Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Summer Game Fest
  • New games for 2025
  • Upcoming Switch 2 games
  • Switch 2 stock

Recommended reading

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PS5 screenshot
JRPGs Amid Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's turn-based hype, Square Enix asks JRPG fans "what's the best combat system" in its catalog and shares "some games with brilliant battles"
Metaphor: ReFantazio
JRPGs Metaphor: ReFantazio wanted to fix the JRPG grinding problem, but Atlus went too far at one point and accidentally broke the whole combat system
Clair Obscure Expedition 33
JRPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 builds on a "heritage of JRPGs" like Final Fantasy 7, 8, 9, and 10, but it's also "inspired by Sekiro" and taking pieces from deckbuilders
Screenshot from Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster's announcement trailer, showing Agnes looking up in a darkened room.
Final Fantasy For a wondrous moment, 2 seconds of Bravely Default's trailer in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct had the internet convinced the Final Fantasy 9 Remake was real
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
JRPGs Square Enix is "probably kicking itself" seeing the success of realistic turn-based JRPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, analyst says, after being "reticent to do it with the Final Fantasy series"
Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail launch trailer screenshot showing the Warrior of Light, a man with tied-back brown hair and a sword, standing against a blue backdrop with clouds
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 14 devs know some fans found Field Operations "boring," but it's helped make Occult Crescent better: "We hope those kinds of players will be sure to try it out"
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade screenshot showing yuffie holding a glowing orb of materia
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth battle director says combining everything he learned on Monster Hunter: World with Square Enix's technology and unique skills created a "chemical reaction"
  1. Games
  2. JRPG
  3. Final Fantasy

Square Enix showcases FFXIII-2's enhanced battle system

News
By Matt Bradford published 1 December 2011

New trailer shows off cinemactic actions and instant paradigm shifts

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Page 1 of 28
Page 1 of 28

Page 2 of 28
Page 2 of 28

Page 3 of 28
Page 3 of 28

Page 4 of 28
Page 4 of 28

Page 5 of 28
Page 5 of 28

Page 6 of 28
Page 6 of 28

Page 7 of 28
Page 7 of 28

Page 8 of 28
Page 8 of 28

Page 9 of 28
Page 9 of 28

Page 10 of 28
Page 10 of 28

Page 11 of 28
Page 11 of 28

Page 12 of 28
Page 12 of 28

Page 13 of 28
Page 13 of 28

Page 14 of 28
Page 14 of 28

Page 15 of 28
Page 15 of 28

Page 16 of 28
Page 16 of 28

Page 17 of 28
Page 17 of 28

Page 18 of 28
Page 18 of 28

Page 19 of 28
Page 19 of 28

Page 20 of 28
Page 20 of 28

Page 21 of 28
Page 21 of 28

Page 22 of 28
Page 22 of 28

Page 23 of 28
Page 23 of 28

Page 24 of 28
Page 24 of 28

Page 25 of 28
Page 25 of 28

Page 26 of 28
Page 26 of 28

Page 27 of 28
Page 27 of 28

Page 28 of 28
Page 28 of 28
CATEGORIES
PlayStation Xbox Platforms
PRODUCTS
Final Fantasy XIII-2 Final Fantasy XIII-2
Matt Bradford
Social Links Navigation

Matt Bradford wrote news and features here at GamesRadar+ until 2016. Since then he's gone on to work with the Guinness World Records, acting as writer and researcher for the annual Gamer's Edition series of books, and has worked as an editor, technical writer, and voice actor. Matt is now a freelance journalist and editor, generating copy across a multitude of industries. 

Square Enix is going to great lengths to convince Final Fantasy fans that FFXIII-2 will be huge improvement upon the first, and in its latest video the studio shows off just some of the tweaks, additions, and improvements it's adding to the sequel's battle system.

The video demonstrates Noel, Serah, and Snow trying out their new instant paradigm shifts, as well as getting busy with the game's 'cinematic action' moments (aka quick time events). All in the all, the so-called 'enhanced battle system' appears to offer a faster, more action-oriented experience. And while the trailer isn't in English, is still does an admirable job of showing off the most significant upgrades:

Earlier this week it was revealed that Square Enix and Ubisoft would be partnering to offer players an optional Assassin's Creed costume for Noel. Not that it will make any difference on the battlefield, but at least you'll look cool while you're shooting giant meteors and taking down Hoplites.

You may like
  • Amid Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's turn-based hype, Square Enix asks JRPG fans "what's the best combat system" in its catalog and shares "some games with brilliant battles"
  • Metaphor: ReFantazio wanted to fix the JRPG grinding problem, but Atlus went too far at one point and accidentally broke the whole combat system
  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 builds on a "heritage of JRPGs" like Final Fantasy 7, 8, 9, and 10, but it's also "inspired by Sekiro" and taking pieces from deckbuilders

You'll have a chance to try out FFXIII-2's gameplay enhancements yourself when it releases for PS3 and Xbox 360 on January 31 in North America, and February 3 in the UK. There's a gallery of screenshots below, too, in case your insatiable hunger for all things XIII-2 needs more sustenance.

