Final Fantasy X is arguably one of the most engaging, breathtaking, touching, and truly unforgetable games of all time.
Sometimes, die hard fans are fools!
I've played every Final Fantasy installment since 1990, and none of them touched me the way Final Fantasy 10 has.
Hell, I can't think of any other game that has actually made me cry before. And, no game has since.
One of the things that impressed me about this game was the hero, Titus...
...at the start of the game, I truly disliked him. I thought he was a typical, angsty kid who had a grudge for no other reason than he a an ignorant, spoiled kid who got his way too many times, and was angry for no other reason than not getting the approval he wanted from the person he wanted it from the most.
And, it's true. And the story's beginning, that's all Titus is.
But, as the story goes on, and he meets new people, and helps others along a pilgramage that will save the world, at the cost of losing Yuna, the person with the power to save it, Titus grows up, and so do his companions. He becomes thoughtful, compassionate, and the youthful cynicism melts away, leaving a genuine optimism that he must maintain, if for no other reason, than to give Yuna the strength to carry on.
And, that only scratches the surface of how great the story is.
All the characters grow up in the story. Along their journey, they are all confronted with the choice of maintaining tradition, or finding new solutions that ultimately redefine who every one of the are, and who they will become. For some, that means abandoning old hatreds. For others, it means spitting in the face of the beliefs that carried them through their entire lives. And, all of it is done with high cost, but the price they pay offers them all the chance to redefine themselves, and the world they are all fighting so hard to save.
In alot of ways, this story is very much for a younger generation, about youth moving through the world created by their parents that's constantly stuck in a cycle of disaster, and questioning what they're taught, and sometimes, defying age long traditions, in the hope to truly make it better.
Speaking of 'the world', Spira, their world, is wonderful. The landscape varies greatly throughout the journey, and by game's end, very strongly gives the feeling of a long pilgramage, both physically and emotionally, and the ground covered along the way is just as enjoyable as the characters who walk through it, and the destiny that compels them to keep moving.
The cast of characters is truly wonderful. And, in alot of ways, their only common element is Titus. For all their differences in opinion, it's Titus' optimism that often brings them together.
Which makes the ending that much more poignant, and truly beautiful.
If there was ever a game that deserved to be played, it's this one.
While more clever and possibly more layered strories have been told in a game, there has certainly not been one as poignant, as subtly heartening, and by game's end, as genuinely lovely, as Final Fantasy X.
This game took my breath away the first time I played it. And, while the gameplay mechanics have become dated over time, the story remains as lovely and refreshing as it was over 6 years ago.
This review wasn't intended to be a synopsis or analysis of the game, spun in an attempt to meausure it greatness. Others have done that, and honestly, this games transcends explanation, and defies justification. I only wanted to express how wonderful this game was to me, and how glad I am that I played it, because even six years later, I've yet to paly anything quite like it.
There's a reason why I, along with so many others, fell in love with this game. This was, for many gamers, our first real experience with a story that was capable of touching our hearts.
And, still remains, one of the few games in existance that can.