Review: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Final Fantasy XIII-2

PS3 (reviewed), Xbox 360

Publisher: Square Enix

Developer: Square Enix

Release Date: 31 January 2012

JRPGs have suffered this console generation. The heavy hitters in the genre have moved to hand-helds (like Dragon Quest IX) or were met with fan backlash and derision (like Final Fantasy XIII). The problems facing XIII-2 were daunting: the original was blasted for being too linear, not having shops, taking way to long to open up into the larger world, having a weak story/characters (I disagree on this point) and having a battle system that was innovative, but also frustrating. The producer of the game, Yoshinori Kitase, promised to rectify the issues fans raised about the first game and deliver a sequel that not only made apologies for the first game, but expanded and improved on the game. I was worried, but after playing through, I can safely say, “Apology accepted, Square Enix.”

Serah, Mog and Noel traipse through time

30 Days of Gaming: Day 19

Day 19 - A Game Everyone Should Play

Wow...ummm, well?  I can always recommend Mass Effect, Borderlands, the Uncharted series and the Final Fantasy series.  Those are classics in their own rights and deserve to be enjoyed by almost everyone who plays games.  These either have amazing stories (Mass Effect) or superb gameplay (Borderlands) or a combination of the two (Uncharted and Final Fantasy).  

You can fight like a Krogan, run like a leopard...

The intrepid Vault Hunters of Borderlands

These are the games that anyone who enjoys video games should at least try.  I've not met many that dislike the rich fiction and amazing universe created by Mass Effect.  I know many people that lost hours to hunting loot on Pandora with friends in Borderlands.  Hell, even folks that don't like FPS games enjoyed Borderlands.  Then you have the summer blockbuster movies of Uncharted that allow you to play the explosive scenes and adventure about the globe.  And lastly, you have the deep mechanics, stellar stories and great worlds of Final Fantasy that keep even jaded gamers coming back.  All of these are brought up whenever I am comparing titles or looking to find a new game to run through.

Nathan Drake gets into so much trouble in Uncharted 3

Oh, Final Fantasy X, how I love you

Though, I think one that everyone needs to experience, not play, experience, is L.A. Noire. The story, the mental challenge of the investigations and the brilliant use of facial motion capturing lends itself to an experience like none other. L.A. Noire is, frankly, the next step for facial graphics and character interaction. It should be enjoyed by everyone at least once, if only to see the amazing tech and the story telling.  I know people get fidgety about the noir themes of the story, but the fact that it is such a great tale makes it one that everyone should buy into at some point.

Hero Cole Phelps of L.A. Noire

And last, but certainly not least, is that benchmark for all things Super Mario Bros. 3.  This game was the high water mark for the NES days.  Everyone I know that grew up playing NES loved this game.  It's still super fun, and it still has some of the best (if not the best) mechanics and gameplay of any 2D platformer.  I know that my daughter will play this gem (providing she's into games) because it is something that all gamers should play.

The amazing Giant World from Super Mario Bros 3

30 Days of Gaming: Day 8

Day 8 - Favorite Character

Oh, this one is super difficult. Well written characters are one of the driving reasons I buy video games. If there isn't a strong character, I usually lose interest rather quickly. I suppose I'll just throw out a few and give reasons as to “why” because I cannot just pick one. There may be spoilers to game plots in my elaborations, so be forewarned. They are in no particular order other than train-of-thought.

30 Days of Gaming: Day 7

Day 7 - Favorite Game Soundtrack

The boss theme from FF XII

The main theme from FF XII

Theme of the Empire from FF XII

I have to go with Final Fantasy XII on this one. There are plenty of great games with outstanding soundtracks: any of the Nobuo Uemitsu scored Final Fantasies, the music games I play (DDR and Beatmania), Mario games and countless others that you cannot help but to hum along with when you hear those first few notes. But, Hitoshi Sakamoto created something wonderful when he made the music for XII. It's drum heavy, the music swells and fades appropriately and really sets the tone well. It's a region at war, and the music all has a war-chant like bent to it. There are blissful highs and staggering lows. There are slow builds and fast drops. It's everything needed in a game soundtrack, and it's all done to drive home ideas and feelings. Hands down, one of my favourite collections of music to listen to at home.

