No FFXIII-2 board?

I was wondering if anyone can recommend I play FFXIII-2? Just some opinions before I buy it really…

I really enjoyed FFXIII

Well, the FFXIII board was originally a ‘FF Series Future’ board before it was changed, plus the FF sections aren’t really that active anymore, hence the lack of interest from the admins. So instead, feel free to post XIII-2 stuff in the XIII section. 😉

As for you question, I’m sure Neg would hate me for recommending it, but as someone who eventually came to dislike the original FFXIII, I must admit XIII-2 took me by surprise. It is surprisingly good. It fixes a lot of XIII’s issues, especially lack of freedom of exploration. Shops are back (although, they’re basically just the same time-travelling merchant over and over again), the missions of XIII also return, but streamlined (and not from Ci’eth stones either – normal NPCs give them).

As for the time-travel feature, this is both paradoxically well designed and yet cliched – although it tries hard to present a Back to the Future style fixed time line, where a deviation overwrites the original timeline, it ends up going back to the ‘many worlds interpretation’, where each possible timeline is it’s own area, despite the game’s story itself clearly stating that ‘two possible futures can not co-exist’, but that’s more for gameplay purposes than as a part of the storyline.

This also opens up a unique replay feature, where you can actually ‘seal’ time lines, essentially resetting what you’ve already done in that time, allowing you to choose different options in that part of the game from what you chose originally, taking the story in different directions (there are numerous alternative ‘Paradox’ endings in addition to the ‘canon’ ending which are unlocked by this very feature). Plus, if you muck up, you can easily restore your original trip through that time as well, allowing all sorts of double-backing and alternative routes through the game.

The battle system is also much tweaked over FFXIII’s – gone is that stupid ‘game over if the main player character dies’ idea – if the player character is KO’s their partner automatically switches in. This time around there is only two characters usually in the party by default (Serah and Noel), with the third slot eventually being taken up by what could only be described as a Pokemon system of monster catching.

Every so often, defeating a monster may yield their ‘crystal’ which allows you to use that monster as your third party member. Curiously, some of the old cast from FFXIII (Sazh especially) return as ‘monsters’ in this regard, even if they’re human. The Crystarium and Paradigm systems also return as well, but much tweaked and are available from the beginning.

So, in summary, do I recommend this game? To an extent. I admit I was originally very cynical about FFXIII-2, due to my hatred for the first one, but after playing XIII-2 and seeing the changes, I have really enjoyed it. But I guess it comes down to what you dislike about FFXIII – the things I hated were fixed more or less so it works for me.

My advice, would be to perhaps hire it for a night or so if you’re able and just have a go on it (at least, play past the stupid and incredibly boring extended opening/tutorial with Lightning in Valhalla, and the whole New Bodhum 3 AF section – the game really doesn’t begin til you gain access to the Historia Crux (the time travel function), and see for yourself. If you end up liking it, then great, but if you dislike it, no harm done. 😀

Enkidoh’s right on all counts really. The only thing I would add is that it isn’t a case of ‘If you hated FF13, you’ll like this’ or vice versa. What I mean is that if you liked FF13 (as you said you did), then you’ should still like this game. Its more a case of 13-2 being an improvement in pretty much all areas, rather than drastic changes that will put off existing fans. I liked FF13 (I had some problems with it, but basically I did enjoy it), but I loved FF13-2. I’m just saying that you can come at the game from the position of either liking or hating FF13, and still enjoy it because its familiar but better, rather than better but totally unfamiliar.

The main story content is great and highly satisfying, mixing a lot of great inspirations and ideas into the mix. But I would suggest that the side content is very disappointing, and there isn’t much of it (its actually more of a disappointment in this regard than FF13, because the whole concept of 13-2 seemed designed to be a antidote to the ‘You have no time to do side quests – you’re racing against time/being hunted’ angle of FF13, by giving you control over time travel, and hence all the time in the world).

The part I agree with Enkidoh most though, is that you shouldn’t judge the game on the opening hour and a half. The intro is just bizarre and dull, like a tech demo designed to pull in casual ‘Wow, look at the graphics!’ people, rather than giving you an accurate sense of what the game will be like. The game’s dialogue is also much better than the ‘Hmph – GODDESS OF LIGHT!’ nonsense from the opening section implies it will be. Along with the dreadfully slow New Bodhum section, the game has a really bad opening, but grit your teeth through this pain barrier, and it improves out of sight. €€€

Its a shame so many people refuse to give this game a chance after FF13, though I don’t blame them for this. Even though I liked FF13, I can understand why many wouldn’t. But FF13-2 actually is a great game, and people who just tar it with the same brush as FF13 (often without even playing it) are missing out IMO.

