FF-X

[mchugh]

i saw this going cheap yesterday, so bought it without knowing much about it. not had chance to play it yet, but i enjoyed 7 and 8. can i expect to enjoy this one as well? or should i prepare to be disappointed?

[Hawkeye]

If you want to be bored stupid, while getting the feeling of running through treacle then FFX is the game for you. Plus the added bonus of the most annoying voice work for a main character in a computer game is included for free.

Worst Final Fantasy game ever.

[hub2]

I'm enjoying it. Saying that it isn't a major departure from VII-IX and I'm glad that the next game will be doing some things in majorly different ways. If you enjoyed the others and have the time, I think you'll have fun.

[Davros sock drawer]

If you want to be bored stupid, while getting the feeling of running through treacle then FFX is the game for you.

Worst Final Fantasy game ever.

I picked it up a couple of weeks ago after hearing a couple of people raving about it on here, and so far it is very, very boring. Not that I've really played it much, I've watched some really long cutscenes and fought some turn-based battles. Oh, and I had to listen to a really long tutorial on the levelling system (nodes and whatnot).

I will play it a bit more though, as I don't want to dismiss it after such a short space of time. I probably just need to get in the right mood.

[Treble]

If you can enjoy the God-awful no.8, mchugh, you can enjoy anything.

I enjoyed 10 a lot. It's very linear, but has a good storyline. I wouldn't touch the PAL version with yours, though, as it's MASSIVELY (DMC-style) bordered. Also, get FFX International for the additions, if you have the means.

[Rayn]

FF X was, to me, the biggest letdown of the series thus far... I even liked FF X2 better and that wasn't even a proper FF game.

[Lovelyman]

The characters are really annoying.

[Rayn]

The characters are really annoying.

Tidus was annoying as hell, the others were OK(ish).

[Sprite Machine]

I enjoyed 10 a lot. It's very linear, but has a good storyline.

I thought the story-line was one of the poorest so far, to be honest.

The good points would have to be the battle system, the leveling up system, the graphics and... um. Yeah.

They made some definite improvements to some elements of the gameplay, but I'd say it's far too linear and there's not enough freedom of exploration.

Not a patch on FFs 6, 7 or 8*.

*at a push.

[Melon_Bread]

Loved it.

Tidus didnt annoy me to much, they whole thing is him looking back on when he was an annoying kid anyway.

Great, fast battle system, and it's stunning to look at.

Dont worry too much about it's linear nature, towards the end of the game you get to go any where you want. I racked up about 100 hours on this, a lot of it spent exploring, doing sub quests etc.

[Lazychu]

If you want to be bored stupid, while getting the feeling of running through treacle then FFX is the game for you. Plus the added bonus of the most annoying voice work for a main character in a computer game is included for free.

o/\o

I wouldn't say it's the worst FF game I've played though simply becuase it's the only main FF game I'v played a decent amount of.

I'd like to try FFVII and FFX-2 soon, but I don't think Japanese RPGs are really my thing in general. I much prefer KOTOR, Morrowind and action RPG's like PSO & Dark Alliance.

[routeburn]

I'm about 40 hours in and from what I can tell (I've got the excellent piggyback guide), about 3/4 of the way through.

Downers:

Yes, it's very linear. Totally linear to be honest (at least to where I've got up to). The story is OK, the characters are OK (Tidus is annoying, especially when he talks about his "old man").

Uppers:

Looks fantastic both in-game and in FMV. Dialog is skippable. Battles are superb. Levelling system and aeon system is brilliant. Difficulty is just about right (for me), if very reliant on levelling up rather than skill sometimes.

I'm glad I've played it so far and I intend to finish it.

Next on my list is FF-X2. I know nothing whatsoever about FF-X2.

[Treble]

I thought the story-line was one of the poorest so far, to be honest.

As the typical Squeenix "Young blonde chap loses memory; must fight to regain it" story went, it kept me guessing a lot longer than some of the others. I also thought it was much more morally ambiguous than some of the other stories.

The culture of euthanasia was well worked, as was the storyline with Jecht - the falibility of the father figure was interesting, even if the translation let some of the emotional impact stray.

The fact that Tidus was actually nothing more than a ghost/memory, as was Auron (desperately clinging to a life he didn't deserve because he'd failed in the past) was a great twist. It was quite a sad an emotional story, on the whole.

I also found the battle system very satisfying, although the capped limit on health and attack points really pissed me off (I couldn't be bothered trying to get all the artifacts to unlock this capping). I used the guide all the way through as a reference. I find playing the games with the bestiary to hand and the values and abilities of the items on-tap makes me enjoy them a lot more. It was great for looking at the Sphere Grid, too.

[Laine]

Loved it.

