I could write an MFA thesis rooted in the objective design of the game as to why this is among, if not the best FF in the series, but I can't be arsed.

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I don't care what people say as a ff fan for most of my life i can say the 13 series are good games beside from some corridor paths in the ff 13, making serah a pointless lead character in 13-2 (should have made noel the lead)and the storie s being half decent (not the worst but enjoyable and understandable if you read the data log). I'm looking forward to final fantasy 13-3 because i enjoy that square enix is trying something new and you people say it sucks because it's not ff7 all i can say is ff7 is a good game but it it is an overrated game and you need to remember that every ff is a standalone game and shouldn't be compared to each other and IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT DON'T PLAY IT

square enix should end the franchise

So. You criticize slowdown due to the exbawks sucking? The PS3 version has no slowdown at all. And I never had audio issues.

well i actually loved this game :3 the music is awesome, and after completing the game i still can't stop playing. The only bad thing in my opinion are the dlc's. Those are really awesome, that's for sure, but i don't want to pay 240 microsoft points for a different outfit for noel (although i LOVE to see serah in her beachsuit ;3). I gave this game a 9.5 because this game really keeps me going, but i think i'm the only one who would give this game such a grade like this ;3

I felt this was an alright game on its own ... and then I beat it. WORST ENDING EVER!

I'm quite enjoying this game. I quite enjoyed 13 as well.

End the Final Fantasy games NOW!!!

I knew I was going to have the same problem with this game as XIII. There is literally no strategy to this game at all, no selection of moves or different play styles. Couple that with a ridiculous storyline (although not as ridiculous according to Jared) and what do you have? An absolute travesty of an RPG with the name Final Fantasy.

I reiterate, what is there to this game if the battle system and story are awful?! Oh SE you have lost a fan, you will have to work to get me back.

Obviously for those out there that didn't mind or liked FF13's battle system, curve his score up a couple points. I can see he's coming from, in previous FFs like 6 or 7, each character's action was extremely powerful, you could instantly kill a lot of enemies with one Drill/Chainsaw, Sabin Blitz, or limit break (or kill quite a few with summons), so your characters felt more powerful, whereas in 13 and 13-2 a lot of battles take dozens or hundreds of actions by each character and it's more a battle of attrition. Without the auto-battle though, I would HATE having to input every single command for 15 minutes on some of the harder battles, and grinding would be even more of a chore, so I welcome the streamlining. I've never had a problem with any FF battle system since 5.

Almost got the Platinum for this game, and I would give it an 8 or 8.5 out of 10. It sucked me in, and I thoroughly enjoyed most of the experience, but all of the complaints about the ending are valid and thus it leaves a nasty taste in your mouth (although some of the paradox endings are great).

So...it's not "lanier," as in, Lake Lanier, it's linear (pronounced lin-EE-are).

Mashing x? How is it different from any other Final Fantasy game??? I'm pretty sure they all turn into me either holding down x or mashing it while in battles as doing regular attacks is usually enough.

Your game is bad and you should feel bad!

okay seriously stop complaining about the battle system, i get that you dont like it cus of auto battle, theres a solution, dont click it, click on abailitys instead. also i am 7 hours in and still on chapter 3, the point of a game like this isnt to ram through the story as fast as you can, expecially if you complained that 13 was a hallway, then why would you treat this one like it was a hallways too and just run straight through, jared you took one of your main complaints about 13 and repeated it on purpose. im sorry jared, iv lost all respect in you now, that was THE worst review that i have ever seen, 13 2 is a really good game and you dont really need to know what happend in the first game to get it

Agreed!!! GET RID OF AUTO-BATTLE SO STUPID

I loved the battle system. Dont care about the story. All the final fantasy stories are dumb. Someone just ate mushrooms before they started writing.

How can anyone after hearing the dialog defend this game? this is just a square milking the FF name

Sounds like a review of every Final Fantasy game I've ever played. Maybe it's not that the game is bad, but that people are finally waking up to the fact that FF just isn't a very good franchise to begin with. lol.

what happened to the square i grew up with?? man! the 90's were legit

woa, harsh jared I did like 13 and was about 2 buy 13-2 until I found out about what happens at the end (not the ending itself) and the bummer of the playable chars.... this does not sounds good. Sadly I give it the rating of F' it..... I really was looking forward to get this 1 but I wont pay 4 an incomplete game. Good review.

