Final Fantasy 10 is a very long and beautiful game that executes well in every aspect.
Gameplay: 9
There is a lot to talk about with the gameplay in this game, so I will attempt not to ramble too much. As with all FF games and Square/Square Enix for that matter, the controls, maps, and other stuff in this game were very easy and convenient to use. They did decide to get rid of the roamable world map in this game though, which is good and bad. It is nice to have the feeling that you are manually exploring the world, but it is also nice to not have the tedium and job of walking around on it. The puzzles in Final Fantasy 10 were very intuitive and fun and therefore above those of most games.
The battle system in FF 10 is turn based like the previous FF's before it, but there were some twists put in for this game. There are no level ups in FF10. Instead of leveling up, characters gain sphere levels (or points or whatever) that give characters the ability to more around a sphere grid. The sphere grid is the same for all of the characters, but every character starts at a different place on it. This grid is how characters get stats, skills, spells, and more. Therefore it is possible that every character could get every sphere on the grid, but that would take a long time. Aeons are the summons in this game, and only one character can summon them. This is ok though because you can switch characters in and out of battle at your own will. Once summoned, all other characters will disappear and you get to control the Aeon against the enemy. Aeons in this game are very powerful and useful, you can teach them skills, spells, and increase their stats permanantly using items. It is pretty satisfying to incinerate an enemy with an Aeon you personally customized.
As I just mentioned above, you can switch characters in and out of battle as you wish. This means you will be using all of the characters you get in this game. This is awesome and works very well. Limit gauges make a return in this game too, with a twist ofcourse. You can adjust the way your limit gauge fills, for example you could choose for it to fill when you take damage or when you kill an enemy. You will gain more options as you progress in the game. The limits themselves are also just as impressive, powerful, and useful as ever. With all these different things to manage in the gameplay you won't get bored, at least not because of this.
Graphics: 10
Final Fantasy 10 has some of the best graphics to be put out on the PS2. Special Effects, character models, enemy's, and backgrounds are all outstanding. The world of Final Fantasy 10 is also very colorful and very beautiful. I could not find a reason to mark down the graphics, they were wonderful.
Sound: 9
The sound in Final Fantasy 10 is also very good. The sound effects were almost flawless and the voice acting was well done. I was not a big fan of the choice of voices for all the characters though (primarily with that of the main character Titus). The music, like the final fantasy's of the past, was also outstanding. It had a lot of variety throughout the game and ended with a bang.
Value: 10
Playing through the story of Final Fantasy 10 takes a good amount of time, and a lot happens through out the course of this game. There are also a lot of fun and rewarding side quests and mini games that can take hours and hours more to do. The only thing I might warn you about is how addicting some of these side quests and other stuff can be. You can easily put around 80-100 hours on this game, and it is not that difficult to beat. There are however a few extremely hard side bosses in the monster arena for those of you who like a challenge. I found unlocking and defeating these monsters farely tedious, so only do this if you really feel you have to. There is also a game inside of a game inside FF10 called blitzball. I didn't find it fun enough to warrant the time it would have taken to unlock the best prizes in blitz ball, but it can be very fun and it is a nice addition to this game.
Tilt: 9
Final Fantasy 10 has a very original and interesting story. It is based around a father son type relationship (there is some romance too) and is told very well. The magnitude of the enemies you take on in this game is very impressive and makes you feel very accomplished by the end of the game. It is always nice to find a game that has a unique story line and pulls it off well.
The characters in this game are pretty good too. As I might have mentioned earlier, I am not a fan of the main character Titus. This is compensated for though by some of the other characters, specifically Auron. Auron is a stud and he has an intriging past, it is very hard not to like this character. All the other characters in this game tie into the story very well too, and all have intriguing stories as well. I personally feel that the primary character is extremely important to a game though. If I was able to get into Titus at all I would have liked this game much more than I already did.
Conclusion
It is a mute point, Final Fantasy 10 is a great game and by now a classic. If you like RPG's, Final Fantasy, or just beautiful graphics you should probably get this game. If your not an extreme completist you can finish this game in a reasonable amount of time, if you are then you have plenty to do. And even if you are like myself, and not a very big fan of Titus, there is so much more to this game it will make you overlook that small detail.