Final Fantasy XIII-2 - Standard Edition (PS3)

This is by far the best game I've ever played! When I first started it, I didn't even know what Final Fantasy was. I definitely got a great introduction! The characters are really interesting, especially Hope. The cutscenes and soundtrack were amazing! I actually had to start the game all over twice because I didn't upgrade my characters and weapons properly. Disk 2 is far more difficult than Disk 1 and the final boss was almost unbeatable. I spent so many hours playing this game.

A second chance

It's a well known fact that Final Fantasy XIII divided both its fans and the media and scored some of the lowest review ratings in the franchises history. It was by no means a terrible game but it's severe linearity was a bitter pill to swallow in a franchise known for offering freedom and entertaining distractions, XIII offered none of this. It was a game stubbornly focused on story telling and the game-play suffered because of this. Final Fantasy XIII-2 then was a chance to put right the wrongs of its predecessor and unite the fans once again. Does it succeed in doing this? Well for the most part yes. The biggest change with the sequel is the freedom it offers the player, XIII-2 is not a linear game. By means of the "historia crux" a time traveling device you gain ... MoreIt's a well known fact that Final Fantasy XIII divided both its fans and the media and scored some of the lowest review ratings in the franchises history. It was by no means a terrible game but it's severe linearity was a bitter pill to swallow in a franchise known for offering freedom and entertaining distractions, XIII offered none of this. It was a game stubbornly focused on story telling and the game-play suffered because of this. Final Fantasy XIII-2 then was a chance to put right the wrongs of its predecessor and unite the fans once again. Does it succeed in doing this? Well for the most part yes. The biggest change with the sequel is the freedom it offers the player, XIII-2 is not a linear game. By means of the "historia crux" a time traveling device you gain access to early on, Serah and Noel can jump into any location they choose by unlocking gates with "artefacts" found through exploration and story progression. The environments are also a clear attempt at making linearity a thing of the past. The maps this time around are far less restricting and offer plenty of opportunity for exploration. There are hidden items everywhere, as well as secret locations that are often only accessible by visiting the area later on or by unlocking a different time period. The combat in XIII-2 remains mostly unchanged. The paradigm shift system returns, only now the third party member slot is taken by a monster recruited through obtaining its crystal in battle. Each monster fits one of the paradigm roles, Medic, Commando, etc. You can assign three monsters to your paradigm deck at a time and shifting paradigms is how you switch out monsters in battle. Unlike Serah and Noel monsters do not level up by gaining "CP". They grow in strength through the use of items obtained in battles or bought at a shop. They also differ in that there is often a level cap on monsters with only monsters tagged "late bloomer" reaching level 99. It is possible to invest a huge amount of time into recruiting monsters and building up an unstoppable party. It is an enjoyable concept that works extremely well. One aspect of the game that does not work quite so well is the story. It is obvious that story telling has taken a back seat with this sequel in favor of providing superior game-play. For the most part of the game the story never evolves into anything more than a quest to find Lightning, Serahs older sister that vanished after the events of XIII. The story does pick up slightly during the final chapters but when the game ends it feels as though little was resolved and many questions left unanswered. Though the story may be weaker than in XIII the game-play is excellent and a vast improvement. Anybody looking for a solid, enjoyable RPG experience should pick up this game. There has been better Final Fantasy games but XIII-2 feels like a huge step back in the right direction.

FFXIII is different than any other RPG you've played before!