I hate to be the one to break this to all the people that defend ff 13 and 13-2 but they are not good games. Matter of fact these games should have been called something else because this isn't Final Fantasy. There was never anything wrong with the combat in Final Fantasy 1 through 10 so i don't know why they felt the need to try to fix something that wasn't broken. I miss REAL role-playing games like past Final Fantasy games before 12 (yes even 8) that focused on game play and story telling and not shinny graphics. But yeah id play Final Fantasy 8 which was not well received over forking over $60 to play 13 or 13-2 which in my opinion is killing a franchise that i have loved and played for 22 years. SE give us back Final Fantasy please and in the future don't try to slap the Final Fantasy name on shitty games just to try to make money.

This is such a terrible review. Jesus Jared its the most biased thing ive ever seen. I dont want to do this but im gunna have to go through each point you made. 1. Framerate slowdowns, literally have not experienced a single one, maybe buy a new xbox? 2. Saying that the soundtrack is irritating is entirely your taste of music, its awesome, it brings back some of the highlights tracks from the previous game and brings a lot of vocal tracks, i think jared just doesnt like a touch of metal. 3. Sound downing out the voices, true but exaggerated. 4. Auto-battle. God dammit, this again, are you really that pathetic you have to rip on a completely optional and less effective option, or are you just stupid? I noticed in all your little segments of battles, you are picking auto-battle and getting (Ruin Attack Attack Attack) or (Aero Galestrike Aero Galestrike) which are much slower then what you could choose, and are jumping from magic and physical attacks, and usually you will have someone who is dedicated in just 1 of those fields. Its really not that hard to understand. 5. 25 minute boss battles, LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL, seriously? Ive done most of them in 2-5 minutes with the target time normally around 5 minutes. Would make sense with your love for the auto battle button. 6. Cinematic Action (Quicktime events), these come at the end of a battle and so failing it, and failing the battle, would be a kick in the face. These are fun and just a little something extra. 7. Live Triggers, not the games highlight but it isnt annoying and doesnt take the fun away, you completely exaggerated on this part. 8. You need to play XIII to enjoy 2? I dont think thats necessarily true, but even so, it is a sequel. So... really your expected to know what happened before, kinda the point. ? 9. Time travel is done sloppily. I would disagree, going to any place again is handy, finding new artefacts is cool, opening up new timelines is awesome, and visiting the same place in a different timeline is great. 10. Plot holes are abundant. Name 1? 11. Previous characters are just cameos. so? thats not a bad arguement? 12. The whole thing is basically stupid. your opinion, and also coming from a guy who likes chrono trigger.

Jared I think you hated it, because you wanted to hate it. Grow the fuck up and review a game properly. And shame on you g1s for kissing his ass, 5.4? ughhhh

soooo the plot of thirteen-2 is a rip off of chrono trigger nice one square enix, nice one.....

could you guys seriously not put the rating at the bottom the vid. it ruins the surprise.

Jared, I think you are missing out on all the rewards. Yes, you can slog though the battles with Command/Ravager/Medic. You can also mostly beat Viewtiful Joe with ducks, punches and kicks.

The paradigm system is about working over the enemy's stagger bar and beating each fight in record time. Faster battles = better item drops. Remember how you used those dropped items to level up your monsters? Bing bang boom.

You also get better items later on for the pulling off the QTEs and choosing the right dialogue tree.

honestly you had only like a few negatives so, the 5.5 is a little too harsh, i know your hate for 13 but try to not be so bias when reviewing :) PS: Ive never played a ff game so im not trying to hate or anything lol

GT liked it.

I'm still stalled by FF8, want to try 9, didn't like the start of 10, not going to play 11, Like Ivalice and want to play 12, and want to try 12 and this.

Great review, u r my favorite person a SA, I like your Professionalism.

I'm sorry to say this review is extremely lacking when it comes to the battle system. Your main argument for why this game is no good is because you think the battle system is lacking. This is your own fault. FF13 as well as FF13-2's battle system can be extremely rewarding and fun. Lets start the break down of what i mean here.

Auto Battle system: This feature was only added to the original FF13 as a way for new rpg gamers (As well as for someones first time playing 13) to stand a chance in battle and no be killed 8 times within the first 2 or 3 major boss battles. It was a system that was built in so the game could become a little more forgiving in the early stages so people didn't become frustrated at having to completely grasp the new battle system on the fly. It was brought back in FF13-2 for the same reason, if you had never played the game.

