The most complete Final Fantasy Game yet (Final Fantasy X (PS2))

Member Name: SimonCook

Product:	Final Fantasy X (PS2)
Date:	27/06/03 (420 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent Graphics, Superb Sound, Good and emotice story

Disadvantages: Battles can get annoying at times

The Final Fantasy series has undoubtedly become one of the most recognizable names in the computer gaming industry. From humble beginning, the series began to gather force when it transferred onto the Sony Playstation in Final Fantasy 7. With Squaresoft branching out in several ways, including a movie and a collaboration with Disney to produce Kingdom Hearts, I did wonder whether FF 10 would simply be another game similar to all the other FF games; basically I was expecting a game that was simply rushed out to meet the demand of the public. Was I right?

*****Storyline*****

My previous experiences have been with Final Fantasy 7. The plot was good but didn?t really draw you into the characters. From the very first minute of this game I was hooked. With a fantastic animated opening sequence (10 minutes worth) you are instantly transformed into an exciting and gripping story.

You play Tidus, a Blitzball star who is about to appear in a Tournament game. The game play and the way it links to the cinematic inserts obviously form a major part of the game as you play an interactive part in the opening movie - not only does this give you a chance to get used to the feel of the game, it also makes it somehow feel more real as it draws you in straight away.

In perhaps the finest opening movie I have ever seen on computer you begin to play in the Blitzball game; as you are about to do a spectacular move, the game is suddenly disrupted when an evil power appears and begins to destroy the world around you. Thus you are introduced to 'Sin' - the ultimate Final Fantasy bad guy, sin is more like a force than a being, and seemingly is impossible to destroy.

Tidus, somehow managing to stay alive as the city is destroyed around him is sucked into the future and lands in the land of Spira. As you start to explore the world of Spira you begin to realize that there are links between Tidus's home and this new world. Tidus's fath
er, who seemed to constantly dismiss Tidus and often belittle him, disappeared 10 years ago. It seems that his father may actually have come to Spira, although not in the form that many would expect. Additionally, other characters in the game have links to both worlds.

Final Fantasy X does have a typical 'save the world' plot that is predominant in most of these Roleplaying type games that are prevalent on the Playstation, but the overall story is less convoluted than ever before, and with the way in which the story plays out with the clever use of 'clips' that occur constantly, you always feel part of the storyline, rather than chases shadows that occurs in other games - in FF7 I felt that the plot was secondary as I flew around the world looking for sub-plots to happen - FF10 keeps you in the plot very well, there are a few sub plots but these don't detract from the overall plot.


*****Main Characters*****

In FF7 I found that there were too many characters, and while some of them were interesting I never was able to form any kind of 'emotional' link to them - I know that sounds sad, but it is important for a game of this type. The characters in FF 10 are far more rounded, and you do feel yourself getting an attachment for many of them. You often find yourself questioning someone's actions as if they were real, wondering what happened in their past to make them synical, or why are they hiding their feelings? Etc. This shows the attention to detail that has been applied to every character. The main characters are:

*Tidus*

Tidus, being the main character in the story is your typical Final Fantasy hero. A teenager who has obvious sporting abilities, he is unaware of his underlying talents and doesn't realize his importance. With a seething hatred of his father controlling him, he often doesn't seem to be able to control his emotions. His attitude is typical for a teenager, a co
mbination of boisterous fun with an arrogance that potentially will lead to trouble

*Yuna*

She is perhaps the most powerful character (potentially) in the game. She is able to summon 'Aeons' - these are powerful creatures that will assist in combat. Yuna is almost like a spiritual leader, often assisting villages in need of spiritual help. Following in the illustrious father's footsteps she seems destined for greatness. Beneath this we sense a lost little girl who is just looking for friendship and love. There is an obvious link between Yuna and Tidus, something more than friendship.

*Wakka*

Everyone knows a 'Wakka'. He is an upbeat guy who is always trying to put confidence in others. He is the captain of the Blitzball team. There is an underlying sadness in him as he has memories of a lost brother; this motivation leads him to be a Guardian for Yuna.

*Kimahri*

This is perhaps the most mysterious character in the game. Despite misgivings from his tribe, he has become a Guardian of Yuna. He is devoted to her, and guards her obsessively. This obsession is perhaps a little dangerous as it often isolates Yuna.

