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Review: Final Fantasy X
I expected a lot from Final Fantasy X, if only because it's Square's first RPG outing on PS2. Within the FF series, every time the jump to a new console was made, it resulted in either better graphics or gameplay, or in this case, both. Although fighting a battle in FFX initially feels like fighting a battle in one of it's predecessors there's been a significant amount of changes to the combat system.
I'm not going to discuss much in the way of plot or characters, because if you're like me, you'll want to discover that part on your own, since the plot is what keeps console RPGs moving.
What's New? Final Fantasy games have always been rather combat-heavy, and leveling up at different times had gotten mind-numbingly boring. In an effort to change that, there are many more options during combat. Characters can be swapped in and out of combat at any time, and they can perform moves as soon as entering the battle, so it's no longer a big deal when you have to fight the weak-against-magic monster and you forgot to include a magic user in the party. In the same way, summons (called Aeons this time around) remain summoned until one dismisses them, replacing the party in battle. When an Aeon's HP drops to zero, the party is brought back into battle, but the Aeon can also be dismissed before that. There's still random battles just like previous games in the series, but it feels like they turned down the frequency of the battles a bit, especially from last year's FF9.What would be a new Final Fantasy without a new magic system? This time around, it's a little quirky, but it doesn't disappoint. Remember when I mentioned leveling up being boring? Well this time around there's no character levels. Instead, everything is determined by a large sphere grid, that the characters move on using points they accrue by fighting battles. At various points in the grid, characters can lay different types of spheres that enhance them with new abilities, increased character starts, or more max HP/MP. The result is a non-linear system which is more open ended than magic systems of the past, allowing for greater character customization. The trick is to guide a character to the places on the grid that will allow him/her to get the skills desired while using the least amount of sphere levels (which are essentially travel points). Backtracking on the grid is allowed, but is also counterproductive.
Now onto the most fun part of the game: the graphics! With the capability of the PS2 at its disposal, this is easily the best looking ever Final Fantasy title ever, and it's a beautiful world that's been painted. While walking around, the world really comes alive, as trees sway and grass moves as wind goes past. Many of the characters' facial expressions are done in realtime, and while the scenes aren't picture perfect, they are a far cry from the jagged polygonal models on Playstation as well as the two dimensional sprites from the earlier FF titles. The battle sequences look better than ever also, as characters move more fluidly, and enemies do as well. The already stunning realtime animations are augmented by amazing FMV sequences. My only small complaint here is that there's no way to skip the movies entirely. Since it's still my first time playing the game, I haven't wanted to skip anything, but I still feel sorry for the impatient. There is, however, a configuration setting to turn off the extended summoning animations, so there won't be a five minute wait for the huge Aeons enter from space.
Something else FFX features for the first time in a Final Fantasy game: voice acting! Although not every bit of dialogue is dubbed, the voices that are dubbed are done better than I expected. My only complaint is that the lips were synched to the Japanese dialogue, and never resynched during importing. However, that never stopped me from enjoying a Kung Fu movie, and it doesn't stop me from enjoying the game either. Given that the game was released two months earlier than originally planned, I'll let this detail slide.
What's the Same? Although the magic system was overhauled, most of the spells are still the same. There's still three levels of elemental spells, and an Ultima spell, and so on. Also, it wouldn't be much of a Final Fantasy without chocobos, and they are featured yet again.When Final Fantasy IX was released last year, it featured characters with the traditional Final Fantasy classes, like summoner, white mage, blue mage, etc. I think Squaresoft found that players enjoyed the return to these classes, and decided to continue the trend. Although each character is ultimately customizable into any class, they each start with suggest paths across the sphere grid that resemble one of the classes.
Conclusions Well, if my synopsis of the game didn't sound glowing already, let me reiterate. This game is fun! I had more fun playing the first few hours of FFX than I have had while beating other games. After seeing the character designs for the game, I was worried it might degrade into a "Dude, Where's My Water Sword?" kind of angst-ridden adventure, but instead it's just been fun, and lots of it. On a ten point scale, I give this game a nine, and although it's a little early to call, it may be my favorite Final Fantasy yet. Battle is integrated well with the plot, and with the tutorials placed within the game itself, I'd even recommend this game for those who may not necessarily be RPG fans.
Gamespot's, because I almost always agree with them.
python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
Isn't it about time they renamed it "Almost Final Fantasy" ?
--
\ Christian A Strømmen
Call me a luddite, but the most beautiful Final Fantasy game I'd played was FFVI. 3d just wasn't good enough to draw my attention away from the classical FF. But FFX may finally have succeeded and hopefully I'll be able to see the other FF games in a better light, now. The majesty of FFVI will not be forgotten.
Pax Digitalia
And in other news, our weather reporter mounted on a flying pig advises all you denizens of Hell to wrap up warm, because there's a cold snap coming on.
Actually, it's not that surprising. I'm about to embark on a port of some software for the Japanese market, and I've been told to multiply my estimate by 3. I mean, pad it as much as I usually do, then multiply by 3. The Japanese market habitually underpromises and overdelivers, in stark contrast to marketing driven North America and Europe. How quaint!
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
Personally, I liked the older Final Fantasies. The new ones seem like punching buttons through a movie. In the old ones (FF, FF2, FF3 or FF, FF4, FF6) They had some much more interesting puzzles and even if the characters are 2D, I think the game was more fun to play.
I don't have time to make a sig
By the time FF X is released in the UK, you lot will have played through 'Finished Fantasy I'...
While I'm not denying Squaresoft's ability to write one hell of a story, the problem is that I play these games based on how well it battles as a primary trait rather than a bullet point on the box.
ATB has long been the bane of PSX FF games. It was a relic of the limited integer processing capabilities of the SNES's processor and should be left firmly on that platform. It's about time they ditched it altogether and went for something more plausible like Grandia 2.
If you've ever been lucky enough to be graced with this game's precense, you wont be sorry until you complete it, roughly 30 hours later. For those who'd rather get back to the old school days where battling was the game rather than watching an FMV-athon (FF8 ugh!), I'd heartily recommend this game.
The battle system works by having a bar. At the left, you have WAIT. About two thirds of the way across you have COM. On the very end, you have ACT.
The time between WAIT and COM is about as close as you get to ATB. From there, all hell brakes loose. The time between WAIT and COM is purely based upon character speed. The faster your character, the less time until it gets to choose its move.
At COM phase time all time stops. You get a menu of possible actions.
Combo attacks are quick to ACT but also require positioning, a swing and then a retreat. This can take much longer than a well powered special move and may not be appropriate for every situation. On the plus side they do between 2-4 hits depending on items equipped by the character.
Combos will also keep a character pinned. Their icon on the COM-ACT bar will stop momentarily while being slapped down. Yes it is technically possible to keep a bossed pinned using normal attacks until you can Cancel them. More on that in a sec.
Cancel attacks work by basically dragging a character back in the COM-ACT bar. The further advanced along their attack is, the greater amount you drag them back into the WAIT-COM portion. If you hit them before COM you will drag them back about 10-15%. Many a time it has been nailbitingly close to cancelling someone right after they get into COM. They are slower than combo attacks and only hit once so be careful how you use them too.
Both these types of attacks can also Counter. If an enemy is at ACT phase and about to hit, a character can counter that enemy by using a faster initiative attack. Using something like a combo attack on an enemy about to dig into your healer is not only a brilliant way to save the healer but it also does extra damage! If you can time it perfectly, you can even cancel them, not only doing extra damage, but dragging them right back into the WAIT-COM phase.
Last but not least is the special attack. These take the longest to charge but instantly start when you get to ACT. Some specials may even cancel. One of the cheapest moves in the game is to power up Ryudo to max ACT and then use his Tenseiken Slash to cancel a boss attack in process. This actually happens in under a tick when you have enough act and 5 star special. Specials also include magic so theres no need to explain that.
While I havent begun to scratch the surface on the underlying mechanics of the special and magic egg system, I hope that this little explanation will tempt you to go out and grab it. With Dreamcasts being as cheap as they are, you could probably grab one and Grandia 2 for maybe $80 if your lucky. Even less second hand.
