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Final Fantasy X Review.
Though I generally don't buy systems for a single game, Final Fantasy X was pretty much -the- reason I got a ps2 a few years back. After the outstanding FFIX, I was wondering if they could top it. The short answer is "almost". As you all know, you can't really say a certain Final Fantasy is better than another (unless it's 7, because that's the single worst one in the series). Most of them have different fighting systems from eachother, none up until recently have been sequels of eachother, and they're just plain different altogether. Final Fantasy X sure as heck is different in a lot of ways. For one, it did away with leveling up more or less. I know, I was surprised too. Even better is how it brought in the ability to switch your characters in and out of fights at all times. Why did it take 10 games for them to finally do that? Then There's the voice actors for all the major and some secondary characters, breath taking FMVs that still hold up 5 years later, a great cast of characters, fun side-quests, no overworld map, a freakin' sports mini-game, and one of the most talked about endings in gaming history, and you've got a sure winner.
Sadly, you take up the role of one of the sissiest rpg characters to date- Tidus. It's not so much that he's a sissy for dumb reasons- his dad never showed any affection for him as a child, and left without a trace years ago. But it's more in his voice. See, Tidus sounds like Michael J. Fox if he were 17. Yeah, not good. But Tidus is a star Blitzball player (think water polo and rugby combined) who's in the middle of a Big Game when suddenly, out of nowhere, comes a massive attack on his city of Zanarkand. Everything around him begins to be destroyed, and he barely comes out of it alive. After getting a sword from his guardian, Auron (quite possibly the most bad-ass FF character ever), the two begin to fight of monsters that are spawn from Sin, a huge squid-like creature that's causing the chaos. Soon though, the two are seperated via a portal, and Tidus meets up with a traveling group known as the Al Bhed. After a little while, they get seperated as well, and this time, Tidus ends up on the shore of a calm island...with Blitzball players. Where the hell is he? That's a good question. Apparently, Zanarkand was destroyed many years ago according to anyone that he asks. After making friends with Wakka, the captain of a Blitzball team (who has never won a game in all the years they've been playing no less), he's taken to a town where a summoner is beginning her pilgrimage. Yuna, the daughter of a summoner who defeated Sin a few years ago to bring a calm to their world, is going to try to stop Sin as well. She's accompanied with her other guardians, Lulu and Kimahri. Lulu is a sexy black mage who puts Garnet and any other rpg vixen to shame, and Kimahri is supposed to be the strongman of the group. I'll get more into him later on. They head out, looking for Sin and helping those who have suffered at its hand while Tidus looks for answers to his questions. It won't be an easy trip- religion plays a key part of the plot, and there are fiends everywhere. For once, a Final Fantasy has a reason for the monsters: fiends are spirits of the dead that refused to rest. We find out early on that Yuna has to send the spirits away to the Farplane in order for them to rest.
Kiss leveling up via experience good-bye, because it's all a matter of Spheres now. After fights, you'll earn a certain amount of AP that goes towards how many spaces you can move on the Sphere Grid, a massive chart full of bonuses and moves for your characters to gain. You will use Strength, Magic, Speed, Luck and other Spheres to level your stats up now. What's cool is that your characters are all fairly balanced early on with their moves. Wakka is the most accurate fighter, Lulu's black magic kills fiends who are strong against physical attacks, Rikku can steal, Yuna can summon and heal, Auron's a freakin' sentinel, Tidus is fairly fast, and Kimahri...well, he can be an extra target. But after you gain enough AP and Spheres, you can have them all doing whatever moves you'd like. Wakka could use healing magic, Auron could cast Ultima, and Lulu could be as strong as the heavy hitters physically. Many say that Kimahri is "the first real customizable character", but I don't see it that way. True, his placement on the grid allows him to be anyone you want since he doesn't have any one stat he's best at, but god, give the guy something better than being closest to Rikku's side. If you manage to level him up enough, he can steal an hour or two before you get Rikku to join the party. At best, he's a poor man's Rikku, and that's not much. Kimahri is a blue mage, being able to use a select few attacks that enemies use. None of which are useful, though it's funny how his strongest attack is Self-Destruct, which has him blow himself up on an enemy. And for added comedy, have Kimahri use an item in battle. He uses it by scratching his caboose. The air ship here is a hell of a lot better than previous ones. Eliminating a true overworld map to wander on, you just select your destination from the ship's map, and you're there. Essentially, it does what previous ships did, but minus the slow flying around and landing just right to reach those strangely deployed buildings. You can also customize weapons and armor to your delight. Do you want more than 9,999 HP? Go on and do it. Want Auto-Haste? Go nuts. Want to be cheap like me and have Auron's armor consist of Break HP Limit, Auto-Haste, Auto-Protect, and Auto-Shell? Be my guest. Overdrive attacks are toned down a little bit in this installment, not being anywhere near as cheap as a certain Gunblade move. Though Wakka is the strongest character of the game, and quite possibly any FF. His Attack Reels can hit the enemy for up to 12 times, and if you have Break Damage Limit, that's a lot of damage. Finally, I was surprised at how mature Square managed to make X's story while keeping it light hearted for the most part. The idea of a religion becoming corrupt and nothing but lies is something very few games have approached.
When it was released, X was the top of the food chain. The in-game graphics were unrivaled, and it took a lot to happen on-screen at once in order for any slowdown in the 30 fps. Backgrounds were beautiful, and some didn't even look like they were pre-rendered. Character models are all unique and have a vast supply of animations, and spell effects couldn't look any better. But then there's the FMVs. To this day, I haven't seen an FMV that matches the sheer awesomeness of the one where Auron makes a comeback and takes on a fiend. The sound is equally fanstastic, consisting of a flawless soundtrack and mostly good voice actors. Like I've already mentioned, Tidus' voice actor could've been done better by Steve Irwin, the Croc Hunter. I'd like to know how bad the others were that he beat out for the part, because that must've taken skill. Everyone else does great though. Wakka, the happy-go-lucky Blitzball player is surprisingly voiced by the guy who did Bender on Futurama. Yuna's voice matches her part, as do Rikku and Lulu's. And Auron sounds perfect. His voice could've ruined his character, but luckily, that didn't happen. The supporting voice actors do great too, and I recognized a few that I've heard on various animated shows.
X definately isn't for everyone. People are still making fun of Tidus, complaining about the lack of an overworld map, and I don't think anyone's settled on a definate conclusion to the plot and how everything ended up the way it did. But for those who can accept change in what was becoming a stale series, it's a breath of fresh air.
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About the Author
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What is the best final fantasy game for the wii?
I don't know much about final fantasy, so im not sure which one i should get. i only have a wii, and their are three games out for it. so does anyone know what the best final fantasy game for the wii is?
If you haven't played Final Fantasy and would like to get into it. The Wii games are not it as they are side stories of the Final Fantasy Universe.
Wii Ware in the future might release Final Fantasy's 1-13. If you have a DS I would go that route as the Final Fantasy games 1-6 are only about $15.
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