Your Review

[Carl the Llama]

So I am looking for some people to give a review on the game, enough of you have played the game and more besides to have some sort of opinion for it, could you do me a favour and write up a comprehensive review, if you fancy a bash at it then feel free, once we have a few entries perhaps we could have some sort of poll added and we could vote on which we think is the best one to go into the front site? I would be ever so grateful.


http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/8506/businesscat.jpg

[Sephex]

Just got your visitor message, KaiserDragon. Me, nor anyone else on "my" site would mind if my review ended up here. I have to admit that while I am happy with what I said in the review, I did write it in a rush, so it comes off a little too analytical and straightforward.

http://www.primaryignition.com/2012/02/13/final-fantasy-xiii-2-video-game-review/

[Carl the Llama]

Coul you be a darling and rather then post a link... copy pasta it into the thread? ^^

[FFIX Choco Boy]

My review is already in video form.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stG0M3u-oUg

If you want a text review, I'll post my video description really quick. It's not a comprehensive review, but it's got the basics.



A short review for Final Fantasy XIII-2. I've already beaten the game, and done nearly all of the extras. With about 110 hours invested in my save, I was really hoping that the ending would not disappoint, and I was totally blown away at how good it was. I won't spoil it, but I will say that only FFIX's ending was better, and that's saying a lot compared to FFX, IV, V, and Crisis Core's.

Overall assessment of game elements on scales of 1 to 10:
Story: 9.5
Battle Gameplay: 9.0
Non-Battle Gameplay: 8.5
Minigames: CHOCOBO RACING! SLOT MACHINES! PUZZLES! 9.5
In-Game Graphics: 8.5
CGI Graphics: 9.5
Character Development: 8.0
Difficulty: (1 being too easy, 5.5 being just right, 10 being too hard) 6.5
Length: 8.5

Full overall assessment: 9.0

[Sephex]

Coul you be a darling and rather then post a link... copy pasta it into the thread? ^^

Okay. WARNING! LONG TEXT AHEAD! Slightly edited at the end to reflect on how I thought about FFXIII, instead of referencing the original game. ALSO SPOILERS IN THE REVIEW.

****************************************

Unlike a good chunk of people, I didn’t find Final Fantasy XIII all that bad. Granted, it did have its problems. As time has gone by, the constant “corridor” feeling I got when when playing it bugged me. I wished you didn’t lose when the party leader ran out of HP. Also, while there was a degree of customization, the leveling up system suffered from spending points to go on a linear stat path per class.

One of the best things about Final Fantasy XIII-2 is that it addresses these problems. Thanks to the time travel story, no longer are you simply thrown into one area after another. If anything, there is plenty of extra stuff to do, especially after you beat the game. Getting a game over requires more than just the party leader to die, as well. As for how you level up, Crystogen Points are still used on a linear path…but you can choose which class to level per node. Throw in a monster catching/raising element as a third party member, and for the first time in years, a Final Fantasy game has a very customizable battle system.

I usually don’t get into monster related aspects in a Final Fantasy title, but I really enjoyed how well it was pulled off. At the end of battles, you randomly get a monster crystal from one of the critters you were fighting. Each monster has its own class. From there, you can set up to three monsters to be your third party member, as said before. So when you switch in battle using the Paradigm Shift System, all three monsters switch in and out. Different types of monsters level differently. Some take ages to be worth any value, while others peak in a short amount of time. On top of all of that, you can have a monster infuse another and gain a certain amount of abilities, both stat and battle related.

As for the story itself, I was worried, because while I also enjoyed the battle system in Square Enix’s last direct sequel, Final Fantasy X-2, I felt that everything else about that game fell short of my expectations. With FFXIII-2, I can breathe a little easier. I liked its unique look at time travel and its consequences, especially on how it worked in the FFXIII universe.

In this adventure you control Lightning’s (the main character of the original FFXIII) sister Serah and the newcomer Noel (save the Christmas jokes, it isn’t pronounced that way), who is from a distant future, where he is the last man alive. Long story short, Lightning has been erased from the timeline, but only Serah has seemed to notice the discrepancy. Both Serah and Noel gain the ability to time travel and aim to set both Lightning’s existence and the world’s terrible fate right.

