Final Fantasy XIII-2

[pietasterp]

Re: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Picked this up recently [the Collectors edition with the full soundtrack, which by the way I love] and I am 4 hours in and I love it so far.
I guess that can happen when you are coming off of playing the last one, which I didn't love.

Interesting...I actually liked XIII much more than XIII-2, but I'm probably the only one in the free world with that opinion...

[ItsOrangeBaby]

Re: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Interesting...I actually liked XIII much more than XIII-2, but I'm probably the only one in the free world with that opinion...

I just got around to finishing up the last hour of the game a few days back, and I'm in the same boat as you when it comes to the 2 games. I'm not saying that FF XIII-2 not worth a play-through, but when it comes to the story FF XIII just seem alot more polish.

[legacyme3]

Re: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Sorry for the grave-digging, but just finished last night (main story), and now will go back for the fragments...looks like it's gonna be a grind - I have like 107/160. May be another month!!!

...and that ending...So much less epic/satisfying than FFXIII, which left me all warm-and-fuzzy. This just kicked me in the 'nads.

Depends which fragments you are missing and how much free time you have.

I had 60 less than a week ago. Got the last 100 in the past week.

(Oh, and I platinumed it too just need my internet back)

[pietasterp]

Re: Final Fantasy XIII-2

I just got around to finishing up the last hour of the game a few days back, and I'm in the same boat as you when it comes to the 2 games. I'm not saying that FF XIII-2 not worth a play-through, but when it comes to the story FF XIII just seem alot more polish.

For sure FFXIII's story was way more epic, and just felt like a grander game in general (even before the ending, which there's no comparison between the two). Plus, I got bored w/ just Serah and Noel...a big part of FF is meeting new characters and learning about them, and the way the characters unfolded in XIII was perfect, IMO. And the fact that you had this big group of characters and could swap in/out (I even liked how XIII forced you to use certain characters at certain times just to make you try them out, otherwise you would just roll w/ the same party the whole time), it just felt like XIII-2 was small in comparison. I'm actually kinda concerned about XIII-3 since it sounds like there will be no parties at all??? If I want a single-player action-RPG, there're many other choices...I feel like the Square-Enix team learned all the wrong lessons from the (unwarranted, IMO) XIII blowback.

Depends which fragments you are missing and how much free time you have.

I had 60 less than a week ago. Got the last 100 in the past week.

(Oh, and I platinumed it too just need my internet back)

Good to know...I think the paradox endings are worth getting just for s*'s and giggles. I probably have only 1 that is going to be extremely painful which I don't know if I'm going to bother to go get:

Spoiler

the ol' "defeat every monster in the game" fragment...I mean, how painful/grindy does that sound? Also, I heard there is a really hard boss fight left, like the last of the C'ieth stone missions from XIII, that sounds tough. But at least I got the "lucky coin" from the casino!!!

But glad to hear you can get them in bundles! I was considering not even bothering...

[Pokes]

Re: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Looking back I don't think FF XIII/XIII-2 are bad games, when you learn to enjoy and appreciate them for what they rather than what they are not.

[pietasterp]

Re: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Looking back I don't think FF XIII/XIII-2 are bad games, when you learn to enjoy and appreciate them for what they rather than what they are not.

Couldn't agree more. I think the fact that I played FFXIII for the first time almost 3 years after it initially released made the experience so much better, because I knew going in the complaints about linearity and lack of towns and everything else, but all the hype and blow-back and complaining was long gone, so I just sat down with it one day when the weather turned bad and ended up really loving it. It's crazy, but XIII was probably one of my favorite games that I've played in the past few years (maybe since Red Dead Redemption). I think XIII-2 was actually kind of a let-down after XIII (not to mention a bit of a bait-and-switch since Lightning is on the cover but you basically never get to use her), and the story and characters were really thin in comparison, but it was still a good game.

Going to go back for the fragment completion. Seems do-able based on legacyme's comment.

[legacyme3]

Re: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Spoiler

one of the paradox endings was a pain. Fighting Caius with Serah and a monster was no fun

Also, the fragment for the beastiary, you will likely need a guide for. I was missing 7, and NEEDED a guide. Three were in the Archlyte Steppe, and two in Bresha's various time zones.

Temper expectations for fragments. Some are really hard to trigger, though almost all of them are easy once you find the start point. Most are fetch quests, or killing a monster. The worst are Captain Cryptic and the Brain Blast Quiz things :P oh and that beastiary

[pietasterp]

Re: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Finally got 160/160 fragments...took me long enough. The fact that they make you rewind the gate and then go back through the entire level to get to certain locations/times you can't otherwise directly access is so painful, because they make you do it like 5 times to get all the fragments. That was just a flat-out grind and bordered on "not fun", but when you're at 150/160, you kinda have to do it if you are OCD about this kind of thing.

Spoiler

That "secret ending" was just totally not worth it. It added nothing. I would be curious about what the Lightning DLC adds to the story, and to have her in your party would be cool, but I'm basically done with the game so what's the point now? DLC just does not belong in Final Fantasy, IMO. It doesn't fit, and to make it fit you have to basically with-hold content intentionally. If it's just outfits and stuff that's one thing, but story and key characters? I mean, the fact that Lightning is DLC is bogus - since she's on the friggin' cover of the game! Anyway...will have to wait a few months to close the story on this one, I guess.