Some Thoughts on Final Fantasy XIII-2

 I don't often buy games the day they are released.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  One is money; it's hard for me to justify a $60 purchase that doesn't involve it passing through my digestive tract.  Number two: I like to give the game time to elicit a reaction among gamers and the various review sites.  I mean, if I'm tracking a game by it's release date, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna play it, no matter what the reviews say, but it's good to know what kind of vibe a game is giving off.  All that to say, I bought Final Fantasy XIII the day it came out.  I don't think there has been a game released in the last five years that has generated the widely differing opinions that this one does.  Now, I do not intend to tread that well-worn ground here.  All I will say is that I liked the game a lot, despite it's flaws, and I don't believe it's the worst game ever made squareenix sux die remake ff vii (fart). 

I was pretty excited when word started flowing down the pipes about a straight sequel to FF XIII.  I thought there were a lot of places you could go after the ending of the first game.  Square Enix has been hard at work, because at E3 this year (2011), they showed off a playable demo that seems to address a lot of the criticisms that the first game garnered.  In no apparent order:

• Lightning is back, although in what manner is still unclear
• Serah plays a major role, but this time as a walking human, not a crystal
• The old NORA gang is back
• There appear to be towns with actual NPC's to chat with
• Best of all, the linear "tube" appears to be gone.

That last bullet was perhaps the biggest gripe of the game, and although it didn't bother me that much, it rubbed A LOT of folks the wrong way.  Regardless, I'm glad to see them incorporating new ideas and listening to what the fans had to say.  BioWare does a good job of that.  Really, any good developer has to take time to listen to the people who drop their hard-earned cash on these games. But back to the main point.  The battle system remains relatively unchanged, which in my opinion is good.  I liked the strategy the Paradigm Shift system makes you use and I'm glad to see it return.  While the battle system remains the same, the character-enemy interaction is slightly different.  The team has implemented a system where when you find an enemy in the field, there is a gauge that changes color from green to yellow to red.  Hit the enemy at green, and you start with a Pre-Emptive Strike and a bonus.  Yellow and red have decreased benefits to penalties.  I thought that was an interesting addition, because honestly, it was kind of a pain in the ass to sneak up on a lot of the baddies in the first game.

So yes!  I am excited for this game.  It looks like my holiday shopping list is already made out.  With Elder Scrolls: Skyrim coming in November, Final Fantasy XIII-2 supposed to hit the beginning of 2012 in the US, and Mass Effect 3 (!!) dropping in April, I've got a lot of saving to do.  Anyone out there hiring?  I need a job!

I'd be remiss not to include some music on my post, so I'll leave you with my favorite battle theme from Final Fantasy XIII.  ALL of the battle themes are great, but this one is my favorite.  It's a very percussive tune.  The strings all play in a very percussive style, and even give the lead over to the percussion at some points.  It's a very intense back-and-forth between the two sections.  Enjoy!