Final Fantasy XIII might have sold millions of copies, but Square Enix will never get to shake the feeling that Final Fantasy fans are upset with the direction the series has taken. But with a sequel in the works, and strong plan to rebuild Final Fantasy XIV, could they dig themselves out of their slump? Maybe some mature themes could help.
What better way to make Final Fantasy XIII-2 a more attractive game than to throw in some sexual themes. The official ESRB rating states:
During the course of the game, a handful of female characters wear revealing outfits (e.g., low-cut at the pelvis, moderate amounts of cleavage)
As if that weren’t enough, there will be some drug references and foul language too.
There is a brief reference to a drug called ‘stem’ in a questionnaire (e.g., “The new recreational drug of choice among the young and quickly becoming a social issue,” ‘crystal dust’). The words “a*s” and “b*stard” can be heard in the dialogue.
Square Enix has an opportunity to recapture some of their lost fanbase with Final Fantasy XIII-2, and while it’s the continuation of a game that many call one of the worst in the series, it boasts some design changes that could make the game flow a lot better than its predecessor. It’s definitely got the visuals and audio down, and all we need this time is a lot more gameplay variety to help break the monotony.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 will release on December 15th in Japan, January 31st in North America, and February 3rd in Europe.
