Final Fantasy X-2
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| Final Fantasy X-2 | |
| Missing image FFX-2_box.jpg | |
| Developer(s) | Square Enix |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Release date(s) | November 18, 2003 |
| Genre | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Singleplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Final Fantasy X-2 (X-2 is pronounced: IPA tɛn'tuː, "ten-two", not "ex-two" or "twelve") is a RPG in the Final Fantasy series, and the first to be a true sequel to a previous Final Fantasy game.
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Overview
Taking place two years after the events of Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2 follows the reconstruction of Spira, for better or worse. The story revolves around three young women: the returning characters Yuna of Bevelle and Rikku the Al Bhed, and a new character named Paine.
Storyline
In a prequel story to the game (a bonus ending on the international version of Final Fantasy X, also released on a Playstation Magazine demo disc), Yuna is dealing with the aftermath of having saved the world. The factions flowering in the Eternal Calm all want her support of their ideologies, and she is rudderless now that she has fulfilled her purpose for living and lost her beloved. Rikku arrives with a memory sphere found by Kimahri showing someone very like Tidus in a dark place, being punished. She convinces Yuna that she's done her duty to the world and deserves to follow her heart.
The game is punctuated by Yuna addressing Tidus (as if writing a letter to a distant loved one) with her thoughts and memories of the places they pass through and their own relationship, as she searches for a place in the new world.
The main storyline of the game follows the clash of philosphical factions as their struggles uncover some nasty legacies from Spira's ancient history.
- Headed by Maevyn Nooj, the Youth League is a radical organisation that encourages a massive upheaval of the systems which have dominated Spira for the past millennium. They preach complete freedom of speech, attracting support from Spira's younger generation and the former members of the Crusaders, who were disbanded after the defeat of Sin.
- Opposite them is New Yevon, a conservative group led by Praetor Baralai. Inspired by the now-defunct Yevon religion, New Yevon promises to make up for their predecessor's false teachings by aiding those who feel overwhelmed by the rapid changes sweeping Spira. Their motto is "One Thing At A Time", believing that a slow evolution of Spira's customs is the only way to prevent complete anarchy. Following the forced resignation of the last praetor, New Yevon is run by a committee of younger members. If Yuna choses New Yevon, the maximum game completion percentage is 99.7%.
- A third philosophy, the Machine Faction, prefers to stay out of the main political conflict in Spira, but their awesome military influence makes them a relevant factor. Headed by an Al Bhed called Gippal, the Machine Faction are pioneers of machina research, which was banned during the Yevon reign of Spira. The Machine Faction are entirely composed of Al Bhed, and use the term "machine" to distance their creations from the negative connotations of "machina."
A significant portion of the game is unnecessary for completion of the main storyline, but much of the depth of the game is in the optional content, which generally follows how each part of Spira is healing, along with Yuna's search for Tidus. The themes of the game include searching for identity and acceptance of that identity, as well as coming to terms with loss, change, and the limits of personal responsibility. Like other second-time saviors, Yuna comes to reject the notion that sacrifice is the only way to solve problems.
Features
The battle system from the previous game (Conditional Turn-Based) was dropped in favor of a fast-paced variation on the traditional Active Turn Based system. Instead of waiting for enemies to attack, it is now possible to interrupt an enemy while they are preparing their attack, or chain your characters' attacks together for special bonuses. Of course, the same thing can be done to the player's party.
Because the party never grows beyond three characters, the ability to switch out characters in battle was invalidated; instead, Garment Grids and Dresspheres are introduced. A Garment Grid is a geometric shape with nodes on it; the nodes are slots that can be filled with "Dresspheres", which are similar to Jobs from Final Fantasy V. The Grid-Sphere system allows characters to change from one Class to another during battle, and allows the player to decide which jobs any given character will have. Each Dressphere has a smaller list of abilities than the characters and classes of most RPGs, meaning that job-switching is often advantageous or necessary in battles. Furthermore, each Garment Grid adds bonuses, for instance allowing the character wearing it to cast Firaga, or triggering combat bonuses when the character moves between two specific nodes. Finally, each lady has a unique Dressphere that can only be used if the she changes between all her Jobs in one battle.
The field system has been upgraded, and now Yuna has the ability to jump and climb, and, in the words of Ken Berry (the SE Product Supervisor), Yuna can also "do heaps of other cool stuff". The field is still totally 3D.
