PS3
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Xbox360
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*This review pertains to the PS3 version of the game so not all features etc. may be available on Xbox360*
And now the end is near and so I draw the final curtain….so sang Ol Blue Eye’s himself Frank Sinatra and it really is the end of this trilogy of games from the Final Fantasy franchise.
You might remember our review of the demo a few weeks back so now we’ve got our hands on the full thing now, let’s have a look at what we didn’t get to experience in the demo as well as how it all plays together. Before we start though, here’s something you should know. While you can play the game just by using the disc, there is also the option to install game components. There is a partial install which will install the most frequently used data or a full one. Both claim that it should speed up loading times and having played it without any install & then a full, we do see a faster loading time. Note that you do still need the disc to play even if you do a full install.
Difficulty
From the outset, you can choose either Easy or Normal. On easy, you regain health outside of battle, you’re not penalised for escaping battles, EP (abilities) costs are lower and easier to accumlate. As you might guess, normal is opposite. Should you run out of time or fail to save the world, you are also presented with the option of New Game+ allowing you to use all your items/outfits etc from the previous playthough. You can also unlock Hard by completing the game. Our recommendation would be to play on Easy first time through till you get used to the game mechanics.
Gameplay
Time is your enemy and you’ll learn that more so after the initial introductory scenes. When you officially get into the first scenario of the game, you get your first real sense of time management. When you start, you only have 4 days to save the world. And when you consider that each ‘day’ is only 24 minutes long and what you have to try and achieve within that, you see how you need to work out your priorities. The EP ability Chronostasis can come in handy by ‘freezing’ time but allowing everything else to continue for a short period of time if just need a few extra minutes to complete a task.
You can extended the number of days by completing quests. These are found as part of the main story, but to really extend it, you need to be taking side quests & canvas prayers. Some of these need to be completed within a specific time period. How difficult each quest is is indicated by stars (1 star may be fairly easy while a 3 star may require you to do multiple things and not always in the same location as the quest originates)One of the great things about this is that you can have multiple quests ongoing in each of the 4 areas at any one time as you can travel between the 4 locations (though mind, it takes time to travel!)
Your main story lines involve characters from the previous two games and what 500 years have done to them and a new character, Lumina (who we really can’t decide whether she’s a help or a hindrance really) who can be found in the various areas. And as we previously mentioned, there are 4 to choose from: the party city of Yussann, Luxerion (the city of light), The Wildlands (self sufficient folks who help each other & live off the land) and final The Dead Dunes (home to bandits and sand surfing (we could do that all day!)
Of course, being just a solo player means that you’ve got everything to do and that is where the garbs come in. Each garb has it own pluses and minuses with it either being beneficial or detrimental to stats and may or may not come with locked abilities. Other than that you are free to customise the garb as you see fit with weapons, shields, accessories and move sets. Of course, only being able to use 3 garbs at any one time means another management course in the ATB bars to ensure you’re getting the best use of them e.g. an active garb’s ATB bar will refresh slowly whilst an inactive will refresh slightly quicker. You can purchase new weapons/shields from forges and moves can be upgraded (“synthesised”) at sorcery shops.
Outerworld
Newest addition to the trilogy is Outerworld. This allows you to link up your twitter and/or facebook account and post screenshots from within the game out to friends as well as send items for people to buy in game. These posts randomly appear in other people’s games as NPCs. We recommend looking out for a NPC called LR13 (or something similar)…this is an official NPC and may come baring free gifts….One criticism of this is the time it takes to access posts and upload them but suppose we can’t win them all.
Overall, we don’t think it’s a bad game once you get over you’re initial time constraints and having Hope constantly ‘in your ear’ for your first scenario (really, that boy needs a mute button and if you play it long enough, you might still hear him after you’ve stopped playing) Yet there is something…missing that would make this a great game worth of an ending to such a trilogy
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