Final Fantasy X-2 - Platinum (PS2)

Final Fantasy X-2 is a confused game, this much is clear from the two opening sequences to the game. The usual, sombre opening credits are intact, and from this beginning you could be forgiven for thinking you were about to embark on the usual Final Fantasy adventure, with accompanying heavy plots and emotional scenes aplenty.
This is shattered once you start the game, however. Our heroes are introduced in colourful cut-away freeze frame, in moments which very correctly remind many people of 'Charlie's Angels.' Yuna sings J-Pop, Rikku tries to subdue a guard using her cuteness, and Paine jumps straight into action. A few moments later, the girls all join up for a group freeze-frame, and the unsuspecting gamer is left not knowing what to think.

It establishes itself quickly as light-hearted, yet also throws you quickly into the thick of battle, and the unitiated may be taken aback by the speedy nature of the turn-based battles. This is a tremendous change for the series, though: the clunky, pause-ridden battles which have typified FF games thusfar is emphatically thrown out of the window, and replaced with something much more condusive to real action.

Side-quests are a large feature of this game, and it is pleasing to discover that if you should ever bore of the main story, you can take day-trips to other areas and indulge yourself in a mini game or two. I once visited Luca, intending only to level up a few times before I continued, but was drawn into a beuatifully detailed reconstruction of some of Yuna's backstory: a most pleasing diversion.

Production values in this game are consistently high, and the amount of speech, especially in battles, is hugely impressive. The characters are thus fleshed out fantastically, and the player is drawn into the experience with great intensity.

The one drawback is that this is still Final Fantasy: seemingly a curious criticism. You still go from A to B and battle a boss before you get the item you want. You still have to level up and get money to beat these bosses, and you still have to use trial and error on too many occassions.
The saving grace of FFX-2 is the inventive nature of the in-game experience, and the diverse society which makes up Spira.

Rikku, Yuna and Paine do succeed in making this a successful sequel to FFX, and hopefully Square-Enix can learn from what they've done here to make FFXII a fantastic experience.

