Final Fantasy X-2

"A Final Fantasy that's not for everyone"

I've been with the Final Fantasy crowd since FF3 and this is the first time I've been compelled to say just what was on my mind concerning an FF title; however, given the somewhat controversial nature of FFX2, I felt it was time to get off the sidelines and say something. Final Fantasy X-2 presents us with something that has become a staple of the Final Fantasy world-change. This game is very different in many respects to other Final Fantasy titles; as such, this game will not appeal to some. The biggest downside to this is that many diehard FF fans are probably going to be turned off by this sequel despite the enjoyment that can be found in this game. it is VERY important when playing and making an examination of this game that you understand what this game ISN'T; namely, it's not built like other FF titles and it's not just a rehash of what has come before. There are new elements here that are not like what we've seen before and those elements aren't for everyone. Let's take a look at the indvidual categories and see where this game stands:

Gameplay:8/10. There are two big aspects to gameplay:are the game controls simple or difficult to use/setup/utilize and is the game itself too hard, too easy or just right? As for actual game control, I was happy to find that this aspect has not changed. Movement and directional control is a no-brainer; in fact, ti was childishly simple to move, explore, use the 'Action' button, et. al. In a world as big as Spira, this was vital to the enjoyment of the game. The only criticism I have here is that I would have liked to seen angle and camera rotation controls available, similar to the ones used in FF8, but this was a very slight blemish to the overall excellent game control. In terms of difficulty..well..I have to admit that this game isn't too difficult at all. The puzzles encountered aren't overly hard to figure out, the mini-games are relatively easy. As far as battles are concerned, they seemed (to me, anyways) not tremendously difficult. The rapid movement form action to inaction coupled with the new DressSphere system-and the ability to change jobs in the middle of a battle!-enabled me to make relatively short work of most battles, with a few boss battles being a tad more challenging. One positive aspect of note for the battle system is that given the DressSphere system, you can find out just how capable each job class can be in battle. During the early stages of the game, I changed spheres/jobs quite frequently in battle just to see what a person could do. Of course, I will admit I was also curious to see how different characters appeared in different costume of different jobs-sue me! That's part of the fun! Players of previous FF titles, especially diehard players, are probably not going to find themselves overly challenged by this game but this should not discourage them from playing (see final recommendation below).

Story:5/10. This is most likely the weakest aspect of FFX2. Unlike previous titles, this game's story does not have the vast epic quality that such titles as FF8 and FF9 had. Sphere hunting, the search for a loved one and the elimination of a new villan...to me, that about sums up the plotline. Personally, I found very little subtext going on with this game's story and saw little in the way of real character development. Paine probably develops the most, which isn't saying much. I did appreciate the intrigue and friction between New Yevon and the Youth League. I was hoping that more of the story was going to center around this, but I don't feel they went nearly as far as they could have. This was, however, a necessity. Strange to say, but I think you might agree once you read my final review.

Graphics:10/10. WOW. and then some. The colors, the forms, the smooth 3-D rendering...WOW. This game has certainly shown us just how far Square has come with developing powerful software capable of delivering a beautifullly tailored, graphic intensive game. Some might argue that character models are TOO smooth and are lacking in definition but I felt they looked exquisite. The backgrounds were intense and even more interesting was when the characters were viewing info they found in the spheres; at times I felt as if I was watching a real televison broadcast. I felt that was as close one can come to PC quality graphics on a console game. FF XI will undoubtedly have better graphics, but if the next installment of the FF series for the PS system offers this kind of quality, we'll all be happy gamers for a long time to come.

Sound:5/10. Other than the actual musical numbers/songs in this game, I found the background music lacking...not annoying, just....dull. It's a new wave/synth-pop kind of soundtrack that consistently repeats itself...if only a more creative artist had done the work. As to the voice acting....GOOD LORD, who did the synching?! Stevie Wonder??? In the cutscenes, the characters motions and actions are so out of step with their lines, that I found myself desperately wanting to fast forward past them! The only reason I found myself not doing so was that there was often information necessary to the completion of the game...still, I found it tortuous...it was like watching a badly dubbed kung-fu flick sometimes. The voice actors themselves are quite good. The actor who did the voicing of Wakka was esepcially entertaining to me as I thought he captured the island native accent and dialect with impeccable precision. One big downer, though, is that there seems to be a lot of extraneous and irrelevant dialogue happening.

Replayability/Play time:6/10. The somewhat low score reflected here is not indicative of the fact that the game is not fun to play (it is) but rather that replaying has limited appeal; there are 3 different endings to view and once you've done that, I find that, when compared to other FF titles, the desire to play it again is low. Play time becomes a factor here, though, as anyone should be able to get through a first run of the game in 60-70 hours. Of course, it's likely that you'll miss a lot of the action in a first game, so you'll want to play though it again to get another ending. The New Game+ feature was certainly a stroke of genius in revving up the replayability factor. One thing I didn't quite agree with was how you acheive the different endings-it depends mostly on how much of the game via missions you complete rather than individual choices that the characters make. If anyone has played the various (and wonderful) Suikoden games, you'll understand what I mean. Maybe I'm just not making a good connection between completion versus decision making but it wouldn't be the first time.

Final Rcommendation:All in all, I was fairly pleased with this game. I consider myself quite an FF fan and even though this game was not what I was expecting at all, I still find it worthy to carry the FF title. What needs to be considered here is: who was this game aimed at? When you take into account the realtive ease of the game, the charming nature of most of it's charcters and it's decidedly ''it'a not about epic quests, it's just about having fun!!'' attitude, I think it's safe to say this game was somewhat aimed at a younger crowd. In fact, at some points, I thought I was playing a GameCube game. Certainly the graphic appeal of this game looked to be push for a younger audience. Now, I don't think this is all that bad. A game designed around just having a lot of fun with a very definite and preeminent FF flavor is most assuredly a good thing in my book. As to the criticism that this is just a ''flesh show'' for male fans, nothing is further from the truth. The fact we have an all female ensemble of main characters is simply indicative of the fact that strong female leads are a more recurring theme in the video game industry. I will admit to the public at large that I did feel a little uncomfortable at first playing all female characters. It was somewhat difficult to identify with any of them, plus it just felt...wierd. However, when I really got into the game, I found myself just having a good time and the whole gender issue soon became irrelevant. Diehard fans most likely won't agree with me but hey, I'm controversial by nature...FF8 is my fav FF of all. In the end, I advise that if possible, you rent this game first and let a few days of gameplay determine how you feel about it. Undoubtedly, some folks are just going to run out and purchase it so that they can add it to their FF collection. To these people I say:don't feel disappointed or cheated. Just remember-open your mind, understand the game for what it is and give it a chance.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/08/04