For Final Fantasy XIII-2 , the reaction was lukewarm at best. And now we've got this "to be continued" ending along with a few somewhat confusing Paradox Endings and a whole lot of questions that need answers.
At this rate, it almost seems inevitable that Square Enix will announce yet another sequel. They appear to have adopted the "annualization" trend of Activision and other Western publishers by trying to release a new Final Fantasy title every year. Of course, there's always the possibility that Final Fantasy Versus XIII might someday emerge from the shadows, but we probably shouldn't hold our collective breaths.
So what about FFXIII-3? What if they do produce a third entry? Well, before you get all cantankerous and negative, let's try to look at this from an optimistic point of view: First of all, there's no denying that Square Enix significantly improved upon the gameplay (specifically, the combat) in FFXIII-2. Faster Paradigm Shifts and the ability to change the Leader (and if that Leader dies, it isn't automatically Game Over) are definite upgrades, although the more streamlined Crystarium is questionable. Also, they tried to address the "too linear" complaint common when talking about FFXIII.
Some say they went too far, that they sacrificed a cohesive story for almost complete freedom. And to some extent, that's true. But think about it- If you combine FFXIII and FFXIII-2, pick out the very best elements of both, and combine them…don't you have the RPG long-time fans have wanted all generation? I mean, considering the flaws are also dealt with and the story is a little better overall. There's no guarantee that Square Enix will know exactly what to keep, what to change, and what sort of new ideas to implement, so perhaps this is all just a pipe dream. But it's possible , so maybe we should cling to that.
What do you think?
Related Game(s): Final Fantasy XIII-2
