The Final Fantasy games have always been known for their epic storylines and deep combat mechanics. Or at least that's what I've heard from all the other fans I know who've played one. Having no previous experience with any of the other games in the franchise (I've only finished Chocobo Racing), I decided to purchase Final Fantasy XIII, hopefully to get caught up in Square Enix's beloved franchise, and to see just what the fuss is all about with these games.
After around 60 hours of play, I regret to say that this game isn't the epic fantasy adventure I expected from a Final Fantasy. Sure, it has characters likable enough to care about, and the graphics are both technically and artistically impressive to be a showcase the console's technology (I played the PS3 version, it looks fantastic). But throughout the whole story campaign, I never really felt like I explored an elaborate fantasy world filled with living, breathing characters. This game is more akin to the experience you get from walking through the Ocean Park aquarium.
The gameplay consists of three main activities: walking straight, battling monsters, and watching a cutscene. Battles in Final Fantasy XIII are weird: they play like a cross of traditional turn-based RPG mechanics and real-time action games. Before battles, you can choose the members of your party and the create a set of "paradigms" that determine your characters' roles in battle (Melee or magic attacker, Medic, etc.) In battle, a meter will fill up, you assign actions to it, and you watch as your character executes the moves. Yet the game doesn't require a lot of strategy; the game defaults your cursor to an Auto-Battle option which lets the game pick the moves for you. Winning battles can be as simple as hitting the X button repeatedly (which isn't all that different from a button mashing Action game), and occasionally hitting L1 to change up the roles of you party members. While Square Enix's attempt to streamline the game is understandable, the game could use a little more complexity.
The game tells an, at times engrossing, overall interesting tale of six "l'Cie", human beings being forced into performing a "Focus" that will ultimately destroy their homeland. Along the way, the story reveals little flashbacks of the characters' past encounters. The script can be a little confusing or repetitive, but there's enough chemistry between the main cast to provide an entertaining storyline. The music in the game is pretty cool (I especially like the piece that plays in the Press Start screen).
The best part of the game, however, is the art. The game is most impressive graphically, and renders beautiful landscapes and intricately detailed characters without skipping a beat. Nobody buys a video game only for eye-candy, however, and Final Fantasy XIII doesn't deliver on the interactive side of things for me to recommend it to everyone. I'm not a close follower of the genre, and I'd guess that there are probably better RPGs out there, but fans of the genre who want to experience a visual treat will enjoy this game.
