Saturday, March 26, 2011

Final Fantasy


Final Fantasy games typically have several types of screens (modes of interaction) that are broadly categorized by function. Screens are accessed either by the player's actions or by the game due to specific events or requirements. Such screens include: field screens, battle screens, world screens, menu screens, cutscenes, and minigames. The player normally controls the character interaction with the environment via Field, Battle, and World screens; minigames are sometimes used for this as well.

Final Fantasy series:

* Final Fantasy is first title in the series and was released in Japan in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was later released in the United States in 1990.[17] The story focuses on four youths called the "Light Warriors", who each carry one of their world's elemental orbs, which have been darkened by four Elemental Fiends. Final Fantasy introduced many new concepts to the console RPG genre.[5]
* Final Fantasy II was originally released on the Famicom in Japan in 1988.[18] The story centers on four youths whose parents were killed during an army invasion. The youths join a resistance to end the invasion leader's war. Final Fantasy II was the first game to introduce Chocobos.[5]
* Final Fantasy III was released on the Famicom in Japan in 1990.[19] The plot focuses on four orphaned youths who come across a crystal, which grants them a portion of its power then instructs them to go forth and restore balance to the world. It was the first game to implement a Job System and introduce Moogles.[5]
* Final Fantasy IV was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan and the United States in 1991, though it was originally released in the US as Final Fantasy II.[20] The story centers on a Dark Knight from the kingdom of Baron and his journey to save the world from the evil Golbez.[21]
* Final Fantasy V was released on the SNES in Japan in 1992.[22] The story focuses on a wanderer named Bartz and his party as they prevent the resurgence of Exdeath. It features an expanded version of the Job System from Final Fantasy III.
* Final Fantasy VI was released on the SNES in 1994,[23] but it was released in North America under the title Final Fantasy III.[23] The plot centers on a group of rebels as they seek to overthrow an imperial dictatorship. It has more battle customization options than its predecessors and has the largest playable cast in the Final Fantasy series to date.
* Final Fantasy VII was released on the PlayStation in 1997 and was the first title to be officially released in Europe. Its North American release also retained its original name.[24] The story centers on a group of adventurers as they battle a powerful mega corporation. Final Fantasy VII was the first to use 3D computer graphics, featuring fully polygonal characters on pre-rendered backgrounds.
* Final Fantasy VIII was released on the PlayStation in 1999.[25] The plot focuses on a group of young mercenaries who are drawn into an international conflict, and they seek to protect the world from a sorceress manipulating this war for her own purposes. It was the first game in the series to consistently use realistically proportioned characters, and it was the first to feature a vocal piece as its theme music.
* Final Fantasy IX was released on the PlayStation in 2000.[26] The story focuses on a war between several nations, sparked by an ambitious queen. The game was a return to the series' roots, with a more traditional fantasy setting and allusions to previous games.
* Final Fantasy X was released on the PlayStation 2 in 2001.[27] The plot is set in Spira and centers around a group of adventurers and their quest to defeat a rampaging force known as "Sin". It marked the series' transition from pre-rendered backdrops to fully three-dimensional areas. Final Fantasy X also introduced voice acting and was the first to spawn a direct sequel (Final Fantasy X-2).
* Final Fantasy XI was the series' first MMORPG and was released in 2002.[28] The story is set in Vana'diel, where various tasks can be performed to improve a character's powers or to complete quests. There are also numerous sub-plots and stories that players can experience while playing hundreds of available quests. The game allows a certain amount of character customization. It also introduced real-time battles without randomly-encountered enemies.
* Final Fantasy XII was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006.[29] The game takes place in the fictional location called Ivalice, where the empires of Archadia and Rozarria are waging an endless war. It introduced several innovations to the series: battles occur without a transition to a separate screen; a "gambit" system automatically controls the actions of characters; and a "license" system determines which abilities and equipment are used by characters.
* Final Fantasy XIII is the latest title and is currently in development.

