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Okay, sweeping statement, that. :P
But don't worry, I'm going to try to back it up.
What I want to do is outline why Final Fantasy X is the most promising gaming title on any platform in recent years
(Yes, more than MGS2!)
Anyway, here goes:
First, the plot:
The plot is really sketchy at the moment, even though Square have announced that the Japanese version is finished and ready for shipping!(roll on European release!)
What I do know is The game is set in a post-apocolyptic era where most the world is covered in water.
The game (sort of) revolves around a mini-game called "blitzball". It apparantly mixes all types of ball game rules together and will feature heavily in the games plot, you will also be able to play it seperatly as a mini- game(possibly by pressing square, as in VIII and IX). The interesting feature is that this game is played underwater.
The Main Character is Tidus, an optimistic, outgoing sportsman(who obviously plays "blitzball"), he looks alot like Squall, but apparantly, he has more of a Zidane outlook on life (Lets go!) as opposed to the Squall outlook(Whatever)
The "Rinoa" of the story is a summoner called Yuna, who is Tidus' love interest(again, apparantly), She is capable of summoning powerful "Summons"(I have no idea what they will be called this time around, although Guardian Forces is rumoured)
Finally, the only other character I know of at this time is Ryugo, who is the evil sorcerer of the game, lets hope they manage another "Sephiroth" this time round, after being so close with IX's Kuja....
"Sin" isn't actually a character in the game, but is constantly referred to as a dark presence of some sort, that manifests itself in volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and other like disasters.
Now, onto the battle system.
Square have moved back to the idea of a three person party for battles, but Square have announced that with the press of a shouder button, you can call on a party member to help you in battle, but full details are still not known.
The battle system has been given somewhat of an overhaul for the PS2, for example summons, when called upon, will act as playable characters. The other 2 party members will leave the area, leaving the summoner and the summoned creature to battle with the enemy. Summoned creatures will have their own seperate attacks and their own HP/MP.
The good news is, old favourites such as Shiva and Ifrit have been confirmed. Hurrah!
The major change is that the ATB has been axed! Instead,there's a bar in the upper right corner that shows the order of turns. Turns will happen on regular intervals, meaning if in the begining of the battle Tidus was right after Monster A, then he'll stay after Monster A for the rest of the battle.
Of course, there are ways to change this. For instance, using the Haste spell, you'll have more turns added to the bar. Also, if you use the Slow spell, turns will appear less frequent.
On the bar, there are little graphics to represent who is who. To represent monsters will be an "MON" and an identifying letter, to represent Summons will be an "S", and character profile pics will represent characters.
Pressing the R2 button will let you look further down the list of turns.
Another big change is the lack of any Experience Points gained after a battle. Instead, only Ability Points are gained. And instead of just the players in the party gaining AP, every playable character gains.
Random battles still occur, but when they do, the action doesn't shift to a differently animated area, instead, the screen blurs with bubbles forming over the current picture, within a few seconds, the picture returns to normal and you are in battle. This has to be seen to be fully understood, but it has been done to primarily reduce loading times.
The final point on the battle system is that limit breaks have made a welcome return to the series.
The graphics are even more beautiful than before, and the whole gaming world is in 3D, meaning, unlike in any previous FF, the player can move freely through these vibrant environments with a much better feel for the surroundings.
Square have introduced character voice overs also. This can be seen as a good thing or a very bad thing. If the actors actually do a good job(Metal Gear Solid), the game will be greatly enhanced, but if the actors are terrible(The Bouncer, Resident Evil), then this could take alot from the experience.
Superb animation and facial expressions have been used to make the game look as real as possible.
The series favourites will be making a return, such as Chocobos, a character called Cid, and at least one giant airship.
I can't tell you much more, except that this will be the biggest game of all time when it is finally released over here some time early 2002.
I will keep you Final Fantasy Fanatics up-to-date with more news as soon as I get it.
Cheers.
But don't worry, I'm going to try to back it up.
What I want to do is outline why Final Fantasy X is the most promising gaming title on any platform in recent years
(Yes, more than MGS2!)
Anyway, here goes:
First, the plot:
The plot is really sketchy at the moment, even though Square have announced that the Japanese version is finished and ready for shipping!(roll on European release!)
What I do know is The game is set in a post-apocolyptic era where most the world is covered in water.
The game (sort of) revolves around a mini-game called "blitzball". It apparantly mixes all types of ball game rules together and will feature heavily in the games plot, you will also be able to play it seperatly as a mini- game(possibly by pressing square, as in VIII and IX). The interesting feature is that this game is played underwater.
The Main Character is Tidus, an optimistic, outgoing sportsman(who obviously plays "blitzball"), he looks alot like Squall, but apparantly, he has more of a Zidane outlook on life (Lets go!) as opposed to the Squall outlook(Whatever)
The "Rinoa" of the story is a summoner called Yuna, who is Tidus' love interest(again, apparantly), She is capable of summoning powerful "Summons"(I have no idea what they will be called this time around, although Guardian Forces is rumoured)
Finally, the only other character I know of at this time is Ryugo, who is the evil sorcerer of the game, lets hope they manage another "Sephiroth" this time round, after being so close with IX's Kuja....
"Sin" isn't actually a character in the game, but is constantly referred to as a dark presence of some sort, that manifests itself in volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and other like disasters.
