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Final Fantasy X Review
01.06.02 Valvados
Valvados and Dh knock heads together and review the latest RPG adventure in Square's popular line of Final Fantasy series.
For centuries, scholars have debated about the existence of karma, forces of good and evil that ruled the universe, constantly being balanced and unbalanced, and whether they are actual, substantial things to be reckoned with. Many theorized that the forces were just superstitious hogwash, old tales of unreal things that should be brushed aside in favor of more scientific reasons for why things happen. Many others theorized that the forces are actual, tangible things, and that their existence is what keeps our universe in balance and sane. The debate has raged in many forums, from the religious sector, to the unreligious sector, from the poor, to the rich, from the dumb to the intelligent. The debate never ceased.
However, there is at least one thing in this universe that proves the existence of karma: Square.
You see, Square is the best example for karma the world has ever seen. It’s impossible to say that every video game Square has put out has been a raving success. However, for every few pieces of crap they churn out, they usually manage to put out one real gem of a game that is incredibly enjoyable. A while back on the original Playstation, we got two decent Final Fantasys, one bad one, one of the most incredibly screwed up game translations ever in Final Fantasy Tactics, and several other games that are really best left unmentioned. However, we also got Xenogears, Vagrant Story, and a few other really good games to balance out Square’s karma. Lately, Square has been building up their negative karma with things like a good movie that was a bomb in terms of revenue, a horribly short fighting game, a mildly successful driving simulator, and a few botched releases.
However, it’s safe to say that balance has been returned to the universe. Final Fantasy X is the breath of fresh air many fans have been waiting for, and the best installment of the series in a long time. From its completely retooled battle system, to the innovative new character advancement system; from the outstanding plot, to the gorgeous graphics, this game is simply a joy to play.
Final Fantasy X follows the story of Tidus, a young and ambitious blitzball player who is pulled into the world of Spira following an attack on his home city of Zanarkand. Upon arriving in a dead, dark sea in the middle of nowhere, Tidus must compose himself among his mysterious new surroundings and try to find a way home. Along the way he'll meet new characters, make new friends, and travel to distant and amazing places. Along the way, he'll encounter Yuna, a summoner whose destiny lies in the elimination of a great force known as Sin that has brought death and destruction to Spira for 1000 years. Together they forge an alliance of courage and determination in order to defeat Sin.
One of the best and most important aspects of Final Fantasy X is the story, something that has definitely lacked in many of Square’s more recent titles. Yes, there are some clichéd parts, yes, there are some confusing moments, and yes, there are some characters that might have been better off seen shot in the head (read: didn’t care much for Yuna), but on the whole, the tale this game weaves is second to none in the series. The characters are much more developed than in some previous installments, and some of the little nuances given to their personalities are just amazing to behold. The story is also somewhat longer than some recent games, taking this gamer just over 30 hours to complete his first time through. The plot will draw you in and keep you on your edge of your seat from the opening title to the black screen with the words “The End.”
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Characters Speak >> Although the voice acting is mediocre at best, it offers new perception into the Final Fantasy series.
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Many fans were concerned about the introduction of voice acting in a Final Fantasy game. Unfortunately, the bad memories of Square’s previous ventures into the world of voice acting, such as Xenogears and The Bouncer, can easily be reflected against Final Fantasy X. While the VA is certainly no Metal Gear Solid, certain characters are brought to life in a geniue ensemble of depth and emotion. One of the most notable characters is Wakka, whose goofy Caribbean accent carries with him a strong, yet endearing role and a solid impression, a character devoted to protecting Yuna and his beliefs in the teachings of Yevon. James Taylor’s role as Tidus isn’t too impressive, though, as his constant “whining” tone and balooned reactions acommpanied by hisses, grunts, and groans doesn’t bode well with developing the main character as the most important figure of the game. Paula Tiso and Matt McKenzie provide adequate voice talents as Lulu and Auron, respectively, but don’t truly hit the characters off as imperative and compelling “guardians.” Of course, no cast would be without it’s flaws, as Hedy Burress does a fairly poor job of portraying Yuna as a strong, determined summoner. At many points, her voice simply seems unnatural and not in sync with the strength and willpower she exudes. Additionally, Seymour, who is undoubtedly a powerful figure in the storyline of Final Fantasy X, completely lacks a voice “talent” that expresses such power in any regard. Nonetheless, voice acting and the character interactions across Final Fantasy X add a fresh, new concept of adventure to the incredibly intense storyline.
Probably the biggest flaw of the game is the facial lip movement which does not match any of the English dialog, in concert with the not-so-impressive voice acting. Because the lip moment is based upon the Japanese language, the animations take longer to execute than hearing the English dubbing, which results in long pauses and breaks between character interactions, even in moments of the game where the characters must react quickly to events. Although these flaws didn't bode well with us, there are plenty of good things in Final Fantasy X that balance it out as a well rounded game.
Unless you’ve been purposely avoiding all news about the game prior to its release, you know that FFX features several new gameplay features, foremost of which is a totally redone combat system slightly reminiscent of the old, turn based days. However, this system is much more intricate and enjoyable than a simple turn based battle system. In effect, you have all 7 party members with you at the same time, which is incredibly helpful at some points. Also helpful is your new ability to see who in your party and which in the monster party are going to be able to attack. This allows you to plan your attack and defense strategies much more than in previous installments where you simply waited for a little bar to fill up. Also helpful is the ability to switch the ways you can charge your Overdrive meter, which is what allows your characters to perform powerful attacks akin to Limit Breaks. With this new option, you can set your characters up so that your heavy duty fighters charge their gauge when they damage enemies, a white mage can charge their Overdrive by healing, and characters able to charge their gauge by simply watching allies get hurt. Summoning also plays a major role in the battle, as now you can call one of Yuna’s Aeons to fight in the place of your party, with its own customizable attacks, special attacks, and Overdrives, sometimes to take care of a powerful enemy, other times to absorb a monster’s ultra-powerful attack, adding yet another element of strategy to FFX’s battles. Of course, the system does come with some annoyances, such as the fact that a character cannot earn AP unless they perform some sort of action in battle, which can result in long party switching boredom, but overall, it’s a nice change.
