Product Description

• Newest installment of Final Fantasy features futuristic civilization illuminated by the Light of the Crystal
• Features the latest in cutting-edge technology
• Provides tangible, intuitive controls
• Delivers seamless transitions between real-time gameplay and stunning in-game cinematics
• Developed by Square Enix

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Square Enix
• Released on: 2010-03-09
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: German
• Dimensions: .55" h x 5.32" w x 6.77" l, .26 pounds

Manufacturer's Description
A tale of souls from a futuristic civilization illuminated by the Light of the Crystal, the newest addition to the Final Fantasy series is worthy of the title "next generation." Developed by Square Enix, the eagerly anticipated Final Fantasy XIII features the latest in cutting-edge technology and provides tangible, intuitive controls while delivering seamless transitions between real-time gameplay and stunning in-game cinematics.

Take Part in a Gaming Experience that Sets New Standards – The first in the series developed for a simultaneous release on multiple high-definition consoles, FINAL FANTASY XIII pushes new boundaries in cinematic presentation, sound and gameplay.; Experience the Unity of Speed and Strategy with the Ultimate Active Time Battle system – The familiar system has evolved, granting players the freedom of executing numerous commands in a single turn with the multi-slot ATB gauge. Whether inputting singular commands in each slot for consecutive attacks, or expending multiple slots at once to activate a devastating blow, it’s up to the players to respond effectively to the battle conditions at hand.; Adapt to the Ever-Changing Tide of Battle with Paradigms – A brand-new game mechanic enabling players to assign roles to their party members at any time during battle, shifting between combat paradigms. Consisting of various combinations of the game's six roles, ranging from Commando, the offensive specialist, to Medic, the quintessential healer, paradigms allow players to respond and adapt instantly to any given situation to turn the tide and seize victory.; Witness the Battle Scene Transform with an All-New Summon System – Introducing Gestalt Mode, a powerful dimension of the summon system that elevates the action to a whole new level. In Gestalt Mode, characters and their transformed Eidolons fight as one, dealing massive damage to enemies through simple button commands.; Delve into an Emotional Experience – An immersive storyline connects players to an intriguing cast of characters. Will they have the strength to confront their cursed fates, or will destiny prevail over all that they believe in?

From the creative minds behind FINAL FANTASY VII and FINAL FANTASY X comes the latest installment in the critically acclaimed series. As FINAL FANTASY VII was for PlayStation, and FINAL FANTASY X for PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, FINAL FANTASY XIII will be the first numbered FINAL FANTASY title for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360, and will look to once again reestablish the series as the RPG brand. Players will follow Lightning, Snow, and the other heroes who are dealt a hand of fate by the god-like fal'Cie. Cursed and regarded as enemies of society, they have the world against them and nobody to rely on but each other. Will they find the strength within themselves to break free of their curse and determine their own fates, or will they succumb to this higher power? With a story that is sure to connect with players' hearts, diverse new characters from world-renowned creator and character designer Tetsuya Nomura, and exciting new gameplay features centered around an evolved Active Time Battle system, FINAL FANTASY XIII will be the pinnacle in gaming experiences.

Developed for the PlayStation 3 system and Xbox 360, FINAL FANTASY XIII features the series’ most impressive graphical presentation. View larger.

Summons are stronger than ever before, now with the action-oriented Gestalt Mode. View larger.

The evolved Active Time Battle system presents players with countless methods of putting enemies away. View larger.

Story
Cocoon - a utopia in the sky. Its inhabitants believed their world a paradise.
Under the Sanctum's rule, Cocoon had long known peace and prosperity.
Mankind was blessed by its protectors, the benevolent fal'Cie, and believed that tranquil days would
continue forever.
Their tranquility was shattered with the discovery of one hostile fal'Cie.
The moment that fal'Cie from Pulse - the feared and detested lowerworld - awoke from its slumber,
peace on Cocoon came to an end.
Fal'Cie curse humans, turning them into magic-wielding servants.
They become l'Cie - chosen of the fal'Cie.
Those branded with the mark of a l'Cie carry the burden of either fulfilling their Focus or facing a fate
harsher than death itself.
A prayer for redemption.
A wish to protect the world.
A promise to challenge destiny.
After thirteen days of fates intertwined, the battle begins.