The problem is in the details. I felt that both Serah and Noel’s characters didn’t really go anywhere. This is especially the case with Noel. Also, there were certain parts of the story where the characters reacted very oddly to terrible situations, or certain arcs felt rushed. Without truly spoiling anything, there is a sequence late in the game that gets rather dark, yet, within this setting is supposedly where the characters are tempted with ultimate happiness. This part of the story uses the whole, “illusionary world design to trick you into giving up and staying content deal.” Stuff like that just didn’t work and dragged down an otherwise great story.

Also, you will be lost if you haven’t played FFXIII, but I don’t see why anyone would play this sequel if they never bothered with the original. There is a primer you can read to catch yourself up, but that was another problem last time. All the other primers are an improvement since they are summaries of what you have already learned instead of being required to read the history of a city because it was mentioned, like FFXIII did.

I also wasn’t too sure about the Cinematic Actions. Just like in Resident Evil 4, there are scenes where you have to press buttons at the right time while a cinema scene is playing. While in RE4, there were dire consequences if you fail, here this type of element is simple used to get an edge. It didn’t really affect anything, so I don’t understand why it was needed. All in all, it was a very out of place gameplay choice to have in a FF title. I did like the Live Trigger dialogue trees. Though it doesn’t affect anything, it’s always funny when you choose an outrageous response in RPGs.

The last minor gameplay tweak I liked was the Moogle Clock. Enemies do pop up at random, but if you initiate a strike on the field, you get a head start in battle. If you and an enemy simply touch, the battle begins as normal. However, if the clock runs out while you are trying to run away or for whatever random reason, don’t even think about losing. Normally, if you die, you can retry the battle from starting over on the field, but if the clock runs out along with a game over, you have to start from your last save! I got into this because it gave me an incentive to always pay attention, and it rewarded me as a result. While I only found the last section of the game harder than anything else in FFXIII, this simple mechanic made it so not every battle could be breezed through for maximum rewards based on your time ranking.

As I touched on earlier, beating the main game is only the beginning. There is still a chunk of the game to be played after you face the final boss. Afterwards, you can continue your file as if you never beaten the game for new challenges, or try to earn one of several endings. In addition to that, you are also allowed to reset time periods as if nothing ever happened if you collect certain items. That way you can earn other goodies or simply see the minor difference in the story if you made a different decision. The only downside is that the main portion of FFXIII-2 is shorter than the average FF. I look my time on parts of the game, and yet I still managed to conquer the main course in 25 hours. Again, this is forgivable because of all the extra legitimate gameplay that comes afterwards.

I am going to talk about the end of FFXIII-2. I won’t spoil what happens, but if you want to go into the game completely fresh, SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH. Last warning with this sentence. For those of you still reading, I’ll just come out and say it. FFXIII-2 ends on a cliffhanger. Yes, there are multiple endings, but Square Enix has made it clear that the normal ending you get, which is the only ending you can get before getting any other one, is the true ending. Now, I don’t know if DLC or a possible FFXIII-3 will continue the story, but I have to say I feel kind of ripped off. I don’t mind that they want to continue the universe of FFXIII, but at least have a conclusive ending! I mean, isn’t there another FFXIII related game, Final Fantasy XIII Versus that has been in the works since 2006, I believe? I’ll just say this game is lucky that I am into the story and has an excellent battle system to support it.

When all is said and done, how you felt about FFXIII is how you are going to feel about FFXIII-2. As for FFXIII, I felt that it was the glimmering light in the middle of darkness, as in that maybe the game is an early sign that eventually Square Enix will produce a universally acclaimed title again. FFXIII-2 won’t accomplish that, but I once again feel like they are getting close to the mark, just in a different way.

RATING: 7.5/10

[black orb]

>>> Looks like I was right about this game..:luca:

[Loony BoB]

I also wasn’t too sure about the Cinematic Actions. Just like in Resident Evil 4, there are scenes where you have to press buttons at the right time while a cinema scene is playing. While in RE4, there were dire consequences if you fail, here this type of element is simple used to get an edge. It didn’t really affect anything, so I don’t understand why it was needed. All in all, it was a very out of place gameplay choice to have in a FF title. I did like the Live Trigger dialogue trees. Though it doesn’t affect anything, it’s always funny when you choose an outrageous response in RPGs.
While I agree regarding the dialogue options, I think the cinematic actions - should you get a 'perfect' - get you rewards after the battle, usually not shown in the 'spoils' area but rather shown in the same way that you get artefacts etc. - you know, big flashy text going across your screen with a bit of CP to boot.

