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Final Fantasy XIII

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Final Fantasy XIII
European box art featuring the main protagonist, Lightning
Developer(s)Square Enix
Publisher(s)Square Enix
Director(s)Motomu Toriyama
Producer(s)Yoshinori Kitase
Artist(s)Tetsuya Nomura
Isamu Kamikokuryou
Writer(s)Motomu Toriyama
Daisuke Watanabe
Kazushige Nojima
Composer(s)Masashi Hamauzu
SeriesFinal Fantasy
Fabula Nova Crystallis
Platform(s)PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release
December 17, 2009
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Template:Nihongo title is a console 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 in the series, 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 Pulse, the much-feared world below. Lightning, a former soldier, begins her fight against the government in order to save her sister, who has been branded a Pulse l'Cie—unwilling servants to the god-like 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—the tasks they must complete as l'Cie before they are turned either into monsters or crystal—or if they can avoid their fate.

Starting development in 2005 and first announced 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. Final Fantasy XIII received mostly positive reviews from video game publications, which praised the game's graphics, presentation, and battle system. Reviewers were more mixed in their opinion on the game's story and linearity compared to previous games in the series. Selling 1.7 million copies in Japan in 2009, Final Fantasy XIII became the fastest-selling title in the history of the series. As of May 2010, the game had 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.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3] An in-game datalog provides a bestiary and incidental information about the world of Final Fantasy XIII.[4]

Combat

File:FF13battle.png
The Final Fantasy XIII battle system, with the option to use "Paradigm Shift" to change the selected Paradigms, the ATB bar filling beneath it with four slots, and the three active characters' health and Paradigm roles displayed. The enemy's name and damage percentage are shown in the upper right corner.

As in Final Fantasy XII, enemies are integrated into the open field and can be approached or avoided by the player. When the player's character touches an enemy, the screen transitions from the regular map to a separate battle screen similar to those used in previous Final Fantasy titles.[5] A maximum of three characters may be used in battles, which use a variant on the series' traditional Active Time Battle (ATB) system designed by Hiroyuki Ito and first featured in Final Fantasy IV. Under this system, the player selects a command from the menus, such as Attack, Magic and Item; however, unlike previous games in the series the player only controls the lead character while the remaining two characters are controlled by the game's AI. Each action requires a specific number of slots on the ATB bar, which continually refills to a set maximum number of slots. The ATB bar gradually increases in size throughout the game from two slots to six.[6] The player may also select less than the maximum number of possible actions, or may 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.[6]

When enemies are struck by attacks or spells, their chain counter increases. Attacks by different roles have different effects, with some raising the chain by larger amount while others give the player longer before the chain counter resets. The amount of damage performed by an attack is multiplied by the chain percentage before it is applied to the enemy. When the chain counter reaches a preset amount, different for each enemy, the enemy is placed into Stagger State. In this mode, the enemy has lowered defense and may be able to be launched into the air.[7] Another feature 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 which uses damage-dealing magic; Medic, a White Mage-type role which can heal; Saboteur, which can weaken enemies; Synergist, which can strengthens allies; and Sentinel, which has protective abilities.[8] Each of the characters can initially take on only three roles, but they may assume any of them later in the game. The player can select which roles the controlled character and the AI characters are using both outside and during battle, which is the only way that the player can control the AI characters during battle.[8] The player can only choose from specific sets of paradigms that the player has set up beforehand outside of battle.[7]

Each character can summon a specific Eidolon into battle.[6] These summoned creatures include series staples Odin, Shiva, Alexander, and Bahamut, and newcomers Hecatoncheir and Brynhildr.[9] When summoned, the Eidolon stays in combat while the characters accompanying the summoner leaves the party.[10] While an Eidolon is summoned, the player can trigger a feature called Gestalt Mode, in which the Eidolon transforms into a different form and performs different attacks while the summoning character rides them.[11] 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.[12]

Crystarium

The Crystarium is a leveling system consisting of six crystals and resembles the Sphere Grid from Final Fantasy X.[13][14] Each crystal in the Crystarium represents one of the six Paradigms, and is divided into ten levels. Each level contains various nodes that supply bonuses to health, strength, or magic, or provide new abilities and accessory slots. These nodes are connected by a semi-linear path. The player may advance down the path by acquiring Crystarium Points, which are awarded after defeating enemies.[15] The full Crystarium is not available to the player at the beginning of the game; at specific points in the game's plot the player gains access to new crystals or levels.[16]

