Final Fantasy X-2

aka: FFX-2
Moby ID: 8706
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Description official descriptions

Final Fantasy X-2 is the first direct sequel in the history of the series. The events of the game take place two years after Yuna and her guardians defeated Sin in Final Fantasy X, and peace was restored in Spira. The Yevon religion has all but disappeared, and two political factions begin to compete for dominance: the Youth League, led by Mevyn Nooj, and the New Yevon Party, led by Praetor Baralai. Meanwhile, Yuna's cousin Rikku finds a strange sphere that mysteriously shows an image resembling Tidus, Yuna's one and only love. Rikku brings the sphere to Yuna. Determined to discover the truth behind the mystery, Yuna organizes a journey of "sphere-hunting", to collect more spheres scattered around the world and perhaps find Tidus.

The sequel brings back the ATB (active time battle) system, which was replaced by turn-based combat in its immediate predecessor. The battles develop at a somewhat quicker pace than earlier games in the series, with more emphasis on quick decision and timing. The player can control only three characters throughout the game, all of them female: Yuna and her friends Rikku and Paine. The job system similar to that of Final Fantasy V is featured, with the possibility to learn various abilities and customize character classes. Limited jumping and climbing are now possible in certain locations. The game's structure is less linear than in most other games belonging to the genre. Though there is only one way to advance through the main story, the player can opt to visit most other locations early in the game, since the airship is available already at that stage.

Spellings

  • ファイナルファンタジーX-2 - Japanese spelling
  • 最终幻想X-2 (Zui Zhong Huanxiang X-2) - Chinese spelling (simplified)

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (PlayStation 2 version)

258 People (230 developers, 28 thanks) · View all

Producer
Director
Main Programmers
Main Character Designer
Art Director
Real-Time Graphics & 3D Map Director
Scenario
Image Illustrator
Music
Field Planning Director
Battle Planning Director
Chief VFX Programmer
Menu Programmer
Real-Time Programmer
Alternate Costume Designer
Conceptual Art Director
Modeling Director
Motion Director
Chief Menu Designer
Movie Director
Sound Programmer
Supervising Dialogue Editor
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 81% (based on 36 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.1 out of 5 (based on 85 ratings with 9 reviews)

Its OK...but nothing special

The Good
I like Square Enix's attempt to create a real sequel to a Final Fantasy game and in a way they succeeded. Compared to FFX, the story is very light-hearted which usually what RPGs aren't. They reunite us with old characters like Wakka, Lulu and Kimahri and introduce us to new ones like Gippal, Nooj and Baralai. As far as graphics go Square Enix is numero uno with pushing the PS2 with its CGI. The new dressphere battle system is similar to the job system in Final Fantasy III but each job has its own specific skills which is kinda cool.

The Bad
Where Final Fantasy X-2 excels in some areas, there are setbacks in many other areas. Square Enix got really lazy and just used the entire Spira world again instead of creating new worlds to explore therefore losing the mystique created by its predecessor. The music is my second complaint. I love collecting game soundtracks and while I wanted to enjoy the music, a lot of it was just plain annoying, especially LeBlanc's theme song and the Celsuis theme. Next, is the story process itself. Its mission based gameplay is a different way of going through it. But around Chapter 3 it starts feeling like a chore than an adventure. Its also ridiculous to get 100 percent to get the best ending. With a mods to the game, most notably a deeper storyline, increased difficulty, eliminating "missions", more playable characters and not even including LeBlanc this would have been another classic. Instead its another so-so RPG.

The Bottom Line
For those who have to finish the two-parter, its a buy. Even people who bought Final Fantasy X shouldn't purchase just to preserve the memories of the classic 2001 RPG. General RPG fans shouldn't even touch this one.

PlayStation 2 · by Jacob Gens (1115) · 2008

First Final Fantasy sequel is a smash

The Good
The music score was outstanding, the graphics rocked, and the story hit home.

The Bad
Some scenes' animation sucked.

The Bottom Line
The world of Spira comes alive again, with familiar faces popping up everywhere. Follow Yuna, Rikku, and Paine on their quest as sphere hunters. Who is the man in the sphere Kimahri found on Gagazet? How does Paine know Gippal, Nooj, and Baralai? And what is Vegnagun?

