The Verdict

Well, I decided to pick up Final Fantasy XIII. I realized that I haven't gotten ahold of a good old fashioned RPG in a long time and that I was quite eager to see how this newest installment turns out. This isn't a full game review, since I only got it a few days ago and it will probably take me a few months to explore all of the newest installment in the Final Fantasy franchise, but I wanted to leave a few brief impressions.

At about eight hours into Final Fantasy XIII, a mere scratch on the surface, I have really enjoyed what I have seen and played. It is one of the most beautiful games to date, with characters so detailed that you'll be wondering the entire time whether they have been pre-rendered or are in-game. In fact, the game does quite a good job of blending the two seamlessly. Gone are the days of beautiful cutscenes outshining crappy in-game graphics, ala Final Fantasy VII, and we have at last achieved a point where every moment of dialogue is astonishing to look at.

The dialogue itself can be a bit questionable, but so far the story has progressed interestingly enough. The character that sets me the most on edge is the upbeat, high-voiced, semi-Australian accented Vanille, but I have grown used to her character and even smile or laugh at her comments from time to time. My favorite character so far has to be Sazh, the big-haired gun-totting badass who has been dragged along with the main protagonist, Lightning, in her effort to rescue her sister Serah from a cursed life. Serah's fiancee, Snow, is another rather fun character who has some potential for growth in his feud with Lightning. And let's not forget Hope, the coming-of-age kid who has become Lightning's protege.

I have yet to see all of the party members in action, and the story has really just begun. Without giving too much away, the plot has done an excellent job of blurring the line on what forces are good or evil, although I have the niggling feeling that the guys who looks like pope Ratzinger-Palpatine may be of the villainous disposition.

What I really wanted to mention is the battle system. So far it has steadily evolved and grown in complexity, introducing concepts both old and new to the series in a turn-based/real-time blend of action. While I enjoyed the real-time elements in XII, I feel like there's a lot more strategy and control to be had here. The Paradigm system is an interesting concept that allows you to shift your party's class in the midst of battle, whether you want someone to heal, protect, or wail on your opponents. From what I have seen so far, you only control the leader of your party, but the action is so fast and intense this is a welcome aspect. The further I have gotten, the more strategy I have had to use between choosing the skills I want to do and swapping paradigms. And finally, the chain system from Final Fantasy XII is expanded on, allowing you to "stagger" an enemy, which becomes an essential strategy for beating battles quickly and efficiently. If I were to put a score on the battle system, I'd give it two thumbs, 4 stars, or whatever else you can imagine.

I've read that alot of people are troubled by the linear progression in the first chunk of the game, but it really hasn't bothered me. While you don't get much choice in where to go you still get choices in what skills to work towards and what weapons you want to upgrade. The steady introduction of new concepts prevents the game from getting too confusing or stale, and has really forced me to look at things I rarely did in previous Final Fantasy installments, such as certain spells and debuffs.

With so much to go, such as acquiring the full party, all of the summonables (Eidolons), exploring the cavernous world of Cocoon and its feared sister world, Pulse, I eagerly await the coming dozens of hours with relish.

March Game Madness

When looking at the roster of games coming out this month I have to ask... REALLY!? All of these games are coming out THIS month? To name a few we have:

Final Fantasy XIII
God of War III
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising
Dragon Age: Awakening

The other question I have to ask is... which one should I get? Obviously my pockets are not filled with money. Nor are they made of them.