Yesterday I was searching through youtube for "Goodbye to love" by the Carpenters, an old duo I recently found thanks to their song "Close to you." I made an error and typed in goodbye my love which took me to a list of other songs. I was about to make the correction to my search when I spotted one of them had Tidus, of FFX, on the front. The song with it was an interesting choice, Chemical Romance's Cancer, a very good and depressing song but it also brought back memories. So I found it on gamespot and found the lovely feature on game romance, which included FFX's story between Yuna and Tidus.

Final Fantasy X was my first, considering my failure to complete the latest version, my only final fantasy, it was also my introduction to the genre. The beautiful opening before you even start the game, teasing at how good the graphic were, giving glimpses of the places you would see, from that game I learnt not to press start but to just wait for the start menu to appear after the scene. The start was slow but the graphics were impressive as we briefly saw Tidus in his job, and it was good way of learning the fighting system and introducing the characters. First Tidus, the arrogant but soon lost blitzball player whose story you follow, then Auron the grizzled and calm (if slightly impatient with Tidus) man, Wakka the slightly annoying but cheerful shooter, LuLu a quiet but caring sorceress, Yuna the trusting summoner and eventually Rikku, the opinionated but surprisingly happy thief. There was the ever blue Kimahri but but his personality, story and indeed his fighting style made seem an after thought, a rare blot on the FFX landscape.

All the others had their uses in combat but it was the story that caught me hook line and sinker. Every character other then Kimahr were given a fair chance to stamp their influence on the story and took it, evolving as time passed, Wakka and Lulu getting past the death of Waka's brother, Wakka overcoming his hatred of Rikku's people, Auron's youthful impetuousness show, Tidus becoming less self centered and concerned about returning home. There was love interests, religious conflict that even affected the group, loss of loved ones, for a long time there was huge debate within the group over what Yuna should do. The characters had bad sides, Wakka's religious intolerance being perhaps the major one but it made them well rounded rather then off putting. Yuna at one point nearly cracks from the strain, unsure if to push ahead to certain death or live on with her friends, no self righteous determination there but a young lady, scared, in need of support when her friends are bickering and divided, she had lost her father and bared a heavy weight on her shoulders, later to learn everything she had learned was a lie. It was a Tidus who became her rock, a stranger to the land, a once arrogant youth struggling under the legacy of his father in his homeland and even in Spira, ignorant even that Auron is a famous figure. At first trying to find a way home but changing somewhere into a spoilt but lost brat into a determined, loyal young man determined to end Spira's suffering and save Yuna.

Their romance was confirmed in a beautiful forest, the butterflies helping illuminate the forest in a soft glow. Yuna, betrayed by her faith, unsure what to do was standing a river when Tidus turned up. Uncertain, shaken, facing death for a people who hated her, at first lifted by idea of abandoning the pilgrimage but then breaking down. Amidst the glistening forest on a beautiful night, she cried, the animation beautiful as anything I had seen, the two kissing, floating together as a beautiful song was playing. The image of the two lovers floating as little light streamed past still appears in my mind every so often and is an image I often recall of FFX. That same music would be played in the credits after the sad ending, either a fortunate or brilliant choice, recalling to mind the kiss the two lovers had shared in the waters.

In the end, they manage to find a way to save Spira forever, without sending summoners to their deaths but it came at a cost as Yuna began the final summon. A brave choice by the creators, not just to sacrifice one but to sacrifice two of their characters, they they had created and worked on so hard. With Auron, it was hard enough but as he said to Yuna "It is your world now", he had fulfilled the promise and could rejoin his friends in the spirit world, in many ways it was perhaps a relief to him to depart the world. Yet to wrench Tidus, the man whose eyes we saw the story from, the love interest of Yuna away from the world? Watching his body fade, Yuna's tears and protests matched by a mature acceptance from Tidus of what must be, Spira's salvation had come at an emotional cost for the group and for myself. True at the end, Tidus got his father's acceptance and seems to reappear, swimming upwards (a tease for the X-2 game perhaps) but Yuna's whistles were sad to see, as was our reminder to remember the ones they had lost, she had lost a link with her father in Auron, her rock and her beloved in Tidus, I had lost two beloved characters and wondering how Yuna would cope.

I would watch X-2 over my father's shoulder, in many ways it was closure as we saw Wakka/Lulu's child, see Rikku was doing well but also two (and a half) very good endings. There was a poignant one where she visits Tidus, telling him they would always be connected but also saying goodbye, it was the best ending in terms of storyline though left me wanting to know what happened next to Yuna and hoping they met up on her death. The alternate to that one is she doesn't visit him as he is in his own world now, not quite so poignant but still with the same questions and feelings. The perfect ending, where they were reunited was not so poignant or great story telling but it made me happy, seeing the two of them together. I lacked the time to play X-2 myself so hasn't had the same effect on me but the joys/sadness from the endings was none the less a great one and I am grateful they made X-2 to put a finishing touch to the great story.

When I finished FFX and expressed my enjoyment, more experienced gamers told me FFV7 or 8 were better, that Tidus was whiny or a variety of other complaints. Perhaps 7 and 8, I have never played them so cannot comment, were superior, perhaps not but I personally grew to cherish Tidus. FF may produce superior games in future but X, as my first and one of the great gaming stories I have ever enjoyed will always have a place in my heart.

There are other games that will provoke nostalgia in me for storyline/character reasons, Neverwinter Nights (Fenthick's death), MGS2 (my first, the death of Hal's sister and the invincible lady), MGS3(ending) will probably always provoke nostalgia in me, I suspect Call of Duty 4 and MGS4 will do likewise in time. Others like Deus Ex, an enjoyable game with decent story will provoke a smile when I hear a sequel of it or the name mentioned (as I did of Deus Ex 3 on same day as FF nostalgia hit). What are yours and why?