After much distraction with other games, the long awaited FFX review is here. I apologize for the previous blog that featured the Call of Duty: Ghosts review, I was a little stressed after completing it and was sort of bummed to be greeted with such confrontational opinions and petty scoffs at the ratings I give. I suppose I should expect that sort of thing with big name games, and I typically handle things more professionally.
However, let me clarify that I have never put any of my opinions as fact or claimed to review with robotic objectivity, nor do I strive for such a thing. And let me also say that after reviewing most of the entire FF series, I think posts that disagree with me have always been the most interesting, especially ones that criticize my analysis or writing. TL.net is usually great in this regard, and I once again thank everyone who leaves me feedback as I prepare to tackle Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy I, II, III before the year is over.
I hope you guys have been enjoying these, as I really do love writing them.
On a collapsed piece of highway, he and the structure are now, almost selectively, being pulled upward toward the beast's monstrous orifice. It's colossal presence stirs the futuristic city into debris, the golden haired athlete within its grasp, who just moments before was being cheered by a stadium of thousands. Now, the grip of an old mentor is all that keeps Tidus from floating into the abyss. Holding the hotshot by the scruff of his collar, suspended, flailing, and screaming, the grizzled man looks up to the void for assurance. Satisfied, he offers Tidus to its clutches. "This is it," he calmly says to him, "this is your story."
That Final Fantasy X is your story, Tidus's story, is a point the game does its best to emphasize. Ripped from stardom and his life as a famous "blitzball" player, Tidus's punk self is swallowed into the more primal world of Spira. Not only does no one know his name here, but many in fact question his sanity. Tidus's aforementioned city was apparently destroyed a thousand years ago, a past pinnacle of civilization that now serves as a lesson against the sins of technology and human ambition.
Confusion and homesickness surround this main character, witnessed in the well worded monologues he delivers in between key points of the story. He muses over his depressing predicament, but moreover, reveals that he still suffers from a selfish father's abandonment. Nonetheless, Tidus is stubborn, and remains an energetic and cocky athlete whose enthusiasm is evident in his battle dialogue as well as the skills you'll acquire from his personal Sphere Grid. 'Cheer' will raise party defense, while casting 'Hastega' on allies will increase their turn order frequency, granting easier micromanagement between the moves of the enemy.
After washing up on a beach Tidus meets an islander, Wakka, caribbean accent and all, the series's first implementation of voice acting a considerable success. Even upon its undeniably corny script, a dramatic earnesty combined with warm humor seem to outweigh it, and a friendship forms as the two make their way to a nearby village. Between gentle piano presses, electronic synth, and random battle encounters with wildlife, the little island begins to feel like a small piece of JRPG paradise. Like glass, the screen shatters to battle screens where your party will step up against a row of monsters. Turn after turn, Tidus will leap to a target for a meaty slice with his technicolor sword, and Wakka will hurl what's the equivalent of a volleyball, afflicting ailments like 'Blind' upon more lethal foes. The character movement and overall responsiveness is something to marvel at, as are the buttery menus that slide you points and items after each encounter.
Battles reward ability points to any character who gets a piece of the action, encouraging use of your entire roster, and further influenced by a novel swap system. Should you need to access certain talents or pull a wounded ally to safety, you can switch up the 3 man formation on any individual's turn. Different characters excelling against different enemies, regular swapping becomes a necessity. Slow but with powerful armor piercing, Auron's giant blade will land fatal blows on menacing bruisers, but if it's his turn to act and you're up against a pair of birds, Auron can tag out for Wakka, whose pinpoint accuracy can easily peg flyers out of the sky. Fundamentally, it's a simple matching game, but makes each personality feel relevant in your journey through Spira and rewards players who allow to each to shine.
You'll gain access to these comrades when Tidus finds himself in the midst of the world's struggle. He becomes a Guardian, part of an entourage in service of a summoner named Yuna, though the girl isn't exactly helpless. In dicey situations she can step in for heals, later learn spells that mitigate physical or spell damage, and even summon her magical beasts to take the field. Others in your troop include Rikku, a peppy rogue who incorporates an unapologetic use of forbidden technology. She can toss grenades for spreaded damage, steal valuable items, pick apart robotic enemies with ease, and later customize your party's equipment. Dancing these characters in and out of combat is demanded by thoughtful enemy designs, forcing clever combinations of their talents. Boss battles will often have your entire party see action, tossing helpful potions onto each other, or at least popping in to say hello with a brutal and cinematic finishing move.
