So I finally managed to get around to beating this game that I nearly didn’t purchase on release date. I’ll be the first to admit I’m a sucker for a Square Enix game so I had high hopes this new addition to the FF series wouldn’t disappoint. I waited and waited for the US release date to roll around, all the while shaking my fist at Japan for getting the game several months before I could even think about playing it.

After my usual ritual of bugging the Game Stop employees, I finally had my chance to play the game. Immediately I was greeted with an impressive cut scene. After the initial introduction of the first two characters, I took control and ran off to get into a fight to test out the battle system I had heard some people complain about. I can see why some people didn’t like it, but I found it to be a pretty good battle system. Not all the time do I want to be tactical while grinding so the “Press A to beat on enemy” option was nice to have.

Hope. Yes, I hated the character Hope. I found him to be excessively whiney, and yes I know he went through a tragedy but his logic he uses to come to all his decisions afterwards is just so twisted I really don’t know what to say about it. Let’s see…oh yes, Adamantoise. I really really hate Adamantoise. They were the last thing in between me and my party having their ultimate weapons, I wont spoil anything for you so go have fun trying to kill one. Keyword is trying after all.

The return of Eidolons was a big hit with me, and the fact they have a vehicle form they transform into when you turn on Gestalt Mode. I liked the explanation of how they get magic, and the fact the only way your enemies on Cocoon have it is if they use a technological device known as a Mana Drive.

The game itself is worth the full price if you ask me, but under no circumstance should you buy the strategy guide. There is absolutely no reason to. All the levels up to chapter eleven are linear so you don’t need a map. You can use Libra on enemies to see their weaknesses, and mash the hell out of the lazy button to win most normal fights. Anything else you need can be found with a simple Google search or asking a question on a relevant FFXIII board.

Final Fantasy XIII is a great addition to the line up of games made by Square Enix. Granted they removed towns and made it slightly linear for the most part, they did have some tweaks in that made up for it if you ask me. I’m still waiting to try out ultimate weapons and five star the final boss, but with some grinding, which is something you should get used to if you play this game, I should be able to pick up the last few things in the game I’ve missed. Expect to put many hours into this game, I beat it and have over sixty hours into that save file.

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360

AMMIH Rating: 4

SMS (Sicky’s Motion Sickness) Rating: 1