Some may be put off by the flashy new presentation, but I found it to be a worthy first-time sequel to a great RPG.
User Rating: 8.9 | Final Fantasy X-2 PS2
The first thing you'll see when you start a game is a lengthly cutscene featuring a popdancer version of "Yuna" singing, well, a pop song. You'll either feel uncomfortable during this cutscene, or just amazed by Final Fantasy's unmatched cinematics. Final Fantasy X-2 has a very different tone than the other Fantasies and that was probably why some fans were put off by it. Anyway, the battle system is what's most different. Although it is back to "Active Time Battle" it's much, MUCH, faster paced than FFs 7,8, and 9, which keeps it always entertaining. Then there's the "Dressphere Grid" To use your character's abilities, you must change their dresspheres. Yuna starts with the Gunner sphere, Rikku starts with the Thief sphere and newcomer Paine starts with the Warrior sphere. Throughout the rest of the game you'll acquire new ones like: Lady Luck, Black Mage, White Mage, Samarai, Beserker, Gun Mage, and even more. This variety of Dresspheres create an absolutely massive amount of abilities for each of your characters, and you'll most certainly spend much of your time encountering random battles to earn AP to go toward learning those many abilities. Each of the costumes feature unique spells and abilities for your characters. X-2's battle system is definatly one of my favorites. The story isn't quite as deep as FFX, but that's because FFX2 isn't nearly as linear. The game will progress in Missions and Chapters, which you'll choose from by a world map. It's always good to check up on every town in the game to see if there's any extra missions to perform or items to earn; otherwise, all the important missions will be indicated by 'HOTSPOT!'. The audio is also different. The music is nothing like the other FFs. It's all upbeat and techno like with a few memorable tunes here and there. Also, voice acting is back and is still above par with all the same voice actors. Another thing I want to focus on is the replay value. And like many FFs, FFX-2's got it. Although the main storyline is about half as long as FFX, there are endless extra missions for you to complete when you regularly visit each of the towns ranging from Besaid to Zanarkand, which I strongly urge gamers to do, so you can get the best ending. Also, with all the Dresspheres hardcore gamers can spend hours winning battles to learn all the abilities. The only complaints are that it's not as long as Final Fantasy X, there's those awkward giggley-girly moments (you'll know what I mean), the pop music, sometimes clunky minigames, and it's sometimes too easy. Otherswise most, not all, of FFX fans will enjoy returning to the world of Spira with all it's memorable characters (except for Auron, FFX fans will know why!). If you choose to give FFX-2 a try, just be aware that it's a bit different than FFX and if you hold out you should find a great game. (Also, I wrote this review for those who either read the Gamespot review or know what the game's all about) 
