, but not everyone felt the same way. The contentious entry saw dungeons become long, linear paths and towns and sidequests a forgotten distraction. Even if underneath that was a brilliant combat system, an endearing cast and a strange futuristic world filled with ancient secrets, it was obvious...

The twenty-five year old series first appearance on a new generation of consoles brought with it beautiful visuals, a fast-paced and more organic combat system, and Japanese melodrama in the grand tradition of the J-RPG.

Final Fantasy XIII-2's box art features the indomitable Lightning, looking strong and feminine in her tough-as-nails armor and flowing skirt of feathers. You remember Lightning, of course: she spent the majority of Final Fantasy XIII trying to release her sister Serah from a crystalline prison.

Monster collection is fun and addictive; Multiple heartfelt moments combine story and gameplay in effective ways; Caius is a fantastic villain; Impressive; varied visual design

The best characters were sidelined in favor of less interesting ones; Multiple sequences bog down the pace; Main story is relatively easy and short

To say that the original Final Fantasy XIII was controversial would be something of an understatement. The game's incredibly rigid structure, while great at delivering a gorgeous cinematic experience, alienated longtime Final Fantasy fans who enjoy the thrill of experimentation and discovery.

+ Fixes pretty much every point of contention from; + ...and the game's still packed with astonishing graphics and music

? How does the last survivor of humanity manage to look so well-dressed

Whether you loved or hated Final Fantasy XIII, anyone who cares about its sequel wants to know how it compares: is it better than FFXII...

More freedom; more exploration; more discovery; Story driven by characters; Battle system still rules

No summons; Some difficulty dips and spikes; Only two party members

One can classify video game sequels in one of three categories: 1) games that do not require playthroughs of the previous installments ( Super Mario Brothers 3 , Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation ), 2) sequels where playing the previous games is recommended but not required ( Gears of War 3, The...

By combining a good story with a real effort to fix FFXIII's flaws as a game, this sequel does quite well. Fans of the previous game should pick this up, and those who wanted to enjoy it but were repulsed by how constrained it was will be relieved to know this one allows significantly more freedom...

I just got this game reserved it and everything and i can honestly say i don't regret it. It fixs almost every problem with the first 13 except the storyline which is a little confusing at first.The gameplay is also improved and i love the new monster hunting feature.

2010's Final Fantasy XIII may have sold well enough, but the perplexingly bad design decisions quickly made the title a bitter disappointment for many fans. Coupled with the disastrous launch of Final Fantasy XIV, and even publisher/developer Square Enix admitted that its legendary role-playing...

Somewhere around Final Fantasy XIII-2's seventh or eighth final battle - there are so many of them, it's hard to keep track - I had to save the game and quit playing for the afternoon. I was fighting some tag team coterie of dragons who seem to have flown in from another game.