FFX Review
The wait for the most innovative and compelling FF yet finally ended on December 19. It was then that I quickly grabbed my 7 month reserved copy from my local GameStop store and opened it with great excitement. When I reached my home, I quickly put in the game disc into my shiny PS2 and waited for the menu screen to boot up. Little did I know that once I press "X" to start a new game, I would be in for an incredible experience that could never be matched by any other RPG thus far…
Square has once again proved that they are the masters in RPG making. Final Fantasy X is simply breathtaking! Every aspect of the game is as good as each and every installment of the FF series. This time around, the plot emphasizes a lot on religious affairs. In the world of Spira, the reigning religion of Yevon is widely accepted and has few enemies. However, this belief absolutely forbids the use of machinery, (Or as it is called in the game, "machina") due to the horrible appearance of a being only known as "Sin" thousands of years ago.
In a sense, the Yevon followers think that Sin, a colossal monster of unparalleled power, was their "punishment" for using machina as tools of war. For generations, Sin trampled throughout the world spreading destruction and chaos. Indeed, the people of Spira did defeat Sin many times with the use of summoners. But, for some strange reason, Sin would only reappear again after several years. Now, Sin is again back on the planet, resuming its cause of evil and devastation. And the first to witness its power is FFX's protagonist, Tidus. Without giving too much info away, let me just say that eventually, Tidus meets up with the other characters because of Sin; and soon joins a pilgrimage with them in order to finally stop the monster once and for all.
GAMEPLAY
As you all should know by now, FFX's gameplay has been completely revamped from previous FF games. The ATB (Active Time Battle) system, overhead World Map, and the traditional leveling up system are all gone to be replace with new and better features. Possibly one of the most noticeable is the absence of the overhead Map.
Instead of wandering around aimlessly throughout different lands on the world, the environment is in real-time; meaning you actually travel through the forest, town, etc., thus eliminating the use of searching for it on a map. Don't worry about getting loss though. There is also an inclusion of a small blue map on the top left corner of the screen which has a red arrow that points to where you should be going. However, despite this fresh look, the gameplay seems to be a bit more linear than the previous games due to this change. (See screenshots for more info)
The second biggest change in the game is definitely the new battle system. Gone now is the traditional ATB system used in past FFs, only to be replaced with a new one called CTB (Conditional Turn-based Battle). As told by the name, you no longer have to worry about enemies attacking you while you are thinking of what action to do next. Both allies and enemies alike only act in turns, therefore one doesn't act until another is done. At times, certain actions or events may change the turn order, such as Haste and executing powerful attacks (which takes longer recovery time). And to help you out on this turn-based system, a CTB window is displayed during the battle at the right-hand side of the screen; containing the order of whom (either you or the enemy) is to go next. (Once again, see screenshots for a better view on this subject)
Perhaps one of the most unique features about the CTB is the ability to switch characters in and out of battle at will. All you have to do is just press the L1 button during any of the character's turn, where a small box will pop up- prompting you to select whom to switch with. You can switch an unlimited amount of times during your turn just as long as the character doesn't perform any kind of other actions. Such a feature like this ultimately eliminates the often time consuming preparation for boss battles. This is also handy if you face monsters that certain characters are good at defeating that are not in your current party.
Ever since FF7, characters have always had a chance to perform a special attack that can be built by receiving damage from enemies, originally called "Limit Breaks", which then was called "Trance" in FF9. Well, in FFX it is now known as "Overdrives". Whenever the proper conditions to the set Overdrive mode (Stoic, Warrior, Healer, etc.) are met, the Overdrive gauge charges up. In effect, these modes that were just mentioned have different ways of charging your Overdrive; for example, the first one you begin with, Stoic, can only charge from receiving damage. Once the bar is full, press "left" on the D-pad while the "Attack" command is highlighted, whereupon you'll see a list of that character's available Overdrives. To get more Overdrive modes and abilities, characters must perform certain actions in the game and during battle to learn them.
Next comes the new leveling up system called "The Sphere Grid". The levels that you earn from battle no longer automatically increase an attribute of a character. Now you move across a Sphere Grid with the amount of Sphere Levels (S.Lv) you have, which can be increased by earning Ability Points (AP) in battle. The determined number of spaces you can move on the grid is dependent on your Sphere Levels. Once you reach the "nodes" on the Grid, which are the spaces that contains the abilties and statistical increases, you can activate them with special spheres that you earn after battle (i.e. Power Spheres can activate HP, Strength, and Defense nodes). In the beginning, each character starts in their own little niche on the Grid, which contains nodes and abilities that reflects the job of that character.