Final Fantasy XIII. Quite possibly the most anticipated Role Playing Game of this decennium. I picked up the Japanese version of the game and played it a lot for this internet scoop. This review will not spoil story related events, but all gameplay related aspects will be discussed in detail. For those looking for a nutshell, the game is essentially FFX's style meets FFXII's gameplay meets innovative battle system.Graphics:It's Final Fantasy in HD graphics. It's gorgeous. The cutscenes look amazing. The graphics are stunning and look good enough for a lengthy RPG like this. There's no need to go in further detail. Have a look at some trailers.Story:Without giving away too much of Final Fantasy XIII's story, let me get right to the point: It is not the game's ... MoreFinal Fantasy XIII. Quite possibly the most anticipated Role Playing Game of this decennium. I picked up the Japanese version of the game and played it a lot for this internet scoop. This review will not spoil story related events, but all gameplay related aspects will be discussed in detail. For those looking for a nutshell, the game is essentially FFX's style meets FFXII's gameplay meets innovative battle system.Graphics:It's Final Fantasy in HD graphics. It's gorgeous. The cutscenes look amazing. The graphics are stunning and look good enough for a lengthy RPG like this. There's no need to go in further detail. Have a look at some trailers.Story:Without giving away too much of Final Fantasy XIII's story, let me get right to the point: It is not the game's strongest point. Worry not; this analysis focuses only on the first hour(s) of the game. The story revolves around Cocoon, a moon-like sphere with a cracked shell that houses several million inhabitants, kept safe from the lowerworld, also known as Gran Pulse. Consisting of thirteen chapters, the game briefly introduces various characters right at the start of the game, including the main protagonist, Lightning, the comic relief character Sazh, the young boy Hope, the cheerful Vanille, and the 'I'll be your hero' Snow. The sixth and last of FFXIII's playable cast, a blue-dressed woman known as Fang, isn't revealed until several chapters later. The game starts off with a civil war-esque fight between civilians and Cocoon's peacekeeping PSICOM troops. The civilians are to be Purged because of a Pulse Fal'cie discovery at a certain village. Fal'cie are essentially enormous beings that monitor and maintain various aspects of life, and there are two kinds of Fal'cie, of which Pulse Fal'cie are considered to be dangerous to the existence of Cocoon. What follows is a story in which the six characters are enslaved to a Fal'cie's will and are made into l'Cie. The story starts off well but dips below mediocrity several times, and the introduction of the game's main villain might not be what you'd expect; advisable is to not get your hopes up for a cool, awesome, well done villain, because there isn't one in Final Fantasy XIII; sorry for bursting your bubble, guys! Not all is bad about FFXIII's story, however. Fans of the series will be relieved to meet another Cid, and there are various semi-villains present as usual which keep things interesting. The characters are worked out fairly well and some you might not like at the start will eventually grow on you a little.Gameplay:FFXIII utilizes a completely new type of combat system, and it's ace. You'll walk around in fields in the same fashion as Final Fantasy XII, and you can thus avoid enemy encounters occasionally. Upon touching an enemy, the game flashes into an ATB-esque fight and the battle can begin. Characters will initially start out with only three ATB segments, but there is room for growth. Weak attacks use up one ATB segment while more powerful attacks take up more segments. You can either use the initial command, which automatically inputs efficient attacks for you, or manually select your attacks. The former will turn out to be the one that you use most.You only control your party leader during battles. The reason for this is a combination of the extremely fast speed at which battles unfold and the necessary introduction of the Paradigm system to cope with this speed. The Paradigm system allows for up to six different configurations, each consisting of several roles with a maximum of three roles or three party members. Roles can be viewed as classic classes. There's the Attacker, a tough attacker with the sole intention of attacking and dealing damage. The Ravager is more your black mage using elemental magic to build up enemy chain bars – more on this later. The Guardian is a defensive character which draws enemies' attention and guards to decrease damage inflicted. The Healer cures your party, then there's a role that has access to protective spells, and the Saboteur inflicts negative status effects on your foes. Each character has access to three roles but will unlock the other three roles at some point in the game as well. When a character is in a certain role, they can only perform actions according to those available in that role. In order to use different attacks they'll have to switch to a different role, and this is where the Paradigm system comes into play. By customizing your own Paradigms it is possible to swiftly switch to a Paradigm of your choice with a simple click of L1 and selecting the Paradigm you want to switch to. After defeating a battle, a score is awarded based on speed. Your entire party is automatically healed. Upon defeat the player finds the option to retry the battle, spawning them just before the enemy they lost against. This sounds like it makes the game too easy, but the game would otherwise be far too hard. Expect to get killed often throughout the game, and expect to fall in love with the retry option.Your characters develop through the Crystarium, an enormous collection of nodes that boost either your Strength or Magic, or grant you a new ability. There are no stats other than HP, Strength and Magic, which might feel peculiar at first. The simplicity that stems from little changes like this feels like a step in the right direction for mainstream gamers, but not so much for niche-RPG players. The Crystarium's path is linear, but players are able to choose from different roles and improve the ones they like best or need most.The other possibility for growth is through upgrading weapons and accessories, which bears a slight resemblance to FFVIII's refinement system. Players accumulate enemy loot throughout the game as well acquiring equipment. Through the shops – accessed via save points only – players can also obtain loot and equipment, and save points also function as upgrade station, so they're quite multifunctional. Unfortunately, compared to FFVIII's refinement system, the upgrading/dismantling system in FFXIII is much more shallow. This will appeal to mainstream gamers, but much less so to the niche RPG gamers that favored the older FF systems.Exploration in the game is linear, yes, and there are no traditional towns or conversations to be had with townspeople. Basically, FFXIII speeds through the story like a Lightning bolt. You may either like this or not, but it's definitely not boring.Oh, before I forget, there are six Eidolons in the game, and each character has access to one Eidolon. Your characters will have to face the Eidolons in boss battles throughout the game first before unlocking them. Only your party leader can use an Eidolon, and usually only once during a battle because of how this system works. There are technique points spent on using an Eidolon, of which you have five in total and using an Eidolon uses up three points. It will fight alongside your party leader for a while - say 20 seconds – before the player is to enter the Gestalt modus. The character will mount the Eidolon and with several combinations inflicts damage to the enemy. Cutscenes are completely skippable, but I watched them ten times before I grew tired of them; they're really awesome. Unfortunately, Eidolons aren't all that powerful as you'd expect. Summoning one will heal your entire party after their departure, and they can inflict a decent amount of damage, but no more than that. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing - it actually makes the game more balanced overall.Replayability:Besides the exceptionally well done batte system, there are various mini games and side quests available in FFXIII. Notable is the Chocobo digging mini game. The mark hunting quest from part 12 also returns, this time with 64 to slay. This will keep you busy for tens of hours, and on top of the main story that is worth 40 hours of gameplay, it boosts the total time to at least sixty-five plus hours. Hunting down enemies sometimes activates teleports, allowing you to move between several areas. Other than these minigames, and a small minigame on which you ride a big mech somewhere in chapter 4, the game offers surprisingly little else. Sure, there's an amusement park, but why are there no minigames there- You can also forget about controlling an airship. There are a few really cool airships in the game, but you'll never own one yourself in such a way that you can board and use it for transport.Music and Sound:The soundtrack has improved much since FFXII and nearly returns to the former glory days of Nobuo Uematsu. The game's main theme is especially well done, and there are several beautiful (albeit too many) remixes played of it during the game, most notably the theme played in the game's biggest area. There are various boss themes, and as most of you know, the battle theme is actually one of the best in the series so far. If the soundtracks of FFVI, FFVII and FFIX are 10 out of 10 then I would give FFXIII a 9 out of 10. The orchestrated soundtrack varies from angelic choirs to typical Japanese girly songs to uplifting weeping violin boss battle themes.Overall:Final Fantasy XIII is better than the sum of its parts. The battle system is incredibly addictive and the graphics are definitely of this age - probably a little ahead of their time in terms of console style RPG's.

