Game is in good working order and the original instruction manual was in good condition as well. Amazing graphics with an optional tutorial system to go along with the game. Thus far, the game seems very cinematic as you're going through the initial stage of the game. The battle system and leveling system seems to appear different from previous Final Fantasy games. In battle, you can create a chain of commands that you want your character to perform such as attack or use a special skill. As for leveling, all I noticed was that I didn't see any experience points at the end of battles. Still have a lot of game playing but at least I have a lot to look forward to.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
As a long time Final Fantasy fan. I was disappointed in this release for a variety of reasons. First, the game holds your hand with tutorials for at least the first 20 hours of gameplay. The story is very linear and you literally walk in a straight line interrupted by cutscenes and battles where you just hit the X button and they are fought for you. The battle system feels very dumbed down and expands very slowly. I know the game starts to open later on and the paradigm system "can" get interesting later but I have lost my interested in playing any more.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Final Fantasy 13 is a great game with huge potential. If you are a fan of previous FF games or a fan of JRPGS then you will buy it and beat it. If you are a western RPG fan read a full review before buying. The only thing holding the game from getting great scores is its linear path and no open towns :( You get a classic FF story with the best graphics the series has seen. The new battle system is very fast but controllable thanks to the new paradigm system. I think its my favorite FF battle system to date because you can play general by spamming auto battle and changing the roles, or if your reflexes are a bit faster or you put the game on a bit slower you can micomanage the abilities of your player (but not party members) The story is engaging in typical FF fashion. The CG looks amazing as always but even the gameplay is just amazing visual work in HD. As a more than casual but less than hardcore FF player, the game gives me complaints because of my preconceived notions of how FF should be, but overall i still love it. 8.5/10 -1 for no open towns and linear path through the first half of the game -1 because people will complain about the battle system being only able to control one character at a time. +.5 because i find the new system very user friendly and fun at the same time. allows you to easily change tactics mid battle without time consuming micomanagement *RedialRead full review
I have mixed opinions about Final Fantasy XIII simply because it is a departure from previous games in the series. Unlike previous FFs, XIII focuses on the battle system and nearly eliminates the freedom of a open-world map. As a friend of mine harshly described it, XIII is the world's most beautiful hallway simulator: each world/chapter consists of traveling from point A to point B, with a mix of battles, cut scenes and NPCs to break the tedium. The new battle system is a mix between FFXII's and Kingdom Heart's battle systems. The player is only able to control one character that is designated by whichever chapter or scenario the game is in. The Paradigm system, the meat and bones of the game, allows the player to assign roles to each character, ranging from offensive roles (attackers), defensive (curing) and strategic (status ailments). The player is able to switch Paradigm combos on the fly, and most battles require the Paradigm be change in order to adjust to the flow of battle (concentrate on curing when party is weak, offensive when the enemy is weak, etc.) Similar to FFX and XII, the level up system is determined by points acquired during battle, which can then be used to fill up a giant grid of skills and power-ups. This is the only incentive to fight 1200 wolves, insects and blobs, which the developers lazily use in most levels by only changing their color. One of the most noticeable battle changes is the Stagger bar, which rewards the player for correct Paradigm use and penalizes them for incorrect use. Successful attacks raise the Stagger bar and allow subsequent attacks to cause more damage. Poorly planned attacks will not raise the bar and drag the battle on. Effectively using Paradigms and raising the Stagger is key to every boss fight. Straying from FF tradition, I found, was the option to retry battles. No longer will you cry when you lose a battle and realize you forgot to save your file. The retry option allows you to figure out a winning strategy via trial and error, but it takes away from the pressure of defeating bosses and trying to acquire summons. But if you play FXIII like I do, you will love the restart option. Though XIII differs in its battle system and linearity, one thing hasn't changed: story telling. The beautiful cut-scenes are so painstakingly rendered and perfected that Pixar would be jealous. I found the story to be a bit convoluted, as Square attempts again to create alien languages/races that suffer disasters that represent our inevitable apocalypse. There are the usual FF cliches: a moody main character, a ditzy girl that eventually holds a greater importance in the universe, a gruff, take no prisoners pugilist that happens to be very sensitive and emotional... all of them join up to save the world from a evil corporation/government. But the story is much more personal and interesting compared to XII, the oddball of the series, but cannot match X's story. Overall, it's good to see FF constantly improve its battle system, but unfortunately its at the expense of taking some of the control away from the player. The lack of an open, explorable world takes a huge hit from the series and almost makes the game feel incomplete (as if the developers were content with just the battle system.) With FFXIV already confirmed as a MMORPG, we may not see a next-gen, open-world FF for quite some time. In the mean time, FFXIII is a worthy time-killer. PS3 vs. 360: PS3 uses one disc, 360 uses 3. Nuff' saidRead full review
I haven't played Final Fantasy since it was on the SNES. Of course, this game far exceeds that system's capabilities, but I am in an adjustment period right now. I'm sure some of the stuff I will mention has been around for a long time, so be nice. :) The way battle is done has changed: it is now active-time based, so there is no turn-based play any more; battle happens whenever it happens. ALSO, you only really control the main character. The other characters are assigned "paradigms" that decide how they will behave in battle. For instance, if I want a brute force attack, I can make everyone a ravager and there will be a relentless assault on the enemy, but no healing or support roles. I'm not sure if I like this--I really enjoyed controlling every character myself. I've only gotten so far yet. I lost interest for a while, but I'm sure it will come back soon. :) Seems like a good game though.Read full review
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