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What happened? |
| A gamer from Melb Australia says (25/Feb/2002): |
Writing a review of the most recent installment of the final fantasy franchise is difficult. This is because despite the fact that I enjoyed the game so much there were blatant flaws that I just cannot look past. And what makes these flaws all the more frustrating is that they are so apparent and could have been so easily fixed. I will go through them one by one
Cant skip through cut scenes: why didn’t the game have the option to skip cut scenes! It absolutely astonished me that the game developers did not include this option. Surely when it was being play tested this problem was recognised. Before almost every boss battle there is lengthy dialogue, so each time you try and defeat the boss you have to watch this scene again and again and again. Not only is this incredibly frustrating but even worse it eventually detracts from the dramatic impact of some scenes. For example the scene before you challenge Yunalesca was truly what I thought the best in the game. Auron’s challenge to his comrades to ‘take control of their stories’ was inspiring to say the least. Yet I had difficulty defeating Yunalesca and found myself watching this at least half a dozen times and after a while, the scene lost its sparkle. Imagine being forced to watch Sephiroth killing Aeris 5 times before you could move on in the game. Scenes like this should be seen once or twice at the most, or they’ll lose their impact and wont be as memorable as they could have been. This problem of inability to scene skip is not at all minor in final fantasy x. This is because it is a game that aims to deeply affect the audience, so anything that reduces the games impact can be considered as a major flaw
Voices: I’m one of the lucky Australians who have been able to play the game well before a local release and I think that I have a problem with the voices that most in the US wont. Pretty much most voices in the game are generic, meaning that the characters don’t have a distinct nationality and accent(other than Wakka who has a Jamaican like voice). This is import because it will not alienate any players. Yet why oh why out of all the characters does the protagonist Tidus have to be American. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the US, its just that it was weird to say the least when I heard Tidus’s voice. I just couldn’t connect with him and felt alienated. I had absolutely no familiarity with his character. This is the most dramatic of all the flaws in the game. The hero is someone who you should want to follow, who interests you, who you can bond with and follow until the climax. But I did not at all care for Tidus’s character, because he seemed distant to me. I bet that the voices will not be changed for the PAL version and I guarantee that once this game is released in the UK and Australia this annoying and frustrating problem really comes to the fore. I have showed many people the game, mainly because im the only one around who has a copy and everyone has had the same problem with Tidus’s voice. They all loves Auron, Lulu and Rikku, who all have extremely cool voices, but couldn’t stand Tidus. To tell you the truth, Tidus’s voice ruined the game for me and will for many other non-American players. And this connects to my next major complaint. How easy would it have been to include the option of turning of the voices. The written dialogue was already there! All it takes is one option in the configuration. This problem is so fixable. I just pray that Square notices this problem and includes such an option in the PAL version. In fact, even if the voices were perfect I would prefer not to have them because half the fun of an rpg is imagining the voices for yourself. That way the hero and other characters can be like the player want them to be.
Finally I want to briefly state that the absence of the sense of exploration that characterises most other rpg’s is a catastrophe. The world map of previous final fantasy’s gave the games a feel of vastness and grandness. During this game I instead felt limited and constrained due to my inability to decide my destination. This is a fairly obvious flaw that critics and gamers have noticed
On the positive side the graphics were outstanding, although I would have liked an adjustable camera. Although the background was not pre-rendered it may as well have been because I felt as limited in the FF10 environments as I did in the Psone rpg’s and the resident evil series. The new styles of background music impressed me heavily. This was one gamble that truly paid off.
But overall, most gambles didn’t’ and made the game fall short of the standard of ff7 and chrono cross. Although FF10 had moments of brilliance, it fell short because of these glaring flaws which truly ruined my experience. But all is not lost. What I am extremely confident with is the potential that Squaresoft showed on this still relatively new console. I hope that eventually they get it right and I pray to God that one day a game is released that doesn’t make me turn away and say WHAT A WASTE!
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SquareSoft give it 2 Thumbs UP!!! |
| Tommy from California,USA says (4/Feb/2002): |
This game is the best! As soon as I heard about it, I knew it would be an instant success. Even better than FFVII, I think. The sound, the graphics, the 3-D environment, it makes you feel like your actually there! The best feature of this game, I think, are the battle scenes. The attacks, weapons, choice to switch characters, attack voices, and ability to summon and control Aeons is part of the reason why this game is so much fun. And the minigames also add to the game. You can play them if your stuck on a part you don't like, or if yer jus plain bored.
The chocobos could've been involved more in the storyline, and the character's mouths don't exactly match their voices. But these minor problems shouldn't stop you from buying a PS2, and most importantly, Final Fantasy X!!!
