Final Fantasy XIII is like a supermodel; astoundingly beautiful but with little substance.
Gameplay: The intention of Square Enix with Final Fantasy XIII was to strip away much of the complexity in order for the game to appeal to a new, younger audience. In a sense you could say they were successful. You now only control one character in battle, and the game does much of the actual "strategy" for you using what is called the "Paradigm" system. This controls the abilities available to other characters, similar to how the class system worked on Final Fantasy 5. For me the nail in the coffin, and in a sense what also appears to be the whole direction of the game, is the "Auto-Battle" menu item for your main character. Apart from the occasional time you need to micro-manage, you don't even need to think about strategy besides the paradigm anymore! The simplification is also reflected in the "exploration" of the world environment. By exploration I mean, of course, a linear path going from A to B via C (the odd enemy) with your reward being D (usually a cut-scene). Lather, rinse, repeat. Maybe this really is bringing the game to the barebones of what actually makes an RPG game fun, but for me I didn't feel grounded in a real world inhabited by people effected by real events. And as if to make more of a mockery of previous games and their fans, a huge explorable area is tacked on in the last quarter of the game, which bears little relation to the rest of the story or it's world. When in a conversation it came up that the game gets better towards the end, I don't consider playing 40+ hours to get to the best bits a plus points. Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting the interactivity or freedom of Skyrim in a Japanese RPG. Indeed, in a JRPG what I look for is a more linear story with a non-customisable but completely relatable main character, as part of a wider world and storyline with a clear beginning, middle and end. But this isn't so much a game as an interactive movie. And I feel like I'm playing for 40 hours before I can finally get to a "World Map" for the first time.
Graphics: Hands down, this is the best part. The graphics are simply stunning, especially for a multi-platform game. Square Enix aimed to create a game that looked as good at the recent Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and it definitely doesn't disappoint. Character animation is fluid; the environments are highly detailed and with very decent effects. I also have not seen a graphical glitch through the entire game. Graphically, the game does everything it can to draw you into the world.
Sound: Besides the title screen music and the battle theme, the soundtrack for this game feels uninspired. This is pretty disappointing for a series which prided itself for the quality of its music. Tunes don't really feel like they are going anywhere; they are slow, and have a real anti-climatic feel to them. An even bigger knee in the bollocks (and yet more representative of the "populist" direction of the series) is the fact the main theme of the game was changed in English additions to some crap from a Leona Lewis album. Advertising for the game apparently point to her being a huge fan of it. She seems almost as in awe of the graphics as I was, so it must be legit! I can't understate enough how much something like switching a theme song for "localised" markets can have on the affect of the game. It damages the (in this game somewhat limited) build up of the game's soundtrack. Voice acting is also disappointing- they seemed to forgotten the lessons learnt from Final Fantasy XII and it's amazing voice talent to go back a step with miserable-sounding actors. And if I have to hear Vanille one more time, I swear it will mean the end to my TV.
Overall: If you can get it for £5, and you are a serious, serious fan of the old games and just have to buy this, then get it. For every other fan of the series, the experience will probably be too depressing. You'd be better off getting Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
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