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The Blitzball game is a worthy sub-game.. granted, you get a bit wet
but it's all good
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Wow.
That pretty much sums up Final Fantasy X. Right there, that single word. Wow.
As I type this, I just finished watching the ending of the game. Like the game itself, the ending was wonderful. Everything about the game was just perfect.
In my opinion, it fully lived up to the hype, and it lived up to all my expectations. Not only did Squaresoft improve in areas that needed improvement, but they made the areas which are already good even better. Much, much better.
Let's break things down, shall we?
The characters are excellently done. Each has their own distinctive personality; throughout the game, we learn more about them, their past, and so forth. In the end, you're left with a strong emotional attachment to them. Each character is fleshed out and important in his/her own way. None of them are brought into the party and forgotten about soon after (i.e. Freya, Amarant, etc.); the characters and their interaction truly is the backbone of Final Fantasy X.
This is where Final Fantasy X truly excels. Constant plot twists and surprises make you want to keep playing it. It's like a great book, or a thrilling movie; you never know what's going to happen next. What's also interesting is how they constantly drop hints about future plot events throughout the game; I know that when I play through the game a second time, I'll notice them even more.
Outstanding. The trio of Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, and Junya Nakano deliver something that is to be expected with a Final Fantasy game: a terrific soundtrack. Interestingly enough, almost all of the best songs (in my opinion) are by the latter two, and not Uematsu, who's done every Final Fantasy album to date by himself.
Do I even need to comment on these? They're definitely the best graphics I've ever seen in any video game, ever. Whether exploring detailed environments or taking part in fast-paced battles, the graphics are rich, the actions are fluid, the details are all there. And don't get me started on the FMV's.
People's opinions on the voice acting seems to be mixed. Personally, I love it. Each character's voice is unique and excellent in his/her own way. Tidus' is happy and rambunctious, Lulu's is stern and somewhat cold, Yuna is clam and naive, and so forth. Besides the main characters, there's a plethora of other characters who also have voice acting, which is ALSO very well done. What I was worried about, originally, is that there would only be voice acting in important scenes, and it'd be regular text everywhere else; fortunately, that's not the case. If there's a character who, in the game, has voice acting, they almost ALWAYS have voice acting. The voices add a whole new dimension to the game; it's definitely a good thing.
Random battles are pretty easy. Bosses aren't. If you try the hit-and-repeat method that could easily be used on bosses in past Final Fantasies, you will DIE. You will die a quick and horrible death. You really need to pay attention during the boss battles, figure out your next move, and figure out your opponent's strengths/weaknesses. Gone are the days of hack-and-slash boss battles, replaced with strategical bosses that are much more difficult.
Think you're a Final Fantasy expert? Head over to the Monster Trainer to battle against some of his ultra-powerful creations. How's about a monster that does 13,500 damage to TWO characters in one turn? I kid you not. Also, Ultima and Omega Weapon make their return in FFX; not as tough as in FFVIII, but still a good challenge with great rewards.
Most difficulty? How's about puzzles? You'll undergo a series of mandatory puzzles throughout the game, which progressively get harder (and sometimes, frustrating).
The dungeons are massive. The enemies are great. The mini-games are fun! There's no card game, yeah, but Blitzball, Monster Trainer, and Chocobo mini-games will keep you entertained for a long time. There's numerous subquests, hidden Aeons, customisable weapons, turn-based battles, the tactical new Sphere system. Everything's new, and great.
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Harsh, but fair
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Hmm, enough of the Lulu jokes methinks
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Alas, there are always things to nitpick at. Some of the beefs I had were:
You can't pause during battles (which I know isn't necessary, because it's turn-based, but I like pausing anyways). You also can't pause during certain scenes during the game; and even if you do pause, the timer still counts time as passing. Imagine my surprise when I pause the game, go to have lunch, and return to see 20 minutes have gone by. I know it's a stupid thing to nitpick at, but I like being able to pause. Especially since I'm going to start writing the FFX script, and not being able to pause during certain scenes will make it much trickier.
You can't change the camera angles in any of the screens. Usually, this isn't a problem, because the programmers (thoughtful people that they are) always set the camera to be the most convenient for the player. Well, almost always. In some huge environments, if you're searching for something, it may take you longer. In one area, I got off of my chocobo, walked around to level up a bit, and decided to return to the chocobo; alas, I couldn't find it, because of the bad camera angle, and it took me a while when the chocobo was near me all along. Fairly frustrating, and another little thing to nitpick at, which really isn't that important in the scheme of things.
Is it just me, or is the encounter rate in Final Fantasy X really high? It certainly feels alot higher than in past Final Fantasies, but maybe I'm mistaken. Bottom line is, if you ever get a chance to ride a chocobo, ACCEPT IT. It's far better than walking and having random battles every 7 or 8 steps.
A good chunk of the game is going from one place to another. There's always other things to do, though, and the game opens up alot more towards the end.
The voice acting doesn't match up with the mouth movements. Not important, not even a distraction.
Several of the series' traditional mainstays are gone. Various summon creatures from past FF's, such as Odin, aren't in FF10. The traditional Final Fantasy theme (the Prologue in FF1 and FF4, which has appeared in the ending themes of every FF since then) isn't found anywhere in the game either. I'm a sucker for FF's traditional aspects, what can I say.
NOTE: The Prologue is an entirely different song than the Prelude. The Prelude, a.k.a. the Crystal Theme, IS in FFX. The Prologue, a.k.a. the Final Fantasy theme, is not found in FFX whatsoever. Alot of you e-mailed me to tell me this, so I felt the need to clarify this.
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Look into my eyes
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Here, have a piggy back youth
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If you weigh everything that's good in FFX (a solid 97% of the game? Maybe 98%) and compare it with those three small, insignificant nitpickings that I had, the answer's obvious: FFX is an epic, unforgettable game. Don't believe me? Let's see the opinions of several people in the chatroom who are in the process of playing through FFX, and what they think of it so far. Note that these quotes were all taken while the people in question were only partway through the game:
"In my opinion, Final Fantasy X blows it's last two predecessors out of the water. The voice acting is suprisingly well done. The new battle system and sphere grid and some much needed innovation to the series. Quite possibly the best game of the series." - Kadrom
"Giving two big thumbs up to Final Fantasy X would suit it well. The graphics are amazing, the best I've ever seen on ANY console. The voice acting is great, too. The thing I love the most.. is how you upgrade your characters on the unique Sphere Grid system, it's an awesome change to the series. Overall, the game might possibly be the best out of the playstation FF's." - Phos
"While Square has made some drastic changes to the series that I dont agree with, most of it pays off in the end. Not only is the story great, but the gameplay exceeded any expectations I had for it. I love this game." - TranceMan0
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Beergoggles: Man's best friend
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"I think it's the best in the series so far. Especially the music and the characters! Those in particular are very well-done." - Shine
"I love it. The characters are very well developed so far, and all of them are likable in their own way. The plot is the most interesting one since FFVII, and so far it has a lot of mysteries that remain unsolved. The battles can be a little repetitive, but for some reason it doesn't get on your nerves that much. The battle system is very effective and straightforward and easy to learn. All in all, FFX is maybe my favorite FF so far." - Ged
"I like pretty much everything so far, the storys good and all the ability stuff is neat, but its hard to get used to seeing no one having XP levels." - Asakura
As you can see, I'm not alone in my overwhelmingly positive view of FFX. It's certainly set the standard for FF's, and for RPG's in general. Everything in it came together to form one incredible game. I strongly urge those who haven't played it yet to buy it; if you can't afford to buy it, or don't have a PS2, rent the game and the system. Give it a try. You won't regret.
One thing's for certain; Final Fantasy XI has a lot to live up to. That much is definitely certain.
Martin Lemieux
Screenshots: The GIA.
Take Me To The FF X Forum! 
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