A close second would be the soundtrack to Chrono Cross.  Composer Yasunori Mitsuda created some of the most amazing soundscapes during the PSX era.  Though not as well known as Nobuo Uemitsu, Mitsuda deserves recognition for making such great music.  There really isn't anything more to say on this one, just listen and enjoy! 

Time's Scar from Chrono Cross

Chrono Cross's Magical Dreamers

30 Days of Gaming: Day 5

Day 5 - Favorite Developer


This one is actually pretty tough.  I think I have to give it to two development houses that have brought me a ton of joy over the years.  Honestly, these two could do no wrong in their own rights, and I eagerly await what comes next from the latter.

First off, the studio that dominated my teen years and made me appreciate deep stories and amazing worlds.  Pretty much every Squaresoft game that came out, I enjoyed.  I rented Chrono Trigger from Blockbuster a few times as a kid, and I loved it!  I didn't understand the Squaresoft magic entirely yet, that came later.  That time, when the core Final Fantasy games were purchased Day One, came after I discovered the joys of Final Fantasy VII.  The PSX era (and my collection) is/was dominated by these wonderful games.  I sunk hours into Final Fantasy VIII, Vagrant Story, Front Mission 3 and even lesser titles like Threads of Fate.  All of these games had stellar stories, well written characters (though some translations hurt to read now) and offered worlds to get lost in that I'd only seen in books.  But, despite how lovely all those games are, I have the most affection for Final Fantasy: Tactics.  This single game I've purchased multiple times (PSX, PSN, PSP) and I love it every time I boot it up.  Squaresoft could do no wrong in my eyes, and the joys of FF:T are a large reason why I purchased their games without question.

When this came on screen, joy soon followed

As Squaresoft started to tank in Japan (thank you, Spirits Within...), they were snapped up by Enix.  Enix didn't have the same hold on me.  While I certainly enjoyed Star Ocean: The Second Story, I hadn't played a Dragon Quest game to completion since the first one.  I was worried that my beloved games would be changed or corrupted by the new parent company.  Sadly, I was mostly right.  But, the core FF games again shined, and included one of my favorites with Final Fantasy XII, and my number one favorite Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy X.  To see this development house go downhill since the PS2 era is sad.  They more publish now and the last FF game was, to me, disappointing.  I'll always love the Squaresoft days, and the mixed bag of the SquarEnix days may yet turn around.

So awesome!

Now, a new development house has taken over.  These folks first caught my eye back on the PS2 with a platformer that was the natural step up from Mario 64.  An open world that held many secrets and offered me the chance to go where I wanted and explore to my heart's content.  That game was Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.  The team at Naughty Dog had pushed what Mario started in amazing new directions.  Instead of hubs, everything was part of the world.  I climbed a mountain, swam a lake and explored jungles and swamps, all without having to jump into paintings or pipes.  This blew my mind at the time.  Their animation style rivaled Disney and the colorful world came alive.  I fell in love.

The new favorite developer

I wouldn't have them up here if they only had the one good game.  Though I never played the other Jak titles (something I plan to rectify with the HD collection) because I had other distractions.  No, Naughty Dog finally got my attention with a little game called Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.  I had loved the Tomb Raider series for years, but Lara had gotten stale and her adventures were no longer fun to me.  Then came this wise-ass Nathan Drake and his gorgeous game world that just begged to be explored.  Then came the amazing action sequences, the superb dialog and the industry-defining animations.  I was hooked.  Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is honestly one of my favorite games off all time, and the amount of hype I had for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception was unbearable.  This series has cemented my love for the Dogs, and I cannot wait to see what they do next.

Where do we go from here?