Final Fantasy versus their sequels

The graphics in FFXIII-2 fell short of what I expect from Square, normally being forerunners when it comes to those flawless environments/characters and beautifully choreographed cut scenes which have become part of the formula that you expect. It offered very little in the way of these scenes, mainly providing them at the start and the end. The opening cut scene however is fantastic mixing in (for the first time) ‘cinematic actions’ (aka’ reaction commands’ to you and me). This was a very nice touch which helped you feel involved in what you would normally just be watching, with the pad next to you. But the lack of these scenes throughout felt like a bit of a missed opportunity.

FFX-2 on the other hand did offer cut scenes to be remembered. Who could forget Yuna picking up that microphone and restoring faith by blasting out ‘1,000 words’ (belter) on the Thunder Plains of Spira? So why did FFXIII-2 feel the need to be so sparse with their cut scenes? Is it due to a lack of budget or inspiration? Only the creators can explain that...

As far as the game play graphics go, FFX-2 captured the same stunning visuals as FFX but again for FFXIII-2 (aside from your main protagonists and the characters returning from the forerunner), the same stunning visuals weren’t captured and the effort/budget didn’t seem to return for the second part. Although still actually very good, they weren’t a patch on what I have come to expect from Square.

One thing in both of the sequels that left me disappointed was the lack of a team greater than 3 characters. FFX-2 had the addition of Paine, Yuna and Rikku while in FFXII-2 Serah (a previously non-playable character and now the main protagonist) is joined by Noel and any random monster that you want to join you in the fight having collected them after a battle (yes you are right.....Pokemon). Part of the enjoyment of the main games is the slow but sure build up of your team of fighters each bringing their own story and skills to battle, wielding a summons for those extra difficult foes. Having a set team doesn’t really do it for me, it seems like a lack of effort, not having the time to create new characters, so why not bring back some of the oldies to fight on the team? And no summons!?! Inexcusable if you ask me! Why take a backwards step when you create a sequel? Removing elements that are part of the game and make it what it is, is just sloppy in my opinion.

That being said, the new character addition of both Paine (FFX-2) and Noel (FFXIII-2) was welcomed, although Noel would have been better placed in Kingdom Hearts, which makes me wonder if he was a character thrown out by the developers and used here instead. I am aware that a lot of the backdrops unused in FFXIII were used in their sequel, so they could have borrowed a thrown out Kingdom Hearts character. The fact that disused backdrops were also used shows to me again a lack of attention to detail, if they wanted it to be like a true FF game then unwanted backdrops isn’t the way to go, although they were all quite enjoyable to play. FFX-2 relied more on the backdrops we had previously seen in FFX which to start with felt charming as you revisited places that you remember and grew to love, but after a while it seemed like a cheap tactic which created some boredom, re-exploring old turf.

I have heard people mention how they preferred the less linear element that FFXIII-2 presents and to be honest this was not something that bothered me in the original. Although I would have liked that big open world that I have come to expect, it took little away from the game in my perspective, especially when you transported to Gran Pulse and was greeted by a massively impressive open land. I didn’t find its sequel much less linear, although there was a bit more exploration involved, I wouldn’t call it ‘open world’. The areas that you did explore weren’t particularly big (with a couple of exceptions) and played out in a relatively linear way any way. That being said, I do hope that the next instalment has that open world element. Therefore while for most this game was an improvement on the predecessor, for me it was a non issue.

Due to your team being only 3 characters in FFX-2 the battle system was altered as FFX gave you the ability to switch characters in battle. Not having this luxury in the sequel meant that the battle system was changed to include the dress sphere and garment grid. Again a backwards step in my opinion and the addition of a female touch to the game was something I couldn’t get use to. The battle system in FFXIII-2 remained similar to its predecessor and the ability to change classes during battle is something that could only easily work with a team of 2 (with your additional monster) and therefore didn’t need that change.

When upgrading your characters in FFXIII you are given a different Crystarium for each class. This was removed for the sequel and simplified with a one Crystarium fits all approach. This simplified matters but whether or not this was for the best is a matter of opinion.