For the RPG fanatic in all of us... (Final Fantasy X (PS2))

Member Name: Zarrah

Product:	Final Fantasy X (PS2)
Date:	16/05/03 (229 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliant Graphics, Good Voice-Acting, Potentially cliche plot made new and interesting

Disadvantages: Not good for players who like a quick game, Where do those monsters COME from?!

Final Fantasy X
Developer: Squaresoft
Year: 2002
Platform: PlayStation 2

:~*~PLOTLINE~*~:

Tidus, up-and-coming blitzball player, - blitzball being the complicated underwater version of football - is sucked away when a massive creature attacks and destroys his home town of Zanarkand. Finding himself in a new land a thousand years into the future, Tidus teams up with Yuna, a summoner (she can summon mystical creatures to defend her), to defeat 'Sin', the massive sea creature that is destroying everything in its path.

:~*~GAMEPLAY~*~:

Gameplay, especially in the beginning of the game, is sparce, mostly made up of cinematic squences instead, with the occasion direct thrust into battle.
Apart from this, however, FFX plays like your typical RPG game - run around, pick up randomly dropped valuables (and they wonder why kiddies don't return 10 pound notes to the police station...) and get sucked into the occasional battle with supernatural beings who seem to have sprouted out of the ground.
A very nice aspect of gameplay, one which I find infinitely useful, is the ability to pause in the middle of scenes; granted, other FFs probably did this, too (this being my first FF game, I've really no idea), but being a survival horror player, myself, I enjoy the little things.
Just don't do a 'me' there and pause randomly just to get characters in the strangest positions, saying the strangest things! (Tidus bent over slightly to face another guy's crotch while saying, 'Let's do it!')
Battles are smooth, apart from my constant niggle that you should be able to see the monsters coming; the ability to change character in the middle of a fight without losing your turn, the optional (you have to equip this technique into a weapon) ability to use Sensor on your enemies and work out their weaknesses and strength and a nice Overdrive ability, which, after a test of your ability with th
e controls, gives a character the power to use a very powerful attack on the enemy.
And then, if you get that stuck-- Yuna can summon her 'aeons' - mythical helpers - to really mess them up! She collects these aeons at the temples she visits on her pilgramige to destroy Sin - one, Valefor, an aerial creature with well rounded powers, is available at the start of the game - each one generally has its own element, the ability to heal itself and its own kick-ass Overdrive! (Shiva's Diamond Dust is a must-see!)
The introduction of a sphere grid, something which uses AP and spheres (you get these by winning battles) to get you the ability to upgrade your character, was a brilliant development, and, later on, you can upgrade weapons to give them extra abilities and atributes.

:~*~GRAPHICS~*~:

I'm blown away, I really am. The FMV sequences (Full Motion Video, for those new to gaming - it's a type of cut scene which is a lot better looking, and therefore rarer) look almost real - check out the picture on the front page of the instruction manual - it looks like a photograph, it's so real!
Outfits look very real (from Tidus' pendant to Lulu's skirt made up of belts, which shows just a hint of stockinged leg) and facial expressions actually change, something that I'm not quite used to from games yet!
There are so many little details put into the scenes that it gives the feeling that this game was done with a lot of love and care by Squaresoft - I have heard it took a lot of time and money to make, and that doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

:~*~SOUND~*~:

Voice acting - a first from the FF series, if my sources are right - is good, for a computer game; Tidus is voiced by an actor whose voice I recognise, but can't quite place, and his voice is quite realistic, and fits well. Lulu, the resident Black Mage, has a cool, condescending voice which is perfect for her, and Yuna sounds as
though butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. Wakka, a Jamaican-looking blitzball captain, has a good... er, Jamaican voice, and Rikku, our ethnically mistreated mechanic mastermind, sounds cutesy - wait till you hear her mad, it's just such a cute thing!
Music varies a lot, upbeat for battles, quite and soothing in temples, and a strange music that comes up when you're travelling that I can only describe as 'exploring' music. Actually, the temple music sounds like an adaptation of Greensleeves, but I'm not complaining.
Battle sounds - swords, fast movement, claws - all sound real and 'there', and footsteps are pretty well done, not too repetetive.

:~*~OVERALL~*~:

Well, if you're only up for a quick, play-it-right-through-in-twenty-minutes game, don't buy it - this game is a real epic, and takes absolutely ages to complete; I've been at it for 26 hours in total (not at once, I'm not that geeky, promise!) and I'm barely half way through...
Anyway, if you enjoy RPGs, brilliant graphics and sappy teenage romance, this game is definitely for you. Enjoy!

~~SPOILER!!~~
A battling tip for Macalania temple, the most technical battle of the entire game - Rikku to steal potions from guardians, then hit the Boss (can't tell you who until you see it for yourself!) until he summons his own aeon - then summon Shiva and just keep her healing herself until she hits Overdrive; two Overdrives should take own the aeon.
Don't use aeons on the Boss - he'll hit their weakness and eliminate them, wasting a turn. Keep Yuna out at all times for healing, and Lulu for spells - your third slot should be taken up by a character who can use Sensor - Tidus, preferably, as his Haste magic will come in very handy. And most importantly of all - Boss uses Multiple Spells to wipe out every character - WATCH OUT!
~~~END SPOLIER~~

Summary: