Probably the main criticism against Final Fantasy XIII from traditional Final Fantasy purists was its exceedingly linear level layouts that, until reaching the more open-ended world map roughly halfway through the game, had players doing little more than charging forward in a straight line, only stopping for the occasional battle or scripted sequence.
As shown in this latest gameplay trailer for Final Fantasy XIII-2, shipping January 31st for PS3 and Xbox 360, Square Enix is introducing a mix of brand new locales to explore on top of familiar environments given a new look. If the dungeon map shown around 55 seconds in is any indication, the level layouts appear to be more complex and open to multiple paths. The more I see of Final Fantasy XIII-2, the more I come around to the idea of it being a deserving sequel.
Matt Litten is a 28 year old from-the-womb gamer turned video game reviewer/blogger and current editor/owner/operator of VGBlogger.com. Matt got his first taste of gaming as a youngster on the NES and Atari, and the rest is history from there.
In 2004, three years removed from high school and still looking for a career direction in life, Matt landed his first gig in the video game review business writing for the now-defunct website BonusStage.com. After the sad and untimely close of BonusStage, the former staff went on to found VGBlogger.com, and after a short stint as US Site Manager for AceGamez Matt turned his attention to VGBlogger, and to this day is dedicated to making it one of the top video game blogs in all the blogosphere.
Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary. 
