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Final Fantasy XIII

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Final Fantasy XIII
European Final Fantasy XIII box art featuring the main character, Lightning
Developer(s)Square Enix PDD 1
Publisher(s)Square Enix
Director(s)Motomu Toriyama
Producer(s)Yoshinori Kitase
Designer(s)Motomu Toriyama
Toshiro Tsuchida
Programmer(s)Kazumi Kobayashi
Artist(s)Tetsuya Nomura
Nao Ikeda
Isamu Kamikokuryou
Writer(s)Motomu Toriyama
Daisuke Watanabe
Yukie Hirano
Harunori Sakemi
Composer(s)Masashi Hamauzu
SeriesFinal Fantasy
Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII
EngineCrystal Tools
Platform(s)PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre(s)Role-playing video game
Mode(s)Single-player

Template:Nihongo title is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. Released in 2009 in Japan and 2010 in North America and PAL regions, it is the thirteenth installment in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced a few innovations to the series: a fast-paced combat mechanic, a new system determining which abilities are developed for the characters called "Crystarium", and a customizable "Paradigm" system to control which abilities are used by the characters. Final Fantasy XIII also includes elements from the previous games, such as summoned monsters, chocobos and airships.

The game takes place in the fictional floating world of Cocoon, whose government, the Sanctum, is ordering a purge on civilians who have supposedly come into contact with those from Pulse, the much-feared world below. Lightning, a former soldier from Cocoon, begins her fight against the government in order to save her sister, who has been branded a Pulse l'Cie—unwilling servants to the beings known as the fal'Cie, who maintain order on both Cocoon and Pulse—and thus has become an enemy of Cocoon. Lightning is soon joined by a band of allies, and together the group also become l'Cie after their encounter with a Pulse fal'Cie. Together, they rally against the Sanctum, while also trying to discover their "Focus" as l'Cie—the tasks they must complete before their time comes to an end.

First appearing at E3 2006, Final Fantasy XIII is the flagship title of the Fabula Nova Crystallis collection of Final Fantasy games and is the first game to use Square Enix's Crystal Tools engine. Square Enix describes the theme of the game as "those who resist the world".[4] Final Fantasy XIII received mostly positive reviews from video game publications. Selling over 1.6 million copies in Japan, it became the fastest-selling title in the history of the series. As of May 2010, the game has sold 5.75 million copies worldwide.

Gameplay

The player directly controls the on-screen character through a third-person perspective to interact with people, objects and enemies throughout the game. The player can also control the camera with the right analog stick, allowing for a 360° view of the surroundings.[5] The world of Final Fantasy XIII is rendered to scale relative to the characters in it; instead of a caricature of the character roaming around miniature terrain, as found in the earlier Final Fantasy games, every area is represented proportionally. The player navigates the world by foot or by Chocobo.[6] Players may save their game to a hard disk drive using save stations, where the player can also purchase items from retail networks or upgrade their weapons.[7] An in-game datalog provides a bestiary and incidental information about the world of Final Fantasy XIII.[8]

Combat

File:FF13battle.png
The Final Fantasy XIII battle system, with the option to use "Paradigm Shift"

Similar to those found in Final Fantasy XII, enemies are integrated into the open field and the transition to a separate battle screen similar to those used in previous Final Fantasy titles has been restored.[9] A maximum of three characters may be used in battles, which uses the series' traditional Active Time Battle (ATB) system designed by Hiroyuki Ito and was first featured in Final Fantasy IV. Under this system, the player selects a command from the menus, such as Attack, Magic and Item; however, the player only controls the lead character, while the remaining two characters are controlled by the game's AI. Each action takes a specific number of slots, and the ATB bar increases throughout the game from two slots to a maximum of six.[10] The player may also select less than the maximum number of possible actions, or to stop the filling of the ATB bar and perform as many actions as can be done with the current ATB amount. The player may also select an "autobattle" command which fills the ATB slots with actions chosen automatically. Actions cannot be performed outside of battle, and the characters' health is fully restored after each battle.[10]