Anyway, it'd be nice to see some alternatives reviewed rather than just overrated mainstream hype machines (IMHO anyway, but then again, I live for the battle so YMMV). Oh well, I hope that FFXI will outshine G2 and FFX by a long, long way.
Also, if you are planning to complete this game, it take a few hours from getting the final weapon to seeing the last of the ending. Plan for at least 2-4 hours depending on how well you are along. I must warn you, the final boss is sheer endurance. He has an insane amount of hitpoints >:)
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy FF, but it really does seem like a candidate for an annual subscription and "Software as a Service"... ;-)
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
I may very well get flamed for saying this on slashdot, especially this thread, but I NEVER PLAYED a single FF game, NEVER.
I bearly watched someone else play... total time logged watching = 13.3 min. I played RPG's before, both console but mostly PC-RPGs. I definitely go for the story more than anything. Well, under tremedous peer pressure, and the desire to join the majority, I've decided to start playing FF. But I have the following concerns, and hope some of you can help me out.
1) Since I have ZERO knowledge of FF (did watch the movie tho, and it's below my expection), I dont know which one I should start with. Should I start with FFX, or is there any chronological order to the series (Ultima comes to mind).
2) Which FF is the BEST, in terms of
a) Story
b) Character development
c) Original Gameplay (magic/combat systems, etc.)
d) Total enjoyment / amount of time needed to beat game. (Important ratio for someone with little free time)
e) Graphics
3) And which is the WORST FF game? I heard FF8 sucked due to its real-time rendering. So is there any FF that I should NOT touch?
Hope someone will give me a start on the FF serious.
And please dont flame me, or I might just to buy "Summoner" instead.
The earlier FF games are not "free", as the copyright is still owned by Squaresoft and in fact the three Super Famicom incarnations of the Final Fantasy series were re-released and still available for purchase for the Playstation console. Stop encouraging people to commit software piracy and steal Squaresoft's well-deserved revenue you filthy thief.
By the way, do you know if the latest translation patch for the Japanese Super Famicom FF6 has been released? I've been dying to patch my ROM image with it so I can see a more faithful translation of the dialogue.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
It is truly a beautifully done game. It does suffer from one huge problem: aliasing. Most all PS2 games have this problem worse than Gamecube, X-Box, and even Dreamcast games. I do wish Sony had provided some form of Anti-Aliasing. PS2 can certainly push the polygons, put the polygons are just too low res. Particularly with how much FFX pushes things, at distances things become really jagged, and if a textured surface is in movement, I don't know the world for the effect, but the texture kinda flickers as pixels of the texture move between viewable, non-viewable, and viewable again between pixels, if that makes any sense.
Nonetheless, it is a truly remarkable game, really engaging story and the graphics are really detailed in terms of both texture and geometry, but the available resolution and lack of AA unfortunately detracts from the otherwise stunning game. It's better than the PS1 FFs in this respect, (except that shimmering effect I notice...) but with that level of geometry it becomes more disappointing..
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
Well, I've managed to get further into the game, and I can understand why they got rid of ATB.
Some of the boss battles do require some intelligent choices, especially with regards to replacing party members with reserves during battle. With turn based, you have a better idea of when you want to do substitutions. If a character is in danger, you have a good idea if you should bring in a reserve or try to heal.
It's especially useful when using Lulu (trying to avoid spoilers). She starts in a Black Magic area of the sphere grid. With a low HP maximum and no quick way to improve that stat, she nearly requires constant healing at the beginning of the game.
So, while I can't gauge how much of a difference in difficulty it makes, I'm glad that ATB is gone. Especially considering that they removed the pause feature during a battle.
No way, man! First of all the gameplay system is amazing! There's a totally new, revamped magic system in which your magic meter tells you the same information but in a different way. Oh, and magic isn't called magic in this one, it's called mana, or moglee or mechlo, or something like that. Anyway, it's TOTALLY different from magic. And the fighting system? It's been completely revamped with new camera angles and magic animations that are over 1/2 an hour long!
