Final Fantasy X-2 (PS2)

I ordered this game purely on the basis of really enjoying the rest of the series(I have never played FF7 but have been told it was easily as good as the others). After ordering I became a little concered when i read a few of the online reviews, they had very MIXED views. So i watied anxiously for my copy to test it out and see if it was up to the standard of the other games? At first i was slightly dissapointed that their were only three charachters all of which are female. This doesn't make any difference to me as im not sexest, but i sometimes feel a girl power theme about to is about to approach. Luckily this theme never really settles into the game.Now enough criticising on to the good points!Like all final fantasy games this one is huge and very replayable. What enhances this is the option of how long you want to spend playing the game, you can complete it in 15 hours by visiting the "hotspots" straight away, or take your time and spent 100 hours attempting to complete it 100%! The amount of minigames is huge and most are good fun, the addition of a new coin based game (a lot like the card game in FF8) is good fun and i feel keeping blitzball from FFX was a good idea too. I don't see how people can complain about a game haveing too many minigames, especially if you dont have too play them? This game is seriously layed back and you can play it HOW YOU WANT, the amount of routes you can take to complete the game helps too show this off. I dont mind having some repeated scenery from FFX, most have new people and buildings anyway. In fact it helps link it to FFX and make it more of a sequal. I am still not sure about the new battle system as i did enjoy buying new weapons and armour where as you are unable to do this in X-2(the main flaw for me). They have at least been replaced with garment grids which is a good idea, but not as good as conventional weapons. Verdict: As good as, but no better that FFX. Many good mini games and a fresh storyline, but many FF lovers will miss the old battle system, buying weapons and armour and being able to play as more than three characters.As a sequal to FFX: 4 starsAs a new game(if you have never played FF): 5 stars

X-2 is a great game but and there is a but it has some flaws in it that are hard to overlook.The Main game itself is great the battles are really enjoyable and you wont get as frustrated with the random battles as before because of the variety and brilliance of the Dress Sphere System. And the freedom you're given makes it feel a lot more "real".The FMV's (although used very sparingly (Only about 10) are exactly as you'd expect from any Final Fantasy Game, they are Stunning and provoke a lot of emotion because of the scenes they portray.The main problem with X-2 is the story lines yeah ok how it plays out and the events within the game are well written but it's just too short. A normal FF game would take around 2 weeks to complete and in comparison this took me just under 4 days.The second problem is its accessibility. I really don't think you can get that much out of it without playing and completing X first, it relies far too heavily on its predecessor on terms of Storyline and events.You are going to enjoy this game if you enjoy Final Fantasy, to non FF veterans I say this do not judge the entire FF series on this one game its just too different and not as good a quality as some of the previous titles . Also pleas try and Play X first you will get a lot more enjoyment out of the game

I've owned every Final Fantasy from 6 upwards and usually purchase each game on its release date simply because the Final fantasy brand is synonomous with quality gaming and value for money.When the game arrived i decided to replay final fantasy x thinking that upon completion i could simply slot in x2 and continue my gaming experience. However do not be misled into thinking that this game is a sequel. Yes it is set in the world of Spira and you can revisit old places and people and chat about old times but the actual system of gameplay which made the original so good has gone completely.Of course this is nothing new. Square redesign the gameplay and combat systems for each and every game and part of the enjoyment comes from mastering the new systems but this system is so radically different to the previous you will either learn to love it or loathe it and i'm afriad i fall into the latter catergory. Combat decisions have to be made within a second or two if you wish to survive battle and the reliance on chain attacks to be able to hit with anything like a decent amount means you tend to find yourself relying on physical attacks and ignoring most of the other options.The sphere grid has also gone to be replaced with dresspheres. A novel idea in practice but exceedingly annoying in combat as changing spheres during combat is laborious and time consuming while the grid dictates that you can only change into adjacent dresspheres meaning combat was now based on the barbie principal of dressing up and being lucky enough to be wearing the right outfit to combat the right monster.The stoyline concept of all previous final fantasy games has also been eroded into "missions" for spheres. Personally i enjoyed the voyage of discovery from previous games as you had to travel from place to place to pick up key skills and learn information to take you closer to your goal while all the time you learnt to care and feel for your characters.My final gripe with this game is the appaling 70's disco pop soundtrack which found me reaching for the mute button on my tv like never before and eternally grateful for the subtitles so that i wasnt forced to unmute for key events like "scoring" my next dressphere.I've given the game 3 stars, 2 of which are simply because this is Final Fantasy and the third because this is a sequel and the curiosity factor will generate sales from those like me who wanted to continue their adventures in Spira.If your new to the Final Fantasy genre i'd advise you to purchase any of the previous incarnations in preference to this dire installment while stalwarts and collectors will just have to accept its failings and wait for the next and hopefully improved version of the game.All in all a very dissapointing purchase.