Old School Gamers: Your opinion of FFX?

Sure, I'll explain. People continually say they "loved FFX battle system" which is absolutely hilarious. The battle system is nothing more than the same generic battle system with a tag implementation that's already been done in several other RPGs, such as Dragon Quest IV.

Final Fantasy X-2 on the other hand, was pure chaotic bliss. You were not handed aeons to sacrifice. You were not handed "turn orders" so you could basically sit there and decide what you wanted to do next with your Yuna turn 5 turns later. It was fast paced, it was challenging, and it was brutal, the way playing a "game" is supposed to be. Instead of being able to "tag" you could change classes on same characters mid-battle, but not without both wasting a turn and then some if you haven't developed the dressphere for the class. You also didn't have a magical new character with full HP/MP either, you had the same character with the same stats. No free shit this time, at all.

People call the plot of FFX-2 a joke. This is acceptable, considering it had to basically pick up the shitty pieces of and patch an already existing convoluted and monotonous story. It did quite well too. Of course, the entire plot as a whole between the two games blows, but what can you do?

Originally Posted by Freelance Wolf

P.S. This game was made solely to sell the guides, as there is no bloody way anyone can get the perfect ending without it.

This is actually very achievable, and I put 145 hours into the game without a guide to do just this. This is part of the challenge, which obviously isn't for everyone. If you thought the final boss was "so easy" it simply means you went through and overpowered yourself for the fight. An acceptable way to win, however it still remains that the final boss here does not allow you instant victory.

Quite frankly, I'm surprised at most of you sitting back and saying that FFX-2 was "too girly" for your tastes, when you obviously have no problem playing other games where the MALE lead exudes feminine qualities. Most people don't complain about how child-like and cartoony Kingdom Hearts is, yet theoretically it falls under the same premise. You don't mind being in the Little Mermaid's world, or Beauty in the Beast's world, but you mind playing Final Fantasy X-2. Right.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I actually enjoyed FFX. This being said from someone who adores FFVI, Suikoden II, and the 2-D game likes. It was one of the first games I bought for PS2. I remember the day it came out, I went to Target to get it simply because I thought the graphics and ads were just so pretty. And it didn't let down. I thought the PS2 graphic capabilities were amazing just from that one game. I know I'm probably ranting over the graphics too much, but that made the game what it is. For the first FF on PS2, you are expecting a lot, and Square delivered.

The story and characters were good. Of course, there are the usual "I HATE THEM" characters, like Wakka or Kimahri, but there's the badassness of Auron that made up for them. Even the ending got to me, in a FFVIII-ish way. I don't think anyone could expect another FFVI in this era, which is sad. But I still think FFX is a good game to start off a new gen RPG player with. The story had me guessing a few times. I liked it.

And FFX-2... let's not go there. It's an excuse for fanboys to buy more eye candy.

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Originally Posted by Kostaki

Sure, I'll explain. People continually say they "loved FFX battle system" which is absolutely hilarious. The battle system is nothing more than the same generic battle system with a tag implementation that's already been done in several other RPGs, such as Dragon Quest IV.

Almost the entire timing structure of FFX's battle system was taken from Final Fantasy Tactics. The only real difference is that in FFX, you're not running around on a grid.

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

At its most basic, CTB is a turn-based system which does not operate in rounds. That is, though each character's turn is atomic, the order of the turns does not guarantee that each participant in a battle will have an equal number of turns. Characters with higher speed will be able to take more turns than slower characters, thus making speed much more important than in other turn-based battle systems. Furthermore, spells and abilities can modify the turn order (called the Act List), as some abilities require a longer cool down time. In general, weaker abilities tend to require less cool down time, thus introducing a trade-off between speed and power.

The system is distinguished from Square Enix's Active Time Battle system by the fact that when a character's turn begins, all action stops while the player decides upon an action. This shifts the focus from reflexes and quick decision-making to strategy and careful planning.

Final Fantasy X featured an augmented CTB system, allowing the player to substitute characters while in the middle of a battle (the "party interchange system".[1])

Basically, the difference between ATB and CTB is like the difference between dodgeball and chess. I prefer chess.

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Final Fantasy X-2 on the other hand, was pure chaotic bliss. You were not handed aeons to sacrifice.

Or hell, depending on how you view it. Honestly, I hardly ever even used my aeons. This is probably because I actually spent time levelling up my characters.

