Final Fantasy back, in full effect

Final Fantasy XIII is visually impressive, and stretches for 50-odd hours of gameplay.

The 13th Final Fantasy chapter is incredibly beautiful, the most amazing colourful Japanese anime series you could see on a high-definition big screen. For 50 or so hours, you indeed feel as if you are inside a vivid movie.

In fact, having just experienced the 3D Avatar movie, there is something unworldly and Avatar-like in these incredibly colourful, futuristic landscapes.

This stand-alone title is the long awaited addition to what has been a reliably spectacular gaming series, in which you get lost in beautiful worlds and lots of real time battles.

The series began in 1987 and here we are now playing it with the power of the next-gen PS3 and Xbox consoles. We've been waiting since 2006 for a new game after a disappointing Final Fantasy XII. I'm playing this one on PS3, which requires only one disc and shows the potential of this console.

Let's face it. This is a franchise that divides gamers. You either live for it as a role-playing FF fanboy and experience it like its your first time or you shake your head and don't see the appeal of engaging for endless hours in a colourful environment where characters join up and fight off a threat to the world.

As a devoted anime fan, I feel completely at home with this Japanese cultural experience. Some gamers find it too restrictive but that's just the nature of this role-playing game. The battles and upgrade system are second to none.

The colourful diverse young heroes are rebels that go by names such as Lightning, Hope, Snow, Fang, Vanille and Sazh.

The well-developed characters display enduring or annoying characteristics including being cocky and arrogant, complaining all the time or driving you mad with too much chatter.

But, like all close friends, you forgive any imperfections and warm to them, because you'll be spending a lot of hours with them.

You control one character's actions in battle. The battles are normally two person affairs as the characters are built up. During battle, the computer-controlled character will fill a role such as medic or commando whilst your character carries out actions from their skill sets.

You have the ability to make a lot of changes to your character in terms of what they specialise in and where your upgrade points develop the character.

Plot gameplay is familiar RPG stuff. They set out on a quest to save the world and themselves. They have been given special powers by the fal'Cie.

It's a strong story but may take you a while to comprehend what it's about as it is slowly revealed as the characters upgrade and you learn the battle and upgrade systems.

The story concerns the floating high-tech urban world of Cocoon, where the humans are protected and said to be ruled by a god-like race called the fal'Cie, unlike the evil dangerous world of Pulse, underneath Cocoon. However opinions are divided in both camps on the planet below Pulse.

A rogue fal'Cie results in the heroes being mistaken as belonging to Pulse and branded enemies of Cocoon, called I'Cie, servants of the aliens so have to engage in endless battles with Sanctum soldiers who now rule Cocoon.

Newcomers to the game will need patience as the game takes time to develop, and as you work the controls and the combat system (which has a handy auto-battle mode) you should take the time to get used to "Paradigm shifts" and how to upgrade weapons and accessories.

It may take 15 to 20 hours before the game lets you take a breath. Those first 20-odd hours are spent exploring and it's very much the same over and over again until you expand your characters' skills.

It's linear, with no open world but my, does the time fly! You engage in battle, walk some more, deal with a few emotions, fight again, load a heap of cut scenes developing character stories, battle some more, and save your game a lot.

The monsters you fight are varied and require some knowledge of elemental damage and the best sneaking up tactic, involving booster magical elements such as fortisol and aegisol, for the tricky fights.

It's the advancement area, where the game provides its only minor disappointment. Stripping the gloss and the technical battle controls aside, there is something missing this time around.

There's not a lot new, which isn't a bad thing with such a great franchise and a winning formula. But previous titles have lots of side quests, mini games, and options to absorb yourself into the world – useful distractions to wander off and lose yourself.

Final Fantasy fans like them for a while instead of having to engage in endless plot driven battles. It gave you to time to breathe, take a break from the story. I miss that part this time around, and new players, especially, who are used to faster action with some of the recent RPGs, may be hanging out for more of these or certainly having some 'breathers' earlier in the game.

Endless battles are a lot of fun but at times make it feel more like a FPS, than a RPG. Having recently played Mass Effect 2 and Fallout 3, it's taken a bit of adjusting to remember that you can't just aim your weapon and attack as you can with the other RPGs, as the player chosen fighting sequence requires use of a menu.

The best abilities and techniques are two to three menu choices away. Powerful techniques can bring out your Eidoliths (supremely powerful but shortlived battle companions) or scan for enemy weaknesses.

Abilities are based on the player skills as chosen by your editable Paradigm Shift selection, and can be chosen at random throughout the entire battle.

So the secret is to pace yourself, and accept the first 25 hours or so will be developing the story with strong combat.

The music has always been an impressive feature of Final Fantasy and this time around, with the ability of the next-gen console and whatever amplifier or hi-def TV system you use, the musical score is on a par with the best movies. Voice acting is also of the highest quality,with little lost in translation.

This is one of the best eye candy gaming treats you will have ever encountered, and will result in Final Fantasy fans cancelling everything else as they engross themselves in the game.

MadGamer's rating: 9/10

My favourite FF was probably X. How about yours?