Eventually, characters' movements will intersect with each other, allowing them to travel to one another's assigned place on the Grid and therefore learn their abilities too; thus giving you, the player, complete control of all your characters' progress. After each character activates a node, they leave a color signifying their activated spheres. Here's the full list: Tidus- aqua, Yuna- white, Auron- red, Kimahri- blue, Wakka- yellow, Lulu- purple, and Rikku-green
Other than the mass changes in both the battle and leveling up systems, the use of summoning creatures hasn't changed all that much. The summons are now called Aeons, who also play a critical role during the story. To use one in battle, Yuna must always be in your party, as she is the only one who has summoning powers. Once summoned, all your characters will vanish as the Aeon takes their place. Like a character, Aeons have HP, MP, and Overdrive gauges; including the regular battle commands. If the HP gauge is dropped to zero, or if you just recall them back, the characters will soon return to battle.
As you progress on your journey, you'll meet several Aeons that you can acquire by just visiting and completing the puzzles that are hidden in their assigned temples. However, the secret and hidden Aeons, often the most powerful out of the regular ones, requires the player to perform much harder and puzzling tasks; but the rewards are worth it.
Now that the basic gameplay has been covered up, let's talk about mini-games. Remember how addicting the Triple Triad mini-game was in FF8? Well, the equivalent of such a game in terms of gameplay and depth in FFX would be in the underwater sport of Blitzball. While most may find it tedious and boring, I personally find this very addicting. In fact, it just so happens that Tidus is actually the best Blitzball player in his hometown of Zanarkand, following the footsteps of his father. I won't go into detail of how Blitzball works because of the extensive tutorial that is available to read during the game, but it should be noted that in order to win rare and special items (including Overdrives for Wakka) you have to have the best Blitzball team around!
Other than the sport of Blitzball is training chocobos. While not as fun as the chocobo breeding in FF7, it is still interesting enough to keep you busy for a few hours. During this, you train a chocobo through numerous obstacles to gain valuable items, including a part of Tidus' ultimate weapon. But bear in mind that this is no easy task! Some require a lot of skill, especially the race challenges, to beat your best time.
SOUND
We now come to FFX's use of music and sound. Like always, the FF series has contained A+ quality music, having unforgettable classics and vocal songs, thanks to famed composer Nobou Uematsu. And FFX is no exception! This time though, Uematsu collaborated with other composers who had previously worked on other RPGs such as Chrono Cross: Junya Nakano and Masashi Hamauzu. The result: a unique mix of funk and rock elements with the traditional themes of Final Fantasy. Even the Prelude isn't at first recognizable! The theme song, Suteki Da Ne ("Isn't it Wonderful?") although containing no English lyrics, is beautifully sung by fame Japanese recording artist Rikki. If you have the chance (and the money) I highly suggest you buy the Original Soundtrack (4 disc set).
For the first time in Final Fantasy history, the characters (both main and minor) in the game have been given voices to further fit in with this new generation of gaming. Indeed, this added feature greatly helps in progressing the story, and makes it easier for the player to care for the protagonists and actually brings a lot of life to them. The voice actors seem to have done a pretty good job, fitting the characters' personality quite well, although a few minor cliché phrases sometimes hinder what should be a great experience.
GRAPHICS
Although it is not really important to comment on, something really must be said about the graphics. I mean, they're simply amazing! The new 3-D environments are nicely detailed and have really smooth textures. The character models are the same: the best yet (IMO) on the PS2. The facial expressions add a lot to the game, making for unparalleled realism. The lip movement, although off at times due to the translation from Japanese pronunciation of words to English, are very well done. But as with other PS2 games, the anti-aliasing issues, or "jaggies", are still present, but fortunately can be overlooked. And what is there to say about the FMVs? They're simply magnificent! The colors are very vibrant and bright, and the character models are as close as you can get to the graphics of the FF: TSW movie till the next installment!
Overall, I think this is the best Final Fantasy game to date, (sorry FF7 fans). Each and every new feature perfectly fits the game's theme. Here's the basic lowdown (based on a scale from 1-100 with 100 being the highest):
*Overall score is not an average
Well, there you have it, my complete review on FFX. As you can see, I thought the game was a masterpiece, filled with many surprises and a very creative story. I hope you think so too. For now, happy playing and I bid you adieu till next time.