Still, Yuna's quest is a solemn one. Impressive (if inconsistent) facial animations convey the humble girl's friendly and curious spirit, but one muffled by the responsibilities of her ever important title. As mentioned, the world of Spira has sinned, and the gargantuan monster that destroyed Tidus's city one thousand years ago still roams to this day, annihilating entire populations on its own clock. Fearful natives call the monster Sin itself. Yuna, then, must make a pilgrimage as others have before her, praying at local temples while you solve their crafty orb puzzles within. Once she obtains the powers from each, Sin can be defeated, earning the world 10 years of peace before the manifestation returns again. Perhaps someday, when mankind has fully repented, the cycle will stop.
At least this is the logic Tidus learns of as you travel roads through flatlands, trailing into ethereal forests, and taking paths up snowy canyons. Few opportunities to explore freely, the journey is driven more by cutscenes and music, lined with branching paths not just to monsters and treasure chests, but NPCs and brief looks into how Spira operates. Repetitive dogmas, constant rebuilding, and priests and villagers who bow deeply before Yuna's brave service, the detail of the world's suffering state and its lean on religion is sincere. The tone is masterfully struck in one CGI cutscene when the crew makes a detour to a devastated village. Reeling in sadness from Sin's destruction, families watch as Yuna sends the unrestful souls of the dead to a more peaceful existence. She tip toes atop the dead bay, twirling her staff in ceremonial fashion and performs a Shinto like dance, weaving her body with the water as a Gregorian hymn sings to a spiritual drum. The scene is somber, even creepy, a wrongness difficult to shake.
It pervades Final Fantasy X. The same souls that Yuna lifts from lifeless bodies also appear in combat, slipping from fallen foes as each kill releases their waning screams. Such thematic connectivity resides in everything in Spira, as its hidden obsession with death is gradually unveiled. Villains that refuse death, that seek power in it, and who abuse the cycle will create startling questions for the player and his party. Questions that only Tidus -- due to his own naivety -- is willing to ask of people. People who follow the teachings and people who reject them, party members serve to be satellites to Spira's culture rather than individual points of focus themselves. Rifts between them and their beliefs begin to fade, as each discover they all truly want the same thing: happiness.
Yet it's a happiness feigned, the game's plastic optimism permeating through its characters, flashy combat, and time draining sidequests. Like that of monster hunting, or the in depth sport of Blitzball that can be accessed from any save point, it seems you can ignore the world and the compelling fate of its people just as they do. But eventually it must be faced. As friendships grow, the very skill grids of characters will intermingle, strengthening your party and readying them for a decisive battle against a world rigged with demonic motives.
This sequence sets forth a wicked boss theme scrambled by chaotic, electric guitar and whaling chords, but underneath it, a steady crash of cymbals can be heard guiding you from its chaos. It builds tempo, crashing faster and faster until it drops a climax at the very point your party runs onto the battle screen, Yuna clutching her staff to her chest, Tidus rocking a sword confidently in his hand, and Rikku running onto the field practically jamming her feet to the hard soundtrack. She throws up the first 'Hastega,' and as the spell effects wash over the party, so does an uplifting sense of challenge and adrenaline. Your party's first spell has rigged the turn order in their favor, and now they stand prepared for your next input, ready to turn the tables on Death itself.
Great review. Even though it is one of my favourite games of all time I think I'd only give it at most a 9/10 though, considering some of its flaws. I can't wait for the HD remaster to come out next month, I have been holding off on playing through again just so the game feels fresh enough once the HD version is released~
"2001" 12 years ago already? Shit, time is flying. Except for characters not being as awesome as other FFs, I loved everything in FFX: the world of Spira, the atmosphere, the story line with the love story, the largest amount of side quests ever. I remember playing 200+ hours to finish everything.
I think that FFX is like FF8, you either love it or hate it.
No way in hell you could give this game a 10/10 if you have a solid grasp of the history of video games and rpgs. You never really discuss the gameplay, which is a pretty integral part of the genre.
The turn-based system is great in theory (as is the general concept behind the sphere grid), but it has a lot of balance issues that make most fights extremely easy. As usual, the random battles are a frequent nuisance that are necessary to be the proper level to fight the bosses, but they are aggravating, tedious, far too frequent and provide no challenge.
Seymour is also terrible as a villain who has almost no motivation for what he's doing. You also kick his ass far too often for him to be an intimidating villain. The plot, as with most final fantasy games, really starts to degrade toward the end and the plot holes begin to mount and become kind of ridiculous.
Don't even get me started on how stupid blitzball is.
FFX is probably my joint favourite RPG along with 7 but to give it a 10/10 is a bit...i dont know. The game has many flaws you could pick, pull and prod at, none of which really take away from its beauty but all of which gnaw at you if you look at the game subjectively.
However, eye of the beholder and all that. Good review
EDIT: At the above, Seymour is little more then a side-villain, there is a constant looming threat from sin that puts a dark view over everything, the game constantly reinforces just how powerful sin is in comparison to the world. It is the true "villain". Seymour just puts into perspective how warped and twisted the whole yevon faith is. Thats what he is really there for.
