Final Fantasy X – defeat evil, play Blitzball

A reader shares his love of Square Enix’s recently remastered role-player and explains why he thinks it’s the best in the series.

Every gamer has a game that they enjoy going back to. That one game which you can never lay to rest, well for me, that game is Final Fantasy X. Quite simply, it’s (in my opinion) the greatest game I have ever played.

I have completed Final Fantasy X five times overall. Twice on the PlayStation 2, once on the PlayStation 3, once on the PlayStation Vita, and again on the PlayStation 4. The HD Remastered versions are exceptional, and breathed new life into an already amazing game.



When the game was first released, back on the PlayStation 2, it instantly came in for criticism. Mainly because the characters had voices, and many believed it didn’t feel like a Final Fantasy game. How wrong they were.


As a Final Fantasy nut, and having played every Final Fantasy game possible, even the dreadful Chocobo game on the Wonderswan, this game oozes quality and pure satisfaction. Here are my main reasons.

1. The Story. Earlier titles were all about the story. Final Fantasy VI and VII were especially loved for the complex, but engrossing storylines. However, Final Fantasy X told a story which wasn’t overly complex, but gripping from the beginning to the very end. You actually felt for the characters as the story progressed. Tidus, Yuna, and Auron were excellent lead characters. Even the supposedly annoying Rikku had a charm about her. So controlling seven likable characters throughout the game was a joy.

2. The Battle System. This has always been a sticky wicket between gamers. Traditional Japanese role-players have usually been turn-based. Whilst most modern role-playing games are usually action-based with turn-based elements. Final Fantasy X however returns to its roots, by making the battle system completely turn-based and extremely slow-paced. For me, it’s perfect. You could take your time with strategies, by looking at the turn counter at the top right of the screen. Random battles will annoy many but, again, for the traditionalist this isn’t a problem. Overall, the best battle system of any role-playing game, I have used.

3. Soundtrack. As all Final Fantasy fans know, Square Enix are geniuses when it comes to soundtracks. Nobou Uematsu surpassed himself here. The battle music was exciting, the field music was jolly and fun. The serious/sad moments were met with a sombre tune, and of course, the intro From Zanarkand is arguably one of the best pieces of music from any game I have ever heard. Even beating Aeris’ theme from Final Fantasy VII.

4. Lifespan. For many hardcore Final Fantasy fans, these games provide the biggest challenges, after the main story is complete. Final Fantasy X provides the player with so much content when you finally reach the end of the story. Beating the actual story part of the game is relatively easy. But finding all of the game’s hidden delights, and beating all of the game’s super bosse, is where this game comes into its own.

For a start, each character has their own Ultimate Weapon. You must find each one. Then, level up the weapon, using a crest, then a sigil. The latter can prove rather tricky, but get-able. Then once you have your Ultimate Weapon maxed out, you then need to really level your character up using spheres. Next up, capturing 10 of every enemy using a special weapon fills up the monster arena. In turn, producing brand new creatures to beat. All of which drop new items and high end armour.



Once you have maxed out your characters stats, to 255 or 130 for luck, you’re all set to take on the super bosses. They include Dark Aeons (beefed up Aeons), as well as Nemesis (a tough Omega Weapon), and finally the ultimate tough guy Penance.

Overall, the game offers so much. After playing it on the PlayStation 2 when it was first released, I never realised how much of the game I had actually missed out on. I beat the main story and thought that was it. But I played it again a few years later and discovered everything that I missed, including the Omega Dungeon.

I realised that what I though was a good game was actually an amazing game, because of all the hidden bonus content. I still haven’t mentioned everything, including Blitzball, mini-games, and weapon customisation. I would recommend this game to anybody, even if you are a Final Fantasy newbie. It’s astonishing.

By reader Dark Anima

The reader’s feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

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