Beating the game with nothing but the auto battle system and your main paradigm being a medic, commando, ravager: This stands true you can make through most of this game with this combination... if you wanna be bored the entire game. However 9 time our of ten you'll end the battle with a measly 2-3 star rating. The combat system can be extremely rewarding especially if you don't use the auto command system and only a medic, command, and ravager. First of all using other paradigms allows you to move past battles faster as well as learn more about monster attributes making things easier for you later on. Using better paradigms and learn more about the monsters allows for you to start 5 starring battles. Why is this good? The game rewards you greatly for these, with more points to add to your paradigms as well as better and rarer items to make the game more fun and interesting to play. The auto battle system can be used for parts of this but you find it frustrating to make it over that hump from 4-5 stars. Not that 4 stars can't be rewarding either. You can combo certain moves in different order that build damage as well as stagger bar much faster then with the auto commands. Also moves like blitz, which very rarely get used in auto command can make your life so much easier by allowing you to score some extra damage on near by opponents. This move alone can be supper rewarding with the right timing you can hit every enemy on the battle field and not only do bonus damage but keep there stagger bars from dropping while you focus on other enemies. Each move has its over unique advantages and disadvantages. This is only the tip of the ice burg not using auto allows you to time attacks so your commando can wait 5 seconds to attack because an enemy's about to be staggered and you can hit for big damage rather then auto kicking in and setting your attack time 5 seconds before stagger for shit to little damage. In short the battle system can be extremely rewarding for those brave enough to put there big girl panties on and try something different then auto battle.

New battle system elements: So lets talk about the new elements that add a whole new layer to the battle system from the first game and why there one hell of a fun improvement. First of all capturing monsters! Its like where little kids playing Pokemon again, gotta catch them all! Here as with the battle system working with these little guys can be rewarding. And 5 staring battles by not using the auto system and on set paradigm makes it easier to get your hands on these guys. Can't say it enough the battle system rewards you for playing the game! Not only do each of these monsters have a unique paradigm to them, but each type has its only special attributes that make them better or worse against different opponents. Also something the above review left out, THEY HAVE THERE OWN SPECIAL MOVES! That's right each monster has a special move that can be used mid battle each of which can have staggering effects on the whole outcome of battle! From monsters the have special moves that heal your whole party so you don't have to switch out just before you stagger a boss due to your parties near death, to specials that cast multiple spells in a row that can push you over the edge and into stagger mode when you most need it, and even to specials that can buff your whole party. These little guys bring in some great elements to not only the fighting system but the replay value of this game. Straight down to the way you upgrade them in crystalarium, if you do it right you can expand there skills far past what there basic crystalarium is. You can even combine monsters to bring about new abilities and better stats.

All in all this is only just the tip of the ice burg, i could go into tons more about how you can change up your paradigms and attacks to make the battle system extremely rewarding. Ill leave you with this though there is defiantly way more then one way to get the coveted 5 star rating in battle. So experiment till you find the way that works best for you or you like most. The game certainly rewards you for it so you shouldn't just slip by with the auto battle system and play the game in a mediocre way. This games battle system is only mediocre if you choose to be a mediocre gamer who doesn't want to experiment past the auto battle system and different paradigms. If you work with different paradigms combat can become very fast passed, fun, and rewarding. Those boss battles that took 4 hours before turn into 45 minute marathons of none stop action, with death looming over your head every second and that 5 start rating laughing in your face to try and motivate you. This all said Mr.Jared Knabenbauer I give you my 4 out of 10 rating. Its clear you spent no time trying to get to know this game and went merely with your already predetermined opinions about how bad this game would be. If your not getting a good fun experience out of the battle system in this game there is no one but yourself to blame for being a mediocre gamer who's not willing to go past the auto battle system "Because it works". It's very clear that the auto battle system does not make the best choices for battle and you would know that if you played the game without it.

if only the battle system was good, Final Fantasy XIII-2 might have been a somewhat decent game, but alas, the battle system is shite, and so is FFXIII-2

Atlus, please put Square Enix out of it's misery.

FF4 and FF6 are still my favourite but I enjoyed FF13 I had a laugh with the generic JRPG style of story etc.

One problem I had with this sequal is Random battles should die out I prefered starting fights like in FF13 at least you could get from one bloody corridoor to another hellish corridoor.

All franchises have been getting harsh critics from their fans like those reject forever alone sonic fanboys and no game franchise is gonna go back to its true roots with old school graphics and gameplay style get over it.

Don't think that FF13 is great I've played way much better RPGs but if your a FF fan and want a game more action based you would like it.

FF13-2 Demo was pretty good just wished Square E didn't let random battles come back, they really slow the game down.

LOL "An apology letter" so true x.x Knowing me I'll probably end up playing this game once it hits the 'bargin' bin like I did with FFXIII.

I misss the good old days of classic Final Fantasy. The original games were awesome. I wish that one day we get a return to the classic turn-based battle system.