Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

[Aikouka]

Look at bravely default. It's story might as well be nonexistent - I'd call it bad, yet it has plenty of fans and good reviews.

I've found that JRPGs tend to have some of the same addictive qualities as MMORPGs. You just want to get a little further, and interesting or familiar mechanics are rather good at fostering that. For example, I mentioned that Blue Dragon didn't have that great of a story, but I still played the hell out of that game. Why? It actually felt like a Final Fantasy game. I could sit there and grind my job levels.

However, does that make it a great game? I don't think so. Also, I think music really helps. I own the Blue Dragon OST. According to iTunes one of the songs is my 3rd most played song with 774 plays and the next is 10 with 235 plays.

 

[MrPickins]

5 hours in to FFX, ad I'm impressed by the remaster. In some places it's very obvious that this was a PS2 game, but in most, it looks very good.

My two (minor) complaints are that the eyes of the new character models look...off. And, there is still no skipping of cutscenes.

 

[pathos]

5 hours in to FFX, ad I'm impressed by the remaster. In some places it's very obvious that this was a PS2 game, but in most, it looks very good.

My two (minor) complaints are that the eyes of the new character models look...off. And, there is still no skipping of cutscenes.

Every once in awhile, my audio will have a split second pause. Pretty rare though. Other than that, I am very impressed with this version.

Right now, I am saved just moments before the 1 mandatory blitz match. I did the optional thing to get the jecht shot, so I actually have a chance of winning. I just remember even with that shot, it was a pain in the butt, so I've put off playing since.

The worst part is knowing that it only affects a cut scene, and has no bearing on the rest of the game, so losing is an option. I just don't WANT to lose

 

[poofyhairguy]

I would say good gameplay + poor story is a better JRPG than good story + poor gameplay.

This is due to a retro-perspective I think.

Now we are used to amazingly complex and mature stories in games, which make the stories of all but a few of the classic RPGs look like jokes in comparison. Back in the day I was rolling with the punches of FF4 (ok crystals do something, ok the hero is evil, now he is good, now we are underground fighting dolls, now we took a whale to the moon) and I would have called it an ok story at least, but today its plot would be a joke.

For this reason bad play mechanics vis a vis storyline are less tolerated today than in the JRPG golden era. Heck I LOVED Lufia when I was a kid mostly because of a storyline but I will NEVER play it today because how broken and unbalanced the game is. The sequel is better for that.

So basically I agree, but its only because of our modern perspective.

TLR - I think you talked me into finally playing X2.

 

[exdeath]

Are you for real? FF4 has one of the most endearing and time tested stories of any JRPG.

A classic Shakespearen tale of good vs evil, redemption, betrayal, sacrifice, friendship,etc

 

[poofyhairguy]

Are you for real? FF4 has one of the most endearing and time tested stories of any JRPG.

A classic Shakespearen tale of good vs evil, redemption, betrayal, sacrifice, friendship,etc

Don't get me wrong, I like FF4 a lot. I think it has some of the best character development in the series and really cranked up the side quests. But it got a mediocre translation, has some elements to it (like that Frankenstein enemy WTF) that were a little out of place and had the difficulty get murdered on US release. Plus to be honest the plot is behind a FF6 or Chrono Trigger.

I promise I am not hating on 4 though, it is my third favorite FF game (behind 6 and 5). It just lacked a polish on US release that would be unacceptable today. Honestly the DS redo fixes a lot of these issues.

 

[darkewaffle]

Mostly off-topic but +1 to "Baten Kaitos is actually a lot of fun and a good game" which was mentioned before.

Personally I don't have a problem with the party being AI controlled if it's got the right controls. Like, Dragon Age macros or FFXII gambits I thought were great. I think it's a good mechanic for certain kinds of stories as well - traditional turn by turn character controls work well for a game where the story is told as though you are a third party observer but I think allowing your party members to act autonomously can enhance the kind of story where you are a 'first party' and helps re-inforce the 'illusion' of them being real/distinct.

X-2 was fun but yeah, it was definitely kind of a 'popcorn flick' game. I did love the music though, "1000 Words" is a tremendous song - especially the extended/orchestral version. There was something fun about just getting to see more of the characters you loved in X, but yeah it was certainly some steps below X overall and didn't have the same gravity.

 

[MrPickins]

Every once in awhile, my audio will have a split second pause. Pretty rare though. Other than that, I am very impressed with this version.

Right now, I am saved just moments before the 1 mandatory blitz match. I did the optional thing to get the jecht shot, so I actually have a chance of winning. I just remember even with that shot, it was a pain in the butt, so I've put off playing since.

The worst part is knowing that it only affects a cut scene, and has no bearing on the rest of the game, so losing is an option. I just don't WANT to lose

I actually beat that one without really trying just by having good luck and some timing, right after I had assured my wife that I was gonna lose hard

 

[exar333]

Having a blast. The re-master was done great...graphics look amazing for a PS2 title, and sound quality is excellent too. Most of all, its a great game.

 

[Pariah]

Anyone else seeing audio oddities with this? Specifically, my receiver receives a DD signal from the game. However, whenever there is an FMV break it switches to stereo audio and doesn't return to DD after the movie is over until I restart the game.

If you own the original games, and want some idea of what the remasters look like, download PCSX2. The final fantasy games in particular look very good up sampled to 2560x1440 with all the texture filtering and other eye candy enabled. It takes a rather stout PC, but it does breathe new life into PS2 games.