The Final Fantasy XIII Series (Part 3 of 3)

Final Fantasy has always been a series that received either praise or criticism, both from fans and non-fans alike. Nothing made that more apparent than with the release of Final Fantasy XIII. The game had so much that was different from the average RPG that it literally split the fanbase in two. While many disliked the game, I was one of the few that actually liked it, despite its few faults. It had awesome characters and a cool story with interesting lore, and it summed everything up with a satisfying end.  The sequel, XIII-2 says "screw that mythos" and improves the gameplay. It also adds a non-coherent story in which two friends fight over a dead goddess, the villain wins, and ends the game on a cliffhanger. Finally we come to Lightning Returns, the final (hopefully) game in the trilogy. This time, Lightning literally returns, but not as a tutorial level, and to attempt to redeem the XIII trilogy with a satisfactory conclusion.

This is Part 3 of my Final Fantasy XIII trilogy review, so you might want to catch up: Final Fantasy XIII-2

The Final Fantasy XIII Series (Part 2 of 3)

After revisiting Final Fantasy XIII for the review, I've gained a newfound appreciation for it. Yeah, there were things that I felt were done wrong, but there also things that were done right. And with the announcement of Final Fantasy XIII-2, I had high hopes that Square-Enix would take some of the fans' disapproval of the original into consideration and make improvements. But then again, I'm a sucker for anything with the Final Fantasy label on it.

Note that since this is the second of a three part review, there will obviously be spoilers of Final Fantasy XIII in this review. If you haven't checked out my review for that, check it out here:  Final Fantasy XIII

Now before I played this, I was prepared for the worst. Whenever I hear the words "Time Travel" as a theme for a movie, video game, etc., I automatically cringe. There have been few times when time travel has been done right, when a time traveler's ability to do so is well defined, and the rules of causality play a heavy role into the narrative. Knowing this, I braced myself and dove right in. 

The Final Fantasy XIII Series (Part 1 of 3)

For as long as I can remember, I've always loved RPGs, mainly those in the Final Fantasy series. Ever since I first played Final Fantasy 7, I've made it a personal mission of mine to play every mainstream Final Fantasy game to completion. And throughout my mission, I've noticed that many people have had sort of a stigma towards certain games in the series. But, despite that, the name “Final Fantasy” has always equaled an overall great experience for me. Nothing made that more apparent after experiencing the awesomeness that is Final Fantasy VI and IX. These games cemented what I loved about RPGs. Recently, I've played the newest game in the Final Fantasy universe, and it made me reflect on the evolution of the series as a whole.