FFXIII-2

[MoogleAura]

http://www.neoseeker.com/news/15603-...xiii-2-domain/

Keeping tabs on new ESRB ratings and web domain name registrations have become a popular way to sniff out potential titles from publishers, so you can bet sources like Superannuation will have their eyes on anything from the likes of Square Enix. Wouldn't you know it, the "Corporate Service Company" registered "finalfantasy13-2game.com" as a domain earlier this Monday, set to expire in two years.

Corporate Service Company has been responsible for registering domains associated with other Square Enix titles including Front Mission Evolved, Nier, and the upcoming Gun Loco, so you can see how people are already connecting the dots regarding a possible Final Fantasy XIII-2 in the works over at the publisher. The registration is especially timely considering that Square Enix is due to host its "Square Enix First Production Department Premiere" conference next week on January 18th.

There Square Enix will showcase many of its upcoming Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts titles, including entries from the "Fabula Nova Crystallis" lineup of FFXIII spinoffs. Perhaps we can now expect a surprise announcement concerning direct sequel to FFXIII as well.

So we should expect to see this within the next 2 years?

[Nevex]

Maybe they'll actually make this a game this time, and not a giant 20 hour tutorial. Maybe it won't take 20 hours to become "good" this time either. Maybe a story that isn't a train wreck. Or characters that aren't the most one dimensional things you've ever seen. Seriously, they are probably the dullest characters I have seen in the last few years of any games I played. I really have no idea what people saw in XIII. I don't want to sound like the old cliche person, but I've really enjoyed most FF's since FF1 way back on NES when I was about 7 or 8. I've played them all, FFXIII was a shell of a game. Especially after the greatness that was XII. Now I know a lot of people didn't like XII, but it was certainly better developed that XIII.

Kill off Versus, kill off Agito, just go to the next game please. And try to make it better.

Sounds like you just enjoy oldschool RPGs. Don't get me wrong, I like those too (and I liked FFXII as well) but still enjoyed XIII.
The main appeal about FFXIII is that it was everything but a traditional FF, hence why it offended many fans, while others who wanted to experience a different style in a FF welcomed it. It's the only reasonable explaination about its extremely polarizing effect on the fanbase.

[Kaslo]

Sounds like you just enjoy oldschool RPGs. Don't get me wrong, I like those too (and I liked FFXII as well) but still enjoyed XIII.
The main appeal about FFXIII is that it was everything but a traditional FF, hence why it offended many fans, while others who wanted to experience a different style in a FF welcomed it. It's the only reasonable explaination about its extremely polarizing effect on the fanbase.

This why I liked it. It was similar yet different and new. Which is a staple of the franchise, they try to push the limits of what an RPG is, in music, graphics, story and experience. Sometimes it splits the fanbase, as FFVIII, FFX, and FFXIII all did (and to somewhat a degree all FFs have done)

[Hyan]

They should really strive for making the games better as action games/interactive movies, I just fear the fanbase is what's pulling the franchise down with their silly demands.

And as far as pushing the limits in the story department, not quite.. I'd say it's the reason why XIII had such a polarizing effect in the first place, imo. The storytelling hasn't gotten worse but it hasn't gotten better either in decades. And what they're not realizing is that their fanbase is older, stories made for 10 year olds just don't cut it no longer. It's why Lost Odyssey was somewhat well received- it was a fucking awful game but the story held it together.

It's kinda ironical the XIV team realized this, but it's not nearly as important in the MMO genre. Now to wait for the rest of the company to catch up..

[Eaglestrike]

How anyone can call the XIII the most one-dimensional characters they've ever seen is beyond me. You must have never played X.

I'll agree with the tutorial comment a bit, but I also liked that I learned something big about how things worked and therefore went to replay the entire game the "right" way (did this a few times, actually). In previous FF games I knew how they worked almost right away, only thing I didn't get were little tricks like Final Attack + Phoenix or something (of course I was like 11 at the time...)

[Lucavi]

Just because the characters get mad or fight with one another doesn't mean they're suddenly written "well". I can only think of perhaps 2 characters in XIII that I'd consider written well. XIII would have been better off as a movie, honestly, especially given how much SE is obsessed with graceful swan moves and spinning with their swordsmen.

If XIII-2 does nothing else but gets off the rails, I'll consider it a marked improvement. I do not want Gears of Fantasy XIII in terms of event progression. I'd like to get back to, if anything, the Xenogears style.

[Hyan]

I'd like to get back to, if anything, the Xenogears style.

UGH. Countless times I've tried to progress in that game but no. Although partly it's because there's just too fucking much dialogue that takes ages to load (letter by letter) what really irks me is that if I don't play for a few days I'm hopelessly lost afterwards trying to find that one NPC that progresses the story in a city with hundred and one NPC's. Not to mention if I'm on the world map and can't remember what happened the last time I played... RAGE

The franchise is less of an Elder Scrolls and more of a Metal Gear Solid. Just focus on the story and pacing. And at least it seems they are thankfully

“In the past three years we worked both on the world and on the various systems. Creating these systems isn’t very glamourous and can frankly be a bit boring. If we could do a XIII-2, we could direct all our attention to the story and refine what we have already built.”

[AoE]

Only major problem I have with FF13 is that it's not very memorable as a story. I only really liked the interactions with Afro and Vanille, and Barthandelus cracked me up only because I have a thing for video game villains who appear out of nowhere to fuck your day up.

