Final Fantasy XIII is reviewed

[Jecht Shot]

39/40 by Famitsu

Edit: disregard. See my post below

[Psychotic]

Good news. I'm glad XIII got such a high score.

[Jecht Shot]

Turns out the reviews posted on that site are actually fake, altho they did manage to guess the scores correctly.

Here is a rough translation of the actual reviews. Its more glowing than even the fake ones:

10: "Although the game is linear until the midway point, the story is substantial, like no FF before it, with its own distinctive appeal. The battles based around changing characters' roles are fresh and highly strategic. The tempo is speedy and you get very excited when fighting strong enemies. Being able to restart battles is a user-friendly feature I'm happy about.

9: "Unquestionably the highest echelon of event and movie scenes. Moreover, changing Optimas on a dime, the varied abilities and being able to use multiple magics at once bring real exhilaration to the battles. That high quality is unfortunately offset by a story that stays linear until the midway point. The lack of gimmicks during the middle of the game also worried me."

10: "The overwhelming graphics expressing every nook and cranny of this unique world, along with the praiseworthy direction, moved me!! The battle system is applicable both to beginners and micro-managers. The fights progress quickly, and have ratings, so you never grow tired and can always battle with a feeling of urgency. The melancholic story is also so dramatic, you can't tear your eyes away from it."

10: "I doff my hat to the overwhelming graphics and story. Since the game's various systems become denser as the story progresses, you find yourself pulled ever deeper into the experience. The summon battles take careful planning and strategy, so I was frustrated a few times, but the feeling of achievement when you win is something special. You'll be sorry if you don't play this!"

Sounds like the two complaints are 1. lack of gimmicks in the middle of the game (?; I don't understand this) and 2. Its very linear until the middle.

Quite frankly, #2 doesn't bother me because every FF before this has been like that. My favorite, X, is that way maybe more than any other.

I can't wait!

[LunarWeaver]

Why is lacking gimmicks a complaint? I'm not getting that one. Maybe the meaning is lost in translation or something.

Sounds good overall, though. I don't mind linear. Was already excited and it only fuels my fire.

[Rad Bromance]

I'm so excited! Not that I wasn't, but this...is just awesome news!

[Psychotic]

I read somewhere else that they criticised it lacking mini games and sidequests during the middle section of the game, so I assume that's what they mean by "gimmicks".

I never bother with that kind of thing until the end anyway, as it messes with the flow of the story.

[Rad Bromance]

I never bother with that kind of thing until the end anyway, as it messes with the flow of the story.

Agreed! I always wait until end-game time to tie everything up and do all the extra stuff. I'm too eager to see what happens next before that!

[Wolf Kanno]

Side quests do matter for me so I am a little sad it might be going the X route as I genuinely don't like linear RPGs unless the story is strong enough to hold my attention.

I'll wait until I play it to make a real judgment, I never trust reviews.

[Rodney]

Glad for the score, but losing its linear quality bothers me. Linear games are my favorites. If they mean no subquests until the midpoint, then okay. I can handle that. I don't really look to do those until my party's strong enough, anyway. You know, in case of strong monsters/fiends.

Still, I'm eager awaiting the release. Three months and a day to go!

[Croyles]

Apparently it got a 100/100 from Dengeki, with them saying its worth a 120/100.
No official source or confirmation yet. Will post it when I get it.

FF XIII two page Dengeki Review

(no score but a detailed review by 11 reviewers)

- absolutely no load times before and after battles
- The character faces on the status screen move
- most exciting battles in FF history
- movie scenes have an appropriate length as to not interfere with the gameplay
- Editor M: "Let alone 100 points, this deserves 120 points!"
- Earning trophies also earns you custom themes
- Dual-layer blu-ray (50gb)

Review with score will follow December 17.

http://blog.livedoor.jp/gaem_newsz/archives/51333490.html�
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Its going to be weird getting trophies for a Final Fantasy game....

[Jecht Shot]

Character faces moving on the status screen is awesome.

I wonder if it will be akin to FFIV for the DS (where they had thought bubbles on the current situation), and their faces will reflect their current mood or whatever.

Sounds like the battles will be epic.

[Depression Moon]

Sounds like good news. I think most FFs from the PS1 era did have some gimmick mini game like VII with the chocobo racing, squat competition, VIII I can't quite remember if there was one, but I think there probably was, and IX had a couple, like when swinging back and forth to break out of jail and tbhe Festival of the Hunt. XII had a few that were apart of the story too. Maybe they meant the lack of it meant that tthere was no real break in the gameplay.

[JKTrix]

Final Fantasy 13 < New Super Mario Bros Wii, Bayonetta and Dragon Quest 9, apparently.

Check out art from Yoshi Amano

[Levian]

If they didn't give it a top score they'd probably be shot by someone anyway Can't wait for the game though!

[Formalhaut]

Great Score, The Lack Of Gimmicks Does Not Bother Me Too Much, Although Side Quests Are Nice To Have.

Linear? Practically All FF Games Have Been Linear...


39/40 And 120/100 Is Good Enough For Me!