To name how the game reinforces sin as the villain: Zanarkand, Kilika, Operation Mi'hen, Zanarkand ruins, Fear of toxin and anything that got close, Crusaders only able to "turn him away" suffering untold deaths every time, Religion based around human sacrifice to temporarily rid the world of it and COUNTLESS others. The curveball of Sin's prior sacrifice being Tidus' father is a good plot twist and adds depth to the story and main character but it doesnt take away the fact the the being Sin is an evil monstrosity that the world cannot deal with, jecht himself even mentions he cannot control it, despite it being him.
I don't really agree with a lot of his criticism (it's mostly for entertainment), but there are definitely some legitimate complaints brought up here. It also gives a perspective of someone who really, really dislikes the protagonist.
My favorite part about FFX's story is how well it's two central characters learned from eachother- Both had famous fathers they felt they had to live up to, but their fathers were famous for entirely different things, and end up emulating their fathers. Tidus who is optimistic but somewhat selfish and thinks that fate can be changed and self sacrifice (or at least Yuna's proposed sacrifice) isn't worth it ultimately ends up sacrificing himself for the good of Spira thanks to Yuna's influence. Meanwhile Yuna, who had prepared herself to be sacrificed for merely a temporary peace and has avoided selfishness to extreme measures, learns to enjoy life more under Tidus' influence and decides it's worth looking into an alternative to sacrificing herself to defeat Spira. Both characters ultimately end up learning how to live from eachother- Tidus finds purpose beyond joy and Yuna finds joy beyond purpose.
Edit: How they go about conveying that story can hard to follow though and often breaks my willing suspence of disbelief, so I couldn't really give the game a 10/10 personally though.
I really liked FFX when I played it a long time ago, but I'm pretty suspicious at the 10/10 rating you gave it when you gave FFXIII a 9/10 (wat) rating and a 6/10 to FFIX. That's just bizarre. Giving XIII a higher rating than VI is strange too, honestly.
On November 11 2013 12:52 koreasilver wrote: I really liked FFX when I played it a long time ago, but I'm pretty suspicious at the 10/10 rating you gave it when you gave FFXIII a 9/10 (wat) rating and a 6/10 to FFIX. That's just bizarre. Giving XIII a higher rating than VI is strange too, honestly.
lol, it's just my take on the series is all. give the other ones a read and maybe you'll get an idea of where i'm coming from, not that it'll change your mind on them.
@thread:
Also, I don't mean a 10/10 to imply anything like perfection. FFX has its flaws, no doubt. The blitzball tutorial is sluggish, some cutscenes are lazily animated compared to more central ones, and if you have a compulsive tendency, you might annoy yourself by swapping every character in for EXP for every single battle. Sidequest tedium, some lines of dialogue that make you scratch your head, etc.. These are all shots I can take at the game off the top of my head. All my score means is that I think it's a stellar experience regardless of minor issues. Not that anyone has to find that agreeable. Many think the game has huge issues, and that's fine.
10? I'm guessing you would also give many other games a 10 if you think this was a 10. I'm glad you liked the game so much but then again I wouldn't call this a review since it's so subjective. I would say it is more along the lines of: Omg, I love this game. This is why.
This game has the best cutscenes of any game I've played. Especially the scene where Tidus + Yuna dive into the water with a matching Japanese song. I got chills from that scene for a year after just thinking about it.
The random encounters are the worst in any game I've actually finished. I found a cheat to disable them, that was how much they annoyed me.
FF X was a pretty strange FF, pretty different from the previous ones. The story was pretty odd but even if it wasn't a FF game, it was still a solid game with plenty to do.
It looked fucking great and still does. The aeon system was badass.
Yuna learn Firaga etc GG DAT FUCKING MAGIC STAT HOOOLY. Shits on Lulu.
Blitzball was fucking baller too. It's a shame the matches became pretty easy. I tried one match of blitz in X-2 and didn't like it because I couldn't control it but after playing blitz again, I wouldn't mind it being automated.
It was an amazing game. When I first played it I wasn't into the voice acting at first, it was different from what I was use too. I loved the battle system. The story was amazing. I want that HD remake out badly, but I may just play it again on My fat PS2(if it still runs)
On November 11 2013 15:29 Golgotha wrote: 10? I'm guessing you would also give many other games a 10 if you think this was a 10. I'm glad you liked the game so much but then again I wouldn't call this a review since it's so subjective. I would say it is more along the lines of: Omg, I love this game. This is why.
