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Final Fantasy XIII-2[/size]
[size=+1]Direct feed gameplay videos:[/size]
http://e3.gamespot.com/video/6318726/http://e3.gamespot.com/video/6318727/http://e3.gamespot.com/video/6318732/[size=+1]Stage Demo With Commentary:[/size]
http://e3.gamespot.com/video/6318720/[size=+1]E3 2011: Developer Walkthrough Part 1 (Cam)[/size]
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2011-final-fantasy/715412E3 2011: Final Fantasy XIII-2 Interview http://e3.gamespot.com/video/6318207/[size=+1]Final Fantasy XIII-2 - Preview [/size]
"The good points included the game system, which was popular, so we\'re intending to take it into XIII-2. On the other hand, the game progression was quite linear - that was the main criticism we received.
"All the aspects that didn\'t go down as well as they should have done we took very seriously and we came up with improvements, or replacements or additional features. Every single issue has been tackled."
Kitase\'s areas of concern appear to be threefold. Firstly, effort has clearly been made to open the game world up and offer players more opportunity for exploration. A sequence we played through, that saw incoming duo Serah and Noel tracking down a giant causing trouble in Cocoon\'s New Bresha region not only offered multiple branching paths to venture down and side quests to take on, but opportunities to tackle a goal in a number of different ways.
A new feature called Live Trigger periodically pops up offering you a range of different options of how to approach your current objective. The limited example showcased in our demo asked us to choose whether we wanted to dive straight into the boss fight or go in search of a mysterious device that might help tip the scales in our favour.
Square Enix shows new Final Fantasy XIII-2 footage.Seeing as selecting the former led to near instant death beneath the fist of the aforementioned colossus, it seems this will hardly represent a quantum leap in terms of letting players off the leash - but it at least displays a willingness to rein in the hand-holding so derided in the original.
Indeed, Kitase insisted the system will offer a more engaging set of choices in the finished game.
"You actually have much more choice," he explained. "You can choose what you want to say to NPCs or whatever. It\'s not just that you make a choice and have to deal with the consequences, it\'s more than that. It\'s supposed to make you think about puzzles or unsolved situations, together with the NPCs in the games."
XIII-2\'s other major shift is in the game\'s approach to storytelling. Rather than bombard the player with lavish but momentum-sapping cut-scenes, Kitase and his team are striving to better integrate narrative and gameplay into a more seamless whole. For example, as you explore the game world you\'ll also trigger dynamic cut-scenes that play out in-game, should you elect to stand still and take them in. Conversely, you can ignore them and march on...
INFO and TRAILERhttp://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-06-08-final-fantasy-xiii-2-preview[size=+1]
E3 2011: Final Fantasy XIII-2 Developer Interview[/size]
RPGSite: One of the deepest criticisms that has been made was the lack of the traditional Final Fantasy town. In response in interviews, it was said by someone in the development team that making towns on a high definition system is actually quite difficult. So is that something that has finally gotten easier now? Have they developed ways to make it a quicker process? To make it a more painless process? Or can we still expect the towns to be smaller than what you would have found in games like Final Fantasy VII-IX.
Toriyama: Like Kitase said earlier, we did take it seriously that there was a huge criticism over no towns—we know people didn’t like it and so we took that and have towns in the new one. And you can explore the town and you can talk to all the people, and that will lead to other situations. Shops, as well now in XIII-2 you can find certain characters you can talk to and they can sell things to you and you can make purchases. I think if we created towns in the same way as we did for Final Fantasy VII-IX, it would be quite boring, and so it is very difficult. So with that we put an AI in every single person living in the town so they can do their own things. They may sit down and chat, or they may talk to their family members, or somebody they want to talk to, so they do their own actions. In that sense, it’s a quite different type of town you would find in a Final Fantasy [game].
RPGSite: At point did you decide to make Final Fantasy XIII-2, and what was the reason behind it?
Kitase: We actually made the decision to make a sequel right after the worldwide launch of Final Fantasy XIII. Around the time we were visiting the United States and other European countries on the promotion tour, we actually got a lot of positive reactions from the fans, and also obviously Final Fantasy XIII was luckily a commercial success with 5 millions units sold around the world—over 6 million. But we just felt generally that people wanted a sequel anyway, and while making Final Fantasy XIII we thought that the characters and the universe had more potential, not just squeezed into one title.
RPGSite: Will Final Fantasy XIII-2 be using a chapter based system, as far as story progression goes, because that was in Final Fantasy XIII, people thought that system made it too linear… will XIII-2 similar in that sense?
Toriyama: There isn’t an awful lot I can tell you on this subject, but we have changed that structure, because obviously people didn’t like it—there is a new one. For details on that, we’ll have to wait until TGS, but one thing I can tell you is that for the first time in the Final Fantasy series, XIII-2 will have multiple endings.
RPGSite: Could you explain why you went back to the Paradigm System for the battling? Was it because it’s a direct follow up from Final Fantasy XIII? Or do you guys feel like you’ve found the perfect balance in a battle system for the series?
Kitase: We decided to carry it over into the new game for of course the reason you just mentioned. Because it’s a sequel, it just seems, you know, the right thing to do, so we stuck to the same system. Also, it was quite popular in XIII, so we thought it was the best battle system to incorporate it into this game as well.
Having said that, it’s not just that we’re implementing the same battle system, but actually like I told you a bit earlier, you can capture and recruit over 150 different types of monsters, so that is a great addition and also more acutely strategic gameplay you can enjoy It compared to XIII.
http://ps3.rpgsite.net/interviews/282-e3-2011-final-fantasy-xiii2-developer-interview[size=+1]
E3 2011: Final Fantasy XIII-2: Finding Work is Hard[/size]
While the Paradigm and Role systems have returned, I\'ve been told that you\'ll be able to make adjustments to specific roles. For example, two characters assigned to the Commando role could be tweaked to behave differently in battle. This, again, opens up more strategic possibilities.
The most promising change Square Enix has made to the Final Fantasy XIII formula is the emphasis on player choice. Now, you can select different actions at specific points in the story to alter the course of your quest. For example, when preparing to face a giant known as Atlas, heroes Serah and Noel can either charge in head first or attempt to weaken the giant before engaging it directly. These branching plot points will occur throughout Final Fantasy XIII-2 and, believe it or not, affect the ending. Yes, there are multiple endings in Final Fantasy XIII-2, which is extremely rare for the series.
I\'m still disappointed over the lack of a job class system, but Final Fantasy XIII-2 has potential. It also has an adorable moogle mage that follows Serah around and transforms into her swordbow for combat purposes.
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/117/1174768p1.html[size=+1]
Final Fantasy XIII-2 Team Interviewed[/size]
Toriyama and Kitase discuss multiple endings, new gameplay systems, and fighting along side monsters.http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/06/09/ffxiii_2_team_interview/
