Final Fantasy XIII-2

UPC: 662248911014

Platform: Xbox 360

Publisher: Square Enix, Inc.

Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd.

Category: Role-Playing

Style(s): Third-Person 3D RPG

Synopsis: Role-players return to the world that Lightning struck in Final Fantasy XIII-2. Released not as a new volume, but as a direct sequel to its predecessor, the game continues the story of Cocoon and Pulse in a similar play style, while enhancing non-linear exploration and refining the battle system. More powerful Paradigm functions offer players greater tactical control in the back-and-forth of combat. Many iconic Final Fantasy monsters can be tamed to fight alongside the heroes. The sequel tells the story of Serah, the sister of the main character Lightning from the original Final Fantasy XIII. Three years after the city in the sky fell toward Pulse, a strange meteor throws Serah's peaceful village into deadly chaos. Time is warped, and vicious monsters invade. Her young life is spared from this onslaught by a mysterious traveler called Noel. A hunter from the future, Noel tells Serah that he can take her to her sister, who awaits in another place and time. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Package Contents: 48-page Instruction Manual

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

In a surprise move designed to appease Final Fantasy fans who were disappointed with Final Fantasy XIII's overall direction, the developers of Final Fantasy XIII-2 decided to approach the sequel in a different way. Rather than following the rigidly linear structure of its predecessor, Final Fantasy XIII-2 uses a time travel mechanic to allow players to visit and revisit different worlds at different times. The storyline picks up a few years after its predecessor left off, with the na?ve young Serah wondering what happened to her charismatic sister, Lightning. When she encounters Noel, a mysterious warrior from the future, she decides to leave her home and set off on a time-traveling adventure to find her. Expect frequent, exquisitely detailed cinematics throughout your trek, but also stilted dialogue between two lead characters who are difficult to connect with. The game once again relies on a battle system that mixes real-time and turn-based combat, with none of the strengths of either. You command only one character in your three-person party, and you are forced to quickly scroll through multiple combat options to initiate attacks before the enemy strikes. Instead of directly controlling your character's movements, you are locked in place, switching out roles in the middle of a fight by quickly shifting your party into various paradigms. The combat is fast and keeps you on your toes, but that doesn't mean it's well designed. Some will wonder why you can't directly control your character as in the Dragon Age series, while more strategic players will wonder why the game imposes such a short time limit when planning attacks or using items to exploit an enemy's weaknesses. Of course, this is the same combat system used in several previous Final Fantasy games, but those new to the series might have some problems adjusting to it. One big change from the previous game is that battles are now randomized. This means you will be frequently interrupted every few steps as you explore your surroundings. On the flip side, there's not much to do in the different worlds other than engage in combat. All of the places you'll visit look great, but offer little in the way of interaction. The maps are small, and the treasure appears in fixed locations instead of random ones, so once you've opened a particular box or sphere, it remains open for the rest of the game. Your primary objective in each world is to talk to a few individuals and then venture out to find the keys needed to unlock new destinations on your intergalactic map. There are also side quests to complete, but they are extremely repetitive in design. Nearly all quests involve retrieving an item in the near vicinity of the quest giver, or occasionally, on the same planet in a different time period. The best part of Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the opportunity to acquire monsters for use in your party. Each monster specializes in a specific role, such as a healing-focused medic or defensive-oriented sentinel, and you can level them up to access new abilities in combat. Finding more powerful monsters is not only an addictive part of the game, but the right creature can drastically improve your effectiveness in battle, minimizing the sting associated with random encounters. Final Fantasy XIII-2's main story will take players roughly 30 hours to get through, but there's more to the game than just the narrative. Once the game ends, players can continue to level up their characters, collect new monsters, unlock alternate worlds, play some mini-games at a casino destination, discover new endings, and hunt down some extremely powerful creatures. The story is often heavy handed and convoluted, the main antagonist is more interesting than the leads, and the worlds, while diverse in appearance, offer little to do outside of fighting and talking. Yet for those who enjoy non-stop combat and detailed character progression, not to mention the challenge associated with trying to acquire specific types of monsters, Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a worthwhile purchase that improves on many of its predecessor's shortcomings. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.