RPGamers Network > Reviews > Game Reviews > Final Fantasy X-2
Originality:
Honestly, FFX-2 generally lacked in the ways of originality. Save the world (again), find a friend, unite the people, et cetera et cetera. Story-wise the game offered nothing Square Enix hadn't already given to us. However, this game marked the return of the age old Job system to the FF world, and brought it in a way that Square Enix will have difficulty toppling in the future. Each of your three playable characters can be one of 16 different job classes. Past favorites like Warrior and Black Mage make their return, but classes from recent FF games like Gambler and Dark Warrior also enter the ring. But they didn't stop there. At any point in any battle the player is allowed to change the class of any of the three girls. The player arranges the classes, or dress-spheres (as they are called in the game), on a garment grid. Garment Grids are acquired through doing different quests throughout the game. Each grid offers different possibilities on it: one grid may increase your characters HP level, while another may give a girl the Cure and Life spells. And there are 60 grids, many improving upon a previous one.
Gameplay:
Final Fantasy X-2 offers a very different approach to progressing through the game. Perhaps influenced by Final Fantasy Tactics, this game offers five different chapters. The player performs missions given by Brother, the... uhm... brother... of returning member Rikku. Each mission takes you to a different area of Spira, and you will find yourself constantly revisiting every area several times if you wish to acquire 100% completion (the game has an in game meter that displays your completion to that point). While there are only a few missions that are actually required to play, too much of the game is missed by skipping the other areas. But you are given a choice, something that was simply lacking in Final Fantasy X. The nicest part about this mission system, though, is that you can put the game down for awhile, pick it up back, and not find yourself totally lost. The game length really depends on how much you want to do in the game.
Music:
I wasn't too impressed by the music. Most of it was too poppy. It was either too poppy or too something-that-should-have-been-in-an-old-porno-y. The FMV's that contained the actual singing, while still too poppy for my tastes, were at least better to listen to. Don't plan on playing this game for its music, unless you've got a thing for pop.
Plot:
What can I say, the game lacked in it. Not only were you saving the world, but you were doing it with the same person and it was the same world. It's like nothing had changed at all. The same people were fighting, new people were fighting, and it was a big ball of hate. Then you showed up in your little dress, sang a song or two, and everybody was happy. Then you went off to find your friend. That's the game in a nutshell. Granted other stuff happens in there, but it's nothing we haven't seen in the past.
Battle System:
I went into this game skeptical on the battle system. I wasn't a fan of Final Fantasy X's system, and since the game was in the same world, I assumed it would be the same. I was dead wrong. I actually enjoyed it, and it kept me playing this game like an addict. Square Enix went back to the time bar system, but took it to a new level. The game moves almost in real time. Your characters will move around the field and attack either immediately after receiving the command (Warriors, Gunners, etc), or after a period of time for "charging" the skill (Alchemist, Mages, etc). However, each attack causes the potential to amplify the damage of the next attack, if performed within a certain time period. This often results in some nasty combos. Also, not all attacks are straight up single attacks, different classes attack at different rates. Your Thief will actually attack twice for every turn, whereas your Gunner can actually attack twenty successive times (if you use her Trigger Happy skill). The intent here is not to prolong battles, but to make use of the chain attack possibilities.
Sound and Visiuals:
The game does make good use of the PlayStation 2's capabilities. The graphics are good. They added just enough to the original Spira to make interesting, yet familiar. The battle graphics are substantially improved. The characters themselves have individual costumes and attacks for every single class. And though I dislike the particular genre the music goes with, I can't deny that the sound quality was great. The sound effects were also good, and fit in nicely with the flow of the game. I personally enjoyed the little outbursts the girls would occasionally have on the field. No complaints.
Replay Value:
Aside from the improved battle system, the only real trait lending to the replay value is the game completion meter. For those of us that simply have to get 100% completion, we hate hearing that we can't do it on our first time through. Thought it is possible, it's highly unlikely that any player would properly complete the mission the first time through (without some outside assistance). But the story isn't non-linear enough to be different depending on how you play. And while the battle system was good, it wasn't good enough to make me want to play it again anytime soon.