Monday, March 21, 2011

How to Defeat The Thextera in Final Fantasy Xii And Final Fantasy Xiii Final Boss Guide – Orphan First Form

How to defeat the Thextera in Final Fantasy XIIi

The Thextera is a Rank I mark that has been posted by Gatsly, who can  be found in the Sandsea Tavern in Rabanastre. It can be found in the  Dalmasca Westersands, specifically in the Galtea Downs area. When you  enter the Westersands, just follow the wall on the left hand side until  you find the Thextera – it shouldn’t take too long.
You have the possiblity of stealing one of three things from the Thextera – Pebble, Potion, or Wolf Pelt.
This fight is significantly harder than the Rogue Tomato hunt, so  don’t get overconfident if you found it easy to defeat the Rogue Tomato.  First of all, the Thextera has help from other wolves, so you could  find yourself getting battered by another couple of wolves before you  can even start on the Thextera. Because of this, I recommend that you  only attempt this mark hunt when you get to around Level 4 or 5.
Before the fight, make sure that you stock up on potions and  antidotes – you’re going to need them. Try to always keep your HP  (health points) above 100, just to be on the safe side – the Thextera  has a very strong “Lunge” attack, and I’ve had this do up to 60HP damage  to me, and then if you haven’t got rid of the other wolves already,  they’ll attack before you can heal yourself, and you’re dead. Other than  that, the Thextera will do about 20HP damage with each hit, if you’ve  got the default armour.
So it’s very important that you kill off the other wolves first,  before going for the Thextera. Once you’ve done that, you can start on  the Thextera itself. If you get poisoned by one of its attacks, use an  antidote to cure this. The Thextera actually attacks faster than you do,  so be careful of this. If you need to heal, start running away because  otherwise the Thextera will attack you again before you can do this. In  fact, it might be a good idea to run around until your attack timer bar  has filled up.
When the Thextera gets down into critical HP, it will “Cry For Help” -  basically, it will summon more wolves to help it. So just get rid of  these wolves and then go back and focus on the Thextera again. Just use  potions/Cure and antidotes when necessary, and you should get through  the fight without too many difficulties. If you’ve got the spell, I  think you can stop it summoning the wolves by using Silence.
The other option with this fight is to wait until you have Penelo in  your party. With her on your side, this fight becomes much easier. Just  follow the same advice as if you were alone, but the Thextera will go  down a lot quicker. However, you’ve got to make sure Penelo stays alive  too, but that isn’t too hard as she will generally use a potion on  herself when necessary.
When you’ve defeated the Thextera, go back to Gatsly in the Sandsea  and get your reward of 500 gil, Headguard, and a Teleport Stone.
Final Fantasy Xiii Final Boss Guide – Orphan First Form
Let me say one thing now. Characters that do not have the reprieve  skill will be sorely tested here. You NEED that skill, or very high HP  to survive Orphan’s Merciless Judgement attack- which he’s kind enough  to show you right of the bat.
As soon as this attack resolves, go right into your most defensive  healing paradigm. Combat clinic is a good one, as it well help you  survive any follow up attacks. Once everyone’s back in the green, it’s  time to strike back!
Start off by buffing your party to hell and back. You need everything  you can muster here, switch to healing and back to buff if that’s what  it takes, but make sure you have at least shell, protect, haste, faith  and bravery. You can actually debuff Orphan with imperil, deshell and  deprotect too. If you can pull it off, this will make the fight much  shorter, but Orphan has very high resistances so don’t waste time trying  to do it over and over again.
To go on the offensive, build Orphan’s chain gauge with relentless  assault, switching to diversity if (when) you need to heal up. Once the  chain gauge is full, switch to tri disaster for maximum impact, unless  you have a very powerful commando, and/or deprotect on Orphan, at which  point relentless assault will serve you well. Remember, always end a  stagger with the 5 ATB segment super attack!
Staggering Orphan isn’t hard, except he can clear his chain gauge, as I will discuss in a moment.
The basics of this battle are simple. Keep the buffs up, keep your  health above about 75%, and remember that you need to be aggressive to  win- you can’t defend your way to victory!
Of course, it’s not quite that simple, so let’s take a look at what  Orphan can throw at you over the course of this battle. Firstly, he  alternates between two forms, consummate light and consummate darkness.  Each time he switches he uses the aforementioned merciless judgement  attack. Priority one there is to go into combat clinic, or whatever  healing paradigm you like (I use protection myself, to take the chance  to re buff). In the second mode, Orphan can heal himself.
Later in the battle, Orphan will adopt both stances at once, healing  and attacking at the same time! Just keep your attacks up though and the  healing should prove to be a minor annoyance. Once orphan does this,  Merciless judgment comes in at random, so pay special attention to  keeping your party fighting fit. Diversity will help greatly.
Orphan has a few other attacks, but none are very nasty. There is one  which can poison and silence your entire party, but a dispelga can help  there. I know it gets rid of your buffs, but trust me- needing to  rebuff is better than being spelless!
Progential wrath can cause you some very nasty problems as it has a  chance of insantly killing the person it hits. Of course, if this is  your party leader then Orphan wins instantly! many of the comments below  will help you in defending your party leader from the death effect, but  I prefer to just power through- as you can see in my video review.So keep everyone’s HP in the green, go full offence when you can, and  try to maintain your buffs. Go hell for leather when you stagger  Orphan, and you should win out fine. On a final note, Orphan will not  attack while staggered, so if you’re in bad shape or your buffs are  running out, you may want to pass up the opportunity for damage to heal  your party instead.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Download final fantasy XIV How to install final fantasy

