FINAL FANTASY XIII

This should have the steamdeck checkmark. I played it entirely on steamdeck.

Do you like running down hallways? Then have I got a game for you!
In all seriousness, although I had a blast with FFXIII, it's difficult to recommend this game without reservations. When the game shines, it REALLY shines - the battle system, the presentation, character development, and lots of eye candy. It's all gold. But these positives do get hampered by some pretty bizarre design decisions.
Unlike the Final Fantasy games that came before it, in FFXIII there is no overworld exploration, no towns with interactable NPCs, and extremely linear gameplay progression. The first 75% of the game is essentially played on rails, running from one hallway to another with cutscenes interspersed between the corridors. The world is beautiful, but largely lifeless. It feels incomplete.
The story and character development are great on paper, but that's the biggest problem - it's all on paper. Most of the plot gets revealed in datalogs - hundreds of pages of text that players are required to read to understand just what is going on and what the characters' motivations are. The game also leans heavily on dramatic irony - all the characters have secrets that they just can't quite spit out, and the revelation drags on forever, which gets tiring. And although the game does have a good story with compelling characters, this is an egregious case of telling and not showing. None of this is a deal-breaker, but it's a pretty big missed opportunity. I'd rather see the action happening on screen instead of reading about it after the fact.
When you reach the game's last chapters, you finally do get taken off the rails and are allowed to explore a beautifully rendered overworld. But it's empty. Apart from a few items to find and side missions to complete, there isn't anything to explore and nobody to talk to except one little robot. The overworld is just another corridor, albeit laid out inefficiently.
I personally don't mind reading datalogs, nor am I especially bothered by linear gameplay, so I enjoyed it, but these are big drawbacks for players used to well-executed stories and sandbox exploration. The battle system and character customization are this game's saving grace. It's a shame these elements weren't given a comprehensible plot or a fleshed-out world to support them.
If you play games for the exploration and the world building, then FFXIII is definitely NOT for you. But if you like to sink your teeth into complex battle systems and lots of equipment hunting, then you should give it a try. FFXIII is without question a good game. It's just a shame, because it could've been a great game.

Runs beautifully after downloading FFXIII Fix
For those who dont know, this game stutters horribly for an insane reason, that being it scans for controllers every SECOND. All FFXIII fix does is uncap the framerate, and disable that insane feature.

This was a light in a darker time for me, still is.

yes, i've heard all of the criticisms about it. ive literally played through all of it, seen everything this game has to offer.
and i still consider it my favorite final fantasy game in the franchise. which, i know is a controversial opinion. but honestly, i think this game couldnt have been appreciated in the time that it was released in. some criticisms are valid, such as the game being a bit too linear, but in a gaming age where so many games are being released with the premise of being so open world, it can get overwhelming. the narrative is strong and the lore is rich within FFXIII, so i think being guided and watching the story unfold within each chapter is a nice change of pace. being linear sometimes isn't a bad thing, and i think it works in XIII's favor.
also the characters. i love each and every one of the cast, and although some might consider them annoying, one must consider the world that they are living in. they're close-minded in the beginning and too idealistic or angry because they have no other choice. witnessing their growth and channeling that hopelessness into something that can change the world makes me empathize and feel proud of them for overcoming the impossible.
this game isn't perfect, but i cant deny the sentiment for it. with a fast-paced battle system and an inspiring story, i think XIII deserves a chance. even if its not for everyone, i think theres so much good to be found within it.