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You were not handed "turn orders" so you could basically sit there and decide what you wanted to do next with your Yuna turn 5 turns later.

Yes, God forbid we'd want to plan ahead and use strategy. Not everybody prefers harsh, panicky, think-on-your-feet style battling.

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It was fast paced, it was challenging, and it was brutal, the way playing a "game" is supposed to be.

Says who? I hope you never play any tactical RPGs.

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People call the plot of FFX-2 a joke. This is acceptable, considering it had to basically pick up the shitty pieces of and patch an already existing convoluted and monotonous story. It did quite well too. Of course, the entire plot as a whole between the two games blows, but what can you do?

Anyone who thinks the plot of FFX is bad clearly was not paying attention. But then again, I can't blame you, the execution wasn't the best and many of the plot pieces are never explained directly. If you're opening minded and willing to do some actual research, you'll find that FFX has a wonderful plot, one of the best, IMO.

I was speaking idiomatically.

FFX had one of the best last-minute revelations I've encountered in a video game. I thought the plot was great up to that point but it REALLY soared afterwards.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I wouldn't worry about what I have and haven't played. I have more than enough experience to back up whatever I say.

Where you think you're getting that FFT's system had anything to do with FFX's system is beyond me. I don't particularly care where however, so let's move on.

The sole purpose of a challenging system is to never give the player too much information as to basically let the game tell you how to react. Every battle in the game is easily won because FFX divulges too much information, and allows you easy mode through tagging and aeon sacrifice. If your idea of "strategy" is to basically map out an already given victory, then you may as well pop in a cheat device and blast through the battles so you can read and watch the story.

I've played all the tactical RPGs I need to and then some. More than enough to make the statements I am. Every played through Suikoden V's tactical battles where the entire map is moving at once? That's what games like FFT and Disgaea are missing.

You're entitled to your opinion about FFX's story. Of course, you say you want me to be "open-minded" while I sit here and claim that FFX-2 is a good game. Saying that FFX's plot was "one of the best" is really treading thin ice though, considering all the games that have been made and released over the many decades.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Kostaki

I wouldn't worry about what I have and haven't played. I have more than enough experience to back up whatever I say.

As do I.

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Where you think you're getting that FFT's system had anything to do with FFX's system is beyond me. I don't particularly care where however, so let's move on.

From Wikipedia, and from my own experience. All conditional time battle systems are related to each other in one way or another. FFT uses an isometric grid to fight on, and FFX uses a field, but much of the programming behind how the flow of the battle works and how the batte mechanics function is very similar.

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The sole purpose of a challenging system is to never give the player too much information as to basically let the game tell you how to react. Every battle in the game is easily won because FFX divulges too much information, and allows you easy mode through tagging and aeon sacrifice.

Perhaps for you, but not for me. The only reason I tag out is to equally level up every character, and I never really used my aeons unless all of my other characters somehow died, or it was absolutely required. Many of the non-random battles in FFX were extremely challenging. On my first playthrough, I died many, many times fighting Evrae and Yunalesca, among others, until I planned out a strategy, implemented it, and won. (By the skin of my teeth, no less.)

Sure, the random battles were easy, (well, most of them) but I don't really care about that. They are a tool to level up with, not something to enjoy or add to the game's value or difficulty.

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I've played all the tactical RPGs I need to and then some. More than enough to make the statements I am. Every played through Suikoden V's tactical battles where the entire map is moving at once? That's what games like FFT and Disgaea are missing.

I've never played any Suikoden games, sadly.

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You're entitled to your opinion about FFX's story. Of course, you say you want me to be "open-minded" while I sit here and claim that FFX-2 is a good game. Saying that FFX's plot was "one of the best" is really treading thin ice though, considering all the games that have been made and released over the many decades.

I've put a tremendous amount of research into Final Fantasy X's story, and have even written and contributed to Wikipedia articles about it, and knowing what I know, I find it to be one of the best indeed. Perhaps you are thinking more about the execution of the story in-game, I am thinking more about the backstory and the information concerning how things got the way they are. It is all very interesting and well thought out, one of the most satisfying plots of any Final Fantasy game.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I usually don't dwelve that far deep, and simply compare the systems as they are. Since you've drawn that comparison, I'll agree to your point that FFX takes on a "board game" SRPG feel. Regardless, like the tactical systems, it becomes dry and stale quickly. Such allure makes sense in present day games where you can create units and level them up at your beck and call, but not for games with pre-determined characters.

