Final fantasy X was the first game of the series to be released for the PS2 and takes place in a land known as ?Spira?. For those unfamiliar with Final Fantasy series, they are turn-based role-playing games.
The plotline focuses around a summoner that is tasked with saving the world from an entity known as ?Sin?, which is reborn every ten years and sets about destroying cities and villages until it is vanquished for another decade. Alongside the summoner are her guardians, which encompass the main characters of the game. In order to defeat Sin the summoner (Yuna) needs to travel to temples throughout Spira in order to gain new Aeons and progress herself towards gaining the final Aeon that is needed to defeat Sin. The main character (Tidus) is new to the world in which he finds himself after getting dragged 1000 years through time by Sin after it attacked his home city. It is through him that the game is focused and narrated as he questions the nature of the events and world he now finds himself (which in turn you can relate to, having these same questions yourself). Through the narrative by Tidus you are drawn into his past, most particularly that of his father who he though to be dead and how the world he is in now is connected with his past.
The narrative between the characters as well as the back-story of each of them are involving (although I found the main character to be rather annoying at first until I got used to him) and helps the game progress and yourself itching to find out more. Although some of the dialogue between the characters I found to be a bit strange on one or two occasions, for the most part the voice acting and dialogue is excellent, making each character seem much more individual. The gestures however sometimes don?t suit the context in which they are being said.
Although the way you progress through the game is rather linear in that there is only a few places to go at any given time may not entice some gamers, I found the game to be better for it, giving it a more focused, movie-like experience rather than feeling lost and not knowing where to go next.
The gameplay is turn based and you can have a total of three party members in a battle at any given moment (these can be switched in the heat of battle). As you will come to realise each member is most effective against certain enemies, which is important if you wish to get through the game as easily as possible. Different skills range from summoning Aeons (big creatures that you can control), magic attacks, Blitzball throws (a ball game popular amongst Spira) and standard sword attacks so there is plenty of variety.
The enemies met in the game range from small weak ones to strong boss characters, some taking strategy and time to overcome so prepare for some epic battles! Even though there are some tricky parts of the game regarding battles (most notably the boss fights) I haven?t yet encountered getting stuck on one and have been getting through the game with the mentality of beating all the random enemies as I travel along instead of using Flee to escape the battles (for those concerned about having to wander around for hours levelling up). As you navigate through Spira you will encounter random battles, mostly quick ones that only take a while. This might not be for everyone, as it can get a bit annoying after a while of getting attacked by the same creatures.
As Yuna enters each temple to gain her Aeon you are tasked with making your way through some short puzzles which revolve around placing various orbs into sockets in walls and small movable pillars in order to open doors etc. The aim of the puzzles are to get to an exit that is only available after they have been completed successfully as the power from the spheres travels along various lines etc in order for a door to open. These puzzles are fairly simple as there are only several combinations in which position these orbs can be placed. These puzzles help to make your visits to the temple more noticeable instead of being a quick visit as they are integral to the storyline, although those itching to get on to battles may find they drag on a little.
Alongside this there are various mini-games available, probably the best of which in my view being the Blitzball game which becomes available as you progress through the game from any save point. This is an underwater sport that involves scoring goals and passing etc. In order to win the game you will need to use skill and tactics in deciding whether to pass, block, shoot etc which all tie into various stats that you need to compare against your various opponents to see which option is likely to be most successful. You can also equip skills and level up your team members for those wishing to delve deeper into the mini-game. Various other mini-games are experienced as you progress through the world, such as dodging lighting strikes (as you pass through the Thunder Plains) as well as Chocobo (large birds that are used like horses) races. All of these mini-games are quite fun to play and help break up the walks through areas and provide a welcome diversion from the normal gameplay.
Saving is allowed through save spheres that are found throughout the world, most notably in shops and inns. While they are for the most part frequently found there are some areas where you might not encounter one for a while which can be frustrating if you want to quit the game quickly as you are forced to either carry on or leave the game and return to the previous save point.
Levelling up is handled by a Sphere grid system that consists of a grid of skills that you can activate and navigate through by Ability Points gained from battles in order to learn the various stat-giving spheres. The grid is rather web like in shape consisting of circles, which represent skills and stat boosts and are connected through various paths. Each character you control starts on a different area of the board where they are most suited, leaving you to decide which route to follow (even across other characters areas to use their skills if you wish). After you have collected enough Ability Points your character will gain a sphere level, which enables you to move one place on the grid. Alongside this various spheres are picked up in battle, which can be used to unlock the node you are on as well as adjacent nodes. Whilst this may be strange to those used to traditional levelling up in other rpg games I found this one to be great as you can progress your character much faster than having to wait for a level to be gained and also allows a great level of customisation in that you chose which area to boost your character in.
Even though this game is fairly old the graphics and style of the world in which you travel through are pretty amazing and literally feels like a living breathing planet. Although it may not hold up against the next-gen graphics it is still a pleasure to look at and by no means is bad. The sound, everything from the voiceacting to the soundtrack do their job well in involving you in the world and the story. Many of the songs are distinct and catchy and helps you become more emotionally involved in some of the scenes, a credit the series as they are known to have good music. The CGI cut scenes are once more back and as good as ever, appearing frequently throughout the game and are a treasure to look forward to as you continue the plot.
I have found this game to be one of the best rpgs I have played, and certainly the best in the series for me so far, the amount of work and detail that has gone into the game is staggering and it shows for it. For those after a good storybased rpg should definitely give this game ago, even if you are new to the series (I was when I first got this game). Definitely worth playing even if you don?t usually like rpgs.
