Final Fantasy XIII-2

 PlayStation 3
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 848 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 457 out of 848
  2. Mixed: 218 out of 848
  3. Negative: 173 out of 848
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  1. Rukishou
    Feb 1, 2012
    7
    Much like only a biased hater would give Final Fantasy XIII-2 a 0 rating, only a fanboy would give it a perfect 10. Let's be honest, it is not a bad game and you can definitely enjoy it - if you let yourself - but it's certainly not the highlight of the Final Fantasy franchise.

    Most issues with the first game have been fixed in some way or another and even though, if you look for them,    Much like only a biased hater would give Final Fantasy XIII-2 a 0 rating, only a fanboy would give it a perfect 10. Let's be honest, it is not a bad game and you can definitely enjoy it - if you let yourself - but it's certainly not the highlight of the Final Fantasy franchise.

    Most issues with the first game have been fixed in some way or another and even though, if you look for them, you will find a few new problems, there's nothing game-breaking. I could go through a list but really, all you need to remember is that you cannot trust reviews and that the only way to truly know if a game was worth your time is to play it yourself.

    If you have enjoyed previous installations to the Final Fantasy series, you don't owe it to yourself, but you should definitely give yourself the opportunity to find out if you can't enjoy this one too.    … Expand
  2. GrumpyReviewer
    Feb 26, 2012
    7
    I hear people saying this game is so much better than the original 13. But, is it? It makes something different, that's for sure and "improves" on what people criticized in the past. But, if this game is good is because it picked up on what a PHENOMENAL game stopped. XIII-2 is good, fact. But, for me, XIII was way better. It had a more cohesive story, epic, compelling. We actuallyI hear people saying this game is so much better than the original 13. But, is it? It makes something different, that's for sure and "improves" on what people criticized in the past. But, if this game is good is because it picked up on what a PHENOMENAL game stopped. XIII-2 is good, fact. But, for me, XIII was way better. It had a more cohesive story, epic, compelling. We actually understood what was going on. With XIII-2 we have Serah (who is very vanilla) and Noel (who is a better character) and a confusing story that appears not to be going anywhere. I enjoyed XIII-2. But it only made me miss XIII and who good it actually was back in the day.… Expand
  3. Bunny
    Jan 29, 2013
    7
    I enjoyed FF XIII, despite its issues. FF XIII-2 is also an enjoyable game, but I don't think it surpasses its predecessor. I thought Noel was a good character and I enjoyed the mystery of what happened to Lightning. The graphics were colourful and stunning. I also really liked the idea of having tameable monsters in your party. I had some issues with the game however. I was disappointedI enjoyed FF XIII, despite its issues. FF XIII-2 is also an enjoyable game, but I don't think it surpasses its predecessor. I thought Noel was a good character and I enjoyed the mystery of what happened to Lightning. The graphics were colourful and stunning. I also really liked the idea of having tameable monsters in your party. I had some issues with the game however. I was disappointed that there were only two playable characters throughout the game. The biggest disappointment was that there were hardly any exciting or challenging battles in the game - moving forward was heavily related to running around to find fragments while jumping through timelines and solving annoying, repetitive puzzles. Many of the missions are tedious - they require no skill, just time consuming wandering and searching. It's difficult and frustrating to get through the game without a guide. The music was lacklustre (and sometimes downright bad - a nu-metal Chocobo theme? really??). The time travel idea is cool, but honestly, I think it was done as well or better back when "Chrono Trigger" came out.