And wait until you hear the plot! It's totally mindblowing!!!! Supposedly, it involves an evil boss who wants to control the world, and you have to stop him. (the big secret is that evil boss 1 is actually being controlled by a bigger and MORE EVIL evil boss 2!!!) Who knows... I've even heard rumors that there's a REALLY BIG, REAAAALLY EVIL evil boss 3 controlling them all, who wants to destroy the world!
And supposedly, there's a great back-story about your character where you learn that about the mysterious background of your character!!! And I thought he was just a simple cyber-hyper-techno ball player!! Who would've known!!
(sorry if I've given away too much of the plot!)
Not to mention Sony certainly doesn't hold a monopoly on the console market. They put out a better product and the sales figures prove it. I expect to see the GameCube come along in sales over the next couple of months the games slated for future release look really good, and the $200 price tag is a huge incentive. I don't know what will happen to the XBox, there is a game or two that looks good, but not many.
I should also point out that your statements premise and conclusion are completely contrary to fact. The XBOX is MS's attempt to gain a foothold in the console market and if successful will eventually begin using their library of unfair business practices against the other players in the market. Thankfully MS rarely does things right and the XBOX will most likely be short lived.
I'm the big fish in the big pond bitch.
Why the HELL was that modded up? Maybe I am tired or just plain stupid, but I read that more as a troll or at the very least bad decision making. Surely it wasn't very Insightful.
First off: although I don't have solid numbers or anything in front of me, I am fairly certain that Microsoft has more of a stranglehold in the Desktop OS market than Sony does in the Game Console market.
While the N64 may not have been nearly as popular as the PSX, it did have its niche as Nintendo targeted most of their games at children. Maybe that hurt Nintendo a bit, but I don't think that makes them any where near as close to death as Apple was a few years back. Nintendo also makes this nifty little handheld product called the GameBoy Advance. The GameBoy series of handheld systems HAS held a virtual monopoly in that market since its original green tinted monochrome release over 10 years ago if I recall correctly. I think that would count as more of a monopoly than Sony has right at this very moment. Would you suggest we all go out and a Sega Game Gear or somesuch in order to rebel against the establishment?
Do I really need to get into Microsoft? I personally use Microsoft products, but arguing that ANYTHING put out by them is an ethical alternative used to fight the big bad "monopoly" is even beyond some of the spin doctorying they have been guilty of. Though I am sure they would see it as an innovative approach and be glad to steal the idea from you.
I am all for making sure there is an alternative, but telling people to steer away from Sony and buy a Microsoft or Nintendo product instead is about the equivilent of steering people away from the vocal stylings of Briteny Spears and saying the more rational decision is to buy Backstreet Boys or N'Sync music instead.
So stop pretending this is another David vs. Goliath or Linux vs. Microsoft situation, because it plainly isn't. Go out and buy the system that has the games you want to play, or buy none at all. Spending 400 dollars to show how anti-establishment you are isn't going to fool anybody.
(on a side note Square probably had enough incentive to push a proven product out quickly in order to make back some of the large amounts of money lost in the making of the flop Final Fantasy movie. Did there president or CEO or whatever not just step down due to just that? If Sony DID twist their arm to ship quickly, they wouldn't have had to twist very hard.)
In the name of sweet Jebus, please don't ever become a novelist.
But so much the better. I did a multimedia presentation for a class a couple years ago based on the Final Fantasy series. These are my thoughts:
1. Start with Final Fantasy. As in, the first one. Download an emulator and find the ROM. It's an 8-bit NES game, so it would appear dated by todays standards, but it has elements that none of the other games do- it's still one of my favorites. It's also turn based. The series has no chronology or "order" to it, unlike Dragon Warrior. Each FF is a complete story without ties to the others.
If you can't find it, then get your hands on FFVI - six is easily one of the best RPGs ever, and has possibly the best translation/story of them all. It's also the last "traditional" FF - after that, they *really* started to experiment with things.
2. In order:
A. Six.
B. Six.
C. First, then Six. Though if you value prettiness over actual gameplay mechanics, then Seven or Eight. A good friend of mine swears by Nine, but IMO it's like comparing War and Peace to PeeWee's Playhouse in terms of graphic design.
