Solid JRPG
Final Fantasy XIII was not the stellar JRPG series fans were hoping for. It's far too linear (right down to the level design!), and for the first half of the game the player has very little say in how to play the game. The game does open up in the final few chapters but for some it'll be too little too late.
Not everything is bad however. The graphics are nice, and the FMV stunning on occasion. The combat system is fast and tactical and a huge improvement over the system used in FFXII. Artwork is great (as per series standards) as is the background music. Whilst the story is standard JRPG fare it is handled reasonably well and there are only a couple of irritating characters that mar the experience (Snow and Vanille!).
In all it's a decent JRPG with a lot of content, so if you're a fan of the genre, it's a steal at this discounted price.