Final Fantasy XIII-2

[noiseredux]

I need to pop this in again. I was really enjoying the game but then got sidetracked with some of the shmup high scores threads and Tony Hawk 2 for Together Retro and then Skullgirls. Plus I've been completely obsessed with Pangya Fantasy Golf on PSP. I've sunk a good 5 hours into it in the past couple weeks.

But yeah. FFXIII-2. I should continue playing.

[MrEco]

I've played the first, like, hour of the game so far.

Very fun so far. The combat is even better than I remember. And the changes to the crystarium were actually not that complicated.

[dreamcast4ever83]

This game is fantastic i really enjoyed it and there are so many dlc comeing out for download on 360 and psn

[BoneSnapDeez]

It's better than Final Fantasy XIII.

Which is kind of like saying Bubsy 2 is better than Bubsy 1.

[GameMasterGuy]

It's better than Final Fantasy XIII.

Which is kind of like saying Bubsy 2 is better than Bubsy 1.

If Bubsy 1 was pretty good and Bubsy 2 was the freaking Donkey Kong Country 2 of the console.

[ZenErik]

It's better than Final Fantasy XIII.

Which is kind of like saying Bubsy 2 is better than Bubsy 1.

If Bubsy 1 was pretty good and Bubsy 2 was the freaking Donkey Kong Country 2 of the console.

Except that the only thing the FFXIII games excel at are cinematic graphics.

It's not to say that they are terrible. They are not. But they certainly seem lacking outside of the great presentation. Just my experience...

[Gamerforlife]

I talked about this and Xenoblade a bit in the, "what rpg are you currently playing?" thread. I thought I'd bump this topic and talk about FF XIII-2 in particular a bit more

So far I really, really like it. Now granted, I wasn't as down on FF XIII as some people. I thought that game had great graphics, sound, and combat. It's only flaws were that it was ham stringed by the desire to hold players hands for too long leading to a game that was too linear and restricted. That, and the story just got gradually worse over the course of the game, and there were practically no real side quests.

So far, FF XIII-2 is showing me everything I loved about the last one. The combat is virtually unchanged. I was actually surprised by how easily I slipped back into it, like riding a bike. I was cranking out five star battle ranks within just an hour of playing. Some reviewers have said that FF XIII-2's combat is too easy. I think they are just not playing it right and they are probably the same people who weren't playing FF XIII right.

The whole point of combat is getting those five star ranks, and the requirements are fairly strict. The game certainly doesn't force you to get five star ranks, but you can't justifiably say that combat is boring or too easy if you're not pursuing that goal. You need a good strategy to get those 5 star ranks, not just to win - that's not enough, but too win quickly and with minimal damage. When you actually get a good strategy down for getting a five star rank, there is this wonderful flow and rhythm to the battle that I have not experienced in any other rpg I've played. This is hands down my favorite JRPG combat system still, even Xenoblade's combat doesn't compare. They've made a few additions too, to make the combat system just a tad better. Like you can customize your paradigms a bit more than the last game. Visually too, and this was true of FF XIII as well, fights in FF XIII-2 just look awesome. Just the real time, fast paced nature of it, and the way characters and enemies move around the battle field make the combat look surprisingly action packed for a turn based jrpg IMO.

Other than combat, there are some other gameplay changes. We have quick time events, with I generally hate in video games. However, the ones in this game aren't too hard, and they are woven into the boss fights. I don't know if there is a penality for messing up. I've been hitting all the button prompts and getting perfect bonuses for completing them, which would imply that missing a prompt isn't an automatic game over. I tend to hate QTEs for feeling tacked on or being annoying hard, neither of which I'm feeling with this game

They also have this new, more interactive conversation system. Now, you have to actually respond to what people say and pick from a group of choices, much like a game like Mass Effect. The game is unclear on what the effects of your choices are. From what I've seen, it effects what bonus item you get in each stage and there's an implication that it can affect the story as well. Fortunately, you can replay any stage, so I'm not worried about making wrong choices or even about missing any items. I love that sense of freedom. I feel like I can't screw up and it's like the first Final Fantasy game I've played where I don't feel like I need a guide for anything.

