So I think that during my hiatus from writing one of my biggest accomplishments gaming wise has been working on FFXIII-2.
Before I went away for a long time I was having some issues getting into the game. I felt the story was a little too campy and the leveling system was quite complicated. I was very overwhelmed with just the enormity of things that one could do. At least that is how it felt at first.
After almost 40 hours into the game and coming up to the end of the normal playthrough I have really started to like this game.
The graphics are great (which is a normal for SE). The worlds pull me into them and make me feel as if I am there. The colors are bright and crisp and how they style the future is amazing. I do think they could have added some off the beaten path locations in each timeline and not just in one zone, but I am ok with things.
The battle system I think is much better than in FFXIII. In FFXIII (which is really the only FF game this can be fairly compared to) you had multiple characters, but you could go through the whole game with just the same 3. The stats were predetermined and there was not the much individuality offered to the characters. I like what SE did with FFXIII-2 though in terms of having 2 characters and then a slew of monsters that you can place in the party with you to fight. Noel and Serah can develop jobs however you want, and their is even more customization with the benefits that come with selecting which jobs get large nodes and which get small nodes. To further elaborate on this (cause I needed to do lots of research) if you have Ravager select a small node, then you just get a STR and MAG increase. If you have Ravager select a large node then you get those basic increases plus a bonus for magic. Commando does STR bonus. Some of the jobs allow for one type of bonus if you select a large node on an even level, while another bonus for an odd level. This makes you have to plan things out more and for a RPG that is an element that I like to see.
The monsters have only one job depending on what they are. They will only be COM, RAV, SAB, etc. You can't have them change. They have a leveling system as well that is similar to that of the one for Noel and Serah. The biggest customization benefit they have is in their abilities. Each monster can only have 10 abilities at one time. They all have 1 ability that is locked. This is important because you can have monsters level up and then infuse their abilities into another one, thus getting rid of the first monster, to make the second more powerful and to benefit the party more. I haven't explored that much into this, yet it will probably become more of an impact when I get into post-game play.
The story. The big thing with FF's game is the fact that the story has many twists and turns, comes out of nowhere and smacks you in the mouth, all while taking you on an amazing journey. It needs to draw you in and not notice that you are escaping from reality for awhile. The question then is as follows:
"Does Final Fantasy XIII-2 do this"??
Its a hard question to directly answer. The story does have some twists, but not as many as I am used to in a FF game. Maybe its cause I am watching Battlestar Galactica and have played waayy to many RPG's, but I am able to figure out what is going to happen. I am not a surprised at things that I normally would be. That is not to say the story is good. To refrain from spoilers the way that SE has taken on the idea of time changing and paradoxes is interesting since it is different than what we normally think of when we talk about paradoxes. I like the idea of time travel and different universes and all of that. Its crazy the creativity that people can come up with. Its because of this element that they are able to add the slight bit of openness to the game with the ability to go to different areas and get sidetracked with completing quests and getting fragments. FFXIII had you just go along a line without being able to deter. FFXIII-2 allows you to run around and do different things without having to stay on the same line. Its nice to have this as I am someone who really does miss running around world map and spending tens of hours doing non main story stuff.
I am now in the middle of Episode 5 and I am really starting to figure out why what has happened has happened. I like it. My goal is to have the main storyline done by the end of this week, and then start to work on the postgame play next week. There is a lot of things to do and I am excited.
