Final Fantasy XIII - Most Unappreciated in Series?

Gamerpros.co makes the argument that the Final Fantasy XIII arc is the most underappreciated set of games in the whole franchise.

Final Fantasy XIII was rather divisive. While its gameplay and combat system were superb, the story was a bit over pretentious and it was extremely linear, with the player simply going from place to place on a pre-set path. The characters were wonderful though, the combat was intricate and completely customizable, and there was a level of difficulty — especially during the boss battles. You had to think quick on your toes with the paradigm system and be able to quickly switch your player’s roles in order to survive. It is the best Final Fantasy battle system yet, but fans are so hung up on the game’s linearity and complex story that the game gets so much unwanted hate from fans of the series, who actually prefer story over gameplay.

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The battle system is a mixture of the system found in the previous two games with real-time combat. It took a bit of getting used to but I truly enjoyed it. Lightning can be equipped with a number of different outfits that allow her to perform magic, become a mighty warrior and more. Even her gear (like weapons) can be bought and equipped, making her classes completely customizable. The game was not critically praised, but I found it to be a wonderful conclusion to the XIII saga, even if the ending was a typical Japanese trope about killing God (who is actually just another deity within the mythology of Fabula Nova Crystallis). The combat and gameplay are solid, and you have a whole world to explore and so many quests to complete with incredibly compelling characters. All the characters from the previous titles return in unexpected ways, and it really is a great ‘last hurrah’ for the XIII series. Lightning’s character arc is finally put to an end, and it is one of the most dynamic and introspective arcs in the entire Final Fantasy series.

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"While its gameplay and combat system were superb…"

WHAT!?!? The crafting wasn't good at all. The combat system was interesting but I had a lot more fun with 12's gambit system.

"The characters were wonderful though…"

<shakes head> I think Hope is probably the worst character in all the Final Fantasy games. That kid is outright painful.

"…who actually prefer story over gameplay."

I'll take either, myself, but didn't get either from 13.

But I guess this guy enjoyed it. Me, I'll take Dragon Age 2 over FF13 any day.

I need more Fang.

I enjoyed very much the character concept of Lightning, and in fact I played through FFXIII: Lightning Returns only to get more of her, but I also feel the game wasn't all I had hoped. Still a good game, though.

I'm not sure what to think of FFXV coming out this year, but possibly for the first time in the whole series I'm not hyped in the least.

Eh, it was a pain in the ass, but it still had one of the sweetest moments in gaming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebEWe5ylDKE

Originally Posted by Zloth
"While its gameplay and combat system were superb…"

WHAT!?!? The crafting wasn't good at all.

Combat perhaps on mushrooms…
On PC I was like watching my favorite TV show while a battle is going on, clicky clicky, battle won dunno how. That's not combat, that's clickfest.

Crafting was utterly disgusting. What to sell, what to use, what can you get… Not a single hint.

I didn't finish the game, but the only two things that kept me going on till the moment I ditched it were a bit better hair than in other games and story.

IMO if it's most unappreciated, that's deserved 100%.
FF13 is the only FF game I've ever tried. And I can't recommend it to anyone. Sorry.

Everyone had great hair in this game. Especially that guy who had a small chicken living in it.

LOL no, not everyone.
That potato bush was the most horrible thing in the game.

I've played 7, 8, 9, 10, (11), 12 and 13. I can say 13 is my least favorite of them all.

Most Unappreciated in Series?
No, simply just the worst in the series.

My frustration comes from this:
FFXIII had SO MANY potential to be a modern classic - yet it meticulously botches each and every one of them.

So, No, thanks.
Just say No to Final Fantasy XIII.

I've played 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 and 13 and I have to say that 13 is by far the worst one of them. Just like some people said it could have been great though.

The graphics is fantastic though, can't believe they could pull something like that off on the PS3, Xbox 360….

I bought 13-2 for £8 the other week, and cannot believe how spectacularly bad the combat is. What's the point? You may as well not play it.

I read 13's is pretty similar?

Originally Posted by Falksi
I bought 13-2 for £8 the other week, and cannot believe how spectacularly bad the combat is. What's the point? You may as well not play it.

I read 13's is pretty similar?

You shift between those "paradigms" as far as I remember and use appropriate spells, but yes, a lot of times it feels like the game play itself.
I've played only FF VIII prior to this and I think it was at least a bit better.

Originally Posted by BoboTheMighty
You shift between those "paradigms" as far as I remember and use appropriate spells, but yes, a lot of times it feels like the game play itself.


I've played only FF VIII prior to this and I think it was at least a bit better.

Thanks mate. It was dreadful. I'd never felt so detached from a FF game.

I'd say several other entries are genuine classics.

FF XIII was the worst game in the franchise for me.

Even the games I didn't love (VII, VIII, III) I found playable - XIII was just tedious and dull all the way through with very little redeeming it. I didn't mind the combat engine - had the game not been mostly composed of narrow linear corridors and the story been better, the combat engine would have been fine. I don't get those who say the game played itself - the difficulty was such that you HAD to pay attention and constantly shift paradigms and perform certain actions on your own.

But the story and pacing were horrendous. The characters were a mixed bag with half being interesting and well realized but the other just being poorly written/designed/acted. I really wish they had followed FF XII's style all the way through - THAT is the most unappreciated in the series that deserves another look. They should remake or "remaster" that one for modern consoles.

"One of the nice things about Final Fantasy XIII as well is that one of the main characters is black. Sure, he has an afro, and some may look at this as being stereotypical, but for a major Japanese franchise to portray a black man in such a positive light…"

An afro is a hairstyle not a stereotype. Sure, he was portrayed very positively but then the developers seemed to poke fun at his hair type by having a chocobo living in it.

FF13 sucks even by JRPG standard

God I hated this one and was so excited when I got it for my 360….sold it less then a month later.

Have to agree with all of the haters on this one. The combat was wierd but I could give it points for being creative and different. But the lack of any exploration for most of the game, the lack of towns or NPCs or quests, the fact that most of the gameplay was essentially going down a giant infiinite corner filled with encounters and cut scenes, it was so far removed from the games that I enjoyed. The story and characters didn't really grab me either.

Originally Posted by fadedc
Have to agree with all of the haters on this one. The combat was wierd but I could give it points for being creative and different. But the lack of any exploration for most of the game, the lack of towns or NPCs or quests, the fact that most of the gameplay was essentially going down a giant infiinite corner filled with encounters and cut scenes, it was so far removed from the games that I enjoyed. The story and characters didn't really grab me either.

You know, to me it was the opposite. I didn't mind the 'corridor' experience at all, but the combat, man how I hated that.