Is Final Fantasy XIII worth it?

[citan x]

For those of you that bought FF13, was the game worth it?

I used to be a big fan, but I was disappointed with FF12 and FF10-2. I am considering getting this latest one, but want to know if its any good?

Please, no spoilers.

 

[Schfifty Five]

Don't worry, no spoilers here.

I'm only a few hours into the game and so far I'm loving it. I think the battle system and leveling system are pretty interesting. Instead of the typical grindfest to level up chars, this game has you gain CP points to unlock different class-role attributes which in turn "level up" your chars. For example, you spend X amount of CP points to gain +30 HP.

The graphics are amazing and a lot of times it is very seamless when it transitions from in-game graphics to CGI. The in-game graphics are so detailed it almost looks like CGI sometimes.

Only problem I can tell so far is that the game seems very linear at this point and I'm not sure if it begins to open up to more exploration later.

 

[Nik]

no, it's short and boring, the graphics suck, the characters are shallow, the story is pathetic, and this entire series is crap

 

[MJinZ]

Graphics are over-rated. Maybe good for a PS3? Not great from a PC standpoint.

 

[Phobic9]

Maybe my expectations were low going in but I'm enjoying it. It's one of the better JRPGs I've played in a long time and I'm only comparing it to other JRPGs. I only paid $46.99 for the game so it works for me. *shrug*

Graphics are over-rated. Maybe good for a PS3? Not great from a PC standpoint.

Why would this game be good graphically from a PC standpoint? Why even bother making that comparison?

 

[ScottAD]

Is it worth it? Yes

It is for me.

FFXIII is not going to be an every-gamers game. Some (like above) will think it sucks. Others will be pleased with it. It's going to be like Demon Souls...polarized by a love/hate mix.

The worse attribute to many is that it is linear. You're going to get just as many hours out of FFXIII as you do any other FF game well except XI since that is an online RPG and completely different.

The new ATB is IMHO great. The idea of paradigm is very cool. I use Snow as a Guardian a lot now that I am into it. Lightening as a Ravager/Commando.

Anyway, Despite early reviews I think people just need to experience it. Final Fantasy games have always been innovative. They do something new each time one comes out. I don't understand why people keep expecting it to be "just like the last one"

 

[Wardawg1001]

I'm enjoying it so far. Yes it is very linear for a good long while at the start, but the cutscenes are well done, the graphics are good, story is interesting enough to make me want to know more. Battle system seems very weak and easy initially, but even with the few extra roles opening up and monsters getting a little tougher, its getting a lot better.

 

[blurredvision]

no, it's short and boring, the graphics suck, the characters are shallow, the story is pathetic, and this entire series is crap

What's that smell? Oh yeah, troll.

 

[SandEagle]

loving the story. great character development......they grow on you. about 25 hrs in. hated ff12, but this is a refreshing change.

rent it first

 

[Nik]

What's that smell? Oh yeah, troll.

I was being sarcastic. The only person who can judge whether the game is "worth it" is him.

 

[dguy6789]

Good advice for a purchase that is $60 and can't be taken back if you decide you don't like it when you try it. Definitely a waste of time to gather some opinions first..

 

[meltdown75]

thanks to those that actually provided opinions on gameplay so far... your comments are appreciated by prospective buyers

 

[hans030390]

Graphics are over-rated. Maybe good for a PS3? Not great from a PC standpoint.

From a PC standpoint, I think the graphics are excellent. Maybe you just don't appreciate good art direction?

 

[secretanchitman]

its awesome all-around. story is good, graphics and sound are great (1080p cgi and 7.1 is amazing!), and gameplay is seriously a nice change (paradigm shift reminds of switching jobs, though it looks cooler ).

 

[smackababy]

This one seems to focus a lot more on character development rather than an overall story and one main character. Occasionally, it gets tedious when you're party is split up, but after that it gets really good. I'm about 18 hours in and the story pacing and development is really in line with a group being thrust into a situation they know little about.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Only about an hour in and I think it's worth it. I think the graphics are great.

