So, about three months ago when i really started getting back into console gaming again I decided to take a trip to Gamestop. I didn't have any games in mind which I would like to buy, so I had an open mind. As you guys will see the PS2 is my console of choice, so I wandered over to the PS2 games, and proceeded to look through. Then I see this little gem FFX. Being the huge fan of Final Fantasy, and Square I decided "what the fuck i'll try it." Let's just say for the next few weeks I was engrossed in this amazing story, and game. Really, buying this game may be the best thing I have done gaming wise in my life. Yea, it's that fucking good. I will not be reviewing FFX-2 though. Fuck that game. Well without further ado let's get on with the review!
FFX was a game designed by Square in 2001. It was the first of the Final Fantasy games to use fully 3D backdrops, so it really marked a milestone, and turning point for the series. Many die-hard fans of the series were extremely nervous when they heard of this huge change. Honestly though, can anybody blame them? The old system gave us such great games as FF7, and FF8. Why change something that wasn't broken? Luckily all of their worries were washed away as soon as they started playing.
The story follows the main character named Tidus. A famous Blitzball player who lives in Zanarkand which is a huge mechanical city. One day after a Blitzball game, Zanarkand is attacked by an unknown force. Tidues runs, and eventually becomes unconscious. Eventually he finds himself on a ship with people speaking a different language. Some shit goes down, and Tidus finds himself on an odd, and unfamiliar island. Here he meets a man named Wakka who is a captain of the islands Blitzball team. After seeing some of Tidus's skills he invites him to join the team, and shows him around the island. Here you meet Lulu, Kimahri, and perhaps the most important character beside Tidus the summoner Yuna. Tidus then learns where he is, and what is wrong with the world. Eventually everybody embarks on a special journey which I won't spoil for anybody. This game has one of the most depressing, and engrossing stories out of all the games i've ever played. The story of this game has tons of twists, and the ending is flawlessly done, and totally unexpected. It really isn't a complex story, but how it is told and presented is done nearly flawlessly. I can't think of one tiny problem with the story in this game which is good for me considering I scrutinize stories more than any other parts of games.
The battle system for this game is nearly the same as FF7, and most of the previous titles. You have three main attackers on the field at once. The difference between this battle system, and the other games is that you can easily change between party members while in battle. Say you have Tidus, Yuna, and Wakka in the battle. There is an enemy who is weak to magic which is Lulu's strong point. You hit a button, find Lulu's name, click it, and boom. She is now in the party. This is a fantastic addition to the turn based battle system because it allows you to easily level all of your party members up so nobody is lacking. This is necessary because nearly every enemy in this game has a weakness to one of your party members. Some can only be hit for decent damage by Wakka because he is a long range character. Some are weak against magic which you use Lulu for. If you don't watch the monsters weakness and plan accordingly you will die. They will kill you because you can only do decent damage against them with a certain party member. It is a really welcome addition to a great battle system that really let's you receive the full experience of the game.
In this game there is no leveling. Instead there is something called the sphere grid. When you first look at this monster of a grid you will be intimidated. It is like a huge chess board. Every battle you receive experience points and when you level you get to move one space on the sphere grid. You also receive things called spheres from winning battles. There are spheres for each attribute, and every time you are within one space of a attribute you can use these spheres to enhance that attribute. There are also Ability's that you can learn by using a Ability Sphere. This is how you learn new moves. There is the obvious path for each of the characters, and if you go that way you should have a fairly simple time with the game. There are also keys you get to unlock new ways to go on the sphere grid. Some ways are blocked off by either a level one, two, three, or four locks. You receive the key for each level by progressing through the story and winning battles. By using one of these you open new paths for your characters to learn new moves, and enhance their attributes. Some people did not like this new way of leveling, but I really enjoyed it. it's incredibly in-depth and you have to plan which way you will go with every character. It's incredibly fun to use once you get used to it.
Of course this game has it's flaws like every other game. Luckily they are very small, and detract very little from the game. One of these flaws are the voice acting. it's simply atrocious. Yuna has one of the worst voices I have ever heard, and the enemy Seymour is just as bad. The famous balcony scene from this game is hard to listen to. it's pretty embarrassing for a game this good to have such bad voice acting, but it is Square so I will cut them a break. Luckily you will be so engrossed by this game that you will learn to not notice. Another small flaw is that the game gets a tad repetitive at times. When running through dungeons, and fields there are random monster battles just like in previous installments of Final Fantasy games. This isn't nearly the problem it is in Pokemon where you want to throw your Gameboy against the wall at times, but it is note worthy. Luckily the battle system lowers the repetition of the game to the point where it is barely noticeable.
I've obviously left out the puzzles the game offers because it is impossible to explain without spoiling the main part of the game for you guys. Just know that these puzzles will fucking frustrate you. The music of this game is very different from other games in the series. There is use of metal songs at one point, and slow songs on other points. The music isn't bad at all though. The graphics are another high point for this game. At the time they were easily the best on the system. I still play the game today on a 32 inch flatscreen, and it looks fantastic. Really differs from the other games in the series because it uses a variety of bright and vivid colors.
On top of the incredibly long story there are secret bosses, and ultima weapons for each character. It's something that will keep you playing longer than the actual story. Add that to being able to play Blitzball after you beat the game, and you will be sticking around for a tad longer than the story. It isn't anything major that will keep you playing for an extra five hours or more, but it is note worthy as another plus for the game.
Final Rating: 9.8 It has a few flaws, but they aren't enough to detract many points from the game. It's story, battle system, and graphics are all superb but most of all the game is fun. I really implore any fan of RPG's to pick this up as it is one of the absolute best RPG's ever made.
Thanks for reading folks! I bought Devil May Cry 3 today, and jesus it is difficult. That game is fucking relentless!
