Well, we’ve FINALLY got the confirmation. Transferring your Final Fantasy XIII Save File (he didn’t say, but i’d assume it has to be a completed one) will net you a bonus item in XIII-2. He says its not a big thing that will have too much of an effect on the game, but it will be convenient to have.

Along with this, he also shared details on a few aspects of XIII-2.

Firstly, the Fragment System. These can be thought of as Quests, and there’s over 100 of them in the game. Completing them will net you rewards, skill boosts, and various other things. These are however, completely optional, so if you’re not a completionist you won’t have to worry.

Secondly, the loading time on Xbox 360. I don’t know if anyone else knows about this, but when I personally played a Final Fantasy XIII-2 demo, I started at the same time as a guy playing the PS3 version and by the time I was done loading, he was a fair way into the game. Kitase notes that this problem has been fixed, and the game’s loading is extremely quick. The only real times you have to wait is when switching time zones through the Historia Crux.

On the topic of Historia Crux, Kitase confirmed that the only time periods available are AFTER the events of Final Fantasy XIII. The reason for this is, at the end of FFXIII there was a “catastrophe” of some sort, and that ruined the flow of time. He noted that ‘Time Paradoxes’ will be an important part of XIII-2′s story. He also noted that Time Travelling will affect the world itself, using the good old method – if you do something in the past, it can change the future. Doing this, you will slowly piece together the mysteries of the story. Hopefully you’ll be free to experiment a bit.

As has been mentioned before, using Historia Crux you can replay parts of the game. Kitase compared this to be a sort of ‘New Game Plus’ of sorts, however you can replay pieces without clearing the game first.

Lastly, Kitase talked about the importance of Hope Esthiem in XIII-2. While he reiterated that Serah and Noel are the main characters, Hope plays a big part in the game, even more so than the other returning cast members. His role in the game connects to the theme of “prayer for regeneration/rebirth.”

Translations by Andriasang
And forum member Musou made a thread while I was writing this, so thanks!