Final Fantasy X-2

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.

Firstly i consider myself a die hard fan of final fantasy and was a bit put of by the idea of a sequel and the pop prep image and trailer of Yuna however I WAS WRONG i borrowed my friends copy and i was immediately hocked. This game its truly game and for me has been the nearest game including ff9 to the mini games and multi adventures of ff7. To begin with it looks great with new effects that can create emotions even in non cg mode,however some times these can look annoying, the familiar settings of ff10 look stunning and the sound is powerful from the deeply moving 1000 words-i cried to the battle music. The story moves quiet quickly however it still has plenty of game play, and its compelling helping to answer the questions left after the end of ff10, but also with more humour than 10 even slight spoofs evolved-its a carefree, fun but still highly dramatic game. Worth a sport in everybody's collection. Also i must add some things that really made my day with this game- it features job mode were you can change the different characters costumes -each having different abilities -such as in ff4 only you can also do this during game play, also the game features real time game play and the costume changes look amazing just as summoning looked in the past, the game features many side quests and mission based game play which will win over plat formers to the RPG side and a big bonus which i think many fans have been waiting for different endings ....

A fresh and different game but still one every ff fanatic or gamer should have fun emotional and pure class *********

Emili Price

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.

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.

I was pretty dissapointed in the game. I am not a major Final Fantasy fan; but it never hurts to try new things.

The three female cast reminds me of Charlie's angels too much. The only thing that was cute was the dresshsperes.