Considering the pace of fights, the battle system made sense to me. However I would've preferred if they took the character switching system in FFX and made FFXIII's characters more strictly specialized in their abilities because around the end of the game, for me there was no reason to use Snow or Hope really aside from certain hunts. Sure Lulu and Kimahri became less useful as time went on but they still had uses.

[Lucavi]

UGH. Countless times I've tried to progress in that game but no. Although partly it's because there's just too fucking much dialogue that takes ages to load (letter by letter) what really irks me is that if I don't play for a few days I'm hopelessly lost afterwards trying to find that one NPC that progresses the story in a city with hundred and one NPC's. Not to mention if I'm on the world map and can't remember what happened the last time I played... RAGE

The franchise is less of an Elder Scrolls and more of a Metal Gear Solid. Just focus on the story and pacing. And at least it seems they are thankfully

If they actually made it like Metal Gear Solid and less like a game as pretty as MGS, I'd be inclined to agree. They haven't shown this to be the case, though. FF still looks like a shallow series focused on pretty graphics first and new, fresh plots and sequences second.

Back in FFVII, when FMV was brand new, it was much easier to give them a pass on this, but nowadays its just silly. I don't think they've advanced at all, merely refined their niche ala Dragon Quest while adding a new spin on an old concept here and there.

[Xno Kappa]

Wait wut? FFXIII despite it's simplistic story, you're a retard if you didn't understand it besides bits of the ending, had probably the most "well-written" characters in the entire franchise. All the characters could've been the main character in their own right with believable motives. Just because no one had a big-ass sword, amnesia, cool scars, surprise twin brother, surprise you're part Esper, hey I'm a whiny bitch(okay maybe Hope), and/or hates life, it doesn't make them one-dimensional. Snow alone being a pedophile is the deepest shit I've ever seen in a character in this franchise.

As far as a sequel, I hope they explain all that lore about Pulse. Mostly about those opposing fal'cie and/or creators, I forget their names. Also, make the entire game accessible from the start, not no 20 hour tutorial bullshit while you play a tunnel simulator. As far as battle-system adjustments;

Considering the pace of fights, the battle system made sense to me. However I would've preferred if they took the character switching system in FFX and made FFXIII's characters more strictly specialized in their abilities because around the end of the game, for me there was no reason to use Snow or Hope really aside from certain hunts. Sure Lulu and Kimahri became less useful as time went on but they still had uses.

This.

[Hyan]

Wait wut? FFXIII despite it's simplistic story, you're a retard if you didn't understand it besides bits of the ending, had probably the most "well-written" characters in the entire franchise. All the characters could've been the main character in their own right with believable motives. Just because no one had a big-ass sword, amnesia, cool scars, surprise twin brother, surprise you're part Esper, hey I'm a whiny bitch(okay maybe Hope), and/or hates life, it doesn't make them one-dimensional. Snow alone being a pedophile is the deepest shit I've ever seen in a character in this franchise.

Still a silly argument, it's like debating which game has the least shitty characters/story. Granted, I still very much doubt they've become worse at this, our expectations are just higher.

[Kaslo]

Sahz was easily the best character in a ff to date.

[Nevex]

Well Fang did have amnesia (is there a FF that doesn't use the amnesia plot device?)
Anyway story/characters is a very subjective matter. What can be a masterpiece to one can be complete and utter crap to another.
I think the more plots and character archetypes you see, the easier it gets to find a new one nothing special because you have the feeling you've already seen them somewhere else.

[Lucavi]

Sahz was easily the best character in a ff to date.

Sahz, yes. Many of the others, not quite. Its a silly argument nonetheless.

[Xno Kappa]

Nah. Shit is still a stupid argument, people are legitimately trying to argue characters from a previous series with FFXIII characters but fail to name a more diverse character besides possibly a villain in FFXII. Give props where props is due, FFXIII had some of the most memorable and relevant characters to the story.

[Nevex]

Either way, should FFXIII-2 happen, I don't see the characters acting the same way as they did in FFXIII since their inner conflicts are solved now (unless Serah gets kidnapped again... please don't give us that crap).
They usually add new playable characters in a main FF's sequel, so I wonder if we're going to get another Pulse l'Cie who just woke up from crystal stasis in the main cast.

[Bregor]

there was no reason to use ... Hope

Wait, what? First time though I used Lightning, Fang and Hope for almost everything. True, Vanille was almost as good and a POA, but I usually liked having a Synergist. Once you get Crystarium level 10 then I switched Hope out for Vanille full-time.

Sahz was easily the best character in a ff to date.

lol

[Nevex]

He probably means that in the endgame Hope has the lowest HP, the lowest damage potential and no useful unique weapons.
Still, Curaja and Enspells are really good to have and pretty much any party is capable of tearing shit up in the endgame.
I personally liked Snow/Vanille/Hope parties since you're virtually invincible if all of them have maxed MED and SEN's Reprieve trait. Plus this party has access to all kind of attacks and spells except fire/thunderstrike (no big deal).

[Tyrath]

Kill off Versus, kill off Agito, just go to the next game please. And try to make it better.

Why not try to make those 2 better? Kill off FFXIII-2 if anything.

[Niiro]

Snow alone being a pedophile is the deepest shit I've ever seen in a character in this franchise.

Wait wut?

I feel like I missed a cutscene or something.