Final Fantasy XIII-2 – Review – Xbox 360

Final Fantasy is a series that has been with us since the earliest days of home video gaming. Its first release was on the NES and has stayed with us through thick and thin like a trustworthy friend. Granted like all friends some games in the series definitely fell short at points in its lifetime, but overall the series has been a great ally to battle boredom and provide great entertainment. With the release of Final Fantasy 13 in 2010 most fans expected the game to be awesome but it fell short in many areas except for the story. Now a game that continues where 13 left has been released, it is called 13-2. The real question that most people have asked is, is does the game have the same dull gameplay as 13 or have any improvements been made?

Story: The story picks up right where 13 left off except things are different as you can guess. You see that Lightning is in a strange place fighting a man named Caius. This place is named Valhalla and it is a location where you can see the span of history from beginning to end at once. You find out that the timeline has changed and everyone involved thinks that lightning died when Vanille and Fang stopped Cocoon from crashing into Pulse. It turns out Serah is the only one who remembers what truly happened. A man named Noel who proclaims to be from the future appears and convinces Serah that Lightning has sent him to help her change the future to reclaim the past and make everything alright. They set off through time to change history and that is where the story begins. Instead of focusing on many characters like 13 the game follows only the two mentioned here. Which I think really helps you get involved even deeper into the story.

Gameplay: The gameplay reminds you a lot of 13 but it feels different. As you fight monsters you can have them join your team to help you battle kind of like Pokémon. You will collect items in battles that actually let up level up these monsters to gain new abilities. You still have the same paragon system found in 13 and the same AP gauge. The only thing that I found to be a problem with this is that you can pretty much complete every battle without pressing anything but the A button. Some of the harder battles require changes in tactics but overall you never have to change anything. If you played 13 you will not even have a problem picking up how to play. The game is divided into levels each level represents a different time period. You will find that you will have to move between many of them to accomplish your goals. An interesting facet about this new level system is that you can actually restart a level completely and meet characters you met before and they will act as if they never met you. While playing through each level you will need to find items called Artefacts to progress further. These Artefacts open gates to new locations and will move you through the story. There are a lot of hidden items that you can find as well that help you along your journey. These items can be something simple like a costume or a powerful weapon. Square Enix has really strived to keep you playing even after the story is complete by adding these hidden items and giving you the opportunity to explore multiple locations and secret endings.

Graphics/Sound: The game looks and sounds amazing, just like you would expect from Square. The visuals are amazing and the cut-scenes are of a movie quality. The sound effects and soundtrack really add to the feel of the game. With the visuals and sound you really become immersed in the game and story.

Overall: Final Fantasy 13-2 really hit the mark most fans of the series hope to experience. The story is great and you really become immersed in the story. The ending is awesome and doesn’t let you down at all. If you somewhat liked 13 or even if you didn’t I would suggest picking this up to rekindle any feelings you had towards 13. Square Enix really hit the mark this time and with the promised support of DLC down the road you just can’t lose.

Score: 8 out of 10

A copy of this game was provided to the reviewer from the publisher for reviewing purposes.

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