Final Fantasy XIII: The Complete Official Guide

by JamesPrice

FINAL FANTASY XIII CE (STRATEGY GUIDE)

Genres: Reference, Gaming, Nonfiction, Video Games, Games, Guides, Collections

257 pages, Paperback

First published March 9, 2009

Reviews

[Ricky Ganci]

Games like this are very, very difficult, and exponentially more time-consuming, without some kind of assistance. I've not finished a Final Fantasy game without a guide since FFIII on the Super Nintendo, and from breeding a Gold Chocobo in FFVII to crafting Ultimate Weapons in FFXIII, I've needed the help I've gotten from these game add-ons.

What I appreciated about this guide was its commitment to the story of the game. FF game stories are always hard to follow, as they make little contiguous sense, but there are pieces of the stories--Aeris' death in VII, Princess Ashe's emergence in XII, and of course Auron in X--that really stick with you in your gaming life. While I never understood fully the idea of the Pulse Vestige, its power, or its relationship to the Fal'Cie and the L'Cie, I appreciated their actions in the story, and how the game guide allowed me to enjoy the playing experience without telling me what was going on during the cutscenes.

The single best aspect of this guide, however, was its assistance in helping me craft items to get the "Treasure Hunter" achievement. The comlpexity of this sub-game, and the importance of it in defeating the final mark missions, is a trial-and error nightmare. The guide streamlined my play DOWN to about 165 hours to full completion--if I'd had to learn all of the nuances of item crafting, it would have been much, MUCH longer, especially with regard to collecting Platinum Ingots.

This was a great Final Fantasy game--one of my two or three favorites--and finishing all 35 achivements was a great way to record my success, as none of other Final Fantasy games have appeared on Xbox 360. The guide was integral to my experience, and with rumors of a XIII-2, I hope that Brady Games will be spearheading the inevitable guide for that one, as well.

[aussie]

best game ever

[Nicky]

Pretty good strategy guide. I wish it had a separate section of easy to find maps, but the maps integrated with the walkthrough are okay. Helpful tips on where to level grind, good breakdowns of what roles characters are best suited to, the best weapons, etc.

[Jonathan]

I have never seen a more, well designed and well written guide book. The game itself is extremely complex and although easy enough to get through without a guidebook, this one complements the game play really well and 'unlocks' a lot of hidden featured that may be overlooked or just take much too long to figure out on your own. It will save a lot of time and it is very careful not to spoil anything story related. I recommend this book based on the sheer quality of it, however it also makes the game that much more enjoyable.

[Esmée]

This wonderfully comprehensive guide makes Final Fantasy XIII playable!

I only used the last third of the guide, so I can't tell anything about the content before that. However, I found the suggested strategies I read to be very useful, as well as the given locations to grind (since there aren't many and trust me, you’ll need them).

Thanks to this guide I've finally been able to take this game off my backlog. Not only that, it also made me enjoy the game sometimes! I definitely do not regret this purchase.

[Adriana]

This guide is pretty comprehensive, especially if you’re interested in getting every single treasure and side quest.
I found that, most often, the strategies suggested for major battles didn't work for me and I was better off just doing my thing, but everything else works pretty well.
It also manages to guide you almost step by step without giving away any spoilers.
Pretty good overall.

[Forrest Norvell]

Better than the average Brady guide, but some of the suggested strategies for the harder optional fights in Chapter 11 are not so useful.

[Casper Gasper]

Everything you need to complete the game.

[Simon Cousins]

Sealed copy

[Laura C.]

Non ho il videogioco in questione, ma, avendo trovato questa guida in un mercatino,ho deciso di comprarla... piu' che altro per le splendide figure!