See more Playstation News
Read more
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PS5 screenshot
Amid Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's turn-based hype, Square Enix asks JRPG fans "what's the best combat system" in its catalog and shares "some games with brilliant battles"
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Metaphor: ReFantazio wanted to fix the JRPG grinding problem, but Atlus went too far at one point and accidentally broke the whole combat system
Clair Obscure Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 builds on a "heritage of JRPGs" like Final Fantasy 7, 8, 9, and 10, but it's also "inspired by Sekiro" and taking pieces from deckbuilders
Screenshot from Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster's announcement trailer, showing Agnes looking up in a darkened room.
For a wondrous moment, 2 seconds of Bravely Default's trailer in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct had the internet convinced the Final Fantasy 9 Remake was real
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Square Enix is "probably kicking itself" seeing the success of realistic turn-based JRPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, analyst says, after being "reticent to do it with the Final Fantasy series"
Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail launch trailer screenshot showing the Warrior of Light, a man with tied-back brown hair and a sword, standing against a blue backdrop with clouds
Final Fantasy 14 devs know some fans found Field Operations "boring," but it's helped make Occult Crescent better: "We hope those kinds of players will be sure to try it out"
Latest in Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail screenshot showing the Warrior of Light, a man with lengthy swept-back brown hair, blue eyes, and facial hair stubble, smiling slightly
Final Fantasy 14 devs once thought Field Operations would only "resonate" with select fans of the MMO, but now "it feels like even more players than we expected are looking forward to the next piece"
Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail launch trailer screenshot showing the Warrior of Light, a man with tied-back brown hair and a sword, standing against a blue backdrop with clouds
Final Fantasy 14 devs know some fans found Field Operations "boring," but it's helped make Occult Crescent better: "We hope those kinds of players will be sure to try it out"
Final Fantasy 16 PS5 screenshot
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade and Final Fantasy 16 are both coming to Xbox - and one of them is available today
Final Fantasy Tactics
Don't feel bad if you fell for Final Fantasy Tactics' viral "penalty for a crime" meme, the OG strategy RPG's director says "it certainly sounds like something I would have written"
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles will have a free Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade, which is great because the separate new version is just a code in a box
Vivi
A Final Fantasy Tactics remaster appeared in the Nvidia giga-leak nearly 4 years ago, so with The Ivalice Chronicles announced I'm staring extra hard at the Final Fantasy 9 Remake that was also mentioned
Latest in News
The Witcher 3 next-gen
"Suddenly a lot of people who loved Skyrim started paying attention to The Witcher 3": CDPR says an old E3 demo was a turning point for its defining RPG
Grave Seasons art showing a man with tied-back black hair wielding a hoe while a crow rests atop a fence nearby
This Stardew Valley-ish farming sim looks super cozy until you find out about the supernatural serial killer (who you can also romance)
The Witcher 4 cinematic screenshot showing a closeup of Ciri, protagonist of the new adventure
The Witcher 4's narrative lead is holding onto some of his earliest Witcher 3 feedback for the RPG's sequel: "We don't do fetch quests"
Mario Kart World screenshot showing Mario and Luigi battling for top position in a vast open world race
Nintendo Switch 2 beats PS4 to set sales record in the US with Mario Kart World, Cyberpunk 2077, and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as its best-selling games
A Minecraft Movie chicken jockey scene
We finally know when A Minecraft Movie will be streaming, and it's in just a few days
Frist look at Marvel show and Black Panther spin-off Eyes of Wakanda
Marvel's Eyes of Wakanda series will be set a thousand years in the past and is four episodes long
  1. Nintendo Switch 2: Welcome Tour screenshot
    1
    Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour review: "Mostly a fancy toy and not much more"
  2. 2
    MindsEye review: "An uninspired and forgettable sci-fi action adventure that feels like a Netflix movie you watch while on your phone"
  3. 3
    The Alters review: "More tactile and story-heavy than the Frostpunk dev's earlier games, but the fight for survival is just as fierce"
  4. 4
    Splitgate 2 review: "A slick and enjoyable free-to-play FPS, but a disappointing sequel"
  5. 5
    Date Everything review: "A masterclass in character design full of wonderful faces I love meeting, but juggling so many means sacrificing depth"
  1. The Yautja in Dan Trachtenberg's animated movie Predator: Killer of Killers
    1
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  2. 2
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  3. 3
    Karate Kid: Legends review: "Better than Karate Kid (2010), nothing on Karate Kid (1984)"
  4. 4
    Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning review: "Wraps up this spy franchise in spectacular style with Tom Cruise in peak condition, even if its villain lacks terror"
  5. 5
    Final Destination Bloodlines Review: "Meticulous murderous mayhem"
  1. Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim, Ruth Madeley as Shirley, Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge Stewart, Varada Sethu as Belinda, Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, Millie Gibson as Ruby, Bonnie Langford as Mel, Susan Twist as Susan Triad, and Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble in Doctor Who: 'The Reality War.'
    1
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  2. 2
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision
  3. 3
    Rick and Morty season 8 review: "Largely plays it too safe after years of crossing boundaries"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 6 spoiler review: 'The Interstellar Song Contest' is "a blast and sets the stage for a thrilling season finale"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 5 spoiler review: 'The Story & The Engine' is "one of the most original and ambitious episodes this show has produced in years"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...