280°
8.5

GameSpot: Final Fantasy XIII Review

There are some elements that keep Final Fantasy XIII from being everything it could have been. Even so, it is still a legitimately great game for its stunning beauty, fantastic story, and enjoyable battles, which means it has a lot in common with the Final Fantasy games that came before it. The stubborn gal in the blue sari, the steely blue-eyed star, and even the apprehensive, spiky-haired adolescent are easy to root for, and their journey is as memorable as any other in the series. Even if the gameplay doesn't reach those same heights, almost any RPG lover can still get lost in Final Fantasy XIII.

Read Full Story >>
gamespot.com
blitz06235168d ago

Versus... I'm counting on you

chidori6665168d ago (Edited 5168d ago )

this is very disappoint score imo... :/

sikbeta5168d ago (Edited 5168d ago )

Edit:

I realise that's the Final Fantasy XIII Review for PS3 = 8.5/10

Now, where is the x360 Version?

1 Review and Score for Both Versions?

Free pass for the x360 version, no comparisons and blow-out mess ala Bayonetta and the Same Score?

@Below

The whole game is Sub-HD, so the Graphics are not the same for both, if Bayonetta was "horrible" I can say the same about FF13 for xbox 360

The Problem is not HOW BAD the Port is, the Real Problem is How Bias the "Gaming Media" can be, to just throw Lies and pretend that nothing happened, get the point?

abcd5168d ago

Bayonetta on ps3 has a horrible frame-rate, many slowdowns and big loadings.

FF XIII on xbox 360 has worst cutscenes but the gameplay is the same in both versions.

Hakimy5168d ago

how is 8.5 a bad score? based on some negative reviews,I was expecting this to get a 7 from gamespot,but looking at gamespot and 1up reviews,I feel kinda relieved about purchasing FF13.waiting for ign review ;)

Will-UK5168d ago (Edited 5168d ago )

I agree this is simply a joke they are giving the same review for both when the 360 version has been seen to look worse, who remembers bayonetta people werent too nice then.

evrfighter5168d ago

Only goes to show how tired the final fantasy formula is.

I have mine pre-ordered of course. But jrpg's are in desperate need of change.

blue7xx75168d ago

The review is the same for the xbox 360 version as well. Anyways since when is 8.5 a bad score its still good.

Jsynn75168d ago

Bayonetta PS3/360 review

http://www.gamespot.com/sea...

Borderlands PS3/360 Review

http://www.gamespot.com/sea...

After this, you would think that if took points from the PS3 versions they would do it to the 360 versions if they were inferior which they did with Dragon Age.

http://www.gamespot.com/sea...

Now that it's become obvious the 360 version of FF13 is considerably inferior, why not do the same thing here? I'm guessing since they did that with the games I mentioned, they caught a lot of flack from both sides and now they're just rating the game itself and not the ports. In the end, that's the way it should be. Rating one port higher than another is just flamebait.

_vx5168d ago (Edited 5168d ago )

the JRPGs don't need to change, they need to go back to what they use to be, epic story, huge world, interesting characters,,,and so on

mastiffchild5168d ago

@abcd-mate, the media went WAY over the top with the Sega PS3 port of Bayonetta. The framerate was fine 99% of the time and only noticed it twice during three pre patch playthroughs myself and it never affected my game or my enjoyment of it. The loads could be longer than needed but, again, weren't anythng like the terror they were made out to be. I feel that the differences between the PS3 and 360 versions opf FF13 are totally comparable to the Bayonetta issue myself and if a site is silly enough to dock points off the PS3 version of one they're showing huge double standards by not doing the same here.

Also, it isn't JUST visually and in rewsolution where the 360 version lacks -it's also in the sound quality which takes a bigger hit than anything in the looks department does. I don't think any of it's WORTH a point docking, don't get me wrong, but if it isn't here then it certainly shouldn't have been over Bayonetta either. Considering there was even a sort of excuse for Sega's less than equal effort(it wasn't their game but Platinum's who didn't bother making their own port for some reason which always makes things tougher)and isn't for SE with FF13 you could easily argue FF13 deserves it docking a little bit more if anythimng-consider that SE also tried to pull the wool by doctoring screenshots and I'm almost tempted to say they SHOULD be treated more harshly myself!