[Sephex]

I meant that scenes should have played out differently if you failed like RE4.

[Loony BoB]

Ah, right. Yeah, I was annoyed that the one time I failed nothing went wrong. That's when I looked up what they did and found out about the bonus items. :p I'll have to redo that battle some time to get whatever item I missed out on if it's a worthwhile item... and I can't remember what item it is. D= Probably just some adornment or something, hopefully, so I can ignore it.

[Carl the Llama]

Ah, right. Yeah, I was annoyed that the one time I failed nothing went wrong. That's when I looked up what they did and found out about the bonus items. :p I'll have to redo that battle some time to get whatever item I missed out on if it's a worthwhile item... and I can't remember what item it is. D= Probably just some adornment or something, hopefully, so I can ignore it.

Not only a bonus item, but an achievement aswell if you perfect all of them, they are pretty easy to do, I got them first try (though incidentally I failed on the demo which I downloaded the night before).

[Sephex]

I perfected them as well, but went back and made sure I failed a couple to see what happens. I realized the difference between getting a bonus and not getting a bonus, but I still wish something significant changes. The last one, without spoiling anything, was in the direction of what I was hoping all of them would be like, but still not enough for me.

Either way they felt out of place, hence why I said I didn't like them to begin with in my review.

[Mirage]

I'm actually very glad that the QTEs don't make a big difference, because I hate the god damned concept anyway. Especially when it's PRESS X TO AVOID GAME OVER stuff. I can never understand who thought QTEs would be a good invention, and I think the world would have been better off if that person got hit by a falling piano before coming up with it.


>>> Looks like I was right about this game..:luca:
So you'll get it, is that what you mean?


Anyway, I'm going to comment on Sephex' post, because we've talked about this in chat already, and because his is the most elaborate post.

I agree with his review for the most part, but I think he's not making it clear enough how bad the story is. I think if his review were to be put on the front page as "EoFF's review", it should touch upon this part of the game. While I am the kind of person who can play a game with a terrible story but good gameplay, I realize that very many final fantasy fans put the game's story as a very important part, and FF13-2 does honestly not deliver here at all.

Furthermore, I would like to add that I think the music in this game is nothing short of fantastic. I don't really feel that any song doesn't fit to the scene it plays in (except the ending CG movie music, but of course, the ending sucks no matter what music you were to put there), and many of the tracks are very very good even if you don't look at it as game music. It has a lot of modern influences, and I think that for example the DnB and other electronic influences are very fitting to the areas they play in. This game has a very futuristic feel after all, it's only fitting that the music is modern and high-tech too.

Lastly, I don't really consider myself a graphics whore, but I must say that this game has perhaps the best looking environmental/atmospheric visual effects I have seen in any console game so far. The HDR accuracy and rendering looks very good, and there is even a sort of lite-ambient occlusion, a feature that you normally find in Directx 11 games, and both the 360 and PS3 predates DX11 by many years.

[Sephex]

Hmmm, well, when I was writing the review I omitted talking about music because all tracks were hit or miss for me. Plus, I only really mention something like that in a game review if it greatly sucked or impressed me very much (or if the game is tied into music in a significant way). There is also the fact that I don't like to drag my reviews on too long (usually reviews of mine are shorter than this), so I take what I feel is most important and sometimes certain angles get cut for pacing reasons. I also didn't talk about the graphics because by now people know what they are getting into when it comes to a Final Fantasy game.

I see your points, though. Thank you for the constructive criticism. :)

[Carl the Llama]

Anyway, I'm going to comment on Sephex' post, because we've talked about this in chat already, and because his is the most elaborate post.

I agree with his review for the most part, but I think he's not making it clear enough how bad the story is. I think if his review were to be put on the front page as "EoFF's review", it should touch upon this part of the game. While I am the kind of person who can play a game with a terrible story but good gameplay, I realize that very many final fantasy fans put the game's story as a very important part, and FF13-2 does honestly not deliver here at all.



