Final Fantasy X-2
Playtime: 57.4 Hours
I have never felt so betrayed playing a game.
Final Fantasy X is one of the best games I have ever played. In terms of story, it’s in my top 3 of all time. It is by far my favorite Romance story in a video game and my review for that game can be seen before this one. I recommend you read that one first before considering buying FFX-2.
Final Fantasy X-2 is a badly made game. At the very least, the PC port of this game is awful to play. The game crashed on me at least 100 times, and without a mod called Untitled Project X which has autosaves, I wouldn't have been able to finish the game. But what bothered me the most about it, is what it is.
FFX-2 is a massive disappointment.
To make a comparison, Final Fantasy X would be Joker, and Final Fantasy X-2 would be Joker II. The second game in this series is so fundamentally different than the first that you can’t help but be befuddled.
Where I have previously praised FFX for it’s amazing story and fun and unique combat system , both were scrapped for this dogwater game. It’s now the same as FF6, FF7, FF8 & FF9 where you have to wait between time intervals to make your moves, which FFX scrapped for a unique move & spell-based Turn-based system. Where it does innovate, is a job system, though that really isn’t all that good. While I do like the idea you can change jobs mid-combat, it is rare that it becomes useful.
The story has probably been one of the biggest let-downs for me in gaming history. There are a few parts I liked in the story of this game. Stuff like when Yuna spoke about how the end FFX affected her as a person, Luna & Wakka talking about the future & Kimahri actually being useful. That stuff is interesting! Not this awful treasure hunter-esque thing they were going for! When RPGs have a direct sequel like this, it is expected that you have played the first game. It is not like an action game like Call of Duty where you can jump in mid-way into a series. It is not a game you are expected to hold up on it’s own merit, it is something that is expected to be compared to FFX. Like how the Sequel Star Wars trilogy is always compared to the Original Trilogy.
Another part I did like, was the religious conflict. While I did enjoy this stuff, it’s just not the focus I would have liked for this game.
The music was such a steep and jarring downgrade from FFX as well. Nobuo Uematsu did not work on this game, and that is clear. I have tracks from a bunch of different Final Fantasy games on my Spotify playlist. I have none from this game. I would rather forget this game existed.
I regret 100%'ing this game. Because there is a secret ending for this game, if you 100% it. And it is such a big slap in the face.
It feels like this game was made to destroy everything Final Fantasy X is. Do not play it.