Final fantasy Xlll

Game works fine. Condition is good shape. Every about disc look good. Version is excellent. Really happy about this game. It been long time I last play this game. Thanks you DkOldies!

Great game for fans of the series

Before buying this, I read 2 main critiques of the game. The first being that it is too linear. If you have also read that the game is linear, bear in mind that most of the reviews claiming that the game is linear are written by people who aren't used to the J-RPG genre, FF games are linear by nature, so if you enjoyed previous FF games, the linearity will not bother you. Think FFX level of linearity. The second main critique is that the game is too slow at the beginning, specifically in the battles. The reason the battles are "slow" or monotonous, is because the game is trying to slowly integrate each part of the complex battle system so that the player does not get overwhelmed. If you played FFVIII, you may recall that you were still being taught aspects of battle ... MoreBefore buying this, I read 2 main critiques of the game. The first being that it is too linear. If you have also read that the game is linear, bear in mind that most of the reviews claiming that the game is linear are written by people who aren't used to the J-RPG genre, FF games are linear by nature, so if you enjoyed previous FF games, the linearity will not bother you. Think FFX level of linearity. The second main critique is that the game is too slow at the beginning, specifically in the battles. The reason the battles are "slow" or monotonous, is because the game is trying to slowly integrate each part of the complex battle system so that the player does not get overwhelmed. If you played FFVIII, you may recall that you were still being taught aspects of battle well in to the game, FFXIII had a similar feel for me. As always, the game looks and sounds beautiful. No FF game would be complete without an overly perky female protagonist, and in this game that perky girl is Vanille. Her over the top voice acting may annoy some, but I thought it was funny, and I have come to be used to it throughout all the FF games I have played. The one complaint that I have is that the story wasn't as gripping as previous FF games, perhaps because there is no strong romantic element that has become so associated with FF games. Overall, a great game, definitely worth the low cost you can find on eBay.

Improves much, but not all.

