Usually when I write a review I start out with a mini synopsis, but I feel it would be redundant to do it this time since I have already reviewed this game. It was just called Final Fantasy X at the time.Anyone who says this game is not X just with angels thrown into the mix are seriously fangirling/boying hard or just plain delusional. I find that fan-girl/boy and delusional are one and the same though. Anywho on to the review.
Pros Characters-Make no mistake they are cliché. You have the Mary-sue and Gary-Stu, the bad ass with the dark past, The jive talking brat, the playboy, the head strong woman, the smart women but with a bite etc.. However they take their cliché's and have fun with them. All the characters are endearing(protagonists and antagonists) despite their clichéd roles. The line between good and evil is blurred. The *good guys* body count is up there and this includes innocents. Also the *bad guys* are actually likable and their stories are real sad. Although the main *bad* guy's story is sad it has creepy incestuous undertones.
Dialog-Sure it has the usual cheesy clichéd love and friendship will win the day lines especially towards the end but the majority of the dialog is witty, funny, and serious when need be. I was actually shocked at the level of wit this game has.
Battle System-Real time and no random encounters thank god. I seriously and honest to god can not see how someone can enjoy playing a turn based system. It is the most boring way to play a game I have ever seen in my life. Yea, in real life you will take slow , tedious, turns when someone is trying to beat the crap out of you sure... Anyway, the combos of the mêlée characters are great and fast. The magic is fantastic to watch. Some of the spells are pretty and creative. When a lot of spells and combos are on screen together there is a noticeable lag though. This game is like Final Fantasy 12 as well. FF12 had a gambit A.I. system that basically let the computer play for ALL your characters you just set the controller down and watched while the A.I. laid waste to enemies and bosses. TOS is the exact same way. Leveling up is way more faster this way because the computer actually knows how to use magic and techs way more than you can and faster as well. Bosses were gone in a matter of minutes.With the computer controlling all the characters you watch and just give out potions and what not when their HP or MP starts to get low. Since I play RPG's for story and not game play the faster I can get to said story the better. Whoever came up with this was ingenious. The characters are linked. The main character Lloyd is linked with Collete. That means when you have him in the field she levels up also and learns new skills and magic and vice versa. The same with other characters. This ultimately means that you don't ever have to play for a character and they will level up and learn new skill regardless. And if you find you feel like playing for them eventually you would not have to go through the pain and tedium of leveling them up to catch up with your main party.
Music- Most of the music was good(there were some bad apples), very church sounding and creepy but strangely forgettable.
Cons: Plot-Boring ,tedious,incomprehensible, just like its clone Final Fantasy 10.The characters saved this game because it sure as hell wasn't the plot. Obvious plot devices where used like clockwork, the dungeon crawls were poke your eyes out, throw the controller tedious. I mean I actually had to print a walk through out for the MAJORITY of them. The game is an extremely unnecessary two discs and I swear this games story( The unnecessary tedious B.S. is what makes it longer) can be finished in 40 hours not the 80 the namco lied on the back of the box with.
Graphics- Ugly as sin. The back of the box says anime cut scenes. I swear it leads you to believe that they will be full blown and all throughout the game. That is a lie. Let me repeat. THAT IS A LIE! I can seriously count on ONE hand how many anime cut scenes are in this game. Only two of them are of the actual freaking characters. The intro and the ending(and you only get to see two of the characters and a nobody!) I mean hell lets make the gamer get attached to all the main characters and then not show them when the hardships of their journey is rewarded. The rest of the anime scenes are of water and buildings. I am so serious. Also it is hard to feel an emotional impact for this game because the characters are chibis. I would love to know what *Einstein* thought that was a good idea. They tried to rectify this with an anime based off the game. I felt more emotion for them in that then in the game because I can actually see as well as hear the intensity of the scenes instead of looking at a ugly chibi trying to get me to feel something for it.Hello, Namco that anime should have been the freaking cut scenes in the game.
