Final Fantasy X-2

Story:10 Characters:10+ Graphics:10+ Gameplay:10+ Overall:10+

My review: This is the first time Square produces a direct sequel to a previous Final Fantasy title. Final Fantasy X-2 is a direct continuation of Final Fantasy X. The story takes place 2 years after the defeat of Sin. Yuna no longer has the burden to protect and fight for the people. This time, she gets on the journey of her own, hoping to meet Tidus again.

Final Fantasy X-2 is a mix of drama and adventure. Unlike the case of FFX in which the story begins in a rather depressing mood with everyone living under the shadow of Sin, FFX-2 begins in a light-hearted mood with funny and comedic scenes all over the game. However, as you move on in the game, the story will become more and more exciting, breathing-taking and touching, as Yuna begins to discover a new evil force rising up threatening the existence of "Eternal Calm", as well as more traces concerning Tidus.

Unlike FFX in which the plot goes in a pretty straight way, FFX-2 uses a new mission-based system which gives a great degree of freedom for players to choose their own ways to go through the game. You can just follow the main plot skipping all the miscellaneous events and missions, and possibly finish the game within 10 or even fewer hours. On the other hand, you can also go through all the events and missions available (in any order you like) and end up using 100 or even more hours to finish the game. Moreover, not only the plot but also the ending is "free"! There are more than one ending in this game, and how the ending of your game will become depends heavily on what you have done in some of the ending-affecting missions and events.

Generally, gameplay and graphics in FFX-2 have both been improved. There is a significant improvement on the real-time scenes used in the game with more realistic facial expressions and body motions. The old sphere system in FFX is gone. Instead, the new "Dress Sphere" system is implemented in FFX-2 which makes the battle more exciting and attracting with all the beautiful costumes and dress-up scenes. The Active Battle system comes back again after the disappearance in FFX, and this time it's an improved version which gives more interactivity in battles.

No matter you have played FFX before or not, Final Fantasy X-2 is still a game that you can't miss, especially if you are a fan of FFX like myself who really wants to know what happened to Tidus. Can Yuna find Tidus again? This is for us the players to find out!