Download final fantasy XIV

You can vist here to download Final Fantasy XIV or Copy the following link to your web browser address bar  http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/download/benchmark01.html

How to install final fantasy





  • LAUNCH THE INSTALLER
Insert the FINAL FANTASY XIV disc and wait for the language selection screen to appear. Now select the language for the installer (please note that this will also set the in-game language, but you can change this setting at any time using the config tool).

Note:
- If you have disabled AutoRun, the installer menu will not be displayed automatically. To start the installer manually, go to My Computer, open the DVD drive, and run the file marked ffxivsetup.exe.

- A User Account Control window may appear for computers running on Windows Vista® or Windows® 7 operating system. Select Yes to continue.

- Run the installer as a user with administrator rights. You may be asked for an administrator password when using Windows Vista or Windows 7.

- Selecting an installer language that differs from your OS language may result in corrupted text in the installer tool.

  • BEGIN INSTALLATION




  1.  Setup

  After selecting a language, the InstallShield Wizard will prepare the files for installation. Click Next to continue.

 2. Software License Agreement

  The FINAL FANTASY XIV license agreement will now be displayed. After reading through the license agreement, select the appropriate option if you accept the terms, then click on Next.


  3. Choose Destination Location

  Select a location to install the game data. If you wish to choose a different location, select Browse and designate a new destination folder. Once you have chosen a destination folder, click on Next.

Note:
- You must have more than 15 GB of space available on the drive you select for installation.
- It is possible that the specifications noted above are not current. For the latest information, please visit here.
- Double-byte characters cannot be used in the destination folder name.

  4. Start Copying Files

  Click Next to begin copying the program files to your computer. The amount of time this process takes will depend on your computer’s specifications and settings.

  5. Complete Installation

  Make sure the Create a Shortcut box is checked if you wish to create a shortcut on your desktop, and then click Finish.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Online Gaming At Its Best With Final Fantasy and Face of the patch directive the upcoming Dissida - FFXI Account

Online Gaming At Its Best With Final Fantasy

The Final Fantasy XI Games and the FFXI accounts have made their presence felt worldwide. Internet reselling is the big gig of the today’s internet market in the sales section. With the possibility of level 70 to 80 typesets and transferred into the server within no time. Most of the FFXI accounts are bought from the Europeans and are sold by the US (Europeans are the ones who have made it). Now if you wanted to shift your features from one account to another account there are new companies that have come up that will transfer all the features to a pending account or to a brand new account how ever the user wishes to have it. The company is at the customer’s disposal only when all is working fine and only when the customer is satisfied will they leave the customer.


