Yeah, we get it. You need to understand more about the gameplay before you get excited. And if it isn't what you want, Square-Enix is once again banished to the doghouse.
Well, while concrete details remain few and far between, we do have an update from S-E bosses Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama, who recently spoke to Dengeki PlayStation after the big unveiling of Final Fantasy XIII-2. You can find the full rundown at Andriasang, where we learn a bit more about the story, world and characters. FFXIII-2 is a true sequel, in that it will continue to deal with the concepts of fal'Cie and l'Cie, although the game covers "a different area of the Fabula mythology from XIII." The new Etro deity will be introduced and indeed, we will be starting this new adventure in the "Gran Pulse world," which immediately hints at more freedom right from the start. Fans remember playing through a good 15-20 hours of linear pathways before reaching Gran Pulse in FFXIII...
The world in XIII-2 will also "expand further," but we're not sure if Toriyama was indicating actual size, or if he was merely talking more about the story and mythology. Lighting will be the protagonist but other characters will return in "unexpected forms;" Toriyama said that some characters will be placed in a very different atmosphere. Plus, we will be introduced to new characters as well, and that includes the mysterious male character Lightning faces down in the teaser trailer (he is also shown with Lightning in the game's logo). We don't know who he is, but he's described as being "in conflict with Lightning" and is a "character of equal strength."
We have yet to learn much about the supposed "expanded combat," and that might be the most important aspect of the new project. But maybe we'll get that info sooner than you think...