 

[Chriscross3234]

There are a lot of things I like about it, but on the other hand there are a lot of things I don't like about it. IMO, it strays away from the standard FF gameplay formula, a little too much for my liking. However, the presentation, graphics, and story are still top notch. My advice would be to rent before you buy it, especially if you're a hardcore/old-school FF fan.

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

It's definitely a slow-starting game, both from a story and a game mechanics perspective. However, I was discussing FFXIII with a friend and we both came to the realization that the game mechanics are amazingly clever from a design standpoint. The way the Crystarium unlocks, your progress is actually capped at certain points in the game, which prevents overlevelling to trivialize fights. The realtime nature of the fights creates a huge number of variables to consider when planning your combat tactics and forces active attention for every battle, assuming you want to achieve superior combat ratings -- repetitive auto-attack won't cut it. And the number of things to consider often changes with the composition of the enemy group you're fighting, which means that many battle experiences will be unique rather than the repetitive random enemy encounters in many games.

All of this means that FFXIII can't really be compared to any of the other entries in the series, or even other JRPGs, because it's something very different. Fans of exploration/hidden side-quest RPGs will be disappointed (at least in the first dozen or so hours). The jury's still out on whether the new combat engine is a hit or not, but it has a lot of depth, and it looks like it'll take quite a while to master.

 

[MJinZ]

I'm about 12 hours into it, and I'm skipping all the boring ass cutscenes. I do not give a crap about 1/2 the characters. I'm basically watching Lightning's cutscenes only.

So yea, I'll beat the game, but never has a Final Fantasy made me give such little shit about.

Wait, Final Fantasy 12. I played 1 hour of it and sold it.

 

[MJinZ]

It's definitely a slow-starting game, both from a story and a game mechanics perspective. However, I was discussing FFXIII with a friend and we both came to the realization that the game mechanics are amazingly clever from a design standpoint. The way the Crystarium unlocks, your progress is actually capped at certain points in the game, which prevents overlevelling to trivialize fights. The realtime nature of the fights creates a huge number of variables to consider when planning your combat tactics and forces active attention for every battle, assuming you want to achieve superior combat ratings -- repetitive auto-attack won't cut it. And the number of things to consider often changes with the composition of the enemy group you're fighting, which means that many battle experiences will be unique rather than the repetitive random enemy encounters in many games.

All of this means that FFXIII can't really be compared to any of the other entries in the series, or even other JRPGs, because it's something very different. Fans of exploration/hidden side-quest RPGs will be disappointed (at least in the first dozen or so hours). The jury's still out on whether the new combat engine is a hit or not, but it has a lot of depth, and it looks like it'll take quite a while to master.

Crystarium blows ass - there is no customization at all. You are capped at certain points, which means you maxed out your Crystarium. You can't design your characters at all, as you're forced to use them a certain way depending on the which pairs or groupings the story puts you into. I'll see what happens at the end, but I'm guessing the characters turn out exactly the same no matter how many times you play it.

 

[Phobic9]

Crystarium blows ass - there is no customization at all. You are capped at certain points, which means you maxed out your Crystarium. You can't design your characters at all, as you're forced to use them a certain way depending on the which pairs or groupings the story puts you into. I'll see what happens at the end, but I'm guessing the characters turn out exactly the same no matter how many times you play it.

I'm about 12 hours into it, and I'm skipping all the boring ass cutscenes. I do not give a crap about 1/2 the characters. I'm basically watching Lightning's cutscenes only.

So yea, I'll beat the game, but never has a Final Fantasy made me give such little shit about.

Wait, Final Fantasy 12. I played 1 hour of it and sold it.

So uhh... what games do you like? Honestly.

 

[Golgatha]

There are a lot of things I like about it, but on the other hand there are a lot of things I don't like about it. IMO, it strays away from the standard FF gameplay formula, a little too much for my liking. However, the presentation, graphics, and story are still top notch. My advice would be to rent before you buy it, especially if you're a hardcore/old-school FF fan.

No spoilers here...

