Proving that the fantasy is indeed NEVER going to be final, Square Enix has revealed Final Fantasy XIII-2, the latest entry in the long-running RPG franchise that is currently in development for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and scheduled to launch “next winter”.
The game, which is being described as a true sequel that will attempt to exceed its predecessor in every aspect, will feature the return of leading lady Lighting and deliver a brand-new story which stems from the previous title as well as a battle system which has “evolved further since XIII”.
A website for the game has been launched, but in typical Final Fantasy fashion, there’s not a whole lot there now (aside from the above image) to call it anything but a teaser site. Lastly, the question “Why does mankind defy its fate?” was posed to gamers in the press release announcing the title, but considering the proposed launch date, you have plenty of time to ponder the open-ended question’s relevance to the game’s story – or perhaps your own life…(ohhhh….)
Of course, we’ll keep you posted as more details on the numerically-challenged RPG emerge, but in the meantime, feel free to discuss how you feel about the spin-off and what enhancements you’d like to see if in fact you played the first game.
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I played FF XIII and I liked it, so here’s hoping the sequel will be even better!
It will be.. cose IMO it cant get any worse than XIII.. >_<
“a true sequel that will attempt to exceed its predecessor in every aspect”
If they put even a little effort into it, then they have an easy task ahead.
FFXIII was the only game in the series, since VII, that I did not play more than once. I enjoyed playing it, but I felt that it could have been SO MUCH better! To me, the Final Fantasy brand should be the prime example of how JRPGs should be in regards to the storytelling, the gameplay, the battle system, and the minigames. Hopefully Squeenix has listened to the critics and the fans regarding XIII and are attempting to win us back with this direct sequel. My hopes is that it won’t be like X-2, which wasn’t an awful game by any means, but it was a step backwards in regards to how great FFX was.
Until this game is in my hands, all I can do is cross my fingers and hope for the best.
Any Final Fantasy on a home console is a preorder purchase for me, so I’m definately looking forward to it. I liked FFXIII quite a lot, so this should be a great title for me.
Honestly, I haven’t been able to enjoy any FF game since FFX.
I got burned BAD with FFX-2 and FFXII, I don’t enjoy the direction they’re taking the brand and unfortunately I feel that I have outgrown the JRPG style entirely.
I really wish that this new game will change my mind, but somehow I doubt it.
I played FF XIII and didn’t like it much. I mean the battle system I liked, as well as most of the characters. For me, XIII died from cumulative damage from a lot of different smaller wounds. Fix those, and you have a great game.
Make it less linear (no more corridors please), make certain characters a little less whiny (looking at you, Hope!), give me more opportunities to interact with the environment (even more one-liner NPCs would be a nice start), deliver less of your story in text-format (show, don’t tell!) and finally add a bunch of non-obligatory minigames (like in VII as opposed to VIII) that help you step away from the main-story a while without tearing you out of the game world.
Might be the list seems a little long, but most of this shouldn’t be too hard to fix. That being said, I’m certainly looking forward to XIII-2.
Well….bashing on XIII gets old so I will make it short.
I hope they improve the game like they said (or always say…); especially getting rid of the tunnel-structured levels and a little more open leveling structure. In addition to that….PLEASE bring back some equipment. Since when is anything but rings and a weapon so taboo? I loved it to hunt for new armors.
If they get those right it would be a HUGE step forward for me.I didn’t lose hope for FF, but I will definitely rent it before i do anything else.
First, just the screenshot they show give me some sort of hope that it wil be better. Just look at lightnings wardrobe. Its heavy on the medieval, implying that since the ending of the first game, there has been a bit of a downgrading in the society. Also, I was wondering if this was from that press-event that square is suppose to be having this month, because I’m still more interested in Versus XIII. Its a return to the style that I’m most excited about.
Very excited to here this! I loved FF13 and if they make the sequel with towns and shops and you can explore from the get go instead of half way in game, then it will be epic!
As long as XIII-2 doesn’t turn out to be a fanservice fest like X-2 was, I remain optimistic. But that picture of Lightning doesn’t bode well for that prospect.
I’m not exactly sure what to think of this announcement. The Final Fantasy series used to be unique in that none of its instalments were direct sequels. Every game introduced a new world with new characters and a new story and maintained continuity through lore. That changed when X-2 came around and while it did bring gameplay markedly different from X and a story quite deep once You looked beyond the wacky layers, it was, as I said, a fanservice fest and remains my least favourite Final Fantasy I played (and I played all the numbered instalments except for III and the two MMOs, XI and XIV). The chaste and steadfast summoner Yuna became a fun-loving gunslinger slash pop singer. Her protective Al-Bhed cousin Rikku was flanderised into a ball of playfulness. Brother became a Yuna obsessed freak. And Spira probably experienced rapid global warming. Top that off with the job system being presented as “dress spheres” that put the central trio of heroines into skimpy, fetish-serving outfits. It was all very pleasant to look at but the whole game had me going WTF more often than I found desirable.
XIII-2, just like X-2 had, has a large potential in the characters and story department. While Sazh and Snow didn’t grow that much, Lightning and Hope went through major character development and I’m curious to see where all four of them will be after the timeskip. The end of XIII’s story was very climactic in that the established order of its world’s civilization was obliterated. This promises the return of what many people were missing in XIII – cities and settlements to discover and explore and an airship to cover the distances.
I found XIII to be enjoyable because of its battle system, the gorgeous locales, the soundtrack (even though I did miss The Prelude and The Final Fantasy Theme) and its unusual (for the series) approach to storytelling. It was far from the best Final Fantasy but I certainly wouldn’t label it as the worst like a lot of people like to do. I believe in Square-Enix’s ability to improve upon it and I have already decided to buy it because I’m a fan of the series.
Just please don’t make it another fanservice fest. Please!
And I thought that Two Worlds 2 has a bad name :)
wait 13 was good dont get me wrong but this but last good ff was 6 the other where stupid 7 ok 8 fun 9 dint play 10 i got third summion and and dint car about any more play 11 i dont like mmo 12 i sold ps2 dinntcare any more and 13 the battle syemtem suck only time is was fun was boss battle and then it was mash a button till it over they took out evry think that was good about ff out and dont get me start on 14 ff need to roll over in grave and die