    That being said, I enjoyed a lot of the game, and exploring the different worlds that are rendered so beautifully. I still enjoy the paradigm shifts in battle. Have fun with it for what it is, but don't expect it to kick XIII's butt.    … Expand
  4. Singularity
    Feb 1, 2012
    7
    All of these idiots posting 0's for this game, and most other games these days, are really starting to get on my nerves. A 0 is supposed to represent a game that is utterly unplayable due to mechanics or bugs. Stop reviewing games when you've only played less than 20 minutes of it, and keep your fanboydem to yourself. As for FFXIII-2, it's a decent game. It's definitely not the highlightAll of these idiots posting 0's for this game, and most other games these days, are really starting to get on my nerves. A 0 is supposed to represent a game that is utterly unplayable due to mechanics or bugs. Stop reviewing games when you've only played less than 20 minutes of it, and keep your fanboydem to yourself. As for FFXIII-2, it's a decent game. It's definitely not the highlight of the series, and there are some questionable story choices that Square-Enix made, but it's overall a satisfying game. The good: the presentation is fantastic: clean menus, fantastic art-design, even though the graphics themselves are a bit dated, and decent music. The battles are fast and fun, and the whole collecting monsters mechanic is kind of cool (although I would have personally rather seen a full cast of characters). The game is no longer a straight corridor from cutscene to boss to cutscene, offering many diverging paths, distractions, and even small choices, and the game allows you to go back and redo areas. The not so good: the story. It makes very little sense, and I found myself wondering why all of this was happening. There is good emotion at the end, but it's a shame that the rest was bland. Hopefully the ending will be cleaned up in future DLC. The characters were not as good as others in the series: there are only two of them, and they don't really click well. And where is Lightning? She was such a fantastic character, it's almost an insult to give her such a backseat role.… Expand
  5. Kittencandy
    Feb 7, 2012
    7
    Where FFX-2 closed the open ending of FFX, and took you at least 40 hours to finish, FFXIII-2 took an ending that was slightly open just to tell half a story and leave you completely in the dark and frustrated when reading "to be continued..." right before the credits roll, and it took me about 15 hours to finish. So far it's pretty FF-unworthy. I didn't get lost in the game as I usuallyWhere FFX-2 closed the open ending of FFX, and took you at least 40 hours to finish, FFXIII-2 took an ending that was slightly open just to tell half a story and leave you completely in the dark and frustrated when reading "to be continued..." right before the credits roll, and it took me about 15 hours to finish. So far it's pretty FF-unworthy. I didn't get lost in the game as I usually did with final fantasy installments, like 7, 8 or 10, even though I felt like I was going to when I first put the disc in my ps 3. But soon it started to feel like a mixture of Kingdom Hearts and earlier (ps 1) Final Fantasies.,(partially because for the first time they did something Kingdom Heartsy to it. A movie at the start, then the whole game only cutscenes, and a movie at the end.) Other than that, the good looking, but very tiny worlds you'd run around in, the way it's overly based on side-questing, with a very short main storyline, the storyline itself being extremely thin, almost like it's been thought up by one guy whilst being drunk and instead of filling in the blanks and making a coherent story simply left it like that and turned it into a game, making it feel more like episode 1 of FFXIII the season than a complete game. However, I'm not completely without sympathy for this game. Sure, it has some definite flaws, not to mention the ending which was horrible beyond belief.... But still, I had fun playing, despite all the minuses (at least up till the final sequence), a lot more than I had with FF XIII. I didn't really care about the storyline being kinda lame, and the way they just pointlessly added FF XIII characters into part 2 just to have them in the game... It's only now that I finished it that I'm bummed out about it. So if you don't mind an anti-climax, you'll have fun with this while it lasts… Expand
  6. dharma
    Feb 4, 2012
    7
    FInal Fantasy used to be the pinnacle of 'next generation' videogame during the PS 1 era.....but something along the way was lost...Square Soft seemed to lose their connection with their own customers. I remember back in the PS1 days, Square was the best game developer there is...Every game that they made were gold, even outside FF! Yes, FF 13 part 1 and 2 looks amazing, but it feelsFInal Fantasy used to be the pinnacle of 'next generation' videogame during the PS 1 era.....but something along the way was lost...Square Soft seemed to lose their connection with their own customers. I remember back in the PS1 days, Square was the best game developer there is...Every game that they made were gold, even outside FF! Yes, FF 13 part 1 and 2 looks amazing, but it feels 'awkward'. They're not immersive...You don't get sucked into the worlds as you used to. There's too much cut scenes. Better yet, learn from the best JRPG of last year, XENOBLADE Chronicles. For now, FF feels like a shadow of its former self… Expand
  7. emeraldweapon
    Jan 31, 2012
    7
    well, i havent played 13-2 yet, and ive only played 13, but this is what i think, lol, the weaknesses in 13 came mostly from the fact that square didnt stay ps3 exclusive, they could have had a game that was twice as big on a single disc, a game like FF needs playstation hardware, plus it would benefit the Playstation cuz exclusive games keep people buying and supporting systems. As farwell, i havent played 13-2 yet, and ive only played 13, but this is what i think, lol, the weaknesses in 13 came mostly from the fact that square didnt stay ps3 exclusive, they could have had a game that was twice as big on a single disc, a game like FF needs playstation hardware, plus it would benefit the Playstation cuz exclusive games keep people buying and supporting systems. As far as XIII-2 my fear is that they still have limited space, so they are just going to try to cram in the things that people compained about without having the feedom to really put there heart into anything. i respect square and think they are doping the best they can, i just think that they should just do what they really want to do in creating a game, just keep it Ps3 exclusive, unless xbox doesnt mind releasing the game on at least 6 discs, lol, but i dont think thats good for munny. if they do this they will make it easier to execute what they want. and remember its their hardcore playstation fanbase that made them so successful, who cares about expanding to xbox, not if its gonna hold back making good games. i will admit though, i think in 13 they did the best thing by at least having great characters and story. btw ff7 rules all other ff, just wanted to throw that out there.… Expand
  8. AntaresH
    Feb 11, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A short Breakdown of the game (Some Spoilers, i guess):

    Gameplay:

    If you've played FF XIII you may be instantly familiar with the battle mechanics, since they are almost identical with those of its predecessor. New additions are a slightly less linear Crystarium (youre able to level up the roles as you see fit almost from the start), some QTEs during major Battles (almost there a quite few of those) and the need to carefully chose your 3. partymember from a wide variety of monster you can capture (since not all abilities you may know from XIII are avaible for your two mainchars Noel / Serah). Therefore, if you were not fan of FF XIII battle mechanics you may want to consider this before buying. My opinion in general on Combat: its still flashy and fun, however lacks a higher degree of tactics (reading: being too eays) especially in the later party of the game, since most battles boild down to buff /debuff enemy--> attack and heal your team up as needed. As for the exploration: Most areas of the world are less linear, however are heavily recylced during your time travels (Almost all areas are exactly the same in their respective, different time periods besides the occasional colour palette swap from green to blue etc.). Some towns where added, altough youre still restricted to one (this time pretty talkative) shop.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Music:

    Nothing special to say about this one. The soundtracks consists mainly of J-pop with the occasional Final fantasy Main theme which is ever so present, since this tradition was started with "eyes on me" in FF VIII (alltough FF XIII-2's main title may not feel as out of place as Leona Lewis entry in FF XIII, it still has no real connection to the plot at all). Even two heavy Metal tracks made it into the game, which can be heard while riding a particular Chocobo or fighting a certain boss. Although there a some tracks, especially nearing the end, which perfectly fit their respective scenes however most of the soundtrack does very little fuel to the atmosphere and occasionaly feels pretty off.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Story

