This is the worst final fantasy that I've played (I played all of them except for 16). It is extremely linear. The game is a narrow hallway with nothing to explore. The combat is boring though it is slightly better than 12's auto-fight system. You only control the leader and if they die then it's gameover. Pretty stupid the ai isn't designed to rez you at all. The fights are smooth sailing until you get to the end of chapter 9 (out of 13). I've tried multiple configurations and the boss still one shots my team. All of my "jobs" are fully upgraded as high as they can go for now. I've lost my patience with this one. Maybe i'll get back to it later.

lighting is the loml

Final Fantasy XIII was the first FF on Xbox, and at the time this released I was all over the 360. I loved this game, even though the first 20 something hours don't deserve any love. You're basically put into a one way corridor, and forced to push a button or two to win.

And then Chapter 11 comes around. The game quite literally opens up, and with it all the options at your disposal. And once you figure out the (unfortunately very well) hidden "synthesis" items you're given a massive number of options of how you like the game to play.

This game divided the fanbase quite a lot, and even though I get it most of the time, I just think not everyone saw what a wonderful game is hidden beneath the surface. But that's probably FF13's biggest problem; the best things are hidden. And sometimes hidden very well. If they ever "HD" remake this game or whatever there are quite a few things I would like to see changed, but even in it's current state it's a lovely game, it has that big FF release quality to it, and the gameplay has wonderful stuff hidden behind it's numerous possibilities. There it is again: hidden.

So to sum this up: a hidden gem that sold way to much for it to be qualified as a hidden gem.

For achievement hunters: I got them all in 70 ish hours, but it was my fourth time playing through the game. If it's your first time expect around 100-120 hours to get them all. FF13 is quite infamous for its endgame grind, and although I like it, that doesn't mean you will. So just a heads up. Luckily the game is around 14 years old, so there a numerous guides and strategies available for whatever you may be struggling with along the way.