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The Sphere Board >> Completely customize your character attributes with the flexible and intuitive Grid system.
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New in this game is the complete eradication of experience points and standard forms of leveling up. The Sphere Grid, which may seem intimidating at first, later becomes a key element and the most flexible means of advancing and enhancing your characters’ statistics. As you gain Sphere Levels, you move along the incredibly huge, Sphere Board. By inserting spheres into slots along the Grid, acquired from defeated enemies in battle, your characters can learn any attribute or enhance any statistic. Limitations are placed upon the board at first, areas of the Grid start off locked, requiring you to explore a small section of the Grid consistent with your characters’ basic skills. Eventually your characters can follow any path they choose, whether it be powerful black magic or useful battle skills. By the time you are able to open the locks, you are fully capable of intelligent movement along the board to customize your characters, and by the end of the game, you’ll have found ways to leap across the board at a moment’s notice. The Sphere Board can be tedious at many times though, and after the beginning of the game you will quickly start to lose interest in single gained sphere levels and allow them to accumulate before you move your characters. The lack of some spheres at certain points can also be frustrating. However, in the end, the Sphere Board is an enjoyable way to manage your characters.
Yet another change found in FFX’s gameplay, and an unfortunate one as well, is the absence of a world map. Obviously, this makes the game a great deal more linear than its predecessors; in fact, it’s fair to say that until the very end, there is almost no chance to stray from the path laid out before you, and only one or two sidequests to participate in.
The soundtrack has also been a major source of debate among fans, especially the addition of new faces Junya Nakano and Masashi Hamauzu to compose tracks along with series composer Nobuo Uematsu. While you can find a more complete soundtrack review here, to make a quick summary, while it’s not the best collection of music, and there are a few songs that simply don’t belong, but overall, the soundtrack is enjoyable and adds positively to the feel of the game in a major way.
The sidequests in Final Fantasy X have no middle ground. You will either love them, or you will despise them. Fortunately, if you despise them, you’re only forced to participate in one once throughout the entire game, and it’s entirely possible to complete the game without obtaining any special sidequest items. However, if you enjoy Final Fantasy X’s offering of minigames, you’ll find the “ever-not-so-impressive underwater-RPG-soccer” game Blitzball, the game Tidus excels at. Recruiting new players and playing in tournaments is time consuming and may be fun at first, but Blitzball itself isn’t exactly an intelligent game and the RPG elements mixed into a ball game simply do not work. Chocobo lovers should be thrilled as Final Fantasy X offers you the chance to train your very own chocobo and compete in races. Amateur cryptologists can enjoy deciphering the code of the Al Behd language. All in all, there’s something here for most everybody.
As in Final Fantasy VIII before it, weapons and armor take a backseat in Final Fantasy X. This time, you’ll find yourself mostly using weapons and armor based on their inherent abilities that you can eventually customize partway through the game. Examples of said abilities include such standards as strength and defense boosting abilities, status guards, and HP boosts, to more rare things such as AP doubling abilities. It’s not the best system in the world, and not the most fun, but it’s effective and simple.
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Incredible Graphics >> and breathtaking FMV make the world of Final Fantasy X amazingly realistic.
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And finally, last, but certainly not least, are the graphics. Final Fantasy X has probably the most incredible, colorful, animated, and visually dynamic graphics you will find in an RPG today. While some of the graphics may not be completely up to par with some other PS2 titles, such as Metal Gear Solid 2, it’s still a joy to watch. The detail in the character models is outstanding, and the backgrounds are gorgeous. Environments, buildings, even the grass growing from the ground that gently sways with the breeze all possess amazing detail and realism. Spells and special attacks in battle are jaw dropping. And if you think the basic graphics are good, the insanely detailed FMV will blow you away. In fact, there will be moments in the game where you can’t quite tell if you’re watching FMV or in-game renders. It’s simply stunning how beautiful this game is.
Final Fantasy X is incredible in most respects. While the story and graphics definitely give this title a beneficial reputation among the series, the unimpressive voice acting and linear gameplay are unfortunate, strong flaws. Nonetheless, Final Fantasy X is definitely a worthy adversary among the hot new RPG titles as well as the previous Final Fantasy games which many have cast in stone as their favorite.
Story
A solid, intriguing story. Small parts of the plot
gently spill in at first and as you progress, you're
hammered with a truly unique and plentiful storyline with
plenty of twists, turns, and surprises.
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10/10
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Gameplay
Even with many familiar elements of the previous Final
Fantasy titles gone, the Sphere Board allows complete
character customization with a variety of skills and spells
at their disposal. However, Final Fantasy X is extremely
linear and offers virtually no room for exploration.
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7/10
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Sound
Crisp, clear audio effects decorate the surrounding
environments, but the voice acting is anything but
impressive.
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5/10
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Music
Certain tunes are wonderous and beautiful, adding to the
experience of the game, while others seem completely
inapproriate and just unnecessary. The battle theme, the
most redundant song of the game, isn't Uematsu's best
work.
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8/10
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Graphics
Amazing in every detail. Environments, characters,
objects, structures, and monsters all receive equal,
incredible attention. The game is extremely colorful, but
well balanced and visually stimulating.
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10/10
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Overall
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8/10
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Contributors: Dh, FFO Webmaster
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04.05.07
04.02.07
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