PlayStation 2 · by Regina Stanley (1) · 2004

An overture to the symphony

The Good
Good... bad... good... bad... it is not the right way to refer to it, but more as innovative, and from various points of view, too. One thing this game managed to break is its independency from the series. Every Final Fantasy game was always a standalone world for itself, with no general connection to one another. This one becomes the first true sequel to one of those game, more correctly, to Final Fantasy X. The story of Final Fantasy X didn't left us hangin' as much as it was a deep, touching and overly sad, but done marvelously at that very design pattern. However, Squaresoft obviously had in mind to leave it open and, with all the art and world done, they could focus on making this game a mission based plethora of quests. But they had to make a story to it, something that would still somehow keep the two major characters from the prequel in the center of event, driving this story until its conclusion.

Well, the whole game starts kinda... off balance and very silly I sensed the eruption of feelings in me wanting to throw it outside the window, along with the console and liquid crystal display. However, hours have passed and new opinion came to me, and the way events were unfolding, I couldn't help but to notice the game was patching itself up with every new move. Bottomline, the story was intriguing (and would be even more if I didn't have all the game's cinematics on my hard drive long time before). The ingame menu and all those stuff that looked complicated at first are actually not, and shouldn't take more times to adjust than the ones in FFX took you, but some may still be left unexplained which can drive you crazy if you cannot find even mentioned it in the manual either.

As the first battle started, I had no knowledge of what the heck is happening so I kept just pressing and pressing as if that would make a big deal of it. The thing is, the battles are incredibly neat and fully real-time (you can only pause them partially if you want, though), and it very depends how your characters are turned, and whether they strike from the front, side, or back. Both fiends and your characters will be changing positions on occasion, but you cannot move them yourself, it's in the heart of the battle, g.

The music this time wasn't composed by Nobuo Uematsu, and if you go listening to this game's soundtrack before playing this game first, it may well seem as a music from 1960s you can see in easy James Bond movies whenever they made cars go faster than actually. But as you play the game, it's quite alright, and gets a cool feeling for a change. Not to mention that "1000 no Kotoba" and "Real Emotion" are both great songs, even better when you see Yuna performing them in the pre-rendered cinematics.

And hey, this Final Fantasy game is way great for the fact you only have three characters and you don't get any new ones and can easily upgrade all three at once. Just shows how you don't need 12+ characters to make a good game.

The final boss battle is kinda neat. You can reach it and then fight first couple parts of the boss and then go exploring and finishing side-quests, and filling in the story bits, and then return to face the final boss again. But the final, three-battle boss is easy to pass if you're leveled up enough, little harder if you went just to grab the ending. The last of the three, if really a great battle. I dunno why, but seeing Shuyin (who looks similar to Tidus) fighting Yuna was really... well, there was something in that particular fight I liked though can't explain, 'cos generally, Shuyin character didn't seem too bright, and he played poorly his 1000 years of torment and suffering. Square could work a little bit more on his dialogues and attitude, though.

The Bad
For a company such as SquareSoft, obvious bugs are intolerable. Probably the most obvious is the animation display of dresspheres. It is equivalent to summons in FFX, where you could see full animation, short one, or turn it off. Same thing in this game, only whichever you try, you'll be seeing full animation. Kinda makes you not wanna change the dresspheres too often, ya.

The whole setting and, new as well as old, characters were neat, except LeBlanc. Man, that cow alone could make this game so much less appealing you cannot imagine. And to boost up the annoyance, you'll have to confront her and her two goons more than once. Don't you just hate when you win some boss battle just to realise that you didn't win but only show off the enemy.

The ending is good but not so good at the same time. Since square focused on replayability level with this game, they made a couple of endings that you cannot see quite all at once, and doing a replay is not something people do with long RPGs (or if they do, then they are really to be admired). Luckily, I downloaded all the game's cinematics and saw all the endings, and I must say that they could easily glue the true ending right after the credits or after the normal ending and it would still look perfect. But no, they force you to replay and hope to capture all 100% of the story. Tsk tsk tsk, Square, always having extra time to complicate on their games.

The Bottom Line
Yuna's now put in the role of heroine, quite a gunslinger looking one, too, not so shy anymore. Rikku's there, joyful as ever, always boosting up the atmosphere, and Paine is a new, mysterious and sexy, just to add up to the trio. You'll be able to visit any place now as you'll be flying most of the time, and when on board, you will never lack tears to shed because Brother will be there to constantly give you a hard time being serious gamer.

