Ok I loved all the Final Fantasy series, even number 8 (to some extent), and I'm the first person to admit that every one of them, has had minor niggles that could have been improved.
So did Square Enix get it right with their 13th installment?
In short... no.
As usual the story line is confusing at first and as you get further along, you find yourself being drawn in, and empathising with the characters. Interesting characters and plot lines have always been something that the Final Fantasy series have had going for them.
This next gen installment looks stunning, as you would expect. The cut scenes and game time visuals, leave you wondering which ones are done with the game engine, and which ones are pre-rendered fmv.
The combat system has been improved again, with the introduction of the new paradigm system, and the turn based combat has been replaced with a "you had better be quick at selecting those powers" system.
The Paradigm system basically allows you to assign different roles to your battle team. You can have your team set up as ranged damage dealers, and with the flick of a switch, you can change them to a tank-dps-healer set up.
For the first half of the game, each character has 3 roles that they can fill, out of a possible six. Then in the second half, you can use all six roles on all six characters. Those roles are, Commando (melee dps), Ravager (ranged dps), Sentinel (tank), Medic (healer), Synergist (buffs) and Saboteur (debuffs).
The two factors that made the previous titles so good, are the two things that Square have taken away from this game.
Firstly, the open world exploration and mini games. All previous titles have allowed the player (once they reach a certain stage) explore the world, complete side missions and mini-games, in order to better their equipment, have a break from the story line and many other things that people used to enjoy.
There are two trains of thought on this subject. The people who hate open world exploration and general "Sanboxy-ness", and the people who love it. The question has to be asked why anyone who hates this part of a Final Fantasy game would bother playing any FF title, given that there are other RPG's out there that dont have it. Either way, those people seem to have won. Square have completely removed the "Airship secction" from this title.
There IS a small are after you first reach Gran Pulse, that resembles the Calm Lands of FFX, but this is the ONLY area that is explorable, and before you know it, you are back into narrow paths forcing you along the story line.
I have no doubt that people will argue the toss over whether this is an improvement or not. To be honest I think that a lot of FF fans will be dissapointed and feel somewhat betrayed by Square Enix. It is the opinion of many, that the eploration, side quests, and mini games, that made the Final Fantasy series, and should have been the thing that SE built the new title upon, rather then cutting it out completely.
Secondly, is the levelling system. There is NO customization ability whatsoever. You have 6 roles, all of which you can level, but you cant make any changes to them at all. You get what you are given. A huge part of the addiction to FFX was the sphere system, which allowed you to grind for different spheres, and change the grid so that you could max out all stats and build all characters as perfect. Another huge part of the FF attraction that has been wiped out with the latest installment.
To put it Bluntly, and without intending to offend, Square have caved in, and made their latest title appeal to a different audience. This title is for the shorter atention spanned, Action RPG fan who dislikes having to go out of their way to achieve anything special.
Square managed to leave just enough Final Fantasy essence, to still attract the old fan base, but A large percentage of those people will feel like they have been cheated, in favour of keeping the attention of the button mashers.
On to more positive things.
The plot, as already mentioned is a strong point, and forgetting about the lack of "Free Roam" available, the world is beautifully drawn and well thought out. There are no random encounters, as you can see the mobs, walking around, and if you wish to avoid them, you can. Although Its highly recommended that you take every opportunity to fight, as the difficulty does tend to spike rather dramatically at Bosses.
One improvement they have made is reducing the severity of dying. No longer do you see get a "AHH jeez i havent saved for 5 hours and now i have to do it all over" moment. If you die, you can select retry, and start just before the encounter that killed you.
Spending a moment to explain the combet system a little more, since this is really what the entire game is built around. Gone are the days of turn based combat. The new system has a timer bar or ATB, which fills gradually over time. Once the ATB has enough charge to perform the actions you have chosen, your character performs them immediately, and then the ATB starts charging again. During this time, the enemy and other characters will carry out their actions using the same rules. YOu only get to control the team leader during fights, meaning that you have to rely a certain amount on the AI of the other members of your three man battle team. Switching paradigms, is crucial, and you become fairly adept at this early on.
Next there is the weapon upgrade system. Instead of exploring and doing mini games and side quests to get your characters Ultimate weapons, the new system allows any weapon to be upgraded to the Ultimate weapon.
You collect ingredients as you progress through the game, which you can spend on EXP points for your weapons and accessories. Once your weapon reaches X Level, you are able to further upgrade it using a catalyst (if you have found or bought it). Eventually, with enough upgrades, your weapons will become their ultimate form.
Finally, there are the summons. Each character has one summon available to them, which ulock as the story unfolds. In order to progress, you must fight each Eidolon, in order to "Enslave" them. These fights are some of the harder ones in game, as each Eidolon has specific requirements in order to defeat them, which you can either work out on your own using your Libra technique (reveals information about target), or an easier way is looking around on the net for tips from people who have already done it.
In Summary:
FFXIII is still an epic game which will give you many many hours of entertainment. If you are a die hard Final Fantasy fan who was hoping for more open world exploration and having to think, grind and take part in side missions in order to customize your characters... you will be dissapointed.
