Final Fantasy XIII :: XBox 360 Game Review

Final Fantasy games have a long tradition in the awesome: Epic battles, movie-like stories, and amazing graphics. In terms of these traditions, Final Fantasy XIII does not disappoint. However, the game does make you work a bit before you can really get to the good stuff.

Epic Fantasy

The world is divided into two conflicting sides: the monarchy of Cocoon and the lush land of Gran Pulse. Both sides are ruled by different god spirits, called Fal'Cie, who create humans to use as weapons in their war against each other. The story of FFXIII follows six such humans, who are on a mission to obliterate Cocoon.

The plot moves along very slowly to start, following the six in three groups of two. The game only really gets interesting once all six gets together. However, you will connect with the characters, some faster than others, as there are lots of flashbacks that reveal more about the characters.

Fantastic and New

Final Fantasy XIII introduces a new combat system that is brand new. You control the character that is selected to be the leader of a group while the other two characters in the group act as supports controlled automatically. You can give the supporting characters roles like Commando, Medic or Ravager, which will change how they behave.

Every character can do well with several roles and you can change their roles in the middle of a battle to suit your needs. If you can think and act fast, you will be rewarded with combos that increase the damage of your attacks.

Final Word

As a Final Fantasy game, FFXIII does not disappoint. It has a great long story, beautiful graphics, and is epic throughout. However, the gameplay and story does start off slow and you will need to be patient through the boring parts. Once you get into the game, however, there will be no doubt that this is a great game.

Rating:

Price: $59.99

ESRB Rating: T for Teen

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