Final Fantasy X-2

Oh boy. Where to begin? With Final Fantasy X, I suppose. I loved Final Fantasy X. I played it and beat it - beat the hell out of it, really - in the spring, summer, and fall of 2002. I was a huge fan of the in-battle gameplay, the "customizable but guided" nature of the sphere grid system, and the visually stunning world brought to me courtesy of the PS2's very capable graphics engine. The story wasn't my favorite in a Final Fantasy game, but was solid and compelling and expansive nonetheless. There was a solemn and sad tone that carried throughout most of the game, allowing for several memorable and meaningful cut scenes. And while some of the characters were more flamboyant and childish than in any previous game in the beloved franchise, they were all pretty fleshed out and interesting. All things considered, it was a great game, and until a few years ago when I rediscovered a ton of old games in college, I considered it one of my ten favorite games of all time. And I wasn't alone; Final Fantasy X was a huge commercial and critical success, and to this day probably remains the franchise's second-most mainstream title after Final Fantasy VII. So Squaresoft - actually, it was Square Enix by then - decided to make a direct sequel. And that is why we have Final Fantasy X-2, a game with a very different tone, feel, and style than its acclaimed predecessor. Fellow blogger Sweeney played and beat Final Fantasy X last fall, and said that his biggest beef with the game was the awkward relationship between the main characters Tidus and Yuna. He'll be sorry to hear - and hell, I'm sorry to have to say - that their relationship is what drives the story this time around. I'll keep this light spoiler vague, but Tidus "goes away" in a sense at the end of Final Fantasy X, after saving the world and all, leaving Yuna kind of sad. Then, to kick off Final Fantasy X-2, Yuna has a vision in which she sees Tidus again, and suddenly the main goal of the game is to find out whether or not Yuna can reunite with Tidus. I mean, there are plenty of other stories going on too, but still, the sequel just felt so much lighter and less meaningful than the original. And we haven't even discussed the tone, look, and feel of X-2 yet. Since you end up saving the world from an endless cycle of despair at the end of Final Fantasy X, the world is a much happier and cheerier place in Final Fantasy X-2. And maybe it's just that I'm American and not Japanese, but frankly, I wasn't amused by all of the comically goofy cut scenes and I didn't think it was cool or fun that Yuna and your two other party members - returning Rikku and newcomer Paine - are in a pop group together. I mean, it makes sense. I get it. The world was a sad and sorrowful place in Final Fantasy X, but now in Final Fantasy X-2 things are so much better off and everyone's just trying to have a little fun. So, it works, in that respect. It just doesn't carry the same weight and emotional investment that its predecessor did, and therefore, my interest waned pretty quickly. Gameplay revolves around a new mechanic called "dresspheres," in which Charlie's angels - I mean, Yuna and company - change their outfits mid-battle (or between battles) so as to change their abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. The idea of "job classes" is nothing new to Final Fantasy, and has in fact long been a staple of the series. But even though characters' appearances have always changed when their job classes have - a wizard looks a lot different than a knight, for example - Final Fantasy X-2 is the first time in the series where it seems like the different outfits are the reason to change job classes, and not just a side effect of the process. It's actually not quite as bad as it sounds; none of the outfits are scant or sexual enough to carry a "NSFW" label or anything, and aside from a class called "mascot" in which the girls change into big plush Moogle costumes, none of the different outfits reinforced the "perverted Japanese" stereotype. Nonetheless, this is the sequel to an acclaimed and beloved and epic RPG, and the battle system revolves around playing dress-up and the story revolves around pop concerts and love triangles. It just doesn't hold up. Final Fantasy X-2 is a slightly strange but decent game by its own right, for sure, but as a sequel to Final Fantasy X it just doesn't hold up so well. At least the optional nature of so many missions made it a pretty short game by Final Fantasy standards. Twenty hours or so got me through the story and about half of the sidequests. Actually, the amount of optional parts of the game that you complete before beating it will directly affect how the game ends for you. Are Yuna and Tidus reunited? Well, if you're like me, and you left half of the game unplayed, then no! (But who cares? Not you; you're like me!) But a quick perusal through some YouTube clips has satisfied what little desire I had to see those two hug it out again. Another clutch performance by the Internet! (Speaking of which, without the Internet, I'd never have been able to finish the game as quickly as I did. Gotta love those guys who spend days writing walkthroughs for no compensation. They deserve to get their own "real men of genius" Bud Light commercial or something.) And so concludes my time with Final Fantasy X-2. It was what it was, and that's just fine with me.