A hidden gem

This is a hidden gem of a game. I didn't give it much of a chance when it first came out because of its steep learning curve, punishing difficulty at the beginning and radical departure from FFXIII-2. But now that I've spent a dozen or so hours with it, I can say that it's a rewarding game with a decent story that makes you think about how you would spend your life if you became immortal. I never found Lightning to be a very interesting protagonist, but you can dress her up however you like and customize her fighting skills to suit your play style. Many of the NPC voice acting is good, but I found myself skipping alot of the dialogue in the many side quests that you have to endure to level up. The environments look great, really pushing the graphical limits of the PS3, which at times results in a significant framerate drop, especially during battles with multiple enemies. Fans of the music from the FFXIII trilogy are in for a treat as many of the best tracks from the first two games return, joining a fantastic collection of original tracks for this game. The FFXIII trilogy got a lot of hate back in the day because of the sluggish pacing of the first game and the disjointed experience of the second game. I recently replayed FFXIII-2 and liked it, mostly because of the fast paced combat and music. I found Noel and Serah to be pretty boring as protagonists, but that's just my opinion, in the end both of the first games are still AAA games and solid RPGs. This one may end up being my favorite just because of how unique it is.Read full review

Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned