Final Fantasy X

When it comes to franchises I'm a bit of a what would be known as "Fanboy" when it comes to Final Fantasy. I grew up with them and therefore I have a real soft spot for them.

Make no mistake that is not me saying that they're all flawless, or even good for that matter but they do have that magic and that charm I can't dispute.

Final Fantasy 10 following 7, 8 and 9 had huge boots to fill but it not only filled them but knocked the boots, the foot and the entire damn leg right out of the park.

It tells the story of young Tidus, a Blitzball player who during a horrific attack on his home city of Zanarkand by a mysterious creature bumps into an old friend of his long absent father. Before he knows it he has been transported elsewhere, safe but confused about what had taken place. This begins the most epic adventure I have ever been fortunate enough to be a part of.

Final Fantasy X IS a flawless game, from the visuals, cut scenes, outstanding score, excellent voice acting, combat systems and story this is the pinnacle of RPG's and remains my favourite game of all time even 17yrs after its release.

This is one of those titles I could rant about at length, I truly adore it. So many memorable moments, a heartbreaking finale, an addictive side game and SO much to it's credit.

I'll resist the urge to fawn over FFX anymore and merely say that for me it had never been better, has never been better and I can't wait until something beats it because that'll have to be something out of this world.

Flawless, masterpiece.

The Good:

Incredible story

Looks amazing especially the cutscenes

Wonderful score

Solid voice acting

The Bad:

Blitzball could have been a tad better

Things I Learnt From This Game:

I can fall in love with a video game character

It just doesn't get any better than this

In Spira, hugging a living cactus is perfectly normal

This game really pulled me in. At first I was like, this is just going to be another video game. But I started identifying with the main character Tidus and his feelings for Yuna. I really liked how this game made me laugh at times and made me emotional at other times.

Final Fantasy X is in my opinion, a brilliant combination of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and the Golden Compass trilogy of books. It's like a romance novel for straight men.

This was my childhood game & to this day it never fails to impress me! The story is top notch & you fall in love with the characters & get invested in their journey. It made me play all night long & was a joy to play multiple times from beginning to end. Easily a 10/10 game despite Blitzball & the Chocobo Games being rather dull. But other than that, it's a solid game!

Probably half of the people complaining here never made it past the first ten hours, which are, undoubtedly, as slow as can be. Out of that ten hours, it feels like you fight ridiculously easy battles for maybe an hour of it, walk for two hours of it, and sit through cinematics for the other seven hours. I don't know if that is completely accurate, but that is what it feels like.

But if you can survive past that, the game becomes more engrossing. The game doesn't stop as often and you fight far more regularly. You have to, otherwise you won't be powerful enough to move forward. I don't know why people complain about the Sphere Grid. Sure, you may no longer have hit points, but the Sphere Grid has its own unique challenges. And the weapons and armor? Again, it is no longer as easy as to look at your menu and see numbers rise just to know that your weapons / armor are better. You are just forced to plan better.

All in all, I would not complain at all about this game, except for that very tedious first 10 hours, but, considering it took me 60 hours to finish the game--including the main quest and all side quests--you definitely won't feel like your experience is cut short, as a result.

It's rare to hear a video game being compared to a piece of literature, but Final Fantasy X reminds me of nothing so much as Chaucer's THE CANTERBURY TALES. (Perhaps it more accurately compares to Dan Simmons HYPERION, but since HYPERION was loosely based on Chaucer, well...)

A summoner and her six guardians embark on a holy pilgrimage whose lofty goal is to save the world from suffering, if only for a short while. The closer they get to their destination, the more treacherous the way becomes as forces gather to divert or destroy them before they can achieve their goal.

Along the way, the stories of the seven are shared: where they came from, how they became a part of this journey. We watch as their individual stories combine into an epic tale of love, camaraderie, sorrow, sacrifice, and triumph.

In a business filled with shoot-em-ups and car crashes, it's wonderful to see a series that tries to stretch the form in ways that resemble art and literature, truly exploring the possibility of video game as an art form.

As to the voice work that so many people complain of, I can only believe that these people were looking for big-name Hollywood stars to provide the voices of the characters--take a look at the resumes of the actors who provide voices for FFX and you'll find a history of American animation for the last 10 years. Check your own expectations before you criticize and you may find, as Shakespeare said, that "the fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves."