Final Fantasy XIII

But hardcore Final Fantasy fans might be disappointed by the game's abandonment of franchise traditions like open worlds, town exploration and complex mini-games. The game is still worth buying, but it doesn't quite feel as complete as its well-loved predecessors.

The brilliant visuals, and excellent new combat system were both done exceptionally well. Stand alone these great features are enough to hook many gamers long enough to trek through the 10's of hours of gameplay. But the real star here is the story of Final Fantasy XIII, and Square Enix gets this right, in a big way.

You can't escape the feeling that, in trimming the fat from the series, Square Enix has nicked FFXIII's bone. It's not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination; but it's too linear.

There seems to be a tradition in my household every Christmas that spurs one of our family members to take one of their gifts for their loved ones, stick it in a box and apply enough wrapping paper and layers of Sellotape that it would be enough to contain a small nuclear explosion. To them it’s hilarious, but to the poor unsuspecting soul, it’s a painful way to open up something they’ve waited so...

You will either love or hate Final Fantasy XIII. Square-Enix made a lot of changes to really immerse you in the story and for the most part this works, leading to one of their strongest casts to date, I just wish they did more with the world around them instead of concentrating purely on the characters. It will take you a while to really get it, but once the battle system opens up and the characte...