Final Fantasy XIII-2

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Tomenaki
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Final Fantasy XIII-2

Post by Tomenaki » 08 Feb 2012, 22:32

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Final Fantasy has had a bit of a rough time lately, no thanks to the "14th" entry to the series, and the somewhat divisive Final Fantasy XIII (which I liked, I might add). To follow on the coattails of Final Fantasy XIII, comes the second sequel game of the series, besides Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XIII-2.

Story: The story of Final Fantasy XIII seemed fairly well wrapped up, save for the fact that you lost two main characters as they turned to crystal at the end of the game, but otherwise, it felt somewhat complete. XIII-2 takes that ending, and throws in a new idea that... maybe, just maybe, things weren't as finished as they seem. This, while an interesting choice, actually seems to fit in the world of Final Fantasy XIII since the all-powerful fal'Cie, who can bend whole planets to their will, were looking for their own salvation from "The Creator" in XIII. We come to find out that said "Creator" is actually the Goddess Etro. At the beginning of XIII-2, we find Serah, Lightning's sister, coming back from her crystal sleep and finding Lightning having disappeared. This, for people who have finished XIII, is not how things are supposed to be. After a meteorite crashes outside of her new home, Serah goes searching. It's only after this that we see Lightning fighting in a strange world known as Valhalla and we also meet the other protagonist of this story, Noel Kreiss. We also learn of the main antagonist of the game Caius Ballad, who, as another reviewer noted, is probably one of the most human-like antagonists in the Final Fantasy universe. In order to set things right, Serah and Noel must travel through time gates to various eras and areas in the Final Fantasy XIII world and bring Lightning back so that time can go on as it should have in the first place. Here begins the time-hopping adventure known as XIII-2.

Overall the story of XIII-2 is much easier to digest than the highly compact story of XIII. The basic idea of finding Lightning, as well as Noel having to deal with Caius since he and Noel know each other, mixes well with the whole time travel aspect of the game. Some have claimed that the storyline seems convoluted and confusing, I have to say I disagree especially when it's put next to XIII's story. It's a simple premise where Serah and Noel have to solve "Time Paradoxes" in order to set the timeline right. I found the story quite involving and engaging and I could not help but play through it with enthusiasm. It's been a while since I've enjoyed a Final Fantasy storyline this much since around Final Fantasy X.

The ending of the game kind of leads one to believe there will be a Final Fantasy XIII-3, at least to some. I see it, honestly, but it's not in a bad way, to me. There's still much more story to be told. I made it through the story in about 40 hours, and took another 30 or so to finish all the after-game/side quest stuff, so it might feel a little short, but I thought it was well-paced regardless.

Gameplay: If you liked the battle system from XIII, you will love the system in XIII-2. The basic Paradigm system from XIII remains, but with some nice tweaks added to it. For one, you can "tame" over 150 monsters (Pokemon anyone?) and have them fight as the third person in your party. You can also change between Serah and Noel in battle to control either at will. In order to enter battle, unlike XIII, you don't just run into enemies walking around, but instead a small timer shows up on the screen and you can either hit the enemies that pop up (for a preemptive battle bonus), let them hit you, or just run away and not fight them. The Paradigm Dance as it's been called is gone, so as soon as you switch Paradigms, you're there, no camera changing or anything like that. You also have "Cinematic Action" Sequences in the form of movie-like Quick Time Segments during important battles in the game. I welcomed this additional feature, because it helped keep me involved with things going on, but also left me with the ability to have an interactive role in the ending sequence of the battle. Each monster you tame is one of the various classes in the game such as, Commando, Ravager, Medic, etc. Some are worth the trials of actually capturing while others are fodder for the higher level monsters. Did I mention you can also "infuse" monsters with each other? It's more like feeding them to one another, but by doing so, you can not only raise the monster's stats, but also gain up to 10 passive abilities like Resist Physical 15% and the like. With the practically limitless amount of skill customization dealing with monsters, you could make whatever you wanted as your third party member. Might I also add that you can tame Lightning (in her XIII form) as a third party member in the Coliseum, that is if you buy the DLC to get her and Amodar (Lightning's colleague).

The Crystarium returns in a different fashion, which... can be kind of limiting, but also fairly freeing if you know what bonuses you want to go for. The Crystarium not only works for Noel and Serah (where you expend Crystarium Points to move along it), but also for the various monsters you tame. They, however, use various items in order to move from one node to the next, each type giving a different type of bonus. Some add more HP, others add more Strength, Magic, etc. It adds another layer of complexity and making the monsters and main characters how you want them.

