Final Fantasy XIII

"Everyone who likes Japanese RPG will love Final Fantasy 13.  Cynamite.com
"A phenomenal RPG destined to be remembered as a technical milestone for the series.  Joe Juba, Game Informer
"...every last detail feels thoroughly polished.  Playstation: The Official Magazine

1Up.Com 9 of 10
Final Fantasy XIII (FFXIII) is a game at a crossroads. It's stranded at the intersection between the desires of an existing fanbase, the fading popularity of a genre, a legacy of cutting-edge visuals, and the rising cost of game development. It's a creation that displays the compromises of its development process at every turn, yet to its credit, it doesn't feel compromised. It's defined by creative tradeoffs, yet it embraces those potential shortcomings and transforms them into integral components of its design...FFXIII is ambitious and daring, not to mention gorgeous and energetic. It approaches the concept of "role-playing games" with ruthless pragmatism, lopping off hunks of RPG tradition like a doctor operating on a terminally gangrenous patient. Traditional towns are too difficult to manage in light of the demands of current technology and art design? Whack -- they're gone. Free-roaming exploration too difficult to implement properly? Chop -- there goes the nonlinearity. Micromanaging turn-based combat bogs down the pacing of battles? Snip -- let the AI handle it...The A.I.-driven nature of the combat leaves you free to focus on managing general strategies and coordinating your party leader's actions for maximum effect. There's an easy rhythm to fights, and subtle visual and audio cues help you keep a bead on the tide of battle without the need to watch numbers and meters. Let a character be reduced to critical health and one of their companions will call out their name in concern so you know who needs help; switch over to a healing paradigm and the target of a healing spell will shout a word of thanks so you know they're in the clear again. It's these subtle details, along with more significant elements like the guard break-style "stagger" system, that elevate FFXIII's battles to excellence...Like Mass Effect 2, FFXIII seems to be an attempt to answer the question of how to create an RPG for the modern, console-owning masses. Square Enix's solution is certainly different than BioWare's, but it's arguably just as effective in its own way. I can't say that this is the direction I want the genre as a whole to go -- or even the Final Fantasy series, for that matter -- but Square should be commended for embarking on an interesting journey down a daring road when so many of their competitors are content to stand, directionless, back at the crossroads. - Jeremy Parish

IGN.com 9 of 10
For years, the Final Fantasy series has stood as a seemingly timeless pillar of Japanese role-playing games. With fantastic characters, intricate stories and complex battle systems, Final Fantasy is one of the most recognizable names in the videogame world -- and for good reason. Surprisingly, Final Fantasy XIII abandons a number of well-loved series traditions in favor of a more straight-forward approach. While fans might be concerned by this, the two most important aspects of the series -- the battle system and the narrative -- remain just as strong as they always have...In Final Fantasy XIII, players take control of six different characters with the sharp-eyed Lightning taking the "lead role." Although the game does tend to stress Lightning as the primary heroine, Final Fantasy XIII is reminiscent of Final Fantasy VI in that you control all the characters at different times and you jump between the groups frequently. This multi-story approach, as well as a clever use of flashbacks, makes Final Fantasy XIII's story quite enjoyable, at least in terms of its structure...When you consider the constant tension, fast pace and high reward of the Final Fantasy XIII battle system, it's easy to see why this game is fun to play. It's also constantly satisfying, as players can sink collectively earned experience points into the Crystarium system, which is like a very pretty version of the Sphere Grid from Final Fantasy X. Or, for those unfamiliar with the series, it's basically the way you choose your skills and level up your character. I got a huge sense of satisfaction from manually leveling up each character's roles in this manner...Final Fantasy XIII is a great JRPG and sports a fast-paced, challenging, satisfying battle system. The game also boasts an intricate story, a likeable cast of characters and the best visuals in the series yet (of course)...But hardcore Final Fantasy fans might be disappointed by the game's abandonment of franchise traditions like open worlds, town exploration and complex mini-games. The game is still worth buying, but it doesn't quite feel as complete as its well-loved predecessors. - Ryan Clements