Such made sense and was fun in simpler times with games such as Shining Force, Vandal Hearts, Final Fantasy Tactics, and the like. Doesn't anymore, though.

All battles can be easily won through the use of cheap tactics, even the ones you've outlined. If you didn't use them, congratulations on not taking the easy way out; however I do not believe that everyone else thought as you did.

You should play Suikoden, specifically 2 and 5. You're missing out.

As much as I'd love to salute you for your approach in doing all that research, it's simply unnecessary for a game like that. If you were to put something like Final Fantasy X side by side with Xenogears, which somewhat constitutes the same story derivative, Xenogears shatters the unholy hell out of FFX and it wasn't even completed properly. I assure you that I am thinking of all measures of the implementation of the story. There's only so much "history" you can absolve from Final Fantasy X both in mechanic and execution.

One should not have to do "tremendous amounts of research" in order to be able to grasp deep meaning in a game's storyline. It is commendable, but hardly need be mandatory.

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Originally Posted by vemp

FFX-2 is Barbie looking for a way to revive Ken, difference is that it's 100x gayer.

The only good thing about FFX-2 was the part where they showed Yuna's panties. A good 5 seconds of it.

I liked FFX-2 way more than FFX. Both aren't great RPGs at all, but at least FFX-2 was fun for me to play, had a neat-o battle system, somewhat of a class system that I liked (old school!), and much, much fan service. Eye candy, what.

FFX was a trudge to get through, with imo the most naive storyline of the FFs. Other than that, I thought the Sphere Grid was one of the worst ideas ever. Hey, instead of letting you get your stats/abilities "automatically" we'll make let you select which upgrades you want: oh, and the board for the most part was linear, like the game. :/

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Kostaki

I usually don't dwelve that far deep, and simply compare the systems as they are. Since you've drawn that comparison, I'll agree to your point that FFX takes on a "board game" SRPG feel. Regardless, like the tactical systems, it becomes dry and stale quickly. Such allure makes sense in present day games where you can create units and level them up at your beck and call, but not for games with pre-determined characters.

Such made sense and was fun in simpler times with games such as Shining Force, Vandal Hearts, Final Fantasy Tactics, and the like. Doesn't anymore, though.

I guess it's just a matter of preference then. I personally will always prefer a slower, turn-based battle system to an active one, in any game.

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All battles can be easily won through the use of cheap tactics, even the ones you've outlined. If you didn't use them, congratulations on not taking the easy way out; however I do not believe that everyone else thought as you did.

My cheap tactic for Yunalesca was to leave all of my characters in zombie mode. I never figured out anything cheap for the wyvern.

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As much as I'd love to salute you for your approach in doing all that research, it's simply unnecessary for a game like that.

It kind of is. There are a lot of things about the story that are only revealed in untranslated Japanese guidebooks. Things that are never mentioned or even hinted at in-game.

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If you were to put something like Final Fantasy X side by side with Xenogears, which somewhat constitutes the same story derivative, Xenogears shatters the unholy hell out of FFX and it wasn't even completed properly. I assure you that I am thinking of all measures of the implementation of the story. There's only so much "history" you can absolve from Final Fantasy X both in mechanic and execution.

I truly don't doubt this. But Spira is still a world rich with culture and history, the reason I keep coming back to FFX at least once a year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spira_%...l_Fantasy_X%29

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One should not have to do "tremendous amounts of research" in order to be able to grasp deep meaning in a game's storyline. It is commendable, but hardly need be mandatory.

Yeah, all of the proper information should have been revealed.

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Originally Posted by Borg1982

Fasinating. Another old schooler who clearly likes the best game ever made (FF4) and likes the DW series, the best RPG series ever made likes FFX-2's battle system. Again, amazing. I must know..... what is the battle system of X-2??? Hell, I might like that damn game!!

Ignoring the obvious fanservice from FFX-2, the battle system was refreshing. It was a great change from FFX's system. I tend to prefer battles that go fast, so moving from the slow and predictable FFX system to the more frantic one from X-2 was enjoyable for me.