A new feature in Final Fantasy XIII is the "Paradigm" system, which allows the player to program six different roles for the characters to perform certain formations in battle in response to the specific conditions. The roles consist of Commando, a warrior-type role; Ravager, a black mage-type role involving the use of magic in battle; Medic, a White Mage-type role involving the use of healing in battle; Saboteur, a role which performs magic attacks that weaken enemies; Synergist, which casts magic that strengthens allies; and Sentinel, a role which has increased defense and protective abilities. Each of the characters can initially take on only three roles, but they may assume any of them later in the game. Each character can summon an "Eidolon" into battle from a crystal that sprouts from the character's mark of l'Cie.[10] The Eidolons include series staples Odin, Shiva, Alexander, and Bahamut, and newcomers Hecatoncheir and Brynhildr.[11] When summoned, the Eidolon stays in combat while the characters accompanying the summoner leaves the party.[12] There is also a new feature called "Gestalt Mode", in which the Eidolon transforms into a specific form for each character.[13] The Eidolons play a major role in the game's storyline as well, much like Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy X.[14]

Crystarium

The Crystarium is a leveling system consisting of ten stages and resembles the Sphere Grid in Final Fantasy X.[15][16] Like the Sphere Grid, each characters may obtain any roles; however, an ability is required before a new role can be used.[17]

Advancements in the Crystarium are made by acquiring Crystarium Points which are awarded after defeating enemies. These points can be used to gain bonuses to health, strength, magic, abilities and accessory slots. Unlike other games in the Final Fantasy series, level advancements are artificially capped until certain points in the story are reached. The highest stage of Crystarium, for example, is only unlocked after the final battle of the game.

Plot

Setting

Final Fantasy XIII is set within the world of Pulse. Central to the story is Cocoon, an artificial sphere that floats above Pulse's surface and is ruled by the Sanctum, a theocratic government. The worlds are controlled by fal'Cie (Template:Pron-en), mechanical beings with godlike power, each based around a crystal and created by a god-like figure called the Maker.[10] The Cocoon fal'Cie are additionally responsible for keeping Cocoon floating, as well as providing light and water. Each fal'Cie handles a specific task. The fal'Cie have the capability of marking the humans, also created by the Maker, that live in Pulse and Cocoon as their servants. These servants, called l'Cie, are branded with a symbol representing either Pulse or Cocoon, and are additionally given a "Focus", a task to complete.[18] If the l'Cie complete their task in time, they are transformed to crystal and gain eternal life (as said in the legend); otherwise they become mindless monsters called Cie'th.[19] Five hundred years before the events of the game, two l'Cie named Oerba Dia Vanille and Oerba Yun Fang initiated a conflict that would later be known as the War of Transgression. This quarrel grew to catastrophic proportions, causing a war between Cocoon and Pulse, and ripped a large hole in Cocoon in the process. Eventually, the l'Cie were turned to crystal and Cocoon's citizens lived in fear of another invasion since then. During this time, Cocoon and Pulse are beset by an invasion initiated by l'Cie and a fal'Cie thirteen days before the game begins.

The l'Cie are not explicitly told their focus, but are instead given visions that they must interpret. The Sanctum oversees two military branches, the Guardian Corps and PSICOM, the special forces in charge of dealing with anything having to do with Pulse. The fal'Cie have given the humans advanced technology, including flying airships and mechanical creatures, though a form of magic also exists. This magic is normally only accessible to l'Cie, fal'Cie, and various monsters in Cocoon and Pulse, though distilled chemical forms can be used by normal humans.