The graphics are fucking amazing! I can't stress that enough, because we live in an HD world where I've become numb to pretty looking games because it's become the norm. Yet, there is still something about FF games on HD consoles that make me feel the way you did the very first time you saw a current gen video game in HD. There's a beauty and artistry in these games that is nearly in a class of its own. If I want to impress someone with how amazing games can look in HD in this generation, I'm pulling out a Final Fantasy title. The presentation is great too, like when you come to a new area and the name of it scrolls onto the screen on top of the environment itself. For those of you who watch Fringe, it's a similar effect to what they do when they introduce viewers to a new location. We all know they spend a fortune on this franchise, and you can see every dollar of it onscreen with this game. I'm so glad I got a new, forty inch, LED, flatscreen, Samsung TV this year. I'd easily give this game's visuals a 10 without question.

The audio side of things is pretty cool. This is a very contemporary soundtrack with a lot of vocal tracks. It seems strange when you think about how other rpgs like Mass Effect 3 and Xenoblade goe with more traditional, mood setting music that is in line with the kind of music that accompanies most movies and TV shows. It's surprising when you play something like FF XIII-2 that has a jpop track playing with some diva singing the vocals in one stage, and a heavy metal song with some guy belting out a bunch of incomprehensible, angry sounding lyrics during a boss fight(reminds me of the metal music used in Devil May Cry 3). It all gives the game a very upbeat, energetic soundtrack that just feels more modern than other games in the genre. So many video games have a "score" rather than a "soundtrack". This game has both, which I like. It's nice to get music with vocals in something that is not a sports game.

Storywise, I don't know if this will fare better than FF XIII, but the new guy Noel is a far more likable protagonist than Lightning was in FF XIII (though she's quite cool in this game) and quite a bit more likable than a lot of guys I've seen in other JRPGs. His character design doesn't seem ridiculously over the top as is sometimes the case in these games, and I like his personality. He's friendly and brave. He's not angsty, emo, or angry, and he's not some young kid on a coming of age journey. He's just a fairly friendly guy who cares about people and wants to fight to save them and fight to change his future. They tried way too hard to make Lightning cool in FF XIII. They've taken a bit more reserved approach with Noel, and it works. He does cool stuff, but it doesn't feel like he's constantly trying to steal the damn spotlight all the time like Lightning did in FF XIII. Course those of you who liked Lightning in the last game, will enjoy the first fifteen minutes or so of the game, which feature her in some pretty epic as fuck sequences. one of which being a pretty damn awesome aerial boss fight. Serah is cool in this game too. A character like her in a game like this could have been sickeningly cute, like Vanille from the last game, or Rikku from FF X, but she's not. I like how populated the game has felt so far. I'm roaming through enemy infested areas and actually watching NPCs rush forward to fight them before I actually engage them in combat. Also, there's a part of the game where a character from FF XIII shows up to accompany you, and while this person is in your party you actually have an unprecedented four people fighting in your party. That's pretty awesome, even though you have little control over this character

The game is heavy on the time travel stuff. It's like watching a Doctor Who episode. Paradox this, time rift that, anomaly this, blah, blah, blah. I worry about all this time stuff getting convoluted at some point in true anime form. Still, it allows for a very epic feel to the game as you can have just about any crazy thing happen and blame it on time space distortions, rifts, whatever. In fact, FF XIII-2 starts off with a lot of crazy, epic shit happening and from what I've played so far, hasn't really slowed down or given me time to catch my breath yet...and I like it. The story's been pretty fast paced and epic so far and boss fights have been frequent.

I'm loving the game so far. I'm actually enjoying it more than Xenoblade right now, which is high praise given how the gaming media has proclaimed Xenoblade to be the JRPG equivalent of the second coming of Jesus Christ. They are both great games though, but when the year is over I can see Xenoblade getting more accolades. It's kind of like how the gaming press raved about Rayman Origins last year, while I thought Sonic Generations was more fun, though far less hyped and acclaimed.

[sabrage]

Well, that was quick: $20 via Gamestop.

[dreamcast4ever83]

I have been playing xenoblade and am loveing it so far I hope the story unfolds in an epic way. I do wish i could run it on dolphin tho. Im trying to but finding the iso is annoying and takes forever not to mention i need a blutooth for the wiimote. The thing is on my 55 inch tv it looks good but I think being wii it would do more on a crt

[Gamerforlife]

Well, that was quick: $20 via Gamestop.

Is that just for the 360 version? These games are always better on the PS 3.