Blitzball is a sport that takes place in a gigantic floating sphere of water. Of course, after talking to other people about it, so far I’m the only one who didn’t fall helplessly addicted to the strangely attractive sport. But as hard as I try, I can’t remember what any of it was that bothered me, or why any of it even bothered me. My only explanation for this is that looking back at the game as a whole, every good thing about it completely shields me from remembering those little things that at one time bothered me. The Bottom LineRight now, I am having an incredibly difficult time summing up Final Fantasy X. All I can say is, no matter what you have read elsewhere, no matter what you think after reading this review, go get this game.
It’s quite regimented in that sense, and much more of a checklist game than almost any other RPG in recent memory. So if what you’re after is an adventure with boundless exploration and a gooier, emotional core at the centre of it, there are better Xenoblades to do this with than X. And yet, as Tidus begins to help her, she helps him in return. Yuna shows Tidus how to grieve, how to connect himself with others and with the world around him. She teaches Tidus how to confront his problems instead of hiding from them.
Thankfully, these petulant blemishes can be side-stepped completely, preserving the sanctity of an otherwise fantastic game. Those eager to dig for the secrets contained within the world of Spira will have to wrangle with the greatest fiend of all, themselves. If there is one point that detracts from this grand tale, it is the conclusion. After the game’s climax in the ruins of Zanarkand, the storyline takes a nosedive, introducing elements that were not only unnecessary, but laughably ludicrous and needlessly metaphysical. The final antagonist, which seemed initially awesome, was followed by a creature so totally ancillary that it served as poor filler for an otherwise stellar experience.
Sure, they’re nothing particularly revelatory by modern day standards, of course, but as frameworks to hang its monster bashing and resource gathering on? FFX-2’s fast-paced job-switching system, meanwhile, is an entirely different beast that caters to those uninterested in the turn-based scene. This system, which lets you change your characters’ jobs mid-fight, offers an ideal way to find your own preferred playstyle, and playing the job you like best makes the frantically exciting battles all the more satisfying. The addition of two job classes–the previously Japan-exclusive luck-leaning Festivalist and hard-hitting Psychic–further increases Remaster’s value.
Final Fantasy X is a beautiful mix of lovely aesthetic qualities and exemplary storytelling.
Xenoblade as a series itself is in an extremely different spot — including that there’s even a Xenoblade series at all. When Xenoblade X came out all those years ago, it was a critically acclaimed yet polarizing game for many. I was excited for it when it was revealed, but it never stuck with me when I got it on launch.
This leads to some over-exaggeration of gestures in many of the story-driven sequences which can be distracting. This may seem nit-picky, but this is a noticeable failing and a perplexing issue in light of an otherwise seminal effort. Final Fantasy X strips you of all preconceptions you may have had about the PlayStation 2’s visual prowess and beats you with an aluminum bat until you swear you’ve seen the light.
The Gameplay
For the first time in years, Final Fantasy fans can peruse their items and spells without fear of unceremonious thwacking. Interchanging characters takes seconds and has no impact upon the speed and flow of combat. While the summoning of Aeons is usually a breathtaking affair, you have the option of shortening their grandiose entrances and cinematic overdrives for brevity’s sake. Controlling Tidus around the world of Spira is simple enough, breaking into a quick jaunt with a nudge of the sometimes overly sensitive analog stick. As much as I love the Dual Shock 2, I wouldn’t recommend using the analog stick to navigate the menu or the Sphere grid, as the sensitivity can make maneuvering haphazard.
Doing each will add points towards your completion of Mira and specifically that region. This is a great way to gamify open-world progression that packs the map to the brim with things to do. What you will notice, however, are the refinements Monolith Soft’s made to X’s core battle system, which I’m not convinced are necessarily for the better. As in other Xenoblades, all battles take place in real final fantasy time, with characters attacking automatically while you manoeuvre them into position and unleash their powerful Arts attacks.
As nice as the upgrades are, my favorite thing about this remastered version is all the extra goodies it comes with. Not only does it feature trophy support and the ability to cross-save between the PS3 and Vita versions, but North American fans are finally treated to extra gameplay content from the International Editions. Standout moments include taking on challenging new Super Bosses in X and capturing and training fiends with the Creature Creator in X-2. They made my playthroughs even more enjoyable– so much so that although it only takes 40 to 50 hours to complete each game, I easily spent twice as long exploring new areas, taking on new enemies, and acquiring rare items. FF10 have a wide choose of great music, especially the battle theme. I think it is one of the best battle theme over the whole FF series, it won’t get on your nerves are battle themes did in older FFs.However, for the first time in the FF series, there is also a wide choose of horrible music.
Final Fantasy…trying new stuff *Awkward Laughs*
Both Masashi Hamauzu (SaGa Frontier) and Junya Nakano (Threads of Fate) contribute their talents to the soundtrack. The result is a Final Fantasy with a musical score unlike any ever composed before. Despite a very minute and almost whimsical failing, the graphical prowess displayed in Final Fantasy X surpasses every assumption about the limitations of the PlayStation 2’s hardware. Merging overwhelming beauty with technical wizardry, the visual appeal of Final Fantasy X is earthshaking.
You’ll travel from one small town to another in a straight line. Hostile areas connecting those settlements often consist of plain roads without any branches. The only interesting locations are temples where you’ll have to solve puzzles to proceed.
Talk to people, go get someone materials, fight a boss, and so on. There’s a fair criticism to be made about gameplay variety in side quests lacking, but I never found myself bored of what was on offer. I’ve never minded RPG quests doing this as long as I enjoy the main gameplay loop, and it’s fantastic here.