Great! I will keep that opening hour and a half thing in mind. Thank you for your opinions. I really did enjoy FFXIII a lot, I was so involved in the game that I didn’t even notice it was linear! I have heard negative opinions about FFXIII-2 as well, but I think it’s time to try it myself… 🙂

I think it’s time to try it myself… 🙂

In spite of how I feel about XIII-2, in specific, I endorse this 100%. Some things I absolutely adore are reviled by others. Judge stuff yourself, when it’s feasible.

:treknod:

ffx13-2 was a good and fun game to play but to little story i think , but then you also get a go where you want game and thats okey realy, but its lost the basics like summons , own flying ship, cid(every ff needs a cid) so its kinda like a new type of ff game but you should buy it since all in all its a good game and serah is a great main character you will fall in love with in the game, just warn you that ending sucks

Hmm, each to their own – I thought the ending was fantastic. I’m so tired of games going ‘Great, you’ve won and things are looking up – well done you’, only to say at the start of the next game ‘Hey, you thought you’d won, but then things got worse than ever, and now you’re totally screwed!’ The irony being that FF13 does exactly that with its happily ever after ending, which is suddenly changed in FF13-2. That was by far the most irritating thing in the story for me. Game series do this kind of crap all the time (Gears of War, Resistance, Mass Effect etc), pulling a sudden and completely out of the blue 180 on you in each new game, and it pisses me off, because it shafts continuity completely, and hits the reset button but with even greater danger this time etc etc.

The events of FF13-2’s ending don’t just happen out of nowhere – they were *told* it would happen, but they had no other choice but to do it and just find a way to overcome what happens next. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with dark, cliffhanger endings (Empire Strikes Back anyone?), and it isn’t like the heroes don’t accomplish anything – they succeed at most of what they set out to do, defeat the big bad, save Cocoon and Pulse etc, but are undone at the eleventh hour by being unable to change the basic Catch 22 nature of the problem they were facing. But the game makes it abundantly clear to both us and the characters that their struggle has counted for something, its given all of them the will to overcome impossible odds, that however dire the situation looks, they will find a way out of it.

And besides, nobody bats an eyelash when the Good Guys pull last minute wins – only fair that the Bad Guys get some of that action sometimes! Anyway, the point is that I liked it (shrugs).

But hey, I’ve sidetracked myself off the most important point – Cid! It would be a bit odd of them IMO, to put a new Cid character in, considering the FF13 Universe already has one in Cid Raines. Sure, he’s dead in the 13-2 timeline, but he’s still mentioned and considered an important figure in how Academia turned out (because Rygdea is on the Academia council and tried to do what he thought Cid would have done, supporting the City and turning over power to a peaceful institution of scientists and explorers, rather than military). Sticking a new Cid character into the game ‘just because’ would be pointless and would distract from Cid Raines’ importance as a character.

was talking about to be continue thing

Final Fantasy isn’t allowed to do a Trilogy? Why not?

well lets hope its coming a 3rd game

That is always the risk when a writer leaves a cliffhanger to try and blackmail his bosses into letting him do a sequel – that they’ll just cancel you anyway. I think he made the right decision though – games are so expensive to make now and must necessarily be so much shorter because of that, that one game just isn’t long enough to tell a proper story (I know its the second game, but they didn’t originally intend to make any sequels for FF13, so FF13-2 is more like part 1 of a 2-part story, than part 2 of a 3 part story).

But yeah, its going to look pretty silly if he doesn’t get picked up for a sequel… I wonder if they’d release a patch for 13-2 to put a ‘Not’ in front of the ‘To be Continued’ in that case 😀

I thought the game was decent.Biggest thing i don’t like, is the quicktime events.

I don’t much care for them either – but they do tend to be contained to the boss fights, and if you fail them, it only takes you back to the start of the QTE and not the whole fight. But yeah, that’s one change I could seriously have lived without.

I can make a XIII-2 subforum as long as people would use it. Alternatively, I can just change the name of this forum to "XIII and XIII-2". I’m thinking we probably don’t need a whole separate section unless we start getting a lot more activity in the FF forums.

The name change would be sufficient. I think it is necessary, given that 13-2 is the latest game – if you don’t make a show of representing it anywhere, it will look to the casual observer like you’ve given up yourselves, so why should they bother etc?

As to wanting greater activity, we need to be realistic. Activity on any board reflects the current mood. Until such time as a FF game (new or remake or whatever) recaptures the mood of western gamers, activity will be sparse.

