80°
7.0

RandomNPC: Final Fantasy XIII Import Review

All in all, Final Fantasy XIII has an awesome battle system backed up by equally impressive graphics, excellent music and sound, and a good story, but as good as each of these major components are, the linearity and lack of freedom that pervades nearly everything is likely to disappoint a large number of gamers, particularly Final Fantasy fans who enjoyed the vast worlds and character customization that past titles offered.

Read Full Story >>
randomnpc.com
SiteNblog Defender5168d ago

Very disappointing for an FF game.

5167d ago
blitz06235167d ago

WOW. 3 points taken off for linearity? I saw some gameplay footage and I don't really have a problem with the stage being literally linear. Obviously it's not the whole game that just goes in a straight line.

PS: Bungie Games, you need a better new account.

sikbeta5167d ago

"Platform: PS3
Game Mechanics: 7/10
Interface: 9/10
Story: 7/10 » bleh
Visuals: 10/10
Sound: 9/10
Difficulty: Moderate, Slightly Luck-Based
»Estimated Playtime: [40-60 hours]«
RandomNPC Review Score: 7/10 - Good"

WTF!?

Marceles5167d ago

Game mechanics being a 7/10 is a joke, if anything the mechanics is the best thing about the game.

I've never seen a turn-based RPG done so well that it actually feels like you're playing it in real time. Especially post-game when you're playing the tough missions.

Changing roles and turning into an Attacker and Defender,etc....you have to pay attention to what's going on. You're not going to be looking around the room while pushing Circle all day thinking the fights are going to be easy. Estimated play time is about 50 hrs, and the post game is yet ANOTHER 50 hrs.

lordgodalming5167d ago (Edited 5167d ago )

Indie gaming sites and blogs may not be as affected by money from corporate advertisers, but they're still motivated by getting hits.

RandomNPC is entitled to their opinion, but really they're a "Random" no-name site with a no-name reviewer ragging on a high profile game to generate hits.

Maybe you even write for them, which is fine, but you could maintain some dignity by not creating multiple accounts to agree with yourself and disagree with others.

Edit: On topic, I really do respect the opinion of this reviewer, and I am very excited to begin forming my own opinions of this game once I actually play it next Tuesday.

Perjoss5167d ago

like I said, Square is not what it used to be.

FamilyGuy5167d ago

Yeah, I hate that "review score is not an average" type BS. It doesn't make sense for 7 to be the lowest point value awarded to any one category and the overall score ending up as the same.

Nit picking has gone to a new level.

knifefight5166d ago (Edited 5166d ago )

"RandomNPC is entitled to their opinion, but really they're a "Random" no-name site with a no-name reviewer ragging on a high profile game to generate hits."
This quote raises questions.

Question 1) Was he less no-name when he wrote for RPGamer for like 3 years?
Question 2) "Bagging on?" I read the review and this guy is pretty soft-spoken. What is "bagging on?"
Question 3) How is rating it "Very Good" somehow "Bagging on (it)?"

I no understand.

These are not attacks on you, simply honest questions.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 5166d ago
ClownBelt5167d ago

Good score. Can't wait for the game.

GSpartan7775167d ago (Edited 5167d ago )

................. which is why I could give a ratass about this review.

SiteNblog Defender5167d ago

You cared enough to post here. I like smaller sites. They're less affected by hype and money.

DigitalAnalog5167d ago

I saw a 2 or 3 year old kid playing FFXIII at the PS3 Kiosk. And he was progressing quite nicely..............

Yup, it has been dumbed down to fit to casual standards.

-End statement

Show all comments (25)
70°

The 7 Best Final Fantasy Characters: Unveiling the Legends

While FFVII ranks highly, there's more to the series than one game. Here's Chit Hot's picks for the seven best Final Fantasy characters.

220°

The older it gets, the more I respect Final Fantasy XIII

Alex Donaldson: "Hindsight is a hell of a thing, however, and in the years since Final Fantasy XIII, my respect for the decisions its developers made has skyrocketed. In the two Final Fantasy titles since we see both the brilliance and the folly in alternative approaches - and in Final Fantasy VII Remake, we get a more nuanced understanding of what FF13 was trying to accomplish from many of the same development leads."

Einhander1972126d ago

FFXIII is actually one of the best Final Fantasy games.

I also sort of was disappointed at the time, never as much as the bandwagon. But really all the fantastic 3D rendered cutscenes and I actually liked the characters and the story though convoluted was actually fantastic and the ending was extremely emotional. So much budget and time were put into that game Square had such big plans, I actually have always felt kind of bad for how things played out.