If you thought XIII was too linear, then here is where you will be overjoyed. The maps in this game are some of the largest, most expansive, and possibly confusing I have seen in an RPG in a long while. Some of the past areas from XIII have taken new shapes and routes have really opened up as well. There is also the gigantic city of Academia which spans such a distance, it could take you hours to explore the entire map, and even then it's a journey. So, for all of you who wanted non-linear maps, your wishes have been granted. You also have control over the jumping option in this game, which leads to a bit of platforming, especially near the end of the game. On top of all this, comes the fact that you can ride Chocobos once more. They can also jump for fairly good distances, which allows you to reach other areas of the map that you couldn't normally. Unlike XIII, though, you don't encounter enemies while on the Chocobo, so ride to your heart's content.

There are also instances where you have to solve Timed/untimed puzzle sections in a special area in order to resolve various paradoxes. these can be somewhat frustrating, but once you figure out how to do most of them you kind of go "oh duh", and finish the puzzles.

Any lingering gameplay issues people may have had with XIII, I think, have been addressed in XIII-2 and to great effect.

Oh yes, before I forget, there is also a Casino-like world in the game where you can play Slot Machines as well as race Chocobos. You read that right, chocobo races are finally back as they should be. Enjoy.

Graphics: I think everyone agreed on the fact that XIII looked gorgeous, and XIII-2 is no different. Character models, scenery, and effects all still look amazing, and now there are added little touches as well. For one, there are now rain and water effects thrown in. For example, when it's raining somewhere, you will see little water droplets appear on the screen itself, and the water effects on the ground and such are quite amazing. Another little touch is the snow effects that happen in the game as well. When you walk out into snow, the characters become covered by it in the field as well as in battle. Enemies and third party monsters have the effect as well. I know that seems kind of useless in the big scheme of things, but little touches like that make me smile to know they took time to do all of that.

Unfortunately, the graphics are not always as smooth as they should be, but looking at what the developers threw into the engine, it's not hard to see why there are moments of slowdown. Academia is such a gigantic city filled with NPC's that it can't help but show the stress it puts on the game engine. On top of that, in the Archylte Steppe you have, not only a large area, but grass effects AND rain effects as well. While there weren't cases of any major slowdown, I think this game would have benefited from an install option, not only to help with slowdown, but with some of the more severe loading times for large areas like Academia and the Steppe. Otherwise, the game runs quite well, especially since most of the cut scenes run on the engine and aren't pre-rendered.

Characters: While some might think Serah is not an interesting character based on what little we saw of her in XIII, she fills out the role of a protagonist in XIII-2 quite well. Noel Kreiss, while a new addition to the world, has one of the more interesting and engaging back stories in the game. It helps that he and Caius have a connected story which involves protecting a "Seeress" named Yuel. The struggle between Noel and Caius is probably one of the more "realistic" ones as well as one of the more emotionally charged I have seen in some time. Serah's journey to find Lightning is also interwoven with Caius since he is the person fighting Lightning in Valhalla at the beginning of the game. He plays an integral part in both protagonists stories as well as having a solid back story of his own.

If you thought Hope from XIII was annoying and whiny, perish the thought in this game. I don't know what time travel has done to him, but Hope became awesome over the time. He, while lacking actual time travel abilities like Serah and Noel, shows up throughout the timelines to help Noel and Serah along, as well as founding The Academy, which goes on to make Academia. He has basically grown up to be a great addition to the game and any problems you had with him before have all but disappeared now. Snow also makes a return as a fourth party member for a bit, and we see Sazh for a short period as well.

They have taken the characters of the game and really worked them over to make each one interesting as well as important to the storyline.

Music: Here is where people seem to choose either the "I hate it" or the "I love it" camp. It's much the same reaction people had with the music change from Final Fantasy X to X-2. I, personally, find the music to fit the feel of this game amazingly well. Masashi Hamauzu returns in this game to compose several tracks, but along with him are Final Fantasy XI composer, Naoshi Mizuta, and The Third Birthday composer, Mitsuto Suzuki. The mix of these three composers brings both complimentary as well as contrasting styles to the mix. for most of the explorable areas (the ones with enemies) there are two songs. One is for when there are no enemies present, and the other plays once they pop up and attack. I happen to find that both songs are quite good. The soundtrack does have some very different tunes in it, so that can be a bit off for some people. I'll show some music samples below.

1 - Final Fantasy XIII-2 ~Overture~
- Masashi Hamauzu
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R31HyycFiQI
- The soundtrack begins with Masashi's signature sound and it fits well as a bridge between the feels of the two games.

2 - Final Fantasy XIII-2 ~Wish~
- Masashi Hamauzu
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RThxLTzqvdA
- You didn't think we'd be without another piano-based menu theme, did you?

3 - Giant Impact
- Naoshi Mizuta
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGsY7P3Wjgg
- If you thought Naoshi was only capable of the tunes he had in Final Fantasy XI, this is where I think you're proven wrong. Right off the bat this song jumps out as a wonderful battle theme.

4 - New Bodhum/ New Bodhum ~Aggressive Mix
- Origa
Link 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPEzumonJv4
Link 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgBrITRlaMU
- If you know Origa, then you know her kind of music. Surprisingly, her vocals and the style of this music work amazingly well together. Seeing as this is the first real area you can explore and fight, the tune sticks with you.

5 - Paradigm Shift
- Naoshi Mitzuta
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgMWDoF4EB4
- Here we have the first regular battle theme of the game. Yes, there is more than one. I happen to like the style of this one.

6 - Glorious Fanfare
- Mitsuto Suzuki
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBZSR48hc2Q
- The non-5-star fanfare of the game. That's right, you get different victory songs based on your performance in battle this time around.

7 - Groovy Chocobo
- Nobuo Uematsu
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWASWgzU8-k
- Obviously a remade version, but this Chocobo theme really lives up to its name and is just plain groovy and enjoyable to listen to. It fits the world perfectly.

8 - Historia Crux
- Origa
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMm7Oeb1_64
- I happen to like this "Map" theme a good deal. The flow and style is just wonderful.

9 - Invisible Invaders/ Aggressive Mix
- Amiee Blackschleger
Link 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgzYcXqAslo
Link 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oo5O3Vk6yA
- I take a little issue with this song, for the simple fact that while I love the music, they could have done without the "rapping" in the song. In fact, in the game (at least the American release) there are no lyrics in the song. I'll show that version below and leave it for you to decide.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuRYlUekfO4

10 - Last Hunters
- Naoshi Mizuta
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47jxW6-9wT0
- Much in the style of XIII, this battle theme captures the world of XIII-2 quite well and I find it enjoyable.

11 - Congratulatory Fanfare
- Mtsuto Suzuki
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at0gtv35d-o
- Welcome to the 5-star fanfare. Cheerful, ain't it?

12 - Hope's Theme ~Confessions~
- Masashi Hamauzu
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tW5ZSLXD8g
- And Masashi shows he can redo one of his own themes better than before. Besides, Hope is rather improved this time around.

13 - Ruined Hometown/ Aggressive Mix
- Joelle
Link 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpsgk7b3R3w
Link 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4UxGccYMCw
- I like the flow of these songs. While one makes you feel a bit at-ease, the Aggressive mix puts you on edge.

14 - Caius's Theme
- Naoshi Mizuta
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8vXYBEvSow
- Powerful Latin Theme? I think so. Caius has a great song to go with him.

15 - Limit Break!
- Shootie HG
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DurcdkTvO3c
- Be careful, this is one of those themes that not everyone may like. If you know the artist, Shootie HG, then you probably realize that they have worked on the Devil May Cry games. That should tell you just what kind of song this battle theme is. Rock/Metal-based, but I still like it for some odd reason.

16 - Plains of Eternity/ Aggressive Mix
- Joelle/Naoshi Mizuta
Link 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssJKsHHt3lw
Link 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD-Fefpw97Q
- I really like both versions of this theme, vocals included. I can't help but enjoy them.

17 - The City of Academia
- Masashi Hamazu
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPDN7-qpHPw
- Not to be outdone in his own style, Masashi comes back with quite a good theme for the largest and most pivotal place in the game.

18 - Crazy Chocobo
- Shootie HG
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVcIui6ZnrQ
- This is another one of those songs that not everyone likes, and I didn't like it initially, but after playing the game and riding on the type of chocobo that has this theme, it has really grown on me.

19 - Invisible Depths ~Final Boss~
- Naoshi Mizuta, Mitsuto Suzuki
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DERirlhZ7NU
- It's been a while since such a good battle theme has made it into Final Fantasy. I find it interesting that Masashi had no part in this, at least in composing it. It encompasses a lot of what I love in battle music.

20 - Yakusoku no Basho
- Mai Kuraki
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVKHJ2aZdD8
- I'm glad for one thing with the english version of this song... it's the same song, unlike with XIII where they changed the song completely.

Conclusion: Final Fantasy XIII-2 is, in many ways, better than XIII, but if you expected a lot of Lightning action, you'll be disappointed. She, however, is important and narrates some of the story as well. I think the game does a lot more things right than it gets things wrong. It opens up the world of XIII while giving us plenty of familiar places to go and enjoy the scenery. They've upgraded the battle system, still have some great musical pieces, and have a good cast of characters with an engaging storyline.

Scores:
Story: 9.5/10
Gameplay: 9.8/10
Graphics: 9/10
Characters: 9.8/10
Music: 9.3/10

Overall Score: 9.3/10
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sag185
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Re: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Post by sag185 » 09 Feb 2012, 16:55

Could not agree more with this, its also refreshing from 13 just because you have newer characters, i would probably have gotten bored if i had to stick with the old cast.
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