Final Fantasy XIII-2 announced

Square-Enix has just unveiled Final Fantasy XIII-2 at an event in Japan.

No gameplay details, or UK release dates have been forthcoming yet, but we know FFXIII director Motomu Toriyama will be helming the project, and that the game is hitting both PS3 and Xbox 360. The logo reportedly shows a new character beside FFXIII's Lightning, and the game will hit Japan sometime this year.

We heard that were were large chunks that were cut from FFXIII during development with the intention to release them as DLC. That idea fizzled out - could this be those segments bundled together under a new guise?

The legendary RPG has dabbled in semi-sequels before, with Final Fantasy X getting a X-2 release, which offered a more concise gameplay experience and a few changes to the central battle mechanics. Will XIII-2 be the same?