On November 11 2013 12:52 koreasilver wrote: I really liked FFX when I played it a long time ago, but I'm pretty suspicious at the 10/10 rating you gave it when you gave FFXIII a 9/10 (wat) rating and a 6/10 to FFIX. That's just bizarre. Giving XIII a higher rating than VI is strange too, honestly.
lol, it's just my take on the series is all. give the other ones a read and maybe you'll get an idea of where i'm coming from, not that it'll change your mind on them.
@thread:
Also, I don't mean a 10/10 to imply anything like perfection. FFX has its flaws, no doubt. The blitzball tutorial is sluggish, some cutscenes are lazily animated compared to more central ones, and if you have a compulsive tendency, you might annoy yourself by swapping every character in for EXP for every single battle. Sidequest tedium, some lines of dialogue that make you scratch your head, etc.. These are all shots I can take at the game off the top of my head. All my score means is that I think it's a stellar experience regardless of minor issues. Not that anyone has to find that agreeable. Many think the game has huge issues, and that's fine.
I did, and the most glaring problem I saw with your review of IX was your complaint that it referred back to the past games of the series too much when that was something the creators explicitly intended, and the setting of the game was pretty explicit as a throwback to the pre-VII games. You can't write about this as if it was some kind of compounded accidental mistake when it was an intentional design of the creators.
Whatever, all review are subjective and you can what you want about each games but there's honestly some limits to this, especially when you rate XIII as better than VI; this is just exasperating.
I did, and the most glaring problem I saw with your review of IX was your complaint that it referred back to the past games of the series too much when that was something the creators explicitly intended, and the setting of the game was pretty explicit as a throwback to the pre-VII games. You can't write about this as if it was some kind of compounded accidental mistake when it was an intentional design of the creators.
That is what the phrase 'purposeful pastiche' meant in the review. Of course they were intentional throwbacks, my criticism was that they just weren't anything more than that.
Whatever, all review are subjective and you can what you want about each games but there's honestly some limits to this, especially when you rate XIII as better than VI; this is just exasperating.
VI was a great a game, I was just substantially bored by its latter half. I'd still say it's revolutionary to the series and perhaps even the JRPG genre. I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers, I'm just some dude trying these games out, most of them for the first time, and giving them my impressions.
On November 11 2013 15:55 Yurie wrote: This game has the best cutscenes of any game I've played. Especially the scene where Tidus + Yuna dive into the water with a matching Japanese song. I got chills from that scene for a year after just thinking about it.
The random encounters are the worst in any game I've actually finished. I found a cheat to disable them, that was how much they annoyed me.
Honestly, that really is one of the best scenes in the game, and I'm surprised so many people fail to see what the voice actors were doing. It's forced laughter, Tidus and Yuna are joking. They know they sound ridiculous, which is why Wakka is scratching his head in shame immediately afterward and wondering if the two have gone insane. It's all quite funny.
The scene also appears later as a powerful reflection, as Tidus learns that Yuna has been essentially marching to her own death the entire game.
On November 11 2013 15:55 Yurie wrote: This game has the best cutscenes of any game I've played. Especially the scene where Tidus + Yuna dive into the water with a matching Japanese song. I got chills from that scene for a year after just thinking about it.
The random encounters are the worst in any game I've actually finished. I found a cheat to disable them, that was how much they annoyed me.
Thank you for linking one of scenes you liked. I liked that one as well. The one I preferred the most was this though, the coordination to the song is just so great:
I loved this game and remember everybit of it. 106 hours played. I bought X-2 just to see the ending, and when Tidus and Yuna reunited I cried like a baby
I never could get over Tidus whiny ass and the pure stupidity of the whole world + stereotypical and therefore boring characters.. and.. and... and... It was just so "dumb"?
Towards the end when you just kick Sins ass (which thru the hole game is this unstoppable force) I was close to just stop playing it... I should have, the ending is so bad...
On the note of whiny Tidus, is there a way to play FFX with Japanese sound and subtitles? Or at least Japanese sound with English menus (i should be able to understand most of the plot without subs). I would love to try FFX but the voice acting is killing me. The horrible whiny or otherwise unusual lines spoken in english version would be quite natural and immersive in original language.
Outside of buying a Japanese PS2, getting an emulator is your only option. Not sure if you're willing to set all that up.
Tidus is whiny but he will whine in Japanese, too. He's a lost and confused character, it's just how he is. I do think the Japanese track is better, but the english VAs are far from terrible.
Setting up a ps2 emulator takes around 30 minutes. If you want to tinker with everything it might take 4h. The problem is how you legally would get the game and the ps2 bios.
Setting up Emu is not a problem, really. But i assume Japanese version has menus and other misc. text only in kanji. I could get over some things in katakana/hiragana but RPG fully in original language is too much. (I did play Princess Maker 3 - which i consider best in series, fully in Jap. but it was sooo much work >_<)
I kind of hoped there could be some community mods or language patches that i missed when searching. Oh well, thanks anyway.
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