The Final Fantasy series of video games has been one of the overwhelming successes of recent years, and each new instalment has been eagerly anticipated. We are now onto XIII, is it as good as the rest?
As with its predecessors,
Final Fantasy XIII is a role playing game for use with games consoles. It was first released in Japan for the Playstation 3 in December 2009 and March 2010 saw its release to the rest of the world on the Playstation 3 and also the Xbox 360. It has been well received, as have all the games in this series and the die hard fans rate it as the best ever. There are, however, those who see it as a game too far and that instead of bringing something new it is simply a revamp of what has gone before.
The biggest change since the last instalment has been in the battle system. To try and keep the strategic battles feeling fresh, it has tried to recreate the systems used in the FF VII, with a few twists. Unlike FF XII, when you encounter enemies you do not fight them there and then, you are transported to a separate battle screen, away from the main playing area. There is the welcome return of the ATB (active time battle), but the difference is that you can link together a chain of commands to create an attack, and thus receive attack bonuses.
The Role system still exists, so that all the characters benefits from different strengths and weaknesses, and aren`t all the same. A bid deal has been made of this is the marketing campaign, but to be honest, it should come as standard, as what fun is there is controlling lots of different characters who all possess the same qualities?
There is a new levelling system in FF XIII, known as the Crystarium System. This is similar to the Sphere Grid which was a big feature of FFX, but instead of gaining experience points after you have dispensed with an enemy, you now get CP (Crystogen Points) which can be saved up and then spent on various attributes, maximizing your HP for example. Every player has their own Crystarium, and it includes sections which correspond to the roles that the character has available to them. The Crystariums are not there at the outset, and are reached by making your way through the sequence of stories. As you go on, more and more levels are unlocked until you reach the maximum that your character can achieve. You start with the choice of three specialist areas for your character, and then more roles are unlocked.
The setting for FF XIII is a planet called Pulse, which is home to a race of mechanical beings known as the fal`Cie. They have god like powers and contain crystals which effectively control them. They set their sights on various characters, which are known as l`Cie. These all have jobs to do and goals that the fal`Cie have given them, and obviously, its up to you to figure out what these are and stop them first.
Overall, this is an enjoyable game with a lot going for it. The graphics are, as ever, exemplary, and the characters a lot of fun to control. It just has a feeling of finality about it, which may be no bad thing. This series has to come to an end sooner or later, maybe this is a fitting final Final Fantasy.