    If a good Story makes or breaks a game for you, you may want to skip on this one. The main plot lacks a clear goal for the most part, besides jumping from time gate to time gate untill you EVENTUALLY reach Valhalla. The new Antagonist Caius however is, like most side characters, pretty interesting and much more threatening because of his longer screentime as his "predecessor" Barthandelus from FF XIII. Sadly, the same can not be said about Serah and Noel, which for the most part are as single minded and shallow as for example Snow from FF XIII and often do not contribute much to the somewhat lacking plot overall, besides repeating their ambitions and things which were stated 20 secs before over and over again.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    One more thing you might consider before buying this game:

    If you are not a fan of story related DLC, which is essential to the main plot, do NOT buy this game. FF XIII-2 showcases more than one way how DLC should NOT be implemented into a game. Certain Areas like a Colliseum HAVE to be visited during your main Quest, however unlike in FF X you cannot fight a single monster there, without investing some real money for DLC (I wouldnt mind this as much, if there was a real optional Boss like Yiazmat or Ozma. To be honest, theres no true reason for maxing your characters/monsters besides bragging rights, like in earlier entries). Theres even a greyed out spot on your Timeline map, indicating this missing content.
    (Even one of the games in the somewhat empty casino, is described as "Soon avaible as DLC" when asked about the rules). Far worse however is the announced continuation of the MAIN story line (which simply ends with a "to be continued"). Whereas in Dragon Age 2 or Mass effect story DLC added some sidestories, you are now forced to buy the "real" ending as soon at is avaiable. (Sadly the current "ending" suffers from a very bad case of cliffhanger, which at last makes me NOT want to buy future content). -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    To conclude this review:

    If youre desperate for a new JRPG (which sadly is still pretty rare this gen, if your not from japan that is ^^) you may want to give this one a shot. Just dont expect too much from it, since the short production span clearly shows.    … Expand
  9. Kurty
    Apr 3, 2012
    7
    Many people hated Final Fantasy XIII, mostly because it was too linear, and there wasn't much to do outside the main story. No town, no NPC to talk to, pretty much nothing at all. I didn't hate that game, but I didn't like it too much either. The game looked really great, the battle system was dynamic and pretty fun, and the story was ok, but I gotta say I didn't feel like playing aroundMany people hated Final Fantasy XIII, mostly because it was too linear, and there wasn't much to do outside the main story. No town, no NPC to talk to, pretty much nothing at all. I didn't hate that game, but I didn't like it too much either. The game looked really great, the battle system was dynamic and pretty fun, and the story was ok, but I gotta say I didn't feel like playing around much after finishing the game.

    Now, SquareEnix released a direct sequel to FFXIII. They wanted to fix the problems that players reported about the first episode, and I guess they did. You now have NPCs to talk to, quests to complete and dozens of things to do. The new game isn't as linear, mostly thanks to the "Time Travel" feature which offers interesting possibilities. The scenario revolves around that system too, requiring you to go back and forth in time in order to solve paradoxes and ultimately save the future, although some things in the story didn't really make sense to me.

    They kept the same battle system, hardly changing anything, except the fact that you may now recruit monsters after defeating them. Those monsters take the place of the 3rd party member and can evolve on their own Crystarium if you give them the right items. Apart from that, the battle system is pretty similar, with the same Active Time Battle gauge, the same jobs (roles - Commando, Ravager, etc), the same strategies (Paradigm Shift), etc. Why change a winning team, anyway? The battles were pretty fun in the first game, and here too.

    The graphics also look as good as before, there's not much to say about them. The environments are however a bit limited : You will be visiting the same zones in different time periods, but ultimately they're the same zones. I also found that the soundtrack wasn't great. The music in some areas (with lyrics) kinda reminded me of NieR, but they were not nearly as good (NieR's soundtrack is exceptionally good though). I gotta say that the "Crazy Chocobo" song is really funny and surprising.

