Edge gives FFXIII a 5

Heh heh.

Good skills

For once, I kind of agree with an EDGE review. I think it deserves a little more slack than they’re giving it, but the synopsis is true.

The universe and battle system is amazing, but the actual pacing of the gameplay is just far too bland, far too often.

in some ways, it makes me want to play it more

Ouch.

Edge is one of the best magazines for reviewing a REAL score and they have the best reviews overall.

Because i can’t stand stupid shit from US reviews: From 8-9.5

Game is shit – 8

Game is ok – 9.5

FUCK THAT.

Looks like one of the few reviews to rate the game rather than just the graphics.

/Hearts Edge

They have a bit of a record when it comes to “more realistic” FF series reviews, don’t they?

Having read the review it seems pretty fair. Not that I necessarily agree with it; I’ll play the game myself at some point.

Well now – the ugly argument waiting to start is whether FFXIII was always going to be linear, lose open world RPG approach, etc. (which I believe previous FF have also done on occasion) or whether the approach was purely to support going multi-platform on 360 – i.e. to prevent copious disk swapping with too much freedom to go anywhere anytime you wanted.

If the latter, and that comes out, prepare for meltdown.

If the former then hey poor show from SE – mind you, Edge are clearly outside the common baseline overall on this one so I’m not taking this as the definitive review but an interesting composite to the more positive ones.

Either way, sounds like there’s going to be plenty of ammunition to feed the flames.

edge’s raison d’etre is the controversial low score. its been rebel from day one. i dont think they’re far off the mark but i cant help think they undermark the overhyped a little too eagarly.

And so I will again nog play a FF… Oh how I hate JRPG’s.

Gotta admire Edge for having the guts to call a spade a spade.

Gameplay drives games.

You can’t play graphics.

NiceFellow, I imagine the 360 port had zero bearing on the linearity of the game; it was serendipitous, nothing more.

It’s very clear the game was designed to capture a wider audience, you can see this in every one of its systems and the coddling nature of the 20 hour tutorial. That isn’t the sort of thing that comes together late in development.

A compulsory 20-25 hour “tutorial” (and yes, I’m sure I’m exaggerating things here slightly) is ridiculous. Accessibility is as much a matter of handing power to the player quickly as it is teaching the player how to use that power.

Oh Edge. The attention whores of gaming magazine.

I hope the low scores and hateful comments from fans make SE wake the fuck up. Really, trying to “make it more accessible” is always wrong.

Considering they gave the abortion that was FFXII a 9 this must be extremely shit.

“They have a bit of a record when it comes to “more realistic” FF series reviews, don’t they? ”

Actually, they tend to score most Final Fantasy games very highly. They obviously just don’t think this particular game deserves it.

“Oh Edge. The attention whores of gaming magazine.”

They’re attention whores… why? Because they use a scoring system that actually using the whole spectrum of numbers? Because every once in a while they rate a popular game a low score? That’s “attention whoring”? Really?

I love how people continue to proclaim this is the case with EDGE despite the fact that they *constantly* praise many new releases. They only ever pay attention to the “controversial” reviews.

The world right now seems to have a thing against critical opinions. Grow a brain and stop thinking that everything that doesn’t agree with popular consensus is “controversial”.

“Gameplay drives games.

You can’t play graphics.”

Try telling that to the people looking forward to God of War 3

Has anyone said People who don’t appreciate games shouldn’t review them yet?

What?

These days I find Edge to be a bit like a mad dog. You never know if they’re going to like a game or suddenly snap and savage it to pieces. I’ve not agreed with any of their 10s for quite a while now, I think the last one I agreed with was Gran Turismo 1!

Still, it’s better than another 8/10 which just about everyone else had given the game.

Heck, they gave Dragon Age a 5, a game that I absolutely adore and find to be a better (but only just) game than Mass Effect 2.

Doesn’t mean someone needs to throw a hissy fit just because you don’t agree with some of their scores. That says far more about the person than it does about the magazine.

Edge are just fucking stupid.

Anyone sticking up for them, due to some integrity in terms of the scale, should realise that the scale has evolved, and that Edge can get by on being controversial.

If their 5 is due to the linearity, or the fact that it never used to be linear then they are not reviewing the game, but reviewing possibilities, or they are speaking as fanas of the series – clearly stating that was not their angle.