There are 55 to 80 levels and the people. The FFXI accounts are dynamic and these accounts can be used for more then 20 types of MMO games By submitting your information for the account you can get an estimate of your FFXI account and by filling the required information sequentially and by making the payment you can get your account in about just 5 minutes where all the account features are checked robotically. This is a whole lot faster. In the event of anything happening to your FFXI account and if the mistake is made by the reseller you can claim for the mishaps or damages from the internet reseller’s side. You can even claim for an account promotion or a brand new account based on the mishap that has occurred.

Most of the buy WOW account are checked robotically but sometimes these robot procedures also fail and hence in this manner you will have to login to a direct chat with the support team and following their instructions you have to get them done manually. It just takes a little longer than usual but it will be more perfect. In the event of the account not being functional you can claim a new FFXI account for some damages or mishaps from the Reseller.

Many existing levels from internet resellers can be bought and all these come with high end security. Most of them are 100% guaranteed in security to all their customers.

FFXI accounts have all the information that are required by the user - right from serial keys, passwords, email addresses, support telephone numbers, birthdays, secret passwords. You can also order other information by sending in a request mail or by contacting the support team. It is recommended that you buy the FFXI account from whole sale US based vendors because these are companies that will last for a longer time. Whereas other foreign countries do not last for long and will end up in a premature closure.

Some do’s and don’ts when you create your own FFXI account never create your own FFXI account in a public place. Do not login to your character from a public place. And if you are upgrading or creating a new membership do it yourself than some body else doing it for you. If you follow these simple easy steps then your FFXI account is guaranteed for life. Face of the patch directive the upcoming Dissida - FFXI Account
Beatific news is null without a beatific lead, and the WOW Accounts has ever been famous for the heterogeneity of its head characters finished the years. Here we will discourse every the directive characters from Final Fantasy heptad - XII.

Cloud Strife

Cloud Strife prefabricated his entry in the acclaimed FFXI Accounts. His most perceptible features are his chocobo-inspired high hair, and his famous Buster Sword, a colossus brand nearly as super as he is! Cloud has embellish a goods case for Square Enix, and has appeared in Eve Account, FF Tactics, manifestation Children, Dirge of Cerberus, the Kingdom Hearts game, and Itadaki Street Special.

Squall Leonhart

Squall Leonhart is the head admirer in Final Fantasy VIII. The program took a field agitate into a more graphic seeable style, and this showed hard in Squall, who had a rattling uncolored coiffe significance and an attendance which is questionable to be inspired by Gackt. Although senior Final Fantasy fans has overtimes act Squall's case for existence likewise angsty and emotion, he has embellish a selection favorite, and prefabricated numerous appearances in the Kingdom Hearts games.

Zidane Tribal

When Final Fantasy IX revisited the roots of the series, so did its head character. Zidane Tribal overturned discover to be such more upbeat and brisk case than either Squall or Cloud, which never hindered him! Although not as selection as whatever of the another leads, he has appeared in Itadaki Street Portable, and appears to be on the face of the patch directive the upcoming Dissida - FFXI Account-

Tidus

Tidus was the important characters in Buy WOW Account His plan was centralized on that of a footballer, which was also emphasized by the game's favorite sport, Blitzball, which was essentially sport underwater. His active and emotive case would wager him idolized and hated by fans in coequal measure. He prefabricated a short attendance in the prototypal Kingdom Hearts game, and also appears in Itadaki Street Special.

Vaan

Although the news of Final Fantasy XII is not direct centralized on Vaan, it is told from his saucer of view. Vaan would invoke discover be more unequalled from time characters in that his news is matured and his case matures more apace and more profoundly than time leads, and this mature ness also helps amend whatever of the another characters in the game. His appeared in Itadaki Street Portable, is ordered to materialize in the upcoming DS finite supplement Eve Account: Revenant Wings, and will also attain a short attendance in FF Tactics A2.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Story about Final Fantasy XII


