Ranking The Final Fantasy Games: #12-10

10. Final Fantasy XIII

The most recent non-MMO entry in the mainline series, Final Fantasy XIII is the most visually stunning. The graphics of the PS3 and the Xbox 360 helped show off the wonderful landscapes of Gran Pulse, the land in which the game takes place. Lightning (pictured above) leads a forgettable crew of characters with an even more forgettable story. Not only do most of the cast look familiar in clothing and recognition, but the terminology of the game’s major factions and ideologies (fal’Cie, l’cie, Sanctum, etc.) make it easy to confuse key concepts.

Even worse, the gameplay is slow to develop. It takes about 20 hours of time invested for the training wheels to come off, where things like Paradigm Shifts, the Crystarium system and any sort of fun come into play. Up until then, it’s all colorful settings, confusing cutscenes, frustrating auto-battling and so many save points placed to the point where the game treats the player as if they were a child. Additionally, most of the game is played in hallways, removing the open-world aspect that is so key to the series. While some previous titles in the series are linear, they are not sectioned off in such a way that makes it apparent in its nature. A major step backward in RPG progression. Let’s hope Final Fantasy XV is a lot better, otherwise the series might soon see its final fantasy.

The remaining entries will be much more uplifting, as next week I reveal a PlayStation, SNES and PlayStation 2 title. 

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