Final Fantasy XIII-2 Reads Your Final Fantasy XIII Save Data

When Final Fantasy XIII-2 begins the game summarizes the events from Final Fantasy XIII to get newcomers up to speed. What if you played Final Fantasy XIII and still have save data? You can’t import your save data it into Final Fantasy XIII-2, but Square Enix has a bonus for fans that played the first game. During a hands-on session, Impress Watch reports the sequel will show players digest scenes with different characters narrating.

Impress Watch also explains how the equipment system works. Each character has four different slots to equip items and a maximum load they can carry. You can split these points up any way you like for defensive gear or stat boosting accessories, but can’t exceed the limit. Monsters have decorative items that change how they look in battle. Players can by weapons, armor, items, and monster training goods from Chocolina, a merchant who has the ability to travel through time too. Monsters can grow by purchasing items. Noel and Serah use the Crystarium system, but there is only one path. Players decide which roles to upgrade as they move along the grid.

Impress Watch also commented on the differences between the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. In their opinion, there is almost no difference and 90% of the scenes use real time rendering instead of pre-rendered video. Final Fantasy XIII-2 comes out on December 15 in Japan and January 31, 2012 in North America.