Characters

The playable cast of Final Fantasy XIII. From left to right: Sazh Katzroy, Snow Villiers, Hope Estheim, Lightning, Oerba Yun Fang, Oerba Dia Vanille
Main article: Characters of Final Fantasy XIII

The six main playable characters of Final Fantasy XIII are Lightning, a former soldier who seeks the fal'Cie Anima to save her sister; Snow Villiers, the fiancee of Lightning's sister and leader of Team NORA; Oerba Dia Vanille, the game's narrator and an exile who is revealed to be a l'Cie; Sazh Kathroy, a marksman who seeks the fal'Cie to save his son; Hope Estheim, an exile who is grieved by the loss of his mother; and Oerba Yun Fang, a l'Cie who is serving as a soldier of the Sanctum's Calvary branch.

The Sanctum is ruled by Galenth Dysley, a human reincarnation of the fal'Cie Barthandelus who only wish is for the l'Cie to destroy the fal'Cie Orphan and the destruction of Cocoon. The Sanctum also consists of by Yaag Rosch, a PSICOM Director who questions his orders but follows them and pilots his airship, the Proudclad[20]; Jihl Nabaat, a cruel and intelligent PSICOM Lieutenant Colonel who sees the l'Cie as subhuman[21]; and Cid Raines, a Sanctum Brigadier General and leader of the Calvary who believes Cocoon should be ruled by the people and pilots his airship, the Lindblum.[22] The l'Cie who are involved include Serah Farron, Lightning's sister and Snow's fiancee; and Dajh Katzroy, Sazh's son who is captured by the Sanctum. Team NORA, a resistance group led by Snow Villiers, consist of Gadot, Snow's childhood friend; Lebreau, Snow's childhood friend who runs a local bar to gain monetary resources[23]; Maqui, a teenager who secretly provides funds for NORA's operations and is a friend of Serah; and Yuj, a young man who is commissioned to protect the Purge exiles.

Toriyama wanted Lightning to be a new type of female character, with an athlete's body and a less feminine nature than some of the previous female characters of Final Fantasy.[24][25] His guideline to main character designer Tetsuya Nomura was to make her "strong and beautiful", "someone like a female version of Cloud from FFVII".[24][26] Fang was initially meant to be a male character in the story, but the character's gender was changed to coincide with the updated character designs during the latter part of development.[27]

Story

Final Fantasy XIII begins in Cocoon thirteen days following a series of events involving the l'Cie invasion. Lightning and Sazh Kathroy participate in derailing a Cocoon train bound for Pulse to save her sister Serah from the fal'Cie Anima. In the subsequent battle, Snow Villiers leads his resistance group, NORA, to save the Purge exiles and Nora Estheim falls to her death. As Snow heads to Anima to also save Serah, his fiancee, he is joined by two exiles: Hope Estheim, Nora's son, and Oerba Dia Vanille, a l'Cie. As the two groups meet, finding Serah as she turns to crystal to Lightning and Snow's dismay, they find themselves fighting Anima as it brands with the mark of the l'Cie - ones who are doomed to a fate of completing their Focus or becoming Cie'th, mindless creatures. During this transformation, the newly crested l'Cie all have the same vision: a monster called Ragnarok. The group, arguing over the ambiguous nature of the dreamed Focus, find Serah in her crystallized form and Snow remains with her as the others leave.

