areas in different time periods. For example the very first new time period you enter is three years in to the future to face a boss called Atlas however that exact same area is re - used three different time in later time periods and all they did was change the weather to snowy or covered in more trees.
With the characters in this game I have no issues with them because most are returning from the previous game and I really liked them, it was one of XIII strong points. The first playable character in this game is Serah and it was interesting seeing them turn a side character, who was really only in the previous game in flashbacks, become the main protagonist. Its good seeing her start off with constantly worrying about her sister in the beginning and trying to find her but no over time she comes to realize that she can't be that selfish and wishes to create a better future for Noel. Noel is the second playable character and he was born at the end of days; in his time, 700 years in the future, Cocoon has fallen and when it did the world went to hell pretty fast. Noel and Serah make a great duo because of how they constantly help each other in the game with Noel surprisingly being the optimist and cheers Serah up a lot despite being born on a dying world. Last we have Mog who is a Moogle who guides them through the portals and is also Serah's main weapon, I like Mog because its always good to see Moogles in Final Fantasy.
Now to go one about the side characters a bit and first we have Lightning and she is a bit underused in the game because you only control her in the prologue but she's supposed to be this badass guardian now and you kind of wish it changed to her more often. Next we have Ciaus as the main antagonist and I really like him because, apart from a badass design, you kind of understand why he is doing the things he does. He does it so Yuel never has to die and be reincarnated again and again but is will to destroy everything to get it however like I said you do understand more because his more relatable than Gods from the previous game. Lastly we also have all the main characters from the previous game being used but like Lightning they feel a bit underused like Snow and Sazh and I kind of felt that Hope takes up way to much of plot.
As for gameplay it is a real strong factor in this game because once again they bring back the Paradigm Shift system of changing between roles in combat. I think I mentioned in my previous review that changing roles in battle is one of my favourite Final Fantasy combat systems, this is why the Dress Sphere Change in FFX - 2 is probably my one of my favourites, and it kind of makes me wish they can also change costume in this game. Combat is a lot more fast paced in this one and you can switch between Noel and Serah anytime you want so when one gets KO the battle still continues. An interesting feature is that you can capture monsters and use them in battle, increase their stats and they even have their own strengths and special moves. This is one of the best features in the game because I would spend a long time hunting down specifics monsters for my party and using different ones in each play through. However overall I never found the game to be all that challenging because I think you gain CP points a little bit too much and easily from enemies and side quests so you can level up really fast.
Something I really have to praise the game for is its outstanding visuals and music, even if a lot of the areas are reused they are a treat for the eyes. Some of my favourite places to visit is Noel's time (when the red sky vanishes and we get the beautiful morning) and Sunleth Waterscape. Also the music, like all Final Fantasy games, is a real strong point because I don't think there is a single one I disliked. Whether it is New Bodham, Noel's world, Ciaus's battle music or New World (my favourite) you can just listen to it again and again.
Before I finish I just want to say that the ending was something that I never really expected; the bad guy won in the end. Serah actually died, time itself was destroyed and those who got the special ending, like I have, will see that Ciaus is still alive and "free" of his curse. I do have to praise this ending because like I said Serah dies and I really thought she would find a way for her powers not to kill her and it happened when you didn't even expect it to.
Overall while this XIII -2 is not as strong story wise to XIII it makes up for it with a strong combat system and it's visuals and music being just as good.
SCORE 7/10
Highlights: Combat
Visuals/Music
Characters
Let - Downs: Reused areas for new time periods
Not a better story than XIII
Is easier to complete overall because they don't restrict stat growth this time
Final Fantasy XIII - 2 takes place three years after the fall of Cocoon and the crystal pillar still supports the artificial world. The residents of Cocoon and Gran Pulse now co - exist with each other with many of Cocoon citizens moving down to Gran Pulse. However all is not well because Serah Farron, younger sister of Lightning, believes her sister to still be alive even though everyone remembers her giving up her life along with Fang and Vanille to form the crystal pillar. She is right however as Lightning is guardian of the Goddess Etro in a world called Valhalla and is constantly defending it from a powerful man named Ciaus Ballad. One day a mysterious youth named Noel Kriess enters the world of Valhalla and Lightning tasks him with finding Serah and saving the world from Valhalla. Their journey will take them across many different times in history as Ciaus does not wish to just destroy the world but time itself.