    I'll conclude by saying that this second Final Fantasy XIII is a much better game than its predecessor. It's a pretty fun and interesting game. However, the "To Be Continued..." ending somehow feels like a "rip-off" (I hate DLCs), as Square Enix sold us an obviously unfinished game.    … Expand
  10. LiquidGamer
    Apr 3, 2012
    7
    Even though I am lost in the story throughout the time I played it, I liked it more than XIII. Say what you will but it is hard to give a FF game a bad score since the graphics far surpass most titles out there. I wish it was not a '-2' title, it is good if not better than its predesessor. I like the changes made and the game was worth playing just to see the story through to the end.
  11. Egrimm
    Jun 14, 2012
    7
    I was sceptic about this game at the beginning, but it's a good one. I like the idea of time travel and the separation of the game in old-style "level" and the story is nice. The gameplay is the same of FF13 but with only 2 character and a bunch of monsters to party with. Unfortunatly some secret objective are really hard to find and you probably need a guide to reach the 100% completationI was sceptic about this game at the beginning, but it's a good one. I like the idea of time travel and the separation of the game in old-style "level" and the story is nice. The gameplay is the same of FF13 but with only 2 character and a bunch of monsters to party with. Unfortunatly some secret objective are really hard to find and you probably need a guide to reach the 100% completation of this game.… Expand
  12. Vandral007
    Nov 27, 2012
    7
    Ah Final Fantasy! Easily my favourite game series of all time. Now, I'm not one of the rabid fan boys who has to wipe drool from my mouth whenever Sephiroth's name is mentioned, but I can say I'm a pretty stout defender of the series. I'd go on record to say the Final Fantasy XIII is a very good game. However, after Hironobu Sakaguchi left SquareEnix and the Final Fantasy series, it'sAh Final Fantasy! Easily my favourite game series of all time. Now, I'm not one of the rabid fan boys who has to wipe drool from my mouth whenever Sephiroth's name is mentioned, but I can say I'm a pretty stout defender of the series. I'd go on record to say the Final Fantasy XIII is a very good game. However, after Hironobu Sakaguchi left SquareEnix and the Final Fantasy series, it's hard to deny that the series has lost some of it's magic. Final Fantasy XIII-2 is an admiriable sequel to FFXIII, but there are a lot of issues that nagged at me as I played through the game. Graphically, the game is decent, but am I crazy for thinking the graphics were better in XIII? The music is sorta meh. It's not bad, it's just not particularily mememorable. The biggest problem I have is with the characters. I never grew attatched to Sarah or Noel. Honestly, I hated Sarah until about 3 quarters through the game. Her constant whining and insistence that she needs Lightning or Snow to protect her (after she fights waves of enemies big and small) grates on my nerves. I like Moogles, but I wanted to turn the moogle in this game into a stuffed animal for my daughter. Lastly, the story is serviceable, but not what I've come to expect from a Final Fantasy game. The gameplay has been tweaked to the games benefit. I've seen people complaining that there is only two characters, but the addition of trained monsters opens up a ton of variety as far as party dynamics go. The leveling system is also a massive improvement on the lame system from XIII. The open ended mission structure alleviates a lot of the issues most people had with the linearity of the first game. Overall, FFXIII-2 is a servicable game, but a game that is showing the age of my favourite franchise. Hoping for more from Lightning Returns and the inevitable FFXV.… Expand
  13. CiloH
    Nov 26, 2013
    7
    Improvements were made in FF-XIII-2 compared to it's predecessor.

    Improvements: - Not as linear story and arguable better overall - New monster-pet mechanic - Cut-scene prompts/choices - Increased difficulty - Larger areas/worlds The same: - Beautiful CG, character models, and world. - The Soundtrack still good - The combat mechanics still terrible (The dreaded "Auto-battle")    Improvements were made in FF-XIII-2 compared to it's predecessor.

    Improvements:
    - Not as linear story and arguable better overall
    - New monster-pet mechanic
    - Cut-scene prompts/choices
    - Increased difficulty
    - Larger areas/worlds

    The same:
    - Beautiful CG, character models, and world.
    - The Soundtrack still good
    - The combat mechanics still terrible (The dreaded "Auto-battle")
    - Game items are still lackluster. e.g. weapons (just a change in color...seriously?)

    Regressions:
    - Frame-rate drops (especially noticeable during cut-scene prompts)    … Expand
  14. kaizidokiller
    Feb 11, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. XIII-2 address the issues of XIII, mainly the linear gameplay, but does that make it a better game? Sadly, no. I still love the fast-paced and more action-oriented battle system, it makes every battle more thrilling. The graphics is a technical marvel for seventh gen consoles. FF is known for it's strong story but sadly, the confusing story almost overshadows every good part of the game. All the time travelling nonsense doesn't even make sense. About halfway into the game, I was completely lost. I didn't know what was going on in the story and because of that, I didn't care about any of the characters. I just rushed through the game so that I can get the game's easy, but long, Platinum (because I did so in the first game) but in the end I didn't care that, and I didn't know how, Serah died. I like this game, but it's only worth a rental as I will never play this game again. For fans, you'll get much more enjoyment. For the uninitiated, give the PS1 and 2 FF a go before FFXIII. It's epic!… Expand
  15. FantasyCritic71
    May 27, 2015
    7
    I went into this game thinking Lightning would have her own story and Serah would have her own story but oh boy was I wrong. I look at the front of my FFXIII-2 Case and I see Lightning there looking beautiful, sexy & badass but then I play the game and discover that you only use Lightning in the beginning of the game and the rest of game is all about Serah. So why is Lightning in the frontI went into this game thinking Lightning would have her own story and Serah would have her own story but oh boy was I wrong. I look at the front of my FFXIII-2 Case and I see Lightning there looking beautiful, sexy & badass but then I play the game and discover that you only use Lightning in the beginning of the game and the rest of game is all about Serah. So why is Lightning in the front cover of the game? You know what just forget the question lets get on with this review of the 2nd game in the XIII Series.

    ~ Story ~

    A girl by name of Serah Farron wakes up 1 day to a change of clothes, a talking moogle that can change into a bow, monsters attacking her vacation home at Bodhum and a mysterious man named Noel who may or may not be her future boyfriend. Noel tells Serah he knows where her sister is and how to save her so she's like "you do?' and he's like "yeah" and off they go into romance I mean to the Time Portal that will lead them to both past & future from there they eventually meet Hope, Snow, Sazh and our Antagonist Caius who is apparently as strong as Lightning is they also meet the depressed little girl named Yeul.

    Overall - Despite the fact that I loved FFXIII's story alot more than this one I still found this one to be somewhat enjoyable.

    ~ Gameplay ~

    Gameplay has improved Paradigm Shifts are faster, the menus still look gorgeous and now you can catch pokemon I mean digimon I mean monsters.

    Allies - Guess what the only 2 characters you use in this game is Noel & Serah excluding that one part with Lightning & that on part with Snow. So throughout most of the game your partners are your Pokemon I mean monsters they will fill in for all your favorite characters just pretend that Sazh, Fang, Vanille, Hope, Lightning & Snow are your monsters.

    Using Pokeballs[Monster Crystals] - In order to catch Monsters in this game you need to 1st defeat the Monsters and then that Monster will leave behind a Monster Crystal take that Monster Crystal and you will have a new ally or Monster for which you can train and use to defeat the 7 Gym Leaders.

    Pokemon[Monsters] Special Attacks - Your Pokemon[I mean monsters] have special powers called Feral Link Abilities. A Feral Link Gauge fills up and once its full your Monster will go insane and unleash a powerful attack you must press the Square Button to use this powerful attack. Some Feral Link Abilities require you to hit a button combo as well, and the effects will be more devastating the faster you complete the combo.

    Cinematic Action - This is 1 of the things I love about this game. Basically you watch for button icons and input the right button commands in the correct sequence and you'll get to see some amazing Cinematic Action Scenes sometimes they'll let you chose what attacks you want to do on the enemy which in my opinion is freaking awesome. I wish this was in all Boss Battles but its not.

    Temporal Rifts - Yes this game has puzzles most of them are in Oerba and you'll be hearing Mog saying "Try something different Kupo" everytime you fail. Most of the puzzles are easy the last few are always the hard ones so watch out for those.

    Mog Throw & Mog Hunt - Some may find Mog annoying girls may find Mog to be cute but I find him to be useful. When Mog is being annoying just throw him toward Treasure Chests and loot all the gold or items inside when Mog is being useless use Mog Hunt to find hidden chests & other hidden goodies. Or if your just pissed off you can just throw Mog for no reason at all they say it helps relieve stress.

    Historia Crux - Another thing I love about this game is traveling through time it feels so awesome to go to these different places and time periods and I get excited everytime I go to the Historia Crux to go to a new place or Time Period plus I love the menu design and the music. Square Enix you crafty little devils.

    Shops - Brief mention shops aren't in save points anymore now you shop with Chocolina a women with an obsession for Chocobos and the only happy person you'll see in this game. She will brighten your atmosphere because this game is darker than the abyss it'll drag you to.

    Bonus Content - There's alot of stuff you can do in this game Missions, Hunting for Fragments, playing games in Serendipity, participating in Chocobo Races and battling in the coliseum[You'll need to purchase DLC for some of the battles here].

    ~ Sound ~

    The OST is absolutely amazing and so is the voice acting.

    ~ Graphics ~

    I expected this game to look identical to XIII but the graphics were downgraded a bit. Regardless the graphics are pretty good.

    ~ Overall ~

    This is an okay game its passable the gameplay has improved but the story has not. And this game is not as linear as FFXIII was you now have more freedom to move around and stuff which I liked about this game. FFXIII-2 was not bad but not my favorite game. I wish there was more places and time periods to explore and also more characters but there's not.    … Expand
  16. AriseAndBe
    Aug 5, 2015
    7
    I like Lightning a lot more than Sarah so of course I'm not going to like this game as much. Noel is one of the blandest characters I've seen in a while so I can't really say much about him, and Hope and his assistant are nothing if not annoying. However, Yeul and Caius I thought were amazing. The story behind them is pretty much what drove me to finish them game.
    It's easy to tell    I like Lightning a lot more than Sarah so of course I'm not going to like this game as much. Noel is one of the blandest characters I've seen in a while so I can't really say much about him, and Hope and his assistant are nothing if not annoying. However, Yeul and Caius I thought were amazing. The story behind them is pretty much what drove me to finish them game.
    It's easy to tell that the budget for this game was less than that of XIII as the presentation is less spectacular, but only by a little bit.
    It was nice to be able to explore a lot more in this game and it was an interesting idea to be able to see the same place during different times.
    The most disappointing thing about this game I reckon was the battle system which felt like a step backwards from the first game. I found that I barely needed to use Sentinel as the battles were a lot easier for the most part. The whole monster capture thing was okay but I would have preferred a third character that you could battle with.    … Expand
  17. Burretploof
    Dec 5, 2016
    7
    I think quite a few people didn't even touch Final Fantasy XIII-2 after the disappointment that XIII was. They probably don't know that the entirely linear gameplay of XIII is gone and has been replaced with a more 'freeform' style of play.

    The game lets you travel through time and allows you to visit several different locations in different time periods. Each area has a number of small    I think quite a few people didn't even touch Final Fantasy XIII-2 after the disappointment that XIII was. They probably don't know that the entirely linear gameplay of XIII is gone and has been replaced with a more 'freeform' style of play.

    The game lets you travel through time and allows you to visit several different locations in different time periods. Each area has a number of small sidequests and most of them even tell a short story, enriching the game's lore.

    Combat and leveling up characters is largely unchanged. You still get to work with Paradigms, Auto-Attack, the Chrystarium and such but Monsters have been added to your team which play different roles. E.g. One monster heals you while another might attack the enemy.

    Unfortunately, the story is 'alright' at best and 'meh' at worst, offering few twists and turns, most of which are rather predictable.