They are pretty clueless. And I hate Final Fantasy.

@bulk: I always thought those first-hand experience, informed opinions were funny, like that. ._.

right, the scale has evolved. we now have a mediocre game with high production values automatically rated at least 8.

they were right on the money with FFX and XII.

It’s like trying to change a language, and sometimes it’s literally just for mindshare. Each month Edge does something crazy.

@15 yeah – I’m assuming they already had that basic design. I read initially they started the design for PS2, and I suspect they decided the linear elements then and stuck with them throughout.

In the end it’ll sell loads anyway, being a relatively review proof title, so I suspect the only real question is whether, if the general view is linear design was a mistake, SE avoid this tack in future outings or not.

they also didn’t give it a 5 only because of the linear gameplay.

this game is (basically) like FFX with a Xenogears battle sytem, only Xenogears came out in 1998. would it be fair to rate it anything higher than 7 in say, Gamespot’s scale?

and I don’t think you can rate a jrpg without comparing it to other games from this genre. including previous FFs.

Dear No_PUDing
The scale hasn’t evolved. It has devolved.

Heavy Rain is linear, with a great story (as far as I’ve read). How does it manage a higher score, when the main interaction and character development of Final Fantasy, is far more satisfying, than the intrinsic mechanical value of Heavy Rain.

The character development in FFXIII is better than Heavy Rain..? Are you kidding?

maybe if it was Heavy Rain 3, it would get a 5..

Surely the problem here is that FFXIII is linear… without a great story.

That’s WOULD be a problem, but it seems to be no worse than any other Final Fantasy.

@Tonka, It’s irrelevant, whether the chnage is for the better or not, the fact is there was a paradigm shift years that Edge still isn’t adhering to.

And they garner more attention becuase of it.

That’s WOULD be a problem, but it seems to be no worse than any other Final Fantasy.

Possibly, but going by reviews it would seem that other final fantasy games had the gameplay to make up for that… and “no worse than any other Final Fantasy” is faint praise indeed.

“The character development in FFXIII is better than Heavy Rain..? Are you kidding?”

I assume he’s talking about the mechanic of character development, rather than the dramatic kind.

Apples to oranges, those two games.

Pudding, I really think you should play FF6 and 7. but don’t play 8 or 10.

also, I don’t think you can compare 90s with today’s industry.

Try explaining that to people looking forward Gow 3

Im buying Gow 3 purely because of the gameplay once again Micheal O connor you think you speak for us all but youre only speaking for yourself remember that.

As for Edge they are as reliable as Gamesradar in the reviewing policy. Other journalists rate a game by how much they enjoy it yet Edge dont seem to do that. Criticising FF 13 for being linear its a Rpg what do people expect.

I think you’re a crappy critic if you review a game based on how much you enjoyed it.

So if you absoluetly hated a game you would give it a high score then Daman?

it ‘s an evaluation, it’s not about you enjoying the game or not.

@Psychotext No, previous Final Fantasy’s have been exciting, becuase of their story and characters, the mechanics have always been hit and miss.

@DaMan I am currently playing Final Fantasy 7, and it’s a terrible game for the moment. And while I agree the industry has changed, it’s an argument that can be applied to EDGE’s reviews, a 5 no longer means what they say.

NOT that I really want to defend FFXIII, I really do dislike the series.

But mechanics we’ve adapted to in the West, are different to Japanese ones. Why can’t they condense their favourite mechanics into a linear experience? It works on the experiential level that Heavy Rain does.

I’ve only ever had one Final Fantasy story resonate with me (I wont say which one that is) and I’ve never thought any of them were particularly well written… though perhaps that’s my own fault for comparing them to the best of cinema / literature.

Yes, that’s the problem.

All the story’s are awesome for 7-12 year olds. They aren’t designed to be thematically like Heavy Rain was designed to be. They are light-hearted and cliched.

Probably explains why the last one I thought was good was so long ago.

Uh huh.

But it doesn’t stop Uncharted 2 from getting a 9.

uh, I didn’t mean in terms of how plot or characters are being presented of course, besides I think it ‘s rather awesome for a 1997 console rpg. also the game was translated, that was always part of the problem with their games.

they didn’t give it a 5 only because of the linearity. HR is an attempt at modern point and click adventure. I don’t remember 5-10 games like HR in the several past years..

btw, Edge gave Fahrenheit a 8.