Final Fantasy X HD Remastered

 

I couldn't resist so I got the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD collection for PS3 and played through the first game. Now, this was my very first final fantasy game back in 2001 and me and my sister pursued our parents to get a Playstation 2 for the DVD capabilities and we preferred this console over Xbox due to the games like Final Fantasy and Castlevania (I would also say Metal Gear, but I got those games for PS3 and Gamecube). I was hyped for this game. The magazines talked about it, I had a 15 minute preview dvd with a short look on the games from 6-9 and then clips from X together with the music. The sending and the kilika forest themes made my ears scream in joy while the visuals where making my eyes cry. Of course, the only story I got was reading the magazines and with the video I mistook Wakka's blitzball player for the Al Bedh rebells. Yeah, they mentioned them being attacked by Sin and that was what I saw.

Now, I only finished the game once, not even 100 %, but as per usual with Final Fantasy the end game gets boring. Grinding to beat the Dark Aeons, grinding to win blitzball, luck based celestial weapon missions (damn suicidal birds). The ap grinding wouldn't be so bad if you didn't need to at least do one action with a character to get rewarded. Why can't everyone share or if that isn't enough at least half the ap would be fine, but no. You need to switch in and out each and everyone of the characters to avoid the mistakes of my very first playthrough, Khimari and Yuna just falling behind everyone else forcing me to grind for every Seymore fight. That was at least good with FF XIII since you could choose character without consequence since when the party split up, you were around the same strength.

Now, a question for the more keen eyed individuals... is there a difference in the visual department in the remaster or is my nostalgia glasses so old I can't even compare them? Also, have they changed some of the scripted fight? I think I remember fighting Dark Ixion outside of Guadosalam, conjured by the same guado guys at Macalania temple, but in this version there is a soldier on the thunder plains (which makes more sense I guess). Was that in the original?

I know some people dislike this game (imitating Spoony or being Spoony) and I will admit I'm colored by nostalgia, but I still find the game enjoyable. The story makes sense to me as well as the character development. The designs might be goofy at times, but at least they are memorable, although that might not always be a good thing. At least it feels like a living world I'm traveling through with people in it compared to XIII where I'm walking back and forth empty plains and all the world building is in the files you collect. I still haven't finished that game.