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

Warning: Opening 2 paragraphs have a couple of FF XIII spoilers in. Sorry! Final Fantasy XIII-2 starts with a bang. Set in the realm of Valhalla, the scene shows Lightning (one of FF XIII's protagonists) locked in a fierce battle with Caius, the villain of this story.

Likeable characters; The battle/Paradigms systems are great; Looks fantastic; Some of the music is wonderful; Hunting monsters can get very addictive; Lots to do outside of the main story

Parts of it are just too easy; Some of the dialogue isn't that great

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a step in the right direction for the franchise and it is clear Square Enix have listened to fans and implemented a lot of the changes they wanted. One thing that will be frustrating is the ending, or at least one of the ten possible ones, and that it's left on somewhat of a...

Not linear! Exploration is a key part of the game; Brilliant graphic yet again; Ability to capture monsters and have them fight by your side

Cliffhanger ending is a little frustrating

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...

I have been playing this game for about the past month, with the Japanese version of the game. My only other review for GI has also been for FF, the previous FFXIII. I recently passed XIII-2, so I thought I'd put in my two-bits on this game. Just quickly, overall this game is short.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 represents only the second time that we've been given a direct sequel to a Final Fantasy title on a major console.  The first time was the PS2 title Final Fantasy X-2.

It seems like everyone who played Final Fantasy XIII, even those who truly liked it, had at least one bone to pick. Complaints were like snowflakes, unique in shape and consistency.

Engaging story and characters; Witness how actions change events through time travel; Significantly improved battle system; Side quests and puzzles add welcomed variety

Character customization is lacking; Side plots occasionally vanish without a trace; QTEs remove agency from some battles

Great: Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.

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...

You, know, I've spent most of my life as an athlete above most other things. Mind you, the last few years I haven't exactly been MUCH of an athlete, what with the new "protective layer" covering my six-pack... (I swear it's in there somewhere!) But there was a time! ... ah but on to my real point...