Now before anyone says anything and has a meltdown (meaning all FFFanboys. not normal fans its the boys.) im a long time fan of FF, i've played all of them VI and up, i've also played II on PSP and a lil of I also on PSP.

I only haven't played III, IV, and V. though i want to play IV on the DS since i heard great things about IV.

Im also a semi-long time fan of Tri-Ace and a much longer time fan of SEGA. things which means pretty much all there RPG's.

My opinion on this is fair as a regular fan for all 3, and i have to say one of the 3 has lost its touch.

Now that, thats done with...

Note: I have not beaten FFXIII nor RoF yet, this is just a friendly comparison between the 2 thus far from my Exp's with both games, im on chapter 11 on FFXIII and chapter 5 or 6 for RoF. this is just to help those to decide between the 2 games fairly.

Warning: Keep things civil, if you come here just to flame and/or troll my opinion on the subject i will report you, theres no need to get nasty, in the end there just entertainment, so play nice.

1. Gameplay ...

1. Resonance's gameplay is ... strange for a JRPG, however the leap Tri took was well worth it, its extremely action packed while at the same time being very strategic, since movement has a Valkyria Chronicles feeling to itm it also has gameplay elements sort of like Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, which is another good thing, between Hexes, dual wielding, and epic monsters, theres alot to go around here that makes this game truly unique. and the Tri-Attack system is amazing and intense. 
2. Gameplay ... Final Fantasy XIII's gameplay is fine but very basic, its the best in the series no doubt, however say what you want, after 5 years i simply expected more, compared to RoF's 2 years. the crystalium is a rip-off of  the sphere grid, which is not a bad thing but its been done befor, rather recently as far as Main FF's go to, it was only 2 games ago not including 11, and X-2. also if i recall wasn't gameplay for FFXIII suppose to be more closer to Versus XIII in the begining? have a look at this video and mind 0:25 at the video of most... we were promised that but instead we got this... on top of that you cant control your characters movements at ALL, no control what-so-ever in combat for FFXIII, you could in XII why not in XIII?
3. Overall - RoF = 8/10 / FFXIII = 5/10 just like the amount of time it took to be made.

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2. Originality ...

1. As i said before RoF has some elements from VC and VP2 however it has more originality overall to be called and easiliy remembered as its own game, this game is so unique and fresh if some dared to copy it in anyway, it would be extremely noticeable, its that simple, the mind who came up with this games world is downright incredible.
2. After XIII titles of main numbered final fantasies, fan or not, its common logic to know ideas are going down the waterfall, Square Enix is no exception to that rule, this game feels very much like FFX in many ways however its saving grace is the fact it takes place in a beautiful futuristic universe, by story time, it would seem FFXIII is the fartherst time area in FF since there all connected to some point.
3. Overall - RoF = 9/10 / FFXIII = 7.5/10.

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3. Story ...

1. Not much to say here so far for RoF, it seems full of fail from where im at now, though things may pick up soon.
2. Generic "Moral" based story, save people who want you dead, yata, yata, yata. though it works, its better then some other FF games like VI, II and VIII but its been done before, nothin new here.
3. Overall - RoF = ??/?? / FFXIII = 7/10

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4. Music ...

1. Fantastic, you can really feel the urban-fantasy vibe RoF has going on here, it works really well and fits like a glove sir.
2. Again fantastic, i love the new battle music with the violens and overall sci-fi fantasy blend XIII has, RoF is only a wiii bit better. just a wiii bit.
3. Overall - RoF = 9.1/10 / FFXIII = 9/10

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5. World ...

1. I honestly didn't know what in the hell Steampunk was till RoF, and i gotta say it made the discovery even more of a fun! Wheels and Gears always turning, it is very Fantasy-ish and beautiful, its another kind of beauty though. very much alive. even with the grimlins running up and down street ways and stuff. reminds me of Final Fantasy VII and Chaos Legion for some reason... which is very good!
2. Futuristic setting, reminds me of SO4, so i've done it recently, however... im judging FFXIII off its 5 year span and other final fantasies, so by final fantasy standards i believe FFXIII is the only one that takes place in an era like this. which is awesome because future based worlds are my personal fave. next to norse mythology or things along those lines.
3. Overall - RoF = 9/10 / FFXIII = 9.7/10.

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Thats all for now due to my lazyiness and over used energy these past few days, the other 5 will be in afew days if i feel like it. hope this helped those who needed it. i recco' you get both, but if are aimming for replay value and aren't to friendly with FF, go for RoF if not go FFXIII. cheers.

Nice review, although I have a hard time playing RPG games =)