Plot

Setting

Final Fantasy XIII is set within the world of Gran Pulse. Central to the story is Cocoon, a massive artificial sphere that floats above Pulse's surface and is ruled by the Sanctum, a theocratic government. The two 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.[6] The Cocoon fal'Cie are responsible for keeping Cocoon floating, as well as providing light and water to the people that live inside. Each fal'Cie handles a specific task.[17] 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 according to legend gain eternal life; otherwise they become mindless monsters called Cie'th.[19] The l'Cie are not explicitly told their focus, but are instead given visions that they must interpret.[20]

Several hundred years before the events of the game, a battle between Pulse and Cocoon took place known as the War of Transgression. The battle involved l'Cie from Pulse attacking Cocoon and ripped a large hole in Cocoon in the process.[21] Eventually, the l'Cie completed their focus and were turned to crystal. The hole was patched with material lifted from Pulse, and Cocoon's citizens have since lived in fear of another invasion, which is used by the Sanctum to remain in power.[22] 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.[23] 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.[24]

Characters

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

The six main playable characters of Final Fantasy XIII are Lightning, the main protagonist of the game, former soldier, and older sister to Serah;[25][26] Snow Villiers, Serah's fiancee and leader of NORA, a paramilitary group;[27] Oerba Dia Vanille, the game's narrator and an exile who is revealed later to be a l'Cie from Pulse;[28] Sazh Katzroy, a civilian pilot and a father to a young boy, Dajh;[29] Hope Estheim, a young boy who is struggling within the relationships he shares with his parents;[30] and Oerba Yun Fang, a l'Cie from Pulse who is working with the Sanctum's Calvary branch.[31] Other characters include Galenth Dysley, the ruler of the Sanctum;[32] Cid Raines, a Sanctum Brigadier General in the Cavalry who doesn't trust the government;[9] and Serah Farron, Lightning's younger sister and Snow's fiancee.[26]

Story

Final Fantasy XIII begins in Cocoon as a group of people are being evicted, or Purged, from Cocoon after coming in contact with something from Pulse.[33] Over the course of the game, the player is shown flashbacks of the events of the previous 13 days, which began when a fal'Cie from Pulse was discovered in Cocoon. Lightning and Sazh derail a train bound for Pulse to save Serah, a l'Cie, from the fal'Cie Anima. In the subsequent battle, Snow leads his resistance group, NORA, to rescue the Purge exiles and several of them, including Hope's mother, Nora, are killed. As Snow heads to Anima to also save Serah, he is joined by two of the exiles: Hope and Vanille. The two groups meet at the fal'Cie, finding Serah just as she turns to crystal. Anima then brands them all as l'Cie and they are cast out into a different part of Cocoon. During this transformation, the newly crested l'Cie all have the same vision: a monster called Ragnarok.[34] The group, arguing over the ambiguous nature of the dreamed Focus, find Serah in her crystallized form; Snow remains with her as the others leave.

Snow meets Cid and Fang after being captured and detained aboard the airship Lindblum. Meanwhile, the others escape from PSICOM, but are separated during an air strike; Hope and Lightning travel to Palumpolum while Sazh and Vanille travel to Nautilus. In Lightning's scenario, she unintentionally supports Hope's goal of assassinating Snow as revenge for his mother's death.[35] In Vanille's scenario, Sazh discusses how his son Dajh was turned into a l'Cie and was taken by PSICOM to find out his Focus.[29] At Palumpolum, Lightning tries to persuade Hope not to go through with his revenge and meets Snow and Fang. Fang reveals that she and Vanille were l'Cie from Pulse who were turned into crystals; they were turned back into humans thirteen days prior to the start of the game, sparking the Purge and Serah being turned into a l'Cie.[36] Hope attempts to assassinate Snow, but after Snow saves him from an airstrike decides not to blame him any more.[37] The party then escapes the city with Cid's aid. At Nautilus, Vanille also reveals herself to Sazh as a l'Cie from Pulse, and thus the reason that Dajh was turned into a l'Cie.[28] PSICOM then captures him and Vanille and detains them on board the airship Palamecia.

