Final fantasy X HD was recently release in Japan: Dec 26, 2013
Square Enix brings back two of the most popular RPGs of all time with bundle of the HD remasterings of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X!
Final Fantasy X began in 1999, with a budget of more than US$32.3 million and a team of more than 100 people. The game was the first in the main series not entirely scored by Nobuo Uematsu; Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano were signed as Uematsu's fellow composers. Final Fantasy X was both a critical and commercial success, selling over 6.6 million units worldwide. On March 3, 2003, it was followed by Final Fantasy X-2, making it the first Final Fantasy game to have a direct game sequel.
Final Fantasy X follows the exploits of the Summoner Yuna and her guardians as they battle an evil immortal enemy known as Sin. This beloved entry in the franchise includes side-quests such as the underwater sport of Blitzball and a monster battle arena, as well as a redesigned fighting system that mixes classic Final Fantasy elements with a "Sphere Grid" system.
Final Fantasy X-2 is the first true sequel in the popular RPG series, and picks the story up two years later. The world has entered into a period known as the "Eternal Calm". During this moment of change, the people of Spira have shunned the once-sacred teachings of Yevon, and embraced the use of the formerly forbidden machina. While many of Spira's inhabitants are enjoying this time of peace, evidence of the High Summoner Yuna's lost love Tidus surfaces, prompting her to begin a new quest to find him.
But these flaws stand out only because the game is such a dramatic masterpiece. As I said before, the story is the tightest one yet, with a clear focus and a well-constructed narrative arc. Along the way, you're treated to numerous stirring scenes, some rich with celebration, others fraught with peril, still others imbued with breathtaking beauty. Many scenes stand out, but one in particular comes to mind. It starts off early in the game, right after the major blitzball tourney, with an embarrassingly melodramatic sequence. Much later, though, the story returns to that moment via a flashback, and in the context of all the startling revelations, this once-cheesy moment is suddenly suffused with poignancy, dripping with nostalgic wistfulness. Wow. Now, that's an achievement. I mean, how many games have the sheer audacity to reach back into their own depths, pull out a wince-inducing scene, and then pull off the amazing feat of changing the very tone and relevance of that moment? That takes courage.
Which, of course, all adds up to one fine role-playing experience. But what of the gameplay? Well, despite being an "RPE," FFX still packs in more quality gameplay than most RPGs could ever hope for, with the finest battle system yet for the series. The all-new Conditional Turn-based Battle system injects a much-needed dose of strategy into the combat, forcing you to really think your way through some of the tough boss fights later in the game. Even better, you can now switch in any of your seven allies whenever you want—which you'll need to do in order to get through the game. These upgrades fix two of my biggest gripes with the series. First, you no longer have a cast of unused characters; you really do need to use everyone at all times. Second, the pacing of the battles is much better. The artificially induced panic of the constantly ticking clock from the old Active-Time Battle system is gone, replaced with the more relaxed but also more challenging CTB system. Routine fights go by quicker if you choose the right characters to square off against the right monsters. The boss battles are more complex. And combat is much more dramatic.
This CTB setup is perfectly complemented by FFX's innovative new Sphere Grid. Turning the notion of experience points on its ear, FFX offers a purely visual interface that you navigate using items gained primarily through battle. What's so brilliant about the Grid is that it offers an enticing illusion of free will. Each character starts off at a different point on the Grid, and as such is limited in his or her choices early on. Wakka, for example, is a heavyweight brawler, while Lulu is your black mage. But as you go on, you start to open up the Grid, unlocking all kinds of possibilities. Yet even during those early stages, the visual setup and the appeal of simply fiddling around on the Grid made it feel like I was building up my characters from scratch in the manner of my choosing—even though that's far from what was going on. As a longtime FF fan, I found the Grid to be the perfect balance between the free-form job system of FFV and the more regimented class systems of games like FFVI and FFIX.
Release Date: March 18, 2014 for the English version of the game.
