At the PlayStation 2 Party last night in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, Square corporate director Shinji Hashimoto delivered the news that players have longed to hear, Final Fantasy X is ready. Quieting rumors of another delay, Hashimoto-san said a master version used for mass production has been ready for sometime. The news, which was met with thunderous applause from the assembled crowd, was followed by a new trailer for Final Fantasy X. Thereafter, series producer Hironobu Sakaguchi appeared in a taped segment. He began by recounting his early days in the industry, and his desperation to release a popular game. What would have been his swan song, a game befittingly entitled 'Final Fantasy,' sparked one of the most popular seires ever. Success comes with a price however, he continued, lamenting over the struggle to keep the series fresh. 

 


Moving on, Sakaguchi-san briefly discussed Final Fantasy X. He admitted that the staff, which totaled over 300 people throughout development, was unsettled by working on the PlayStation 2. Aside from the technical hurdle associated with working on a new platform, Square was faced with the dilemma of adding a completely new element to their series, spoken dialogue. He concluded by saying future installments in the Final Fantasy series will defy prediction.