I have been thinking for years how great it would be to get all three games on one disk for PS4 or 5.

Nyxus126d ago

I always liked this game, and I agree, a rerelease for current gen would be nice.

Shane Kim124d ago (Edited 124d ago )

Gotta take off the nostalgia glasses. It's the worst FF. Shiva as a bike, I mean come on.

Elda124d ago

Shiva as a bike is strange but saying FFXIII is the worst FF is not at all a fact, that's simply your opinion.

Terry_B124d ago

*One of the 3 equally bad FF's

DivineHand125124d ago (Edited 124d ago )

When I got my series X a year ago, I bought FF13 for nostalgia reasons but ended up being disappointed. When I first played it around the time it launched, I didn't have a lot of experience with final fantasy games, so I enjoyed it. Fast forward to when I played it again, I found that the game had many unnecessary filler moments instead of just giving us meaningful content.

The game is also very linear and a quote on the article said it best. "It is like a sewage pipe that leads to the ocean until it opens up on Grand Pulse."

The story didn't make much sense either and I believe it is my mistake as I played the FF7 remake on PS5 prior which is a night and day difference in terms of pacing, storytelling and likeable characters even though cloud is aloof.

FinalFantasyFanatic124d ago (Edited 124d ago )

Probably was a mistake to play any of the golden era FFs first (e.g. FF6 through FF10), it makes it harder to enjoy some of the FFs that aren't as good. I think FF12 was where major issues with the series started becoming apparent, and it just got worse from there.

FinalFantasyFanatic124d ago (Edited 124d ago )

I didn't really care for it that much, the only saving grace was that it had a better story than 15 (overall it was better than 15) and possibly 12, and even then, you had to read some of it through primers, like reading a book. Plus the battle system was reasonably fun for what it was, even if it was more the spectacle that was exciting for me (e.g. summoning). And to be fair, the 13 trilogy got better with every games, I still don't like Snow though.

Gamingsince1981124d ago

Ff13 is only good if you haven't played a ff before, or any other games that are decent for that matter.

-Foxtrot124d ago

It is in fact no way the best Final Fantasy game, it's one of the worst

Linear corridors, Cutscene, Fight, Cutscene...rinse and repeat

Dialogue and characters are pretty bad, especially Lightning as the main FF hero, they literally said they tried to make a "Female Cloud" and they failed.

Story was pretty awful

I could go on

I think the only alright thing that came from the game was the music.

Elda123d ago

That's not a fact that's your personal opinion. The game sold 11 million copies between its 2009 release up until 2014 including critically reviewed as an 8 out of 10 or an 80 out of 100. The game does have some issues but it's not at all a fact as one of the worst FF games.

-Foxtrot123d ago

Elda

Not just mine mate

A large majority

So….

Traecy123d ago

N4G commenters such as yourself aren't the majority. The game was well received.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 123d ago
+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 123d ago
gold_drake126d ago (Edited 126d ago )

i liked the game alot but i didnt like how they handled the terminology.

i dont mind reading data logs but it had soo many.

but i always loved the music and how it looked. the battle system wasnt too bad either.

but i like 13-2 more :)

i still dont understand why we never got a remaster of the trilogy

Eonjay124d ago

Xbox kinda did. Besides the video files of course which are still best on PS3 due to bluray.

Snookies12126d ago

XIII is a pretty solid game, but XIII-2 is WAY better. XIII-2 was one of the few games I decided to go for a Platinum trophy in, early on. Had so much fun the entire way through getting it too!

Eonjay124d ago

Totally agree. FF 13 was okay but 13-2 is my favorite FF game ever.

shinoff2183126d ago (Edited 126d ago )

I hated this to when it released. I haven't much liked a ff game since ff10 as much , aside from ff7remake. I decided to give it another shot on my series x since it's not on a current ps and was liking it quite a bit(just takes me some time to get over things ) until star ocean 2 remake came out I was all over that.

Square should definitely remaster it or something for ps4 ps5

KillerB124d ago

my favorite jrpg trilogy ever

Show all comments (44)
70°

Interview: Making music with Masashi Hamauzu

Square Enix Blog: "How do you compose iconic songs that help define a legacy? We speak to legendary composer Masashi Hamauzu about his work on Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XIII, and Final Fantasy VII Remake, and how to make unforgettable music."

Read Full Story >>
square-enix-games.com