Anyway, main point is if a site docked one they really should be consistent and dock the other as the differences are pretty much in the same league. however, it would be best all round if they hadn't started the issue by going way over the top about Bayonetta in the first place. I didn't see the 360 version of FF13 looking as crisp in game or in cutscenes myself, either, but the fact does remain that it won't make a shred of difference to anyone playing the 360 version at home without a PS3 version runninhg side by side-but, then again, not one of the so called terrible PS3 ports would either (except , maybe, TOB though even that was overstated and BOTH console ports were substandard in my eyes and I bought the 360 version-I think it got away with a little because the EA PS3 port was just THAT poor myself but Valve often get away with less than great work on the 360 and no one says anything!)if we're honest.

They aim for parity, not to extend either console so the point scoring needs to stop and sites just need to either be consistent or drop the BS as well, imo.

As for GS and FF13(I'm not surprised they didn't dock the 360 version, mind, as a western site with a heavier 360 than PS3 owning readership would serve no purpose by doing so really. Not bias, just serving your audience in my book-and probably advertisers too as it's a tough, real world out there for sites trying to make a profit and keep going you know!)8.5 is a safe score and the review, like many others of varying scores, says very little we couldn't all have predicted since the Japanese release back in December. Fact is it's a FF numbered release which changes more things than usual so a ot of panties were gonna get bunched up regardless of any platform issues surrounding it's development and release, weren't they? does anyone recall a FF game being released to total acclaim? No, beng a FF fan is to enjoy moaning about wht the new game isn't for a great nymber of us fans from my experience and number 13 just goes further down that road than before.

Some will find it's their favourite, others will see it's not nearly so bad as they were told and some will still hate it and find nothing of merit even when it's plainly there. It's a FF game-only more so this time out as the goalposts were shifted a little too far for some of us with SE's craving to be more "western" affecting a few more mechanics and design ideas than we might have wanted but in a year or two it's legacy will be clearer and it won't be nearly so reviled and may, like WindWaker, say, be seen as a kind of classic in it's own right. Who knows? Some stinking scores out there for an FF game though-5/10 from Edge is a stunner.

Minimox165168d ago

totally agreed with you Jrpg need to go back, no need to change.

@ evrfighter what you want a jrpg become Wrpg(aka. third person shooter)?

+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 5167d ago
GR8 15168d ago

PS3 version was far more prone to dropping down to 20fps at any given moment, even on the undersea voyage intro sequence, whereas the 360 game does a pretty good job of staying at the requisite 30 frames per second.

Thoreau5167d ago

you've got to look at the glass as half full sometimes....if you keep reaching maybe u can box with god

blitz06235168d ago (Edited 5168d ago )

Uhh... no. Frame rate drops are present in both versions, so the 360 version will even have worse output than the PS3.

This is what happens when a game with unlimited potential gets held back by a console with an already maxed out potential.

happy_gilmore5168d ago

bu bu butt the gimpbox version is teh crispier

jack who5167d ago

now this is the 4th review site that has said the same thing and your still damage controlling

InLaLaLand5168d ago (Edited 5168d ago )

Even after the E3 08, I did not care whether it was multiplatform I was still going to buy it for the trey. After so much bullshit I probably get it when its cheap. Everyone should watch this video (not for the swearing).

BeaArthur5168d ago

Because you have had extensive hands on with it?

Show all comments (50)
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."

Einhander1972127d 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.

Nyxus127d ago

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

Shane Kim126d ago (Edited 126d ago )

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

Elda126d 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_B125d ago

*One of the 3 equally bad FF's

DivineHand125126d ago (Edited 126d 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.

FinalFantasyFanatic126d ago (Edited 126d 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.

FinalFantasyFanatic126d ago (Edited 126d 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.

Gamingsince1981126d ago

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

-Foxtrot126d 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.

Elda125d 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.

-Foxtrot125d ago

Elda

Not just mine mate

A large majority

So….

Traecy125d ago

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

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 125d ago
+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 125d ago
gold_drake127d ago (Edited 127d 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

Eonjay126d ago

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

Snookies12127d 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!

Eonjay126d ago

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

shinoff2183127d ago (Edited 127d 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

KillerB126d 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