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.

[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/...o-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..

[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. 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. 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..

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.