Features

• Take Part in a Gaming Experience that Sets New Standards – The first in the series developed for a simultaneous release on multiple high-definition consoles, FINAL FANTASY XIII pushes new boundaries in cinematic presentation, sound and gameplay.
• Experience the Unity of Speed and Strategy with the Ultimate Active Time Battle system – The familiar system has evolved, granting players the freedom of executing numerous commands in a single turn with the multi-slot ATB gauge. Whether inputting singular commands in each slot for consecutive attacks, or expending multiple slots at once to activate a devastating blow, it’s up to the players to respond effectively to the battle conditions at hand.
• Adapt to the Ever-Changing Tide of Battle with Paradigms – A brand-new game mechanic enabling players to assign roles to their party members at any time during battle, shifting between combat paradigms. Consisting of various combinations of the game’s six roles, ranging from Commando, the offensive specialist, to Medic, the quintessential healer, paradigms allow players to respond and adapt instantly to any given situation to turn the tide and seize victory.
• Witness the Battle Scene Transform with an All-New Summon System – Introducing Gestalt Mode, a powerful dimension of the summon system that elevates the action to a whole new level. In Gestalt Mode, characters and their transformed Eidolons fight as one, dealing massive damage to enemies through simple button commands.
• Delve into an Emotional Experience – An immersive storyline connects players to an intriguing cast of characters. Will they have the strength to confront their cursed fates, or will destiny prevail over all that they believe in?

Customer Reviews

You do more than just mash the X button!
I'm not going to fully review the game as most of the reviewers on here have covered the different viewpoints. Instead I want to address the opinion that all you do is repeatedly press the X button to win battles and correctly inform those that haven't played the game how wrong that is. So this is a review of the battle system.

All the people saying you just press X are probably using the "Auto Battle" system. The clues in the title people! If you want the computer to do everything for you then yes, keep pressing X. But this is the easy way out and no one should moan about this when it is completely optional whether you use it.

Instead at the game start go to options and set the game so the cursor always begins on "Abilities". Now you have to do things for yourself and completely bypass the "Auto Battle" function. Whilst for the first 2-3 hours the battles are very easy and repetitive, the game soon expands the strategical elements and opens up the battle system.

So here are all the different elements of battle that can be very satisfying to experienced Final Fantasy players:

1)Selecting Abilities and the ATB:
Your ATB gauge has segments and each ability, attack and spell takes up so many segments so selecting which abilities to use is tactical. Attack uses one segment whereas powerful spells could use 3. Selecting the correct combination of abilities is key at all times and considering the cost of each.

2)Scanning and Tactical Weaknesses:
Using Scan is more vital than in any previous Final Fantasy as once used the 2 computer controlled team members will target the weaknesses read by the Scan. You can also access this info yourself during battle with a quick tap of R1 instead of repeatedly using the scan function.

3)Tactical Points:
As well as "Abilities" you have "Techniques". These must be used sparingly as they consume technique points of which you only have 5 to begin with. They are slowly replenished through defeating enemies. Summons take up a lot of TP's so can't be used every single battle like in FF8. You have to carefully consider what techniques you use to leave you enough TP's to Summon come boss battles.

4)Summons:
Although each character only has one eidolon each they have a range of abilities rather than just hitting one big move. When summoned they replace your teammates and fight alongside you similar to FF12. There are 2 stages to using eidolons:

Stage 1: Fighting with your Eidolon you must try to build up its Gestalt Gauge, this will determine how long the Eidolon sticks around in Stage 2. Whilst doing this the Eidolons life bar will deplenish as it comes under attack. Once this bar is almost depleted you press Square to trigger Gestalt mode.

Stage 2: In this mode you mount your Eidolon and take control of it. Now you are given a number of points to dish out moves with. Instead of selecting commands you directly control them with movements of the directional stick and the corresponding X, Circle and Triangle buttons. Each move consumes a certain number of points, the total of which was determined by how much you built up the Gestalt Gauge in stage 1.

FF13 therefore provides the most in depth Summon system yet which requires you to charge up your Gestalt mode points before your Eidolons HP runs out and then choose how to spend those points in direct control of the Eidolon.

5)Paradigm Shift
The Paradigm shift system gives you some level of control over your 2 teammates. There are 6 job classes your characters can perform which can be switched during battle by pressing L1. For example you may enter the battle with 2 characters, one to deal status effects on the enemy whilst the other casts protect/shell etc on the party. You can then press L1 and switch both characters to an offensive role or if HP is low you may want to switch to a defensive combination with a medic for healing. As the game goes on there are lots of different combinations you can select and given how fast the course of battle can change it is key to keep switching Paradigms to suit the ever-changing circumstances.

6)Selecting Your Target
As well as prioritising which targets to take down first there are certain Enemies that will attack each other during battle requiring you to decide which side to team up with so that when they turn on you, you have a better chance of victory. As the game progresses you will also find enemies working together so you have to decide whether it's best to deal with the brains or the brawn of your foes first.