Snow is captured by the Calvary, and detained aboard their airship, the Lindblum, where he meets Cid Raines, the Calvary's leader, and Oerba Yun Fang, Cid's subordinate who is a l'Cie. Meanwhile, the party escapes from PSICOM before ending up in the Vile Peaks. The group is separated following an air strike; Hope and Lightning travel to Palumpolum through the Gapra Whitewood and Sazh and Vanille travel to Nautilus. In Lightning's scenario, she learns of Nora and unintentionally supports Hope's intent on assassinating Snow by giving him the knife Serah gave her for her birthday. In Sazh and Vanille's scenario, Sazh discusses how a Cocoon fal'Cie branded his son, Dajh, while visiting Euride Gorge, and was taken by PSICOM to find out his Focus.[28] Meanwhile, at Palumpolum, Lightning realizes her mistake and instead tries to persuade Hope not to go through with his revenge as she finds Snow and Fang, who reveals herself as a l'Cie from Gran Pulse and also reveals that Vanille and Fang woke up and caused the incidents in Cocoon. [29] Hope's assassination attempt is stopped cold by an airstrike that seriously injures Hope. Snow saves him and Hope realizes what he had done. Hope and Snow regroup with Lightning and Fang in Hope's house and visits his father, Bartholomew, who realizes what happened to Nora. However, the party is forced to leave the city on the Lindblum with the Calvary's aide. At Nautilus, Vanille also reveals herself as a l'Cie from Gran Pulse just as Sazh attempts to kill her.[30] PSICOM Lieutenant Colonel Jihl Nabaat confronts Sazh and toys with the notion of erecting a memorial for Dajh, much to his anger, before she captures him and Vanille and detains them onboard the Palamecia.

Cid and the party stage a rescue mission on the Palamecia. There, they reunite with Vanille and Sazh before they confront the Sanctum's Primarch Galenth Dysley, who is in truth the human incarnation of the Cocoon fal'Cie Barthandelus.[31] He reveals their Focus is the slaying of Orphan which would supposedly result in the destruction of Cocoon using Ragnarok as a host. Soon after, Lightning and the others escape from the collapsing Palamecia and they learn from Cid that Orphan's destruction will revive the Maker, the creator of the worlds. Vanille and Fang having nearly completed that centuries ago with their actions resulting with Gran Pulse devoid of any human lifeThey face Cid, who reveals himself as a l'Cie, and escape to Gran Pulse and travel to Oerba, Vanille and Fang's hometown, to find a clue to removing their l'Cie marks. While there, The group face Dysley again, who reveals a back up plan by manipulating Cid to create chaos with Pulse monsters to force the Calvary to kill Cid and Orphan in a coup d'état.

The party infiltrates Eden after returning to Cocoon, only to find that the Calvary have been turned into Cieth. The party confronts Yaag Rosch, the leader of PSICOM, and defeats him. Rosch orders PSICOM to suspend l'Cie operations and sacrifices himself for the party to advance to Orphan's Cradle.[32] The party encounters and mortally wounds Dysley. However, Orphan awakens as it absorbs Dylsey and then forces Fang and Vanille to finish their Focus while the others were turned into Cieth. However, the group regain themselves with a new Focus as they reveal Orphan's true form before Fang and Vanille ally with the party once again to kill Orphan.[33] After Orphan's fall, the party escapes Cocoon as Vanille and Fang transform into Ragnarok together and sacrifice themselves to prevent a collision between Cocoon and Pulse by creating a crystal pillar between the two worlds. The party awakens and find their l'Cie brands gone. The game ends with Lightning and Snow reuniting with Serah while Sazh reunites with Dajh as Vanille and Fang oversee a new beginning for Cocoon's people.

Development

Development of Final Fantasy XIII began in 2005. At the time, the game was intended to be released on the PlayStation 2. It was also slated to run on the White Engine, which developed into the Crystal Tools engine.[34] The engine is a seventh generation multiplatform game engine created by Square Enix for its future games. However, after the reception of the tech demo of Final Fantasy VII at the 2005 E3 convention, Square moved the game and engine to the PlayStation 3.[35][34] Final Fantasy XIII was first shown at the 2006 E3 convention.[36] Along with Final Fantasy Versus XIII and the PlayStation Portable game Final Fantasy Agito XIII, Final Fantasy XIII is part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII project,[37] but is not a prequel or sequel to any of the other installments. Square Enix explained that although all three games take place in the same universe, they are not directly related in terms of story.[38]

Final Fantasy XIII was developed by Square Enix's Product Development Division 1, led by producer Yoshinori Kitase. As such, the development team resembles that of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2, rather than Final Fantasy XII. Several of the game's developers have worked on previous installments of the series. Occasionally, developers from Final Fantasy Versus XIII assisted with the development of Final Fantasy XIII.[39] Director Motomu Toriyama reasoned that "[the game] would be the ultimate single player RPG."[40] Final Fantasy X's battle director Toshiro Tsuchida returned as the battle system director for the game.[41] The concept for the battle system was to maintain the strategic nature of command-based battles. The system stemmed from a desire to create battles similar to those found in the film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children.[42] The battle system was first shown as a prototype during the 2006 E3 convention.[43] A new interface appeared in September 2009 by Square Enix in various Japanese magazines and trailers.

