Really Square? Really?
From start to finish this is simply the worst Final Fantasy to date and that's saying something considering SE has been working diligently for quite a few years to finish wrecking this once proud franchise. I know that the "big 3" left the company, but you would think that they would have groomed their underlings to take the reins of this thing. It's the equivalent of the pilots of an airplane ditching midflight and the 3rd grade school teacher in coach having to try and land it.
This is a relationship gone horribly awry. I had been in love with this series since it's inception, but now all the fire is gone and all I've got left are those golden rimmed memories of wonderful times we had so long ago.
The battle system brought over from 13 had some promise and does include some improvements, but the fact remains that the inability to control your teammates actions leads to maddening results. Yes, the AI is generally ok, but what does a person have to do to get the computer to toss out protectga or shellga instead of a simple protect? What was so wrong with being able to control each character? Is that too complicated for modern gamers? Am I asking for too much? Collecting monsters is the best addition, but had I wanted pokemon, I would have borrowed my nephew's old gameboy color.
Side quests used to be one of the hallmarks of the series. One could spend countless hours hunting down rare game or ultimate weapons or fantastic summons. 13 had nothing in that regard so they thought they would add some to 13-2, but they failed to grasp a simple concept. Their supposed to be fun. Little mini puzzles like connect the dots or the infuriating clock mini game are the farthest thing from fun and what they have to do with a temporal paradox is beyond me. I picture this idea being tossed around in a developer's meeting and I don't know who is dumber, the guy who proposed it or the guy who said; "Yea, lets go with that idea".
Another hallmark was the soundtrack. I know it's impossible to replace Uematsu, but they haven't even tried. It's embarrasing. A heavy metal song about riding chocobos? Really? How about a song that chants "La La La" until you want to stab a moogle in the neck? Don't worry, they've got you covered.
Speaking of moogles, I long for the days when they didn't speak. Had I known that they sounded just like Katie Morgan from adult movie fame, I would have rather seen them get their lips sewn shut.
Last but not certainly not least is the greatest travesty of all. The story. Once upon a time the stories from Final Fantasy were the best in all of gaming, but now were stuck with something that David Lynch would find confusing. The fact that they chose to continue on in the world of 13 in the first place gets my gray matter in a knot. There was no emotional bond with any of those characters and the world itself was stale. The one character that was intriguing was Lightning and she's noticeably absent, save for the cutscenes.
The rest is just a royal mess that makes absolutley no sense.
13 was the first Final Fantasy where I didn't max out my characters or kill every last creature that walked, but I finished it. By the time I was 30 hours into 13-2 all I wanted was for it to end and thankfully it did, sort of, kind of, not really. Leading into 13-3 I guess. Why? Go to Tokyo, get plastered on cheap beer out of a machine, eat some two day old sushi, then jump into the harbor. Maybe the answer is down there with all the tossed out tuna parts. It's more likely all you'll find is a bad taste in your mouth, though.
If the series continues along this path of de-evolution perhaps there will truly come a "FINAL" fantasy. As for me I'm hoping that 13-2 travels back in time, meets its past self and wrecks the space time continuum.