Final Fantasy XIII-2 Review
"If the future changes, then the past will change, too." --- The catchphrase of the direct sequel of Final Fantasy XIII.
If you are like me, who's trying to figure out just how illogical that catchphrase is, then congratulations, you still have common sense - because I honestly think Square-Enix has lost it.
First thing first, there are plenty misdirection in this "sequel". If you are expecting a continuation of what FFXIII set itself to be, then you might get disappointed. For one, you aren't going to control any characters in the original (san Lightning who you can control for the first 5 minutes.) And for that matter, despite having a box art featuring Lightning, she hardly appears in the story. The entire thing is a brand new story with old character cameos forced into a new situation, totally unrelated to the original. Okay, maybe not 100% unrelated, but FFXIII-2 is essentially a story about Noel, Caius and Yeul. Other stuff are...extras. lmao.
Thanks to this, the story feels tacked on to the world. The idea of time traveling is completely out of nowhere. Serah also gained a new ability out of nowhere. Lightning served the goddess Etro out of nowhere. So, yeah, don't bother looking for a continuation. Just think of it as a new story. It's easier that way.
In any case, the changes are not necessarily a bad thing. No more Fal'cie, L'cie, Purge, Focus crap, which I really dislike. The previous characters aren't as prominent is also a good thing, because I hate them all. A brand new cast is welcome, even if the new cast aren't exactly the most appealing bunch, but I can tolerate them better. (And Moggle is the cutest thing ever.)
The biggest changes are the setting and the gameplay. They are a lot more variety, and a lot more interesting to see. I enjoy the time traveling element added to the story, despite how nonsensical the system is. Also the music is such a treat. I love them much better than FFXIII music. And I don't think I need to mention the graphics. This is pretty much why many are still on FF boat.
The melodramatic soap opera is still there, but there are lesser than the one in FFXIII. In general, I find FFXIII-2 a definite improvement from FFXIII. I cringe a lot less, so that's a good sign. While Caius is a very dull villain, and Noel is a very standard hero, I enjoy Yeul most out of 3 new characters. She may not have much personality, but I find her endearing for odd reason. Maybe it's the voice lol...
By the way , the ending(s), there really isn't one. The true ending ended with "to be continued". This is possibly the biggest complaint I have heard from many Japanese who played the game. Squeenix just basically tell you to buy the ending. LOLOLOL!
I did however, enjoy much of the side endings, or paradox endings. The utterly nonsensical Flan ending, to the incredibly hilarious Snow and Serah ending...well, at least they know how to write crack endings. XD
Rating: B (If you can swallow illogical, convoluted story, soap opera, and the lack of proper conclusion, FFXIII-2 is quite decent. At least I enjoyed it much more than FFXIII. But if you hope for anything like the older FF, then yeah, this is average at best.
Coming up next: Zelda - Skyward Sword review. :D
If you are like me, who's trying to figure out just how illogical that catchphrase is, then congratulations, you still have common sense - because I honestly think Square-Enix has lost it.
First thing first, there are plenty misdirection in this "sequel". If you are expecting a continuation of what FFXIII set itself to be, then you might get disappointed. For one, you aren't going to control any characters in the original (san Lightning who you can control for the first 5 minutes.) And for that matter, despite having a box art featuring Lightning, she hardly appears in the story. The entire thing is a brand new story with old character cameos forced into a new situation, totally unrelated to the original. Okay, maybe not 100% unrelated, but FFXIII-2 is essentially a story about Noel, Caius and Yeul. Other stuff are...extras. lmao.
Thanks to this, the story feels tacked on to the world. The idea of time traveling is completely out of nowhere. Serah also gained a new ability out of nowhere. Lightning served the goddess Etro out of nowhere. So, yeah, don't bother looking for a continuation. Just think of it as a new story. It's easier that way.
In any case, the changes are not necessarily a bad thing. No more Fal'cie, L'cie, Purge, Focus crap, which I really dislike. The previous characters aren't as prominent is also a good thing, because I hate them all. A brand new cast is welcome, even if the new cast aren't exactly the most appealing bunch, but I can tolerate them better. (And Moggle is the cutest thing ever.)
The biggest changes are the setting and the gameplay. They are a lot more variety, and a lot more interesting to see. I enjoy the time traveling element added to the story, despite how nonsensical the system is. Also the music is such a treat. I love them much better than FFXIII music. And I don't think I need to mention the graphics. This is pretty much why many are still on FF boat.
The melodramatic soap opera is still there, but there are lesser than the one in FFXIII. In general, I find FFXIII-2 a definite improvement from FFXIII. I cringe a lot less, so that's a good sign. While Caius is a very dull villain, and Noel is a very standard hero, I enjoy Yeul most out of 3 new characters. She may not have much personality, but I find her endearing for odd reason. Maybe it's the voice lol...
By the way , the ending(s), there really isn't one. The true ending ended with "to be continued". This is possibly the biggest complaint I have heard from many Japanese who played the game. Squeenix just basically tell you to buy the ending. LOLOLOL!
I did however, enjoy much of the side endings, or paradox endings. The utterly nonsensical Flan ending, to the incredibly hilarious Snow and Serah ending...well, at least they know how to write crack endings. XD
Rating: B (If you can swallow illogical, convoluted story, soap opera, and the lack of proper conclusion, FFXIII-2 is quite decent. At least I enjoyed it much more than FFXIII. But if you hope for anything like the older FF, then yeah, this is average at best.
Coming up next: Zelda - Skyward Sword review. :D