Final Fantasy 13-2 PS3
Final Fantasy 13-2
Another awesome game by Square Enix, obviously. Final Fantasy 13-2 is a role playing game (RPG) published by Square Enix and it was released in 2011 in Japan and 2012 in North America and PAL regions. The game is a direct sequel to the previous Final Fantasy 13 game, taking place three years after its events. This time, I am going to give you a quick review about the game and why you should get it yourself.
Acquiring artefact
Throughout this game, you will be able to control the on-screen character through a third-person perspective. You will be able to interact with people, objects and enemies, just like the previous game. You can even turn the camera around the characters, giving you a 360 degrees view of the surrounding, this is especially useful when you are searching for some hidden treasures. You will navigate the world by foot or by chocobo. The game world is divided into multiple regions and times, and includes both different regions at the same time and the same region at different times. You will be able to travel in time from one place to another through Historia Crux, in the condition that you have the required artefact for that specific gateway. The game regions are not accessed linearly, but are represented as a branching path, which is another cool feature of the game, unlike the Final Fantasy 13. Final Fantasy 13, as you may know, is said to have a linear gameplay, as you you don't really have the freedom to do some side quests, except at the end of the game. In 13-2, new regions are unlocked via plot points or by acquiring the specific artefacts and you may transfer between unlocked regions at any point.
Live Trigger System
When you access a region that you had previously visited, you will appear where you were before leaving. Upon acquiring items called seals, you can revert regions to how they were before you visited in order to play through the regions again, obtaining optional items or doing some additional side quests. The game is also automatically save when you enter the Historia Crux. When talking to random characters in the game, occasionally, you will begin the Live Trigger system, in which you will be asked to choose your response based on up to four choices. The game also features temporal rifts, in which you will be asked to complete a certain type of puzzles to advance through the game.
Noel saving Serah
Final Fantasy XIII-2 begins three years after Cocoon's fall, noted in-game as 3AF, as the Pulse town Serah lives in is attacked by monsters. A stranger named Noel appears to save the town, and claims to be a time traveler from 700AF. He arrived in 3AF via Valhalla, a realm at the end of time, where he claims to have met Lightning guarding the throne of the goddess Etro, who, according to myth, created humanity. As part of Lightning's transfer to Valhalla, paradoxes have erupted throughout time, enabling time travel between specific time periods via the Historia Crux and modifying history. Serah joins Noel to resolve these paradoxes, hoping to find her sister while he hopes to change the bleak future from which he came. That are just some brief ideas about the story line, as I don't intend to reveal anymore spoilers in this quick review.
Doing some side quests
The game handles time travel in a unique and interesting way, allowing players to visit the same areas in multiple time periods, and even creates alternate reality versions of them as the plot progresses. The year 10AF and 1XAF are exactly the same time periods, but alternate versions of history. The game jumps through time in a nonlinear manner, and players will often have to return to various ages and locations multiple times in order to progress. New side quests become available over time, and some of those quests require visiting different ages in order to complete them. The whole
thing is structured very well.
thing is structured very well.
Mog's throw
The game also introduces Mog, Serah's moogle companion, and one of the most entertaining aspects of the game's story. If Final Fantasy 13 was defined by Sazh's "chocofro," then XIII-2 is defined by Mog. The adorable companion also plays a regular part in the game play; not only does he turn into Serah's weapon for some reason that's really never explained, but he has a couple of useful powers that aid in their journey. He can unlock items that are trapped in time, and Serah can throw the poor little guy in order to reach treasure spheres that are out of reach.
Customizing monsters
The paradigm shift system nearly identical to the combat system of the Final Fantasy 13, but it does not really bother me that much. Identical combat system also means that I am more experienced in using it, thus resulting faster combats and higher battle rank, right? Although the battle system is the same, you will be able to fill in the third slot of the party by capturable monsters, each of which has a singular job role that it is adopt to. Players can create a set of three monsters to accompany them in battle, and one of these monsters take up the third slot at a time, based on the current paradigm. Monster collection adds an interesting new facet to combat, as monster companions often have access to active and passive skills that Serah and Noel can never learn. Some monsters also increase in power more quickly than others, and many can even outpace Serah and Noel in terms of sheer power.
Astonishing view at Sunleth Waterscape
As can be expected from a Final Fantasy game, the visuals are stunning. The environments are all gorgeous, but certain areas such as Academia and the Sunleth Waterscape stand out as truly phenomenal. The characters are all beautifully modeled and animated, and the attention to detail is terrific. In an odd move, however, Final Fantasy 13-2 takes a bit of a step backward by removing enemy models from the environment. They do appear in the world just before an encounter begins, but the new system is essentially a return to random encounters, which seems like a strange decision. It also makes the wide-open areas of the game seem rather bleak and empty, especially when compared to Gran Pulse in Final Fantasy 13.
All in all, Final Fantasy 13-2 is less linear than the previous game, the combat system is more complex because you will be able to change the third slot into some random monsters with specific job that you want. More side quests and puzzles are available at the same time too, and most of the side quests will require you to travel back and forth from regions to regions multiple times to solve them. The gil farming and AP farming also become less tedious than the previous version. Some players, however will find the story line of the game a bit complicated and confusing, even nonsensical at a certain point of the game. It regularly ignores the concept of causality, except when it does not, and uses paradoxes as the primary source of conflict, some of them being so nonsensical that it defies all logic. In one situation, a boss is completely unkillable because it travels back in time and rebuilds itself when it's destroyed. Whether or not it's better than Final Fantasy 13 is something I leave for you to judge for yourself.