Final Fantasy VII - X-2 - reviews
Created | Updated Jun 7, 2004
These are reviews of the more recent Final Fantasy games, VII to X-2 inclusive. These games are available in most regions (Britain's got them, so everywhere else probably has them) for the PlayStation/PlayStation 2 consoles. Please remeber that these are not facts but opinions.
The games are all separate with different story lines, characters and even world - the exception to this being FF X and FF X-2, which is the first time there has been a true sequel. However, there are a number of continuing points - such as re-occurring characters (there is always a Cid in the game somewhere - this applies to the film too, but he is called Sid in the credits - and often there are two characters called Biggs and Wedge); re-occurring summonable beasts (such as Ifrit and Shiva) - although their title (GFs, Eidolons, Aeons) changes in the different games; and many of the monsters remain too.
The Games
Final Fantasy VII
This is quite widely regarded as the best game in the series, and by some fanatics as the best game ever, and it can be dangerous to disagree with them if you're in the same room. And whilst good, there are problems with the game: nowadays the graphics are appallingly out of date (the backgrounds can look quite good at points, but the characters don't even have facial features other than eyes - supposedly a deliberate style, but still not particularly aesthetically pleasing compared to modern graphics) and the game play has been improved since then. The power up system of junctioning "materia" (little globules of magic goop condensed) to your characters leaves them with little battle individuality - switch the materia around on two characters and you're not far off having switched the characters around - and other serious flaws exist - such as the inability to use "Attack" if the character's Limit Break bar is full (a Limit Break is a - supposedly at least - more powerful attack that is available after the character takes a certain amount of damage), should you wish to save the character's move for another time.
That said, the game is very good, with some entertaining mini-games and some quite interesting characters - although the main character, Cloud, is quite dull because he is so reserved.
The storyline of Final Fantasy VII is that of Cloud. He is a mercenary who is hired by a group of rebels attacking an all-powerful company called Shin-Ra, which is draining the life force from the planet for use as Mako energy. The attacks they make, though, come at the same time as Shin-Ra is expanding and beginning policies that make the very planet itself respond, and a mysterious character called Sephiroth attempts to destroy the world...
Interestingly, a new Final Fantasy film is in development. However, as opposed to the first film ("The Spirits Within") which was unconnected to any of the Final Fantasy games, this film is called "Advent Children" and is about the characters of FF VII two years after the end of the game - similar to with FF X-2, but with a film instead of a game. An English language website about it is adventchildren.net - warning: contains potential spoilers of the game. Also, another page exists in the guide about FF VII, here.
Final Fantasy VIII
This is not regarded anywhere near as highly as FF VII by many fanatics, although many parts of it are in some ways better. Graphics by this time were much improved, and the characters look relatively human. Square, for this game, decided to reduce the complexity of FF VII in a number of ways - for example, MP (magic points) disappeared, and spells are instead "stocked", and as you use the spells your stock of them decreases, meaning spells need to be continually "drawn" from enemies or points in the game. Also, the "Limit Break" gauge disappeared, and instead Limit Breaks became available when at low health. These changes did not work very well - the low health Limit Breaks meant players could keep their characters seriously injured and continually use extremely powerful moves, and as magic is "junctioned" to characters' stats to improve them, casting spells could make the characters weaker.
The lack of character individuality in battles also still exists in this game, and being only able to choose four commands for battles (of which one must be Attack, or Mug - which steals items as well) is often annoying. However, an extremely interesting card game exists in it, which can take up a large amount of time if the player finds it engaging enough. The storyline is also more structured and has a more naturally flowing narrative than in FF VII - although towards the end, it becomes a little dull and unimaginative. The love interest, if you're interested in it, is also a lot more interesting*, due to the fact that despite the main character's initial reservedness (like in FF VII), he becomes a lot more open as the game goes on (unlike in VII).
The main character in this game is called Squall*. He becomes a member of SeeD - an organised mercenary group - at the beginning of the game, but his first mission takes him and his partners off on a larger adventure than was planned...
Final Fantasy IX
The final Final Fantasy for the PlayStation. The graphics have not evolved much from FF VIII, but the game play has seriously changed, especially in battles. MP and a power gauge (now called a "Trance" gauge) have returned, and in response to the limited individuality in the previous two games, individuality is everything in this game. Each character has their own commands and command menus (such as Steal, White Magic or Sword Art) and set moves that they can learn - although a few are shared. This is, if anything, too great a change - players in this game have no real option over how their character develops and what sort of moves they want the characters to have - now it is a case of just choosing whether you want to bother getting a character to learn a move or not. The Trance system is also the worst of the "special move" systems - when the bar fills up* the character immediately goes into Trance (which, depending on the character, varies from extremely useful to nigh on useless) and at the end of that battle, if still in Trance, the bar immediately empties. This is not good, as a valid tactic in FF VII - and FF X - is to fight enemies before a boss battle so as to get a full Limit Break gauge for the first move. In this, if you get hit one time to many, suddenly at the end of the battle your bar is at zero.
This game is quite interesting, and has the most humour of the Final Fantasy games - even in-jokes (for example, the main character at one point sees a large sword and comments to himself "I used to know a guy with spiky hair who had a sword like that" - Cloud from FF VII). The style is, however, far more childish than the others in the series - talking to moogles* to save, and childish looking main characters. The story's pretty good, but may lose the player's interest more easily than the others, and there aren't as many easily recognisable side quests as in the others. There's a card game in this one, too - a completely different one to in FF VIII, apart from the aim* and the name (Tetra Master) - and this one has an element of unpredictability in it, unlike the one in FF VIII, and this is both bad and good. The story, by this time, has the feeling of a far more rounded and literary plot, with recurring places and ideas. However, it is a little complicated and badly explained at times, and depends a little too much on remembering events or speech that could have happened tens of hours ago in the game - so playing it twice may be a good idea.