The world map is essentially unchanged. Most of the locations from Final Fantasy X return, though some have changed (the player was never able to visit Bevelle outside the main storyline, for instance, and Kilika is no longer in a state of ruin) and others have been added. Players are also able to visit almost every location from the (near) beginning of the game, via an airship—another major departure from normal Final Fantasy fare, in which the airship is never obtained until late in the game. These two changes allow for a less linear storyline. Unlike Final Fantasy X, in which the player's course through the game's world, and story, was largely linear, X-2 is entirely freeform. The game has many locations and five chapters, and each location has one "event" per chapter. Put together, the five "events" in one locale form a subplot "Episode". Only a few events per chapter are important to the game's main plot, however, and these are marked on the world map as "Hotspots" ("Active Links" in the Japanese version). By accessing Hotspots only, the player can speed through the story (and find out whether Yuna gets Tidus back) in ten or fifteen hours. However, the game keeps track of percent completed, and only by achieving a 100% completion is the search for Tidus brought to an optimal conclusion. In addition to this, the game also features a fork in the plot, allowing the player to make choices that change what scenes and percentage points they see. It is not actually possible to see all of the game's content on a single playthrough, though it is possible to achieve 100% completion. Thankfully, when the game is completed for the first time, it unlocks a "New Game+" that allows you to start the game over with all of the gear, Garment Grids, Dresspheres and percentage you picked up previously.
Trivia
This is the first Final Fantasy game to feature an all-female cast of player-characters, and the first since FF3 to keep the same party throughout the entire game.
The game includes a number of side-quests and minigames, including Gunner's Gauntlet (a third person shooting minigame) and Sphere Break (a coin-based minigame). It also has the typical optional dungeons and bosses, such as the Den of Woe and the Via Infinito. The underwater sport Blitzball also makes a return appearance.
There are multiple endings to the game, depending on both percentage completed and certain actions taken at certain points through the game.
Soundtrack
All of the music has changed, as Nobuo Uematsu has been replaced by Noriko Matsueda and Takahito Eguchi (composers for The Bouncer). Among the songs are the J-Pop styled "real Emotion" and a slower paced song, "1000 Words" (Sen No Kotoba in Japanese). The Japanese and International versions of the songs are sung by Koda Kumi, a Japanese music artist. The American versions of the songs are sung by Jade of Sweetbox.
Criticism
Final Fantasy X-2 is a very controversial Final Fantasy game. Many fans of the Final Fantasy series have criticised this game for many reasons. This game has broken several traditions that many of the conservative and long term players find almost sacred to the Final Fantasy series. This game is the first direct sequel to a Final Fantasy game, many players disliked this as traditonally Final Fantasy games have open or incomplete endings that leave the player to make up his or her own mind as to the real conclusion. The concept of a sequel totally ruins this mystery to the end of Final Fantasy X. Besides the concept of a sequel, many fans criticise the gameplay and storyline. A major criticism has been the outfits of the 3 main characters, which many say have been deliberately made to be revealing and sexually suggestive. The garment grid system means that players can switch the outfit of any of the 3 characters mid-battle, but many of the costumes reveal a considerable amount of skin (for example, the Thief costume mainly consists of a bra and hotpants, with the midrift and legs totally exposed). Many say this sexual content is unfit for Final Fantasy and has been added simply to increase the game sales to a male teenager audience.
Despite the apperance, the game features no sexual content, but the plot has been heavily criticised as being non-Final Fantasy like. The story is non-linear and features many inconsistent, and often seemingly silly side-quests (Such as handing out balloons to people, chasing imaginary flying Moogles and trying to find a man a date by constantly approaching women on his behalf). These play no role in the story and have been accused of being simply filler to make the game longer. Several fans have pointed out that in terms of story depth and length, Final Fantasy X-2 simply cannot live up to its predecessors.
Despite the several major sidequests which see to distract from the main story, the main plotline itself has been criticised heavily. In terms of mood, its considerably more happy and fun loving then previous Final Fantasy games, which often deal with dark themes of death, fear and evil entities trying to destroy the world. Final Fantasy X-2 is considerably more open, with the characters constantly claiming to "only want to have fun" in their story. This attitude has brought much criticism against the game from Final Fantasy fans who claim that this is not what a Final Fantasy should play like. Other small issues include the removal of the ability to summon, which has become Final Fantasy's trademark, and issues of the music such as the removal of the traditional fanfare at the end of battles.
For these reasons, many long term Final Fantasy fans have accused this game as being a cheap cash in on the part of Square Enix. Fans have pointed out many inconsistencies, such as the fact that Wakka has given up Blitzball, but continues to wear the uniform.
Playable Characters
- Yuna: High Summoner born in Bevelle, raised on Besaid Island. She's responsible for the defeat of Sin, bringing Spira its Eternal Calm. Her primary dressphere is a gunner.
- Rikku: Daughter of Cid; the leader of the Al Bhed in Final Fantasy X. She is Yuna's cousin and one of her guardians during her pilgrimage. Her primary dressphere is a thief.
- Paine: Former recorder, amongst other things recording Crimson Squad candidates. She joined the Gullwings to ride their airship and find the reason of the Crimson Squad's demise. Her primary dressphere is a warrior.