Final Fantasy XII Story


A world called Ivalice...
An age when magick was commonplace and airships piled the skies...
Our tale begins.
As war looms on the horizon, the mighty Archadian Empire begins a campaign to subjugate its neighbors. The small kingdom of Dalmasca shares their fate.
Two years after its fall, in the capital city of Rabanastre, the people line the streets to wait for the appoinment of the new counsul from Archadia.
To Vaan, a young man living on the streets of Rabanastre, the Emprire is a hated enemy who took the life of his brother, the only family he had left. Vaan hatches a plot to break into the palace and take back the spoils of conquest from Dalmasca's occupiers.
He gets more than he bargained for when he meets Princess Ashe, the sole surviving heir to the Dalmascan throne, thought dead since the war.
The story follows Ashe, Vaan, and his friend Penelo, the sky pirate Balthier, and his partner Fran. Accompanying them is Basch, a captain of the Dalmascan army.
The adventure spans Ivalice and traces the mysteries behind the Archadian Empire's invasion.

SPOILERS!!! Plot details follow. You have been warned!
Final Fantasy XII takes place mostly in the kingdom of Dalmasca, a small city-state in the world of Ivalice. A neutral party in the past wars between its neighboring kingdoms of Archadia and Rosaria, Dalmasca was ultimately conquered by Archadia and reduced to the status of an occupied state under Archadian rule. Vaan, a street urchin living in the Dalmascan capital of Rabanastre, is stealing some treasure from the Archadian Consul's residence in the old royal castle of Dalmasca. While looting the castle's safe Vaan meets Balthier, a sky pirate bent on stealing the Consul's treasures and his companion Fran, a Viera warrior. By coincidence the underground Dalmascan resistance movement assaults the royal castle on the same night, to depose the Archadian Consul. Vaan's looting gets noticed and he, Fran and Balthier are pursued by Archadian soldiers, along with the insurgents storming the castle, making them seem to be involved in the attack. This eventually brings the three face to face with Ashe, the deposed princess of Dalmasca and the leader of the resistance faction.

Balthier, Vaan and Fran are sent to a dungeon from where they escape bringing Basch, who had been on the dungeon since the war, with them. Headhunters looking for Balthier kidnap Vaan's best friend Penelo in the hopes that the always gallant Balthier will try to free the girl. Vaan, Fran, Basch and Balthier head to Bhujerba to free Penelo and meet Larsa in their adventures there. Larsa is revelaed to be a royal heir, the second in line for the throne of Archadia. He helps the party rescue Penelo and later keeps her and the party safe from the Archadian troops. At Bhujerba the party meets Ashe again and she requests Baltier's aid to retrieve a proof of her royal blood: The Dawn Shard.

The party heads to the Dynasty King's Tomb to retrieve the Dawn Shard and gets captured by Judge Ghis as soon as they do so. A large, mysterious explosion provides opportunity for the party to escape. During their escape they discover - to their horror - that Judge Ghis Ship and the Entire Archdian 8th fleet was destroyed by the power of the Dawn Shard, with is composed of a strange substance called Nethicite. Bent on wielding that power to free Dalmasca and avenge her fallen comrades Ashe heads to a place where she can learn more about the Stone. By chance they meet LArsa again, who persuades them to join him and another mysterious enemy / ally at Mt. Bur-Omisace to plan on how to stop the imminent war.

Disgraced by the 8th fleet's destruction, Vayne is called back to Archadia and starts suspecting that his father and the Archadian Senate will bypass him for King, giving the throne to his brother Larsa instead. Unwilling to risk being bypassed to the thrne Vayne murders his father and dissolves the Senate and immediately sends a ship to Mt. Bur-Omisace to capture the Dawn Shard from Ashe. His envoy, Judge Bergan, arrives too late: Ashe and Larsa heard of the events and Ashe has obtained the Dynasty Sword, while LArsa goes back to Archadia in haste. An enraged Bergan kills the holy man Gran Kiltias Anastasis and bombs Mt. Bur Omisace but is unable to get the shard or the sword.

Ashe and her party decide it is time to destroy all the Nethicite available in Ivalice and head to Draklor Labs at the heart of the Archadian Empire, where the last shard is, to destroy it and the lab where Dr. Cid is successfully using what he has learned from that nethicite shard to manufacture artificial nethicite.

