PS3 LIGHTNING RETURNS FINAL FANTASY XIII SQUARE ENIX IN JOHANNESBURG

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII takes the kitchen-sink approach in its attempt to cap off Square’s trilogy on a strong note. It wisely throws away the battle system and locations of the previous games in favor of fresh and more interesting mechanics and settings. It also presents a slew of new ideas to the series that call back to everything from classic JRPGs to Skyrim and Majora’s Mask, and even Assassin’s Creed. But in its attempt to kick things up for the final act, Lightning Returns stumbles in its storytelling. Instead of going out with a bang, it sadly ends the trilogy with an muddled and tonally inconsistent whimper.