She's Got Game

I have played Final Fantasy XIII for a few hours now... so while I haven't finished it (I'll make another post whenever I do), I wanted to let you know how it was going so far!



One of the first thing I noticed was the amazing graphics. This really is a beautiful game. Even the battles are set up to look beautiful. The battle style is a bit strange for me, it is almost turn based in the way it is set up. After the first couple of chapters, you are able to change battle styles where each of your characters change specs, which is pretty neat. For example, whenever I have Snow, Lightning, and Vanille, the battle style will be Relentless Assault at the beginning, but if my characters begin to lose health, I can change it to Solidarity and Snow will become a tank (where he provokes, shields, and takes all of the damage) and Vanille will become the healer.

I also appreciate the ease in upgrading gear. You simply click optimize, choose whether you want the character to be balanced, defensive, or offensive, and it will make the best choices out of your pack. I have been playing Dragon Age: Origins as well, and you have to individually choose the armor for your party members, and while easy enough, it takes some time to do. Of course in Final Fantasy XIII, you are mostly choosing accessories instead of their entire armor outfit, but it still makes the game time go smoother.

The game play is not particularly challenging. It focuses a lot on the story (which I won't give away), so if you are looking for more of an action packed game, this definitely is not for you. Essentially, you'll do about five battles or so, then it will be story time. If you enjoy a casual game though, it is a beautiful game with a great story. A scene in the first chapter already had brought tears to my eyes.

This is one of my first Xbox 360 games.  I have mostly been a PC gamer, and an online gamer at that, so this is a huge shift for me, but I have really been enjoying the game.

Have you played Final Fantasy XIII or any of the Final Fantasy Series?  Also - they're coming out with an online game soon for PC and PS3 - will you consider playing it?