Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy, considered by many to be the greatest video game RPG series ever, hell even having been one of the first and defining ones, makes the jump to the Playstation 2 with it's God-Knows-How-Many bits of power. Video game RPGs were once known for sacrificing graphics in favor of a lenghtly story and intricate combat system; however, the final fantasy series has been gradually defeating that steriotype with each new game. And now, the tenth installment of the series succeeds in creating a long and engrossing gameplay experience while producing some of the finest graphics seen to-date. Not only that, but the design of these graphics are nothing short of beautiful (Although at times in odd taste. I mean, just look at Tidus' outfit!)

Graphics aside, Final Fantasy X dwelves into new territory previously unseen in any FF game: Voice acting! While this may frighten purists, you will be glad to hear that the voice acting in this game is very good for the most part. The principal characters are all handled quite proffessionaly, especially Wakka, as performed by John Di Maggio.

The story of final fantasy is also quite complex and engrossing, as Tidus, the cheery Blitzball player of the futuristic fantasy land of Zanarkand is transported a thousand years into the future by an entity called "Sin." He finds himself in a quasi-medieval world of Spira, where machinery is outlawed by the religion of Yevon, and the land is ravaged by Sin as a punishment for mankind's missdeeds of the past. The only means of defeating Sin is for a Summoner, a person who can summon montrous spirits of the dead called "Aeons", to embark on a pilgrimage to the ruins of Zanarkand to receive the "Final Aeon". With the Final Aeon, a summoner can defeat Sin and Spira will be at peace for a few years before Sin rises again. Wanting to see his homeland of Zanarkand, Tidus joins Summoner Yuna, the daughter of a summoner who defeated Sin ten years ago, along with her guardians to defeat Sin. However, as Tidus travels forth, he discovers that there is much more to Spira, Zanarkand, Yevon, Sin and even his own purpose for being there than he initially finds.

Gameplay-wise, it's roughly the same menu battle system as in previous games, except that a chart shows you who's turn it's going to be next and the others after that. (Of course, depending on the choices in battle, that chart could mutate, so it's not too simple or easy.) Leveling up is also much different than in previous games. In battle, characters earn "AP" which gives them "Moves" on the sphere grid. The Shere grid is like a board game. As a character moves along, he can activate "nodes", which boost different abilities, using spheres earned in battle.

Overall, Final Fantasy X is a big change from previous FF games, while also retaining familiar aspects enough to be a FF game. In spite of the changes, or perhaps even because of them, FFX is probably the best RPG available on the PS2 at the moment, and will follow the suit of previous FF games as "Classics."

This entry into the Final Fantasy series came as the last entry in an incredible run of games in a very short span of time. In 1997 Final Fantasy VII would erupt onto the scene, in 1998 no FF, but we got Xenogears. In 1999, Final Fantasy VIII, 2000 Final Fantasy IX and then this one was released in 2001. Then we would enter the dark ages when they would release fewer games and they would not be as good as these four of the ones released on the SNES. Sure, I sort of liked Final Fantasy X-2, but it seemed some of the things they did in that game were kind of lazy such as not changing the appearances of some of the characters and not really adding a few more locations to explore in Spira. Still, I found that game more enjoyable than Final Fantasy XII (never played XI) which had a combat system I did not care for at all and characters that seemed like rehashes of characters in this particular game. This game is the first entry of a FF game for the PS2 and it was a great entry in my mind. That being said, it was not quite as enjoyable to me as part IX, but that FF game still ranks as my favorite game in the series because it has the look and feel of the old SNES ones, but has a wonderful 3D world crafted around it. This one takes a bit more realistic approach as far as character design, but it works and this one also features actual voices for the characters during cut scenes and all through the adventure.

The story has a young man named Tidus who is the son of a man who was a star blitz ball player (the popular sport of this world). He lives in a city called Zanarkand and his father is missing. He too, has become a star blitz ball player and he is doing his thing when the city comes under assault from this creature called 'Sin'. A man named Auron assists Tidus battle monsters that emerge from Sin and soon the young man is transported away from his home. He awakens in a cold and old abandoned temple where he meets these people who speak a different language and he assists them and soon finds himself washed away again to a small village that is home to a person called a summoner. Soon Tidus joins this girl and her guardians as they go on a quest to Zanarkand to defeat the all powerful Sin as the summoner must go to various temples to gain the power to summon the final Aeon.

This game does a couple of things differently than other FF games as there are several playable characters and like most FF games only a certain number can be in the battle, in this case three. However, what it does differently is that you can switch out characters so that every character can be instrumental in defeating the enemy. This comes in handy as this helps you level up everyone in the party. That is another difference as it incorporates something called a sphere grid as opposed to the normal experience points and level ups. In this one, you traverse a grid to gain more strength, hit points, magic etc. It's great and you can have all your characters powered up to the extreme and using magic. They still retain differences and are unique as each of them uses a different weapon and armor piece. They also have different special attacks called limits so all the heroes are distinct in this one.