So did Square Enix get it right with their 13th installment?
In short... no.
As usual the story line is confusing at first and as you get further along, you find yourself being drawn in, and empathising with the characters. Interesting characters and plot lines have always been something that the Final Fantasy series have had going for them.
This next gen installment looks stunning, as you would expect. The cut scenes and game time visuals, leave you wondering which ones are done with the game engine, and which ones are pre-rendered fmv.
The combat system has been improved again, with the introduction of the new paradigm system, and the turn based combat has been replaced with a "you had better be quick at selecting those powers" system.
The Paradigm system basically allows you to assign different roles to your battle team. You can have your team set up as ranged damage dealers, and with the flick of a switch, you can change them to a tank-dps-healer set up.
For the first half of the game, each character has 3 roles that they can fill, out of a possible six. Then in the second half, you can use all six roles on all six characters. Those roles are, Commando (melee dps), Ravager (ranged dps), Sentinel (tank), Medic (healer), Synergist (buffs) and Saboteur (debuffs).
The two factors that made the previous titles so good, are the two things that Square have taken away from this game.
Firstly, the open world exploration and mini games. All previous titles have allowed the player (once they reach a certain stage) explore the world, complete side missions and mini-games, in order to better their equipment, have a break from the story line and many other things that people used to enjoy.
There are two trains of thought on this subject. The people who hate open world exploration and general "Sanboxy-ness", and the people who love it. The question has to be asked why anyone who hates this part of a Final Fantasy game would bother playing any FF title, given that there are other RPG's out there that dont have it. Either way, those people seem to have won. Square have completely removed the "Airship secction" from this title.
There IS a small are after you first reach Gran Pulse, that resembles the Calm Lands of FFX, but this is the ONLY area that is explorable, and before you know it, you are back into narrow paths forcing you along the story line.
I have no doubt that people will argue the toss over whether this is an improvement or not. To be honest I think that a lot of FF fans will be dissapointed and feel somewhat betrayed by Square Enix. It is the opinion of many, that the eploration, side quests, and mini games, that made the Final Fantasy series, and should have been the thing that SE built the new title upon, rather then cutting it out completely.
Secondly, is the levelling system. There is NO customization ability whatsoever. You have 6 roles, all of which you can level, but you cant make any changes to them at all. You get what you are given. A huge part of the addiction to FFX was the sphere system, which allowed you to grind for different spheres, and change the grid so that you could max out all stats and build all characters as perfect. Another huge part of the FF attraction that has been wiped out with the latest installment.
To put it Bluntly, and without intending to offend, Square have caved in, and made their latest title appeal to a different audience. This title is for the shorter atention spanned, Action RPG fan who dislikes having to go out of their way to achieve anything special.
Square managed to leave just enough Final Fantasy essence, to still attract the old fan base, but A large percentage of those people will feel like they have been cheated, in favour of keeping the attention of the button mashers.
On to more positive things.
The plot, as already mentioned is a strong point, and forgetting about the lack of "Free Roam" available, the world is beautifully drawn and well thought out. There are no random encounters, as you can see the mobs, walking around, and if you wish to avoid them, you can. Although Its highly recommended that you take every opportunity to fight, as the difficulty does tend to spike rather dramatically at Bosses.
One improvement they have made is reducing the severity of dying. No longer do you see get a "AHH jeez i havent saved for 5 hours and now i have to do it all over" moment. If you die, you can select retry, and start just before the encounter that killed you.
Spending a moment to explain the combet system a little more, since this is really what the entire game is built around. Gone are the days of turn based combat. The new system has a timer bar or ATB, which fills gradually over time. Once the ATB has enough charge to perform the actions you have chosen, your character performs them immediately, and then the ATB starts charging again. During this time, the enemy and other characters will carry out their actions using the same rules. YOu only get to control the team leader during fights, meaning that you have to rely a certain amount on the AI of the other members of your three man battle team. Switching paradigms, is crucial, and you become fairly adept at this early on.
Next there is the weapon upgrade system. Instead of exploring and doing mini games and side quests to get your characters Ultimate weapons, the new system allows any weapon to be upgraded to the Ultimate weapon.
You collect ingredients as you progress through the game, which you can spend on EXP points for your weapons and accessories. Once your weapon reaches X Level, you are able to further upgrade it using a catalyst (if you have found or bought it). Eventually, with enough upgrades, your weapons will become their ultimate form.
Finally, there are the summons. Each character has one summon available to them, which ulock as the story unfolds. In order to progress, you must fight each Eidolon, in order to "Enslave" them. These fights are some of the harder ones in game, as each Eidolon has specific requirements in order to defeat them, which you can either work out on your own using your Libra technique (reveals information about target), or an easier way is looking around on the net for tips from people who have already done it.
In Summary:
FFXIII is still an epic game which will give you many many hours of entertainment. If you are a die hard Final Fantasy fan who was hoping for more open world exploration and having to think, grind and take part in side missions in order to customize your characters... you will be dissapointed.