I also felt the challenge increase in the latter. Having Aeons with overdrives and powerful attacks once the proper skills were unlocked made FFX too easy. I found myself switching jobs in X-2 quite often in order to defeat certain enemies and bosses. I didn't like the sphere grid of FFX because everyone had the opportunity to learn all the spells even if their default "class" didn't start at that point.

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Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

I enjoyed FFX, and I have played all the way through and gotten all of the special weapons on three seperate occasions. The story, once you really decipher it, is probably the best and most satisfying out of any Final Fantasy story. What I love most is that Spira feels like a real place, with real people, and a real culture and real history all its own, not just another nameless, faceless Final Fantasy world that serves no purpose other than to give the characters something to walk around on. Really, the world of Spira and its history are inseparable from the story and gameplay. This has never happened in any other FF game that I have played, and that is why I love FFX.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spira_%...l_Fantasy_X%29

An article like that could never be written about any other Final Fantasy game.

I'm going to play Devil's Advocate on this, but with all of the expanded content for FFVII, you could argue that the Planet on which FFVII takes place seems more like a real world now. Yes a very desolate and much less populated planet, but a real world nonetheless. I see your point however. The mythology and the little details that go into everything (Especially all of the history lessons taught by that old guy in FFX) add a sense of realism and that the world does exist and you happen to be 1000 years farther ahead then where you started from.

FFX-2, while not in the same mood or seriousness as the first, was also helpful in expanding the sense that the world is alive, and things change. Yuna is not a summoner forever, and Yevon is not always the dominant force of control.

Now, while the mythology and history of FVII's world is not elaborated as much upon for previous years more then say 100 years ago, what is known is decently filled and again with FFX, there's a sense of change and continuation. Advent Children was about the rebuilding of the world after Meteor, while Before Crisis was about the problems that the Shinra Corporation faced as it was the de facto world government.

Maybe I'm just reading too much into stuff. My point is: Other games can have that sense of immersion, but probably not in the same way that FFX does/did.

I was speaking idiomatically.

FFX is my 3rd favorite FF, after FF12 and FFX-2.

I did not like FF7, FF8, or FF9 all that much. They were ok, but not the level of FFX-12.

I don't really care much for FFs before 6, which was pretty awesome.

My only bias on the 2s vs 3d thing is that 2d is dying because of 3d. I like both of them, but i'm going to miss 2d stuff.

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I could definitely be considered an old school gamer, and I must say, FFX is my least favorite Final Fantasy game that I have played. I haven't played X-2 though, but that was because I hated FFX so much.

The sphere grid acts like it's wide open to customization, but is just generic leveling up, only you have to do it yourself, and it is linear. It's not until you are already powerful enough for most of the stuff in the game that you can do what you want with characters.

I don't like voice acting in games because I read faster than I listen. I don't want to sit there for 20 minutes to hear more story, I want to play the game. Luckily, I could skip most dialogue. But still, a highly disproportionate amount of the game revolved around not actually doing things. The beginning was ridiculous with this, but it didn't let up much as it went on. Sure, it gave a lot of that backstory to making Spira a real world that PiccoloNamek loves so much, but stuff like that should be optional if it takes so much time and takes away from gameplay as much as it did. Also, the main story was not incredibly focused, because it was told in a way that was complicated to understand at first glance. If the person casually playing through the game doesn't know what's going on, you're not telling the story right.

Blitzball was the shining point in FFX. It was a bit of old school fun in the game. It got easy really fast, though, with players leveling up. Only Triple Triad interested me more as far as FF mini-games go.

The battles tried adding that strategic bit, attempting to make a bit of a rock-paper-scissors setup, but it instead turned out to be just matching the character with the enemy, just a connect the dots game. It did have the same timing system FFT did, but without having to plan out any positioning or traveling distance, it made things very easy. If a move happened now or later, it had the same effect, so you were allowed to plan out a whole battle. Also, switching out characters and having everyone at your disposal rather than a small party made things a bit too easy also. And note that I'm not talking about optional bosses with any of this, I didn't enjoy the game enough to care and find how to fight those things.

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Sure, the random battles were easy, (well, most of them) but I don't really care about that. They are a tool to level up with, not something to enjoy or add to the game's value or difficulty.

This I just hate. What's the point of having the battles in the game if they present no fun or difficulty at all? They should just let you automatically gain levels if they intended it to be that easy. Battles became boring and tedious as I went on because they were all the same and all easy. Putting something in a game just to increase the game time is laziness and shouldn't happen.