Yup, I’m just saying there’s no point in setting up a new section until we have enough activity to warrant it. Really no telling if we’ll get another insane wave of FF posters like we did around the time of Advent Children or if things’ll stay quiet forever. I’ll just react to what happens. 😉

XIII-2 is added.

You can never predict these things – hard opinions on any series don’t really exist. You’re only ever as good as your last installment in people’s eyes. The hardcore fans hated Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, but they came back on board for Skyrim, Metal Gear Solid 2 was trashed by fans, but MGS3 saw the series rise even higher in their esteem than ever before.

Add in that trends flow backwards and forwards, the possibilities that a new gen of consoles brings, the fact that true classics often just strike out of the blue… The only thing that’s certain is that Square still makes more than enough money on these games to keep trying. People don’t stay angry forever – if the next proper FF game is *the* thing, it’ll be ‘Hail fellow, well met’ like there was never a problem.

I think we should create a separate board for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatrhythm_Final_Fantasy).

Why? That’s technically part of the Dissidia universe, and, because it’s a spinoff, any related discussion can easily go in General FF. As on a whole all the FF sections of the Forum don’t get an awful lot of use, I agree with Mandi that adding new FF sections would be a waste of time and forum resources until we get the interest to warrant it.

After all, it’s probably the same reason why there’s no dedicated FFXIV section too. 😉

I can’t seem to find an answer to this question so I’ll just ask it here: Is that god awful rap song still one of the boss themes in XIII-2? I hope to god the answer is no. I can put up with stuff like j-pop and that in Persona because it fits (sorta), but keep it out of my Final Fantasy please and thank you. XD

If by ‘rap song’, you mean Worlds Collide, then yes, it is still in the game, but then, I wouldn’t class that as rap – it’s more like a lame rip-off of FFX’s Otherworld, which at least had the benefit of being a Uematsu composition.

Mostly when it comes up in the game I just ignore it – I’m too busy making sure Serah and Noel stay alive to care about the music anyway. 😉

That song is tolerable compared to the red chocobo theme. Fucking hell.

Enkidoh’s right on all counts really. The only thing I would add is that it isn’t a case of ‘If you hated FF13, you’ll like this’ or vice versa. What I mean is that if you liked FF13 (as you said you did), then you’ should still like this game. Its more a case of 13-2 being an improvement in pretty much all areas, rather than drastic changes that will put off existing fans. I liked FF13 (I had some problems with it, but basically I did enjoy it), but I loved FF13-2. I’m just saying that you can come at the game from the position of either liking or hating FF13, and still enjoy it because its familiar but better, rather than better but totally unfamiliar.

The main story content is great and highly satisfying, mixing a lot of great inspirations and ideas into the mix. But I would suggest that the side content is very disappointing, and there isn’t much of it (its actually more of a disappointment in this regard than FF13, because the whole concept of 13-2 seemed designed to be a antidote to the ‘You have no time to do side quests – you’re racing against time/being hunted’ angle of FF13, by giving you control over time travel, and hence all the time in the world).

The part I agree with Enkidoh most though, is that you shouldn’t judge the game on the opening hour and a half. The intro is just bizarre and dull, like a tech demo designed to pull in casual ‘Wow, look at the graphics!’ people, rather than giving you an accurate sense of what the game will be like. The game’s dialogue is also much better than the ‘Hmph – GODDESS OF LIGHT!’ nonsense from the opening section implies it will be. Along with the dreadfully slow New Bodhum section, the game has a really bad opening, but grit your teeth through this pain barrier, and it improves out of sight. €€€

Its a shame so many people refuse to give this game a chance after FF13, though I don’t blame them for this. Even though I liked FF13, I can understand why many wouldn’t. But FF13-2 actually is a great game, and people who just tar it with the same brush as FF13 (often without even playing it) are missing out IMO.

well i can tell you one thing…i absolutely hated 13 with a passion…maybe it was the main characters in the game. or the music , or the battle system, i don’t know…But i just got 13-2 as a Christmas gift for myself an i can tell you this, it is 10 times better then 13. the only thing that throws me off is the stupid a** soundtrack to the game, i hate so bad that they had to go all techno with the music its so stupid. but 13-2 is way better so far…..I bought 13 again i’m gonna give it another try after i beat 13-2 to see if it can change my mind but i doubt it……I really like the story so far an the fact that you can capture an use monsters as you’re 3rd party member, i think the real reason i like it is because i don’t have to use a female as my main character, i have nothing against women i just think the leader role should be focused on a strong interesting male character… Actually the first final fantasy i took this much interest in since 10….i’d recommend getting it
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