Final Fantasy X | X-2: HD Remaster

The Good
Showing a still-unmatched level of emotion, storytelling and easy to pick up game mechanics, final Fantasy X/X-2 is still as great now re-released on PS3 and PS Vita as it was on the PlayStation 2 in 2001. People bemoan that the characters are whiny, that the story was unoriginal, and a linear feel but this, for me, was the last great Final Fantasy after the golden age of VII, VIII and IX. You can easily put over 100 hours into X and still have plenty to do, especially with the inclusion of the international features like Dark Aeons, Expert Sphere Grid and optional bosses.

X-2 set the standard for future ATB systems for battle mechanics, and it's clear that XIII is a clear evolution of it. The battle system is fluid, fast and intuitive, a big step from the last ATB game, FF IX. Although weaker in terms of story and gameplay, X-2 makes up for this with a raft of content, secret endings and, especially in this release, the addition of extra Dress Spheres and Creature Creator, another feature seen later in FF games.

The Bad
Both games are not without their faults though. The voice acting is still under-par but then you could also say that as this is first game with full speech for all scenarios, it's no wonder it was one of the weaker areas. Given that this is a HD remaster, rather than a re-release, I would have anticipated that more effort was put into other models apart from the main 7, Seymour and Jecht but it's still lovely to see the work done on the main models, especially with speech and animations.

The Bottom Line
All in all, a great release and a timely one for people who missed on the PS2 release over 10 years ago. Whether you're a newbie to JPRGs or a seasoned master, this rerelease is as good as Final Fantasy gets.

The Good
(Rick is sitting in his lab, tinkering with his gadgets. Morty walks in.)

Morty: Hey, Rick! Have you played FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster yet? It's really good!

Rick: Oh, Morty. Don't get your hopes up. It's just another remaster of some old games. Nothing special.

Morty: What do you mean, Rick? It's got great graphics and a cool story.

Rick: Sure, Morty. Great graphics. But that doesn't make it a good game. It's just a coat of paint over some outdated mechanics. And the story? Don't even get me started on that. It's your typical JRPG nonsense. Overly melodramatic, filled with cliches and plot holes.

Morty: But Rick, the characters are so cool! Tidus is a great protagonist and Yuna is really interesting!

Rick: (scoffs) Tidus? That whiny, entitled brat? And Yuna, the naive priestess who needs saving every five seconds? Give me a break, Morty. They're just two-dimensional anime stereotypes.

Morty: But what about the gameplay? It's so fun!

Rick: Fun? Morty, you're easily amused. The gameplay is just a series of turn-based battles with some clunky mechanics. And let's not forget the tedious mini-games that take you out of the main story.

Morty: (deflated) Oh. I guess I didn't think about that.

Rick: Of course you didn't, Morty. You're too busy being swept up in the hype. Maybe find something that challenges your mind and your reflexes. Something that doesn't rely on nostalgia and pretty graphics to sell copies.

Morty: Uhh, so what do you recommend, Rick?

Rick: For you, Morty? Probably Fortnite. ~sluuurp~

Anyway, that was unnecessary.

FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster is a total blast from the past. As a huge fan of the original games, I was pumped to dive back into Spira and relive the story of Tidus and Yuna. And let me tell you, the HD remaster does not disappoint.

The updated visuals bring the world of Spira to life in a whole new way, and it's amazing to see all the characters and environments in such vivid detail. But it's not just the graphics that make this remaster so great. The gameplay is just as fun and addictive as ever, and I found myself getting lost in the story for hours on end.

The Bad
Of course, there are a few minor gripes I have with the game. Some of the voice acting can be a bit cheesy at times, and the pacing of the story can feel a little slow in parts. But overall, these are just minor nitpicks that don't detract from the overall experience.

The Bottom Line
All in all, FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster is a must-play for any fan of the series. The updated graphics and addictive gameplay make it well worth the price of admission, and I can't recommend it enough. If you're looking for a classic RPG with a modern twist, this is the game for you. Alternatively, if you were a fan of its original release - this is an awesome way to re-experience it.

