Fainaru fantajî X-2

Like Final Fantasy VIII, the focus of Final Fantasy X-2 isn't on the worldsaving-- though worldsaving does, of course, appear. Instead, it's on the characterizations of the protagonists and her allies, and it does an amazing job of it. I clocked in at 77 hours, gaining the Normal Ending; a replay is definitely in order and I'm glad they've included New Game Plus in order to make it easier to get the story again.

X-2 is a game where you definitely have to explore and poke around everywhere in order to squeeze every bit possible from the story; if you only follow the big clue hammer plot points, you will indeed only get the barest sketchings of a story and maybe even finish it in 15 hours. However, I feel that the Square-Enix team has used the previously created world of Spira very well, taking advantage of players' familiarity and interest in the world to weave engrossing stories about not just the protagonists but many of the characters encountered in the previous game.

It's not only a game where you have to explore in order to find more story, it's a game where you can't see and get everything on a single playthrough. It's also a game where you repeatedly run across signs that Yuna and company aren't the only adventurers and explorers in Spira.

I really enjoyed the development of the inhabitants of Spira-- what retired summoners do, the fact that the fiends of Spira encourage even grandmothers to be competent-- the game starts out extremely easy, although it does get harder later, and this is clearly meant to reflect not only Yuna's experience in Final Fantasy X but also the world's experience with wandering monsters.

Finally, the music and voice acting in FFX-2 is just fantastic. Yes, the music is peppy and jazzy. It's also quietly desolate in places, and some of the repeated themes are just beautiful. As for the voice acting-- Yuna, Rikku and Paine's voice actresses all deserve medals, as do several of the other more minor characters. They bring a richness, subtlety and depth to the story that older games could only reach for. Yuna's voice actress in particular once again does a stellar job, conveying a nervous, self-conscious, but determined Yuna who can't help wanting to save people but wants to learn to have fun, dammit. And who misses her boy a lot, underneath it all.

OK, So this game is the sequel to one of the best-selling games of all time. Yuna is convinced that Tidus is still alive because of a sphere she receives. Well, that's the storyline, but of all the time it took to get through the entire game, I think I heard about a total of five minutes about it.

Well, that's definitely not the reason why I gave the game such a high score of course. The gameplay is the best I've seen in a while. This is what ATB should have been from the beginning. When you get into a random encounter, the first person to go is the first person to hit their command. But unlike other games, you can attack when someone else is attacking.

The job system also is great. Plenty of jobs and plenty of things to do with each of them. The story of the game might not be that great, but everything else is.

I played Final Fantasy VII many years ago, i loved it i thought it was the best in the series so far. Then this year i played Final Fantasy X i thought it was the best game ever made, and i am hard to sway. I got very emotionally involved in FFX and stupid as it might seem, i was very sad after i completed it because i had invested so much time in it. The characters and storyline were very powerful and hearing the prospect that "Tidus" the main character in FFX would be part of the plot in FFX-2, i had to buy to see if him and Yuna the summoner ever got reunited. Regaurdless of what other people think the Three main characters in FFX-2 work very well together:

Yuna-The quiet but ever strengthening Lead character Rikku-The Sassy Al-Bhed Thief Paine-The Daughter of "Auron" the warrior gaurdian from FFX

These Sexy ladies are what make the game great! And you just want to get that 100% completion to see the "Full Perfect Ending". While FFX was better, this isn't far behind.

Note: To fully apreciate FFX-2 you will have to buy/rent FFX to find out about the world of Spira and its characters.

A beautiful game just like its Predecessors

8/10!

As a female gamer, the idea of a Final Fantasy with the main characters predominantly female was an appealing endeavor. Very "Charlie's Angel"-ish in theme in places, but overall a good game.

Pros: They brought back, in a sense, job classes--in the form of dresspheres. Immediate freedom with the Celsius--you take control of the direction of your game. Kept in tradition (mostly) to previous Final Fantasies. Male or female, either will like this game. Nifty battle system. Game-Plus mode for second run (to achieve 100% rating). Multiple endings depending on your percentage of completion.

Cons: High encounter rate of Random Battles. For the first time in the history of Final Fantasy, Nobuo Uematsu did NOT compose the score; we are denied the Crystal Theme and the Overworld Theme that we have grown to love. Chaotic battle system. No...summons? NO SUMMONS?!?! What kind of Final Fantasy has no summons? Sure--you SEE them, but you can't SUMMON them. Randomness of storyline/non-linear storyline; you have complete control over the direction of the game, but missing a sidequest costs you your completion rating. Multiple endings? 100% completion rating for best ending? Sheesh.

It's strengths are also the weaknesses.

All in all, I give it about an 8.5/10. Maybe an 8. I can't put it on the level with...say...VII or III, but I can put it against IX and call it square (no pun intended). Definitely worth the look, not all of it is eye candy...though there are some scenes that will make the boys happy, I'm sure.

Final Fantasy X-2 had been a game Id been looking forward to for a long time- the end result was hardly what I had been expecting. After the magic of X, I expected some of that magic recreated in X-2. Although the music was beautiful ("Yuna's Ballad" and "Kimi He", which was featured in the Internation version, were amazing for me), the graphics fantastic, and the battle system made effective and efficient by allowing every one of the characters to be of use in battle, I was a bit (okay...REALLY) turned off by Yuna's and Rikku's clothes and most of the game dialog (although some of the lines were hilarious). Simply put, it didn't feel like a Final Fantasy game to me, more like a "Charles Angels" sequel set in Spira and staring Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. The English cover of "1000 Words", sung by Jade from Sweetbox, was a disappointment to me. I felt Jade really killed most, if not all, of the song, and would've preferred that the original Japanese version by Koda Kumi be used instead. On the whole, Final Fantasy X2 delivered good music, great graphics, an awesome battle system, and was actually a fun game to play- but all the while it just did not feel like a Final Fantasy game, and could've been much better.