7)Staggering your Foe
This is a key new feature to FF13. Each enemy has a stagger bar of differing levels. You have to fill this up with attacks and once full the enemy will be seriously weakened and open to more damage. Getting the bar full is very tactical and is where your job classes come in. A Ravager will fill the bar really fast but it will also drop very fast as well. A Commando however will reduce the rate at which it drops meaning getting the right combination of roles to maximise the enemies weakness is crucial.

8)Outside of Battle
Before even entering battle you can apply shrouds to your party by pressing L1. These give you an advantage going into battle such as increased power and speed or replenished tactical points. Again you are limited to how many shrouds you have so choosing when to use them is key. In FF13 you can also sneak up on your enemies introducing a stealth element which gives you a pre-emptive strike.

9)In The Menus
Before you even get into battle the menus allow you to learn new abilities by spending points earned in battle. Choosing and upgrading your weapon/accessories and dismantling and creating new equipment as well as choosing your different Paradigm combinations all translate to the battlefield depending on the choices you make.

10)Perfecting your strategy
Finally you are ranked on your performance in battle. The faster you defeat your enemy the better your rank. The higher the rank the more points you get for new abilities, the faster your Tactical Points replenish and the more rare items are dropped by the enemy.

I hope my coverage of the battle system is useful to those that are being put off by those that say there is no depth to the gameplay. Trust me, most are selecting Auto Battle because it's the easy option and then moaning about it.

All of the above I have gleaned from only 12 hours of play so I imagine there is much more depth to the battle system to come. Does the game have flaws? definitely, and many of them are outlined in these other reviews. When it comes to the battle system though it really is as in depth as you want it to be. If you want to just bash X the option is there. If you want a challenge though take on the system at full speed selecting your own abilities.

Once you experience the speed of battle you'll be glad you only control one character although I must admit not being able to switch the character you control mid-battle is the only negative.

I for one already think it's the best battle system ever in a Final Fantasy. It combines the turn based battling of earlier incarnations with the faster real time battling of FF12 which eliminates the impression of "you attack then I attack" creating some phenomenal looking battles. Of course this is only my opinion, but I hope for anyone reading it is an informed one.

Give it time...
I love this game, the graphics are stunning, the storyline suitably mental and the depth of weapons/accessories/items and their various upgrades will keep people occupied for weeks if that is their thing, especially the ability to dismantle equipment and obtain rare items not available anywhere else. There are also Ultimate weapons to strive towards for each character.

The battle system allows an X button thrash but you will need to know your Paradigms before tackling the later bosses and the massively powerful beasts you encounter further down the line. If you want more control, you can choose your actions more carefully but it may be worth slowing the battle speed down in the options (which I believe you can do).

The character upgrade is similar to the Sphere Grid in FFX, with the option to grind really opening up around chapter 10, but it's worth careful thought where to spend you hard earned Crystalarium(?) points.

There are hunt missions as in FFXII which I haven't reached yet, but I believe the game opens up completely after the main storyline has finished allowing the player to explore/battle to their hearts content. I have the Piggyback book to accompany this and the bestiary lists some big creatures not remotely beatable (within a sensible time) at the moment.

It IS very linear during the story, but in terms of the entire life of the game, it's not a huge problem for me as I know the story will finish and then I can really start levelling and getting on with the hunts.

If you can stand Hope's whining and Snow's winking, stick with it is my advice. It's a great game.

A diversion from the path
I have played previous Final Fantasy games. From 7-13 (None of the earlier ones though) and I have enjoyed each one. Yes even FF12! Though this addition flips them over. It isn't really a free roamer like the rest. Its more or less a set path you have to follow. Some people do not like this. To be honest I don't really have a problem with it. I find it easier to know what I was doing if I can't play for a while. The graphics on the PS3 are brilliant. 1080p gone to good use. Fighting is a bit of an annoyance as you got the Auto battle option which just makes things a bit to easy and its stuck at the top of the fight screen. Normally I use Ability and choose the ones I would like to use instead. Another annoying thing is during battles you control one character. The others auto attack. If your controlled character dies then it is Fight over and you got to retry. Supposedly your friends don't know about phoenix downs. I love the new Paradigms system. Much easier to manage than gambits. If you are needing more DPS then assign people as Ravagers, if you need healing assign a medic etc. Easy switching during battles by the L1 button. Then there are the Ei something or others... I'll call them Guardian forces like FF8. These GF's cast a doom spell on you. The only way to get this off is by impressing them in battle. ome like defensive people. Some like offensive. Once impressed they will join the character that you are in control of at that point. The game has another brilliant story like every one of these games have had. These stories are what have kept me coming back each time. So far I have enjoyed FF13 and haven't spotted any actual problems in the game. Though if you are after another FF game like the rest of the series then perhaps skip this one. But if you would like to watch the story/are new/would like to try something different then I would definitly suggest buying it.