Final Fantasy X-2 is the direct sequel of Square's Final Fantasy X. Much controversy has risen due to the fact that this is Square's first sequel to a Final Fantasy game. I personally don't agree with the whole sequel to a Final Fantasy game. Yoshinori Kitase, the director of many of the past great Final Fantasy games, in fact directed the game. This game takes place two years after Final Fantasy X and the game's main character is Yuna instead of Tidus this time around. With that being said, let’s start with the Review

(NOTE: If you haven’t played Final Fantasy X, you may not get certain parts I have typed here. This Review also contains some spoilers from Final Fantasy X. You’ve been warned.)

This game is rated T for Teen.
 
Story: 9/10

The story is quite good. The story unfolds in Spira, the same world Final Fantasy X took place in, only two years later, as I said earlier. In the Eternal Calm, Yuna has been known as ''the Summoner who defeated Sin''. After Tidus faded (died) away, she didn't know what to do with herself; after all, he was the love of her life. One day, Kimahri, now Elder of the Ronso tribe, found a sphere which contained a recording of a man inside of a cage, ranting and raving. The man looked to be Tidus. When Yuna received this, she joined Rikku, Brother, Buddy, and their new comrade Paine and became a Sphere Hunter. Now ''The Gullwings'', as they call themselves, travel Spira searching for spheres. Yuna looks for Tidus, and helps people along the way; Brother and Buddy are mostly in it for the money. The only bad thing I found is that there are only three characters in your party for the entire game! However, as the game goes on it goe more in depth with these characters, unlike Final Fantasy X.

Graphics: 10/10

The graphics are much like in Final Fantasy X. In other words, it’s beautifully done. And suffice to say, it still has the best graphics of most PS2 games. Everything is very realistic, and the environments are all rendered in real time! If you walk through a town the trees and grass will sway back and forth with the wind, while the non-playable characters will run around and do their business about the town. The characters look almost human as in the original Final Fantasy X game and the so-called movie. I swear extreme detail went into even the most unnoticeable things, like hands, fingers, and jewelry. The characters even run realistically. Just very nice. I think they should have updated the graphics a bit more but it’s still very great. Another thing I could have wished is that the ladies could have been better dressed. Especially Yuna. Although I think that’s enough for anyone to tolerate… just don’t lose control. ;)

Sound/Music: 7/10

Why a 7 you say? Well I didn’t think the music matched the series, for the most part. The techno-sounding beats of the Final Fantasy X-2 soundtrack sound really out of place for this series. Nobuo Uematsu (who did most of the music for the Final Fantasy games) is not at the helm of the music department this time, and it really shows. This music in this game is not as epic in scale as past Final Fantasy’s. While the music is rather catchy (I even bought the soundtrack for this game) and maybe has some unique twists to it, it didn’t feel the same. Also many sounds from the previous Final Fantasy games are not present. For example, the legendary Final Fantasy victory fanfare that plays every time you beat a battle is not here, and is instead replaced by some rock song :( There’s nothing much to say about the sound effects. Just really the clash, clang, and the sound when you're walking in a desert or some other place like you would hear in real life. But still very life-like. The voice acting is crisp and clear and it’s the way i almost pictured the voices to be like. It also matches the voice lip-syncing in the game. You may also recognize the voices from the actor/actress that play them. For example, Tara Charendoff-Strong, who does the voice for Rikku, is also the same voice actress who does Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls, Dil Pickles from the Rugrats series, and our favorite, Hip and Hop Koopa from the Super Mario Bros. 3/World cartoons. (Funny that she goes from two twin sneaky Koopas to a hot anime battle girl.) Pamela Segall, who does Shinra, is also the same voice actress who plays Bobby from King of the Hill and Otto from Time Squad.