This sums it up for me pretty nicely. The only things I think are completely lame, are that you can't exert any measure of control over what the party's AI does (it's pretty good really, but there have been some instances of Ensuna going off when I'd personally prefer HP healing...this game needs Gambits badly) and that it's game over when the player controlled party member dies (really, you can't just let me take over the secondary and let me keep playing?!). Also, some of the boss battles are too long and drawn out and there is some major cheapness and frustration with a lot of them that you will experience IMO. On the flip side, regular mob battles take a lot of paradigm switching and actual strategy to do well in, so that is a huge plus. Finally, there are some plot holes and story twists that still don't make much sense to me and I'm nearly to chapter 12 (of 13 of course). Hopefully this will get better.

I personally like turn-based strategy (yeap, old school Final Fantasy lover here), so this entry into the series leaves me with a lot of disappointment. I also miss the open world exploring that used to be a staple of the series. I actually do however like the linearity of the main story, as this is the main reason I like to play Final Fantasy games in the first place. It is completely lame however that you can't maximize your characters before the final boss, as beating the game opens up the last trees in your character progression tables.

Edit: On a completely unrelated side note, I had a fellow Final Fantasy nut friend of mine over this weekend, and we switched off grinding duties with each other. We ran through this game at a marathon pace, as my wife and kids were out of town. 37 hours logged in 3 days and we're near the end of Chapter 11 already.

 

[Phobic9]

No spoilers here...

This sums it up for me pretty nicely. The only things I think are completely lame, are that you can't exert any measure of control over what the party's AI does (it's pretty good really, but there have been some instances of Ensuna going off when I'd personally prefer HP healing...this game needs Gambits badly) and that it's game over when the player controlled party member dies (really, you can't just let me take over the secondary and let me keep playing?!). Also, some of the boss battles are too long and drawn out and there is some major cheapness and frustration with a lot of them that you will experience IMO. On the flip side, regular mob battles take a lot of paradigm switching and actual strategy to do well in, so that is a huge plus. Finally, there are some plot holes and story twists that still don't make much sense to me and I'm nearly to chapter 12 (of 13 of course). Hopefully this will get better.

I personally like turn-based strategy (yeap, old school Final Fantasy lover here), so this entry into the series leaves me with a lot of disappointment. I also miss the open world exploring that used to be a staple of the series. I actually do however like the linearity of the main story, as this is the main reason I like to play Final Fantasy games in the first place. It is completely lame however that you can't maximize your characters before the final boss, as beating the game opens up the last trees in your character progression tables.

I agree with most of this here, especially when I died for the first time and got a "Game Over" screen instead of just letting me control someone else. Lame but luckily I haven't died that much for it to be a problem. I've liked active time battle in some of the other FF games but I think my favorite was the system used in FFX-2. Shame I could play more than a few hours of that game because everything other than the combat was horrible IMO.

 

[clok1966]

Crystarium blows ass - there is no customization at all. You are capped at certain points, which means you maxed out your Crystarium. You can't design your characters at all, as you're forced to use them a certain way depending on the which pairs or groupings the story puts you into. I'll see what happens at the end, but I'm guessing the characters turn out exactly the same no matter how many times you play it.

Well I would guess you are not very far into game (assume, maybe I'm wrong). When you start you cant do much, no doubt (and swapping the easy to read 2D skill map for a 3D one was a MISTAKE, hard to read it ahead now) But later in the game you will have to pick and chose a bit more, to start you can pretty much cap um all, but later you have to be a bit more selective. But with that said.

I'm about 25 hours in and my opinion on the game has changed alot.

first 10 hours- to easy, but I'm learning the new systems, understand it can be easy.
next 5 hours- this is a blast, know the system, know what to do, burning um down.
next 5 hours- umm... kinda easy, ok, its easy, to easy
last 5 hours-Batman was on sale on STEAM, maybe I should get it, oh ya, hit the x button alot, swap to a healing padirgiam, hit the x button alot. Wonder if Just Cause is worth $5 along with Batman on steam.

I'm not sure if age has jaded me or what.. but i went from love to Meh..

 

[Imported]

Its worth it.. to me anyways. The battle system is a refreshing change. A bit linear, but the story and character development are pretty top notch. I'm about 30hrs in.. just finishing Chapter 9.