Final Fantasy XIII ... support the heavy burden of an epic series

Final Fantasy XIII provides certainly a lot of discussion, because it is here --- you have to say unfortunately --- less to a Final Fantasy game acts as a rather normal, albeit good RPG. And before I start the review I would like to clarify two things equal:

- No it is not soooo good as it all praised to the sky in advance
- No, it is not as bad as some, it represents like

One of the first impressions:

Graphics:
You put the game and as a player you sit glued to the TV and looks incredible with expectations on the TV screen, if it is really so graphically superior ...
And yes ... that's it ... you will not find better finished, you can see the intro and thinks "Wow, give me a 3-D glasses and a movie theater and" Avatar "can pack".

Story, characters and Draught:
So here are clearly the greatest strengths of the game and the story promises a lot already beginning and will also meet the expectations. Here, after the two-story tachnisch meager equipped predecessors Final Fantasy X-2 and Final Fantasy XII again significantly reworked, particularly in terms of complexity. The characters are no longer as pale as in its predecessors, which must also be said here, you will never be able to build a really close relationship with the characters like in FF7 - FF9. They have a certain depth and also develop further and the whole story is only gradually revealed as well as the motives of the protagonists.
But you have to note here that the makers have very strong cribbed from the appearance of the protagonist of FF7 (which just wanted cloud in HD have * g *)
Even the main character Lightning still recalls the hero of heroes of FF7.
Unfortunately, one has to say that the story is much too linear (Tales of Vesperia, however, was a land of plenty :-P)
A large map is always accessible and you always see where you have to go (soldiers-safe) and can be seen virtually everywhere the places where treasure-balls, as they always are in or indentations in senseless opponents pile off the road .. . (One would also like a shield can stand with arrow ...)

The combat system:
This is when you look at it more closely to a lightweight ATB system from its predecessors. There is a progress bar like FF9 or FF12 and similar, which is filled and then the character performs a previously typed by the player attack from, as far as very classic, but the bar is divided into multiple beams (beginning 2, later to be added: that) , Each attack uses a number of bars, but was thought along here and you can recharge them before the entire strip part-activate
Example: My character has 4 bars, a simple attack consumes a bar, I give a 4x attack ... But now I do not have to wait until all 4 bars are filled, but can send out the fighter already at 1.2 or 3 bar which in this case only to available beams consumes, and thus precisely performs only 1.2 or 3 attacks.
This does not sound bad, and makes at the beginning of the first CD to be fun, but quickly become boring and only towards the end of the 2nd of 3 CDs it is again interesting, because you will be required until there again.
Even easier if the opponents are taking advantage of the emerging "shock-bar".
This is the ability for consecutive attacks, to collapse the opponent's defense, making it 200% - 1000% of the normal damage will be supplied, which is hardly an opponent endures long.
The second big point is the so-called paradigm system: Before the fight the fighters the maximum 3 you lead into battle certain roles are assigned:
Crushers (attacker and all anderern slightly more damage, shock bar decreases slowly)
Ravager (the enemy shock bar is filled much faster)
Healer
Synergist: Supports with support spells the group
Manipulator: Weakens keeper and its attack
Defender: Protects, draws attacks on themselves and absorb these (Paladin function)
These preset and manually-creatable 3 combinations can be changed in the fight any time, resulting in a certain tactical finesse in the fight by keystroke.
But it is important:
You always only controls a character !!! Any other act independently (which is often very good, really ... but just in 1% of cases annoying)
Here you have to give a big criticism Punk ... The AI-controlled comrades always cast their spells only one character, which can be very frustrating.
As the following example shows:
Suppose our 3 fighters each have 800 TP, now we are at an opponent who from time to execute a powerful combo ... The great attack with 600 TP definitely damage, followed by attacks against an individual with 300 damage , Say it would draufgehen one. Now the developers have obviously built between the two attacks time to heal ... But the AI ​​characters (which restore 200 TP per healing) only heal a character 3x (rather than each 1x, so that everyone would survive the folgene Attak) which only survives if he would be attacked. The other just a shortened lifetime. Here you are sometimes forced to use expensive to erkaufenden Items. One considers now also that if the group leader it goes, the game GAME OVER indicating there may be really annoying moments. (In general, however, the example is only valid for the 2nd half of the game)
As written above, there is only certain classes and also make something else ... or never in the first half.
A healer is therefore never complete an attack spells and a breaker will never save a character even if he still has so little life.
Overall, one can say that the system is not in itself bad: BUT
BUT: There are simply no decent opponents there (in half 1), it is simply not required. And that's sometimes very tiring, because you just drags on CD 1 of video sequence to video sequence and only ever 2-3 ridiculous banter place through which one must by.
From Chapter 7 begins to seriously fight, and from Chapter 10/11 you have to then start maneuvering to long-term success to not always to consume items. Very "interesting" increase in levels. The first half is way too easy ... already partly very demanding even for newcomers and the rest.

