- The voice acting is not movie quality. Yes, the Japanese voice track was not included on your PS3 disc. Get over it. While it may not be the best voice over I’ve ever heard, it certainly isn’t the worst.
- The story is ludicrous. For anyone who has played a Final Fantasy game before, this does not come as a shock to you. The undeniably emo story and characters of each game become endearing in a patronizing “pat on the head” sort of way.
- The game is fairly linear. Final Fantasy XIII steps off the beaten path to explore a more guided experience. Part of the game opens up after 30 or so hours, but even then – after exploring – you are eventually strongly encouraged to move on with the story. Whether the choice was a rousing success still remains to be seen, but there were not many times I felt like I was chained down to a path with no means of escape.
- There are no towns. I suppose there is a part of me deep down that misses having towns. I mean, who didn't love traipsing all over town to go from one vendor to the next or waiting for an animation of your party sleeping in the inn or having to visit a church to resurrect your party (and save) or having to talk to every towns person just to learn tiny plot points or trivial information? No wait, I don’t miss that at all. Shopping, upgrading and saving your game is a breeze, and after a certain point in the game, there is even fast travel.
- You will do some grinding in this game, but not as much as you think. First off, grinding in a Japanese role playing game – such as Final Fantasy – is to be expected. Deep down, lovers of this genre somewhat get off on the grinding – it makes us feel the huge time sink was worth it because we suffered for it. Secondly, just short of running past many of the enemies, you will have garnered enough Crystarium Points (CP) to have maxed out the main roles of each character up through Level 9. Once you have completed the main storyline, the tenth and final Crystarium level will open.
- Upgrading weapons is confusing and time consuming. The long and the short of it is: there are three types of “components” (battle drops): mineral, organic and mechanical. Minerals simply upgrade one weapon into another weapon. Using Organic materials increases a hidden counter that positively affects the multiplier. Using Mechanical materials does the opposite but gives lots of weapon/accessory experience. So, use Organic material to attain a three times multiplier, then unleash your mechanical materials in one go.
- They don’t let you change your party until far into the game. While it may feel constricting that the game dictates who is in your party when, it is imperative they do so. Learning the roles and how to effectively create synergy amongst them is tantamount to successfully navigate the game. Depending on the situation, I will set my party accordingly and custom generate all six active paradigms to achieve the best result.
- The battle system is complex and challenging. No doubt about it; the battle system in Final Fantasy XIII is not cheap and easy. It is not something you pick up in the first hour, which is why you’re still receiving tutorials for it 9 hours into the game. Once you have finished the tutorials, the real complexities open up and you begin your quest to master possibly the most challenging battle system ever in the series. Before stepping into a battle, you must take into account the members of your party, what roles they have, what paradigms you have active, which paradigm will begin the battle, the weapons and accessories equipped, how many Technical Points you have, the number of enemies, the strength of the enemies and what skills those enemies have. Once you’re in the battle, many of those variables above are set, but that does not equal automatic win. You take command as a general would and effectively coordinate your attacks using the proper paradigm shifts.
- Paradigm shifts are the key to a successful battle. You cannot just zerg-rush (i.e. Paradigm = Relentless Assault) every battle. I’m sorry for all those who think you should be able to always keep the same three characters and then get into battle and press A or X to win. Paradigms are the execution plans to enact your overall strategy. As with any battle, you must be able to adapt, change strategies and take advantage when you can. That may mean dropping into a defensive stance to heal or a more offensive stance with physical attacks and debuffs. Yes, you may change in and out of them a lot, but that is what makes the strategic execution of paradigms so satisfying.
- You are going to die. And not just during Boss fights, sometimes, simple encounters can get the better of you. I’m 75+ hours into the game and there are still certain monsters that absolutely destroy me. When you do perish, you respawn directly in front of the fight just as you were prior without penalty. You aren't sent back to your last save point or need to find a church, just a simple immediate respawn giving you an opportunity to attack again or run like hell.
All-in-all, this game will not be for everyone, but if you are going to give Final Fantasy XIII a chance, you would do well to remember these 10 things you ought to know. And if you don't care for it, just wait... another Final Fantasy game is right around the corner.
