Final Fantasy X-2

"Looks can be decieiving...this is a good game!"

Let me preface this review with some facts about myself. I have been a gamer since I got my NES in 1989 and have loved RPGs since I got Dragon Warrior with my Nintendo Power subscription around 1991. I got into the Final Fantasy series with the first one, I scrounged cash together so I could afford a SNES so I could play FFII(IV) and FFIII(VI). PS2 gave me the opportunity to play all the RPGs that I had missed since I got an N64 instead of a PS1. I thought IV was a masterpiece, VI was the greatest game of all time, VII was excellent, VII didn't do it for me, IX was good, and X was excellent.

There is a lot to be expected from any final fantasy game since square has given us masterpieces like VI and VII, as well as great games like IV and X. This game strays from the formula in parts, but it has the overall theme there and keeps the spirit of Final Fantasy alive in it. This game is unique because it is the first true sequel in the Final Fantasy series, and I think it was somewhat needed after the melancholy ending of FFX. I had just finished FFX before this came out and was very excited to start playing it and see how things had progressed. At first I was a turned off by the idea that the game was about pretty-princess dress-up. That feeling subsided slowly, but I came to realize how good of a game this actually is.

Story: 7/10
It is two years after the defeat of sin and Yuna has left Besaid to become a sphere hunter, gallivanting around on an airship looking for spheres detailing Spira's Past. This is all because Rikku showed her a sphere of someone locked up screaming who looks just like Tidus. I dislike the fact that they never say Tidus's name and only refer to him as ‘him' or ‘you know who' but I guess it is acceptable since Tidus was the only nameable character in FFX. You get to see the interactions of the three sects Spira has split into, New Yevon led by the Praetor Baralai, the Youth League led by its Mevyn Nooj, and the Machine Faction led by Gippal. The groups are made up of former Yevonites, Crusaders, and Al Bhed respectively. As the story progresses, many items that were touched on in FFX are expounded or answered. You get to learn of the ancient deadly machine built during the war between Bevelle and Zanarkand. You get to see the depths of what Yevon hid as you find out all the new group leaders had something to do with Operation Mi'ihen. The game climaxes as you battle the 1000 year old machina that could have destroyed Sin and now threatens to destroy Spira. You can even help Yuna resolve her feelings about the past.

The game does have a campy feel to it but that comes partially from the carefree nature of Spira now. With no Sin to have everyone in constant fear, people can move on with their lives. Most of Spira is concerned with these spheres as it allows them to learn about the past that the temples and Yevon had covered up. Your party consists of Yuna, who has taken of the mantle of High Summoner to become a gun-toting, short-shorts wearing sphere hunter. Rikku looks like a summer camp reject with dreads (I don't know how she grew her hair out that much in 2 years), and your third is Paine, a silent, gothic-looking swordswoman who has a dark past to hide. Brother is your leader and pilot, and them you have the navigator Buddy and Shinra, your Al Bhed whiz-kid source of information.

The story starts slowly, but about halfway through you become aware of the true danger and things heat up a lot. I don't want to spoil too much so I'll leave it at that.

Sound: 6/10
It's not your traditional Final Fantasy, so it makes sense that it doesn't have your traditional Final Fantasy score. Not surprisingly if you played the game, Nobuo Uematsu has nothing to do with the soundtrack here. The overriding theme in the music is a poppy Britney Spears-feeling that is more than solidified by the opening sequence where Yuna is performing a concert in the Luca Stadium. It fits with the camp, worry-free, Sin-is-dead atmosphere though. I did not fall in love with this soundtrack, but I did not hate it either. It has its high points too, such as 1000 Words, Yuna's 2 themes, Paine's jazzy theme, and the music relating to the main bad guy. Some of the mood music is spot on too, like when you explore subterranean Bevelle. The big place where this game falters is the voice acting. With square's budget, you would think they could re-hire the same people to come back and play the same roles. Wakka and Khimari sound drastically different. The rest are ok though. Sound effects are largely unchanged from FFX.

