Final Fantasy X-2 (Sony PlayStation 2, 2003)

If you've played FFX, here's what you need to know about the sequel:

First of all, it's different. The most important thing for you to expect is this: FFX-2 is not the same game as FFX. It does not provide the same experience as FFX. FFX is still one of a kind.

The first thing you'll notice is that combat is very different. Unlike FFX's flawless turn-based system, FFX-2 uses a semi-real-time system similar to FF6 and Chrono Trigger. Don't forget to go to the option screen and change it from "active" to "wait". Otherwise, your opponents' turns will be flying by while you try to figure out what to do. This was the biggest disappointment for me. FFX had the best combat system of any RPG I’ve every played. The combat system of FFX-2 was only average.

Characters from FFX are back, but the only two you get to play are Yuna and Rikku. Besides those two, the only other character you get in your party is Paine, who is never really introduced, but you get to learn about her mysterious past as the story progresses. In case you haven't noticed, all three are teenage girls. Keep that in mind. There are also a number of new characters, some stupid (LeBlanc) and some a bit more interesting (Nooj).

One of my favorite parts of FFX was the ability to switch characters in the middle of combat. In FFX-2, you never switch characters, during combat or otherwise. However, the infamous job system is back (in the form of dress spheres and garment grids). Now, your characters are able to switch classes (from fighter to black mage, for example) mid combat. It ends up playing a lot the same as in FFX, but never quite as satisfying.

The experience system revolves around dress spheres as well. The sphere grid of FFX is gone. In FFX-2, characters gain experience by winning fights, with which they level up in a traditional fashion, raising their stats. However, they also gain ability points with which they learn new abilities for their current class. You select which of these abilities to learn next. As you do, new abilities become available. This part is very much like the magic system of FF6.

The story picks up 2 years after FFX. I found it satisfying, except for some parts that were too corny and girly. “Charlie’s Angels” really is a good comparison. The game made plenty of references to FFX -- for example, what is Isaruu up to now? -- yet still told its own story.

You begin the game with the airship. Use it. Don't go straight to the hotspots, but instead go everywhere else. The majority of the game is made up of side-quests and mini-missions, but first you have to find them. If you're already familiar with the world of Spira, this shouldn't be too hard. It does take a lot of time, however. If you're impatient and just want to see how the story ends, this probably isn't the game for you.

The chances of you being able to complete the game 100% (and get the perfect ending) on your own are very slim. You'll have to use a guide. It is at times extremely irritating. The worst is during chapter 4, when you have to do such long and boring things for only small fractions of percentages.

Finally, my recommendations. If you're a fan of the story of FFX, pick up FFX-2 and play through it once (or twice if needs be) using a guide to get 100%. If you're a fan of the play value of FFX, the sequel will probably be a disappointment. If you're a fan of Final Fantasy games in general, FFX-2 is a good addition in my opinion. Just remember, it’s not a remake of FFX.

Die hard gamers have long beseeched Square to continue the storyline of one of its Final Fantasy games, and with good reason. After spending a good 50 hours with a group of characters embroiled in one life-or-death situation after another, you can't help wanting more. Now the concept of a direct sequel has been put into practice, and the result is Final Fantasy X-2: a slightly uneven but still engaging game that's worthy of the revered name. The story's almost-total reliance on a familiarity with Final Fantasy X may limit its audience to those who enjoyed that game. At its best, FFX-2 is every bit as poignant, endearing, and engrossing as its forebears, and it's this similarity to stronger games in the series that ultimately makes X-2's minor flaws forgivable.

Most of the action is basic (crawling through dungeons, talking with other characters, leveling up, fighting bosses). The active-time battle is extremely quick, with the characters attacking almost as soon as you issue your command. A new chain combo system adds a welcome extra "oomph" to the battles. The girls gameplay revolves around "dresshperes", or costumes that the characters don with different abilities. Two years after the defeat of Sin, Spira is finally enjoying the fabled eternal calm. However, the peace is made tremulous by the tension and competition between rival factions, each trying to bring Spira under its own control. Yuna and Rikku have joined forces with a tough new character, Paine, to form the Gullwings. Together, they roam Spira searching for spheres which are video-recordings of historic world events. Sphere hunting is popular, so the girls face plenty of competition. By the end of the game, the story will come full circle and link up with events from FFX. This is an enjoyable addition to the FF family and one that gamers should enjoy.

