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| Rikku! |
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| Blitzball Team! |
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| Shiva! |
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| | Final Fantasy 10 |
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| Number Of Players: | 1 |
| I-link/Internet: | No |
| Publisher: | Squaresoft |
| Developer: | Squaresoft |
| Genre: | RPG Adventure |
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| | Full Review: |
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Final Fantasy was a series I, and many others, knew nothing about until its arrival on the original playstation. However, when Final Fantasy 7 finally did get here, it was the kind of game that would never let us go. Once you get more than an hour into the game, "forever will it dominate your destiny". Since then, Squaresoft have made two more Final Fantasy games for PSone, both of which were also a huge success, but can it repeat this success on PS2? Going on Japanese and American sales alone, the answer is yes, and so now the greatest RPG of all time arrives on British shores, Final Fantasy 10.
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| | Gameplay |
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First things first though, many felt that the originals were far from perfect thanks to the constant random battles. Though some disagree, it has to be said they could become tiresome. This has been addressed however, and a new battle system has been introduced. Whilst the random battles are still there, they have been altered in two key ways: Firstly, during a battle, you can switch between characters on and off the field, adding a great tactical element as each character has their own strengths and weaknesses. These really are a major factor, as you will find out if, for example, you try to attack a heavily protected Iron Giant using Lulu's less powerful strength. The second point is the "waiting bar". Rather than waiting a certain time before being able to make a move, it is now instant for each turn. The enemy attacks, and then instantly you can return fire, or vice versa.
Character advancement in the past has relied on AP and EXP gained during battle. The AP are still there, but instead of EXP, you use the AP on a truly inspired "Sphere Grid". Each character starts in a fixed place, and then moves around this giant board game. New skills are activated using special spheres all over the grid, and movement around the grid is made possible by collecting the AP. Everything from the Hit Point bar to the amount of luck a character has is catered for on this grid. Later in the game you can even add or alter spheres to improve your power further still. Weapons, items and other accessories are found in the usual way - either in shops, treasure chests or by stealing from an enemy. Its a great feeling to build your characters from basic brawlers who struggle to beat insects, into fantastic fighters that can take on super monsters like Nemesis and Penance.
In the game, you follow the path of Tidus, a star Blitzball player, hurled a thousand years into the future. Here he joins a summoner, Yuna, and her guardians who are attempting to beat Sin, the greatest evil that ever lived, and one believed to be there to punish the people of Spira for their use of "machina". As before, the party grows as the story progresses, and before long you become a great group of friends with strong, and sometimes complex bonds. Their quest is a grand one, and could quite easily keep you occupied for 40 or more hours, though the game length is easily doubled if you look for every last secret.
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| | Graphics |
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This is Squaresoft, combined with PS2's power... the result is fantastic CG, more beautiful than anything before it. Its not just the movie sequences either, all the in game graphics, including the battle sequences are a massive step up from the PSone versions, and easily the equal of anything on PS2.
Everything from Yuna's hair to snow-capped mountains is perhaps even prettier than real life. Importantly, the transitions between CG sequences and gameplay are superbly smooth, with no loading time, and barely a flicker of the screen. The character models might not quite be up to Solid Snake standard, but are still top quality, conveying any emotions the writers want them to. The enemies, especially the boss creatures are also heavily detailed. Similary, all the magic spells, and particularly the summons are very impressive. The fire spells almost emit heat from the screen, whilst ice attacks make you sit and shiver, the visuals are that powerful.
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| | Sound |
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Music on computer games has come a long way since the days where beeps whistles and the occasional bang would make a good theme tune - anybody who has heard the intro music to Metal Gear Solid 2 will confirm that! Final Fantasy has been a series which also uses highly emotive music to build or consolidate its plot, and so this, combined with fantastic sound effects for all the summons, spells and everything else, makes a great sound package. However, this is a next generation Final Fantasy, and it has more: voices. Every main character, or character you meet on several occasions during the game has a real voice (whilst the other less important characters still go with the lines of text). The voices are very well converted to English/American, and the voices chosen for each character seem to suit their personalities nicely - so it all adds to the immersion into the game.
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| | Overall |
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Its a life consuming game that draws you in with every second you play. If you only want to buy one game this year, then this should be it, you won`t need anything else. The only exceptions would be those who just really hate Final Fantasy, but for the rest of us, this could be the best game ever.
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| Score |
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| | Gameplay
A gripping game, perfected RPG play, but still with random battles.
| 9.7 | |
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Graphics
Massive areas and beautiful CG.
| 9.9 |
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Lastability
A huge story with hundreds of secrets to uncover
| 9.9 |
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Sound
Voices for the main characters, and emotional music
| 9.7 |
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Overall
If you like RPGs, its the best game ever, it has everything.
| 9.8 |
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| | Alternatively: |
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There isn't much competition in the RPG genre, with Final Fantasy dominating this area, but the second part to Final Fantasy 10 could be arriving in 2003, so check out the preview.
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