If you feel this way about it then why don't you write your own review, thats the entire reason I made this thread and suggested the poll, whoever writes the best review voted upon by EoFF itself, thus expressing everyone's different opinions and being truly deserving of its place on the front site of EoFF.

IMO I think the review is spot on.

[Loony BoB]

I don't see any real reason for EoFF's site to restrict itself to a single review, to be honest. The editors - once we have them established - will be responsible for making decisions on what is and what is not good enough to be on the frontsite.

[Mirage]

If you feel this way about it then why don't you write your own review, thats the entire reason I made this thread and suggested the poll, whoever writes the best review voted upon by EoFF itself, thus expressing everyone's different opinions and being truly deserving of its place on the front site of EoFF.

IMO I think the review is spot on.
Because I am a terrible writer.

[black orb]

>>> Looks like I was right about this game..:luca:
So you'll get it, is that what you mean?

>>> No, I mean that this game story was going to be even worse than XIII`s..:luca:

[Mirage]

Oh, sure. Being a disgaea fan though, poor stories can't possibly be a reason for you to not play a game :p. Well, at least those stories are coherent, even if they aren't remarkably good.

[black orb]

>>> I certainly dont play Disgaea games for the story, I just play it to spend hours and hours killing things.. FF games are different.:luca:

[Mirage]

They don't have to be. You can play 13-2 just for killing things, because doing it is lots of fun in that game. More fun than in 13.

[black orb]

>>> FF X-2 became a fun game just for killing things and I was fine with it because FFX was an epic FF game..
But with an already broken game like FFXIII, I was expecting something better..:luca:

[Loony BoB]

with an already broken game like FFXIII, I was expecting something better..:luca:

>>> Looks like I was right about this game..:luca:
So you expected the game to be better, and were right? ;)

[black orb]

So you expected the game to be better
>>> That was before I watched the trailers..:luca:

[Mirage]

But it is better.

[black orb]

>>> Probably most of the previous game technical aspects improved, but a good story is everything to me in a RPG/FF game.. So I wont be convinced that easily..:luca:

[Sword]

This game's story is miles better than FF13. In fact I think the story is great.

[Miriel]

This game literally made my skin crawl.

Why? Because they had Mog TALK. Like, beyond "kupo" into actual sentences. WHAT THE FUCK??

It gave me the creeps every time I heard it's strange little voice. It would be like hearing Pikachu talk all of a sudden. Totally and completely wrong and bizarre. NO BUENO.

[Del Murder]

Mog talked in Final Fantasy VI, VII, and IX!

[Dr. rydrum2112]

This review is pretty easy actually.


Gameplay- really good 4/5, battle system is better than 13's. The choice of 1 of 3 monsters as the 3rd member really makes you think about your paradigms. It is fun and yet challenging. I enjoyed the addition of real side quests. I also thought it was cool you could transfer abilities among monsters.


The bad: serendipity is utterly underwhelming. FF7 had a cool race course, and numerous fun mini-games (roller coaster & target practice, snow boarding, battle arena). FF13-2 has boring race course and a slot machine that leads to the game guide telling you to hold a button with rubber band and leave it for hours- at what point is that fun or "playing" the game?


Storyline- weak 1.5/5. Many things are introduced unexplained (how does noel know how to use historia crux and who is the friend that taught him? yuel does not time travel and there is no indication caius did), left without explanation (in secret ending caius is killed and yet alive, where do farseers live? why do they claim noel is last human but there is still a tribe of farseers living...), or just dumb (serah is ok with the love of her life ditching her life to find her sibling... after all they went thru in 13 you would think they would go together. She is also totally non emotional after finally seeing him for the first time in years for 30mins and then ditching him).


Characters 2.5/5- well they removed the best character from 13 and didn't replace her with anyone nearly as good.
Serah- is sort not entirely credible as a fighter, and while "coming of age" is trite in RPGS this was well done.
Noel- is a plot device, his growth is a reincarnation of hope's from 13 but without the drama. The ending makes you think the he has somehow fallen in love with serah but this is out of the blue.
Hope- has become not annoying & likeable.
Snow- is the exact same, and his relationship with Serah has 0 part in the game... which makes no sense.
Sazh is a deus ex machina.
Caius- what a redeeming factor, he is a fresh non-evil antagonist that is utterly human in emotion.