They are unsuccessful in destroying the Nethicite in Draklor Labs, and are instead left with information pointing them to the ancient city of Giruvegan. Dr. Cid is supposedly going there to retrieve more Deifacted (god made) nethicite. The party enters the city and fights to the center of the Great Crystal, an incredibly large and powerful piece of Nethicite in which the Occurians live. There, the history of Raithwall and Nethicite is revealed. Ashe is given the Treaty blade so that she can carve out additional pieces of Deifacted nethicite in order to achieve greater power. She is told to destroy the Archadian Empire. Ashe is conflicted as to her course of action as she does not want to destroy Larsa and other innocent Archadians.

Ashe and the party leave Giruvegan with the knowledge that Dr. Cid has used them to retrieve the Treaty blade, and had no intention of traveling to Giruvegan. They return to Balfonheim and a pirate named Reddas joins the party to travel to Ridorana, where the Sun Cryst is housed in the lighthouse Pharos. In the lighthouse Ashe Realizes that all of the appearances of Lord Rassler are images constructed by the Occurians. Judge Gabranth arrives and fights the party. Upon his Defeat, Dr. Cid appears and banishes him back to the fleet. Cid wants to use the power of the Sun Cryst to make himself a God before Ashe destroys it. Upon defeating Dr. Cid, the Sun Cryst begins generating so much power that there is no way that the party could survive, until Reddas sacrifices himself to destroy the Sun Cryst with the Sword of Kings.

Vaan's party travel back to Balfonheim and learn that the discharge of power activated the largest airship ever built, Bahamut, and the resistance armies have staged a battle in the skies above Rabanastre. They travel to Bahamut to land and kill Vayne before he can destroy the country of Dalmasca, and all of the ships in the fleet. Before they can reach Vayne, Gabranth arrives to stop them. This time, Gabranth appears to have given up everything except his need to destroy his own brother. The party defeats Gabranth and leave him beaten in the elevator. Vayne attacks, and Larsa helps the party to fight him. As Vayne is beaten down, his Manufacted nethicite sucks power from Larsa, and the ship around him. Gabranth joins the attack against Vayne, but is struck down, just as Vayne loses his greater power. The rogue Occuria Venat joins with Vayne granting him more power, and the party once again attacks him, winning this time. 

Naruto Sasori image

Naruto Sasori image
Naruto Sasori image

Monday, March 7, 2011

Final Fantasy games




   The story of FINAL FANTASY XII takes place in a world called Ivalice, in an age when magic was commonplace and airships plied the skies, crowding out the heavens. War was on the horizon. Seeking to strengthen its base of power, the great Archadian Empire had been invading and subjugating its neighboring kingdoms one by one. The small Kingdom of Dalmasca was one such kingdom. Our story follows Vaan, a young man living on the streets of Dalmasca's Royal City of Rabanastre, the Princess Ashe, the sole remaining heir to the Dalmascan throne who had been given up for missing, as well as Vaan's friend Penelo, the sky pirate Balthier, Balthier's partner Fran and many more on an adventure through Ivalice that traces the mysteries behind the Archadian Empire's invasion.