*LuLu*

LuLu is the mage of the group; although her fighting abilities essentially involve using a teddy bear to fight her magic is very powerful. She is perhaps the most cynical character in the group, and is obviously not happy that Tidus is within the group. She seems torn for her obvious love for Wakka's lost brother and the emotional ties she is gaining for Wakka.

*Auron*

The best fighter in the game, Auron seems to be Tidus's protector - however there is an underlying current that suggests that Auron also has a link to Sin. Auron is very sullen and almost seems to hate the role he has in the plot - he also is a character that appears in both worlds, in fact he is the one who ensures that Tidus makes it to Spira in the first place.
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*****Game Play*****

Like all other Final Fantasy games the concept is very similar. Essentially you explore the environment (although there is a handy Red arrow to follow to ensure you do not get lost - this was a great addition and ensured that I stayed with the plot!) moving through cities, forest, water etc as you progress through the game. Along the way you are randomly attacked by many different enemies. Mostly these are fairly easy to beat, but occasionally you do meet various 'end of level' type characters that are far harder to beat and really require thought to win.

The game play is far more linear in this game - you are able to explore wherever you want, but there is always the red arrow reminding you where you should be going - having roamed around the Final Fantasy VII world forever, I found this to be very useful.

*****Battle System*****

The fighting system is relatively easy and intuitive to use. It generally is turn bases, giving each character the option to Attack, use spells, use items, or use special abilities. Every character has their own idiosyncrasies, Tidus uses a sword, Wakka uses a ball, LuLu uses a teddy bear.

Square Soft has dispensed with the Active Time Battle from previous games which meant that you could only attack once a 'meter' had filled up - this is replaced by a easier turn based system - this means that you don't have to think quickly - you can take as long as you want to perform your action - this does make the combat easier if a little less exciting.

Final Fantasy X also introduced a great new feature - the ability to swap characters during combat - I would have liked the ability to use all characters in combat, but this does at least make a giant leap in the right direction. This new feature means that you are able to assemble the right team during combat rather than having to rely on pure luck.

One of the most powerful characters is Yu
na - this is because she is a Summoner and is able to summon creatures to help you. This creature takes the place
of your characters in combat, and usually is more powerful than your party.


There is a timeline feature that shows the order in which the characters will attack - this is useful as you may be able to decide which enemy to attack first; this gives people who love strategy some added bonus!

*****Sphere Grid*****

Hmmm, hardened role playing gamers are in for a shock. FF X dispenses the traditional 'leveling up' providing a Sphere Grid to control this process instead. This becomes a mini game in itself!

Experience Points are replaced by Ability Points (AP) - as you gain more Aps you gain Sphere Levels (SLvl). Additionally as you fight and defeat enemies you gain Spheres - Mana Spheres, Ability Spheres, Speed Spheres etc.

When you move up levels you go to the Sphere Grid - each SLvl you have represents one move on the Spehere Grid. The Sphere Grid is essentially a maze; as you move around the maze stepping on 'circles' you are able to learn adjacent circles powers - some circles will be HP increasing circles, some MP increasing circles, some give more abilities, some give new spells etc.

This Sphere Grid means you have to put a lot of thought into how you want your character to progress. There are many different routes you can take, and you have to be careful not to waste moves when back-tracking to an important spell you may have missed.

This perhaps does give the player more ownership of his character, but it remains to be seen if this will be a successful change to the format.

*****Overdrive*****

I haven't included this in the Battle System as it really needs a little more explanation. (it is a major part of battles though).

This seems to be an extension and perhaps improvement to the Limit Breaks available in previous FF games. In a si
milar way to Limit Breaks, the Overdrive attack is used after an 'overdrive' bar is filled. Each characters overdrive bar will fill in a different way - Tidus bar fills when he deals out damage, Yuna's bar fills when she heals someone etc.

In a similar way to the Limit Breaks, the Overdrive adds 'super' attacks or abilities to your character. This is expanded as you have control of how well your character does these abilities - it may be having to press a button at just the right time, or press a combination of buttons, but depending on how well you do this, the ability is more powerful or less powerful. In a way I like this; as it is a one-off attack it shouldn't simply work each time - skill has to play a factor, and this addition relies on the skill of the player.