Now, onto the battle system.
Square have moved back to the idea of a three person party for battles, but Square have announced that with the press of a shouder button, you can call on a party member to help you in battle, but full details are still not known.
The battle system has been given somewhat of an overhaul for the PS2, for example summons, when called upon, will act as playable characters. The other 2 party members will leave the area, leaving the summoner and the summoned creature to battle with the enemy. Summoned creatures will have their own seperate attacks and their own HP/MP.
The good news is, old favourites such as Shiva and Ifrit have been confirmed. Hurrah!
The major change is that the ATB has been axed! Instead,there's a bar in the upper right corner that shows the order of turns. Turns will happen on regular intervals, meaning if in the begining of the battle Tidus was right after Monster A, then he'll stay after Monster A for the rest of the battle.
Of course, there are ways to change this. For instance, using the Haste spell, you'll have more turns added to the bar. Also, if you use the Slow spell, turns will appear less frequent.
On the bar, there are little graphics to represent who is who. To represent monsters will be an "MON" and an identifying letter, to represent Summons will be an "S", and character profile pics will represent characters.
Pressing the R2 button will let you look further down the list of turns.
Another big change is the lack of any Experience Points gained after a battle. Instead, only Ability Points are gained. And instead of just the players in the party gaining AP, every playable character gains.
Random battles still occur, but when they do, the action doesn't shift to a differently animated area, instead, the screen blurs with bubbles forming over the current picture, within a few seconds, the picture returns to normal and you are in battle. This has to be seen to be fully understood, but it has been done to primarily reduce loading times.
The final point on the battle system is that limit breaks have made a welcome return to the series.
The graphics are even more beautiful than before, and the whole gaming world is in 3D, meaning, unlike in any previous FF, the player can move freely through these vibrant environments with a much better feel for the surroundings.
Square have introduced character voice overs also. This can be seen as a good thing or a very bad thing. If the actors actually do a good job(Metal Gear Solid), the game will be greatly enhanced, but if the actors are terrible(The Bouncer, Resident Evil), then this could take alot from the experience.
Superb animation and facial expressions have been used to make the game look as real as possible.
The series favourites will be making a return, such as Chocobos, a character called Cid, and at least one giant airship.
I can't tell you much more, except that this will be the biggest game of all time when it is finally released over here some time early 2002.
I will keep you Final Fantasy Fanatics up-to-date with more news as soon as I get it.
Cheers.
Page:
uh.....I was gone ages ago, you're pointing that gun at a tree?
Emulation is evil! I'll have you arrested!
Anyway, I gotta go bury that body....(okay, I won't tell the cops, if you don't!)
And also, Would you trust Grix with your PC/PSone?
I certainly wouldn't.
But I would trust him to take a cricket bat up the asphalt........
(Raven begins to walk away, with the unidentified body over his shoulder, still squirming in the black binliner.)
Hey, He's still alive!
Ah well, That's nothing a little cricket bat won't cure....
DIEEEEEE! YOU EVIL SPAWN OF SATAN!
AHAHAHAHAA!
Ahem.
(Raven attacks the binliner repeatedly and then looks around with an evil grin on his face, before running off with the body)
Anyway, I gotta go bury that body....(okay, I won't tell the cops, if you don't!)
And also, Would you trust Grix with your PC/PSone?
I certainly wouldn't.
But I would trust him to take a cricket bat up the asphalt........
(Raven begins to walk away, with the unidentified body over his shoulder, still squirming in the black binliner.)
Hey, He's still alive!
Ah well, That's nothing a little cricket bat won't cure....
DIEEEEEE! YOU EVIL SPAWN OF SATAN!
AHAHAHAHAA!
Ahem.
(Raven attacks the binliner repeatedly and then looks around with an evil grin on his face, before running off with the body)
Okay, we also need all the FF games(which is hard, and expensive)
So lets move to plan B:Torture Grix with the cattle prod untill he screams:"I love you Final Fantasy, please forgive me, I have sinned against you"
And if he resists...
We roll him up in a carpet and throw him off a cliff!
Hehehehehe....
Or else, we tie the rope around his leg and hang him from a tree, while we invite FF fans to take swipes at him with a cricket bat while blindfolded!
Or else...
Ah forget it.
So lets move to plan B:Torture Grix with the cattle prod untill he screams:"I love you Final Fantasy, please forgive me, I have sinned against you"
And if he resists...
We roll him up in a carpet and throw him off a cliff!
Hehehehehe....
Or else, we tie the rope around his leg and hang him from a tree, while we invite FF fans to take swipes at him with a cricket bat while blindfolded!
Or else...
Ah forget it.
It's only cruel because he hates FF games, but on the otherhand, if he moved away from the darkness, then perhaps he may enjoy himself for the three years(approx.)
And if not, his loss! I'll lock him in there untill he finds every last item, even the pointless ones that don't do anything, and in some cases bear no meaning and have no descriptions!
HAHAHAHA!
The evilness!
Ahem.
And if not, his loss! I'll lock him in there untill he finds every last item, even the pointless ones that don't do anything, and in some cases bear no meaning and have no descriptions!
HAHAHAHA!
The evilness!
Ahem.
Exactly the point, and he hates FF games, OH THE TORTURE!
My God! That would take years!
Page: