t is a time not of our own. A young athlete named Tidus is witness to his world's destruction by an evil villain appropriately named Sin. Tidus wakes on a pirate ship, assuming a short time has passed, but in fact thousands of years have streamed by and no trace exists of Zanarkand—the land he once called home. Soon Titus meets Yuna—a young summoner who has pledged to destroy Sin—and the quest is on.
It's a lengthy, but mostly linear, quest. Although the game can beaten in 40 hours, those who explore the numerous side quests and mini-games will spend easily twice that amount of time in front of their televisions. Tidus' adventuring party gradually swells to seven, and includes an eclectic mix of thrill-seekers. There is the mysterious Auron—a master swordsman who knows more than he is letting on. The bluish man-lion Kimahri Ronso. The beautiful Lulu, and the perky Rikku. Each has special talents, and each plays a key role in developing the story.
Final Fantasy X utilizes a hybrid turn-based/real-time combat system. Each character's actions determine how long they take to recover between turns. That "recovery" clock ticks in real time, but when the character's turn arrives, the player may take as long as he or she likes to select actions and opponents. The futuristic fighting is laced with magic, swords, ranged weapons and forceful beings, called Aeons, which Yuna may summon to aid the party. There is no multiplayer.
Role-playing done right
One day, Squaresoft will stop outdoing itself. On that dark day, Square's latest role-playing game won't be its best, and gamers will stop going gaga over each Square title. Yeah, one day that may happen, but it's not happening yet. With the masterpiece titled Final Fantasy X, Squaresoft has once again upped the role-playing game design ante for the rest of the design world, and created what is perhaps the finest game the PlayStation 2 has seen.
From the opening full-motion animation to the final boss battle, Final Fantasy X is a special game. Beautiful, creative, fun, enthralling and challenging, the game has everything that a good role-playing game should have. The characters are believable, the plot fascinating and the combat an edge-of-the-seat affair. In short, this is typical, top-notch, Squaresoft role-playing.
Unlike other Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy X does not let the gamer wander. The plot and progression of scenes propel the gamer along the journey that Square envisioned. But worry not, that is a good thing. The tempo is fast, the graphics are lush, and the combat a brain-teasing rush.
Final Fantasy X is the most beautiful game Squaresoft has produced. Of course, that's expected—it's their first role-playing game for the powerful PlayStation 2. Nevertheless, the game exudes a lush ambiance that at times rivals Square's cinematic movie masterpiece, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Sparkling water falls over the buildings of Zarnakand, swords flash in battle, and each character moves with surreally lifelike animation. It's an optical treat that even the most jaded gamer will love.
In fact, Final Fantasy X is a gaming treat for all to enjoy. Perhaps the finest game available for the PlayStation 2, Squaresoft's opus magus combines enthralling story, exciting combat and richly detailed graphics into one whale of a game.
The game was a joy to play. If you play but one role-playing game this year, make it Final Fantasy X.
— Mark
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