The 17 of December was the 10th anniversary of the launch of Final Fantasy XIII. This game originally released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and it came out right at a time when I was going through college and not really achieving much in life. I was a bit of a waste of space, but this game came out and I started to change. It wasn’t the time I spent playing Final Fantasy XIII that changed me, and it wasn’t really the game, but something about it made me want to better myself, and I think that’s what Final Fantasy games are all about in the end. So to celebrate the game’s 10th anniversary, I want to tell you about my first real Final Fantasy game.
First Real Final Fantasy Game?
I don’t want to confuse you by saying that this was my first Final Fantasy game, because it wasn’t. However, this was the first game in the series that I purchased for myself and became fully invested in. Previously I’d dabbled with 7, 10, and 10-2, but never really became invested in the stories or characters, I’m sure I would have if I’d finished them. I also didn’t finish XIII, but I loved the characters so much that I pushed to do so as hard as possible. Unfortunately I moved away from the game due to certain life things happening, and I’ve never returned, but I always remember how great it was.
Lightning is a Force for Good
At a time in my life when I didn’t know what to do with myself, doing pretty poorly in college and getting stuck in some dead end jobs, Final Fantasy XIII was an escape that showed me a future. Lightning is a badass, and she’s up against some seriously awful situations, such as her sister being trapped as a crystal and the entire local military trying to kill her. In her I saw someone who had a drive to keep on going, to push herself to be better, and I wanted to be like that. Other things in my life helped me do that, but Final Fantasy XIII is what opened my mind to that change while I would have been quite happy just watching movies in my spare time.
Great Game
Finally, I just have to say that Final Fantasy XIII is a truly fantastic game. I’d always associated the series with games that had a medieval or fantasy setting, which they do in some games, but this one was futuristic in a hardcore way. Everything from the weapons, to the environments and Eidolons was mesmerisingly sci-fi, but grounded it in weapons that dealt physical damage so that characters still held weight. I got far too into the world of this game, and some parts of me never really left.
It’s one of my biggest gaming regrets that I didn’t finish Final Fantasy XIII, I truly do think it’s a brilliant game. I got stuck in a certain section when I clearly needed to kill a Giant Cactuar, but had no idea how to do so. This was right before the point that people, or at least I, started using the internet for guides, so I never got pas this point in the game. I have vowed to return to the game at some point and finish it, maybe 2020 will be the year!