by Jon Greene

Created on: April 10, 2010

The Final Fantasy series has always had a special place in my heart. For my eleventh birthday, after months of saving, I bought an original Playstation with a memory card, extra controller and a game called Final Fantasy VII. The scope, gameplay, characters and storyline were unlike anything I’d experienced before. Since then I’ve played every new addition to the franchise, and whilst my opinions have varied considerably on each, I still get excited about upcoming titles.

I approached XIII with some trepidation, XII had left a bitter taste in my mouth and I was beginning to wonder if, ten years after I first played VII, I had become too old and cynical to have any real immersion or connection with the series, or if the genre itself was saturated and outdated. But pre-order I did (though I refused to fork out the £60 for the collector’s edition), and the days passed with the release date always at the back of my mind. I felt eleven again when I got home and found a small parcel waiting for me inside the door, the evening before the release date.

To the say the graphics are ‘breathtaking’ or ‘stunning’ would sound predictable and redundant. If you’re reading this review, the chances are that you’ve at least seen a trailer or gameplay footage. If that’s the case, you’ll agree with me that visually this game is both breathtaking and stunning.  The attention to detail on the characters is beautiful to behold, and the landscapes and environments are equally impressive. The opening sequence of the game is worth re-watching so you can stare in wonder at just how good it looks. And fans of the series will notice the similarities between the opening sequence of XIII and parts of VI and VII.

The storyline is a new take on one of the ‘traditional’ storylines that run through the Final Fantasy series. An unlikely group is thrown together and united in a common goal and ultimately they must rebel against a greater evil. There is of course, so much more that fleshes the story out through its duration, and there are some interesting character dynamics. One thing that bugged me a little though, was that at times, seemingly crucial aspects of the main storyline were only delivered through reading the information updated to the ‘Datalog.’ Sometimes I felt that it interrupted the flow and direction of the story, like I was being spoon-fed the parts that they couldn’t make

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