Crystarium 2.0 is 10x better than the crystarium in 13, and yet still 100x worse than the sphere grid. At MAX you can augment Sara and Noel's raw stats in an area by about 300 in strength/magic with meticulous planning, or give them an additional 700hp.


I would def. recommend this game as the fun in playing overwhelms the weakness of story & characters.

[Sword]

Sazh is a deus ex machina. How?

[Loony BoB]

This game literally made my skin crawl.

Why? Because they had Mog TALK. Like, beyond "kupo" into actual sentences. WHAT THE smurf??

It gave me the creeps every time I heard it's strange little voice. It would be like hearing Pikachu talk all of a sudden. Totally and completely wrong and bizarre. NO BUENO.
Without Mog talking, we would never have had that ending. Which would mean there would be zero amazing endings. Which would have made me sadder than sad. But there was one amazing ending and that is good, and that is because Mog can talk.

[Del Murder]

She had to leave the room when I got that ending. :p

[Miriel]

Mog talked in Final Fantasy VI, VII, and IX!

Not text talk, actual talk talk. With a creepy ass voice. A voice that's going to wake you from your dreams saying, "IT'S TIME TO PLAY WITH ME KUPO. WHY WON'T YOU PLAY WITH ME???!!" *stab stab*


Without Mog talking, we would never have had that ending. Which would mean there would be zero amazing endings. Which would have made me sadder than sad. But there was one amazing ending and that is good, and that is because Mog can talk.

I have to wonder if your definition of amazing is completely opposite of mine.

[Sephex]

I didn't find the voice all that creepy. If anything, it sounded very natural. However, I would imagine the Moogles in VI and IX would sound different.

[FFIX Choco Boy]

In IX, their voices are a little deeper. You can tell from the Kupo sound it makes when you save and Tent. At least the IX ones won't scare the hell outta you.

[Dr. rydrum2112]

Sazh is a deus ex machina. How?

Spoilers: Do you remember the scene where he is suddenly in the correct time period flying the airship to deliver them to the fight against Caius? OR, ending spoiler- the one where he just happens to be flying under where they come out of the gate?


p.s. The "kupo" after every phrase/sentence was annoying.

[Sword]

No, he wasn't a deus ex machina. Hope was there anyway and Sazh just happened to be the pilot. If it wasn't Sazh in any of those instances then it would've been some no-name generic pilot who would've been ordered to deliver them to the final fight and catch them when they came back. Hope ship was near Sazh's the whole time too, your logic would mean that Hope had needed to have a Sazh clone flying his ship. His appearance may have been cheesy fan service, but he hardly did anything that no one else could've done.

[Dr. rydrum2112]

No, he wasn't a deus ex machina. Hope was there anyway and Sazh just happened to be the pilot. If it wasn't Sazh in any of those instances then it would've been some no-name generic pilot who would've been ordered to deliver them to the final fight and catch them when they came back. Hope ship was near Sazh's the whole time too, your logic would mean that Hope had needed to have a Sazh clone flying his ship. His appearance may have been cheesy fan service, but he hardly did anything that no one else could've done.

right- so he was deus ex machina, if it wasn't him it would've been some random npc that would've been. Either way the character is, Sazh just happened to show up right when a pilot was needed.

[Sword]

No he didn't show up just when a pilot was needed, they were there the whole time (when Serah and Noel came back after the final fight anyway). When Hope and his crew first arrived, you could consider that to be a deus ex machina, but why single out Sazh? It would be considered a deus ex machina before we even knew Sazh was there. However, even giving that Hope's arrival was a deus ex machina we were expected to meet up with him anyway, so it makes his timing irrelevant. And we were expected to have a final battle too, so it's not as if they couldn't have written that section differently without Hope and Sazh's help and still have us arrive at the final battle. You can only cite a deus ex machina as a negative point in a review if the story is written so that the likelihood of the particular event is ridiculous and is just some bullshit that comes outta nowhere.

