True story: The first time I popped Final Fantasy XIII-2 in my PS3, my dad-who's staying with me during the winter-wandered into the living room while the opening cut-scene was playing.

Battle system returns with a few nice tweaks; Monster collection and growth is well done; A return to non-linear exploration

Convoluted and nonsensical plot; Tags

Anyone who hasn't played FFXIII will be pleased to know that XIII-2 stands up as a game in its own right. You don't need to know the story of the predecessor to enjoy XIII-2 , and in fact this is a game that very much concentrates on gameplay over storytelling.

When Final Fantasy XIII was reviewed by the media and the average scores started to trickle down to the fans, most felt a sickening lurch in the stomach, followed by a resignation that another great Japanese franchise has fallen.

Brilliant addition to battle system; Excellent exploration possibilities

Slightly short main story; The story is hard work to understand

A lot of Final Fantasy fans weren't very enamoured with the 13th iteration of the series, with a major reason behind the lack of love being that many genre staples were omitted, such as towns, NPC interaction and as for the exploration aspect, well there's probably more potential for adventure up...

When I first heard about Square Enix making a sequel to Final Fantasy XIII, I was pretty excited. Although I have to be honest, I had high hopes and low expectations. I just finished the massive thirteen when I started the second one, so I had the plot stored in my memory.

28th February 2012 - It's been almost two years since Final Fantasy XIII was released here in Oz. It was surrounded with some controversy when it launch internationally as it was the first cross platform Final Fantasy much to the chagrin of Playstation fanboys.

Prepare yourself for the most confusing and nonsensical Final Fantasy game you will ever play. While Final Fantasy XIII-2 redeems itself and its predecessor slightly by offering a return to things that made the series great, like open environments, lots of sidequests and even chocobo racing, it also...

Looks great; turn-based battle system is fantastic; can explore different periods in time and take on side-quests; lots of different monsters to recruit; leveling up characters is quite easy; multiple difficulty levels; multiple endings and there are quick-time events in battles.

Confusing story and hokey script; Chocolina is an unholy terror and must be stopped.

Were you as disappointed as we were that Sazh didn't play a bigger role in Final Fantasy XIII-2? Then you're in luck, as Square Enix has just released the title's first story-driven downloadable content, which reveals more about Sazh's exploits in between the events of FFXIII and FFXIII-2.

I'd expected less going in, but this game was pleasantly surprising. A good pickup, and will last a good 60+ hours for those out there who aim to 100% their games. While the story was a little lackluster, the remaining elements of the game make up for it.

The unfolding drama of Final Fantasy XIII continues in Final Fantasy XIII-2. Explore a richly developed world featuring both new and familiar faces, and an exciting and highly developed strategic battle system. In this ongoing saga, the future is about to change...