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Final Fantasy X-2

Platform:
ps2
Developer:
Square
Genre:
Traditional RPG
Series:
Final Fantasy
  • November 18, 2003
  • March 13, 2003
  • February 20, 2004
B+ 119 total ratings
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A Final Fantasy X-2 review Author: Rachel Lindsay Published: July 12, 2004
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When I first heard about a sequel being made to Final Fantasy X, I had mixed feelings. For those of you who know me well enough, FFX was definitely not one of my favourites. Nonetheless, I decided to give Final Fantasy X-2 a chance, can't help it, I've practically played 'em all, why pass this one up? So, let's get to it.

The game opens with a Britney Spears-esque concert featuring Yuna shedding her classic FFX duds for a more revealing number featuring a lace miniskirt a.k.a. the 'Songstress' outfit. Yuna's song, real Emotion, is one of the better songs in the game, and that isn't saying much, but I'll get to that later. During the concert, Rikku and Paine beat the ever-loving crap out of a couple stadium guards, thus introducing us to our three protagonists in one convenient FMV. What follows is the poorest excuse of a plot with an amount of depth that makes Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, look like Xenogears.

Plot: F
Well, as I said, if you're looking for depth, you certainly won't find it here. The plot is nice, and fits well with the world of Spira, but is so loosely thrown together to fit the 'mission based' gameplay, that it seems as if you only receive important plot elements at the beginning and end of a chapter. With the typical plot twists being even more predictable than the ones featured in other RPGs, it's definitely not for anyone who wants to think about it afterwards. Some scenes were so incredibly dumb that I, in turn, felt dumber for having watched them. X-2 seems to dwell on inane, useless dialogue by characters unpivotal to the overall plot, just to fill space.

Gameplay: B
The gameplay is what redeemed this title for me, The combat system has been retooled for a more action-oriented, fast-paced style. Random battles are typically short and sweet, while some boss battles can be a bit tricky, nothing really different about that. However, I found combat to be a bit too simplistic. Yes, changing outfits (classes) mid-battle is nice, but of little use in the long run, Difficult battles aren't tricky enemies with devastating attacks, instead, the difficult battles are just enemies with massive amounts of HP and weak attacks. The combat is fun and fast, but too easy and felt like they could have done more with the combat to give more of a challenge for the advanced players. Also, Yuna now has the ability to jump (at certain places). However, it requires exact timing, otherwise she'll just stumble while making soft sexual noises.

Graphics: B
FFX-2 is pretty. It is quite possibly the best looking title in the series. Even places that were in FFX seemed to look better. Characters look great and the in-battle sequences flow nicely, no more choppy slashing from half-way across the battlefield. However, characters from FFX making appearances (Yuna and Rikku aside) look exactly the same as they did. No different outfits or hair, even though some characters' lives had changed quite a bit after the events in X. We have to assume purely through dialogue that Wakka has become a bit chubbier and that Lulu is 9 months pregnant, which she doesnt look it at all (unless the baby is somewhere in her chest instead of the womb).

Music: D
I loved the music in FFX, it was absolutely beautiful. That being said, X-2's music is a great disappointment, and not just because Nobuo Uematsu had nothing to do with it. Now dont get me wrong, a good majority of the music is meant to fit X-2's more carefree style. But it even fails at that, and just sounds replusive with pop beats that almost invoke feelings of 'porno music'. There are very few tracks that will stand out in your mind after playing, and chances are, those will just be the vocals. The vocal tracks are good and there is contrast between the two. real Emotion being the upbeat J-pop song in the opening scene, and 1000 Words being a slower song steering away from the porn/pop influenced music which plagues the rest of the game.

Characters: C
Final Fantasy games have always given us interesting and memorable characters and X-2 is no exception, from the return of Yuna and the incomparable annoyance known as Rikku, to newcomers such as Paine, Nooj, and Yaibal. But there just isnt much character development for the newbies, they all seem to fit into a pre-conceived stereotype that cuts down on their originality and uniqueness. It also seems as if we couldn't get through a single scene without a shot of Yuna's ass or Rikku's chest. Paine, with what little dialogue she has, will almost always have a sarcastic remark or two, even in combat. However, what little backstory she has is shafted into a fetch-quest spread throughout the game. And then there's Brother, who made his debut in FFX as Rikku's Al Bhed speaking brother (original name, huh?). This time around, he speaks broken english with a Russian accent and has the hots for Yuna, his cousin...how do you say "Ewwww" in Al Bhed?

Mini-Games: F-
These were possibly the worst mini-games I have ever witnessed in an RPG. From the mathematically oriented Sphere Break to the "New and improved" (and I use 'improved' lightly) Blitzball. The only one that seemed any fun at all was the 'Massage' which doesn't really count since it's required, and you cant replay it..

Overall: D
While many avoided the game for it's seemingly girlish nature and it's Charlie's Angels-esque attitude, others steered clear because they didnt like the 'drastic' changes made for a Final Fantasy game. Were they right? Yes and no. They were right to avoid, but for the wrong reasons. The 'girlish' scenes seemed more to me as if they were meant for the male players and almost had more lesbian overtones than Lilith Fair. Seriously, after completing this game twice, I had sudden urges to wear flannel and pop in my Indigo Girls CD. The changes departing from 'traditional' Final Fantasies (dresspheres, full-active combat, etc.) were great concepts, but poorly executed. However, the separation of the game in Chapters worked nicely (aside from the sloppy construction of Chapter 4). Other notable things include the voice acting, which was superb, and truly shows that voice acting, in gaming, is only getting better. The dialogue isnt any better or worse than anything else currently out there. If you still feel you would enjoy the game, or just want to further your Final Fantasy experiences, rent the game before deciding on purchasing it.
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Editor's Grade
D
dotted line "Final Fantasy X-2 is flawed, boring, and incredibly dull, but at least the graphics are nice."
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B+ dotted line Average Reader Score (Based on 119 ratings) | Rate it Now
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Author
Rachel
Chronically Whimsical
Square Haven Editor
Member since March 23, 2003
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