It’s kind of hard to start a review of a game that doesn’t really get going for about 10 hours. A lot of games can be finished in 10 hours – not saying that’s a good thing, in fact short games have been known to shit me (Brütal Legend for example, so good at the start… so lame when you knock it over 4-6 hours later, dammit!) - but the caveat I want to impart here is, if you’re not familiar with the Final Fantasy series of games, you might want to stop, look and listen before you go staggering into the local EB Games, a wadded ball of cash in your sweaty, filthy hand.
That’s not to say the game isn’t good. It’s actually a delightful pearler of a game, but expect to invest some serious time into it.
Like, SERIOUS time. If you’re having a regular and fulfilling social life (IE. getting laid semi-regularly) you may want to either give up said social life or at least minimise it.
Readers’ Voice: It’s good to see were your priorities are, Ant, top shelf old boy.
It’s a Role Playing Game (RPG) and you control various different characters at various points throughout the games narrative. I’m not going to get into the plot because, a) I’ll probably blurt out a spoiler and then you’ll get all poochy, and b) Erm… there have been several sections where I’ve had NO IDEA what’s going on. More on that in a bit.
So let’s skip ahead to the game proper. Like most FF titles the combat is turn-based. This means you attack, then need to wait while your attack bar charges up, and then attack again. Some people don’t dig that. A former flatmate and chum of mine, Carpo, saw me playing an earlier entry some years ago (FFX, I think) and was deeply bemused, asking:
Carpo: Why do you have to wait to attack?
Me: It’s turn-based combat.
Carpo: Why can’t you just attack whenever you want?
Me: It’s… [exasperated] that’s like asking why can’t you fly the cars in Gran Turismo. You just can’t! It’s an RPG!
Carpo: They should make it so you can attack whenever you want.
And so on…
Point is, if you can handle the (extremely streamlined, in this entry) combat system you’re going to have an absolute blast. The graphics are stunning. And I’m not just talking about the cut-scenes (which are jaw-droppingly amazing, it’s true), rather the actual wandering around/getting into fights/navigating level visuals are ludicrously good. Stop walking through a level and just let the camera take in your party. They blink, scratch and shift from foot to foot. Their hair is tussled by the wind and during combat you can pull off some insanely powerful, and sweet-looking, attacks/magic and summons.
Side bar: apparently the XBOX360 version isn’t quite as pretty but as I’m reviewing this on a PS3… I don’t care. Sorry.
Let’s break it down, Claw-style:
The Story
Okay, yes, as I previously implied, the plot is a bit bull-goose loony, but a few nice touches help. For instance, every time you load your saved game it gives you a little summary of the story so far, including character arcs and external/internal conflict. Yes, on a purely objective level it’s a load of old arse, but this time around it’s an arse that can be understood, even empathised with. We still have the usual cadre of pretty, wide-eyed androgynous teens (androgyteens?) - but they’re given weighty back stories. For the first time since Final Fantasy VII I found myself actually wanting to know more – and the clever use of flashbacks, combined with a continually evolving narrative deftly manages to engage you. Especially if you’re really baked.Especially if you’re a fan of RPG’s.
The Gameplay
A slimmed-down, slicker version of the usual turn-based combat makes this the most dynamic and exciting Final Fantasy within recent memory. You only directly control one character in your party at a time, but because of the frequently shifting nature of the story you’ll eventually get to play as everyone – and the new Paradigm Shift combat system lets you tell your chums what kind of actions they should be taking (backing you up, going ballistic or healing/shielding your party). Also the monsters, always a favourite, look amazing and fight in interesting ways. I still like the Flan – a dessert that tries to kill you. Deadly… but delicious.
As previously mentioned it’s about ten hours of simple, linear story and combat but then things open up and you are able to customise your party to your specifications. I imagine this game’s going to be the cause of more than a few sick days.
Presentation
From the graphics to the music to the cut-scenes, FFXIII is clearly the work of many talented individuals spending a lot of time working REALLY hard. It pays off. I suspect FFXIII will be the new bar for good graphics for some time. The audio is also amazing, although some of the tunes are a little cutesy.
Shelf Life
I have to say, other than the first ten hours (which aren’t bad, they’re just very on rails) you’ll find yourself playing this one for a good long time. Now, unlike other entries there aren’t many side quests but the main game is so good I honestly don’t think you’ll care. I’ll update this review when I finish the game and give you an idea of how long it is.
Overall
Look, I just spent an entire weekend playing this game and quite frankly I’d like to be playing it now. Without pants. It’s addictive as hell, fun, weighty and damn pretty. Unless you’re just a rabid hater of RPG’s and only dig on car/sport games, you’d be a fool to go past this.
