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Final Fantasy XIII-2

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a game born not of creative necessity but of appeasement, an olive branch from Square Enix to its fans after the lukewarm response to both Final Fantasy XIII and the online-only FFXIV. While it might seem like a cop-out to so clearly backpedal creatively, the fact that it’s actually fun to play a Final Fantasy game again overshadows the questionable ethics of making a sequel to a sequel.
   
It’s not that I didn’t like Final Fantasy XIII — I was one of the few who thought it was a pretty great RPG — but at no point did it ever actually feel like a Final Fantasy game. It was a lifelessly clinical grind to get through at times, with hours of cutscenes detailing an overly confusing story constantly getting in between you and the brilliant battle system, and a complete lack of freedom in movement and choice that made sure you had absolutely nothing to do other than follow the cutscene-battle-cutscene-battle structure laid out for you.
   
There are still traces of that constricting framework in Final Fantasy XIII-2, mainly in the episodic way the game is divided up, which leaves it once again feeling a little too confined. However, there’s an actual sense of freedom and choice in the areas that make up these episodes which rekindle feelings of what a Final Fantasy game should be. You can actually wander around a dungeon at your own pace and get into as many random battles as you want to level up: free will has returned to Final Fantasy, hurrah!
   
The breezier structure doesn’t radically change the game, but it’s enough to make it a far more fun sandbox to play around in. The already-brilliant battle system is built in and, thankfully, remains almost completely unchanged. aside from a few additions such as the ability to capture and train monsters to fight alongside you — changes which only serve to enhance the combat. The epic battles — which require a level of precise planning and execution you don’t get from any other modern RPG — are the reason to play the game and more than make up for the fact that everything else around them is cotton-candy fluff.
   
The grandiose spectacle which typically drives the series is missing, but it’s not a huge loss; this is a pleasant lark of a game, a  nudge back into the right direction for a flailing series which seemed to be struggling with its identity for the past few years. For the first time in a very long time, it truly feels like you’re playing a Final Fantasy game — and there’s something  comforting in that.

Bits & Bytes
   
Aliens: Colonial Marines, the first-person shooter being developed as a quasi-sequel to the classic 1986 James Cameron film, has hit another delay. Its release, originally planned for the spring, has now been pushed back to an unspecified date in the fall.

Upcoming Releases
   
Feb. 14 — UFC Undisputed 3 (PS3, 360); Twisted Metal (PS3).

   
Mel Stefaniuk is a writer who can tell the difference between Mario and Sonic.