One of the most respected game magazine's in the world, Famitsu, has reviewed the highly-anticipated RPG from Square Enix, Final Fantasy XIII. Thanks to a scan of the magazine's review (pictured below) we now know that the game received a near-perfect 39/40 as it's final score. Although this is based off of the Playstation 3 version we can still surmise that the game is amazing, can't wait until it hits stores here in the US on the Xbox 360 in March 2010. The individual summaries of each of Famitsu's reviewers can be seen roughly translated into English below.
Reviewer 1 - 10/10
Beautiful graphics and superb story. These aspects can be enjoyed without feeling as though they're being forced upon you. Combined with this, the extreme sense of satisfaction from the gameplay, is a direct result of a system that's evolved and reached perfection.
With no vice to really speak of, at this time, this game stands at the RPG forefront of a superb combination of story and gameplay who's value can undoubtedly be experienced by all.
Reviewer 2 - 9/10
There's a few niggling issues like battle damage being difficult to see, and the screen being cluttered, but the amount of enjoyment this game offers more than makes up for it. You'll be drawn into the world with visual, aural, and story aspects. I have a bit of resistance calling this an "RPG-like RPG" however.
Reviewer 3 - 10/10
Extravagant and dense (referring to the amount of content?). A lot of points to keep your eyes open for and is very movie-like. Very beautiful movies are included in a story full of events, to the point where it's difficult to determine where to put the controller down at the beginning. With the amount of character growth, gathering and crafting available in the game, there's enough enjoyable content for you to last for a while with just this one game.
Reviewer 4 - 10/10
Including the beauty of the visual side of things, the total quality is very high. The script is strictly dandy and irritating (whatever the hell that means). Character typecasting is unavoidable and while there should be "your own (character's own?) story", this does not exist. However, the sense of satisfaction gained from playing the game is extremely good, and is something I've never experienced before.
Total: 39/40
Final Fantasy XIII is the first installment in the best-selling series of role-playing games from Square Enix to appear on the Xbox 360. This eagerly anticipated title takes full advantage of the Xbox 360 system's advanced hardware, providing tangible, intuitive controls while delivering seamless transitions between real-time gameplay and stunning in-game cinematics. The latest in cutting-edge technology has been utilized in the development of FINAL FANTASY XIII, thus making this newest addition to the FINAL FANTASY series worthy of the title "next generation."
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