Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD First Impressions

[Scotty_ffgamer]

Despite the fact that I told myself I wasn't going to get this game, I ended up picking it up anyways. I've played through both X and X-2 a few times back on the PS2, and I already like both quite a bit. For me, this post will be my impressions of what I've experienced thus far in the rerelease. So far, I've only played through to the first Cloister of Trials on Besaid, so my thoughts only reflect that portion of X.

First of all, I have to say that this game has never looked better. While I didn't mind the look of the PS2 version on my HDTV, it was definitely pretty ugly. Having everything at HD resolutions with some added work done to the main character models already makes me happy with my purchase. I got some of the same feelings of awe I had when I first saw the city of Zanarkand at the beginning of the games. So far, the locations all look pretty gorgeous.

However, this was a PS2 game, and the fact that this game is about 13 years old became even more apparent with the upgraded visuals and after playing games on the current generation consoles. For anyone who may not have played the original release, here are some things you can expect:

1. The game doesn't let you control the camera. It has fixed camera angles that change as you walk from location to location. It can be annoying not only being unable to move the camera, but walking or picking items can sometimes be a chore as the camera constantly changes.
2. Voices don't match the lips of the characters. This isn't something I really expected to be changed in any way, but it seems even more noticeable now. People will have their mouths opened seconds before anything comes out of their mouth, or their lips will still be going after they've finished talking.
3. You can't skip cutscenes. This isn't a huge problem for me, but that is a nice feature to have if you are having to replay a section of a game over and over due to losing to a boss or something.
4. Only the main character models had work done, so the lower quality of the other NPCs can be a bit jarring. There are also certain textures and effects that look distinctly last gen (such as water splashes). Not a huge problem for me, but they do highlight the age of the game.

Another thing to note is the music. As everyone surely knows by this point, most of the music has been rearranged and rerecorded for the HD release. So far, I'm loving the music. Granted, it's been a while since I last played X. I loved the original soundtrack too, and it's possible I'd prefer it to the remastered stuff. Without having that in mind as I play the game, though, I find myself having no issues with the reworked stuff.

One final comment is that the flashback/dream-type sequences have a sepia tone/film grain overlay now compared to the more foggy look of the sequences originally. I really don't like how the cheap film grain effect looks here.

What have been your thoughts so far, whether playing these games for the very first time or not? Anyone had a chance to look at X-2 yet?

[Hollycat]

Click the following link to the full Gallery for FF X HD: FFX HD Screenshots - Imgur

FF X HD, a tale of 2 lovers
b3mKfJi.jpg
Darn you square, why you ruin all the screenshots.

The remake is pretty great. Except for the fact that in XHD the only characters who look any better are ones who join the party at one point or another.

It's a lot sharper too.

I was kinda angry they didn't change the one hit kill the boss at the last fayth uses halfway through the battle.
I'll update this post when I finish X-2, but so far it looks amazing. Unlike X HD, FF X-2 HD doesn't feel or look like a PS2 game.


Edit: SERIOUSLY SE, it's pretty messed up that you added a program that alters any screenshots I take. I can't even used these for wallpapers.

[Jessweeee♪]

I love it! I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the new soundtrack. FFX had a lot of my series favorites. I am really enjoying it though! My only gripe is for some reason it's a lot harder to push the pedestals in the temple trials. I mean it was sometimes tricky before but now it's like you need to be standing ~exactly~ right.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I'd read that about the pedestals... but that's honestly how I felt with the original release. I've only done one cloister, though. I always wished you could just hold down a button to grab onto a pedestal to make it work better.

[Sephex]

I got this on Thursday (in another thread I said I may get it, so obviously that happened). I am actually enjoying it better than before. I never been one to go crazy over graphics (I never optimize PC games to perform it could be, for example), but yeah, what they touched up looks very nice.

I...I hesitate to say this, but I am even enjoying Blitzball now. I didn't like it at all back when it came out, but I think 13 years was enough time for me to let go of all the illogical nonsense that mini game is all about and accepted the fact that it's just based on stats. I still really wish it was more of an actiony mini game (it takes place in a HUGE SPHERE but there is only one level of field despite how it looked in that one FMV?), but it is what it is. I am actually enjoying recruiting players and building a team that wipes the floor against other teams. I even won the story based game! Yeah, not a big deal for most of you, but I always got SCREWED HARDCORE when I played the story Blitzball game. The best I did before now was I would get the game into overtime, then one of those Goers would punch Tidus in the balls and score out of nowhere. Also, I took the controls to manual and sucked at that. So, in a way, I felt like the Besaid Aurochs when I FINALLY WON THE MATCH!!

