Final Fantasy XIII: Reviews Good, Sales Record-Shattering

It’s a good day to be Sony, with news that Final Fantasy XIII set sales records for the Playstation 3 in Japan. After day one, the game had moved a million units, and by week’s end, 1.501,964 units were sold, according to Media Create. Japan’s previous best-selling PS3 game, Metal Gear Solid 4, has moved less than half as many copies in its entire lifetime. The takeaway is that people are buying FFXIII, and by extension the Playstation 3, in droves. On the week, PS3 sales jumped to 237,086 units, from 75,086 units the week earlier. All of this bodes well for FFXIII’s March 9 release, both for the PS3 and the Xbox 360. But has the game been as successful critically?

Early Final Fantasy XIII reviews are solid, but not perfect. Wired’s Chris Kohler is most critical, writing that the game’s lavish and lengthy cut scenes come at the expense of actual gameplay, which favors linearity instead of branching paths and side-missions. Famitsu denied the game a perfect score (a big deal if you consider that Bayonetta, Dragon Quest IX and Monster Hunter Tri), praising the game’s visuals but questioning its linearity and lack of gameplay surprises. Electronic Theatre, however, raved, calling the game a “system-seller.” Looking at those Media Create figures, there’s no denying that. [Media Create via Joystiq]