In my previous review I said that XIII strong point was that it has such a compelling story that I can still play it over and over again despite it being mostly walking in a straight line. With its sequel however I find that to not be the case, don't get me wrong it is enjoyable but I don't find the idea of time travelling as good as Fal'Cie Gods in XIII. I didn't find the whole story of Yuel, the Guardians, Chaos and Time Paradoxes to have been as well thought out. Also despite there being a whole overarching story it feels overshadowed by events in each timeline that don't feel relevant to it. For example in one time you have to stop a giant flan and in another one spot an out of control A.I., they try to weave it into the main story but it feels poorly done. Also the game feels a lot shorter as well because take away all the side quests and optional time periods then it won't take anyone too long to finish it.
As for the settings and environment it is all nicely done however despite the maps being a lot more flexible and big it still does feel like you are moving in a straight line. When you enter another time period it really is just one big area and it never really feels all that big once you reveal the whole map. Another thing is that even though all of the areas do look really beautiful and it is interesting to travel throughout all of them they reuse a lot of the same areas in different time periods. For example the very first new time period you enter is three years in to the future to face a boss called Atlas however that exact same area is re - used three different time in later time periods and all they did was change the weather to snowy or covered in more trees.
With the characters in this game I have no issues with them because most are returning from the previous game and I really liked them, it was one of XIII strong points. The first playable character in this game is Serah and it was interesting seeing them turn a side character, who was really only in the previous game in flashbacks, become the main protagonist. Its good seeing her start off with constantly worrying about her sister in the beginning and trying to find her but no over time she comes to realize that she can't be that selfish and wishes to create a better future for Noel. Noel is the second playable character and he was born at the end of days; in his time, 700 years in the future, Cocoon has fallen and when it did the world went to hell pretty fast. Noel and Serah make a great duo because of how they constantly help each other in the game with Noel surprisingly being the optimist and cheers Serah up a lot despite being born on a dying world. Last we have Mog who is a Moogle who guides them through the portals and is also Serah's main weapon, I like Mog because its always good to see Moogles in Final Fantasy.
Now to go one about the side characters a bit and first we have Lightning and she is a bit underused in the game because you only control her in the prologue but she's supposed to be this badass guardian now and you kind of wish it changed to her more often. Next we have Ciaus as the main antagonist and I really like him because, apart from a badass design, you kind of understand why he is doing the things he does. He does it so Yuel never has to die and be reincarnated again and again but is will to destroy everything to get it however like I said you do understand more because his more relatable than Gods from the previous game. Lastly we also have all the main characters from the previous game being used but like Lightning they feel a bit underused like Snow and Sazh and I kind of felt that Hope takes up way to much of plot.
As for gameplay it is a real strong factor in this game because once again they bring back the Paradigm Shift system of changing between roles in combat. I think I mentioned in my previous review that changing roles in battle is one of my favourite Final Fantasy combat systems, this is why the Dress Sphere Change in FFX - 2 is probably my one of my favourites, and it kind of makes me wish they can also change costume in this game. Combat is a lot more fast paced in this one and you can switch between Noel and Serah anytime you want so when one gets KO the battle still continues. An interesting feature is that you can capture monsters and use them in battle, increase their stats and they even have their own strengths and special moves. This is one of the best features in the game because I would spend a long time hunting down specifics monsters for my party and using different ones in each play through. However overall I never found the game to be all that challenging because I think you gain CP points a little bit too much and easily from enemies and side quests so you can level up really fast.
Something I really have to praise the game for is its outstanding visuals and music, even if a lot of the areas are reused they are a treat for the eyes. Some of my favourite places to visit is Noel's time (when the red sky vanishes and we get the beautiful morning) and Sunleth Waterscape. Also the music, like all Final Fantasy games, is a real strong point because I don't think there is a single one I disliked. Whether it is New Bodham, Noel's world, Ciaus's battle music or New World (my favourite) you can just listen to it again and again.
Before I finish I just want to say that the ending was something that I never really expected; the bad guy won in the end. Serah actually died, time itself was destroyed and those who got the special ending, like I have, will see that Ciaus is still alive and "free" of his curse. I do have to praise this ending because like I said Serah dies and I really thought she would find a way for her powers not to kill her and it happened when you didn't even expect it to.