Predictability- Mostly all of the OBVIOUS plot twists can be seen a mile and a half away. I swear there is one of the main twists that I figured out barely 5 hours into the game. I will dub it Star Wars. The other concerns a character that you will meet very late in the game and all I will say to that is you have to be blind not to see that one.
Pros Characters-Make no mistake they are cliché. You have the Mary-sue and Gary-Stu, the bad ass with the dark past, The jive talking brat, the playboy, the head strong woman, the smart women but with a bite etc.. However they take their cliché's and have fun with them. All the characters are endearing(protagonists and antagonists) despite their clichéd roles. The line between good and evil is blurred. The *good guys* body count is up there and this includes innocents. Also the *bad guys* are actually likable and their stories are real sad. Although the main *bad* guy's story is sad it has creepy incestuous undertones.
Dialog-Sure it has the usual cheesy clichéd love and friendship will win the day lines especially towards the end but the majority of the dialog is witty, funny, and serious when need be. I was actually shocked at the level of wit this game has.
Battle System-Real time and no random encounters thank god. I seriously and honest to god can not see how someone can enjoy playing a turn based system. It is the most boring way to play a game I have ever seen in my life. Yea, in real life you will take slow , tedious, turns when someone is trying to beat the crap out of you sure... Anyway, the combos of the mêlée characters are great and fast. The magic is fantastic to watch. Some of the spells are pretty and creative. When a lot of spells and combos are on screen together there is a noticeable lag though. This game is like Final Fantasy 12 as well. FF12 had a gambit A.I. system that basically let the computer play for ALL your characters you just set the controller down and watched while the A.I. laid waste to enemies and bosses. TOS is the exact same way. Leveling up is way more faster this way because the computer actually knows how to use magic and techs way more than you can and faster as well. Bosses were gone in a matter of minutes.With the computer controlling all the characters you watch and just give out potions and what not when their HP or MP starts to get low. Since I play RPG's for story and not game play the faster I can get to said story the better. Whoever came up with this was ingenious. The characters are linked. The main character Lloyd is linked with Collete. That means when you have him in the field she levels up also and learns new skills and magic and vice versa. The same with other characters. This ultimately means that you don't ever have to play for a character and they will level up and learn new skill regardless. And if you find you feel like playing for them eventually you would not have to go through the pain and tedium of leveling them up to catch up with your main party.
Music- Most of the music was good(there were some bad apples), very church sounding and creepy but strangely forgettable.
Cons: Plot-Boring ,tedious,incomprehensible, just like its clone Final Fantasy 10.The characters saved this game because it sure as hell wasn't the plot. Obvious plot devices where used like clockwork, the dungeon crawls were poke your eyes out, throw the controller tedious. I mean I actually had to print a walk through out for the MAJORITY of them. The game is an extremely unnecessary two discs and I swear this games story( The unnecessary tedious B.S. is what makes it longer) can be finished in 40 hours not the 80 the namco lied on the back of the box with.
Graphics- Ugly as sin. The back of the box says anime cut scenes. I swear it leads you to believe that they will be full blown and all throughout the game. That is a lie. Let me repeat. THAT IS A LIE! I can seriously count on ONE hand how many anime cut scenes are in this game. Only two of them are of the actual freaking characters. The intro and the ending(and you only get to see two of the characters and a nobody!) I mean hell lets make the gamer get attached to all the main characters and then not show them when the hardships of their journey is rewarded. The rest of the anime scenes are of water and buildings. I am so serious. Also it is hard to feel an emotional impact for this game because the characters are chibis. I would love to know what *Einstein* thought that was a good idea. They tried to rectify this with an anime based off the game. I felt more emotion for them in that then in the game because I can actually see as well as hear the intensity of the scenes instead of looking at a ugly chibi trying to get me to feel something for it.Hello, Namco that anime should have been the freaking cut scenes in the game.
Predictability- Mostly all of the OBVIOUS plot twists can be seen a mile and a half away. I swear there is one of the main twists that I figured out barely 5 hours into the game. I will dub it Star Wars. The other concerns a character that you will meet very late in the game and all I will say to that is you have to be blind not to see that one.