Art director Isamu Kamikokuryou revealed that many additional areas that were functioning in an unreleased build during development, such as Lightning's home, were left out of the final version due to concerns about the game's length and volume.[44] Kamikokuryou additionally stated that the volume of content cut was, in itself, enough to make another game.[44] Toriyama also stated that the cuts were in "various stages of [the game's] development" and cut some concepts during the game's completion.[40]

Music

Main article: Music of Final Fantasy XIII

Masashi Hamauzu composed the game's soundtrack. His previous work on the series was as a co-composer for Final Fantasy X and as the main composer for Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.[45] The game was the first main-series Final Fantasy game to not include any compositions by original series composer Nobuo Uematsu; although he was originally announced to compose the main theme of the game, this role was taken over by Hamauzu after Uematsu signed on to compose the soundtrack to Final Fantasy XIV. The score features some orchestral recordings by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, orchestrated by Yoshihisa Hirano, Toshiyuki Oomori and Kunihito Shiina.[46][47] The song "My Hands", from British singer Leona Lewis' second album Echo, was chosen to replace Final Fantasy XIII's original theme song, "Kimi ga Iru Kara" by Sayuri Sugawara for the game's international release.[48] Square Enix President Yoichi Wada has stated that it would have been better if the American branch of the company had produced a theme song from scratch, but the lack of staff led to the decision of licensing an existing song instead.[49]

Music from the game has been released in several albums. The main soundtrack album, Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack, was released on four Compact Discs in 2010 by Square Enix.[50] The album sold 16,000 copies the day of its release.[51] Selections from the soundtrack have been released on two gramophone record albums, W/F: Music from Final Fantasy XIII and W/F: Music from Final Fantasy XIII Gentle Reveries, both in 2010 by Square Enix.[52][53] An album of arranged pieces from the soundtrack, Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack -PLUS-, was also released by Square Enix in 2010, as was an album of piano arrangements.[54][55] The theme song for the Japanese version of the game, "Kimi ga Iru Kara" (君がいるから, "Because You're Here"), was released as a single by For Life Music in 2009.[56]

Release and post-release

During Sony's media briefing at the 2008 E3, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XIII would have downloadable content available for North America, Europe, and Japan. A playable demo of Final Fantasy XIII is included in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete (released on April 16 in Japan and June 2 for North America[57]) on Blu-ray Disc for PlayStation 3, along with new trailers of Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII.[58] The demo, however, was only released in Japan and is not reflective of the actual game as it was created using an old build of the game.[59]

A can of Final Fantasy XIII Elixir featuring the game cover version of Lightning.

Square Enix confirmed at a Japanese press event that Final Fantasy XIII would be released on December 17, 2009 in Japan. Japanese alcoholic beverage distributors Suntory also planned to release the Final Fantasy XIII Elixir to promote the game's release.[60] At the same press event, Square Enix also announced that it would be bundling Final Fantasy XIII in Japan with a limited edition white 250GB PlayStation 3 Slim with a pink colour print of Lightning on the surface of the console, which will release on the same day.[61] On the same day the game released in Japan, a Final Fantasy XIII PlayStation Home personal space, called "Eden - Primarch's Vigilarium", was made available for free in the Japan Home until January 13, 2010 along with a costume and personal space furnishings.[62] This space and the furnishings were released to the Asian, European, and North American versions of PlayStation Home on March 11, 2010.[63]