PROS - Voice acting is outstanding with new and returning actors, with well written dialogue. Exceptional soundtrack. Familiar graphics and maps from FFX (considered a con by some). Fair amount of sidequests. Solid and entertaining RPG that any FF fan should play and enjoy.

CONS - Graphics almost identical to original FFX game. Limited CG movie sequences, one of the original games' best feature. Disjointed storyline with "free form" approach to game progression which can be confusing.

For me, the change in formula made for a fun game, save for the cheesy script (made lots of awkward moments), the game's massive amounts of estrogen (you play as 3 teen girls, need I say more?), and the game's lack of a good engaging story.

So what did SquareEnix change for the first time in Final Fantasy history? 1.) playable characters are 3 girls and you only play as them throughout the whole game. NO additional playable characters, no switchable characters. 2.) not linear. The game is now mission-based and so you could go around any part of the world and complete sidequests and earn cool stuff. 3.) no super evil (sin, Sepirath, etc) but a humongous machina that's really really easy to beat 4.) dress speheres where you change the character's dresses from say, like a samurai to a thief (thieves wear bikinis for some reason) to a giant armored metallic birdsuit that does massive amount of damage

Is change good? From what I looked at IGN reader reviews, the answer varies on who you are.

Do you mind the fact that preppy girls are going to save the world? Do you mind the fact that the important male characters in the game not only look gay but also act kind of gay? Do you mind the fact that the fighting style is not turn-based anymore but active time-based turn system (almost identical to FFVII gameplay but much, much faster)? Do you mind the fact that you play dressup in order to use special roles for your playable characters?

If you do, then you will absolutely hate this game, because I noticed most people who hate this game, hate it for those reasons, and in most cases, those reasons only.

If you overlook that, this is one hell of a game. The dress sphere idea sounds retarded but once you get used to it, it's not. It's revolutionary. For example, you can teach abilities with dress spheres, abilities such as "Evade and Counter", "Ribbon" (immune to ALL status effects), "Congrats" (get 9999 gil from enemy), "Assault" (cast protect, shell, reflect, and beserk on user) and stuff like that. It makes for an amazing battle experience. Each dress sphere is unique and it's fun to use different kinds. It sure beats having to unequp and equip materia or stealing magic from fiends or using a complicated sphere grid system.

And for the first time in FF history, a non-linear FF game! You know what this means? More mini-games than any other game in FF history! These mini games are hard but really fun. Some sidequests are retarded but you get awesome rewards for it.

The game also has multiple endings depending on how many sidequests you complete and some special things you do to trigger the ending.

Overall, this is one FF game that focuses more on fun then the main plot. If you just play the plot, the bosses are hella easy and the game is so-so. But go on this one sidequest where you hav beat the ultimate fiend of all times (334,000 hitpoints!!!), and you will drop your jaw at the incredible amount of strategy you would have to use to get incredible amount of fun in return.

I have to warn you though, that if you didn't play FFX, the story won't make sense at all. The game hardly links the game back to its prequel and doesn't explain that but still, it's a FUN game. It's a change of formula but for the right people, it's a formula that works real well.

When I first saw the teasing trailer, i was about to fall to the floor and die. I wanted the game so bad, and it was all i thought about while i was in School. I even visited their website on a number of occasions. well, my dramatic acts were all for nothing. Its like waiting for santa to come down the chimney to give you a toy, but instead gives you a pile of crap.

The reason i gave it a low rating, was because this game did NOT CONCENTRATE on Yuna's mission. It barely explained anything. Yuna was ALWAYS distracted, someone was always in trouble, someone always needed her to do something, she was always in some kind of tournament or running errands. I mean this game should have been called "Final Fantasy X-2: Sidequest", becuase 80% of the game was just sidequests, had NOTHING to do with the storyline.

Yuna goes through a HUGE transformaton. she goes from this goodie two shoe I-must-follow-the-teachings-of​-Yeavon down to earth Summoner, to this pop-singing, skin-revealing Sphere Hunter. she hopes to find these spheres that would explain why her beloved Tidus disappears or maybe hopes to find him again. She's more energetic, she's still loved by the people, you may encounter a few who believe her fame days are over and wont even bother giving her the special treatment or respect.

The reason i say her missions barely have anything to do with the story is becuase she finds all these spheres and almost every one of them is a disappointment, except for one she found in Kilika of Shuyin. THAT sphere was a pretty good one, why couldnt they find more spehere like that one?

I wanted to know more about Shuyin, I wanted to Know more about Lenne and WHY they had such a strong connection to Yuna and Tidus, besides the dressphere she wore. They should have gave Yuna another dream where she woke up as Lenne and had the story shift into THEIR time and see how their lives were portrayed. I really wanted to know just STUFF about them, how did they meet! how did Lenne do in battle?

They do introduce some new characters such as Paine, LeBlanc, Logos, Ormi, Barilai, Nooj and Gippal. It would be nice if they made a seperate game for Baralei, Nooj and Gippal.


YOu can revist some places from the first Series and even speak to the same characters. the music wasnt really all that great, the moonflow song made me want to go crazy.

I have to admit, i did enjoy the battle system, the girls have a handful of dressphers to choose from, so i enjoyed all the different kinds of magic and transformations.

Yuna can play blitzball, but you can't control her, or anyone for that matter

there are 4 endings depending on what you do during the game.

There is a plus game, meaning you'll get to keep all your goodies you found and worked hard for.


The game was bascially just a charlie's angel type. three girls on random missions. *sigh*

I have to admit that when I first heard that Square was going to make a sequel to one of it's FF games that I was a little skeptical. I had even more doubts when I found out that Tidus was absent from the game and Yuna had taken over as the main character. I bought the game anyway and decided to give it a chance. Here's what I thought:
This game ties in so much with the origanal FFX. Trust me, if you didn't play the original FFX all the way through then you'll be lost in this game. It's amazing how Sqare made the events from FFX tie into this game so much.

Now for the battle system. As you already know, the battle system changes on each Final Fantasy game. On this one the characters use dresspheres (jobs) and they can change jobs during the battle. The combat is non-linear, which means multiple characters can attack all at once to increase damage. There's no more attack-be attacked-attack patterns. Another huge difference is the absence of aeons (remember they were destroyed at the end of FFX). Believe me, once you get into the game you won't mind there not being any aeons. The ATB system has also been brought back to FFX-2.

As for the storyline I have to honestly say that it's incredible. Almost as good as FF8 and FF7. Yuna becomes a sphere hunter and on a journey to find Tidus. The great thing about the story of this game is that so many different things can happen depending on what decisions you make. In Chapter 2 of the game you will make a decision that will determine most of the events to occur in the rest of the game. There's also a completion percentage in the game and you can view various endings depending on how much of the game you completed.

As for the sound, it's slightly above average. It's not as good as FF7-10 but it's not nearly as horrible as FFTA. Some of the tunes are nice while others are annoying.

The replayability of this game is one of its biggest assets. This game is designed so that different events occur depending on the decisions you make. You can play the game more than once to experience different outcomes. This game also lets you start a "New Game Plus". This means that you can carry over the items, gil, accesories, dresspheres, abilities, etc. that you had in your first game. Oh yeah your levels don't carry over to your new game, so don't think you're going to get god-like characters that easily. I've beaten it once and I'm definitely playing it again to get all the things I missed in my first game.

The sidequests/mini-games in FFX-2 are immense. This game has more mini-games than ANY other FF title before. That adds a lot to the overall plot of the game and this game has a challenging 100-floor dungeon called Via Infinito for veteran FF players. Believe me this place IS A REAL CHALLENGE. I still have yet to beat it. There's so many various rewards and great accesories to be acquired by doing the sidequests.

Overall this is a great game. I saw some of the other 1 sentence reviews where people said this game sucks because Tidus isn't here. You can tell that they obviously haven't played the game and show their ignorance with those simple-minded reviews. I recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of RPG games. Also you need to play FFX if you haven't already or else you'll be confused with this game.