Final Fantasy XIII-2 Image
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79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 53 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 837 Ratings

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  • Summary: Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a direct sequel to FFXIII, and will once again star lead protagonist Lightning.
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Final Fantasy XIII-2 - Despair Official Trailer
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 53
  2. Negative: 0 out of 53
  1. Feb 16, 2012
    90
    I absolutely love the game, and found myself totally absorbed in everything it has to offer.
  2. Feb 6, 2012
    89
    This is definitely a step in the direction of that old Final Fantasy feel we've come to know and love. It feels like what the original Final Fantasy XIII should have been.
  3. Jan 31, 2012
    85
    Final Fantasy XIII-2 is what Final Fantasy XIII should have been, with lots of sub-quests, mini-games and a little more exploration. Despite responding to fanbase requests, the team left unaltered the fighting system and the linearity; so this is not the comeback of a classic Final Fantasy.
  4. FF XIII-2's reliance on recycling locations and reluctance to indicate the next course of action hold it back from scoring as highly as XIII, despite its improvements – but its grand ideas, bigger monsters, and bigger still haircuts make it an adventure worth getting lost in time for. Lightning can strike twice after all.
  5. Feb 6, 2012
    80
    A superior game to its predecessor, Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the game that probably should have been originally released. Even if it doesn't quite achieve everything it sets out to do.
  6. Feb 9, 2012
    78
    If you hated its predecessor you will surely not warm up to this sequel. On the other hand Serah and Noel do a lot better than Lightning and her friends in Final Fantasy XIII. Here's more to do, more to discover, more roleplaying.
  7. Jan 31, 2012
    50
    This is a big game, clocking in at about the 40-hour mark, but the lack of challenge in combat combined with the formulaic missions and frequent cutscenes too often make it feel like a sticky trudge.

See all 53 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 54 out of 225
  1. Jan 31, 2012
    10
    Without a doubt this is worthy of a main FF game number. If it had different characters they could have named it FF 15. Do yourself a favorWithout a doubt this is worthy of a main FF game number. If it had different characters they could have named it FF 15. Do yourself a favor and buy this game, play it, and judge for yourself. I loved XIII very much, however many griped about the linear story line...well part 2 is far from linear. I am glad that SE listened to their fans and made adjustments. Enjoy it and happy playing. Expand
  2. Feb 4, 2012
    10
    This game might not be a masterpiece for some people, but it will never be a game that get a zero. I admit, the music in this game is lessThis game might not be a masterpiece for some people, but it will never be a game that get a zero. I admit, the music in this game is less amazing compare to the original and it is obvious the budget of the making this game is much lower compare to the original, but the game is still great. I enjoy this game very much and i actually enjoy this much more than the original. It's worth your money, definitely. Expand
  3. Jan 31, 2012
    9
    A huge step up from Final Fantasy XIII with more attention to exploration, minigames, and some improvements to combat. The story can get a bitA huge step up from Final Fantasy XIII with more attention to exploration, minigames, and some improvements to combat. The story can get a bit confusing at times so I knocked off a point for clarity, though overall it's a decent improvement. I always dislike people who give games a 0 in ratings, that means it is UNPLAYABLE, such as too many bugs and crashes. If you want to try that type of game look at Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at launch or Fallout 3: New Vegas. Expand
  4. Feb 1, 2012
    7
    Much like only a biased hater would give Final Fantasy XIII-2 a 0 rating, only a fanboy would give it a perfect 10. Let's be honest, it is notMuch like only a biased hater would give Final Fantasy XIII-2 a 0 rating, only a fanboy would give it a perfect 10. Let's be honest, it is not a bad game and you can definitely enjoy it - if you let yourself - but it's certainly not the highlight of the Final Fantasy franchise.

    Most issues with the first game have been fixed in some way or another and even though, if you look for them, you will find a few new problems, there's nothing game-breaking. I could go through a list but really, all you need to remember is that you cannot trust reviews and that the only way to truly know if a game was worth your time is to play it yourself.

