S&S; Review: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Title: Final Fantasy XIII-2 Format: PS3,360
Release Date: Jan 31, 2012
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: T
Its official, the gaming drought is now over and the slew of triple A titles will be pouring out.  I am excited with all the new titles that are being released in 2012, with games like Bioshock Infinite, Mass Effect 3, and Max Payne, you can't help but be excited.  If you follow me on Twitter, then you know that one game I've been excited for is FF XIII-2.  Luckily my favorite Gamestop, always gets these big games a couple of days early.  
Presentation/Story:
If you have played the previous game, then you know how good the game looks. You'll see little strands of hair on each character and immensely detail environments. From top to bottom XIII-2 is a gorgeous and impressive game. The music in this iteration is the weakest in the the series. Saying that is misleading, seeing how high of a standard this franchise accomplishes with their music, its still a good soundtrack. Although, when you stack it up to other games, you'll notice the quality isn't as high as a FF 6 or X. The story is as complicated as ever, with lots of time travel and similar monotony. Lightning somehow finds herself guarding the throne of Valhalla, a realm of chaos unbound by time. She fights a dark-haired man named Caius and -- in the midst of battle -- meets a stranger from a future age named Noel. She asks Noel top travel through time and bring Serah back to her.  It seems simple, but gets very complicated as you playthrough the lengthy campaign.  It also never really ends, the ending was really weird and left a lot of questions unanswered.   Core Gameplay: One of the things I love about the game, is the fast paced nature of the combat. They are quick and easy to master, combat is still my favorite part of the game. One gripe I had for the previous game was that it was too linear, Square has completely revamped the exploratory aspects of the game. With webs of rooms to explore and treasure chests hidden off the map, the developers want you to branch off the path. You can also unlock the ability to close time gates and start the area from scratch, correcting mistakes or just trying something new. One big change is that, the ability to collect monsters you defeat and have them fight along side of you. Each creature has an inherent role in battle and a few special skills. Also, each monster can level up along with the human heroes by consuming items. The more streamlined level up mechanics are a welcome addition, although I didn't have a problem with the previous system.  Gameplay is as strong as ever, with the new additions, this makes it the best I've played yet. Final Thoughts: Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a great direct sequel to XIII.  Its also great game on its own, with polished combat and great gameplay.  With extremely impressive visuals, there story doesn't compliment it very well.  Hardcore fans will enjoy the game, but these few gripes hold it back from greatness. Final Score = 8.75/10 Email: sameo452009@gmail.com Twitter: @iSamKulii Apps: S&S Reviews on Apple and Android Stores PSNID:sameo452008