Final Fantasy XIII-2: Anyone else actually enjoy the Demo? (Minor FFXIII Spoilers)

[burningdragoon]

I have not played the 13-2 demo yet. I might. I might not.

That being said, I never really had a problem with the combat of 13-1. At least not in general. I had a problem with the instant game over if the leader died and the unnecessarily long stretches of only have 2-person parties (especially the Sazh+Vanille section), but the overall mechanics were fine for me.

I didn't even really have a problem with overall story, just the storytelling, pacing, and most of the characters (Fang and Sazh were okay and Lightning eventually started to grow on me) is what really hurt the experience. And of course the almost literally walking down hallways for most of the game. Those are the biggest hurdles for me to consider getting it.

 

[BakedAlaskan]

I platinumed FFXIII and completed the demo last night. I was impressed that the crystarium has been improved somewhat and was able to unlock the synergist and saboteur roles. There's plenty of scope for it, and you can even combine and destroy captured enemies to upgrade your '3rd' character in a fairly unique way. Just hope I don't have to grind for spare parts all the time in this one. Gameplay felt smooth, if similar to the previous and I can see the time travelling, particularly for side missions etc... will be fun. I didn't like the 'paradox mini-challenges much (a bit like Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time) but the Golden Saucer reboot (Serendipity) should while away the hours. Fingers crossed for a snowboarding game!!

I. WILL. BUY. THIS.

 

[Epona]

I liked the Demo, played through it three times. Got Noel up to level 30 Commando and Serah up to level 30 as a Ravager. I am not a big fan of the QTE's or of the puzzles but I'll deal with them. I don't understand the Monster Infusion thing but it seems interesting and monster party member is ok though I would have preferred a real third character.

I liked that a Preemptive Strike gives you haste, that's a nice way to start a battle. The Mog clock I think is nice too as well as the ability to find invisible treasure balls with Mog. Mog himself is kinda lame and that Chocobo seller lady, I would rather go back to shops at save points. If she talked less, that would be better. I just want to buy something and go, not hear her talk about how everyone is counting on me.

Overall, I enjoyed the demo and will buy this game, though since it has puzzles and I hate puzzles in RPG's, I will have to include the price of the guide in so I will probably buy it used for $10 less. That's $10 more I can put towards the guide.

Go ahead and bash me for not liking the puzzles. The ones in the demo were easy but they all won't be and I am not playing Final Fantasy to solve puzzles. I will play Lemmings when I want to solve puzzles (which isn't often).

 

[RedTNT]

After the disappointment that was FFXIII I think I'm going to sit the next one out. I saw it for pre-order in a shop the other day and thought: :/ Like many people, I didn't finish Number 13, it was just to slow and the fighting was repetitive. Also the characters sucked and were very annoying, especially Snow.

I expect the characters in this follow-up to be no better, so I think I'll pass.

 

[Jeremytroid]

I'm still holding my breath (and money) on FF Versus XIII :3
The demo was better but still unimpressive in my opinion. The settings were a bit bland as well, though I know they were intended to be ruined versions of FFXIII locations.

 

[Smeggs]

I played XIII until the final disc, then had to return it. I didn't want to rent it again just to play the last disc, so I've never beaten it. Maybe once I see XIII in the bargain bin I'll swipe it up and play it (might be there now, actually) and if so then I'll give XIII-2 a try.

Personally I hated Lightning and would much rather get a PS3 and try out Vs. XIII.

 

[anthony87]

After the disappointment that was FFXIII I think I'm going to sit the next one out. I saw it for pre-order in a shop the other day and thought: :/ Like many people, I didn't finish Number 13, it was just to slow and the fighting was repetitive. Also the characters sucked and were very annoying, especially Snow.

I expect the characters in this follow-up to be no better, so I think I'll pass.

Well why not actually try the demo out instead of just assuming?

 

[hazabaza1]

So, was that was Xlll's gameplay was like?
If so, then how the bloody fuck did it get a sequel?! That was some incredibly tedious shite right there.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

13 sucked. Why would I waste my time on a sequel to a game that was horribad? X-2 was just as horribad, in different ways but still scale-wise as 13, and X was the last good game in the series.
Therefore, to me FF died with the Gooch's resignation.

 

[KefkaCultist]

Haven't played the demo since I only have a PC, but I've seen some videos and I've been hearing some good things. I played XIII and absolutely hated it. Before anyone says it, I completed the first part of the game. I was even tolerant enough to go to and beat the final boss, but I still hated nearly every minute of it.

On the topic of Mog's voice. A few people have been saying that his voice is stupid and I agreed at first, but you know, now that I think about it I really don't know what other voice Mog could have. I mean sure, the voice is kind of sickeningly "cutesy", but it's a small, flying, white creature with little wings, a pink pom on its head, and a wand, so I don't think much else would really fit.

