Final Fantasy xiii-2

[Vendetta]

You're reading things that aren't there into FFXIII.

Am I? You admitted that you didn't understand the plot when it was explained to you in no uncertain terms. Yet you're able to determine that there is no subtext in the game at all?

No, I sarcastically dismissed the plot for the drek that it is. And it is, like pretty much all JRPG plots it's overblown nonsense where any meaning that might have been present is swamped by useless clutter and motivations that have no human meaning, only that which is given to them by accepting the plot. Barthandelus' motivation for destroying Cocoon is something that is entirely writer's fiat "Resurrect God, because of reasons", it's not something that naturally flows from anything we know of his character or situation (because we don't know anything about either, as Dysley he's an occasional figurehead and as a Fal'cie he's presented as an unknowable force with unknowable motivations, there's no discussion or exploration of what it means to be a Fal'cie).

There were a number of potential stories in the setup of FFXIII (The paranoia of a closed society about an enemy that doesn't actually exist, the meaning of life when one is placed under a sentence of uncertain death), but it doesn't explore those stories, it churns along with it's drek plot.

To have the qualities of character that you claim for FFXIII those characters would have to be shown interacting with others in a far wider range of situations than the game allows for. How do you know what Hope is like as a person? You don't, because you only see him in the context of his grief and desire for revenge. You don't see him talk about or respond to anything else, with anyone else. They're not people, they're puppets to be used to play out scenes of invented conflict, but without them being presented as people those scenes fall flat, the motivations aren't believable.

[Ford Prefect]

Are you seriously telling me that there is no context for the l'Cie outside them being l'Cie, in a game where the narrative is regularly punctuated by flashbacks to before the events of the game? Lightning's birthday? The myriad fireworks sequences and so on? Even setting aside for a moment that these characters do actually exist outside of the context of the invented conflict, the idea that no real character or drama can event within an invented conflict is nonsense. Like that should be self-evident; reading our own context into the context of the fantastic is the very purpose of fiction and has been since the story of the ur-king Gilgamesh was chiseled into stone.

[LadyTevar]

OK children, if you're tired of bashing FF13, can we get on with whats good on FF13-2?

Now... The Tahalshias have been deeply involved with the game, and we're loving it. It corrected all of our problems with the original; the arbitary Chrystarium levels, the lack of towns & sidequests, and it's not *as* much of a railroad. You also do not have to go read the Datalog to get all the background on the things around you.

Things we like: The battle system improvements are welcome, with the MogClock not only giving you a near-guaranteed First-Strike, but also giving you a chance to Run Away if you need to. The Paradigms were one of the best gaming systems imho, and you now have even more flexibility due to the Tame Monsters. There is a wealth of tameable monsters, each with a different min/max level, skills, and battle style. The best of each Paradigm role, of course, are the Chocobos, but at a 15% drop rate, getting them is a grind.

The Live Triggers during Cut Scenes are moments where you can change the direction of the story in small ways. It can be used to redirect a conversation, which can reveal more of the plot. In one grand event, it is the only way to stop the Boss you're fighting from Regenerating. (Time travel... it's twisted). After each Live Trigger, you get a prize based on your choice, so it's not that bad.

By the way, the Cut Scenes are gorgeous. Yes, they're mostly Info-Dumps, but they're well-done info-dumps and absolutely fantastically rendered and mostly well-scripted, so it's actually well-worth watching. Of course this means those who skip through the Cut Scenes miss out on the majority of the info. (*eyes those throwing fits about not understanding the plot* You skipped cut scenes, didn't you)

So, for those who were griping about not understanding the storyline:

Cocoon was saved by Fang and Vanille, becoming a crystal pillar to hold it up in the air. Everyone remembers that. Only Serah remembers seeing Lightning on the beach with them afterwards. Snow made a promise to find Lightning before he marries Serah. 3yrs later, Serah is all alone still waiting for Snow and Lightning to return. (this is all learned in the first town)
Noel, a time-traveler from the future, finds Lightning in the middle of a fight for her life with a friend of his, Caius. Lightning sends Noel to Serah with a 'good-luck charm' (Mog), and instructions to come find Lightning in Valhalla.

Now that's the first hour explained, and the main focus of the plot -- Find Lightning, Stop Caius.
It can get confusing is how you skip across time. Nitram and I cheated by buying the walkthrough, so we have the 'best path' through time and reveals the plot understandably.

The next area, where you find Hope (grown up and not a whiny bitch), has a Oracle Device, which shows you that Time is Twisted, and you discover that Fang and Vanille's Crystal will shatter and drop Cocoon onto Gran Pulse, destroying both.v As Travelers, Serah and Noel can unknot the timeline by finding and fixing the Paradox that's causing the problem, and work towards saving Cocoon and Pulse from disaster. You recruit Hope to work at things from within the TimeLine, while Serah and Noel jump forward and work to change things that way.
So, adding to the list of THINGS TO DO: Save Cocoon (again), find Lightning, stop Caius.



Now, is there any question on the plot or what's happening, or what you're supposed to do?

Either way, for Plot, for Looks, for BattleSystem, and for all around fun, Nitram and Tevar highly recommend this game to FinalFantasy Fans. Nitram does not suggest this as the Game to Start with for Non-Fans, but it is still a fun game.