Tidus didnt annoy me to much, they whole thing is him looking back on when he was an annoying kid anyway.

Great, fast battle system, and it's stunning to look at.

Dont worry too much about it's linear nature, towards the end of the game you get to go any where you want. I racked up about 100 hours on this, a lot of it spent exploring, doing sub quests etc.

Me too!

X is great, I spent hours and hours on it.

[Stolly]

Completed it. Battle system and sphere gris were best ever. Didn't like the linearity though or the strory or half of the characters. I also found the battles towards the end relatively easy

[Velse]

I absolutely loved it. Clocked up a ridiculous amount of hours on it two summers ago, 180 IIRC

The extra bits give a real sense of achievement

[Jim Miles]

I'd been playing it a few weeks ago but it was all going too slow for me. It's as though I've grown out of RPGs with their random battles and extended cut-scenes. The voices rarely get past the first syllable before I've read the text and pressed X to skip the speech. FFX is so well polished that I love it, but it's just very very tedious. Maybe I'll go back to it today.

[Garibaldi]

If you want to be bored stupid, while getting the feeling of running through treacle then FFX is the game for you. Plus the added bonus of the most annoying voice work for a main character in a computer game is included for free.

Worst Final Fantasy game ever.

Another o/\o here.

After the expansiveness of FF7, running through FFX's rigidly limited levels felt like an exercise in torture, I couldn't connect in any way with the characters as they were all such laughable characatures, I'm sure the story probably had a twist somewhere along the line but I sure as hell wasn't interested in reaching it.

FFX reminded me of those P.C FMV games of the early 90's, you would click the mouse on a context sensitive piece of scenery and be treated to yet another bit of full motion video, except in this case replace the mouse with the 'X' button and eliminate 95% of the scenery having a baring on anything when interacted with and you're getting warmer.

Sure, it has marvellous CGI sequences, but I'd rather that the concept of watching our games as opposed to playing them had withered and died with the lamentable 'interactive movie' genre. It's only that the next Final Fantasy game is promising to break so many rules and established boundaries that has me interested in it, as this is a series that desperatly needs to break out; it's been stagnating for far too long now.

[Meh]

mchugh, if you value your sanity, do not buy the PAL version. PLEASE.

[mchugh]

well i can probably live with it being linear - i picked it up firstly because i've not used my consoles (except for dancemat) for months, and secondly, because TV is pants lately, and i just wanted something simple to sit through in the evenings.

i'll probably give it a blast tonight, so i'll find out for myself.

from what i've heard about the voice acting, i almost wish they hadnt bothered - although i suppose it makes it more accesible, to less attentive players (the missus)

[mchugh]

mchugh, if you value your sanity, do not buy the PAL version. PLEASE.

too late i'm afraid

[Lovelyman]

It's just borders man! Don't worry.

Pretend it's widescreen

[Sprite Machine]

mchugh, if you value your sanity, do not buy the PAL version. PLEASE.

It's perfectly fine if you've not seen the NTSC version. Same with most badly converted games.

Until I started posting on forums, I never even noticed it. People like you have ruined most PAL games for me!

[joffocakes]

I really didn't take to FFX. I really tried to though, and played it through to the end... but i never felt like i was really in control. It was all pretty much walking from A to B, with cutscene at either end. then more cutscenes.

[Velse]

It's just borders man! Don't worry.

Pretend it's widescreen

Yeah, I thought that. When I first played it I used the zoom mode on my tv so it almost looked right. However, I recently got a copy of FFX International and the difference is staggering

[mchugh]

well the emotion and meaning wont change

[Meh]

It's just borders man! Don't worry.

Pretend it's widescreen

It's not just borders. It runs like SHIT.

[Roblet]

I hated it:

- Disgraceful PAL conversion

- The characters made me want to go on a knife rampage

- The levelling system was dreadful

- Abominable script

- Abominable voice acting

- More linear than the straightest line in the Universe

It was wank.

[Jim Miles]

It's not just borders. It runs like SHIT.

That's so true. The PAL version runs in 50Hz not 60Hz. What this means is that for every 6 minutes you spend playing the PAL version, that same amount of progress would only have cost you 5 minuts if you were playing the NTSC version*. If you spend say 78 hours on the game in total then that's 13 hours of your life STOLEN by a poor PAL conversion.

* 18,000 frames would take 5 minutes in 60Hz and 6 minutes in 50Hz.

[DoctorEggo]

Well, I'm about twenty hours in and loving it, shoddy PAL conversion or not. It's also my first real stab at a FF title (aside from a half arsed attempt at FFVIII, which bored the shit out of me around about the time the dream sequences really kicked in).

Terrible voiceovers, but otherwise very satisfying. I'll probably pick up X-2 shortly.