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The midnight release for "Final Fantasy XIII" was probably the second biggest midnight release I’ve ever been to.
All kinds of fans, from geeks to frat boys, were there, and I realized just how deep of a following the series had.
It’s possible "Final Fantasy XIII" may alienate loyal fans, as it takes the series off in a new direction.
Along the way, the game’s designers changed many things that were integral to the series.
For example, players no longer gain levels. Instead, they instead earn Crystarium points, which can be used to purchase bonuses like new attacks or more hit points.
The system used to buy these points is similar to the sphere grid system from "Final Fantasy X."
Designers also got rid of towns where a character can rest or buy items, instead installing shops into the various save points throughout the worlds.
Potions and other healing items have also been changed significantly, as players are now only allowed to use them in battle. Now, after every fight, the hero’s party is completely healed.
If players end up dying, they are taken to a screen where they can then retry their last fight, getting rid of the ancient role-playing game rule to save often.
It’s as if game designers, Square Enix, decided to make this the easiest game in the series, but it isn’t a welcome change.
Gamers don’t need the action spoon-fed to them.
The player also doesn’t directly control the party, instead only controlling one main character, and the computer controls the rest.
This would have been fine if it used the system from "Final Fantasy XII," but it feels more like how one would command their partners in the series spinoff "Kingdom Hearts."
Players can change what attack style their other party members are using mid-fight via paradigm shifting, but it’s a complicated system and hard to get the hang of.
However, for everything that veterans of the series may hate, there is also plenty for them to love.
The story is about a xenophobic society on the planet Cocoon that has decided to purge an entire city due to their encounter with an outside creature from the planet Pulse.
Several noble heroes, people with names like Snow and Lightning, decide to save as many of those being purged as possible, only to accidentally become tainted by the creature that started the whole problem.
Now, they must figure out what exactly is going on with Cocoon’s government, as well as cure themselves of their new infection.
The world of Cocoon is perhaps the most technologically advanced world ever presented in the "Final Fantasy" series, with monsters like cyborg cats and giant jets.
It is also a beautiful world, as if the greatest painter took every fabulous color and created things a person could only dream of, from a magical land of crystal to a dank, cyberpunk-like landscape.
The characters are also some of the more entertaining ones presented.
No more is the lead male a silent, brooding tough guy. Instead, Snow, is a brash, pigheaded giant with a heart of gold who only wants to marry his fiance.
Lightning, the lead female, is no dainty princess either, and she carries out the plan to free a majority of those to be purged.
Most of the other characters are also new to the series in some fashion, from the boy who just wants to go home to the girl who fights with a whip made out of deer antlers.
Also, there is Sazh, the man with a pet bird living in his hair.He is awesome.
For those new to the series, "Final Fantasy XIII" is a great jumping on point, but those who wanted a something similar to "Final Fantasy VIII" best look elsewhere.
"Final Fantasy XIII" is available for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Grade: A-
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