The series that's anything but final has returned to consoles with its thirteenth numbered installment. Over 5 million copies have been sold [at the time of writing], so why all the fuss?
As usual for the series, this game displays dazzling visuals and characters that have a serious thing for belts and zippers. However, it's the active battle system that makes it a stylistic departure from its predecessors.
The battle system is intuitive and easy to use once learned. Each character has multiple job classes, or paradigms, that give him or her different abilities. Players can change these paradigms mid-battle, and make tactical decisions on the fly. Since characters automatically heal after every battle, the tedious upkeep of characters' health and magic points is a thing of the past. Overall, battles are streamlined and simple.
The plot, on the other hand, makes much less sense. While most Final Fantasy storylines are engaging, this one falls short. The setup is delivered well enough, but once you get past the intro area, even the characters didn't seem to know what the next step in the storyline was. Their motivation boils down to ideals like "saving Cocoon," their home, but there is no plan to actually achieve anything. Eventually, they decide their best bet is to kill the very obvious villain, but it seems like a cop-out.
It's like the developers designed the whole game without consulting the storyline writers. The writers then had to cobble together dialogue that vaguely justifies travelling to each locale and fighting each boss. As a result, several details of the game are relegated to in-game primers, which amount to page after page of text explaining what the hell just happened. Players who aren't inclined to read them could easily left mystified.
The characters themselves have very simple personalities that do not change much over the course of the game. A possible exception is to the rule is Hope, who miraculously goes from being a pathetic wimp to being a slightly less pathetic wimp. Characters have cool moments, but they also have ones that make you wish they'd just stop talking.
Despite all that, Final Fantasy XIII is a solid RPG. It's beautiful, fun and easy to spend hours playing. Good thing too, because this game is long. Unlike many games nowadays, you can't finish this one in an afternoon. If you buy this game, be prepared for the long haul. Just don't expect a storytelling masterpiece.
(Originally written for an published with Tiger Weekly newspaper in Baton Rouge, LA)
As usual for the series, this game displays dazzling visuals and characters that have a serious thing for belts and zippers. However, it's the active battle system that makes it a stylistic departure from its predecessors.
The battle system is intuitive and easy to use once learned. Each character has multiple job classes, or paradigms, that give him or her different abilities. Players can change these paradigms mid-battle, and make tactical decisions on the fly. Since characters automatically heal after every battle, the tedious upkeep of characters' health and magic points is a thing of the past. Overall, battles are streamlined and simple.
It's like the developers designed the whole game without consulting the storyline writers. The writers then had to cobble together dialogue that vaguely justifies travelling to each locale and fighting each boss. As a result, several details of the game are relegated to in-game primers, which amount to page after page of text explaining what the hell just happened. Players who aren't inclined to read them could easily left mystified.
Despite all that, Final Fantasy XIII is a solid RPG. It's beautiful, fun and easy to spend hours playing. Good thing too, because this game is long. Unlike many games nowadays, you can't finish this one in an afternoon. If you buy this game, be prepared for the long haul. Just don't expect a storytelling masterpiece.
(Originally written for an published with Tiger Weekly newspaper in Baton Rouge, LA)
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