The best FF yet? (Final Fantasy X (PS2))

Member Name: R_Easton

Product:	Final Fantasy X (PS2)
Date:	23/05/02 (563 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Graphics, Sound; music and voice, last of the offline FF games (XI will be MMORPG)

Disadvantages: Linear gaming not everyone's 'cup of tea', sorry for using that phrase, sorry if you don't know what MMORPG is

A new console, A new graphically stunning Final Fantasy game. When Final Fantasy IV (II in the U.S) was released on the SNES, it looked far better than the previous games because of the extra power of the console over the NES. And when FF7 was released on the original Playstation it was the best of all the Final Fantasy games through not only better graphics and sound but by having a great storyline. It, to date, is still the best FF game, beating VIII and IX through superior gameplay, but now, with a new console with amazing power to perform on, can number ten top them all?

Graphically, the game easily surpasses not only the previous games but also all that you could hope for. The series has always looked stunning for its time and the latest addition is no exception to the rule. The character models are more detailed than before with special attention paid this time to facial movements. More significantly, the sound in the game is a revolution from the previous games; the characters dialogue is fully voiced in the new game! Far different from the old system of text in boxes, this makes an interesting change, although unfortunately the same voices are used as for the U.S version, Tidus (the main character) gets a bit annoying to listen to quite quickly.

The game starts with Zanarkand, the fantasy world where the game is based, being attacked by (ready?) a giant demon whale known as Sin. Tidus, a Blitzball player (my best description of Blitzball would be an underwater basketball-like game) manages to avoid dying in the attack but is sucked into a wormhole and finds himself a thousand years in the future.

The game?s magic is different to the previous games, it allows more choice to how you upgrade your characters then IX did, but still has character specialisations so each character has their own purpose in the battle. It uses the Sphere Grid, which you use to select which direction to adapt your characters in. This will please th
ose who disliked the lack of choice in IX.

The game is very linear, as in previous games, so those who didn?t like the style of the previous ones may not like this either, but that and it?s other similarities to the previous games are the only disadvantages I could possibly see with this. However, as ?they? say ?If its not broke, don?t fix it.? Final Fantasy has definitely never been broke as far as I can see.

As to whether it beats the previous games, yes in many ways, but still I will always love VII.

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