This is a mixed bag to end all mixed bags.
On the one hand, it was refreshing to play a Final Fantasy game where the protagonists' flaws and self-doubt were magnified to such a staggering degree that takes on a tone almost akin to Neon Genesis: Evangelion levels of depression. The main playable cast of this game all have deep, deep problems that some people critiquing the game's story fail to recognize make for a compelling cast you want to see grow and change. Lightning has rage that clouds her judgment, Snow has naivete that harms those around him, Hope has misplaced anger resulting from grief, Vanille is a complete coward, Sazh has crippling depression and hopelessness, and Fang has no sense of self-purpose. All six of them have been tasked with a gargantuan, damn-near insurmountable task of revolting against the very concept of fate itself, and the game is more or less about how they process those issues through a sense of camaraderie and chosen family. These are not characters that have only a single flaw, either, as the flaws I mentioned create a kaleidoscope of conflict between the party members that lead to interesting ethical and moral dilemmas I haven't yet seen from a Final Fantasy game. It's really spot-on stuff that I'm sad to see get ignored by fans of the series.
On a visual level, this game is GORGEOUS, especially for the time- it might very well be the best-looking game released in the 2000's. Shadow effects, facial detail, animation work, it's all really top-of-the-line stuff. The game's visual style cribs the sci-fi elements of Final Fantasy VII and blends it with the more traditional fantasy designs of IX, leading to a visually-striking blend of color and vibrance that always holds the player's visual attention.
The combat also ramps up the active-time battle system of the previous games to a whole different level of strategy using the Paradigm system, which adds a great level of depth and challenge to the combat that means even if you grind out the Crystarium and get maxed-out characters, if you don't strategize, you will die, plain and simple. This tension only reinforces the mortality of our main cast and their feelings of doubt and inability to conquer the unthinkable, only to reward the player with a feeling of genuine accomplishment not unlike solving a difficult puzzle, and in turn a greater appreciation of the characters' capabilities when sharing responsibilities.
The soundtrack is one of the most underrated in the whole series. While Uematsu's soundtracks are iconic and given the recognition they deserve, Masashi Hamauzu's work is simply elegant and breathtaking. The use of strings in the arrangements, the clever and appropriate blend of orchestral and rock music, it's all a sight to behold that only serves to elevate the game. When you think of this game you've probably got Blinded By Light playing in the back of your brain.
On the other hand, the complaints about this game's linearity are entirely valid, but I have a bigger bone to pick with the pacing. The game speeds you through 10 chapters of nonstop hallways after a way-too-long opening chapter that does very little to tutorialize the main feature of the game's combat or meaningfully explain what's happening in the story other than some vague symbolism, then at Chapter 11 when the plot has finally ramped up to what feels like a natural climax, everything halts and the game becomes a semi-open world with side quests from NPCs that you can't see and fanservice Final Fantasy mobs to clear just purely for the sake of your love of the combat. When it reaches Chapter 11, all story momentum that the game was building up just sinks like the Titanic.
This game's script and plot also suffer from Proper Noun Syndrome. There are three different and distinct terms that end with the suffix "-'Cie", and all three get used in the same sentence in such a way that winds up only confusing the player. Being reminded of Kingdom Hearts' construction of plot and worldbuilding is not a high mark of quality, that much is for sure.
The complaints about the PC port are also valid, but there is a pretty simple patch to apply that will solve most issues with the game's performance. Install FF13Fix and the 4GB patch installer, configure some settings in an .ini file and you'll mostly have all performance issues squared away. I just wish the game was ported better.
6/10, slight recommendation. If this is potentially your first Final Fantasy game, I'd say stray far away, but if you're either returning to the game after playing it a decade ago on consoles or you're just a fan of the series in general, I'd say to pick it up for completion's sake. I first played the game when I was 9 years old and begged my mom to pre-order it with money I saved up from yard work, and didn't really know what to expect from the game, as I had only ever played the first two Kingdom Hearts games but had a genuine interest in Final Fantasy. I wasn't mature enough to understand the beats the story was trying to hit, and much like many of the other players I see reviewing the game, I saw the main characters as idiots or inherently bad people. Now, at 23, a little more than XIII years later, while I'm not in love with the game, I definitely understand it. Maybe you'll pick something up playing it that others may have missed, and ultimately, that's what makes this medium such a special one.

Overall I had a good time with the game, story aside its enjoyable. I'm the type of person that can find the good in something despite it not being the greatest. While recognizing and understanding it's negatives, I will try to notice and find its positives.
After doing 100% achievements though, I hope I don't come to resent the game, because that was one of the most best feeling ALT-F4 Uninstalls ive ever felt haha
- Must install FF13Fix
- Recommend install FF XIII HD Project
- No crashes