    Still, the game can keep you busy for quite a while and since it's so ridiculously cheap (it's like $5 for a used copy on console), I consider this a must-have if you like JRPGs.    … Expand
  18. Th3StartButton
    Jun 4, 2019
    7
    My first Finak fantasy guess you can't trust my score but like yeah I enjoyed the combat was crisp m8 like yeah really enjoyable
  19. chrisdan23
    Jun 9, 2022
    7
    Nach viel Kritik an ihrem Reboot des Final Fantasy Franchises auf der PS3, hat Square sich durchaus bemüht beim zweiten Ableger im Nova Crystallis Universum alles besser zu machen. Und in vielem ist ihnen das auch hervorragend gelungen. Spannend ist, dass Square sogar so mutig war, das grundlegende Konzept, nämlich das einer zusammenhängenden räumlichen Welt, komplett über den Haufen zuNach viel Kritik an ihrem Reboot des Final Fantasy Franchises auf der PS3, hat Square sich durchaus bemüht beim zweiten Ableger im Nova Crystallis Universum alles besser zu machen. Und in vielem ist ihnen das auch hervorragend gelungen. Spannend ist, dass Square sogar so mutig war, das grundlegende Konzept, nämlich das einer zusammenhängenden räumlichen Welt, komplett über den Haufen zu werfen und einen völlig neuartigen Versuch startet, ihrem RPG Universum Struktur zu geben. Und zwar organisiert sich Final Fantasy XIII-2 nun nicht mehr über Raum, sondern über Zeit. Wir finden in FFXIII-2 also keine typische Worldmap mehr vor, auf der wir uns bewegen können, sondern vielmehr eine Map verschiedener Zeitlinien, verschiedener Events, die in unterschiedlichen Epochen spielen und die ein völlig neues Spielekonzept ermöglichen, das meines Erachtens letztlich auch sehr viel besser zu Setting und Erzählstruktur des hochkomplexen Final Fantasy XIII Universums passt.

    Letztlich steht hinter jedem Event, den wir auf unserer Zeitmap auswählen und bereisen können, ein eigenständiges Level mit einem eigenständigen Areal. Diese Level können nun Städte sein, in denen wir NPCs begegnen und die Story vorantreiben können, oder auch Dungeons, in welchen wir Main-Quests, aber auch Nebenaufgaben angehen. Das spannende an dieser Gameplaymechanik ist, dass wir die selben Schauplätze auch in unterschiedlichen Epochen besuchen können. Beispielsweise in einem post-apokalyptischen Setting und einem friedlichen, wo die Welt noch in Ordnung ist. Der Clou ist nun, dass eine Wechselwirkung zwischen den verschiedene Epochen stattfinden kann. So muss man manchmal erst in einer früheren Zeitlinie Dinge verändern, damit man in einer späteren weiter kommt. Das Spiel funktioniert aber auch umgekehrt. So können wir mit Informationen aus der Zukunft, die wir in der Vergangenheit einsetzen, ganze Zeitlinien gar komplett auslöschen, was wiederum ganz neue Level freischalten kann, mit neuen Inhalten, die uns vielleicht auch näher an unser eigentliches Ziel führen.

    Diese Mechanik ist so einfach wie genial und kommt nicht nur in so ziemlich allen Nebenquests zum Einsatz, sondern ist auch prägendes Instrument um die Geschichte als solche voranzutreiben. Die Möglichkeit der Zeitreise, die uns als Protagonist der Geschichte gegeben ist, wird so nämlich zur grundlegenden Mechanik unserer Kampagne. Letztlich geht es bei FF XIII-2 nämlich darum, die Zeitlinien so zu verändern, dass es gelingt, die nahende Apokalypse, das Grundthema der gesamten Nova Crystallis Trilogie, von Cocoon und Grand Pulse abzuwenden. So weit so spannend.

    Leider kränkelt das an sich durchaus geniale Spielprinzip aber an der Charakterwahl, und auch einigen daraus resultierenden Veränderungen im Kampfsystem. So hat Square die überaus nervige Heulsuse Serah zum Hauptcharakter ihrer Erzählung erkoren, was nur deshalb Sinn ergibt, weil ihre wesentlich coolere Schwester Lightning, Heldin des ersten Teils, in Gestalt einer Art Wächtergöttin eine wesentliche, nur leider nicht spielbare Rolle in der äußerst komplexen Erzählung von FF XIII-2 einnimmt. Serah zur Seite gestellt wird lediglich ein Möchtegernheld namens Noel, der leider aber über das ganze Spiel irgendwie deplatziert wirkt. Dieser und dessen Antagonist Caius, der letztlich auch als Bösewicht des Plots herhalten muss, fungieren ein wenig als der Versuch einer Personalisierung des Apokalypse Themas, das allerdings auf recht vielen Ebenen hantiert, und so beispielsweise auch durch die Interessen der gottähnlichen Fal'Cie und anderer, überzeitlicher Götterwesen bestimmt wird.

    Das Problem ist vor allem, dass die Reduktion auf nunmehr zwei Charaktere das Kampfsystem, das man fast unverändert aus dem Vorgänger übernommen hat, merklich konterkariert und einschränkt. Dessen Stärke war es eigentlich nämlich, die speziellen Fähigkeiten mehrerer Partymitglieder durch geschickte Kombination in Form von Paradigmen Wechseln taktisch ins Spiel zu bringen. Da hilft es auch kaum, dass man Ni No Kuni like nun Monstern einfangen, upgraden und als dritte Streiter in die Party integrieren kann. Mit einer so beschränkten Charakterauswahl spielt sich FFXIII-2 leider lange nicht so abwechslungsreich und taktisch herausfordernd, wie dies noch im ersten Teil der Nova Crystallis Trilogie der Fall war. Alles wirkt einseitiger, aber auch hektischer und weniger berechenbar. Doof.