Non-Playable Characters (NPCs)
- GullWings:
- Brother: Rikku's brother, and self-proclaimed leader of the Gullwings. He is also the main pilot of the Celsius. He has a huge crush on Yuna (technically his cousin), and is not afraid to express his affection, though he is constantly thwarted by Rikku.
- Buddy: Old friend of Brother, a co-pilot of the Celsius, and co-founder of the Gullwings with Brother. He has a level head that contrasts sharply with the energy of Brother. Was apparently on the airship two years before during the time of Final Fantasy X.
- Shinra: An young Al Bhed who works aboard the Celsius. He is incredibly intelligent for his age, as the creator of the Garment Grid/Dressphere system, the Commsphere system, and many other innovations. He claims to know everything, so when he doesn't have the answer to something, his excuse is, "I'm just a kid."
- Barkeep: A Hypello that Brother took in that works aboard the Celsius. No one knows his real name.
- LeBlanc Syndicate: Sphere hunters who are the rivals of the Gullwings.
- LeBlanc: Leader of the LeBlanc Syndicate. Infatuated with Maevyn Nooj.
- Ormi: Professional lackey; first for Yevon, now for LeBlanc. Uses a large shield as a weapon.
- Logos: Professional lackey; first for Yevon, now for LeBlanc. Uses twin pistols as his weapon.
- Wakka: One of Yuna's guardians from Final Fantasy X. He currently resides in Besaid, and is about to be the father of Lulu's child.
- Lulu: One of Yuna's guardians from Final Fantasy X, currently residing in Besaid with Wakka and carrying their child.
- Rin: Al Bhed travel agent from Final Fantasy X. He is the founder of a brand new game called Sphere Break which becomes very popular across Spira.
- Yaibal: Member of the Youth League who is a huge fan of Yuna.
- Clasko: Chocobo breeder from Final Fantasy X. Following former-Crusader comrades Elma and Lucil into the Youth League, he soon grows weary with his new life. His only wish is to "ride a Chocobo faster than the wind."
- Maroda: One of Isaaru's guardians from Final Fantasy X. He is a member of the Youth League.
- Elma: Lucil's partner from Final Fantasy X. She is a member of the Youth League.
- Lucil: Captain of the Chocobo Knights from Final Fantasy X. She is now the commander of the Youth League forces, as Nooj's right-hand woman.
- Gippal: Former Crimson Squad candidate; Leader of the Machine Faction. Has an interesting relationship with Rikku, and insinuates that they used to be a couple. The fact that Rikku goes on the defensive whenever this is mentioned leads Paine to speculate that something must have happened between them in the past, despite Rikku's protests to the contrary.
- Nhadala: Member of the Machine Faction. She's in charge of excavating the Bikanel Desert.
- Tobli: An event organiser who uses twice as many words to say half as much.
- Bayra: A harp-playing spirit from Macalania Woods who resembles a hawk.
- Donga: A drum-playing spirit from Macalania Woods who speaks in a thick Scottish accent.
- Pukutak: A small horn-playing spirit from Macalania Woods who only talks in rhymes.
- Tromell: A Guado who was Jyscal and Seymour Guado's assistant from Final Fantasy X. Becomes leader of the Guado race.
- O'aka XXIII: A freelance merchant from Final Fantasy X who bought the Lake Macalania travel agency from Rin. However, the Macalania temple nearby sank to the bottom of the lake, and business went with it. O'aka wants to hide out on the Celsius to avoid the Al Bhed who are coming to collect payments.
- Baralai: Former Crimson Squad candidate; Praetor of New Yevon.
- Kimahri Ronso: One of Yuna's guardians from Final Fantasy X. He is now the elder of the Ronso tribe, and is working hard to unite his people.
- Garik: Member of the Ronso tribe who is heavily in favour of leading the Ronso in violent retribution against the Guado.
- Isaaru: Yuna's fellow summoner from Final Fantasy X. He is now a tour guide for Zanarkand, which has been turned into a tourist attraction.
- Pacce, Taro, and Hana: Pacce was one of Isaaru's guardians in Final Fantasy X. Now, he and his friends are sphere hunters. They call themselves the Kinderguardians.
- Cid: Rikku's father and leader of the Al Bhed in Final Fantasy X. He was the one who turned Zanarkand into a tourist attraction.
- Dona: Yuna's rival summoner from Final Fantasy X. She is a member of the Youth League.
- Barthello: Dona's guardian and lover. He is a member of New Yevon.
- Maevyn Nooj: Leader of the Youth League. Former Crusader and Crimson Squad candidate. Otherwise known as 'Nooj the Undying' or 'Deathseeker' for his dangerous fighting style (he has suicidal tendencies).
