by Jody - January 17, 2004

Ever since the very first release of Final Fantasy many years ago, the series has evolved into something that no one ever expected. Now all the way up to Final Fantasy XI, we see how SquareEnix has truly created a game series that will last forever. With the recent release of Final Fantasy X-2, being the second part to Final Fantasy X, we see yet again the power of SquareEnix.

Yuna's point of view

FFX-2, being the sequel of a sequel, is best played if you have played its predecessor first. Without playing Final Fantasy X, you�re not going to understand a lot that is going on in this game. And even if you decide to play this first, if you ever decide to play X, you�re going to be disappointed at how the plot has been given away already. Past this though, Final Fantasy X-2 plays unlike any other game in its series. I�m pretty sure you�ve heard this before, from games like FFXI, FFVII, and FFX, so it continues. The battle system, for the most part, has been totally refurbished. The characters have also been redesigned � looking a lot better than they ever did.

In Final Fantasy X-2, you�re limited to having only three party members --- Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. Although Wakka, Lulu, and Kimahri return, they don�t play as big as role as they did in the first. The story in FFX comes back also as you learn more and more about the past of characters. As with every new game in the series, you�re going to meet new people along the way that wasn�t in the prequel, but I don�t want to spoil anything. It�s finally to clear up the missing ends of the first story.

Beautiful, but no different than FFX's.

The graphics in the game are a lot like the original � except for a few changes. Some of the character designs look the same, but for a small part, the faces are a little bit sharper. Also, implemented into the game, is a new way to explore. You now have the free ability to climb, jump, hop, etc. The only flaw though is the fact that it just looks weird and you can�t really interact with anything. Maybe if they had some sort of paper to tell what you can interact with and what you can�t, it�d be a lot easier. Consider it, Square.

Buy the soundtrack

Right after the release of FFX, as reported on the official site, Yoshinori Kitase released an extended version of Final Fantasy X sound track. With the beautiful sounds of album, we see a lot of this in FFX-2. The audio in this game, as with any FF game, is simply one of the best factors in it. After playing through RPGs, every time you hear the music from one, it just brings up memories. This game is no exception to the rule.

The ATB meter is back.

The ATB meter is back, but the battles now play over full turn-based. You now have the ability to split up your decisions and actually take your time to attack, instead of being rushed to. The battle system also makes me remember Grandia 2� as you can block, attack, etc. Once your ATB meter fills up, you�re free to attack.. etc. To finally get back to it�s originality, the dress-spheres have been introduced.

Battles take a refreshing change from the turn-based affair seen in many of the previous FF titles. The ATB meters are back, but the battles play out in real time, meaning you have to make split second decisions or risk a game over. The battle system itself is a carbon copy of Grandia 2�s battle engine. To attack, a characters meter must fill up and at that point, commands may be entered. Each command has a certain amount of �charging time� and when the charging time is complete, the attack is executed. Some attacks can take effect immediately, while some of the particularly devastating ones have a longer charge time. To make sure the small cast of playable characters have enough abilities to combat any situation, the Dress-spheres have been introduced. By just pressing L1 during a battle, the dress-sphere selection pops up and select anything you need to help you win the fight � jobs, weapons, etc. There are many available from the start, but you can unlock more as you go along.

Getting off task!

Instead of playing straight through the story, you now have a way to just get off the task of going straight and doing other things. Unlike any other game, all of the locations are available from the start so you may explore a lot before even beginning the story. Also, you�re probably going to need to do this anyhow to level up and get certain items/information that you�re going to need later on. And since you have a lot of places to look, it�s a lot more difficult than having just two unlocked places. There are a lot of side quests in this game also � making me remember the good old time of playing Dark Cloud 2. The only thing is that some of them seem to be a lot like the ones in FFX (that you had to play to get). Also, the missions for the most part seem to be around in the same area.

Final Fantasy's Final Score

In the end, it�s common sense that any Final Fantasy game is going to get a good score � even Final Fantasy VIII. I can�t really compare Final Fantasy X-2 to Final Fantasy X, simply because they are the same game with the same storyline, but I CAN recommend them both for you to purchase. Maybe a FFX-2 two-pack will be released. Anyhow, if it does, go ahead and pick it up. If not, buy them separately no matter the cost.