    Dennoch, mit Final Fantasy XIII-2 hat Square sich wirklich etwas getraut und sicherlich den komplexesten, innovativsten und mit Abstand auch besten Final Fantasy Ableger der PS3 Ära geschaffen. Das tolle Zeitreise-Rollenspiel mit den doofen Charakteren sei daher und trotzdessen, nicht nur Fans des Franchises, sondern jedem Action RPG und JRPG Fan wärmstens empfohlen.    … Expand
  20. storygamer
    Sep 3, 2020
    7
    Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a double-edged sword. I liked it, because I´m a Final Fantasy fan since the PlayStation era and I haven´t ever played a really bad FF. And with this game, you get some beautiful old-school aspects. Nice visuals, classic gameplay and a lot of content. But I miss the challenge of the old games a bit. FF XIII-2 is very good but not great!
  21. hector_bcn98
    Nov 10, 2022
    7
    Ni hacia falta una secuela del Final Fantasy menos interesante de toda la saga (siendo un gran juego!), pero aquí la tuvimos. Con una protagonista insulsa como el pan sin tomate, no pude completarlo. Por algún motivo, me quedé encallado en un momento de la historia con el mundo abierto y nunca pude salir de ahí. Guías, videos... nada. Pasé, y de Lightning Returns ya ni comprarlo.
  22. BeeSting1
    Jan 1, 2021
    7
    Its a short FF game, but I did not want it to go any longer by the end. The story did not pull me in at all.

    Cons: (Minor con) - Environments such as plants and objects do not interact with your character properly. Small plants do not get bent when you pass by them, instead, there is like an invisible barrier around these objects such that you cannot even touch it. (Moderate con)    Its a short FF game, but I did not want it to go any longer by the end. The story did not pull me in at all.

    Cons:
    (Minor con)
    - Environments such as plants and objects do not interact with your character properly. Small plants do not get bent when you pass by them, instead, there is like an invisible barrier around these objects such that you cannot even touch it.

    (Moderate con)
    - The game speaks of paradoxes and timeline contradictions, but the puzzles the games gives you to solve that will "correct" these anomalies have nothing to do with a paradox. The puzzles are out of place with the story.

    (Major con)
    - Puzzles can get a bit repetitive. One puzzle called "hands of time" requires pen and paper, unless you have phenomenal memory. On top of that, the clock puzzles are more work than actual fun.

    (Major con)
    - Farming is needed for some materials in order to upgrade your monster. You also have to look for the locations, there are no indications of what monsters will drop what materials. You have to remember what the certain type of material the monster dropped, then go back to that area before and farm.

    (Moderate con)
    - Not enough engagement with Final Fantasy 13 old characters.

    (Major con)
    - Loading time when entering different worlds are too long. This loading time kills the incentive to hunt for items in previous worlds. When the game requires you to hunt, it becomes very annoying.

    Pros:
    (Major pro)
    - Graphics are amazing.

    (Major pro)
    - Random monster encounters are well implemented.

    (Major pro)
    - Battle system is quick pace and exciting. This only applies if you enjoyed FF13's battle system.

    (Major pro)
    - Monsters are fun to find and collect, since you are able to upgrade them and have them fight with you.    … Expand
  23. THOUSANDEYEKAii
    May 5, 2023
    7
    A decent game I had fun with. Though I feel it shouldn't exist and slightly ruins the story of 13.
  24. Tidu
    May 23, 2022
    7
    Time travel is almost always a plus for me. The story was more interesting than in XIII and so were the characters. But still it's "just ok". But still a bit better than the first one.
  25. aaronnmp96
    Jan 31, 2023
    7
    The gameplay is very good, but it is very slow to start it, and there are few characters
  26. aronshade
    Feb 29, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. (Ratings are out of 10, where 0 is the worst, 10 is the best)
    - Story:2
    - character rating: 2
    - graphics: 10
    - Sounds: 10
    - Music: 10
    - gameplay:10

    -Where to begin?

    -The good:
    -The graphics are second to none, the sounds are unique, the music is epic, the fighting style is the best i've seen yet.

    -The bad: -No epic weapons like they had from FF13-1, none of the weapons carried over from the previous game, fighting was more of a chore that you had to do over and over, leveling up had no benefit in the game.

    -I liked the idea of puzzles, i really did, however the puzzles they had were boring, not to mention WAY too many.

    -your stuck with 2 characters and a monster when it comes to fighting, I would have preferred a larger HUMAN party, perhaps some of the old cast?

    -The Ugly:
    -They ended the game with the good guys dying!, like what is this, a Korean love story?!?

    -To be continued? you need to download the ending, which means you MIGHT have to pay for it?!? thats like buying a movie from a store, watching it right up till the end, and having to pay to see the ending! ever cheap!

    -ideas for improvement:
    -Remake the 2nd part, cut out the time travel, go along with the fal'cie of pulse being awakened after the death of the coccoon fal'cie, or something! look at FF13-1, it was a really good game (sadly it didn't have HUMAN interaction, a happy reuinion with vanille and her tribe would have made the game perfect) still it had merit.

    -bring back the epic weapon building stuff from FF13-1, bring back puzzles similar to FF-10 where you HAD to use your head and look around, add more groups of people to run into on pulse.

    -If your going to add a second part to a story, re-using the old characters and adding some new ones is generally a good IDEA, it keeps the story fresh and attractive, an example, snow should have been able to follow serah and noel, as well as be usable when fighting. heck why not collect all the old members as you open up time? then have a epic battle at the end and a HAPPY FINISHED ending.

    -There you have it i've said my peace, I hope the dquare Enix dev team read this and learn form it.