    If you have enjoyed previous installations to the Final Fantasy series, you don't owe it to yourself, but you should definitely give yourself the opportunity to find out if you can't enjoy this one too.
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  5. Mar 13, 2012
    6
    As a (potentially rare) fan of FFXIII, I found myself wound up in the hype for this game. I was aware of all of the potential shortcomings,As a (potentially rare) fan of FFXIII, I found myself wound up in the hype for this game. I was aware of all of the potential shortcomings, including reduced team members, a monster recruit system (which sometimes is hit and miss in RPG's), and the potential for a time travelling story to be a complete mess (it's a difficulty topic to approach). Before I launch in, I'd like to say that I sank about 50 hours into this game and got the platinum trophy, so I think I saw most of what it had to offer (except DLC). To be fair, I think the game has some pretty crisp graphics (very similar to FFXIII) and some pretty cool moments in the mid game. I also think Caius is a pretty interesting antagonist, which I've seen echoed in many reviews. However, I think some of the aspects of the game got too simplified. In terms of battles, I found that I only had to be strategic with some of the after game bosses. In the main game, I got interested in trying to complete sidequests and found that I overlevelled VERY quickly, making the rest of the game a breeze. Normally I would say this is my fault, but one of the promises this time was a less linear game, so I think my interest in exploring is justified. The side quests themselves were fairly uninvolved as well. I expected a great deal of time hopping, but only in later quests does this seem to apply. The chrystarium is also redesigned, and I feel for the worse. I do appreciate the strategy of having certain crystals 'worth' more than others, but I found that they severely limited the abilities of the two characters where you would be foolish not to use them in those roles. As such, it seems to just be a matter of "how can I boost this characters best stat" rather than "how can I make an effective character". The monster taming system adds a bit more variety to the battle roles, and while I have seen some people complain about it, I actually did like this system. It also played a lot on resource management since you weren't sure (unless you faq) how good a monster will be, even at high levels. Combine all of the above with the auto-fight option, and you have a very streamlined battle system that might be a bit easy for veterans of the series. Finally, I felt the story was very underwhelming. As I said above, there are some pretty cool set pieces in the mid game, but there are also parts that had me scratching my head. For example (without spoilers), in one time period you thwart a mob of monsters and then in a later time period (same location) your characters feel sorry for them, help them, and then have to beat them down once more. There were a few events in the story that made me feel that the characters were acting inconsistent. I'm also not a fan of how some characters were shoe-horned into the story, with explanation to be provided in DLC. You can make assumptions based on information in the game, but that information is obtained by achieving fragments, which many people may not have the patience to acquire all of them. I'm fine with supplemental DLC, but not to explain portions of the story. In the end, I give it a 6 because despite having an inconsistent story and simple battles, I found myself oddly enjoying many parts of the game. I just think it wasn't a sum greater than it's parts in this case. Expand
  6. Nov 10, 2014
    5
    Hmm, did not like this game. Don't see why people say it's better than FFXIII, since I think the story was better. I can see if you do notHmm, did not like this game. Don't see why people say it's better than FFXIII, since I think the story was better. I can see if you do not like linearity, but then again I am used to playing JRPG's and many of them tend to be linear. Square Enix changed the series to appeal to a western audience, and while that is cool, I did not like it much. The time paradoxes were weird and not interesting. Plus I did not like having Noel randomly throw in there. Game would have made more sense with Snow and Sarah, or just Sarah and another character from the original. I did not like it, but then again a lot of my friends do so try it yourself to be the judge. Expand
  7. May 9, 2022
    0
    Awful game. Somehow, Square Enix managed to make a game more excruciatingly awful than 13 with it’s confounding and incomprehensible timeAwful game. Somehow, Square Enix managed to make a game more excruciatingly awful than 13 with it’s confounding and incomprehensible time travel plot, dialogue that is even more boring to listen to where characters stand around and mostly babble about nonsense like paradoxes and other nonsense that’s difficult to understand, cutscenes that are even more dull and interminable to sit through, annoying puzzles that will often waste your time as they’re badly designed and often are based on luck than skill, the soundtrack is even worse than 13’s and mostly just recycles 13’s soundtrack when it doesn’t use it’s own soundtrack, the level design is even worse in 13-2 with locations often just recycled from 13 and multiple variations of the same location exist with different weather effects and lighting, the characters are even more annoying, the battle system is improved but you’re only given 2 actual characters to play as and have a pokemon style monster assisting you for the 3rd member. Square Enix should feel ashamed they ever let their flagship series sink as low as it did with the 13 games. Do yourself a favor and skip all 3 13 games. Expand

See all 225 User Reviews

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