The other members of the party stage a rescue mission and reunite with Vanille and Sazh before they confront Galenth Dysley, the Sanctum's Primarch, who reveals himself as the Cocoon fal'Cie ruler Barthandelus.[38] He tells them that their Focus is to transform into the beast Ragnarok and slay the sleeping fal'Cie Orphan, who keeps Cocoon afloat above Pulse, resulting in its destruction. The party then escapes and learns from Cid that the fal'Cie believe that Cocoon's destruction will summon the Maker, the creator of the worlds. The fal'Cie cannot harm Orphan themselves.[39] Vanille and Fang reveal to the party that they were the ones responsible for the War of Transgression centuries prior, and that their focus then had been to transform into Ragnarok and attempt to destroy Orphan as well.[40] The party then flies away to Pulse and travel to Oerba, Vanille and Fang's hometown, hoping to find a clue towards removing their l'Cie marks. Unsuccessful, the group confronts Dysley again, who tells them that he is forcing Cid, now the head of the Sanctum, to create chaos in Cocoon to in turn force the Calvary to attack Cid and Orphan in a coup d'état.[41]

The party infiltrates Cocoon with the goal of preventing its destruction and head towards Orphan, only to find that the Calvary have been turned into Cie'th. The party encounters Dysley and overpowers him, but Orphan awakens and merges with Dysley, then compels Fang to finish her Focus as Ragnarok while the others are turned into Cie'th. The group, however, forces themselves back into human form and attacks Orphan, defeating him.[42] After Orphan's destruction, the party escapes Cocoon, now falling towards Pulse. Vanille and Fang remain on Cocoon and transform into Ragnarok together, preventing a collision between Cocoon and Pulse by turning themselves into a crystal pillar between the two worlds. The rest of the party awakens on Pulse 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

Motomu Toriyama, director of Final Fantasy XIII.

Development of Final Fantasy XIII began in 2005. At the time, the game was intended to be released on the PlayStation 2 and to run on the White Engine.[43] After the positive reception of the tech demo of Final Fantasy VII, Square moved the game to the PlayStation 3, and developed it for the Crystal Tools engine, a seventh generation multiplatform game engine created by Square Enix for its future games.[44][45] It was believed by Square Enix that development of their own engine, though it would cause a delay initially the release of the game, would speed up development time later on. The delay was larger than originally anticipated, however, as the engine needed to accommodate the requirements of several other games in addition to XIII.[46] Final Fantasy XIII was first shown at the 2006 E3 convention.[47] The trailer shown was an artistic concept, as at the time there was no playable form of the game, and did not represent the final concept for the game.[46] Announced alongside the game was Final Fantasy Versus XIII and the PlayStation Portable game Final Fantasy Agito XIII, the three of which form the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII compilation.[48] Square Enix explained that although all three games are thematically linked, they are not directly related in terms of story.[49] Occasionally, developers from Versus XIII assisted with the development of Final Fantasy XIII.[50]

The developers for Final Fantasy XIII were divided into multiple areas, with each developer or team focusing only on a specific task, such as a specific in-game area or modeling characters.[46] Several of the game's developers have worked on previous installments of the series. Director Motomu Toriyama had previously worked on Final Fantasy X and X-2, producer Yoshinori Kitase had worked on V through VIII and as the producer for X and X-2, main character designer Tetsuya Nomura had performed the same role for VII, VIII, X, and X-2, and battle system director Toshiro Tsuchida reprised that role from Final Fantasy X.[51][52] The development team's internal goal was to sell five million copies of the game, and to have the same "gameplay and craftmanship" impact that Final Fantasy VII and X had as the first Final Fantasy games on their respective consoles, as XIII was the first on the PlayStation 3.[46] Toriyama tried to make the game so that "it would be the ultimate single player RPG."[53] Tsuchida's 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.[54]

During development, 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 the series.[43][55] His guideline to Nomura was to make her "strong and beautiful", "someone like a female version of Cloud from FFVII".[43][56] 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.[57] The game's villains were intended by Kitase to have "their own motivations and beliefs of what their actions are" and having their own way of thinking.[58]