First things first, I liked the first game. It had its faults, but it wasn't horrible like many claim. However it's because of this, this sequel is crippled from the get-go.Things this game improves on, like non-linearity early on, side-quests, and a (somewhat) branching plot - these are things those who complained about the original would probably love. However because of the original, they are likely not to buy this game. The maps/areas are expansive, loads of things to explore, and more so when you jump between eras. The side-quests give things to do between or during plot points, and even give you CP/EXP for your trouble.The battle system has been slightly altered, but still has some elements that bother me a little. You can fine-tune the Paradigms, or swap ... MoreFirst things first, I liked the first game. It had its faults, but it wasn't horrible like many claim. However it's because of this, this sequel is crippled from the get-go.Things this game improves on, like non-linearity early on, side-quests, and a (somewhat) branching plot - these are things those who complained about the original would probably love. However because of the original, they are likely not to buy this game. The maps/areas are expansive, loads of things to explore, and more so when you jump between eras. The side-quests give things to do between or during plot points, and even give you CP/EXP for your trouble.The battle system has been slightly altered, but still has some elements that bother me a little. You can fine-tune the Paradigms, or swap leader mid-battle or when another dies, and those are nice things. What bothers me is the retaining and reliance of "Auto-battle". I love the application of the ATB system in this and the original, but if you want to survive or get 5-star ratings on battles, you're going to need to use Auto-battle (or have fast thumbs). This removes half the sense of control or strategy, leaving you simply to keep hitting auto or swap roles when needed.The plot - though time travel is a nice concept to play with, if like me you've played the Chrono games, watch Doctor Who, or seen Steins;Gate, you'll be familiar with many chronological concepts. You're going to need to put those aside, as this game treats the time travel elements are a more magical force and mystical quality that works more on Narrativum than casualty. However you could almost forgive this, as it pulls the game closer to Final Fantasy than Final Sci-fi.Overall if you didn't hate FFXIII you may be cool with FFXIII-2, and if you wanted to see improvements, they're here. The game is also shorter, with my playtime being somewhere around the region of 45 hours, instead of 120 hours.

Looks Amazing on Xbox Series X

Since the Xbox 360 version is backwards compatible on the Xbox Series X (along with a free graphical update), I gave this a go on my new system. Wow! This game looks absolutely stunning on the series X and plays like a dream. The case and disc came in excellent condition.

Stick With It!!

I'll address a few common complaints in this review while trying to avoid spoilers.A very common complaint, perhaps the most common, is that you can just go through the game by only pressing one button. This is most definitely not the case. These complaints come from people who didn't stick with the game. I didn't dock it any points, but I do understand some people giving up on it, as the tutorials seem to last forever. It's an extremely slow start, but if you stick with it you'll find that the battle system is very well implemented, and will keep you on your toes late in the game. You'll have to switch back and forth at just the right time to do damage and shield yourself from certain death. The battle system that seems boring for a while in the beginning becomes ... MoreI'll address a few common complaints in this review while trying to avoid spoilers.A very common complaint, perhaps the most common, is that you can just go through the game by only pressing one button. This is most definitely not the case. These complaints come from people who didn't stick with the game. I didn't dock it any points, but I do understand some people giving up on it, as the tutorials seem to last forever. It's an extremely slow start, but if you stick with it you'll find that the battle system is very well implemented, and will keep you on your toes late in the game. You'll have to switch back and forth at just the right time to do damage and shield yourself from certain death. The battle system that seems boring for a while in the beginning becomes very active and satisfying. Just stick with it.Another complaint is no open-world / no side-quests. If you're familiar with older JRPGs, you'll understand that while a lot of them do allow you to travel to various locations at any time you wish, it's mostly unnecessary (speaking of older JRPGs that don't level enemies based on your level#. You can't go to certain spots due to the enemies being too high of a level to face. Then when you level up enough to go to those certain spots, travelling back to previous locations seems pointless, as you'll gain little to no XP from those low level enemies. The only reason to do so would be to do side missions, which are absent in this game until very late #mostly meant to do post-game#. This is due to the story. You're being chased. This adds that effect of needing to rush to put an end to the situation. Another reason you can't interact with other NPCs is because of how they view you #which you see at one point in the game).The last thing that I'll address is the story. Like combat, it begins somewhat slow. Again, stick with it and you'll find that the story will grab you and keep you interested until the end.If you can make it past the first few hours, you will more than likely enjoy this game if you're into JRPGs.My final statement is the title: Stick with it. ♥

