Final Fantasy XIII-2 Review

[KrossBillNye]

I hate to say this but because of XIII I am not buying any more FFs unless I rent it and I like what I played.

Buying XIII was a huge financial mistake. I hated the game worse than I hated Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone.

And I will point out I have a great hatred towards that game.

The FF X-III felt like a 3 hour tutorial. I got to the second disk and when I saw another Tutorial I gave up on it.

Very upset over that game....

 

[geizr]

Looks nice. I may pick this up eventually.

Honestly, I liked FFXIII. The linearity didn't bother me because, to me, it's the same thing we have all been playing for years. The only difference is that the developer wasn't using any standard tricks to hide that fact from the gamer. The topological design of almost every JRPG has been a straight line with some branches leading to treasure chests or some side quest; you go out from where the main path branches, get to the end of the branch to accomplish the mission or find the treasure, and then come back to where you left the main path and proceed from there with the rest of the main path. Usually, you don't notice this linearity because it gets curled-up on itself. The only exception I have ever seen is Saga Frontier, which actually had a non-linear design to how you progress through the game; however, it was very easy to run into an impassable wall in progression as a direct result of the non-linear design(I had this happen to me very early into the game).

I will admit that the length and number of some of the corridors in FFXIII in a number of cases could have used some editing, as in throwing some away and reducing the length of the ones kept by 10-20%.

In my honest opinion, the only thing that makes it not a "real" FF game is that it was not the remake of FFVII that certain circles of fans have been fantasizing about for years now.

 

[masticina]

WOOO due to the lovely snow it took a lost weekend for the post but it is in. So first 40 minutes!

I like it I like it! Sure it has the same old battle system but allot more LIVE EVENT and dynamics so it is less about auto battle and more about keeping an eye on the battles. Backstory is told IN FIGHT! Yes... so exitement AND a story moment in one. Beats starting the game in the middle [as yathzee put it] you actually start at the start..and the end..and the start. Mmm time travel can be funny.

Battling system works characters so far not irritating I like like Noel.. And Serra she isn't grating on my nerves like Vanilla! So yeah an action oriented high polished FF.. so far I like it.

And of course MOG joins us again WOOO cuddle time!

And yes this is not going to be a Golden Star Super Final Fantasy I already know that. But it is light years better then FF XIII so far!

 

[Moffman]

Just Putting my 2 cents in here, played about 10 hours now and I have to say it isn't a little improved from XIII, it is greatly improved!
The characters are actually likeable for the first time since X! (Except Tidus, he was lame) There are many things to keep you entertained, not just the main story missions: side quests, the casino, while small atm will be expanded in DLC, which I think is the right move since it isn't holding key story back from players, the chocobo racing will probably entertain for quite a while if you want to train up your chocobos, quick time events that feel exciting and don't suck O) and I find the pet system very engaging, I just... just... wanna catch em all! Also most of the pets are actually viable instead of, what usually happens, one being 50X better than the others.
I think this is the strongest FF release since IX. Is it a FF game? Possibly not (Interaction with towns ect could be a lot better, every NPC should talk and give us a few buildings to investigate). But it is a good game!
I have also found a way to cut down the cut scenes Square. Don't voice act everything! The reason "cut-scenes" in the old FF didn't seem such a drag is because we were part of them actively reading the text and scrolling through it with the push of a button, keep the player involved or your game does turn into a movie .
Also if you loathed the battle system from XIII you will probably loath this one too. It is more active and will require a lot more paradigm switching and battles do not drag out for about 30mins but at its core it is the same. I personally like this system because it is pacey and I find makes me think more as a player because I have to deal with the limitations of the AI. "But all I do is hit auto attack and paradigm shift occasionally" true, but most FFs have been like this, there have been very few from VII onwards where you couldn't beat most fights just by ramming the attack button and occasionally casting cure, XIII at least adds the extra job of paradigm switching. Status ailments and buffs are also actually effective in this game!
Don't be put off this if, like me, you didn't like XIII! If your not sure on it, try the demo, rent or borrow it you may be pleasantly suprised like I was

 

[Donald Kindy]

I really like FF13. After FF6 and 7 it was my third favorite FF game. The story was amazing and beautifully laid out and the characters felt more real then any game since 7, Lightning being my favorite protagonist since Terra Branford. Then the Paradigm battle system so simple and yet infinitely challenging was, imo, brilliant.The only problem was that is was extremely linear, but the fast paced story wouldn't have worked otherwise. to be fair i didn't like the leveling system either.
i am about 15hrs into 13-2 and absolutely loving it. the main Serah, Noel and even Moogle are very likable characters. The changes in gameplay and leveling are welcome improvements. For me though, it is the story. Traveling back and forth threw time to fix the future, paradoxes, and different realities and time periods colliding. This was a really cool direction for a Final Fantasy title to go, I think.


Just my opinion.

 

[rbstewart7263]

Everything I've heard and seen about the game suggests that the gameplay is better...

But everything I've read about the plot makes it sound at least three times as crappy and convoluted as XIII's.

Actually, it's not that bad. The times when it gets the most dense are the times it ties into XIII. It also tends to repeat ideas enough to let them to sink in.

That said, it's not the most compelling plot you're ever going to encounter. Serah and Noel are likeable enough that you want them to succeed, but you likely won't care about just about anyone else.

Love the new avatar. trying to remember where that dog came from.

anyway you mentioned other characters in the party who else is there? all I saw in the clips was serah and Noel?

 

[Susan Arendt]

Everything I've heard and seen about the game suggests that the gameplay is better...

But everything I've read about the plot makes it sound at least three times as crappy and convoluted as XIII's.

Actually, it's not that bad. The times when it gets the most dense are the times it ties into XIII. It also tends to repeat ideas enough to let them to sink in.

That said, it's not the most compelling plot you're ever going to encounter. Serah and Noel are likeable enough that you want them to succeed, but you likely won't care about just about anyone else.

Love the new avatar. trying to remember where that dog came from.

anyway you mentioned other characters in the party who else is there? all I saw in the clips was serah and Noel?

Answering that is a bit spoilery...let's just say that they're familiar faces.