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.[59] Kamikokuryou additionally stated that the volume of content cut was, in itself, enough to make another game.[59] Toriyama stated that the cuts were made in "various stages of [the game's] development" and that some of the content was removed just prior to the game's completion.[53] Additionally, for much of the game's development, every asset or model in the game was developed to be viewable from every angle, regardless of how it was used in the game in terms of viewing angle or duration.[46]

A playable demo of Final Fantasy XIII was included in the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete, released on April 16, 2009.[60][61] Toriyama has stated that the release of the demo, which was not in the original development schedule, helped the team recognize a shared vision for what the game should look and feel like, a problem which had been plaguing the development team up till then. It also helped the team correctly prioritize the work that still needed to be done, increasing development speed for the remainder of the project.[46] The game was intended to appeal to both Western and Japanese audiences, and focus groups from both regions were used to this effect. Localization of the game began while development of the game was still in progress, in order to lessen the delay between the Japanese and worldwide releases.[46] The game was initially going to be released solely for the PlayStation 3, but an Xbox 360 version was announced late in the game's development cycle. The Xbox version, due to technical limitations, runs at a lower resolution than the PlayStation version.[62]

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.[51] 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.[63][64] 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.[65] 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.[66]

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.[67] The album sold 16,000 copies the day of its release.[68] 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.[69][70] 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.[71][72] 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.[73]

Release and post-release

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

The game was released In Japan on December 17, 2009, and in North America and Europe on March 9, 2010. Alongside the release of the game in Japan, Japanese alcoholic beverage distributors Suntory released the "Final Fantasy XIII Elixir" to promote the game's release.[74] On the same day, a Final Fantasy XIII PlayStation Home personal space was made available for free in the Japan Home until January 13, 2010 along with a costume and personal space furnishings;[75] they were released to the Asian, European, and North American versions of PlayStation Home on March 11, 2010.[76]

The game was released as part of a bundle with consoles in different regions. The game was bundled in Japan with a limited edition white PlayStation 3 with a pink color print of Lightning on the surface of the console,[77] and with an Xbox 360 with the silver strip on the hard drive emblazoned with the Final Fantasy XIII logo in the western release. A limited quantity of themed Xbox faceplates created by Nomura was made available through a select few retailers in Europe, North America, and Australia. PAL territories also received a limited collector's edition of the game for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with the Final Fantasy XIII Original Sound Selection "best of" soundtrack CD and The World of Final Fantasy XIII, a hardback book featuring character artwork, CG-rendered artwork and environments from across the game production.

While the game was released on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in western regions, the game was a PlayStation 3 exclusive in Asian territories.[78] Final Fantasy XIII was the first game in the series to receive an official release in Chinese.[79] An international version of the game for the Xbox 360 called Final Fantasy XIII Ultimate Hits International was released in Japan on December 16, 2010.[80] The game includes an "Easy" mode option, and features the English voices. It comes with a bonus booklet titled Final Fantasy XIII　- Corridor of Memory - that contains content that was previously left out of the original version of the game and an epilogue chapter titled Final Fantasy XIII　- Episode I -.[81][82]

Final Fantasy XIII sold in excess of one million units on its first day of sale in Japan,[83] and had sold approximately 1.7 million copies in Japan at the end of 2009.[84] Square Enix had anticipated high initial sales for the game and shipped close to two million units for its launch.[85] The game sold more than one million copies in North America in its release month. In March 2010, Square Enix stated that Final Fantasy XIII was the fastest selling title in the franchise's history.[86] 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.[87] As of May 18, 2010, Final Fantasy XIII had sold 5.75 million copies worldwide.[88]

Reception

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.[94] 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.[103] The game was voted as the second best game of 2009 in Dengeki Online's reader poll,[104] and in January 2010, was voted the best game ever in Famitsu's reader poll.[105]

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",[106] and Edge felt that Cocoon in particular was an "inspired setting [...] blessed with a vibrancy and vivid colour that often leaves you open-mouthed",[95] and GameSpot called the art design "magnificent".[97] Further praise was given to the CGI animation sequences,[107][108][93] and the almost seamless transition of visual quality between these and the realtime gameplay.[107] Many also appreciated the game's soundtrack,[97][93] with Masashi Hamauzu providing "a score with catchy hooks and blood-pumping battle melodies", according to Wired.[108]