EDIT: I have updated the review based on the first three comments, many thanks for pointing out things I have missed etc I can't believe I left them out!
The plotline focuses around a summoner that is tasked with saving the world from an entity known as ?Sin?, which is reborn every ten years and sets about destroying cities and villages until it is vanquished for another decade. Alongside the summoner are her guardians, which encompass the main characters of the game. In order to defeat Sin the summoner (Yuna) needs to travel to temples throughout Spira in order to gain new Aeons and progress herself towards gaining the final Aeon that is needed to defeat Sin. The main character (Tidus) is new to the world in which he finds himself after getting dragged 1000 years through time by Sin after it attacked his home city. It is through him that the game is focused and narrated as he questions the nature of the events and world he now finds himself (which in turn you can relate to, having these same questions yourself). Through the narrative by Tidus you are drawn into his past, most particularly that of his father who he though to be dead and how the world he is in now is connected with his past.
The narrative between the characters as well as the back-story of each of them are involving (although I found the main character to be rather annoying at first until I got used to him) and helps the game progress and yourself itching to find out more. Although some of the dialogue between the characters I found to be a bit strange on one or two occasions, for the most part the voice acting and dialogue is excellent, making each character seem much more individual. The gestures however sometimes don?t suit the context in which they are being said.
Although the way you progress through the game is rather linear in that there is only a few places to go at any given time may not entice some gamers, I found the game to be better for it, giving it a more focused, movie-like experience rather than feeling lost and not knowing where to go next.
The gameplay is turn based and you can have a total of three party members in a battle at any given moment (these can be switched in the heat of battle). As you will come to realise each member is most effective against certain enemies, which is important if you wish to get through the game as easily as possible. Different skills range from summoning Aeons (big creatures that you can control), magic attacks, Blitzball throws (a ball game popular amongst Spira) and standard sword attacks so there is plenty of variety.
The enemies met in the game range from small weak ones to strong boss characters, some taking strategy and time to overcome so prepare for some epic battles! Even though there are some tricky parts of the game regarding battles (most notably the boss fights) I haven?t yet encountered getting stuck on one and have been getting through the game with the mentality of beating all the random enemies as I travel along instead of using Flee to escape the battles (for those concerned about having to wander around for hours levelling up). As you navigate through Spira you will encounter random battles, mostly quick ones that only take a while. This might not be for everyone, as it can get a bit annoying after a while of getting attacked by the same creatures.
As Yuna enters each temple to gain her Aeon you are tasked with making your way through some short puzzles which revolve around placing various orbs into sockets in walls and small movable pillars in order to open doors etc. The aim of the puzzles are to get to an exit that is only available after they have been completed successfully as the power from the spheres travels along various lines etc in order for a door to open. These puzzles are fairly simple as there are only several combinations in which position these orbs can be placed. These puzzles help to make your visits to the temple more noticeable instead of being a quick visit as they are integral to the storyline, although those itching to get on to battles may find they drag on a little.
Alongside this there are various mini-games available, probably the best of which in my view being the Blitzball game which becomes available as you progress through the game from any save point. This is an underwater sport that involves scoring goals and passing etc. In order to win the game you will need to use skill and tactics in deciding whether to pass, block, shoot etc which all tie into various stats that you need to compare against your various opponents to see which option is likely to be most successful. You can also equip skills and level up your team members for those wishing to delve deeper into the mini-game. Various other mini-games are experienced as you progress through the world, such as dodging lighting strikes (as you pass through the Thunder Plains) as well as Chocobo (large birds that are used like horses) races. All of these mini-games are quite fun to play and help break up the walks through areas and provide a welcome diversion from the normal gameplay.
Saving is allowed through save spheres that are found throughout the world, most notably in shops and inns. While they are for the most part frequently found there are some areas where you might not encounter one for a while which can be frustrating if you want to quit the game quickly as you are forced to either carry on or leave the game and return to the previous save point.
Levelling up is handled by a Sphere grid system that consists of a grid of skills that you can activate and navigate through by Ability Points gained from battles in order to learn the various stat-giving spheres. The grid is rather web like in shape consisting of circles, which represent skills and stat boosts and are connected through various paths. Each character you control starts on a different area of the board where they are most suited, leaving you to decide which route to follow (even across other characters areas to use their skills if you wish). After you have collected enough Ability Points your character will gain a sphere level, which enables you to move one place on the grid. Alongside this various spheres are picked up in battle, which can be used to unlock the node you are on as well as adjacent nodes. Whilst this may be strange to those used to traditional levelling up in other rpg games I found this one to be great as you can progress your character much faster than having to wait for a level to be gained and also allows a great level of customisation in that you chose which area to boost your character in.
Even though this game is fairly old the graphics and style of the world in which you travel through are pretty amazing and literally feels like a living breathing planet. Although it may not hold up against the next-gen graphics it is still a pleasure to look at and by no means is bad. The sound, everything from the voiceacting to the soundtrack do their job well in involving you in the world and the story. Many of the songs are distinct and catchy and helps you become more emotionally involved in some of the scenes, a credit the series as they are known to have good music. The CGI cut scenes are once more back and as good as ever, appearing frequently throughout the game and are a treasure to look forward to as you continue the plot.
I have found this game to be one of the best rpgs I have played, and certainly the best in the series for me so far, the amount of work and detail that has gone into the game is staggering and it shows for it. For those after a good storybased rpg should definitely give this game ago, even if you are new to the series (I was when I first got this game). Definitely worth playing even if you don?t usually like rpgs.
EDIT: I have updated the review based on the first three comments, many thanks for pointing out things I have missed etc I can't believe I left them out!
