Am I the only person who enjoyed Final Fantasy 13?

[Fizzy]

Originally, I bought Final Fantasy 13 quite a while after it's release. This was due to the fact that critics completely shit on the game. They made me feel that the game would be terrible and I began to believe them, putting aside my undying love for the series. Eventually, I ran out of games to play and decided this would be worth the investment. I got home and began playing it. Immediately, I was turned off. I couldn't grasp the battle system, and the game just didn't intrigue me. I let it sit on my shelf for months never even thinking of picking it back up.

Then, 13-2 was announced and it received a perfect review from Famitsu, the one reviewer that usually trumps all for me. At that point in time, I pre-ordered 13-2 and told myself i'd get through 13 no matter how much I hated it. Well, I started playing about a week ago, and I cannot stop. I am absolutely enthralled in the game. I quickly understood the battle system and am slowly mastering it, but i'm so addicted to the amount of possibilities the system presents. I love the graphics, the characters, the story, the battle system, everything about the game. I know the biggest gripe reviewers have pointed out is it's linearity. It really doesn't bother me because i'm having such a fun time progressing and battling. Honestly, this is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite games.

I've read people saying that 13 ruined Final Fantasy for them forever. It seems that nobody says good things about it. That said, I want to know, am I truly the only one who absolutely loves the game?

 

[Dagger Dias]

You're certainly not alone, Fizzy.

I hated 13 at first and nearly walked away from my favorite series. I'm glad I gave it a second chance because it's honestly a great game once you get past how linear it is and get used to the battle system. It's so much better this time around. The Crystarium is almost as awesome as the Sphere Grid and the battle system was honestly pretty well done. I could have done with more playable characters and less linear of a main quest, but I really enjoyed this game. It breathed life back into the FF series when X-2, 11, and 12 had done quite a bit of damage to the overall quality of the series in my opinion. FF13 may not be the best game in the series, but it's the best since 10 and speaking as someone who hated it at first, it's worth another look. I'm currently replaying it and working on trying to get everyone into a Super Specialist role. I can't wait for FF13-2, although I will end up having to wait until my birthday in March.

 

[Fizzy]

I haven't touched 13-2 yet because i'm going to beat 13 first. Your comment regarding 12 hurting the franchise, I do not agree with. Twelve was an amazing game and one of my absolute favorites. The story was amazing, the graphics were fucking mind blowing and stack up against today's games, the battle system was great and the leveling system was near flawless once you understood it. I have never beat it because it's hard as shit, but i'll be going back to it again sooner or later. I haven't played 11, but hated 10-2 despite 10 being my second favorite game of all time. I'm hoping to get my hands on 9 soon as well.

 

[Dagger Dias]

We can agree to disagree on 12 for now. I don't hate it by any means, but it's below average when ranked against the rest of the series. Perhaps I need to revisit 12 after my runs in 13 and 13-2, given that I hated 13 at first too. I didn't like it although it's nowhere near as bad as 10-2, which was absolute garbage. The only good thing about that game was how Rikku looked in most of her outfits. The series' quality in every game after 10 was below the quality that a legendary series like FF is capable of, in my opinion. FF13 was a step in the right direction because it came closer to that potential than either 10-2 or 12 did, and if 13-2 is as good as the reviews say, we will be in for another enjoyable title. Have you played 9 before, since you mentioned looking for it? If not, you need to. It's one of my favorites alongside 4, 7, and 6.

 

[BlueLightning]

I will say this: Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a much more enjoyable product than Final Fantasy XIII was. Something about it has captured me more from the get-go than the original.

 

[General Douchehead]

I really enjoyed 13 myself. As a lifelong fan of the Final Fantasy series, I was expecting to be extremely disappointed with it judging from what everybody elses reactions to it, but I honestly enjoyed the 2/3rds of the game I've managed to play (I'm yet to complete it, so far it's been pretty fantastic though. I need to complete it sometime).

I agree with some of the problems stated about it, it's linear as hell. Even more linear than most shooting games. Which is something I don't want in an RPG. But if you can get past that you get into a truly wonderful game. Sazh is probably one of the best, if not THE best character in the entire series. The rest ranged from great to bleh. It's absolutely stunning in terms of visuals. The battle system takes a while to get use to, but it's really a step in the right direction. There's a lot more to praise, but I'd have to play through to decide what I liked and didn't like.

I wouldn't list it as great as 9, 6 or 4, but I'd say it's really pretty good. 13-2 I've not had the time to play yet but apparently it fixes a lot of the problems people had with 13, so that is good to hear. I'll pick it up when the price drops slightly, since it's currently behind three other games in terms of must-own at the moment for me.

Also I was probably the only person in the entire universe to enjoy 10-2. Even then it was just because the battle system was near perfect. I honestly don't remember much else about it, (probably because the story was garbage and I couldn't bring myself to care for Yuna or the new character they introduced) but the battle system and job system was pretty much one of the highest points in the entire series.

 

[Mr. HD]

You're not alone dude, I myself enjoyed Final Fantasy XIII very much.

My only gripe was that it was too long, but then again it's not Final Fantasy if isn't a long game, so I digress.

After the debacle, well not debacle so to speak, of FF 12, This game was a perfect rebound. I guess because it was the first Final Fantasy on the PS3 and people were dying to see what it would look like and I liked it A LOT.

The only people I say would hate it are the old school Final Fantasy players who are still lost in the olden days and believe the Franchise has downgraded, but I believe it's upgraded. I'm still trying to convince my friend who says FF7 is the best one made. I disagree. I still think FFX was a masterpiece, but I'm getting off topic.

What made 13 so good besides the graphics, was the improvement of the gameplay and battle system. The Crystarium was a major upgrade from previous games, Paradigms were introduced where you could adjust your Team for certain situations, and the music in the background was a BIG plus. There was none of the "take-turns" nonense where you had to strategize for everyone else. Each character had their assignments and they knew what to do, all you had to do was control your character. The only thing I didn't like about THAT is it gave the Player A LOT of responsibility because if the Leader died, the Game is Over.

I think the story is also underrated. It took me a while to differentiate L'Cie and Fal'Cie and just why Fang had her L'Cie mark branded on her arm and wasn't crystallized or anything, but everybody had a Major role to play, and once you understood how the characters were and how the seriousness of their situation was increased, then it made you pay attention

I played the Demo of FF XIII-2 and I already like it better than the original. Ok, maybe I wouldn't go that far, but You can use Monsters as Allies. Beyond Awesome. But that's both good and bad, but again, I'm getting off topic. I can't wait to play it, but I'm going to have to wait as I have no money at the moment

 

[Sean Valjean]

I enjoyed XIII, but not for the reasons I enjoy Final Fantasy. For me, Final Fantasy has been all about the story and the unforgettable moments. The end of the world in VI. Aeris' death in VII. Tidus forced into killing his father in X. Final Fantasy XIII is the only game in the series that my fondest memories of it come from it's battle system.

To be blunt, the XIII's story is a convoluted mess. I'd pay attention to every word uttered and only half understood what was happening at any given moment. I had to constantly refer to the data logs to keep me on track. It's sad because the story really did have a cool premise. And don't get me started on that ending, which is one of the most disappointing climax in recent memory.

Outside of Lighting and Fang and MAYBE Sazh, I just couldn't get into any of the characters at all and the world of Cocoon didn't engage me like previous FF settings.
The linearity of the game was annoying, but I could put up with that thanks to it's phenomenal battle system. Final Fantasy is all about the story so when that flops, it's a big deal for me.