So, I enjoyed this Final Fantasy game quite a lot. A lot of people these days like to crap on the character of Tidus, but I thought he was a rather good hero. The main reason for the hate is that stupid laughing scene, which does not encompass but a small fragment of the game. My favorite character though is Auron as he is so mysterious, so cool and so powerful! The villain in this one is a bit different in that it is almost a mindless creature (Sin); however, like many Final Fantasy games a true enemy will be revealed at the end and there is another villain named Seymour who just oozes bad guy from the moment you see him. This game could be considered linear in nature to an extent, but nothing like XIII. Here you actually stop in towns and interact with townsfolk and such, but there is a lot of journeying through different areas. The scenery is nice so I actually liked the way it played out. They remastered the game and I guess it looks better, but it was not as if this one really needed that major of an upgrade as far as graphics. Honestly, the PS2's graphics hold up well as the newer systems simply add more details such as better sweat or stuff like that rather than character models. So, this one would be a great addition to the FF series, too bad it hasn't been as good since it debuted, but FFXV was pretty awesome.

This was my childhood game & to this day it never fails to impress me! The story is top notch & you fall in love with the characters & get invested in their journey. It made me play all night long & was a joy to play multiple times from beginning to end. Easily a 10/10 game despite Blitzball & the Chocobo Games being rather dull. But other than that, it's a solid game!

In a line of distinguished video games such as Final Fantasy, there are bound to be games that set a new standard for the series. Final Fantasy X does just that, becoming possibly the best game in the series since Final Fantasy VI.

Final Fantasy X brings the game series into a lot of new territory. It being the first FF game for the Playstation 2 console, the graphics are even more incredible than those in any game before it. It's also the first game in the series to use spoken dialogue. Each of the main characters has a distinctive voice. While the acting isn't top notch, it's easy to listen to most of the time and the voices fit the characters well. For a first attempt, Square did a fantastic job.

Changes to the way the game works came as well. Rather than a normal leveling system, in which characters become stronger in every category by gaining X amount of experience points, the stats of each character are improved through use of the new Sphere Grid system. Characters earn points to move around the grid and use spheres to activate points, allowing them to boost individual statistics, such as maximum hit points or magic defense, as well as learn new spells and abilities.

The player also has the option to switch characters in and out of battle at will. A welcome addition, now every character can get in on a fight and gain points to use on the Sphere Grid.

Last but not least, the storyline of Final Fantasy X is wonderful. The characters have definite personality, and the protagonist, Tidus, is a great character. Unlike past Final Fantasy heroes like Squall and Cloud, Tidus isn't a brooding, stoic person lacking in the emotional department. He's outgoing, adventurous, humorous and has a full range of emotions, making him feel more like the average guy rather than yet another tragic hero.

In short, Final Fantasy X is an excellent game and shouldn't be missed. Even if you've never played a role playing game before, it's easy to pick up and learn. Years from now, fans of the series will have many fond memories of this game.

When it comes to franchises I'm a bit of a what would be known as "Fanboy" when it comes to Final Fantasy. I grew up with them and therefore I have a real soft spot for them.

Make no mistake that is not me saying that they're all flawless, or even good for that matter but they do have that magic and that charm I can't dispute.

Final Fantasy 10 following 7, 8 and 9 had huge boots to fill but it not only filled them but knocked the boots, the foot and the entire damn leg right out of the park.

It tells the story of young Tidus, a Blitzball player who during a horrific attack on his home city of Zanarkand by a mysterious creature bumps into an old friend of his long absent father. Before he knows it he has been transported elsewhere, safe but confused about what had taken place. This begins the most epic adventure I have ever been fortunate enough to be a part of.

Final Fantasy X IS a flawless game, from the visuals, cut scenes, outstanding score, excellent voice acting, combat systems and story this is the pinnacle of RPG's and remains my favourite game of all time even 17yrs after its release.

This is one of those titles I could rant about at length, I truly adore it. So many memorable moments, a heartbreaking finale, an addictive side game and SO much to it's credit.

I'll resist the urge to fawn over FFX anymore and merely say that for me it had never been better, has never been better and I can't wait until something beats it because that'll have to be something out of this world.

Flawless, masterpiece.

The Good:

Incredible story

Looks amazing especially the cutscenes

Wonderful score

Solid voice acting

The Bad:

Blitzball could have been a tad better

Things I Learnt From This Game:

I can fall in love with a video game character

It just doesn't get any better than this

In Spira, hugging a living cactus is perfectly normal