Producer Yoshinori Kitase, along with other creators of the game, put together a video with interviews and new footage on November 13, 2009. The conclusion of the video announced that the game is to be released on March 9, 2010, for both Europe and North America.[2] An international trailer for the game showing both gameplay and pre-rendered scenes was released on January 14, 2010 featuring the game's theme song for Europe and North America, "My Hands", by Leona Lewis. One month prior to the game's release, Square Enix had begun promoting the game via a tour bus where gamers could preview and play the game.[64]

PAL territories received a limited collector's edition for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It includes the Final Fantasy XIII Original Sound Selection, a soundtrack CD that includes a selection of music tracks from the game that are especially chosen for this Limited Collector's Edition by composer Masashi Hamauzu. The CD is presented inside a slipcase featuring artwork from Final Fantasy XIII, and also liner notes that are written by the composer. The Collector's Edition also includes The World of Final Fantasy XIII, a hardback book featuring character artwork, CG-rendered artwork and environments from across the game production. It also includes exclusive art prints—3 highly collectable art prints showing artwork of the Eidolons, powerful summoned allies of the lead playable characters in Final Fantasy XIII. Finally, the Collector's Edition includes unique "Brand of the l'Cie" decal, a collectible decal featuring the symbol from the game's storyline.

While the game was released on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in western regions, the game remains a PlayStation 3 exclusive in Asian territories.[65] Final Fantasy XIII is also the first game in the Final Fantasy series to receive its official release in Chinese language. The localization is handled by Sony Computer Entertainment Asia division and using the original Japanese audio with Traditional Chinese subtitles.[66]

Both consoles have special limited editions based on the game. A special PlayStation 3 Slim version was launched in Japan with a pink color print of Lightning on the white surface of the console, by the time of its release. For the western release, a special Xbox 360 Elite with the silver strip on the hard drive emblazoned with the Final Fantasy XIII logo, and a limited quantity of themed faceplates, created by designer Tetsuya Nomura, was made available through a select few retailers in Europe, North America, and Australia. Both editions have a 250 GB hard drive and come with a copy of the game.

An international version of the game for the Xbox 360 called Final Fantasy XIII Ultimate Hits International has been confirmed for release in Japan on December 16, 2010.[67] The game will have an "Easy" mode option and also include content that was previously left out of the original version of the game. In addition, it also feature the English voices and "My Hands" from the North American version. It will also feature a bonus booklet that contains content such as artwork, event scenes from the international versions, and an epilogue chapter that will contain details for how each character's story will come to a conclusion.[68][69]

Reception

Final Fantasy XIII sold in excess of one million units on its first day of sale in Japan,[91] and had sold over 1,600,000 copies in Japan at the end of 2009.[92] Square Enix had anticipated high sales for the game and shipped close to two million units for its launch.[93] The game had sold more than 1 million copies in North America in its release month and is the fastest selling title in the UK of 2010 so far. In March 2010, Square Enix stated that Final Fantasy XIII became the fastest selling title in the franchise's history.[94] By April of the same year, American game sales for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 reached an estimated 800,000 and 500,000 units respectively.[95] As of May 18, 2010, Final Fantasy XIII had sold 5.75 million copies worldwide.[96]

On December 8, 2009, Final Fantasy XIII was rated at 39/40 from the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, with three reviewers giving the maximum 10/10 and one reviewer giving 9/10.[74] Dengeki praised the game for the battle system, stating that the battles are by far the most exciting in the series, and concluded Final Fantasy XIII deserved a score of 120, and that 100 would not be enough.[89] The game was voted as the second best game of 2009 in Dengeki online's reader poll,[97] and in January 2010, was voted the best game ever in Famitsu's reader poll.[98]

