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An experience that sucks you in, tests your ability to think on your feet, and constantly pushes you forward in its beautiful world. Final Fantasy XIII is one of the most underappreciated JRPGs ever to grace the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. While its quality seems bleak compared to other core entries, it stands on its own as a game worthy of your time. It's a game with gorgeous, meticulously crafted visuals, intriguing combat, and an absorbing story. Still, this is not an RPG for everyone, especially longtime fans of the overall Final Fantasy series who have enjoyed the formula of freedom and exploration, going back to the first core entry. But for those who may be new to the series, don't mind narrow paths and linearity, and are eagerly awaiting a traditional 40-hour story to get entranced into for a couple of weeks, this is still worth checking out. Story & Characters This adventure begins with the world of Gran Pulse, and an endless conflict is tied between this enigmatic space, filled with all kinds of eerie and terrible creatures, and the haven of Cocoon that floats above. Specifically, Cocoon is trying to purge many of its own innocent civilians, fearing they may be from the darkness below. The story tends to lean into the melodramatic more often than not, but the plot makes you care about the varied cast of characters, all coming from different backgrounds but unified through a common goal. Even with everyone else's stories, you'll mostly care about the game's robust, beautiful heroine, Lightning. She's the lifeblood of Final Fantasy XIII, whose personality was initially based on Cloud Strife. However, she sets herself apart well enough and adds to the fantastic lineup of series protagonists. Some of the other members that tag along are incredibly annoying--the most straightforward example being Hope, a lost and confused young boy who consistently places the blame on anything but himself when it comes to challenges. Alongside him, you'll meet Snow, a brawny, quick-witted self-proclaimed hero who is always trying to take on the impossible. Then there's Sazh, an old civilian pilot; Fang, a militia woman; and Vanille, an adorable teenage girl yet whose high-pitched voice and over-joyous attitude will have a tendency to get on your nerves. Graphics and Setting The characters and their somewhat annoying quirks won't irritate you for long, thanks to the fact that everything looks so exquisite in the game. Textures are rendered wonderfully, more so on the PlayStation 3, and the third-person perspective gives you plenty of views to take in the game's breathtaking visuals. This world is practically begging you to explore every nook and cranny, but unfortunately, the game's extremely linear design discourages you from doing so. You're constantly moving forward (rarely left and right), and it is sad to see in a setting so tempting to go off the beaten path you never get enough of a chance. Exploration The formula is relatively static for the first 75% of the game; fight enemies, run forward a few hundred meters, then cutscene. Do it again and again. Keep on doing this for about 24 hours, and now the game gets interesting, with exploration finally available to you in Chapter 11. Despite the narrow corridors and lack of an open world, it ultimately doesn't hinder the sheer enjoyment you'll experience in the game. The bulk of the entertainment in Final Fantasy XIII comes from its heartfelt, touching story and the incredibly fast-paced tactical real-time battle system. Combat and the Paradigm System While you only control one character in battle, that character gets to determine what abilities everyone in the party uses by way of the game's Paradigm System. In Final Fantasy XIII, paradigms allow you to customize the way each hero fights, and you'll need to consistently swap between these to gain the upper hand in battle encounters. Each paradigm represents a set of classes for your party members, such as the Ravager, Medic, and Commando. These roles all contribute to battles in their own respective ways. You can rearrange these for your characters in any order, and doing this will change the name of your Paradigm. For each battle you complete, you're given a rating of up to five stars, and scores determine how efficiently you defeated a set of enemies. The higher your rating, the better the rewards are at the end. Beyond that, you'll be consistently spending Technical Points (TP), which allow you to do things like scan an enemy for their weakness, raise fallen enemies from the dead, and summon enormous, powerful Eidolons. Thanks to being able to retry virtually any battle after you die by placing you right where you were before you encountered an enemy, dying is not an issue; in fact, it's an important aspect of the game. Square Enix has clearly designed the 'Game Over' in a way that encourages players to try different setups to take on each encounter. Combining this with bright, shiny visuals and a great camera to take in the view, the system works very well and is easy to understand despite having a complex exoskeleton. Progression As your characters gain strength, you will level their abilities through the Crystarium system. While also a linear aspect of the game, it is quite satisfying. You'll be leveling up Strength, Health, Magic, and other typical RPG character stats for each class role. Characters only start with three classes, but they'll soon be able to branch off into any role by the second-to-last chapter in the game, allowing you to have a full, versatile choice in which of up to three characters you want to place in your party. However, by the time you complete your enthralling adventure in Final Fantasy XIII, there is very little to do in terms of fun. You can complete a series of up to 64 bonus mission objectives. Many of these are in the small open-world area, but the developers conceived these with little more than an afterthought. Conclusion Don't let the negative reviews of Final Fantasy XIII stop you from playing it. Had this JRPG been released without carrying the FF name, it would have easily been praised as a sleeper hit. While not for everyone, it's a great experience with memorable characters, jaw-dropping graphics, fantastic combat, and enchanting music that will stay with you long after you complete this joyful adventure. Final Fantasy XIII was released worldwide on March 9, 2010, for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It later saw a PC release on October 9, 2014.

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