I started to play Final Fantasy XIII in preparation of the launch of Final Fantasy XIII-2. Put it down to review the sequel, and am now finally ready to review Final Fantasy XIII. This Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 video game is a work of art and modern technology.

The Final Fantasy series has been around for a long, long time - well, since 1987, when the very first FF game appeared on the NES. In all that time, the game had a staggering amount of sequels, add-ons and spin-offs, probably more than any other game license out there.

The art direction is great; as are the visuals; music and sound effects; the gameplay is actually quite good and engaging when it gets going; a satisfying amount of different skills and combat abilities for each character

Excruciatingly slow beginning and tutorial; equally slow and poorly told story with infantile and clichd characters; you'll probably end up skipping most of the cut-scenes (and my God there are a lot of them)

An artistic masterpiece, with a story just as fantastic, does Square-Enix hit the spot again?

Fantastic visuals; Brilliant voice acting; Deep, enjoyable story.

Extremely linear; No freedom until 30 hours into the game.

At least the fighting was fun - after the game had decided I'd done well enough with the remedial classes and gave me access to everything. Each character can take on a number of roles. Ravagers blitz foes with attack magic, while Commandos deliver powerful melee attacks.

Time travel is a complex subject that has been explored in books, films, television shows and even video games. No one knows if it will ever be possible for humans to actually accomplish time travel, but it has not stopped the world from contemplating the possibilities.

Each character has an amazing animation model and never fail to impress. Final Words: It's a solid buy if you've never played a Final Fantasy title, however verterans of the classic Final Fantasy game shouldn't really bother unless your a big fan of the series.

This sequel to the 1988 Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) original is testament to Capcom's and developer Grin's well-trained eye for delivering superb fan service. While it is a slick, highly-accomplished title in its own right, its painfully steep learning curve may put some players off.

FF XIII provides 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 development of Final Fantasy XIII, thus making this newest addition to the Final Fantasy series...

Final Fantasy XIII is a good game, but it's definitely nowhere near great, and that's extremely disappointing given all the press and hype that the developers, publishers, and other media seemed to generate for this title.

"It's the end of the road." "But at least it's not the end of the line." The conversation between two wooden characters in Final Fantasy XIII is a fitting description of the Final Fantasy series.