Overall while this XIII -2 is not as strong story wise to XIII it makes up for it with a strong combat system and it's visuals and music being just as good.
SCORE 7/10
Highlights: Combat
Visuals/Music
Characters
Let - Downs: Reused areas for new time periods
Not a better story than XIII
Is easier to complete overall because they don't restrict stat growth this time
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Game Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix
It has been a while but I am now back with a game review and I have decided to review a HD port of one of my favourite games; Kingdom Hearts.
Kingdom Hearts is about a character named Sora who, along with his two friends Riku and Kairi, wishes to leave their small world and travel to many others. However beings called the Heartless destroy their world and separates the three friends so Sora, now armed with the keyblade that has the power to destroy the Heartless, tries to find them by travelling to many different worlds. He is accompanied by Disney characters Donald and Goofy who wish to find their King, King Mickey, who left on a mission to stop the Heartless.
Now I guess I will start off by saying that the main attraction of this game is the whole host of Disney characters and worlds. It is really clever to see how they mixed the stories of the Disney characters with Sora’s mission to stop the Heartless. There are plenty of worlds has well for many Disney fans such as Aladdin, Tarzan and Hercules to name a few, each one of them with their own unique feel and experience. However what a really nice surprise when I first played this game on the PS2 was the inclusion of Final Fantasy characters such as Squall, Cloud, Yuffie and Aeries to name a few.
What also makes this game epic was its great combat system; unlike Final Fantasy which uses a turn based method, Kingdom Hearts uses a hack and slash type gameplay which was so much fun. The areas where you fight the Heartless are big and there is such a wide variety of enemies with their own unique abilities that you are going to spend alot of time, and fun, trying to figure out their weakness. This is also true for the bosses, many of them are massive and they can be quite difficult for first timers but hey, who wants a game with easy bosses?
Also another great addition to 1.5 which was not in the original PS2 version is the introduction to many secret enemies which drop valuable items and a new boss in Hollow Bastion which was hard to beat. They are also kept all of the great superbosses that are even more difficult than the final boss such as Sephiroth, the Ice Giant etc.
Back to the combat it is still as fluid and easy to master as it was in the PS2 version. Your stat growth is similar to Final Fantasy games in that you level up and equip magic, weapons, armour and abilities. You get even more abilities in this game which is a definite plus. You even get to fight alongside Donald and Goofy as permanent party members and from time to time fight with guest characters from the Disney universe, my favourite one to fight with is Beast.
Besides to combat this game also offers a wide range of side quests outside of the main story such as fighting in the coliseum, collecting all weapons and mixing all items in the moogle shop to name a few. One of the one I was not bothered about is the gummi ship missions to get to each world but it is only a small thing and I don’t hate it either (it gets better in KH2).
As for the cast of characters, they are all just perfect Sora, Riku and Kairi are great original main characters that fit in well with the Disney ones and the the same can be said about the huge cast of Disney ones. They are all just fun to watch and I like each and every one of them! Also graphically this game is ver pretty to look at, it looks largely the same as the PS2 one except with a few touch ups and colour differences in the Heartless.
Overall Kingdom Hearts was one of the best games ever to have been made for the PS2 so I am glad we finally got a HD port for the PS3. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this game at all in my opinion and I can’t wait for a HD port of Kingdom Hearts 2 which is even better than KH1, at the time I thought it maybe have been impossible to top KH1 but they did!
SCORE: 10/10
I have not reviewed Chain of Memories that is included with the game and that is because I have not finished it yet. I know Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 came out in September but I only got it not that long ago and I have only had time to complete 1.5. Maybe I will review Chain of Memories when I finish it.
Monday, 3 February 2014
Game Review: Final Fantasy XIII
Back to do another game review and I have decided to chose one that has caused a lot of controversies since its release; Final Fantasy XIII. The Final Fantasy series is my favourite series of game ever however I will try not to be bias with XIII.