There is also no coincidence fights, you can see the enemy, but it is not fought in real-time as opposed to FF XII, but changes like Tales on Vesperia or Lost Odyssey in a battle field, the transition is really very very fast ... 2 seconds maximum.

What's sending you very horny, the Esper (About creatures), which must be defeated first and then fight with you, or as carriers acknowledge what great dual Attaken possible and many of them you can choose. (Unlike FF 12).
Each character receives throughout the game (if in some cases very late) his Esper, including many beloved creatures ... Of course, everything in a graphics fireworks
Unfortunately, it is hardly possible Esper really often to call a row, since the time required to call MTP bar fills up sometimes very slowly.
(The MTP_Leiste is similar to the attack ATB bar is only for these attacks, which can be run at any time without delay, without charging the ATB bar is disturbed)
Very useful and wonderful to watch ...

Skills and character development:
In a nutshell you can say here that there is a HD_3-D spheroidal Board of FFX. By contested fights to new attack and reinforcements for attack and co can gradually unlock for the various classes. Old proven very pleasant.
The fact that it is but just is no real magician MP consumed and in which you have to watch that just will not come to an end (which was partially aufwenig was in previous ones, but challenging and in my opinion also belonging) lets me personally not just voted joyfully back, just like the control of just one character.
As for the weapons, so here unfortunately a very large - as I find negative - break. There are no stores where man buys new weapons in the cities, but at each of the 1,000 storage points and also you can upgrade each weapon in the man's objects defeated enemies incorporated in the gun and "modified". Sounded initially nothing to bad, and I was looking forward to defeat enemies and upgrade weapons more horny horny. Here you will be disillusioned quickly ... you will find a new weapon that is the only much worse than the supposedly inferior but hochegelevelte weapon ... and then the fun starts again from the beginning when it comes to the whole level up ... and again ... and again...
But because the opponents are just so pathetic, you have the if ever make only on Disk 3.
Here's a tip ... the same only process the "organic" items and then the mechanical, so they are upgraded more quickly ... We will see what I mean.
Even the classic levels of the characters falls flat, because just the increase in attributes is accomplished through the Sphere Grid.

Others:
There are countless storage points ... really incredible amount of memory points with integrated shop and weapon modification option, so you can never really lose time if you should because it's go ...
and here it comes, even if you go on it ... sometimes it does not matter ... the game asks directly, "repeat battle" ... More ... not without disadvantage without anything.
Any pressure and will / motivation So you have that you are fighting about what I generally personally find very sad.
Also, you will automatically be cured completely when you finish a fight. The long-awaited open game world opens up to the player until the middle of disc 3 and only there will be added a few side quests.

Summary:

+ Hot graphics
+ Wonderful video sequences
+ Good story
+ Good music
+ No annoying characters (except * Hope grudging *)
+ Basic idea of ​​the combat system
+ Quick change into combat (very pleasant, as is indeed geswitcht in a battle screen, but it only needs 2 seconds)
+ Esper
+ Second half
+ The groovy Chocobo Chick * g *

- First half way too easy (considering no pressure to fight)
- Boring, monotonous, hardly challenging battles
- Until CD3 freely accessible world and side quests
- Linear plot
- No Final Fantasy Feeling
- No MP
- Hardly motivating

If one approaches neutral on this RPG, so you just have to say, it would not bear the title Final Fantasy, so it would be just a good title, you should look at times. However, the title in my eyes has become expectations especially content not fair, because just such a lack what makes a true Final Fantasy. For the time was too long and the hype too big. 4 stars because it in itself is a good game is simple, but that is a far cry from the parts 7,8,9 and maybe even 10. Generally, hardly comparable to the rest of the series ... pity