Fainaru fantajî X

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

It's rare to hear a video game being compared to a piece of literature, but Final Fantasy X reminds me of nothing so much as Chaucer's THE CANTERBURY TALES. (Perhaps it more accurately compares to Dan Simmons HYPERION, but since HYPERION was loosely based on Chaucer, well...)

A summoner and her six guardians embark on a holy pilgrimage whose lofty goal is to save the world from suffering, if only for a short while. The closer they get to their destination, the more treacherous the way becomes as forces gather to divert or destroy them before they can achieve their goal.

Along the way, the stories of the seven are shared: where they came from, how they became a part of this journey. We watch as their individual stories combine into an epic tale of love, camaraderie, sorrow, sacrifice, and triumph.

In a business filled with shoot-em-ups and car crashes, it's wonderful to see a series that tries to stretch the form in ways that resemble art and literature, truly exploring the possibility of video game as an art form.

As to the voice work that so many people complain of, I can only believe that these people were looking for big-name Hollywood stars to provide the voices of the characters--take a look at the resumes of the actors who provide voices for FFX and you'll find a history of American animation for the last 10 years. Check your own expectations before you criticize and you may find, as Shakespeare said, that "the fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves."

Final Fantasy is easily one of the most celebrated game franchises in history, and the way Square Enix develop their games are almost suspiciously in the order of story first and game play second. To me, Final Fantasy, what I've played of it that is, has always had a staple of story telling that severely lacked in many of the video games I have played before, and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the creators of these games are telling stories about people, rather than caricatures.

Final Fantasy X was my introduction to the series, and it was an experience that has stuck with me since the day it was released. I have played and beat the game a bit over 10 times through out my years of gaming, and it remains my top favorite game after all of these years. The success of this game, however, was not in the way it played, but in the way it played out. My addiction came from my love for the characters, and my ability to empathize with them. The love story between Yuna and Tidus, for video game characters, was true to the point of physical pain. These two characters were more than just creations for entertainment, but they were living, breathing human beings.

This holds true for every single character through out the game. Here we have seven characters spread out, and nearly three days (collectively) to discover who they are, and discover their passion. This is made possible through the way the story is told, and how relevant the story is in actual life. By utilizing actions familiar through organizations like churches and corporations, it is easier to see the manipulation of these characters, and it is easy to find common ground with them. As a citizen of the world, it is easy to identify with these characters.

Still, there is something else about this game that got to me, and that was it's relentless political commentary. It didn't take issue with a specific church (though Roman Catholicism is most certainly an inspiration) but more took issue with Organized Religion itself. The Church of Yevon is nothing less than an empire run by a handful of crooks and fear mongers. Even these characters we can identify with because we recognize them in our churches and our governments. We recognize the fact that they know they have power and are able to use the vulnerability of their believers to keep the population under control.

It shows bigotry practiced through the church, all of which our heroes become subjected to. Rikku being the prime example of constant persecution by Wakka. Rikku, an Al-Bhed, does not believe in the church, and actually represents a small population that stretches across the world of non-religious believers. Wakka is a devout Yevon(ite?) and can not find common ground with those who act against the beliefs of the church. He uses words like 'traitor' and 'heathen' to describe the Al-Bhed, almost in the same way a Christian might describe a homosexual, or a Scientologist might describe a Suppressive Person.

Through the actions of these characters, we discover that there is so much more than what meets the eye, and through thoughtful speculation we discover that Final Fantasy X is much, much more than a mere video game, and much more than an artful masterpiece. Final Fantasy X is an observation on the fundamental insanity of the human race. It is an observation on how we let our superstitions and beliefs allow us to be controlled, and what dangers are most imminent when we allow ourselves to be subjected to submission.

All in all, this game is a must-play. It is easily the most thoughtful and introspective game I have ever played, and it remains to this day the most daring commentary on human nature ever seen in a piece of art, let alone a video game. If not? Look at the movies you watch or the books you read that are made for entertainment? How many of them are willing to look an enormous part of the human collective and say 'you are wrong?'

There are some ... but not many. This game is one of the select few that dares.

Probably half of the people complaining here never made it past the first ten hours, which are, undoubtedly, as slow as can be. Out of that ten hours, it feels like you fight ridiculously easy battles for maybe an hour of it, walk for two hours of it, and sit through cinematics for the other seven hours. I don't know if that is completely accurate, but that is what it feels like.

But if you can survive past that, the game becomes more engrossing. The game doesn't stop as often and you fight far more regularly. You have to, otherwise you won't be powerful enough to move forward. I don't know why people complain about the Sphere Grid. Sure, you may no longer have hit points, but the Sphere Grid has its own unique challenges. And the weapons and armor? Again, it is no longer as easy as to look at your menu and see numbers rise just to know that your weapons / armor are better. You are just forced to plan better.

All in all, I would not complain at all about this game, except for that very tedious first 10 hours, but, considering it took me 60 hours to finish the game--including the main quest and all side quests--you definitely won't feel like your experience is cut short, as a result.

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.