Final Fantasy XIII is set in a fictional world called Gran Pulse however floating above Gran Pulse is an artificial floating world called Cocoon, which is based on a Dyson Sphere. People live on both worlds and for centuries they have hated and warred with each other, helped by godlike beings called the Fal’Cie. These beings have immense power and play a specific in the running of the world they belong too, for example there is a Fal’Cie on Cocoon that acts as its sun. They can also turn humans in to beings called I’Cie; they have powerful magic abilities granted to them but they are also given a Focus, a vague mission that they must complete. If they do not complete it they will turn in to monster but if they do complete it they turn in to crystal, so it is a no win situation. The game’s protagonist Lightning, a member of Cocoon’s Guardian Corps, along with several others are dragged in to this long lasting war between Cocoon and the world below and eventually discover a plot that can destroy both worlds.
Now I shall first start off by saying that this game is very, very story focused, I think they spent longer on it than any other part of the game. While this can be seen as a good thing some have said that it has sacrificed the game play element of it and I will come to that in a bit. I for one love this story; it is one of my favourites in the Final Fantasy series, it is just so thought out and rich in history and detail. The worlds, the war, Fal’Cie, l’Cie – I like all of it.
As for the game play, though it works overall for this game, there are several issues I have to address. Firstly there is almost no backtracking in this game at all which is a downer, beautifully thought out areas such as the Vile Peaks and Sunleth Waterscape can never be revisited again unless you start a new game. This was frustrating to me; the game is just like walking in one big straight line however I loved the story and experience of it so much that to me it is one damn good straight line!
When it comes to battle however XIII is again one of my favourites for it. I really liked the Paradigm Shift to change job class because it adds a lot of variety to the fight and each character has their own strengths and weaknesses with them. Apart from that the rest battling should feel really familiar; wait for bar to fill up and select what move you want to perform.
When it comes to levelling up they use Crystarium System, were you collect CP points off monsters and power up your character, it is kind of like the Sphere Grid in X but this is a lot more straight forward and you can not stray from your path and you have to wait for the System to level up at certain points to advance further. This might seem annoying but I liked it because it made sure I did not over power my characters, I am not usually one to grind in Final Fantasy but sometimes I accidentally do and the boss and enemies are then easy, at least when they stop you in this you and the boss seem to have an equal chance (of course since I have finished the game multiple times now I know all of the strategies so that doesn’t matter)
One other thing that did annoy me however was the lack of side quests and the after game missions. There are a lot of monster hunting mission, and I mean A LOT of them, and I enjoyed them all but that was all there was.
For the cast of characters in this game I really like most of them and they all fit well in to the story. Lightning is has a no nonsense, serious personality but but is not heartless and helps those who need it. She is a great protagonist, the first lead since VI and is one of my favourite female Final Fantasy characters. Then there is Snow who is the complete opposite of Lightning in terms of personality and the self proclaimed ‘Hero’ of the game. Snow is my favourite character in XIII, I just like his attitude and the way he never gives up. As for the rest we have Sazh, someone who comes off as the comic relief but has a lot more depth to him than that, then there is Hope a young boy trying to find his inner strength and wants to be stronger and Vanille, a spirited girl who never seems to get sad at all. Now there is another character and that is Fang and I have to say that I hated her completely (even though I know she has a strong fan base). The reason for this is because I just can not stand her personality and attitude to the other characters and the world. I don’t how many time she mentioned that Vanille is more important to her than anything and what she would not do for her and I really wanted to tell her to shut up. Also she is not in the game for a while, which is great, but when she does she some how has to make everything to do with; she is a bloody scene stealer in my opinion.
The graphics in this game is really something to look at; there is so much detail in everything they created from the character designs to the backgrounds. As I said before however there is no backtracking so for most areas you can only appreciate it once until you start new game again. And since there is no revisiting the same can be said for the music; the background music for areas are perfectly done but you can not go back to hearing it again. As voice acting it is my favourite out of any Final Fantasy game so far (even though they have only been doing it since X) but then again anything that has the voice talents of Troy Baker (Snow) will always be great.
Overall this is a Final Fantasy game that is not for everyone, those who like the previous games for its massive amount of game play content will be disappointed here but that is not to say I won’t recommend it. Sure I, like most, am frustrated by the lack the backtracking and things to do but to play a game with a story with so much depth with characters that are so amazing is an experience I have not regretted. I myself still have my copy of XIII and I still start new game on it, I think since I got it near the end of 2010 I start and finish it at least twice a year (I might have even fit in a third playthrough but I do have other games to play). Why you might ask? Because it is one damn good straight line from start to finish.
SCORE: 7/10
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