Difficulty: 6/10

By all means, for a Final fantasy game this isn’t itself particularly challenging for the most part, but that’s from my own personal experience, although I had to look up a walkthrough for some parts. However, newbies to the Final Fantasy series might find it more difficult. With an active time bar, in battles decisions will have to be quick so that it may be harder for those who require a little more time to think. The game does have a helpful tutorial that you can dip in and out of anytime you want. Compulsory monster and boss fights rarely get to the point of absolute frustration, and with the easy to use job system in place, it isn’t hard to change your tactics anytime you want to see things through in a different manner.

Controls: 7/10

It’s a role-playing game, so the control is not that much of an issue, but a few problems were apparent. Movement of the characters hits occasional snags where a few seconds are needed for the game to respond. It really did not hurt anything, but the added time basically assured that as soon as I started moving again, there would be another random battle. The menus are well thought-out and easy to navigate. In other words, the controls are identical to FFX, with some new features. First, Yuna can now jump and climb on the screens, but this is mostly mandatory and you can only do it where it’s needed. However, I still enjoy this concept, and I only took off one point for it. The other two points come from difficulty controlling the battles. Even at a slower pace, the battles can be a little difficult to control because you can’t press up to get to the bottom of the screen. In other words, if the cursor is on “Attack”, you can’t go down to “Item” unless you scroll all the way down. In most other RPGs, you can just press up to get their easily. But the controls were no hassle aside from a few disgruntlements.

Gameplay: 10/10

Gameplay in Final Fantasy X-2 is excellent. With a refreshing new battle system, more mini-games than you can handle, and freedom to go just about wherever you please at any time during the game, FFX-2 has some of the best gameplay I have ever witnessed. Battles now have an active time bar, so decisions will have to be quick. (You can edit the ATB to your preferred speed, along with other options.) Along with an ATB, dresspheres have been introduced into battle. At anytime in battle Yuna, Rikku, and Paine can change dresspheres. These dresspheres have their unique attributes and battle options. For example a thief can steal, a white mage can heal, and a warrior specializes in battle. Each dressphere also has its own set of abilities that your team can learn through battles. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine do not get to equip weapons for battles at all. (Changing dresspheres does, however, change your weapon.) Characters instead get to equip accessories to boost their skills. Accessories are extremely useful and helpful to the player. Some accessories boost skills or add special attributes to the character, and are a necessity to complete the game. Mini-games are more frequent then they were in Final Fantasy X, and it can get somewhat tiresome having to do them over and over again. However, for the most part, the mini-games are fun and exciting.

Replayability: 10/10

Final Fantasy X-2 has some decent replay value, more so than Final Fantasy X or other Final Fantasy titles. Upon completion, the game offers a New game plus mode which allows you to run through the game all over again with all of your items, dresspheres, accessories, garment grids, learned abilities, and completion rating intact. However, your characters levels and EXP drop back to 1. The game also features multiple endings, and only a very dedicated player will be able to gain a 100% completion rating to get the Perfect ending. It will be long but it’s still fun. In fact, playing through it a second time is no chore, as there are many moments that are worth re-visiting again.

Fun Factor!: 8/10

The battles can be fun, but then again some are not. Sometimes the battles can get hard. When out of battle, it gets annoying when you're walking around and then you go into a battle. Come out, fight again. Come out, fight again. All in a ten step period. The battles are more frequent than in other Final Fantasy titles. The game can get a tad bit boring, too. I always liked building up all the characters in other games. But still a worthwhile fun RPG.

Overall: 8

Final Fantasy X-2 is a worthwhile, good squeal, although it has a lot of mini-games, the music isn't so great, and the difficulty isn't too hard. It's still fairly enjoyable. I was skeptical when I heard of the game as being a “Charlie’s Angels” and “Girl Power” type thing. However it’s clearly made for both genders. And for three badly dressed girls, they’re not too bad. I’d buy it if you like Final Fantasy since it takes hours (I counted too many) to complete. It’s also a sequel, so be sure you play Final Fanstay X first. Otherwise you’d be thrown off at some points. But get it and be prepared to toll fun hours finishing it.

Want to review a game yourself? Email me!
Go back to Lemmy's Reviews.
Go back to my main page.