The main character in this game is Zidane, a thief who has a tail*. He is with an acting troupe that plans to kidnap the princess at the city, Alexandria, which they are visiting at the time of the beginning of the game. However, the princess wants to be captured, and plot after plot is unfolded...
Final Fantasy X
This is probably the best Final Fantasy so far released in the UK, of the modern ones. The story is deep and enthralling, the game play is developed and logical, the power up system provides the most versatility of all the Final Fantasy games, the characters include some of the best - especially Auron - the graphics are breathtaking, especially in the FMVs, and the characters are voiced! (even if not brilliantly).
The battle system is probably the least realistic of the modern games - the Active Time Battle gauge (ATB gauge - this fills up during the game, and the character can only act when full) has been disposed of, and instead a pre-ordained battle order, based on the fighters' speeds and moves used, is shown, so you can see the order of turns coming up. However, this lack of realism allows an immensely tactical battle - no longer is the player tempted to continually hammer the "X" button in order to get their attack in as early as possible, but instead have the time to think what is best to use and to plan several moves in advance - sort of like in chess. The power-up system uses something called a "Sphere Grid" - a massive network of nodes that the characters' pointers move about, and spheres are used on it to permanently increase their stats or learn a move - and this allows immense versatility, as (especially with the "Expert" sphere grid) the player can choose what sort of fighter they want their characters to become - such as making Lulu a warrior instead of a black mage. The "Overdrive" system (this game's version of Limit Breaks/Trance) is also the best - the bar can fill up by different methods (such as the character attacking, or healing an ally) instead of just by being hit, and when fully charged, it imposes no restrictions on the player as to when they use it. Also, character change is available, allowing characters to be switched in battle, and when aeons are summoned, unlike in previous games where their counterparts (Guardian Forces in FF VIII, Eidolons in FF IX) just appeared, did their move and left, they now appear and fight instead of your party and can be controlled by the player. However, all this does make the game a bit easy, which is one of its failings.
The game is brilliant. There's a wide diversity of mini-games, including "Blitzball", a sort of underwater rugby/football game, with stats visibly being used to calculate whether moves are successful or not, and the story is amusing, enthralling and quite moving if you are so inclined. The plot is also more "literary" than others, with many themes running through it - as can be seen on the accompanying Extras DVD with the game in the UK.
The story line is about a character called Tidus (pronounced Tee-dus by the voice actors in the Extras DVD - never spoken in the game, in case you wish to change his name at the start) who is, like his father was, a champion Blitzball player in Zanarkand, a technologically advanced planet. However, in the Blitzball match at the start of the game, a mysterious entity called "Sin" attacks Zanarkand and Tidus is sucked up, waking up in old ruins. He is soon aided by a girl called Rikku, before being attacked by Sin again, and then waking up on an island called Besaid, where he meets the young summoner Yuna. This world is called Spira, and appears to be Zanarkand 1000 years in the future. There is little technology any more though, as Sin attacks anywhere where too much occurs, and summoners are the only way to defeat Sin...
Final Fantasy X-2
The first true sequel to a FF game. This follows on from FF X, two years after that story finishes. Saying too much about this game would ruin the ending of FF X, so there will be no story synopsis of this game.
The game play is quite good in this game, but inferior to FF X. Most likely because of some fans complaining about the loss of their precious ATB system, this has returned. However, this is not too bad, as the battle system has been changed to become the most realistic one yet, and so gains points on this front. Characters no longer wait for each other to finish their attacks, but instead often continue through others' moves, allowing "Chain attacks" to build, up which can drastically increase the strength of attacks. The power up system is similar to the job system that is in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance or Final Fantasy V, but with "dress-spheres", which change the character's clothing, determining the moves they have available. This system provides versatility, and once a character has a move they keep it, as in FF X, but the major weakness is that when you finish learning all the abilities from one dress-sphere, you change that character to another dress-sphere and you lose all the moves they have just learnt unless you equip a special item to allow you to use moves from other dress-spheres, or go back to that original one.
The graphics are not much improved - and in many parts, especially the FMVs - actually seem to be less realistic than in FF X, and a type of modern 'coolness' seems to have been forced upon it - for example, items are no longer "found" or "got" from treasure chests, but "scored". This is a disappointing feature, and the supposed "fun" feel to it as opposed to the "serious" other games just doesn't sit comfortably with the brand. Much of the fun in the other games was also in exploring new areas, but because of the same setting, there are very few new places to go.
The story is truly disappointing. Another plot about a machine called "Vegnagun" has been created and it feels forced, and there does not seem to be any desperate incentive to beat it. The game is split, for the first time, into "Chapters" (possibly imitating earlier games' multiple discs) and these into missions, which gives a degree of freedom in the game, and allow the player to decide how much they want to do. However, some extremely important parts of the story are involved in the optional missions, and the plot may not make sense if they are not all done. The plot shall not be described in any more detail, as this would reveal the ending of FF X, but players should really finish FF X before playing FF X-2, and consider seriously whether they want to see the characters in this new way - which may spoil perceptions, as some of the characters have greatly changed.
The Future
Of course, the future for the series in Britain is already the present for the series in Japan. Final Fantasy XI, an online quest with thousands of other fans, has been released and in action for over a year in Japan, but there is still no sign of it here in Britain. FFXII, an offline quest, is due for release in Britain in August, and is looking very promising (even though some of the screen shots appear rather like Star Wars Episode I)...
And then, based on the three numbers per console (I-III on NES, IV-VI on SNES, VII-IX on PS One), FF XIII could well be due on PS3...
Roll on the future!
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