Final Fantasy changes. It might look like a stagnant series, with each game starring glamorous young heroes distinguished only by their improbable hairstyles and penchants for melodrama. Yet every Final Fantasy also tries new things, usually altering just enough in gameplay and storytelling to alienate some longtime fans. And that's kept the series remarkably fresh for something with over a dozen proper entries.Final Fantasy XIII is an experiment in some ways and a throwback in others, streamlining combat while indulging in the glitzy theatrics that made Final Fantasy what it is today. It's also a test of just how much bland introduction a player can take.
Final Fantasy XIII borrows a common sight from the anime/RPG milieu: a massive city called Cocoon floats above a savage wilderness called Pulse, and both lands are governed by powerful beings called fal'Cie (get it?). These seemingly callous deities mark humans as their servants, branding them as l'Cie and putting them to use in dangerous and vaguely understood wars. When a fragile young woman named Serah is deemed a l'Cie and dragged off to Cocoon, her sister Lightning chases after her, with largely unwanted help from Serah's moronic fiancĂ© Snow and his band of rebels. Snow and Lightning soon become l'Cie themselves, as do others connected to them: the muffiny-haired pilot Sazh is searching for his Cocoon-abducted son, the gloomy kid Hope's mother died fighting beside Snow, and the relentlessly upbeat Vanille is apparently just tagging along. And then there's Fang, a dedicated spearfighter who shares Vanille's strange background and Australian accent.
Every Final Fantasy needs some time to get going. The first few hours typically see the player fighting some tutorial-heavy battles, meeting the lead characters, and learning about the world around them. There is a point, however, where the storyline kicks into gear, a full party is assembled, and the game gives the chance to explore and customize freely. In most Final Fantasies, this point comes around the three-hour mark.
Final Fantasy XIII takes 15 hours to get interesting. Fifteen.
During this astoundingly long setup, the characters trek through the outskirts of their civilized world with the Cocoon military pressing close behind. The group splits into pairs: Hope follows the determined Lightning, Sazh learns to tolerate Vanille's insipid ways, and Snow and Fang work for a shadowy benefactor. They resolve some predictable conflicts, have a few minor breakthroughs, and generally don't do much more than establish the world and narrate flashbacks to happier times. Meanwhile, the Cocoon forces remain a vague threat, driven to keep the peace by exterminating anyone infected by the land of Pulse.









The game's six playable characters similarly divide their appeal: Snow and Hope are insufferable despite the best efforts of their voice actors, and Vanille and Lightning are initially unsympathetic. Vanille's constant attempts at comedy are awkward. and Lightning's far too distant and cold, as though the writers were so intent on creating a tough, competent heroine that they forgot to make her at all compelling. Sazh, who many expected to be a comical and borderline-offensive stereotype, comes off the best, as he's an older, wearier voice in a cast of headstrong kids. There's also the likeably brusque Fang, though she's the last of the characters to join.

It'd be easier to endure Final Fantasy XIII's dismal crawl of a plot if the battle system picked up sooner. The game pares down the menu-driven system of a typical Final Fantasy, letting players control only the party's leader through commands. The other two members run on automatic during battle, and the entire group is governed by the “Paradigm Shift” system. Teams are formed with each character in a designated role: Commandos and Ravagers attack, Medics heal, Synergists and Saboteurs cast weakening or strengthening magic, and so on. It seems needlessly cumbersome at first: instead of picking battle directions from one large menu system, players have to switch between Paradigms if they want to do something as simple as healing before attacking.











Final Fantasy XIII is slow to let players take control. The game limits itself to two-character parties for most of that long opening, and so the battle system seems much more repetitive and limited than it should be. It also cranks up the annoyance of having to peck out commands from a menu (or use auto-battle) when you're guiding only one character. Why not let the player control Lightning or Fang like the lead in a full-on action game? Every Final Fantasy has allowed players to direct each individual party member; evenFinal Fantasy XII, which offered the option of AI-controlled characters. The Final Fantasy series is often criticized as lacking interaction, and XIII almost parodies the idea of someone actually playing the game.
The game's pacing bogs down even further with its limited scope. Devoid of towns to visit, the first dozen or so stages are linear treks through hallways, jungles, canyons, junkyards, ice fields, and other gorgeous areas that offer minimal exploration. There are no shops beyond a network of save points, and rarely do the characters encounter any normal citizens. The enemies are repetitive as well, though at least they're easy to see and avoid.
Final Fantasy XIII even overhauls the traditional RPG approach to upgrading weapons and gaining levels. Arms and accessories can be enhanced with various items grabbed from dead enemies, and it's a fairly straightforward process. Stranger is the Crystarium system, which guides character development around a circular map reminiscent of Final Fantasy X's Sphere Grid. Every Final Fantasy XIII party member gets a different crystal chain for each of his or her combat roles, and spending experience points unlocks one stat boost or ability after another.
That's Final Fantasy XIII for its first dozen or so hours: a lengthy slog through simplistic battles and a cast of half-boring characters. It's easy to set the game aside by this point, and many will surely do that at the thought of fighting another routine two-character battle or hearing Vanille squeak her way through comedy relief.









