Metascore

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

User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 394 Ratings

  • Summary: Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a direct sequel to FFXIII, and will once again star lead protagonist Lightning.
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. Jan 31, 2012
    85
    Final Fantasy XIII-2, like its predecessor, takes bold chances that pay off in nearly every way. It is clear that the folks at SquareEnix have listened to their fans and have made a great many changes based on that feedback. While there are some aspects that could use some shoring up, Final Fantasy XIII-2 is very worthy of the mantle of this long-standing series.
  3. Feb 13, 2012
    85
    An enjoyable and entertaining game that proves Square Enix is not down and out. However, it puts fans of the series in an awkward position, intriguing us enough to play through the game but constantly reminding us of its inadequacies.
  4. Feb 22, 2012
    70
    Yes, it's better than Final Fantasy XIII, but the legendary franchise needs more than that. Fans of FFXIII will probably be happy with this one, but older gamers will be disappointed.

See all 53 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 99 out of 159
  2. Negative: 33 out of 159
  1. First of all, I didn't like 13 that much. It took me half a year to finish because it was so boring to play. Mind you, I speak what I experienced.
    What's up with all these 10s and 0s with troll reviews anyway. There are so many fan boys and haters swarming metacritic to rate this game -_-
    That aside:
    It's actually a good, fresh experience to play. Just because it's not the ff people grew up with, doesn't mean it's bad. So many people butthurt.
    Anyway, I've finished the game. Graphics are still good. Music is beautiful. Eclipse(Aggressive), Wish, and Noel's theme became my favs. The latter half of the game touched me. The characters suddenly developed as well. Although many say the story is nonsense, I clearly know what's going on and why it's going on though I was confused at first. The main villain did well on his part; he's actually memorable compared to other villains. The side characters and the goddess also served to bolster the plot. It all became clear at the end. And this story reminds me of a film noir with melodrama. This installment got me hooked on the final fantasy series again.
    I would give this game a 9/10, but there are so many troll 0 reviews that ruin the image of it. I recommend this game to others wanting a good rpg. It's a fresh experience that broke some rules. SE is quite bold to do so well and risking the series with the story of 13-2, although some aspects were tried in the past. 10/10. More people should experience this.
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  2. The ending to Final Fantasy XIII contained a contradiction; it broke the rules. But it rang true to the game's overarching theme of the infinite strength of the human spirit, with characters that declared they would contradict all the rules -- a touching note to end on. Final Fantasy XIII-2 then desperately jumps through fanatical loops in trying to dismantle the respectable conclusion of another game, and to a point of near hilarity. Savvy followers may even have questions of smaller magnitude, such as why everyone is suddenly capable of using magic. Well they just can, says the game's datalog. Why didn't Square just make Lightning a pop singer and call it a day?

    But it's naïve to say it all ends there, and unfair to claim that Final Fantasy XIII-2 isn't for the fans. It's not even half complete when the credits roll, and a plethora of content still waits untapped. It's a monster collector's favorite hunting spot, a trailblazer's backpack of spoils, and a completionist's paradise. Cameos and salutes to older games abound, challenges to truly test those thirsty for battle await, and powerful skills and items lie in hiding - this is a gamer's game, and it's damn well appreciated.
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  3. Ah Final Fantasy! Easily my favourite game series of all time. Now, I'm not one of the rabid fan boys who has to wipe drool from my mouth whenever Sephiroth's name is mentioned, but I can say I'm a pretty stout defender of the series. I'd go on record to say the Final Fantasy XIII is a very good game. However, after Hironobu Sakaguchi left SquareEnix and the Final Fantasy series, it's hard to deny that the series has lost some of it's magic. Final Fantasy XIII-2 is an admiriable sequel to FFXIII, but there are a lot of issues that nagged at me as I played through the game. Graphically, the game is decent, but am I crazy for thinking the graphics were better in XIII? The music is sorta meh. It's not bad, it's just not particularily mememorable. The biggest problem I have is with the characters. I never grew attatched to Sarah or Noel. Honestly, I hated Sarah until about 3 quarters through the game. Her constant whining and insistence that she needs Lightning or Snow to protect her (after she fights waves of enemies big and small) grates on my nerves. I like Moogles, but I wanted to turn the moogle in this game into a stuffed animal for my daughter. Lastly, the story is serviceable, but not what I've come to expect from a Final Fantasy game. The gameplay has been tweaked to the games benefit. I've seen people complaining that there is only two characters, but the addition of trained monsters opens up a ton of variety as far as party dynamics go. The leveling system is also a massive improvement on the lame system from XIII. The open ended mission structure alleviates a lot of the issues most people had with the linearity of the first game. Overall, FFXIII-2 is a servicable game, but a game that is showing the age of my favourite franchise. Hoping for more from Lightning Returns and the inevitable FFXV. Expand
  4. 4
    Not gonna write an extensive review but the game is fun and well made but it isn't complete since you will need to buy DLC to access certain features in the game and also you need to wait and buy more DLC to finish the story too.

    Basically this would of been a great game if it was finshed
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See all 159 User Reviews

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