yes XIII-2 does have a comprehensive recap at the beginning, even has its own menu to get to it, but i would suggest playing XIII first if not just to get some of the trophies for it and experiencing the game from the beginning with all the awesome cutscenes you missed by jumping in at Ch.11, i wont spoil anything... and dont watch the cutscenes on YouTube that crap doesnt compare to the actual thing in all its 1080p glory and by watching the cutscenes for a game that way you are only cheating yourself out of the complete experience...