"Listen to my story. This may be our last chance."
This is a Top 5 Final Fantasy game, and in my opinion, the last great Final Fantasy numbered title (not counting remakes, remasters, or spin-offs).
Looking at the release date of 2001, it is incredibly sad to me that Squaresoft was able to release so many legendary titles within such a short period of time... now as of February 2023, we literally only have 3 new single-player Final Fantasy titles within 20+ years... and none of them hold a candle to the older games.
But enough about that - let's talk about what makes FFX so special! This was the FF that made the leap onto the PS2, and what a leap it was - this is an early PS2 title, and graphically, I still find that it holds up relatively well today, 20 years later. This was also the first FF game to introduce voice acting, and perhaps this is a "hot take", but I thought then, and I still do now, that it was a very solid and well-done dub. Laughing scene be damned! Speaking to that scene for a moment, I just feel people saw the meme and didn't understand the context surrounding the scene... is it cringe/awkward? Sure, but it was supposed to be. It also spawned some hilarious and abominable creations - like someone remaking the entire FFX soundtrack into a Tidus laugh track... I mean, that's just amazing!
The world and setting of Spira is hauntingly beautiful and depressing. Just like the famous Yuna "sending" scene demonstrates, this world is full of death, and is utterly devoid of hope. The people willingly distract themselves with the sport of blitzball, but only the few summoners and their pilgrimage they undertake to defeat Sin, offer a small glimpse of hope for a better tomorrow...
Auron sums it up perfectly with his line: "Spira is full of death. And Sin returns only to bring more death. It is a spiral of death, spiraling endlessly." (I cut it down in its entirety due to spoilers)
I absolutely adored the game's storyline, tone, world/setting, design, music, symbolism, imagery, religious themes, etc. The cast of characters are all great too, and Tidus is honestly the perfect "everyman" and stand-in for the player - as he learns about the world of Spira and how it operates, we do as well.
From a gameplay standpoint, I highly enjoyed the Sphere Grid leveling system. It is somewhat restrictive at first, but eventually opens itself up to a great deal of character customization on how you want to build your party. Also, the ability to switch characters out on the fly, with each party member being strong/weak against certain types of fiends, lends itself to a great battle system. I also love what they did with the summons in this iteration - the "aeons", as they are known in FFX, are vital to the story's plot, and can be summoned by Yuna in battle... and this time it isn't just an attack animation. Now they have their own HP/MP and abilities, and can participate actively in battle.
The only real complaints I have with the game are relatively minor - first, the lack of a world map/airship and the freedom to fully explore really bothered me back in the day. Now, I can say, that while I prefer the older titles and their freedom to explore a world map, FFX does the best job it can with such a limited space to explore. Unlike FFXIII (stares menacingly in its direction)... even if the design philosophy was the same - and they both could be negatively described as "hallway simulators", only XIII feels like one to me. FFX's world feels much more alive and real, that there is just no comparison. It's blasphemous to even compare the 2 titles.
The only other real gripe I have with FFX are the mini-games... honestly, they are my least favorite part of the game. I can't stand them... and in all honesty, the more that I think about them... they may very well be my most hated mini-games of any JRPG. Blitzball, butterfly chasing bullshit, chocobo racing/balloon pickup/ball & bird dodging all while trying to get a time of 0.0, dodging 200 bolts of lightning, some cactuar nonsense in the desert that I can't specifically remember, etc. All of it was pretty horrendous, but it is optional, for the most part (unless you want to power up the team's ultimate weapons).
Mini-games and nitpicks aside though, this is a real gem of a JRPG. I still give it a 5/5 rating, as I feel the positives far outweigh any minor imperfections there may be. I loved this game back when I was in middle school, and I still look fondly back on my time spent in Spira today. It is one of my favorite, emotionally devastating, journeys I've ever undertaken. A special and magical game.
This is a Top 5 Final Fantasy game, and in my opinion, the last great Final Fantasy numbered title (not counting remakes, remasters, or spin-offs).
Looking at the release date of 2001, it is incredibly sad to me that Squaresoft was able to release so many legendary titles within such a short period of time... now as of February 2023, we literally only have 3 new single-player Final Fantasy titles within 20+ years... and none of them hold a candle to the older games.
But enough about that - let's talk about what makes FFX so special! This was the FF that made the leap onto the PS2, and what a leap it was - this is an early PS2 title, and graphically, I still find that it holds up relatively well today, 20 years later. This was also the first FF game to introduce voice acting, and perhaps this is a "hot take", but I thought then, and I still do now, that it was a very solid and well-done dub. Laughing scene be damned! Speaking to that scene for a moment, I just feel people saw the meme and didn't understand the context surrounding the scene... is it cringe/awkward? Sure, but it was supposed to be. It also spawned some hilarious and abominable creations - like someone remaking the entire FFX soundtrack into a Tidus laugh track... I mean, that's just amazing!
The world and setting of Spira is hauntingly beautiful and depressing. Just like the famous Yuna "sending" scene demonstrates, this world is full of death, and is utterly devoid of hope. The people willingly distract themselves with the sport of blitzball, but only the few summoners and their pilgrimage they undertake to defeat Sin, offer a small glimpse of hope for a better tomorrow...
Auron sums it up perfectly with his line: "Spira is full of death. And Sin returns only to bring more death. It is a spiral of death, spiraling endlessly." (I cut it down in its entirety due to spoilers)
I absolutely adored the game's storyline, tone, world/setting, design, music, symbolism, imagery, religious themes, etc. The cast of characters are all great too, and Tidus is honestly the perfect "everyman" and stand-in for the player - as he learns about the world of Spira and how it operates, we do as well.
From a gameplay standpoint, I highly enjoyed the Sphere Grid leveling system. It is somewhat restrictive at first, but eventually opens itself up to a great deal of character customization on how you want to build your party. Also, the ability to switch characters out on the fly, with each party member being strong/weak against certain types of fiends, lends itself to a great battle system. I also love what they did with the summons in this iteration - the "aeons", as they are known in FFX, are vital to the story's plot, and can be summoned by Yuna in battle... and this time it isn't just an attack animation. Now they have their own HP/MP and abilities, and can participate actively in battle.
The only real complaints I have with the game are relatively minor - first, the lack of a world map/airship and the freedom to fully explore really bothered me back in the day. Now, I can say, that while I prefer the older titles and their freedom to explore a world map, FFX does the best job it can with such a limited space to explore. Unlike FFXIII (stares menacingly in its direction)... even if the design philosophy was the same - and they both could be negatively described as "hallway simulators", only XIII feels like one to me. FFX's world feels much more alive and real, that there is just no comparison. It's blasphemous to even compare the 2 titles.
The only other real gripe I have with FFX are the mini-games... honestly, they are my least favorite part of the game. I can't stand them... and in all honesty, the more that I think about them... they may very well be my most hated mini-games of any JRPG. Blitzball, butterfly chasing bullshit, chocobo racing/balloon pickup/ball & bird dodging all while trying to get a time of 0.0, dodging 200 bolts of lightning, some cactuar nonsense in the desert that I can't specifically remember, etc. All of it was pretty horrendous, but it is optional, for the most part (unless you want to power up the team's ultimate weapons).
Mini-games and nitpicks aside though, this is a real gem of a JRPG. I still give it a 5/5 rating, as I feel the positives far outweigh any minor imperfections there may be. I loved this game back when I was in middle school, and I still look fondly back on my time spent in Spira today. It is one of my favorite, emotionally devastating, journeys I've ever undertaken. A special and magical game.