Plus - blitzball. =D

The Good
Final Fantasy X
Of all the Final Fantasy games I reviewed until know, FFX definitely has the best combat system. It finally ditches ATB, introduces a true turn-based system and even has a preview for which enemies or party members have the next turns. I desperately missed this in Final Fantasy III! But the true genius is that the player can switch party members on the fly. This leads to a very flexible system which kept combat interesting until the end. The only downside is that AP (this game's experience points) are only distributed to party members which had an active turn during the combat, which means the player has to somehow switch in all members before the final hit in order to maximize earned AP. This unnecessarily prolongs most random combat situations.

Speaking of AP, the character development was also changed compared to previous FF. Instead of automatic progression, the player spends AP manually on the so-called sphere grid. This actually doesn't change much because the progression paths are still linear until the endgame, but unlocking new abilities feels good.

In my opinion, Spira is the most interesting world which was created for a FF game so far. The atmosphere is dark and you can tell how oppressed the people are by their desperate situation. I stayed always interested in the lore, even when it was recited by a bad voice actor. The party members are fine.

Final Fantasy X-2
The basic premise is interesting: after the ending of FFX, Spira has become an almost happy place. Now Yuna and Rikku allow themselves a complete career change and go on adventures. The game has a relaxing atmosphere, at least until chapter 3, and the road trip of three girlfriends has potential.

The Bad
Final Fantasy X
Unfortunately the plot itself can't hold a candle to the interesting world. It is predictable, esoteric and boring. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't call it bad either, but I never was invested in it. This is partly also the fault of the side characters: their voice acting is often very bad and the sub-villain's motivation is ridiculous.

FFX is way too linear. For the majority of the game, you just walk on a straight line forward. Yes, you can stop to participate in bad mini-games or walk backwards to already visited places, but this is no consolation. Previous FF were also linear, but they did hide it much better. To be fair, towards the end it opens up a bit and I learned I missed a few pretty big things - but if the game trains the player to never look backwards for 30 hours, you can hardly fault them to do just that.

Unfortunately I also have to talk about the graphics. Generally the locations are very pretty, but the animation doesn't work at all at times. In the old games with way less detailed character models you had to give them hyperbolic animations or the player wouldn't notice them at all. Square used the same approach here and it makes many cutscenes unintentionally hilarious. You just can't take an angry or laughing Tidus seriously if he jumps around like Pinocchio.

Final Fantasy X-2
After the fantastic combat system of FFX, the developers decided to implement a terrible system instead. It's back to ATB; and the most chaotic version so far. You almost can't tell the enemy's action, which hampers tactical rebuttals because everything is so hectic. The system itself is pretty complex because the three main characters can switch to different classes during combat and there are also various additional dependencies. The problem: you won't need them because each combat falls into only two permutations: brain-dead or annoying. The status effects that enemies can inflict are worse than in previous FF and with a bit of misfortune, it is possible to enter an unavoidable party death directly after the combat starts - but that's also more or less the only challenge the game can offer.

I could live with this if the game had other things to offer. Unfortunately the plot is boring, the characters are stupid and the humor falls flat. The semi-open world structure only means the player has to walk through the whole available world every chapter to get re-spawning chests, find a few differences and play more shitty mini games. It makes the whole game completely repetitive.

The Bottom Line
Despite its shortcomings in the narrative, I had consistent fun with FFX. Thanks to the very good combat system, it stays engaging until the very end. Unfortunately FFX-2 can't reach the quality of its predecessor: despite a few good ideas, the result is a chore to play. Because of this I abandoned it after about 20 hours during chapter 3. Despite my greatly different feelings towards both games, I have to cover them in one review and have to assign an overall score. My individual scores would be 3.5 stars for FFX and 2 for FFX-2.

Additionally, this compilation includes the 15 minute movie Eternal Calm which serves as a bridge between the two games as well as Final Fantasy X-2: Final Mission which is set after FFX-2. Eternal Calm is alright (the beginning is a bit boring and it is not required to understand FFX-2, but it doesn't hurt to watch) and I didn't play Final Mission.