Well I might as well get the first bit over with: in my opinion FFX-2 isn't as good as FFX. BUT it's still a great game in its own right. First of all, if you've played the previous game and are looking for a new experience then this isn't for you, as most of the game takes place in locations which featured in FFX. If you're happy to return to the world of Spira, then read on. I'd definitely recommend playing FFX first otherwise this game might not make much sense.
The graphics are pretty much the same in FFX-2 as they were in FFX. Not surprising seeing as FFX's jaw-droppingly amazing graphics are difficult to improve on. Like before, the cinematics in the game are phenomenal and even the regular graphics are highly detailed, I very much doubt any game has better or even equally good graphics as FFX and X-2, at least until FFXII comes out.
The sound is the game is very good, and although the soundtrack doesn't come close to the standard of FFX's amazing score, there are still some very nice tunes. It's a relief to hear all the same voice actors as before, and the general quality of the voice acting is of a high standard. Most of the characters in FFX make an appearance in X-2, you'll meet nearly everyone you encountered previously at some point in the game (unless they died in FFX of course), although it does depend on which optional sidequests you do.
In FFX-2 your party consists of Yuna, Rikku and new girl Paine. Yuna and Rikku's personalities are pretty much the same as before (although Rikku does seem a bit kinkier ;) ) with Yuna being kind and helpful like before (but the new "tough chick" image she sometimes tries to pull off in X-2 doesn't quite work) and Rikku is still bubbly and cheerful. I'm not particularly fond of Paine, while she does have her interesting moments, in general I thought she was quite rigid and boring, I would've much rather Lulu had her role in the game (my favourite FFX character).
FFX-2 is much less linear than previous FFs, with other half the game consisting of optional sidequests (known as missions), so the game's length really depends on how many optional quests you undertake. Even if you only play the bits you have to though, this game still represents outstanding value for money. Doing the optional parts will help you to obtain a much wider knowledge of the storyline though, and most of them are very enjoyable too. In FFX-2, the amount of the game that you have played is represented by a percentage score, the more missions you take part in, the higher this will be. If you manage to get 100%, you'll be treated to a bonus scene at the end of the game, although if you're aiming for 100% I'd strongly recommend you buy the Prima strategy guide, as it's so easy to miss something you're required to do. It'd be very frustrating if you messed up your chances of getting 100% after say, 40 hours of gameplay by forgetting to do one little requirement and having to start over. Going for 100% does require you to complete some very difficult tasks though and constantly having to check that you've fulfilled all the requirements can make the game feel like quite a chore. There's no obligation to go for the top completion score though, other than the events which progress the storyline forward, which missions you participate in are totally up to you. However a few of them can greatly influence the ending of the game, so it's worth looking into them.
As in previous FFs, love 'em or hate 'em, battles occur randomly (other than set fights). Whereas in FFX you could take as long as you wanted to make your move, in X-2 the battles are more realistic and are much faster paced. This can lead to them being quite chaotic and although some gamers might like the battles having more of a speedy element, I preferred FFX's tactical system where you could plan your move with as much time as you needed. Sadly Yuna no longer has the ability to summon aeons in X-2, but there is now the very cool dressphere system, which is similar the "jobs" system in FFV. Each character has their own very stylish outfit for each dressphere, which include the classics such as Black Mage, White Mage, Warrior, and Thief, and some new, very interesting ones such as Lady Luck and Mascot, the latter has Yuna dressed as a moogle, Rikku as Cait Sith and Paine as a tonberry, very amusing ^^
Fans of the blitzball game in FFX will unfortunately be very disappointed as in X-2 you only get to play it near the end of the game, but the worst part is that you can't control your players during the game, and I don't really understand what made Square-Enix come to that decision. There is however a new game called "Sphere Break", which you can play from an early stage in the game, and although it does seem confusing at first, once you get into it, it becomes quite enjoyable.
The storyline in FFX-2 certainly isn't as strong as FFX's, but it's still very absorbing, and although the early stages of the game might not seem to be very significant, as you progress the plot does become gripping. Mysteries from FFX are revealed and there are plenty of new occurrences to make your second visit to Spira just as action-packed as the first.
I think that FFX-2 suffers in reviews because people compare it to FFX too much. It may not be as good, but it's still an excellent game in its own right. It's non-linear, fun, dramatic, action-packed, pretty much everything you need in a game. I don't regret buying it and it's got a permanent place in my collection.

I've had the joy of playing most of the Final Fantasy titles. And in all that time, this is the most radical of them all. In some respects, it's hardly anything like your stereotypical RPG. But in others, it really, really is.

Now, it goes without saying, that the graphics are splendid. The world of Spira is as beautiful as it was in the previous installment, so no real suprises there then.

And the characters largely make a return, but in different respects. As the story now focuses on Yuna, and what she's up to, two years after the events of the previous game.

The sound however, is altogether different. The music is something straight out of Japan, as though it was written by Fame Academy / Pop Idol, but in Japan. Typical, ultra cheese. Though that's entirely down to taste, it does fit the game rather well, considering what happened in the world of FF X.

The real difference between this, and the last game, comes in the way the game is actually played. This time around, there are no summons for you to raise, but in their place, are what's known as dresspheres. These are how the game is won and lost, and depending on what you wear (No bikinis unfortunately!), you can choose to be a magician, or a warrior, among others. It's an interesting, and fairly complex system, that can work well.

Another key difference, is the game's non-linearity. It now has multiple endings (Replayability, whoo!), and a new mission structure, that allows you to choose where you go and what to deal with. The game is verily much less centered around a drawn out epic story, as doing the story missions alone (Known as "hotspots") can lead you to finish the game in under 20 hours. That's not to say the game is small. Far from it infact, as the sheer volume of side-quests, can last a single play through, in the region of atleast 50 hours.

Overall, FF X - 2 is not a typical Final Fantasy game. But the traits are definately there. It is a good game, and fans of the series will most probably enjoy it.