Maybe the voice of Ron Perlman though. Hm...

 

[KefkaCultist]

Maybe the voice of Ron Perlman though. Hm...

That would be freaking awesome and so out of place it would instantly become an epic cult character icon. As it stands the moogle really sounds like Pikachu or something and it is like nails on a chalkboard.

Haha yeah I would totally buy a PS3 and the game if they made Ron Perlman Mog's voice actor lmao.

Final Fantasy 6 is one of my favorite games of all time and when I played it always imagined that game's Mog as having a British accent for some odd reason and it was awesome, but the Pokemon-ish style voice probably does fit the character's design a lot more even if it is annoying.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Never played the original game, but I did recently play the demo, and I thought it was okay. Liked the combat system (very different from nearly every other RPG I have played, which is always nice to see). The characters did not really do it for me, but then I doubt they would, since it is a sequel to a game I never played.

Also, that Moogle thing (never caught it's name) is cute enough to give a person diabetes. Srsly.

 

[Ragnarok185]

I loved FFXIII, it was a great game. alot of people don't realize that the story demanded that FFXIII be linear. but thats not the topic.

did I like the demo? well I, like most people was pissed when I could not as lightning for most of the game. however i hear she is a major plot point in the story.

I for one really like the battle system they use. it looks simple but actually quite strategic. don't really like Serah(although I could just still be angry) but Noel makes up for it. AND Snow is nowhere to be found(thank the Maker for that)

I'll give the demo a 8/10.

although FFXIII-2 is still a day one purchase for me

I don't think the story demanded the first many hours set on a path literally the size of a single pen-drawn line. Linear isn't the right word. It's more like claustrophobic.

you call FFXIII claustrophobic?, try playing through the dungeons in Skyrim. THAT is claustrophobic.

 

[PotluckBrigand]

Not played the demo so a question: Is it still a corridor game, or is there exploration?

Hard to say for sure from the demo. Initially, you are in a little hub area and you can talk to some people, which immediately made me remember how that basically never happens in XIII. The demo dungeon felt less linear in the the sense that there were multiple paths to take and towards the end you can actually choose two different approaches to how you're going to proceed. I had actually forgotten that when I initially made this thread. (I am going to spoil the demo cuz hell... it's a demo) - at a certain point you can either go on and fight the big bad or you can look around for another way to get the job done, OR you can ask the other characters in your party for advice, so it felt like I was actually in charge of the immediate future rather than just walking down a hallway, as FFXIII has been compared to innumerable times.

It's pretty shallow, I admit, but it did a lot to make the game feel more organic in its flow. There's absolutely nothing wrong with linear story telling (I loved FFX and that game was linear as all hell), but some exploration goes a long way to making the experience richer for me.

OH also it needs to be said, since this is certain to be a dealbreaker for some people: The game now comes packed with Quick-Time Events! I don't care for em, but the ones in FFXIII-2 aren't too offensive. The game warns you when they are likely to appear, and I get the impression that even if you fail them, it's not game over. I got 100% on them (Not because I'm good, but because they were easy and again, the game warned me they were coming), but it graded me on my performance with them so I am guessing I would get multiple tries if I botched them.

Still, QTEs are a sticky wicket to be sure.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Blah blah blah story

Blah blah blah gameplay

I want to discuss THE SOUNDTRACK.

The music I heard in the demo was fantastic, and even...quirky. To me, a good soundtrack is a MASSIVE part of a game to me, as it sets the tone and pace for both gameplay and story.

What I heard in the demo was enough to get me to pre-order the CE with the 4-disc OST in it.

 

[PotluckBrigand]

UPDATE:

The newest Game Informer has a review of the full version of FFXIII-2. They gave it an 8 out of 10 if that's your thing. I personally put just about zero stock in review scores, but that's a conversation for another time.

Final Fantasy XIII itself put up mostly favorable scores (83 Metacritic) despite being in my opinion a pretty poor game.

More importantly, they had good things to say about the improvements to combat and the amount of content in the game (so it should at least be a good value in terms of length). They said the music was awful. I didn't find it especially offensive in the demo (I don't plan on getting the CE for the soundtrack like Onyx Oblivion up there, but hey, that's not really my bag anyway), but they said the game is laden with poppy songs that they found annoying. I have no special affinity or aversion to J-pop, so it's not a dealbreaker in any sense for me, but it might be for some folk.

Their review isn't up on their site yet (I get the magazine. I know... I'm twelve years old), but if they got an early one, it's likely other outlets did as well, so keep your eyes open, play the demo, and maybe... just MAYBE... Square can redeem themselves on this one.

Or... it'll just be Final Fantasy X-2 all over again.