Final Fantasy XIII-2 Bombing in Japan?

[weber_dubois22]

When Final Fantasy XIII-2 made its Japanese retail debut on December 15, it did so in lackluster fashion. For 99% of games coming out, having a first-week Japanese sales total of over half a million would be a triumph -- huge success. But Final Fantasy XIII-2's 524,000 performance (PS3 version) is a mere one-third the size of the original Final fantasy XIII, and even stands distantly in the shadow of Final Fantasy's first direct sequel, Final Fantasy X-2, which also sold over 1.5 million right out of the gate. For a Final Fantasy title, XIII-2 is performing far below expectations.

Things get worse for Square Enix when one considers that XIII-2 is supposed to be a game kept interesting in the long term with frequent DLC updates. This does not stop people from trading the sucker in, even a mere two or three weeks after its launch, however. Getting back from my Christmas vacation, something really stuck out at me as I made my rounds in the game shops: there are a lot of used copies of Final Fantasy XIII-2. Above, I am holding one small store's hearty supply of five used copies of the barely three-week-old Final Fantasy XIII-2, selling for 4,980 yen each. The game launched with a price closer to 7,000 yen for new copies, but has already plummeted to 5,500 in most stores.

Sales were well under half of what Square Enix expected, the price has fallen like a rock, and trade-ins are rampant. From the looks of things, Final Fantasy XIII-2 isn't the comeback S-E was hoping for. [SOURCE]

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Final Fantasy XIII-2 Moogle Trailer Released

[weber_dubois22]

Square Enix released a new trailer for the upcoming sequel to Final Fantasy XIII...and no, the sequel is not the critical failure Final Fantasy XIV but rather Final Fantasy XIII-2. You can check out the new Moogle and the updated gameplay elements in the new trailer.

Some of those gameplay elements includes additional mini-games where players can battle against opponents on a timer to earn extra bonuses, as well as use the Moogle to reach hard-to-reach places in order to recover even more bonuses. Check it out below.

[SOURCE]

Square Enix Plans Final Fantasy XIII-2 Demo Release Next Week

[weber_dubois22]

According to this week’s PlayStation Blog’s Blogcast, a Final Fantasy XIII-2 demo will be released during next week’s PlayStation Store update on January 10th. That’s three weeks before its official release, giving you ample time to try out the new mechanics and see if 2012 will start out with a JRPG bang. The only bad thing is that if you do end up enjoying it, you’ll have to wait anxiously until January 31st in North America and February 3rd in Europe to finally get your hands on this year’s Final Fantasy.

Based on past playable demos released from the Final Fantasy series, the gameplay piece will likely be what was seen on convention floors during 2011. If that’s the case, the demo will feature Serah and Noel as they seek to find Lightning who has disappeared after the events of Final Fantasy XIII. There will be plenty of gameplay as well as a mini-boss in addition to the gorgeous visuals that Square Enix is known for. Be sure to try it out, and share your experiences with us! [SOURCE]

First Western Review Of Final Fantasy XIII-2 Arrives

[weber_dubois22]

As reported by CVG, the Official Xbox magazine US has reviewed Final Fantasy XIII-2 and has praised the game. OXM gave the game a 9/10 and pretty much says that Final Fantasy XIII-2 “fixes pretty much every point of contention” from its predecessor. The magazine went on to say that Final Fantasy XIII-2 fixes almost every problem the first game had and this should have been the game Square Enix released two years ago. They also reiterated the fact that fans who have lost faith in the Final Fantasy series after Final Fantasy XIII, will have their faith and excitement restored while playing Final Fantasy XIII-2.

They concluded by saying it’s an “amazing sequel”. [SOURCE]