The las "Final Fantasy" came out at the tail end of the last console cycle, meaning that many gamers ended up missing out on one of the strongest entries in the series from a gameplay perspective. The story fell somewhat short, but the vast open world, more action-oriented combat mechanics and open-ended level progression kept things entertaining through many tens of hours, in true "Final Fantasy" fashion.
It's an even greater shame for those who missed it when you consider that "Final Fantasy XIII" is such a gigantic backward step that it's rendered almost unrecognizable as a new entry in the long-running RPG series. Until you come to 25-hour mark, that is.
The Basics
If you've been following the development of "FFXIII" then you already know the basic setup. I won't spoil the story here, one of the game's stronger bits, beyond the basic setup. We join the action on Cocoon, a world-city situated high above the broken planet of Pulse. Ruling over all are the fal'Cie, God-like beings split into two factions, one for each locale. Long before the events of the game, a war was fought between the two societies and the people of Cocoon emerged victorious. To the victors, Pulse is a dead world, a dangerous place inhabited by who-knows-what. All of this is dictated by Cocoon's ruling class, as Cocoon residents have never actually been able to venture down to the surface.
Of course, that level of government control is always going to breed resistance, and that's where we come into the story. The picture is not precisely what Cocoon's ruling class has painted. The playable characters in "FFXIII" are l'Cie, individuals marked by the fal'Cie to fulfill some unknown Focus. Get all that? It makes much more sense in the context of the unfolding story.
The Highs
Eye Candy
This review is based on a PlayStation 3 version of the game, and the visual decadence on display is stunning. Square Enix put a lot of effort into making this first "Final Fantasy" offering for the current console generation the best-looking yet, and they succeed admirably. Pre-rendered cinematics are almost indistinguishable from gameplay. Worth noting that there have been complaints regarding the 360 version not being up to par with the PS3 version, so if you have to pick, Sony's console is the way to go.
Tell Me A Story
Between the stellar visuals, strong voice actors and well-written dialogue, "Final Fantasy XIII" also delivers one of the most engrossing overarching tales in the series. There are a few issues -- you're simply thrown in, expected to pick up complex ideas as you go (or do a lot of Datalog reading), and cut-scenes pop up frequently -- but the unfolding connections between your six playable characters are filled with clever twists and turns. The usual "FF" shmaltziness is there, but you actually care this time because the characters are so well-developed.
Fun, Simple Combat
A complete explanation of the game's combat mechanics would occupy a blog post unto itself, so here's an abridged version. You only issue direct commands to a single character in each encounter; which abilities you have access to and how your other party members (either one or two, according to the demands of the story) behave depends entirely on Roles. Think of a Role as a character class; each can be leveled up individually along a fairly linear path, and each character gets access to specific abilities at specific times as the Paradigm paths open up further.
The combat is entertaining and surprisingly easy to jump into, but there's clearly a lot of depth beneath the surface.
The Lows
Point A to B...For 25 Hours
The single-most questionable change in this "Final Fantasy" as compared to its predecessors is the linear gameplay design. There's really only one "Low" to speak of, but it covers a vast portion of the game. Yes, every story-driven RPG is going to follow a linear path. The key difference here is that the path is quite literally a narrow corridor that you follow from A to B. There is no open world to explore in "FFXIII," and not until the late, late game do you have much in the way of choice. You simply follow a path, fight what's in your way, watch a cut-scene and rinse, repeat. Things change dramatically in chapter 11 (out of 13), when a slew of side-quests open up. But you won't hit that point until around hour 25. Until then, repetition reigns. And as strong as the overarching story is, it's not going to be enough to overcome the boredom of a forced grind for many gamers.
Leveling follows a similarly linear track, with each character's three main roles predetermined (access to the other three for each opens up at around the 20 hour mark) following a single path. The size and makeup of your party is dictated until chapter 10. What this all amounts to is roughly 20 hours of very gradual tutorial. Most won't truly feel challenged until around chapter 8 or 9. Not a bad thing in and of itself, but that initial, lengthy grind to get to the meat of the RPG is a flat-out bad design choice.
The Verdict
"Final Fantasy XIII" is going to be a divisive experience among fans. Those who treasure loot collection, grinding on their own time, leveling up in side-quests to make the main quest less challenging... they're s--t out of luck. Those who value a strong core story above all else are going to be pleased. Ultimately it comes down to how much entertainment players are going to take away from that developing story and the admittedly strong combat mechanics. Because that's all you get to drive you forward until around hour 25.
Thus, the fatal flaw in "Final Fantasy XIII" is one of pacing. All of the series hallmarks are here, but their uneven distribution throughout the game is going to drive less patient players away before all is fully revealed. There's definitely more than $60 worth of game here; whether or not the whole of that experience is entertaining remains open to discussion.