- The Besaid Aurochs: Besaid's Blitzball team. Members include Datto, Botta, Keepa, Letty and Jassu. They are members of the Youth League.
- Beclem: A Youth League member who becomes the new coach of the Besaid Aurochs. According to members of the team, he's a hundred times stricter than Wakka.
- Shelinda: Was a disciple of Yevon in Final Fantasy X. She got tired of everyone in the temples ordering her around. Now she's a Luca news reporter, and people still boss her around...
- Calli: The little girl that Tidus' group met on the Mi'ihen Highroad in Final Fantasy X. She's currently obsessed with chocobos.
- Lian and Ayde: Young Ronsos who left Mt. Gagazet,to find a way to fix Kimahri Ronso's broken horn.
- Maechen: The old scholar from Final Fantasy X. He tells the Gullwings about Lenne and Shuyin.
- Benzo: Interpreter for the Cactuars.
- Shuyin: A man from Bevelle who lived in the age of the Machina War. He was in love with Lenne, and imprisoned after a failed attempt to save her life.
- Lenne: A famous singer from Zanarkand who lived in the age of the Machina War and was the lover of Shuyin. Her skills in the art of summoning were to have her sent to the front line against the machina of Bevelle, and to certain death. She died before this could happen, shot by Bevelle soldiers alongside Shuyin.
Cast (English)
- Hedy Burress: Yuna
- Tara Strong: Rikku
- Gwendoline Yeo: Paine
- Cree Summer: Lenne, Calli
- James Arnold Taylor: Shuyin, Tidus
- George Newbern: Maeyvn Nooj
- Josh Gomez: Praetor Baralai
- Rick Gomez: Gippal
- David Rasner: Brother, Trema
- Ogie Banks: Buddy
- Pamela Segall: Shinra
- John Demita: Barkeep, Hypello, Barthello
- Masasa: Leblanc
- Sarge: Ormi
- S. Scott Bullock: Logos
- John DiMaggio: Wakka, Kimahri
- Paula Tiso: Lulu
- Jack Fletcher: Garik
- Dwight Shultz: O'aka XXIII, Maechen
- Rob Paulsen: Lian Ronso, Tobli
- Corey Burton: Trommel Guado
- Candi Milo: Dona, Lucil, Pacce
- Julia Fletcher: Elma
- Matt K. Miller: Clasko
- Adam Paul: Beclem
- Scott Menville: Yaibal
- Sherry Lynn: Shelinda
- Tom Kenny: Rin, Wantz
- Daisy Tormé: Nhadala
- Quinton Flynn: Isaaru
- Robbie Rist: Maroda
- Olivia Hack: Hana
- Kath Soucie: Taro
- Philip Proctor: Bayra, Donga
- Grey Delisle: Pukutak
- Debi Derryberry: Fayth
- Michael McShane: Cid
- Alex Fernández: Seymour Guado
- Matt Mckenzie: Auron
- Dee Bradley Baker: Ayde Ronso, Benzo, Braska
- Gregg Berger: Jecht
- Roger L. Jackson: Maester Wes Kinoc
Cast (Japanese)
- Mayuko Aoki: Yuna
- Marika Matsumoto: Rikku
- Megumi Toyoguchi: Paine
- Koda Kumi: Lenne
- Masakazu Morita: Shuyin, Tidus
- Nobutoshi Kanna: Nooj
- Suzumura Ken'ichi: Gippal
- Sobu Kenji: Baralai
- Takayuki Yamaguchi: Brother, Clasko, Wantz
- Kazuya Nakai: Wakka
- Rio Natsuki: Lulu
- Kouichi Sakaguchi: Cid
- Takuma Suzuki: Maechen
- Nanaho Katsuragi: Donna
- Jun Ishimaru: Barthello
- Momomori Sumomo: Elma
- Sayaka Ouhara: Lucil
- Shunsuke Sakuya: Rin
- Miki Nagasawa: Shelinda
- Ryuuzou Ishino: Tromell Guado
- Ugaki Hidenari: O'aka XXIII
- Suyama Akio: Isaaru
- Nakai Masataka: Maroda
- Kumai Motoko: Pacce
Release dates
Final Fantasy X-2 was released in Japan on March 13, 2003, in North America on November 18, 2003 and European/PAL regions on February 20, 2004.
An extended version of the game, titled Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission, was released (exclusively in Japan) on February 19, 2004.
See Also
External links
- Official Site (Japanese) (http://www.square-enix.co.jp/games/ps2/ffx2/)
- Official Site (English, US) (http://www.square-enix-usa.com/games/FFX-2/)
- Official Site (English, Europe) (http://www.ffx2-europe.com)
- Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission Official Site (Japanese) (http://www.square-enix.co.jp/games/ps2/ffx2inter/)
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