*****Aeons*****

Aeons are another subject that requires a separate heading rather than being lumped with 'Battle'.

Yuna is a summoner, and as she progresses through the game and visits temples she gains more Aeons. Aeons are not quite the same as summoned characters in previous games - they actually replace your group, and are controlled by you. They have their own abilites, Overdrives and spells. They get more powerful as Yuna does. Essentially they are a summonable additional character that generally is more powerful than your main characters. However they only can appear in combat and do not form a part of the interactive part of the game.



*****Mini-Games*****

Final Fantasy is famous for the mini-games that it has. From snowboarding to riding Chocobos, each FF seems to introduce it's own type of game.

Final Fantasy X introduces Blitzball. It's an underwater game of soccer, combined with basketball and American football. Potentially it is a fun game, but I found there were too many rules to read, and too much number crunching to do. Every action you do uses HP, every action requires skil
l - and then you have to compare this to the skill of the opponent, then you have to decide who to pass to, and calculate how many opponents you have to avoid etc. Although the game can be placed on Auto mode, there still seemed to be too much number crunching going on for my liking.

Final Fantasy is also trying to break into the Star Trek business of creating new languages. Although not really a mini-game, FF X provides a language that you will encounter when talking to a certain tribe (Al Bhed). Essentially you have to find primers to allow you to learn the language and be able to talk to these people. I found this a little distracting and didn't really concentrate on it - perhaps next time I play the game.


*****Graphics*****

As you start to play this game you immediately notice how great the graphics are.
The opening sequences are stunning, providing real quality in the graphics as well as in their story telling abilities. Some of the effects in the CG are amazing, from the way the water reacts to the way the characters show emotion (some emotions anyway).

What amazed me more than anything was the way this transferred into game play. The graphics of the game are just as good. Gone are the static pre-rendered graphics of FF' replaced by a more believable 3-d environment (it does look like these are pre-rendered too, but they are amazingly well drawn.)

The attention to detail within the game play is excellent. The spot effects like the waterfalls are stunning at times. The way in which the camera follows you gives the game a 'movie' feel at times (although there are a few glitches once in a while where the camera does confuse.). The animations of the characters and monsters is flawless, making the whole gaming experience excellent.

What impressed me most was the way the game moved from interactive parts to movies almost flawlessly, this enhanced the story telling part of the game and
therefore enhanced the enjoyment. With over one hour of movies in the game this really made the game flow excellent. There were one or two occasions where I found the movie insert pointless, but this didn't detract from the game that much.

One thing I found fascinating was the way emotions were introduced into the movie as well as mannerisms. Although these were not quite flawless they did help build the characters and somehow make you understand them a little more.


*****Sound*****

Not only does this game have great graphics but it has wonderful music. The opening piano music is probably the best I have heard on a game - it is haunting and beautiful. The sound really added much to the atmosphere of the game, and although the acting was a little wooden at times, the voices did add much to the characters again making the characters seem more real.

I am really blown away by the music, it is amazingly atmospheric and really builds the mood well. The designers have really thought about the music in this game and have enhanced the overall game tremendously.

*****Tutorial*****

One of the most useful features about this game is the way it 'teaches' you as you go along. Rather than making you learn all the rules in one go it gently introduces new rules etc as you go along. My particular favorite is the way in which it teaches you combat. This is a clever addition to the game and taught even a hardened gamer like me a few tricks! On the downside, once in a while you are presented with too much information - when I first encountered the Blitzball game, I simply didn't have the energy to read all the rules; luckily I managed to wing it and win the game!

*****Conclusion*****

Having played previous FF games I wasn't quite sure what to expect in this game. Firstly and perhaps foremost this game provides perhaps the best multi-media gaming experience I have encountered. The makers have
concentrated on atmosphere and character while developing a great storyline that doesn't get bogged down with many sub quests. The flow of the game is excellent, bringing you along slowly giving you time to understand the plot and characters.

This is perhaps one of the best games I have played on any format to date - it competes well with Ico as my favorite game ever.

*****And now*****

After this, Final Fantasy XI was released - this was only a web based game so I have no experience of it - however I have just found out that Final Fantasy X-2 is being produced - this continues the story from FF X - can't wait for this to come out.

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