The game's Metacritic aggregates score stands at 83 for the PlayStation 3 and 82 for the Xbox 360, signifying "generally favorable" reviews.[70][71] Universal praise was given to the technical milestone for the series achieved by the game's graphics and presentation. Electronic Theatre remarked that "there are very few moments when the visual and aural superiority fails to astound",[99] and Edge felt that Cocoon in particular was an "inspired setting [...] blessed with a vibrancy and vivid colour that often leaves you open-mouthed".[76] Art design also added to the positive reception of the graphics, being described as "magnificent".[79] Further praise was given to the CGI animation sequences,[86][100][101] and the almost seamless transition of visual quality between these and the realtime gameplay.[86] Many also appreciated the game's soundtrack,[79][101] with Masashi Hamauzu providing "a score with catchy hooks and blood-pumping battle melodies",[100] though some felt the replacement of one of the game's theme songs with one from Leona Lewis was unfortunate.[101]

The battle system of Final Fantasy XIII received widespread praise. The increased pace of battles was appreciated, several reviews describing it as "thrilling";[75][101] Edge's description of the battle system summarized it as "among the genre's finest".[76] The roles provided by the Paradigm Shift feature also added depth to the battle system and contributed to the fast pace,[75] and having the AI automate the other two party members' actions meant battles in the game "may be the most involving the series has ever seen".[88] The story, characters and voice acting were mostly received well. Wired remarked that the story was "a little more human and less esoteric than in previous games".[100] 1UP felt that the story was "hardly world-class writing", but that the writers clearly knew the medium well and had attempted to avoid clichés.[88] Reviewers felt that the characters worked well together,[79][88] and that the interactions among them as the game progressed made up for shortcomings in the story.[75] Many praised the main character, Lightning, described by GameSpot as "a likeable, strong-willed beauty",[79] while minor criticism was reserved by some reviews for certain characters in particular, with several commenting on Snow's personality.[88]

While critics generally praised Square Enix's attempt to revitalize the Final Fantasy series formula, many reacted negatively to the linear nature of the game, especially in the first ten chapters on Cocoon,[88][102] an issue which many felt was compounded by the large reduction of towns and interaction with non-player characters.[103] Play remarked that the environment, "while greatly detailed, feels flat and lifeless [...] little more than wallpaper thrown over a tunnel that players walk through."[84] GamePro described gameplay as "a long hallway toward an orange target symbol on your mini-map that triggers a cutscene, a boss fight, or both."[103] 1UP.com criticized the linear aspect as the game's "biggest shortcoming", rendering the first section "superficial."[88] EuroGamer felt the lack of any distraction or exploration makes the game "the RPG equivalent of a corridor shooter" but also remarked, among other reviewers, that every entry in the Final Fantasy series is linear to an extent, and suggested the series' games only offer the "illusion of choice and exploration."[75] Eurogamer indicated the removal of this illusion means the game "[loses] a measure of excitement and romance."[75] Nevertheless, Edge and others, who awarded the game lower scores as a result of these aspects, also remarked positively that, after the lengthy opening chapters, the game "hits a sweet spot", and, in addition to the singular narrative, the game offers "hunting side-quests and the simple joy of exploring to see what visual marvel is around the next corner."[76]

By contrast, reviews such as those by GamesRadar and CVG greatly appreciated its linear nature, the former stating that "the streamlined, focused structure eliminates potential tedium without dumbing anything down",[85] while the latter felt it "a clever move",[101] the player not being "[bogged] down with mundane number crunching, finicky and repetitive leveling-up" and game-controlled party members keeping the game "fresh".[101] Many also noted the gradual unfurling of the player's abilities over this first part of the game, from battle gameplay to selecting the party leader;[75][88] combined with its linear nature, some reviews went as far as to describe these chapters as "boring" until the world of Gran Pulse was revealed.[76][100][102] Reviewers such as VideoGamer felt that this was due to the production team's stated influence by Western games, such as the FPS genre,[86] while others felt this was an attempt to appeal to a wider audience than the traditional RPG.[103]

After release, director Motomu Toriyama felt that the lower-than-expected review scores for a main Final Fantasy series game were as a result of reviewers approaching the game with a Western point-of-view, and that these reviewers were more used to games in which the player was given an open world in which to explore; he noted that this expectation contrasted with the vision the team set out to create, in that it "becomes very difficult to tell a compelling story when you're given that much freedom".[104]

Square-Enix president Yoichi Wada, when asked by Gamasutra about his thoughts on fan reactions to the game, said that some valued the game highly while admitting that others were not very happy with it. Nevertheless, he felt it met expectations for "those who know Final Fantasy," and, possibly alluding to the game's controversial action-driven approach, explained that the company continues to struggle with the direction Final Fantasy should take. "There are all kinds of games around in the market today," Wada explained. "Should Final Fantasy become a new type of game or should Final Fantasy not become a new type of game? The customers have different opinions. It's very difficult to determine which way it should go."[105]

Final Fantasy XIII was listed at the top of IGN's "Top Ten Biggest Gaming Disappointments of 2010".[106]

Controversy

Initial screenshots of the Xbox 360 version released by Square Enix to compare to the PlayStation 3 version were revealed shortly after to be screenshots from the PlayStation 3 version, with the Xbox 360 control icons pasted on top.[107] Square Enix apologized, claiming there would be no need to enhance the Xbox 360 screenshots and that a mistake was made,[108] and later released screenshots that did come from the Xbox 360 version.[107] Though the screenshots were of low quality, including one with a mouse pointer over it,[109] analysis of the new screenshots and later technical analysis by DigitalFoundry of both versions of the game revealed that the Xbox 360 version runs at 576p (FMV CG 576p), as opposed to the PlayStation 3's native resolution of 720p (FMV CG 1080p).[110] Both versions can be upscaled to 1080p.

On June 2, 2010, a class action lawsuit was filed against Square Enix and Sony Computer Entertainment America due to alleged freezing bugs in the game damaging and physically breaking PlayStation 3 consoles.[111] Square Enix claims it is an issue with the console, while Sony blames the issue on a glitch on the game disc.[112]

In August 2010, a television advert of Final Fantasy XIII was banned in Britain by the Advertising Standards Authority due to Square Enix advertising the Xbox 360 version of the game with footage of the PlayStation 3 version exclusively.[113]

See also

References

  1. ^ Robinson, Andy (2009-09-08). "Final Fantasy XIII out December 17 in Japan". Computer and Video Games. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
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  28. ^ Sazh: My son Dajh. He was picked. He's a l'Cie. He said he wanted to see a fal'Cie. So, I took him on a tour of the Euride Gorge plant. Thought I surprised him with a Chocobo chick to take home, but the second I turned my back... ...into the energy plant he went. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  29. ^ Fang: I've got a few screws loose, but I'm a l'Cie, same as you. Difference being... ...I wasn't born on Cocoon. I'm from Gran Pulse. The 'world below' you all hate so much. My partner and I'd turn to crystal and gone to sleep. But when we came around, here we were. The reason Cocoon's in such an uproar is the same reason that you're here now. Vanille and I woke up. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
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  31. ^ Dysley: Oh child, perish the thought. I am more than that! Barthandelus: I am fal'Cie. My name is Barthandelus. Voice of the Sanctum, and Lord-Sovereign of the Cocoon fal'Cie. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360).
  32. ^ Rosch: This is...this is PSICOM Director Rosch. Attention all PSICOM and Guardian Corps units. Suspend l'Cie operations. I repeat, suspend l'Cie operations. All units should focus their efforts on evacuating the civilian population. I do not issue this order as an absolute. You are free to make the choice. Snow: Rosch! Rosch: Go. You're here to save Cocoon as well, aren't you? Or was that a farce as well? Snow: Stay alive. We'll see you when it's over. Rosch: I'll trust in your humanity, l'Cie. The fate of Cocoon is in your hands. This is my end. The end which I have chosen! Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360).
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