Final Fantasy X-2 is superior to all the other Final Fantasy titles that have come before it.
User Rating: 7.5 | Final Fantasy X-2 PS2
Final Fantasy X-2 is superior to all the other Final Fantasy titles that have come before it. Unlike its predecessors, X-2 updates the tepid turn-based combat system of previous games. Instead, X-2 take a more refreshing approach. Battles now take place in "real time," making them more invigorating, as combat flows more rapidly. Unfortunately, X-2 still retains some of the flaws of previous titles. During combat, the ridiculously outdated attack menu is still present and full control over characters is still not given to you. But the improvement does not stop with combat, X-2 also does away with the need to purchase weapons throughout the game. Why? Simple. It is replaced by the "dress-sphere," a concept which functions similar to that of the "jobs" from previous Square-Enix games. Besides the silly "Sailor Moon- esque" transformation sequence, the "dress-sphere" concept is incredibly effective, enabling one character to function in multiple roles. There is no longer a need to save up your "gil" for overpriced versions of the same weapon. A weapon's strength is now directly related to the character wielding it. Of course, this means that you will still spend hours (and I stress h o u r s) leveling up your team so that you can take on the game's incredibly powerful bosses--but the time will actually fly by for change, as Square-Enix seems to have finally produced a combat system that is enjoyable enough to spend that much time playing. Of course there is a major downside to this approach, as the storylne loses absolutely all depth entirely--which was the only thing that Final Fantasy had going for it in the first place.