Conclusion:
It's a solid game. The pros and the cons balance each other out. I honestly don't think it was ground-breaking by any means, but was good enough to play through at least once. For a sequel to a game that I hated, I can't really complain about the results.
| Game Stats | |
|---|---|
| Genre | RPG |
| Platform | PlayStation 2 |
| Format | CD-ROM |
| # of Players | 1 |
| Released Jap | 03.13.2003 |
| Released US | 11.18.2003 |
| Released EU | 02.20.2004 |
| Aprox. Length | 20-35 hrs. |
| Reviewer Rankings | |
| Battle System | 9.0 |
| Gameplay | 7.0 |
| Music | 5.0 |
| Originality | 6.0 |
| Plot | 5.0 |
| Replay Value | 6.0 |
| Sound | 8.0 |
| Visuals | 9.0 |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Overall | |
| 6.9 | |
Final Fantasy X-2
By: Square EnixReviewed By: Dominator
In the midst of all the commotion caused by Final Fantasy XI, Square Enix reached a personal landmark - the first sequel to a Final Fantasy game. Final Fantasy X-2 takes the player back into Spira, two years after the beginning of the Calm.Originality:
Honestly, FFX-2 generally lacked in the ways of originality. Save the world (again), find a friend, unite the people, et cetera et cetera. Story-wise the game offered nothing Square Enix hadn't already given to us. However, this game marked the return of the age old Job system to the FF world, and brought it in a way that Square Enix will have difficulty toppling in the future. Each of your three playable characters can be one of 16 different job classes. Past favorites like Warrior and Black Mage make their return, but classes from recent FF games like Gambler and Dark Warrior also enter the ring. But they didn't stop there. At any point in any battle the player is allowed to change the class of any of the three girls. The player arranges the classes, or dress-spheres (as they are called in the game), on a garment grid. Garment Grids are acquired through doing different quests throughout the game. Each grid offers different possibilities on it: one grid may increase your characters HP level, while another may give a girl the Cure and Life spells. And there are 60 grids, many improving upon a previous one.
Gameplay:
Final Fantasy X-2 offers a very different approach to progressing through the game. Perhaps influenced by Final Fantasy Tactics, this game offers five different chapters. The player performs missions given by Brother, the... uhm... brother... of returning member Rikku. Each mission takes you to a different area of Spira, and you will find yourself constantly revisiting every area several times if you wish to acquire 100% completion (the game has an in game meter that displays your completion to that point). While there are only a few missions that are actually required to play, too much of the game is missed by skipping the other areas. But you are given a choice, something that was simply lacking in Final Fantasy X. The nicest part about this mission system, though, is that you can put the game down for awhile, pick it up back, and not find yourself totally lost. The game length really depends on how much you want to do in the game.
Music:
I wasn't too impressed by the music. Most of it was too poppy. It was either too poppy or too something-that-should-have-been-in-an-old-porno-y. The FMV's that contained the actual singing, while still too poppy for my tastes, were at least better to listen to. Don't plan on playing this game for its music, unless you've got a thing for pop.
Plot:
What can I say, the game lacked in it. Not only were you saving the world, but you were doing it with the same person and it was the same world. It's like nothing had changed at all. The same people were fighting, new people were fighting, and it was a big ball of hate. Then you showed up in your little dress, sang a song or two, and everybody was happy. Then you went off to find your friend. That's the game in a nutshell. Granted other stuff happens in there, but it's nothing we haven't seen in the past.
Battle System:
I went into this game skeptical on the battle system. I wasn't a fan of Final Fantasy X's system, and since the game was in the same world, I assumed it would be the same. I was dead wrong. I actually enjoyed it, and it kept me playing this game like an addict. Square Enix went back to the time bar system, but took it to a new level. The game moves almost in real time. Your characters will move around the field and attack either immediately after receiving the command (Warriors, Gunners, etc), or after a period of time for "charging" the skill (Alchemist, Mages, etc). However, each attack causes the potential to amplify the damage of the next attack, if performed within a certain time period. This often results in some nasty combos. Also, not all attacks are straight up single attacks, different classes attack at different rates. Your Thief will actually attack twice for every turn, whereas your Gunner can actually attack twenty successive times (if you use her Trigger Happy skill). The intent here is not to prolong battles, but to make use of the chain attack possibilities.
Sound and Visiuals:
The game does make good use of the PlayStation 2's capabilities. The graphics are good. They added just enough to the original Spira to make interesting, yet familiar. The battle graphics are substantially improved. The characters themselves have individual costumes and attacks for every single class. And though I dislike the particular genre the music goes with, I can't deny that the sound quality was great. The sound effects were also good, and fit in nicely with the flow of the game. I personally enjoyed the little outbursts the girls would occasionally have on the field. No complaints.
Replay Value:
Aside from the improved battle system, the only real trait lending to the replay value is the game completion meter. For those of us that simply have to get 100% completion, we hate hearing that we can't do it on our first time through. Thought it is possible, it's highly unlikely that any player would properly complete the mission the first time through (without some outside assistance). But the story isn't non-linear enough to be different depending on how you play. And while the battle system was good, it wasn't good enough to make me want to play it again anytime soon.
Conclusion:
It's a solid game. The pros and the cons balance each other out. I honestly don't think it was ground-breaking by any means, but was good enough to play through at least once. For a sequel to a game that I hated, I can't really complain about the results.
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