Been a while since I wrote a review, and with the recent announcement of Final Fantasy XV, I figured I should try a Final Fantasy one 
Being the first Final Fantasy on PlayStation 2, FFX changed the saga by transforming some of its most essential aspects. The most striking aspect was the transition to full 3D. Similarly, the traditional world map disappears in favor of a realistic path in full size settings. Another notable change was in the battle system, where the ATB (Active Time Battle) is replaced by a much more strategic turn by turn mechanism, imagined by the creator of the Front Mission series. Regarding the audio portion of the title, two significant changes are to report. First of all, for the first time in the series, the main characters had voices, with almost all the cutscenes being dubbed. Secondly, Nobuo Uematsu was not the only one in charge of music but was joined by Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano, two other talented composers of the sound team of Square Enix.
However, the biggest change was the fact that Final Fantasy X ignored the usual levelling system in favor of a new and unique evolution system. Each playable character evolves on a grid (a "Sphere") and the played has to activate certain "spheres" to unlock skills or stats increases, depending on the types of spheres used.
Along with the main quest, many sub-quests are available but are often regarded as a negative point of the game due to the fact that they are quite daunting and may require several hours to complete thanks to the linear aspect of the game. Concerning mini-games, where FFVIII and IX offered a card game, FFX offers the player the opportunity to play blitzball, a sport with a great importance in the game's setting. Basically an aquatic handball sport, the game is complex and requires a lot of strategy, both in the selection of team members and during matches. Players can participate in simple matches, but also tournaments where they can win items.
Most would agree that the setting of the world of Final Fantasy X was its best point by far. Indeed, no other episode had been as deep and studied. The game is based on a very strong historical and cultural context giving credibility to adventure. The characters, especially Tidus, Yuna, and Auron were also well developed and perfect in the context of the story.
In conclusion, although Final Fantasy X was too linear, its deep script, full of emotions and meaningful scenes, made up for it. The different changes it introduced also brought a breath of fresh air to a series that grew to being too predictable.
Being the first Final Fantasy on PlayStation 2, FFX changed the saga by transforming some of its most essential aspects. The most striking aspect was the transition to full 3D. Similarly, the traditional world map disappears in favor of a realistic path in full size settings. Another notable change was in the battle system, where the ATB (Active Time Battle) is replaced by a much more strategic turn by turn mechanism, imagined by the creator of the Front Mission series. Regarding the audio portion of the title, two significant changes are to report. First of all, for the first time in the series, the main characters had voices, with almost all the cutscenes being dubbed. Secondly, Nobuo Uematsu was not the only one in charge of music but was joined by Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano, two other talented composers of the sound team of Square Enix.
However, the biggest change was the fact that Final Fantasy X ignored the usual levelling system in favor of a new and unique evolution system. Each playable character evolves on a grid (a "Sphere") and the played has to activate certain "spheres" to unlock skills or stats increases, depending on the types of spheres used.
Along with the main quest, many sub-quests are available but are often regarded as a negative point of the game due to the fact that they are quite daunting and may require several hours to complete thanks to the linear aspect of the game. Concerning mini-games, where FFVIII and IX offered a card game, FFX offers the player the opportunity to play blitzball, a sport with a great importance in the game's setting. Basically an aquatic handball sport, the game is complex and requires a lot of strategy, both in the selection of team members and during matches. Players can participate in simple matches, but also tournaments where they can win items.
Most would agree that the setting of the world of Final Fantasy X was its best point by far. Indeed, no other episode had been as deep and studied. The game is based on a very strong historical and cultural context giving credibility to adventure. The characters, especially Tidus, Yuna, and Auron were also well developed and perfect in the context of the story.
In conclusion, although Final Fantasy X was too linear, its deep script, full of emotions and meaningful scenes, made up for it. The different changes it introduced also brought a breath of fresh air to a series that grew to being too predictable.