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As good as RPG's get! |
| Jecht from Boston says (28/Jan/2002): |
What has Square forgot!? this is the best Final Fantasy ever (even beats VII and III) the aoen staying in battle and fighting as a party member kicks ass.Specialy the aoens overdrive attacks.It was also a great idea to be able to switch weapon and armor in battle.Even switch party members.This is the best Final Fantasy ever!!!
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It dosent get any better!!! |
| Zeki from Hayward ,Ca., 94541 says (18/Jan/2002): |
This is the best final fantasy game ever!! When I played this game I experienced great graphics, more detail on the characters, and fantastic game play!!This games graphics are like the movie!
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10 just doesnt do this game justice |
| Tom Stiteler from California, USA says (17/Jan/2002): |
....I am almost speachless. This is by far the best Final Fantasy installment (i feel even better than VI was in its time) I simply cannot get enough of this game. The graphics are in a word, spectacular. The addtion of the voice acting is great. Although occationally the voices and mouth movements are a bit off (not often at all) it really doesnt affect the flow of the story. One thing that Square has been known for in the final fantasy series is definately their gripping storylines that keep you playing for 40-60 hours (which i feel was lost in ffix) The mini-game blitzball, although a bit frustrating at first, is almost as addictive as the storyline. The video cut scenes are amazing. The new battle system, really isn't as big of a change as people had originally thought. Although there is no longer an ATB meter, turns are still based on the speed of characters. The addition of the meter on the top right which tells who goes when, is a great tool used for strategy in battles. The staff behind this game, is purely genious. This game, is definately the reason to own a PS 2.
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Another Square Masterpiece |
| ty from farmington, minnesota says (14/Jan/2002): |
The staff at square has somehow managed to outdo itself again. Tidus is the kind of refreshing, bubbly personality a quality rpg needs no more whiny main charcters coughcough ...Squall ...coughcough. The voices of the charcters becomes very annoying after a while. The graphics are out of this world. The sound is the best of its time. I found the storyline to be a bit to linear. To summarize it Final Fantasy X is THE single reason to buy a ps2 today
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So far The best story yet |
| Kevin from Texas says (12/Jan/2002): |
When I first started playing the game and I saw the opening video I was shocked on how the graphics were so detailed. Also the voices were incredible. (I personaly liked them because I didn't have to read). Anyway. The coolest character was Tidus. I just liked they way that he battled, an that he was also a great Blitzball player. The only downside to this gamewas that the voices didn't match the mouth movements. But who cares! Well the game started a lttle slow. But when you got to Besaid thats when the game skyrocketed into a excellent game. I justreally liked the inviroment tat this game was set in. I mean you were in a weird area every time you went into the next town.
Aeons were probably the coolest feature in this game. I mean when Shiva can learn Fiaga it's a great game. Also I liked how the battled for you and you could control them!
Blitzball was probably was the greatestmini-game thought of yet. I mean I kicks the card games but! Especially since your characters can level up and have certain attribute changes. Also I liked the fact that it wasn't made poorly.
The chocobo deal really wasn't that great in this game. It could have been a little better. But the were detailed incredibly.
Well overall the game was a Squaresoft masterpeice. I hope FF11 is as good as this game.
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The Fantasy is still among us...happily! |
| Ricardo Assais from Sao Paulo, Brazil says (11/Jan/2002): |
The Final Fantasy series is one of the few that always keep amazing us, gamers from around the world, with its magical storylines and graphics with one always unrelated to the other. The tenth installment is no exception; this time around the hero is Tidus, a famous player of blitzball (a mix of soccer and waterpolo but underwater) of Zanankard.
Differently from others FF characters like Squall, Tidus is a cheerful and lively young man with a bright future in blitzball.
But his world is turned upside down when his homeland is devastated by mysterious force only known as "Sin". Tidus however is miraculously saved by a man named Auron which fought Sin ten years ago, now Tidus must part in a new adventure to destroy Sin and return peace to the world. On his long journey he'll encounter many new friends including Yuna, a woman who can summon Aeons, spirits of yore, along the way.
This newest version brings many changes when compared to other versions. The most noticeable one is the inclusion of voiceovers which adds a more realistic look to the game and brings it even closer to life. Now you can switch characters anytime during the battle by simply pressing the L1 button. Another new feature is the Sphere Grid, this time the characters don't level up by gaining EXP points after battles but in the Sphere Grid System where you can select different nodes for each type of ability you want to level up in. Others new features include the Facial Motion System that add even more realistic details to the characters and the 3D environment which substitutes the old-fashioned pre-rendered backgrounds.
In terms of sound the melancholy orchestras by veteran Nobuo Uematsu still impress but nothing out of the ordinary.
The gameplay is still great and brings the good feelings of the previous FFs back to action.
In a nutshell Final Fantasy X is a wonderful installment to the series and a great introduction on the PlayStation2 with an emotional storyline, incredible graphics and beautifully orchestrated but hasn't yet surpassed the legendary Final Fantasy VII, I said "yet".
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