It is an interesting point of discussion that "Final Fantasy XV" is not the highest-scoring game off from Square Enix franchise but "Final Fantasy XIII" is. What has been lambasted by negative criticisms appears to belatedly receiving positive reviews instead. It's just that "Final Fantasy XIII" reaped nicer reviews after being compared to FFXV.
Make no mistake about it, "Final Fantasy XV" is an excellent game and its 81 Metacritic score is a testament of how enthralling the game is. However, "Final Fantasy XIII" reaped better digits with its 83 score. It appears that reviewers decided to compare the current iteration to its predecessor and all aspects were taken into account.
"Final Fantasy XIII" was thought to have more engaging characters, better combat and above all - far stronger storyline. Those who watched the movie Kingsglaive will surely notice that there is a huge potential behind Noctis' story. This premise was apparent from the opening scene although there was not a glimpse of his adventure in the film. At any rate, "Final Fantasy XV" game version failed to achieve the same mesmerizing spell as that of the film.
Focusing on the story and characters; "Final Fantasy XIII" presents better depth compared to "Final Fantasy XV" who sounds more like a boy band en route to a major concert. "Final Fantasy XIII" is unpredictable and engaging. The itch of trying to guess what comes next is the biggest draw for "Final Fantasy XIII" that FFXV apparently lacks.
Now about the characters; "Final Fantasy XV" centers on Noctis and his companions looks like simple - companions, end of debate. One the other hand, "Final Fantasy XIII" presents diversity with two female lead characters. Character Serah starts slow but builds up into a sleeping giant along the way. Then comes Noel who accentuates Serah and can give twists when boredom starts to find ways.
At any rate, what "Final Fantasy XIII" and FFXV share is commonality of great villains. While the latter has the irritating Ardyn, "Final Fantasy XIII" taunts Caius with same ardor.
