I have some mixed feelings about this game, but all-in-all it was a good experience.
The Pros:
FFX-2 is a beautiful game to look at, with clear, colorful and detailed graphics. However, when comparing it to its predecessor, one is led to believe that Square soft / Square enix left out a little of that 'graphical magic' that we all loved in FFX. The difference is hardly noticeable to the 'untrained eye' though, and will not pose a problem where graphics are concerned. Another pro in the game is the reappearance of old characters in the game. Although many new characters are introduced in the game, frequent appearances are made by most of the characters we came to know and love from FFX, such as Wakka, Lulu, Kimarhi, Rikku, and some others. This helps the game with its believability, because a physical tie can now be made between the two games. It is recommended to 'newcomers' to play FFX first, but jumping straight to FFX-2 will not be too bad. The game does a fairly good job of introducing characters and places in a manor that all can understand and relate to (in a sense). However, those who have played FFX-2 will definitely have a better understanding and appreciation of what is going on in the game. That said, the most enjoyable factor of this game (for me), was the combat. Square soft /enix stuck to the turned based, ABS kind of battle system, but added some things that made fighting even more enjoyable that usual. One thing is that battles are extremely fast paced and explosive (for abs) and all-in-all just more exciting than FFX (for the most part). Although you can only fight with three characters, there are different kinds of dress spheres (themed costumes or styles for fighting such as samurai or blackmage) which allow you to explore different fighting styles. This makes combat really fun, and definitely my favorite aspect of the game.
The Cons:
Seeing as my list of pros is so long, I will try and make this a little shorter. The greatest con of this game…..THE NON-LINEAR, PERCENTAGE GAMEPLAY!!!!! The non-linear factor would be fine if one’s progress was not governed by percentage completion. I hated it…the game was run in chapters, but after a chapter was completed, a whole new set of events would take place, and all events in the previous chapter would be gone forever. For someone aspiring to reach the 100% completion mark, this is a huge pain in the ass. Because I did not realize this flaw until about chapter 3, I only managed to get 83 – 85% completion, and though I was fairly proud of myself, there was definitely a feeling of frustration. I think that the non-linear factor was a good attempt on the part of Square enix, but it was flawed to the point that it took away from some of the fun.
The Conclusion:
In conclusion, this game is an enjoyable experience that any Final Fantasy or RPG fan should take upon themselves to try. Though it is not perfect, the pros far outweigh the cons, and makes for an enjoyable experience. (P.S, although I have given this game 'Just Right' for its difficulty, there are 'secret' parts to this game that are almost impossible to do; some that even I (lol) have failed to complete, so keep your eyes pealed for such challenges).