The battle system of Final Fantasy XIII received widespread praise. The increased pace of battles was appreciated, with several reviews describing it as "thrilling";[8][93] Edge's description of the battle system summarized it as "among the genre's finest".[95] 1UP.com claimed that "Despite the fact that two-thirds of your party is AI-controlled, FFXIII's battles may be the most involving the series has ever seen."[102] The story got a more mixed reception, with Wired remarking that the story was "a little more human and less esoteric than in previous games",[108] while 1UP.com felt that the story was "hardly world-class writing", but that the writers clearly knew the medium well and had attempted to avoid clichés.[102] Reviewers felt that the characters worked well together,[97][102] and that the interactions among them as the game progressed made up for shortcomings in the story.[8]

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,[102][109] an issue which many felt was compounded by the large reduction of towns and interaction with non-player characters.[96] GamePro described the gameplay as "a long hallway toward an orange target symbol on your mini-map that triggers a cutscene, a boss fight, or both,"[96] and 1UP.com criticized the linear aspect as the game's "biggest shortcoming", rendering the first section "superficial."[102] 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 offers "hunting side-quests and the simple joy of exploring to see what visual marvel is around the next corner."[95]

By contrast, reviews such as those by GamesRadar and Computer and Video Games greatly appreciated its linear nature, the former stating that "the streamlined, focused structure eliminates potential tedium without dumbing anything down",[7] while the latter felt it was "a clever move",[93] and kept the player from being "[bogged] down with mundane number crunching, [and] finicky and repetitive leveling-up."[93] 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;[8][102] 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.[95][108][109]

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".[110] Square-Enix president Yoichi Wada, when asked by Gamasutra about his thoughts on fan reactions to the game, said that the company was trying to determine which direction Final Fantasy should take. "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."[111]