So, if you played the prequel, this is a logical step to undergo. Otherwise, there isn't much meaning in playing this game alone. Sure, it's different and all that, but you miss a big picture if you didn't play the original. Good move would be to have 'em both or none. Better both, 'cos FFX was really something to mark the era of PlayStation 2.

PlayStation 2 · by MAT (240759) · 2012

[ View all 9 player reviews ]

Trivia

Characters

If you look more carefully at Yuna's face, you'll notice her eyes are different, one eye is blue and the other is green with a swirl pattern on the iris. Her eyes are like that because she is half Al Bhed. If you notice Rikku's eyes, they are both green with swirl patterns because she is a full-blooded Al Bhed.

Development

Squaresoft originally planned to make two spin off titles to Final Fantasy X. One was to be focused on Yuna, and the other on Rikku. However, that idea was scrapped, and both characters play a central role in this game.

Music

Kumi Koda did the motion-acting for the opening. In the Japanese version of the game, she sang the theme song and voiced the character Lenne.

Story

Final Fantasy X-2 is the first Final Fantasy game to continue a storyline from a previous Final Fantasy game.

Version differences

There are two FMVs that are sort of like concerts, one where Real Emotion song is sang (intro) and one called 1000 Words (1000 no kotoba for Japanese version). US version, of course, dubbed even the songs, but there's much more to it. Seems like SquareSoft changed the FMVs for US market as well. In 1000 Words FMV you will notice that Yuna and Len are singing together and you'll see more of Len singing, whereas in Japanese version you can only see Yuna shifting to Len and vice-versa.

Video collections

SquareSoft released on July 16, 2003, a set of three separate CD/DVD combos called Final Fantasy X-2 Vocal Collection (name), where (name) stands for either YUNA, RIKKU, or PAINE. Each of double-cases holds CD with two vocal as well as instrumental version of FFX-2 songs, that in the game appear only as instrumental tracks, and a DVD that is comprised of a music video of first song from the CD, an interview with the singer (voice-actress for original Japanese game version), and a theme trailer for each of the three main female protagonists. In addition to that, each case holds manuals that contain full lyrics, once fully opened form a smaller version of poster with pre-rendered picture of Yuna, Paine, and Rikku. The contents of each CD/DVD is next...

FINAL FANTASY X-2 Vocal Collection PAINE

-- Megumi Toyoguchi -- * CD-ROM + Nemuru Omoi + Misty Eyed + Nemuru Omoi (instrumental) + Misty Eyed (instrumental) * DVD-ROM * "Nemuru Omoi" music video * interview with Megumi Toyoguchi * Final Fantasy X-2 Special Movie - PAINE Version

FINAL FANTASY X-2 Vocal Collection RIKKU

-- Marika Matsumoto -- * CD-ROM * Hadashi no Kiseki * Without You * Hadashi no Kiseki (instrumental) * Without You (instrumental)

  • DVD-ROM
  • "Hadashi no Kiseki" music video
  • interview with Marika Matsumoto
  • Final Fantasy X-2 Special Movie - RIKKU Version

FINAL FANTASY X-2 Vocal Collection YUNA

-- Mayuko Aoki -- * CD-ROM * Kimi e * Morning Glow * Kimi e (instrumental) * Morning Glow (instrumental)

  • DVD-ROM
  • "Kimi e" music video
  • interview with Mayuko Aoki
  • Final Fantasy X-2 Special Movie - YUNA Version

Awards

  • GameSpy
    • 2003 – PS2 Game of the Year (Readers' Vote)

Information also contributed by Alan Smithee and Tiago Jacques

Analytics

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Related Sites +

  • FF-Fan
    A fansite that offers all kinds of information on the entire Final Fantasy franchise, including walkthroughs, game media, discussion boards and fan art.
  • Final Fantasy Extreme
    Site that contains movies, wallpaper, codes, guides, walkthroughs, and general information on the Final Fantasy series.
  • Official US Home Page
    Story, characters, features, downloads, and more.
  • Wikipedia: Final Fantasy X-2
    Information about Final Fantasy X-2 at Wikipedia

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 8706
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Unicorn Lynx.

Additional contributors: MAT, DreinIX, —-, Patrick Bregger, 64er.

Game added March 27, 2003. Last modified January 11, 2024.