Final Fantasy X

Game: Final Fantasy X
Company: Square
Type: Traditional RPG
Platform: Sony Playstation 2
Normal Characters: 7
Optional Characters: none
Favorite Character: Auron
Most powerful character: Auron

Final Fantasy X was the first Final Fantasy game for the Playstation 2. Gamers everywhere were anticipating the day that FFX would finally be released. From the commercials and posters sold everywhere, the graphics were gorgeous and lifelike, and the story seemed to grab almost everyone. Also, this was the first game of the series to have voice acting! But was the game really this wonderful? No.

When I received Final Fantasy X on Christmas day a year ago, I couldn’t wait to put it into my Playstation 2 and play away. After the opening sequence around the campfire, you control the main character, Tidus. When he first started talking, I flinched, as his voice was squeaky and annoying. At many times, he sounded like he just hit puberty. Finally, the opening FMV showed. The graphics were breathtaking and lifelike. But, the FMV graphics were probably the only good thing about the game.

I continued playing the game until Besaid Island, where you meet Wakka, the Jamaican sports freak; Lulu, the slutty black mage with a bug up her ass; Kimahri, the beast that hardly speaks; and finally, Yuna, the other lead character of the game, and soon to be Tidus’s love interest. All of those characters, except for Wakka and Kimahri, annoyed me to hell, and I wished that they would die. Finally, you travel on, learning a little bit more about the plot of the game, and when you arrive in Luca, you meet up with Auron, the total bad-ass and powerful samurai of the game. I almost stopped playing until I met up with him, and he inspired me to keep playing, because he was the only character that I really liked.

Later on, you meet up with Rikku, the thief and bubbly airhead of the game. Finally, when you have all seven of your playable characters, you start learning more about one of the main villains, Seymour. Now, I know some of you may like Seymour, and that’s okay, but I couldn’t stand him! Not only did he look completely gay with his hairstyle and wardrobe, but his voice… I couldn’t stand his voice. It was very high-pitched and gay-sounding, and I shuddered every time I heard it. Now, don’t think I judge by looks and voices alone, because Seymour’s personality was just stupid. He would kill people for no apparent reason, and he didn’t have any good reason to want to destroy everything. *SPOILER* I was the happiest person alive when Yuna finally sent him toward the end of the game *END OF SPOILER*

Anyway, I shall finally rate this game

Graphics: 10/10
The graphics of this game were superb and lifelike. The FMVs blew me away, as sometimes, I couldn’t tell that they were just part of a video game. Even the non-FMVs were very lifelike and showed a lot of emotion. But, I think that was Square’s main focus, as the characters and gameplay didn’t please me very much.

Characters: 6/10
Most of the characters annoyed me to hell. Tidus, the main character had an EXTREMELY annoying voice, and he was a total retard with bad ADD. Yuna, the main female character had a boring personality. Lulu, the black mage with huge cleavage had a huge bug up her ass and annoyed me to hell. She would never cheer up once and a while, and her voice just sucked. Rikku, the airheaded thief, was pretty cool, but I didn’t really like her as she annoyed me and her stats were terrible. Wakka, the Jamaican dude with the odd hair, was okay and made me laugh at times, and Kimahri, the blue mage, didn’t really annoy me. But Auron, the samurai, was the one of the only reasons I played this game. I was totally in love with him, and he’s the reason I didn’t give the characters that bad of a score. He was a bad-ass with an interesting past, and his stats were really high, so I always kept him in my party.

Voice Acting: 4/10
I’m sorry, Square, but the English voice acting SUCKED. I would yell at Tidus to shut up a lot of the time, because his voice was really squeaky and sounded like he just hit puberty. Yuna’s voice would get irritating at times, and Lulu’s… GOD, I hated Lulu’s voice! Kimahri’s voice scared me, but it fit him pretty well. Rikku’s voice was annoying, as it was way too high-pitched. Wakka’s voice made me laugh, as he had a funny accent, so I didn’t mind it too much, and Auron’s voice was nice and deep. Seymour’s voice… My God… that’s one of the main reasons I don’t like him. It was really, really high-pitched. But, I listened to some of the Japanese voices and they seemed much better. Tidus’s Japanese voice wasn’t as squeaky, Yuna’s Japanese voice was pretty, Lulu’s Japanese voice wasn’t as bad, Kimahri’s Japanese voice didn’t scare me, Wakka’s Japanese voice was just as funny, and Auron’s Japanese voice was very deep and kind of hot. I never got around to listening to Seymour’s Japanese voice, though…

Music: 8/10
I liked the music of Final Fantasy X, except for the fact that it wasn’t all Nobuo Uematsu. He worked with a couple other composers on this soundtrack. But, Nobuo composed everyone’s theme, and many other pieces. The music was very good, but it didn’t match Final Fantasy VII’s. Sure, FFX’s music was much more advanced, but it wasn’t as good as the earlier titles. I do have the soundtrack and the piano collections, and I enjoy listening to them both, so this game did have a very good soundtrack.

Story: 7/10
Don’t get me wrong, Final Fantasy X wasn’t a bad game. I thought the story was okay. It wasn’t terrible. It was a little too simple, and you didn’t find out who the main enemy was until about five minutes before you beat it. But, the plot was lacking a bit, and it was too straightforward. The two things that I look for in a game are character development and story. This game lacked both. The ending, however, was very good, yet that was probably the only good part of the game.

Gameplay: 8/10
The gameplay was pretty good. The characters actually had job classes rather than that of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII. Tidus was the fighter with high agility and medium magic, Yuna was the white mage and summoner, Lulu was the black mage with low HP, Wakka was the long-range attacker with medium magic, Rikku was the thief with low HP and low magic, Auron was the best physical attacker with low speed and low magic, and Kimahri was the blue mage with moderate stats. I enjoyed the fact that you didn’t just customize them with any kind of magic or abilities. But come on, people! Where the hell is the world map? There is no world map! Gaaah! And when you finally get the airship, you can’t control it! You just select a destination and you’re there. I miss controlling the airship! And there’s no ATB. You’re just introduced to CTB, which is a turn-based system. Your party consists of three people, but you can switch party members in the middle of battle. The battle system was very easy once you got used to it. The sphere grid system, which was the leveling up system was very confusing at first, and I was unable to figure it out until right before I arrived in Luca. It was very easy once you got used to it, though. Anyway, the gameplay was very unique and I enjoyed it, yet I didn’t enjoy it.

Overall rating: 7/10
Final Fantasy X wasn’t a bad game, but it wasn’t that great, either. It was nothing compared to Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX. To tell you the truth, when I was in the middle of the game, I put it down for a couple of months, and the main thing that motivated me to pick it up again and beat it was because I loved the character, Auron, and I thought he was pretty hot. (Yes, I thought he was hot, what do you want from me? I have a bad taste in guys, I know). Anyway, many of you may like this game. I didn’t particularly like it, but that’s just me. You may enjoy the ending, but that’s the only part in the game that made me literally cry. Well, actually, that’s the first time I’ve literally cried in any video game. In Final Fantasy VII *SPOILER* when Aerith died, I almost cried, but I couldn’t find it in me. *END OF SPOILER* For those of you who have beaten Final Fantasy X, *SPOILER* No, the part in the end where Tidus disappeared did not make me cry because I never liked his character. I was glad he was gone, but I was still sad. The part that made me cry was when Yuna sent Auron. *END OF SPOILER* Well, enough reviewing for now. I recommend this game to any Final Fantasy fan. I’m sure a lot of you will like it.

Janna Highwind's Reviews
Final Fantasy X Reviews


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