FFX and FFX-2 has always been a...sort of guilty pleasure games for me. They are in the weird area where I recognize the faults and poor game design choices (The Spoony One's Reviews do a good job highlighting some of these problems, if you are not a fan of the guy, take away the camera mugging and accentuating the negative and they are still solid reviews). However, the cast of characters are fun, and the universe of Spira is well thought out in a big picture sense. FFX-2 is pretty cheesy, but it is in an endearing way. It was never meant to be a super serious sequel to me, despite the title, but more of a continuation of a story set in a world that had big problems solved, but a lot of loose ends to tie up, both in a personal and public manner.

So that's two times I kind of ended up summing my opinions on the games/aspects of the games instead of actually talking about first impressions. So long story short is that I am enjoying the game like never before. I didn't even plan on picking up this edition any time soon, but I got it as a gift. I'm glad I did now.

[Carl the Llama]

The more people talk about how improved X-2 is the more I want to play it lol.

As for X I have just dodged 200 Lightning bolts and got the Venus Sigil so of course I am played about that. Really loving the graphics update, everything down the the sphere grid looks really good, although it didn't hit home for me till I rewatched the side by side youtube video comparing the 2.

[Jessweeee♪]

Oh yeah about Blitzball. That glitch where you go in your goal and all of the players go to starting positions and swim in circles seems to be fixed. No more cheating at Blitzball like a dirty cheater

[Night Fury]

I love the Creature Capture in FFX-2. Really, really nice touch

[Skyblade]

Oh yeah about Blitzball. That glitch where you go in your goal and all of the players go to starting positions and swim in circles seems to be fixed. No more cheating at Blitzball like a dirty cheater

Nope. I've done it a couple times already. At least on the Vita version.

I really wish they had refined Blitzball some. As much as I adore it, there are some minor issues that really could have been easily fixed.

[Jessweeee♪]

Oh yeah about Blitzball. That glitch where you go in your goal and all of the players go to starting positions and swim in circles seems to be fixed. No more cheating at Blitzball like a dirty cheater

Nope. I've done it a couple times already. At least on the Vita version.

I really wish they had refined Blitzball some. As much as I adore it, there are some minor issues that really could have been easily fixed.

Oh it is working? To be honest I tried it once and failed and they scored a goal and I was too scared to try it again

Maybe it's like the pedestals where now you have to be on just the right pixel.

[Marshall Banana]

The faces are a lot less animated, which is weird and off-putting.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I've encountered some audio issues, but perhaps the issue is with my PS3? I just had one moment after the Blitzball tournament where the sound cut out just a little before it cuts to the CG scene where Auron encounters a fiend. I don't ever have any issues with any of my other games EXCEPT Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD remix. It just seems kind of weird. There was also a time earlier in the game where the game sort of skipped (this isn't really the right word), and Tidus ended up repeating a part of a sentence he had just said. It was kind of weird.

So far these are the only issues, but hopefully more don't crop up for me. I am quite enjoying revisiting this game so far despite the few qualms I mentioned in the first post.

[Noctis Caelum]

So I played about an hour and a half to two hours of X so far, and I have to say that I am marveled by how amazing it looks. Particularly because I have just finished God of War 1 and 2, which are also recent HD remasters, and the differences between the three games couldn't be more different. FFX is 5/7 years older than GoW1/2, and yet X looks a HUNDRED THOUSAND times better than both of them put together. I'm not even being dramatic, that is a simple fact. Then compare how both of those games are 10 hour long at best, and FFX is 100 hours, and the comparison gets even further lopsided. I know it's a bit early to make a bold statement of this magnitude, but FFX is easily the best HD Remaster I have ever seen in my entire life. I can't wait to see more.

[Mirage]

That's because FFX and X-2 are like the only HD remasters that have actually been remastered. Just increasing the resolution doesn't count as a remaster. If it did, I would be "remastering" games every time I ran an old game on a newer PC.

[Rocket Edge]

That's because FFX and X-2 are like the only HD remasters that have actually been remastered. Just increasing the resolution doesn't count as a remaster. If it did, I would be "remastering" games every time I ran an old game on a newer PC.

Saying that though, X looks better than most PS3 games. It's so smooth looking. On the verge of beating the game here and I'm loving it. I'm actually sort of surprised at how absorbed I got.