Theatrically good but still lacks a little

As a gamer that grew up in the 80s and payed RPGs through the 90s, maybe my opinion is a little biased. Don't get me wrong, this is still a solid RPG and installment of the FF series, but ever since the classic era (NES, SNES, PS1) ended, the FF games have lost some flare. I miss the wrold maps you can walk around on. This game does what FFX and FFXII did in terms of simply walking from one are to another around the world instead of actually walking around on a world map. In my opinion this takes away from the RPG feel. Also, the RPG dynamics is lacking substance. There is a similar level up system to FFX sphere grid, which is fine but not as robust and customizable as previous FF games. For example, give me something like "junctioning" abilities to your character ... MoreAs a gamer that grew up in the 80s and payed RPGs through the 90s, maybe my opinion is a little biased. Don't get me wrong, this is still a solid RPG and installment of the FF series, but ever since the classic era (NES, SNES, PS1) ended, the FF games have lost some flare. I miss the wrold maps you can walk around on. This game does what FFX and FFXII did in terms of simply walking from one are to another around the world instead of actually walking around on a world map. In my opinion this takes away from the RPG feel. Also, the RPG dynamics is lacking substance. There is a similar level up system to FFX sphere grid, which is fine but not as robust and customizable as previous FF games. For example, give me something like "junctioning" abilities to your character from Guardian Forces/Summons/Espers, whatever you like to call them and i'm happy with that. Just saying I think that makes it more fun to customize your characters any way you want and they dont all turn out in the end with all the same abilities.Other than that it is still a solid game and if you are a general fan of all FF games or all RPGS, then definitely play it. If you like FF but didn't like FFX or FFXII, you might want to skip this one.

Think of the "worst" FF you have ever played on console. This is worse.

I bought FF1 used, and have literally played every Final Fantasy game that has come out on console, as well as some of the better remakes that have came out on different systems. So I've sometimes played the entire games twice or more than once on different systems. As someone who has played almost every game Squaresoft has ever released, I can tell you that some titles are clearly experimental, and were put together by people who may never have worked with a successful game, and maybe were put in development because of nepotism, connections, or who knows what. It's Japan, after all. This game is the outer limits of what a traditional gamer would call an RPG. The plot and story is linear....I mean a complete straight line until almost 20 hours in. At that point, it ... MoreI bought FF1 used, and have literally played every Final Fantasy game that has come out on console, as well as some of the better remakes that have came out on different systems. So I've sometimes played the entire games twice or more than once on different systems. As someone who has played almost every game Squaresoft has ever released, I can tell you that some titles are clearly experimental, and were put together by people who may never have worked with a successful game, and maybe were put in development because of nepotism, connections, or who knows what. It's Japan, after all. This game is the outer limits of what a traditional gamer would call an RPG. The plot and story is linear....I mean a complete straight line until almost 20 hours in. At that point, it "opens up", but the subquests you find are almost nonexistant, and with the exclusion of traditional RPG mainstays like TOWNS, SHOPS, and PEOPLE to interact with, the subquest cannot involve any of those elements, and are decidedly bland, mostly involving this battle of another. The subquests are more of a delay, until you get back on the main plot, and you travel further down a straight line until the end of the game. Yes, this game is the very definition of linearity. There is virtually nothing else but the main story, and the main path that gets you closer to the end. So, if there is no towns or people, or extra little elements that give you side information about the world, and flesh out the details, what does the main content consist of? Battle. For the first 5 hours or so you can literally for 90% of battles, simply press the "autobattle" button and win most fights. You cannot control the other characters. If your "main" character dies, the game is over. This stands everything you have come to know about FF battles and stands them on their head. The battles and the incessant FMVs were the worst part of this game for me. Because S-E never developed much content beyond battles and FMVs, it makes playing this game painful and mind numbing. The plot is not good enough, besides being indecipherable for the first couple of hours, to lure you in to the game world, and overlooking the game's other obvious shortcomings. I would agree with others that this game is like a movie, besides the fact that the battles get harder. The battles get harder because it uses the inherent limitations of the broken battle system to justify itself. It plays on the fact that your main character is the only one that counts, and the enemy tactics revolve around exploiting the fact you cannot more precisely control the other characters. This because more and more frustrating as the game goes on. This game is a example of a genre in it's "teenage years". The reason they cut so much, I THINK, is fact that perhaps the game had to be released at a certain date, and they did not have the time to flesh out the game. Maybe it would have taken too much time or disc space? Maybe they approached the game in a certain way years ago, got bogged down by limitations, and scrapped anything from the original concept that would not work in that time frame, or might have slowed them down, like a ship throwing good cargo overboard to survive a storm. I was deeply disappointed by this game, and even though I bought it for 2 dollars courtesy of ebay bucks, I still feel entirely ripped off (by S-E) and will never be playing this garbage again. This get 2 stars only because of pity and Squaresoft's legacy.