Yet it all improves. Around the 15-hour point, the game's story turns on, a full three-character party is assembled, some villains emerge, and Fang makes her entrance. At 20 or 25 hours, the game's lower world opens, with plenty of venues to explore and lots of side missions to tackle. The battle system becomes far more complex and challenging once three characters are in play, and the speed of combat almost outweighs the lack of control. Every battle is a race to exploit an enemy's weakness and build up combos, resulting in a “staggered” foe that's much easier to destroy. The Crystarium also becomes more intriguing as the game goes on. At first it's easy to bring every party member up to speed, but rising experience-point costs soon force players to choose their paths carefully.
Even the characters improve. Lightning becomes a more appealing lead, Vanille explains why she acts like such a twit, Sazh and Fang get considerably more exposure, and even Hope and Snow become tolerable. There is indeed an ambitious plot behind Final Fantasy XIII, and while it's carried off with overblown rage-against-the-gods speeches and bizarre psychic-science concepts, it's not without its moments. The reckless grandeur of it all can be fun, whether it's in airship fleets whirling through spiked cities, Lightning flipping through the air as she unloads on a Cocoon monstrosity, or the rough camaraderie of a group of misfits cursed by demigods. The game sometimes loses itself in its own invented terms, though there's a directory of plot points and explanations of how the fal'Cie turn humans into l'Cie who become Cie'th if they don't complete their Focus, but only Pulse l'Cie are considered enemies of Cocoon l'Cie because the Sanctum says so. Everyone got that?
Final Fantasy XIII doesn't fit properly among its predecessors. Its concept of revolutionaries shattering a gray, controlled society is straight out of Final Fantasy VII, and the glossy, colorful look and Tetsuya Nomura character designs come from the same playbook that drove Final Fantasy X. Yet the game's lack of traditional battle systems puts it far from previous Final Fantasies. Indeed, fans of the relatively dignifiedFinal Fantasy XII may find its successor a juvenile, neon-hued nightmare, lacking in restraint and cohesion. If Final Fantasy VIII is all about high school and Final Fantasy X is spring break, Final Fantasy XIII is an overlong post-college trip through a day-glow future Europe where you're forced to walk everywhere.











Final Fantasy XIII is, of course, an exceptionally pretty game. Square's gift for the cinematic shows in the spectacular scenery, whether it's a gaping valley or the hull of an armored monorail car (it's all a little sharper on the PlayStation 3, though most won't notice the difference). The characters also look great, though the six mainstays are clearly more detailed than most of the supporting cast. The game's style reaches an insane, gaudy apex with its Summons, acquired through strange and difficult battles. They're transformable mechanized versions of Final Fantasy icons, seemingly tailored for a yet-unproduced toy line: Brynhildr morphs into a roadster, Odin becomes a mechanical horse, and Hecatoncheir turns into a lumbering minigun beast. Masashi Hamauzu's soundtrack is strong, and it's to his credit that that the game's battle theme never grates. The new theme song, “My Hands” by Multi-Platinum-Selling Artist Leona Lewis, replaced the game's original theme in the West, but it actually blends into things.
Despite the narrow window between the game's Japanese and English releases, Square didn't cut corners on the voice acting. Directed by Jack Fletcher, the dub shows strong performances, with Reno Wilson's Sazh stealing many scenes, and even the more annoying characters (that'd be Hope and Snow) are acted as well as they ever could be. The only major oddity is Georgia van Cuylenburg, who can't seem to decide how much of an Aussie accent Vanille should have. As for the dialogue itself, it finds the translators making the most of a frequently nonsensical drama where a line like "Moms are tough" is meant to carry pathos. It's a shame that Final Fantasy XIII's script never allows for the wonderful mock-Shakespeare tone of Final Fantasy XII, but the game stays on par with a good anime dub: convincing, well-synced, and only ridiculous when the underlying story can't help it.
There's an enjoyable RPG deep inside Final Fantasy XIII, hiding behind a sluggish opening act that tests the player's patience. A smooth battle system and some engaging characters save the game from complete failure, though it's far too hokey and badly paced to stand anywhere near the best of the series. Final Fantasy XIII's good side eventually wins out, even if the struggle takes away too much and gives too little in return.
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