See also

References

  1. ^ Square Enix, ed. (2010). Final Fantasy XIII North American instruction manual. Square Enix. p. 10.
  2. ^ Square Enix, ed. (2010). Final Fantasy XIII North American instruction manual. Square Enix. p. 16.
  3. ^ Square Enix, ed. (2010). Final Fantasy XIII North American instruction manual. Square Enix. p. 19.
  4. ^ Square Enix, ed. (2010). Final Fantasy XIII North American instruction manual. Square Enix. p. 12.
  5. ^ "Final Fantasy XIII for PlayStation 3 system". Square Enix. Archived from the original on 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  6. ^ a b c d "Final Fantasy XIII Update". IGN. 2009-04-08. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
  7. ^ a b c d "Final Fantasy XIII Review". GamesRadar. 2010-03-04. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Welsh, Oli (2010-03-05). "Final Fantasy XIII". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  9. ^ a b "Final Fantasy XIII Official Website". Square Enix. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
  10. ^ Clements, Ryan (2009-06-02). "Final Fantasy XIII Preview". IGN. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  11. ^ Lee, Garnett (2009-08-20). "Final Fantasy XIII Preview". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
  12. ^ Winkler, Chris (2009-06-10). "Square Enix Dishes Out New FFXIII Details". RPGFan. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  13. ^ Pigna, Kris (2009-11-01). "Final Fantasy XIII Character Growth System Explained". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
  14. ^ Piggyback Interactive, ed. (2010). Final Fantasy XIII The Complete Official Guide. Piggyback Interactive. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-307-46837-6.
  15. ^ Square Enix, ed. (2010). Final Fantasy XIII North American instruction manual. Square Enix. pp. 36–37.
  16. ^ Bramwell, Tom (2009-11-12). "FFXIII's Crystarium system detailed". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
  17. ^ Datalog - Sanctum Fal'Cie: The Sanctum fal'Cie are the unfathomable entities that constructed the floating shell of Cocoon in ages past, and even now watch over the world's human inhabitants. Each is assigned a specific task that supports the existence of Cocoon's grateful populace, such as generating energy or manufacturing food. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  18. ^ "Final Fantasy XIII - E3 2008: MS Press Conference Cam Trailer". GameTrailers. 2008-07-14. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  19. ^ Winkler, Chris (2009-07-16). "New FFXIII Details Announced". RPGFan. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
  20. ^ Datalog - Branded: [...]they must now complete their assigned Focus if they are to avoid becoming monstrous Cie'th, though none can say for sure what their mission actually entails. Their only clue is the vision[...] Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  21. ^ Datalog - The War of Transgression: Several hundred years ago, the armies of Pulse attempted to invade Cocoon in a conflict known today as the War of Transgression. The Sanctum fal'Cie were able to repel the lowerworld forces before they breached Cocoon's interior, but not before they managed to seriously damage areas lying near the world's outer rim. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  22. ^ Datalog - Lowerworld Artifacts: In the aftermath of the War of Transgression, regions near Cocoon's outer rim were left uninhabitable due to the severe trauma they had sustained. To undo the damage, the fal'Cie gathered materials from the surface of Pulse and rebuilt Cocoon's wounded landscape with them. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  23. ^ Datalog - PSICOM: The Sanctum military is composed of two main branches: the Guardian Corps, responsible for maintaining security in various jurisdictions throughout Cocoon, and PSICOM– Public Security and Intelligence Command. PSICOM is an elite special operations unit charged with protecting Cocoon from Pulsian incursion. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  24. ^ Datalog - AMP Technology: Humans ordinarily lack the means to wield magic, but through the use of manadrives[...] it is possible to synthesize the effects. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  25. ^ Datalog - Lightning: Lightning was formerly a sergeant in the Guardian Corps, Bodhum Security Regiment. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  26. ^ a b Datalog - Serah Farron: Serah is Lightning's younger sister and Snow's fiancee. Also a Pulse l'Cie, she has gained eternal life and slumbers in crystal stasis. [...]her task was simply to gather the tools for Cocoon's destruction. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  27. ^ Datalog - Snow Villiers: Snow[...] leads the rebellious group of youths known as NORA. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  28. ^ a b Vanille: My name is Oerba Dia Vanille. I am a l'Cie from Gran Pulse. And to everyone on Cocoon... ...evil. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  29. ^ a b 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.
  30. ^ Datalog - Nora Estheim: Nora is Hope's mother. Worried about the worsening relationship between her son and his father, Nora wonders how to break down the barriers Hope has created. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  31. ^ Datalog - Cold, Hard Fact: [...]the Wide-area Response Brigade, otherwise known as the 'Cavalry'. [...]the woman who works with them[...]a Pulse l'Cie Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  32. ^ Datalog - The Sanctum: [...]fal'Cie opt to participate only superficially in governmental affairs, leaving Cocoon's administration entirely at the discretion of the human Sanctum and its Primarch, Galenth Dysley. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  33. ^ Datalog - The Purge: The recent discovery of a fal'Cie from Pulse[...] caused widespread civil unrest. [...]The Sanctum then announced its intent to forcibly relocate the affected to Pulse in an emergency measure dubbed by authorities as the Purge. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  34. ^ Datalog - Branded: The mark seared on their bodies[...] it is the brand of a cursed l'Cie. [...]Their only clue is the vision they all witnessed of a the great beast laying waste to Cocoon. Ragnarok. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  35. ^ Datalog - Operation Nora: Operation Nora[...] the means by which he will exact vengeance on Snow. [...]Lightning soon realizes her mistake. Her lecture to abandon compassion was intended as a warning against the hesitation she fears will be his undoing. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ Datalog - Sustained by Hate: It is his hatred of Snow that has been sustaining him through countless battles. In a strange way, the man who made a promise to his mother has been protecting him all along. [...]Operation Nora is over. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  38. ^ 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). Square Enix.
  39. ^ Datalog - Orphan: As Sanctum fal'Cie and l'Cie are incapable of harming Orphan, Barthandelus requires the assistance of Pulse l'Cie. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  40. ^ Datalog - Helping Hands: The l'Cie who became Ragnarok and attacked Cocoon during the war was[...] Fang herself. Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  41. ^ Datalog - Start Your Engines: The Cavalry[...] confronts the new Primarch[...] Raines calmly awaits his own demise. Revived to serve as Barthandelus's pawn... Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
  42. ^ Lightning: Maybe Cocoon is past saving, but it's our home. And we'll protect it, or die trying! We live to make the impossible possible! That is our Focus! Square Enix (2010-03-09). Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Square Enix.
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