Graphics: 8/10
I would give FFX a 10/10 because I had never seen anything like that. This game came out 2 years later though and made no significant changes. They also managed to hardly use any FMV at all throughout the whole game, I think there were at most 10, compared to FFX's 20+, and most did little to advance the plot. Finally, when characters return, they should have changed a little bit. Rikku makes a comment on how Wakka looks a little huskier, yet his character design has not changed at all. Lulu is PREGNANT and they reused her same design!!! She even talks about the baby kicking yet she still looks like her busty yet slim corseted self. The game is still gorgeous, but they could have done more to make it a new game.

Gameplay: 10+/10
This is where the game truly shines. It is an absolute blast to play, and have played through 4 times and gotten 100%, which is just a testament to how replayable this game is. The main thing that makes this differ from most FFs is the way the story is split up. The game takes place in 5 chapters, with different missions in each location across Spira. When you complete the missions in chapter 5 in each location you get an Episode Complete for that section. The game also utilizes a percentage system to gauge your completion, and you get a special ending for completing the game with 100% done. There is also a New Game + option, so when you complete the game you can do it over with all your items and abilities intact to get those percent that you missed the first time through.

It is funny how games are either criticized for being too linear or too open. This game gives you the airship as you begin, so you can go anywhere and do anything you want to, right from the get-go. While this is true, you are given hotspots to go to, which will always advance the storyline. The rest of the game is sidequests, but these will almost always add to the story or answer a question about something from FFX that might have needed further explaining. You need to do them anyway if you want 100%. I enjoyed the openness though some of the sidequests were pretty ridiculous. On the topic of sidequests, the mini-games are pretty good too, with sphere break being a fun number cruncher, and blitzball making its triumphant return.

The battle system itself returns to what we traditionally think of with Final Fantasy, ATB. This is different from any FF so far though because of how fast paced it is. You need to be very quick with your fingers and selecting to do well, though you can set it to wait while you scroll through sub-menus for an item or magic spell. The ATB gauge is improved from older versions as well, since it shrinks or grows based on the actions performed, and turns different colors based on your haste/normal/slow status, or while casting a spell.

Anyone who played FFV remembers the job system. This game takes that system and improves on it. Your jobs are imbedded in items called dress-spheres. You can arrange these spheres in a connect-the-dots fashion on your garment grids. Using these you can change your character class mid-battle to something that is better suited. The grids have other uses too, some giving stat bonuses and extra abilities. The dress-change sequences are graphically impressive, but long like the summons. If you feel the need you can shorten them or turn them off entirely. If you manage to scroll through all your classes in a battle and you found your character's special sphere, you have access to a super dress-sphere that is uber powerful and can often decimate the enemies easily.

One thing that is missing that people complain about is the lack of summons. I guess they did not play FFX or are ignorant. You killed all the Aeons at the end of that game. That's why there are no summons and no Tidus now.

One other note, you cannot buy weapons and armor at all. I have seen the amount of equipment dwindling from game to game, from FFVII with its weapon, bangle, and relic, to FFX with weapons that don't even have stats, just abilities or bonuses. Now all you get are 2 relics, since your weapons are included in your dress-spheres. It's different, but it works, and it gives you more money to buy curative items with.

Overall: 8/10
This game is definitely deviates from the formula. You don't have a villain like a Sephiroth or Kefka. There is no world crisis like sin threatening the existence of everyone. There is no real love story, since that one ended at the end of FFX when Tidus jumped off the deck of the airship and disappeared. These things appear, but they don't really involve your party until the middle to end of the game. Somehow, it makes its story work though. It's a story of personal growth, of friendship, and doing the right thing. You see Yuna transform from the quiet but determined girl in FFX to the person she is now, who does whatever she can to help anyone struggling she sees around her. It's a story of how Yuna's good will helps unite a torn Spira a second time.

This game is a bit different, but thanks to a great battle system, good story, and great ending, it ends up very good overall. I recommend this game if you can stomach the poppyness for long enough to realize what a good battle system and story you have to make yourself can do for a game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/28/07