Girls Gone Vile!
Girls Gone Vile!
Final Fantasy X-2: International + Last Mission is a revamped version of the highly anticipated sequel of Final Fantasy X. While, Final Fantasy X-2 is a direct sequel the only thing you will find similar are area locations, some familiar faces, and a few recognizable foes. The game has completely changed in direction as far as the atmosphere is concerned. Final Fantasy X-2 is very light hearted in a sense. While there are different aspects of the story that are serious, emotional, and action oriented, Final Fantasy X-2 tends to not take itself too seriously.
Along with the atmosphere changes comes a change in the battle system. Final Fantasy X-2 sports a faster paced battle system then its predecessor. ATB has been brought back in full swing and the battles almost feel real time. There seems to be a lot more emphasis on action and speed this time around. Battles are still initiated by the Random Encounter, which some believe to be a bit dated but I never felt too overwhelmed by the rate at which you encounter the enemies.
Though Final Fantasy X-2 has kept the same Random Encounter battle system as its prequel, Final Fantasy X-2 has totally scrapped the Sphere Grid system of leveling up. In Final Fantasy X-2 you will level up in a much more traditional sense. As you defeat monsters you will be awarded experience points. Once you have accumulated enough experience points to reach the next level you will level up and gain a few points in your different stat areas. I actually liked this return to traditional leveling. I found the Sphere Grid leveling system a bit overwhelming and it never really worked in my favor.
Final Fantasy X-2 has added a new element in battle mechanics. The Dress Sphere system is very similar to the Job System found in Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy Tactics. Your three main characters can choose from an assortment of dresses or ‘jobs’ in which enable them to perform different skills and feats in combat. The Dress Sphere system definitely has some bad mixed in with the good. For one, you don’t have the ability to cross two different dress spheres. For example if you are a warrior and want to use the talents of a white mage, you must either transform into a white mage yourself or have one of your party members become a white mage. When you have to constantly change back and forth between the dress spheres to perform the many different skills in the game, it can become quite tedious to the player. While the Dress Sphere system is innovative and fun to play around with, it isn’t nearly as versatile as the Job System found in previous Final Fantasies.
Final Fantasy X-2 is full of exploration and mini games. You will probably spend more time roaming around to complete side quest than you will fighting battles or completing the main story. There are tons of events to take place in and tons of side quests to partake in to earn a percentage of the story complete. I found this to be frustrating at times. While I would rather be exploring dark dungeons, conquering huge monsters, I was instead left to breed monkeys or give massages and other ridiculous mini games. There were countless times in the game where I had to trudge through fetch quests and other tiresome mini quests to get a particular item or watch particular part of the story. I’m not saying that mini games are bad, but when I think of mini games and side quests, I think of additional game play that doesn’t penalize you for not participating in them.
Final Fantasy X-2 has also had a change in music. While the graphics of Final Fantasy X-2 are top notch, I found the music to be a little annoying and uninspiring. The music is very upbeat and non-traditional. There are two Jpop songs in the game that are quite nice. But for a majority of play, the music is a lot less inspirational than many of the other Final Fantasies.
There are a few additional features found in the Final Fantasy X-2: International + Last Mission version of the game. While the game sports Japanese text, all the voice overs are done in English. There is also a bonus dungeon that has completely different gameplay from the original game called Last Mission. These additional features are nice but definately don’t make or break the game.
All in all Final Fantasy X-2 was a decent play through. There are a few things holding it back but I believe if you’re willing to accept the many changes that came along with the sequel you will have a great time with the game.
Final Score: 7.5