This already looks like it might be the best looking game on PS2.
Game Info
Publisher
Square Electronic Arts
Developer
Squaresoft
Genre
RPG
Origin
Japan
Number of Players
1
Net Support
Yes
Dual Shock
Yes
Release
Early 2002
Peripherals
Analog
Memory Card
Final Fantasy X
We\'ve updated our preview with everything we currently know about Square\'s beautiful PS2 RPG.
April 25, 2001
The Final Fantasy series is among the most popular franchises in Japan, videogame or otherwise, with only Dragon Quest and Pokémon having any arguments over it. The influence that the Final Fantasy name has in the Japanese videogame market can be best seen by looking at the market share of the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation before and after the announcement of Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation.
Up until Square\'s announcement that it would release Final Fantasy VII exclusively on PlayStation, the Sega Saturn and PlayStation were neck and neck in the console wars in Japan. As soon as Japanese gamers found out that Final Fantasy VII would be released on the PlayStation and not the Saturn, sales of the PlayStation began to increase steadily and it began to build a lead over the Saturn that would never let up.
Final Fantasy VII went on to sell over 3.26 million units in Japan, Final Fantasy VIII, went on to sell even more -- with 3.6 million units sold to date -- and while it hasn\'t reached the 3 million mark, Final Fantasy IX still sold a more than respectable 2.8 million units. And the entire series has sold more than 31 million copies worldwide.
What this means is that the Final Fantasy franchise is huge in Japan and Square\'s announcement way back at Square Millennium on January 29, 2000, which revealed that Final Fantasy X and XI were PlayStation 2 bound, will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the next generation system battles.
It\'s getting harder and harder to not fall in love with videogame females...
I\'m already in love with the 3D environments.
It\'s sooo reeeaaalll!
What\'s the best looking game on PS2?
Final Fantasy X
Metal Gear Solid 2
And after playing the demo of the game that was on playable at the recent TGS 2001 Spring, I strongly believe more than ever before FFX will have a significant impact on the upcoming console battles between PlayStation 2 and Microsoft\'s Xbox and Nintendo\'s GameCube. It obviously doesn\'t mean PlayStation 2 will definitely win the war, but after seeing just how beautiful this game is, gamers around the world will understand that the Sony\'s black box is a very powerful gaming console.
Just like in Final Fantasy IX, which is the last completely original game Final Fantasy that will appear on the original PlayStation, Final Fantasy X marks a change in Square\'s direction with the series. The character designs in FFX, which have been created by Tetsuya Nomura, are less cyber-looking and more aimed towards a fantasy-style that was more common in earlier games in the Final Fantasy series, yet not in the super-deformed style that was used in FFIX.
The game\'s world will have a strong Asian influence, versus the European style seen in previous titles, which will be seen most in the juxtaposition of Western culture Asian architecture. One of the game\'s main themes will be travel, as players will be encouraged to explore the world, while other themes like interaction between different classes will be brought forth as the game\'s two main characters come from strikingly different backgrounds. Tidus is the lead male character in the game and Squaresoft has described him as an optimistic, unfaltering sportsman with a will to win. He\'s also a competitor in the underwater sport of Blitzball, which is said to be a combination of basketball and soccer.
Yuna is Final Fantasy X\'s lead female protagonist and she is said to convey a sense of honesty and innocence, while having the ability to summon Shin (spirits, Gods). She controls the summoned beasts in battle and the actual summons in the game were some of the amazing things that we\'ve ever seen in our gaming lifetime.
Other confirmed characters in the game a sword fighter named Auron, a mage named Seymour, a thief named Rikku, and other characters named Wakka, Lulu and Kimari (the beast-like character in the screenshots with the horn coming out of his head) . All completely designed by Tetsuya Nomura.
Unlike all previous Final Fantasy titles before it, FFX will feature a fully rendered 3D World map with fully polygonal objects on it. Previously, icons were used to represent towns and places, while this time around, they\'ll be rendered exactly as they appear when you go into them with a very subtle transition when moving between the world map and each area.
Furthermore, all of the game\'s backgrounds will be rendered in realtime and while the camera will not be adjustable by the player, it will automatically change its perspective to correspond with the movements of the player.
Whilst the game\'s creators didn\'t have the foresight to do away with the random encounters and go with the same route as Chrono Cross (apparently it was once again planned, but not able to be implemented -- in FFIX, the reason was that they would lose background detail), the battle system has been tweaked some. The general pace is much more akin to the SNES Final Fantasy games, which were generally quicker than what was offered in the PlayStation games.
The active time battle system that has become a staple in the series of late has been ditched in favor of a more strategic option. Most of the same options will be available, though, as characters will be able to perform a variety of moves including normal attacks, spells, Limit Breaks and character specific special abilities like Steal or Summon.
Unlike summons in previous Final Fantasy titles, they\'re no longer a one time special attack here in FFX. When Yuna summons a Shin, the beast will appear in a beautiful realtime sequence, just as in the PlayStation FFs, but won\'t just attack and disappear. The Shin will instead become a completely controllable character that has attacks similar to the other party members, including a normal attack, special attack and the ability to cast spells.
What\'s more, once powered up, the Shin is able to perform an Over Drive attack that\'s done by pressing left on the directional pad at the normal attack screen and then selecting the attack. The result is a tremendously powerful special attack that fills the screen with beautiful polygonal goodness and lets down the wrath of God on the opponent.
During battle, players will also be able to have characters change armor and weapons and if one isn\'t happy with the current character line-up, it\'s possible to switch between characters during the heat of battle, which is yet another first in the illustrious series. The character switching helps make up for the fact that the party size of the game is limited to only three active members.
Players will also be treated to several new mini-games that will include one based on Blitz-ball as well as another where the player must hunt for clues that will allow the player to master the language of Al Bhed. Blitz-ball is an underwater sport based on the sports of soccer and basketball and features six players per team, with the objective being to score points by getting the ball into the opponent\'s goal.
Another first for the series is the inclusion of character voices that are heard in game, during battle sequences and during the CG cut scenes. We haven\'t yet heard the English voiceovers, but Squaresoft isn\'t taking the dubbing of the game lightly and are putting a substantial amount of time and effort behind the U.S. localization.
From what we\'ve seen, or rather heard, of the Japanese voices, they all seem to fit the characters quite well and are synched perfectly with the lip movements of the polygonal characters, making for realistic-looking conversations between CG characters. In order to do this, Square is implementing an all-new facial animation system, being dubbed "Facial Motion System", that is said to harness the power of PlayStation 2 to create realistic facial impressions in realtime.
And for those of you worried about the quality of the English voiceovers, there will definitely be an option to turn off the use of them completely in the options menu and most of the voiceovers can be skipped during in game segments, even with the option still on. We\'ve been begging Square to put in an option for both English and Japanese voiceovers in the North American release of the title, but it seems unlikely since the game appears likely fill up an entire DVD as is.
Final Fantasy X is headed for a July 19, 2001 release in Japan and will undoubtedly be one of the main reasons numerous Japanese gamers pick up a PlayStation 2 this year. Most likely due to the extra time needed to ensure a quality English localization of the text and voiceovers, Final Fantasy X won\'t see a North American release until early 2002.