I also didn't really enjoy or connect with or care about any of the characters in the game at all, which probably detracted from my enjoyment even more. I got really hyped up about the game and bought it right away too, it's a shame it turned out to disappoint me so much.

How ya doing, buddy?

I definitely can be considered an old-school gamer. Every once in a while I love to fire up a real old ass game to get my fix. The past 2 weeks I've been playing Uncharted Waters: New Horizons and the original Breath of Fire.... ah such goodness...

I love FFX. I think it's a great game and probably my favorite of the FF series. It is indeed flawed but it brought some things to the series that I liked. I shall first list those things which I liked:

#1 Turn based battle system: As an old school gamer... this suits me well. Dragon Quest, Breath of Fire, Suikoden, FF1.. you name it... they were all turn based.

#2 The ability to switch out characters without major penalty: I hate it when I play a game and there are characters I really like but never really use. Sometimes I just don't get much time in for them. Being able to swap characters on the fly was really nice and hasn't been done in many games.

#3 Everyone has a role (except poor Kimahri...): Flying monster? Calll Wakka! Heavy armor... Auron. You played the game, you get the point. For a majority of the game, all these players had their unique roles in combat.

#4 Beautifully simplistic storyline: Ever notice a trend in FF games? Often you begin the game thinking the bad guy is one person and then you find out that really it's someone else in the end pulling the strings. For FFX, it's pretty much just Sin (though this is somewhat arguable). You know your enemy from the first few minutes of the game and you pursue them to the very end. There's something intriguing about that...


but considering all that I liked... there's the flaws...

#1 Worst Voice Acting Ever: The laughing scene makes me hit the mute button everytime. I hate Rikku. Yuna always sounds like she's out of breath. Lulu, Kimahri, and Auron were okay. I have mixed feelings towards Tidus's actor. It would've been nice to have the option to switch to japanese voices instead.

#2 A bit too easy: I liked the strategic "feel" of the game but sometimes it was way too easy

#3 The minigames were pure evil: I hated the Choco race. The lightning bolts made me pull my hair out. I like minigames that are fun. Blitzball was okay... I know many people hate it though.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I thought the voice acting in FFX was fine. I've certainly heard far worse (Baten Kaitos, Star Ocean 2, etc. etc). Yuna was a little weak but she got the chance to improve in FFX-2.

Poor Kimahri. I've never seen such a useless member in my party. He never got stronger, his sphere grid was a waste of time and as a character, he got practically no development.

(And Blitzball sucked)

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Heh, I never used Kimahri much either. He's just...useless. I have used all other characters equally. Rikku is the best thief ever. She can actually steal things, and I spent oodles of time just having her steal stuff. Her overdrive rocked hard. There's nothing better than casting bio on a boss and having said boss knock off 2000+ HP per turn.

I dunno what's with all the hate with FFX's voice acting. The laughing scene is supposed to be horrible. They're only pretending to laugh. They did the job well in that scene. Yuna's acting did suck, and yes, she did do a better job in FFX-2. Everyone else was good.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I enjoyed FFX. At the same time, it was one of the last FF games I had played. I had tried FFX-2.... but that didn't last long... I found it much worse than the first one.

Although FFX isn't anything to blow you out of the water. It was enjoyable. Its worth revisiting. In fact, I find most FF games worth revisiting, especially if you didn't finish it the first time, or didn't get al the cool stuff in the first game, or had crappy levels.... (The last thing is usually what happened to me)

I would recommend playing it again.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

FFX is the game that got me hooked on the franchise. I was given a demo disc and sat there waiting for the opening sequence to finish so I could start playing - and it had already finished! Obviously, the first game I came across with fantastic graphics! I enjoyed the gameplay, didn't find it too linear really. At least you could do plenty of exploring outside the storyline (unlike Magna Carta which I'm playing at the moment!)

I never bothered with blitzball, hated it with a passion so I didn't finish the game 100% which I normally try to do.

On the whole though, I'd say it's certainly worth playing even taking the crappy characters into account. Actually, I loved Lulu. Maybe I'm subconsciously into bondage - all those belts!

FFX-2 was THE worst game I've ever played and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, ever, for any reason whatsoever, even if I wanted to be really nasty! Nuff said.

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