A fair amount of people that write review articles were really excited when Final Fantasy XIII-2 came out. Unlike the original game, this video game takes a close look at the Fabula Nova Crystallis mythos and crafts a story that surrounds the Etro Goddess. The Cocoon and Gran Pulse areas return in this game, and there are various changes in appearance throughout the time periods that the game depicts. Augusta Tower, for example, is particularly high tech and features a rather complicated maze for an interior. The Vile Peaks are now covered in snow, which makes them slightly more attractive than in the last game. Previously they were nothing more than mounds of garbage.

Another interesting point about locations in Final Fantasy XIII-2 involves Valhalla. The realm of death that lies at the edge of time in some far off future is known as an unseen world that no one can usually venture to. However more than one review of the game has noted that this is actually a playable area. Gamers that get disappointed when the impression of a game gives lip service to areas that they never deliver on should rejoice when they hear that.

Along with providing expandedareas, Final Fantasy XIII-2 expands on other previous storylines. Serah Farron was an NPC in the earlier game, but she goes on a playable adventure in this edition of the series. In fact, she travels with Noel and a Moogle counterpart to find her sister. Giving narratives to previous NPC characters is something that resonates pretty well with the majority of gamers.

Most reviews written will note that the game really is not all that old. It was released in December 2011 for Japanese customers, and in early 2012 for gamers in North America, Australia and Europe. This means that many people have yet to find out that there are different theme songs for different regions. Japanese gamers can rock out to Mai Fukui's Yakusoku no Basho, but some western fans might be a bit disappointed that the music was switched out with Charice's New World. That said, the new song shouldn't make any gamer grab for his or her buster sword.

Afew reviews have noted that much of the game involves various time travel missions. Many of those review's have made a few correlations to Chrono Trigger. In fact, Final Fantasy XIII-2 might be looked at as a version of Chrono Trigger without Akira Toriyama's manga art. While it might not resemble Dragon Ball at all, the Historia Crux System certainly does mirror the nonlinear game play module that the other RPG was based around. In fact, players that enjoy both games might notice the Square (now Square Enix) connections.

At least one review mentioned the fact that a member of the female idol group AKB48 was chose to head a group of 13 test gamers. This was obviously a way to get a positive review out of fans and the Japanese gaming media. It might be worth mentioning that AKB48 hails from Tokyo's Akihabara district, which has long been associated with anime and video games. Maybe it was the perfect place to find someone to promote Final Fantasy XIII-2.

Nonetheless, players of Final Fantasy XIII-2 shouldn't have to be concerned that the game is loaded with unnecessary gimmicks. Most gamers should probably be happy with the vast open world that they have the ability to explore. The characterization and storyline in Final Fantasy XIII-2 are just as good as any other game in the series.