[Dr. rydrum2112]

No he didn't show up just when a pilot was needed, they were there the whole time (when Serah and Noel came back after the final fight anyway). When Hope and his crew first arrived, you could consider that to be a deus ex machina, but why single out Sazh? It would be considered a deus ex machina before we even knew Sazh was there. However, even giving that Hope's arrival was a deus ex machina we were expected to meet up with him anyway, so it makes his timing irrelevant. And we were expected to have a final battle too, so it's not as if they couldn't have written that section differently without Hope and Sazh's help and still have us arrive at the final battle. You can only cite a deus ex machina as a negative point in a review if the story is written so that the likelihood of the particular event is ridiculous and is just some bulltit that comes outta nowhere.

Sazh just appears right before the final fight, that is out of nowhere. Expectations have nothing to do with it. If you knew nothing about the game prior to playing it- Sazh just randomly appeared in the right spot, just to work him in the game hence deus ex machina. (Solved the problem of no sazh/needed to be saved by airships, by just having him suddenly there piloting one).

I really don't get how you aren't understanding this.

[Loony BoB]

I'm with Sword on this one. Sahz's appearance was a surprise that has not yet been explained, however in a gap of 100 years with Sahz already known to be traveling through time, there is nothing ridiculous about the idea of him turning up within those 100 years and flying as a military pilot. Especially since all stories should realistically be converging at that point (remember that each person using gates to travel through time seems to have a purpose behind their travels, the purpose seemingly being driven by Lightning). The upcoming DLC will probably reveal more, but my guess is that Lightning intended on him being there and therefore he was there.

I also agree with Sword that it doesn't matter anyway because if Sahz wasn't there some other pilot would have been and everyone would still have ended up in the same place (Sahz excepted, obviously) if Sahz was not there at all.

This is a fantasy game with characters. A Final Fantasy game, no less. Every single Final Fantasy game has key characters turning up at key times as a matter of coincidence. It's called good storytelling. Nobody wants the person who rescues the good guys to be an unnamed pilot of no consequence. Stop taking things too seriously! :) It's a story in a video game.

[Del Murder]

It's called good storytelling.
lol

[Dr. rydrum2112]

I'm with Sword on this one. Sahz's appearance was a surprise that has not yet been explained, however in a gap of 100 years with Sahz already known to be traveling through time, there is nothing ridiculous about the idea of him turning up within those 100 years and flying as a military pilot. Especially since all stories should realistically be converging at that point (remember that each person using gates to travel through time seems to have a purpose behind their travels, the purpose seemingly being driven by Lightning). The upcoming DLC will probably reveal more, but my guess is that Lightning intended on him being there and therefore he was there.

I also agree with Sword that it doesn't matter anyway because if Sahz wasn't there some other pilot would have been and everyone would still have ended up in the same place (Sahz excepted, obviously) if Sahz was not there at all.

This is a fantasy game with characters. A Final Fantasy game, no less. Every single Final Fantasy game has key characters turning up at key times as a matter of coincidence. It's called good storytelling. Nobody wants the person who rescues the good guys to be an unnamed pilot of no consequence. Stop taking things too seriously! :) It's a story in a video game.

Nothing you said disagrees with anything I said, he is a deus ex machina if you guys don't understand what that is you can take a literature class. I am done trying to explain it to you and my point still stands. If you were reviewing the game and someone said what is Sazh's role in FF13-2 you would say "He is an NPC that provides some important support in a few pivotal cut scenes at the near of the game."

[Sephex]

I'm with Sword on this one. Sahz's appearance was a surprise that has not yet been explained, however in a gap of 100 years with Sahz already known to be traveling through time, there is nothing ridiculous about the idea of him turning up within those 100 years and flying as a military pilot. Especially since all stories should realistically be converging at that point (remember that each person using gates to travel through time seems to have a purpose behind their travels, the purpose seemingly being driven by Lightning). The upcoming DLC will probably reveal more, but my guess is that Lightning intended on him being there and therefore he was there.

I also agree with Sword that it doesn't matter anyway because if Sahz wasn't there some other pilot would have been and everyone would still have ended up in the same place (Sahz excepted, obviously) if Sahz was not there at all.

