Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)

About Final Fantasy XIII what's there to say?

The story is awesome but has a slow start, it takes a while before you start understanding everything there is to know.

The image quality is has good as it could be. Everything is in the place, the scenarios are simple beautiful, from crystal of snow and forests, through mountains, valleys and rocky areas to grassy plains, simply great in every detail.

The Battle system is easy to get used to it, easy to use and once you learn how to work through different paradigms, different character roles and everything, you'll love even more the game.

The Soundtrack and voice acting are flawless, except for the battle music, when the violin starts, it gets really repetitive and annoying. Hopefully the music sometimes adapts to the map music and changes to a different tune. The voice acting is simply amazing and gives the game a touch of reality.

The game has just a major flaw that kind of ruins the liberty you're used in other FF games.

LINEARITY.

The game is extremely linear in the beginning till late game. you just follow the road on the map, with obvious splits for treasures but nothing to worry. Just plain running forward. Even the maps don't try to disguise this when they put you in tunnels and sewers. Late in game you have missions and quests that give the game a sense of dynamism so it becomes more fluid.

Same happens to Character Development. Until late chapters, going through the map, running forward and killing every monster on the way is enough to level your characters through the "Crystalarium" (Just like FFX sphere grid with less branches). The "Crystalarium" keeps unlocking as the game goes, unlocking new developments as each chapter goes by, and you don't even need to power level or to earn CP (crystalarium points) for later. (trying to spoil the less possible)

What happens in the end is that you manage to get everything with every character that you need.

The game in terms of Difficult or Time is just right, with 40+ hours at least and a easy in the beginning but hard at the end of the playthrough is well measured.

I wouldn't state this game as a must buy, only to RPG fans, but I can at least say its a fabulous game with great sense of adventure, beautiful story and visuals, awesome voice acting and soundtrack and easy to use battle system, that's more than worth buying! .