    This is Aronshade from Ontario, Canada, Cheers    … Expand
  27. Figomor
    Mar 10, 2022
    6
    Just as its predecessor, only slightly above average. Not so linear as FFXIII, but still same boring battles and most importantly I did not care about the characters at all. Graphically it looks amazing for ps3 era,
    but the gameplay is shallow and the story pathetic. I cannot recommend this game to longtime FF fans.
    I am sorry, Square Enix, please, go back to your roots.
  28. Cell1e
    Mar 31, 2013
    6
    I think this game is an improvement on ff 13. I liked the monsters and levelling them up, there was more elements of exploration and Serah and Noel are simply adorable together. Again a very pretty game, I love the hair blowing in the wind and the movements of the characters. The story had potential but the endings sucked big time, Im not a fan of miserable endings.
    I also hated the    I think this game is an improvement on ff 13. I liked the monsters and levelling them up, there was more elements of exploration and Serah and Noel are simply adorable together. Again a very pretty game, I love the hair blowing in the wind and the movements of the characters. The story had potential but the endings sucked big time, Im not a fan of miserable endings.
    I also hated the ridiculously difficult clock puzzles, what normal person can figure them out? Luckily google saved the day. I hated with a passion the last few end areas especially the Acadamia platforms, playing on normal the monsters there were really challenging as if the whole moving platforms and crap wasnt bad enough. Just a huge time waster if you ask me.
    So for the terrible and pointless endings and awfullly frustrating puzzles and end game boss fights (that went on and on forever) and also those awful grindy battles, man this game is all about the grind! I have to score this game about a 6. Still better than ff13 tho.    … Expand
  29. awdrifter
    Apr 22, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game ends with the words "To Be Continued". They seriously wants us to pay for an ending?! Just for that alone I would say avoid this game. I spent 30 hours getting through the story hoping for it to be resolved in someway. Whether it's a happy or sad ending I'm prepared to accept it. But no ending? Seriously?! ENDING SPOILER AHEAD

    So Serah dies, I was ok with that. Yeul has said that Serah's existence is a paradox, so I kinda expected her to die. But now it seems all her (the player's) work is in vain. Cocoon still gets destroyed, and the chaos of Valhalla is unleashed into the world. Then what's the point of the story? Why didn't Etro get her heart back from Caius? Anyways. This game was a huge letdown, avoid!    … Expand
  30. Wendigo2064
    Feb 2, 2012
    6
    Remember when a new FF game was the talk of the town, a sounding call for all kids to rush to the nearest store and cast their vote prematurely for game of the year? Those days are gone. But FF XIII-2 is an okay game anyway. Better, in fact, than the last eight years of Square Enix's attempts to "update" (or ruin) their games. It won't escape from the scrutiny the series has receivedRemember when a new FF game was the talk of the town, a sounding call for all kids to rush to the nearest store and cast their vote prematurely for game of the year? Those days are gone. But FF XIII-2 is an okay game anyway. Better, in fact, than the last eight years of Square Enix's attempts to "update" (or ruin) their games. It won't escape from the scrutiny the series has received constantly in these years, and a lot of that has to do with the wooden characters. I actually remember when the cast of FF evoked real emotion, and didn't just play off their own stereotypes (the silent cool one, the broody one, the airhead "funny" one). Serah and Noel are just about the worst the series has offered, not helped by the terrible dialogue and the contrived plot, which isn't even worth mocking. So what worked? Well, the battle system and difficulty curve are much better implemented than its predecessor. The game smartly ripped off "pokemon" and "chrono trigger" with the monster collection system and time travel world-altering mechanics. In doing so, the game up and admits that "Final Fantasy" as a unique franchise has died, and square enix doesn't know what it's doing any more. Things like the world map, large cast of interchangeable-but-unique-in-battle characters, rebels against the evil empire distracted by clever side quests... it's all gone for good it seems. Yes, there are side quests, but they boil down to WOW style fetch quests. There are towns of unique NPCs but, since you always know where to go next, there's no motivation to explore these side characters and their trials against killing some specific monster type you've already battled a hundred times. And saving the world? I guess you do... accidentally, as a sort of means to an end of finding that broody Cloud/Cecil build that was Lightning. Yes, this is a return to form for the franchise, and the game feels a bit more like old school JRPG fun. At this point, there are better JRPGs to play, with cleverer plots in place of those frame-rate-destroying HD graphics. Try "Cthulu Saves the World" instead. Hell, even the Pokemon franchise is better than this. But it's a hell of a lot more involving than the last few FF games, and at least the series seems to be getting off the ropes. Here's hoping "Versus" or the yet-to-be-announced FF 15 will be better.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

52
#52 Best PS3 Game of 2012
9
#9 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2012
10
#10 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 53 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 53
  3. Negative: 0 out of 53
  1. Armchair Empire
    May 4, 2012
    75
    All in all, I enjoyed Final Fantasy XIII-2 – it was a fun RPG game to play, looked spectacular and ate up a significant amount of my free time. It didn't give me everything I wanted out of the experience, but I still had fun.
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  2. Worth Playing
    Mar 15, 2012
    88
    FFXIII-2 earns its score with aplomb, and I'd go so far to call it a sleeper hit. It's a genuinely great-playing game with an imperfect story, though to its credit, it eventually engages and justifies the wait. Its greatest battle now is escaping from the shadow and stigma of its big brother, but you should ignore the anti-hype, take a leap of faith and give it a chance.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Mar 4, 2012
    80
    Has made some really solid steps forward in combat but needs a more readily digestible plot to entice newcomers. [March 2012, p68]
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