First Look: Final Fantasy X

SquareSoft has released the first screenshots from and new information on Final Fantasy X for the Sony PlayStation 2. The two lead protagonists in the game are Tidus and Yuna. Tidus is the game's hero. He's 17 years old, and he's an avid athlete who competes in the underwater sport of blitzball. Not much is known about the sport itself, but the fact that it's underwater alludes further at the watery state of the FFX world. The heroine, Yuna, is the daughter of the high summoner, Braska, and she's a summoner herself. In Square's words, a fierce determination shines deep within her eyes.

Aside from the two lead characters, Square further revealed that the emotion of the FFX characters will be better conveyed using the power of the PS2. Full voice-overs will be added to the game, and the company's facial motion system will provide for real-time facial expressions to create a more dramatic effect. Also revealed was the active field system, which rotates the 3D field map to follow the characters' direction and movement and ensures an optimal flow of the action throughout the game. As reported previously, FFX will be the first game in the series to take place entirely in a real-time 3D world.

Finally, Square released a list of random quotes from the game that allude vaguely to the game's underlying plot. An evil known as Sin seems to be the main antagonist in the game, and only a summoner, such as Yuna, can defeat it. The random FFX quotes are below.

• "They say your head gets all funny when Sin is near. Maybe what you saw was some kind of dream?"
• "I will defeat Sin. I must."
• "Sin - a trespasser, a scourge upon our land. It falls only to rise again, bringing chaos and destruction."
• "It's tough when your father is famous."
• "Only the summoners' Last Summoning can defeat Sin."
• "Trying to escape from reality...trying, and failing."

GameSpot will have continuing coverage, as further information on Final Fantasy X is released. In the meantime, take a look at the first screenshots and art from the game by clicking on the image link above.