This is a fantasy game with characters. A Final Fantasy game, no less. Every single Final Fantasy game has key characters turning up at key times as a matter of coincidence. It's called good storytelling. Nobody wants the person who rescues the good guys to be an unnamed pilot of no consequence. Stop taking things too seriously! :) It's a story in a video game.

Nothing you said disagrees with anything I said, he is a deus ex machina if you guys don't understand what that is you can take a literature class.

Or you could look it up at TV Tropes.

[Sword]

I'm with Sword on this one. Sahz's appearance was a surprise that has not yet been explained, however in a gap of 100 years with Sahz already known to be traveling through time, there is nothing ridiculous about the idea of him turning up within those 100 years and flying as a military pilot. Especially since all stories should realistically be converging at that point (remember that each person using gates to travel through time seems to have a purpose behind their travels, the purpose seemingly being driven by Lightning). The upcoming DLC will probably reveal more, but my guess is that Lightning intended on him being there and therefore he was there.

I also agree with Sword that it doesn't matter anyway because if Sahz wasn't there some other pilot would have been and everyone would still have ended up in the same place (Sahz excepted, obviously) if Sahz was not there at all.

This is a fantasy game with characters. A Final Fantasy game, no less. Every single Final Fantasy game has key characters turning up at key times as a matter of coincidence. It's called good storytelling. Nobody wants the person who rescues the good guys to be an unnamed pilot of no consequence. Stop taking things too seriously! :) It's a story in a video game.

Nothing you said disagrees with anything I said, he is a deus ex machina if you guys don't understand what that is you can take a literature class. I am done trying to explain it to you and my point still stands. If you were reviewing the game and someone said what is Sazh's role in FF13-2 you would say "He is an NPC that provides some important support in a few pivotal cut scenes at the near of the game." A deus ex machina is something that is super convenient and had it not happened, the main characters would be doomed. That doesn't describe Sazh's role. Like I said if it wasn't him it would've been some random pilot, his role would've been filled regardless. And as I also said, Sazh was only part of Hope's cavalry, so why label Sazh a deus ex machina before labelling Hope? That's my main issue here.

[Dr. rydrum2112]

A deus ex machina is something that is super convenient and had it not happened, the main characters would be doomed. That doesn't describe Sazh's role. Like I said if it wasn't him it would've been some random pilot, his role would've been filled regardless. And as I also said, Sazh was only part of Hope's cavalry, so why label Sazh a deus ex machina before labelling Hope? That's my main issue here.

If you knew what deus ex was, you would know why Hope wouldn't qualify- that whole being involved throughout story thing. Deus ex is the appearance of a new character (event, object, etc) that provides a solution for an unsolvable problem.
While the act of the appearance with the calvary might be one, that was not Hope's primary role in the story.

And your other argument makes no sense. If it wasn't Sazh it would've been another pilot who was a deus ex- so what? How does that make him not one? X was one, but if it happened to be Y it would still be one therefore X wasn't one...

I said I was done last post and I am after this one- but since you didn't know what a deus ex is I figure one more post on this isn't gonna kill me.

[Sword]

Hope wouldn't qualify That's what I said from the beginning, but my point was that he's a better candidate for being called out as one than Sazh. You just said it has to be an unsolvable problem. Where is the unsolvable problem that requires Sazh's presence?

[Loony BoB]

It's called good storytelling.
lol
I'm not saying FFXIII-2 is full of good storytelling nor am I saying it's a good story at all, but I am saying that having characters conveniently turn at times that they were not expected is something that is done in pretty much all over the place. Many fantastic books, games, films and TV series use such convenient appearances of notable characters. Who would want a story to be completely predictable, anyway?

And I still agree with Sword. It is not out of nowhere. Hope said he would be there. It makes sense that they have such technology as airships considering they were there at 0AF, too, and before then. It also makes sense that they would have them flying around at a time that has been predicted as the end of days. It also makes sense that they would be on a constant lookout for the individuals that are known to be out there to save the world. Sahz being there is not solving an unsolvable problem, it is just for the sake of giving him a little more involvement in the storyline.

Sahz's route to getting there at all is to be told in DLC, as was always the intention of SE (going by the official guide which was released on the same day as the game).