Final Fantasy XIII is the long-awaited next chapter of what has come to be known as the most inappropriately named series of all time. From Japanese developer Square Enix, Final Fantasy XIII is somewhat of a new beginning for a franchise that's been around for more than two decades. Many of the conventions and common elements from previous installments of Final Fantasy are gone and have been replaced with a more streamlined approach. The new features are designed to update a style of gameplay that some people believe feels antiquated on the current generation of systems.
The biggest change was the removal of the turn-based combat that has been a staple of the genre throughout its entire history. Battles now happen in real time and there is an emphasis on performing combos and correctly shifting in between the various "paradigms" - roles such as attacker, tank and medic - of the characters in your party. You now also only control one lead character in battle, and your two teammates are controlled by AI scripts. If the lead character dies, then it's game over for the whole party.
The change is something that you either will love or hate as it significantly alters the feel of XIII from other previous Final Fantasies. Personally, I dislike the new combat mechanics. I always have found that taking my time planning and executing strategies in Final Fantasy games provided a compelling alternative to the fast gameplay based on twitch-response found in most other genres. Forcing the player to act in real time would be a justifiable change if it was designed to increase the difficulty of battles, but Final Fantasy XIII is probably one of the easiest games in the series. In fact, there is an "auto-battle" button that essentially plays half of the game for you by selecting the best moves to use in any given situation. The end result is a system that somehow manages to give the player more stress and less of a sense of accomplishment at the end of a battle.
The plot of Final Fantasy XIII is needlessly complex to delve into here, but suffice it to say, it boils down to your ragtag group of star-crossed misfits overcoming insurmountable odds and saving the world, just like almost every other Japanese role-playing game to come out during the last 30 years.
The game does look great, with beautiful animations and top-notch cut scenes. But because Square Enix got rid of series standards like towns, multiple side quests and the world map, it all just feels like pretty wallpaper on a long and very linear hallway. The one caveat that I will make to that statement is that I have played Final Fantasy XIII for almost 20 hours, but I have not completed it as of writing this review, and I have read that the game opens up more in the final chapters. Honestly, though, I would question the logic behind any game that requires you to play for 20-plus hours before you get to the compelling parts.
If it seems like I am overly hard on Final Fantasy XIII, I am. If it was just a standalone title, I think I would be a lot more forgiving of any flaws because the total package is actually largely enjoyable. I just cannot help but feel that XIII seems like a letdown when compared to the previous entries in the series. It's been such a long wait since the last installment that I was expecting to be blown away, but when I actually play Final Fantasy XIII, all I can think about is how much more fun I had with those earlier games.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