D. SIX. In a heartbeat. The only final fantasy to suck up more than 70 hours of my time.
E. Eight.
3. The HARDCORE are going to tell you that FF8 sucks wang. They are wrong. FF8 isn't really so much a Final Fantasy as it is its own animal- aside from parts of the battle system and the title, it bears no resemblance to any other final fantasy game. This is not a bad thing- people simply fear change and were likely expecting another Six with better graphics. Had they called it something other than "Final Fantasy VIII", it would have done gangbusters. Since Square DID call it a Final Fantasy, it has to measure up to 6- and doesn't. It's still really cool..... but it's *not* a final fantasy. It's in the same category as the movie, which isn't really a Final Fantasy either- both of them are really missing the "Fantasy" bit to some extent.
In terms of enjoyment, I'd rank 'em as follows:
1. FF 6 (still have the box and manual!)
2. FF (I own two copies, because you can only save one game on the cartridge)
3. FF 8
4. FF 5 - if you liked Tactics, this is where the Job System started.
5. FF 4 - the only FF with a cheat code.
6. FF 7 - I really cannot adequately explain the derision I have for 7. Mainly because, in my opinion, it took everything GOOD about the previous FF games and took a shit on it. There aren't enough challenging or difficult enemies, which makes your characters difficult to build. Cloud is an apathetic little bitch, which makes him impossible to really care about- which is even worse, as this is the first FF where you're stuck with him as lead for most of the game (technically, FF2 as well, but you could change your screen icon to whatever member of the party you preferred). The Materia system strips characters of the things that made the FF6 cast so unique- special abilities like Steal and magic casting became portable. Not only that, but with no way to skip a summon spell, I stopped using them in favor of regular magic. I like 8 in terms of story, but the summons in that game are five times WORSE - it was the first thing I asked about and the answer sold my playstation to the highest bidder.
7. FF 9 - being a person very much preferential to both 8 and Parasite Eve, I was inclined to view 9 as a venture into a childish, Barney / Telletubby aesthetic. Every FF previous to this one hooked me on graphics, story AND gameplay. I didn't realize just how important the graphical look and feel was until I played a sample of this and realized the cartoony crayola approach was making me sick.
8. FF 2 ( NES, played a Japanese ROM of it. No fun if you can't read Japanese)
9. FF 3 (Ditto 8)
I haven't played X and have no plans to do so- not only do I not have a PS2, I can't afford one and after VII destroyed my expectations for the series, I got out of video games and became a spectator for 8 and 9. I was a serious conniseur of video games throughout my teen years, and am firmly of the opinion that Square- and at large, the entire industry- simply doesn't have what it takes to make another game as >complete as FF6, and divested myself of my playstation on the strength of that conviction.
Take it from an ex-fan: Final Fantasy 6 is not only the best in the series, it's likely one of the best RPGS *EVER*.
Peer pressure is the worst possible reason to get into anything- you should only make the time investment in these games if you're into RPGs or think you might be... then look over plot synopsises of the titles in the series and start with the one that resonates with you the most. From my standing, The Majority spooged in their pants over FF7, which was an inferior waste of my time compared to FF6, adding fuel to the conclusion that the majority of people are retards and easily cave to advertising and trends. FF7 was so goddamned hyped that it didn't HAVE to be good to sell- just like Star Wars Episode One.
The earlier games were vague enough, flexible enough, and broad enough for any RPG enthusiast to have fun with them. FF6 came out and tightened this down a bit, but maintained a large cast of interesting and well developed characters. Then FF7 tried to continue the tradition... and character development went flat. The characters lost their "life", for lack of a better term, and became polygons. Square is becoming progressively more and more focused on character driven stories as opposed to concept-driven stories- FF6 being the transition point, in that it had enough of a variety to offer something to everyone.... something the proceeding games lost. I didn't like Cloud, Barret or Red 13- hence, it's next to impossible to actually LIKE FF7. My issues with 8 were entirely with the battle system. 9 was too childish in design to get my interest in the least.... and everything I've seen about X points to it being a story that really doesn't interest me. There was a point where RPGs were still games- these days, they're interactive movies and novels.
I like the games. If you do as well, then play the earlier parts of the series, as you're likely to enjoy them much, much more.