The most impressive and amazing game I've ever played.
The main character of FFX is Tidus, a young Blitzball player from Zanarkand. When his city is destroyed by an enormous, unknown power named Sin he touches it and travels a thousand years into the future. Having lost his memory he joins a group of young people that guide the young summoner Yuna on her journey through the world Spira. Sin still tortures Spira a thousand years after the destruction of Zanarkand and it's the group's goal to defeat Sin – forever.
Game play: 9.5/10
The beginning of the game manages to tell you the basics of the game in a cinematic way, which is really impressive. The fight system is new for the FF series: FFX uses the Conditional Turn-Based fighting system. Personally, I love it. It's very tactical but fights are not long and boring. The different characters are quite different to play; there are a lot of weapons and armours to discover and so on. The Sphere Grid is an awesome alternative to usual levelling, I wish more games would feature that. The game play is almost perfect; only the menus in battle could have been a little better to read.
Graphics: 9/10
The graphics are superb. Nothing but superb. And the cinemas are unbelievably impressing. The characters look cool and fancy. There are even beautiful landscapes with a play of light and shadows. The only problem is that – at least in the German version – the proportions are not right; the characters seem to be jolted. I don't know if this applies to other versions of the game but it is a pity.
Sound: 10/10
It's Final Fantasy music – it's perfect. There are happy little melodies as well as impressing orchestral pieces. The music always fits the situation and underlines its atmosphere. And of course, the Hymn of the Faith: a genius part of the game, a song that will remain in your ear for weeks. Some people consider the voice acting annoying but I don't agree with them. I even like Tidus' voice. It fits him and I don't think it's too high pitched for a 17-year-old boy.
Story: 10/10
The story is another of the strongest parts of the game. It is told in a very linear and cinematic way with a lot of dialogue and cinemas. I never experienced the story getting lame or predictable, it always remained exiting and stirring. It also is very dramatic and emotional, which may be a little exaggerated for some but I love it (I'm a teenager …)
Long-time fun/Replay value: 10/10 // 10/10
FFX features a long main story that will keep you busy for about 40 hours the first time you play through it (which I consider impressive). Before moving forward to the final battles (i.e. beating Sin) you gain control of an airship which allows you to travel freely. With that, you have the chance to fight a massive amount of optional mission, like fighting the hardest bosses in the game, finding the ultimate weapons etc. There's incredibly much to do, it will keep you busy for ages. (I spent almost 400 hours the second time I played through the game, having completed and maxed out really everything).
Apart from that, FFX is a game that you can (and probably want to) replay very often. The story is thrilling every time, although you know the ending; the characters are incredibly lovable. I got the game in 2003 and still am playing it. I played through it seven or eight times, most times including all the optional stuff. And still amazes me every time.
+ great story/characters
+ beautiful graphics, impressive cinemas, smooth animations
+ fun game play, fun for a long time, extremely high replay value
+ perfect music, first Final Fantasy to feature voice acting
- proportions in some versions of the game are incorrect
- to some, the voice acting is rather annoying
- the game is very linear, not everyone likes that
TOTAL: 10/10
FFX has only very little flaws, the biggest one being the incorrect proportions (at least in the German version). Apart from that, it is an epic and amazing game. It has a great story, cool characters, beautiful graphics, impressive sound, fun game play, long time fun and high replay value. Final Fantasy X is the most impressive game I've ever played.