Jiro's Journey

[Ayen]

The beginning is... poor. No arguments here. I'm not sure how much of the nitpicks are genuine or just joking, but I think most of the stuff you go on about the city is overkill. The game might have been upgraded to HD but it's still working off PS2 mechanics, and they didn't have the technology back then to really let the vastness of Zanarkand sink in the way they could today. The recycled character models is a fair complaint but I can also see why they'd do it. Save on time and resources. I'm not going to defend the voice acting, though. Voice acting is not Square's strong suit and I think the direction, dubbing and voice actors themselves all contribute, at least in X's case.

I don't think Auron was trying to call Sin either. I think he was just like, "I'm cool and a badass so I'm going to ride Sin because I can." I never took anything more from that scene than that. The whole thing with the sword is legit and such an easy fix if they just had him able to hold it with both hands in the beginning because he's already athletic like you said. It's not going to make much difference later anyway since he's able to wield it like a pro by the time he gets to Spira. I love your analysis of Blitzball and I sadly can't remember much of the fall off the ledge so no comment. Final Fantasy utilizes anime logic a lot around this time if it wasn't obvious already since VII. I'm enjoying this playthrough immensely so far.

Look at me, managing to make a post longer than a line.

[Jiro]

A lot of my critiques are going to seem petty because I am still critiquing this as if they basically made it from scratch. That might seem unfair, but I think that you need to do more than give something a new lick of paint to justify a re-release. The single highway is, in my opinion, rubbish, but to actually create a believable network of roads and then have to block them off creatively would only have attracted ire from people back in 2002 or whenever it was initially released. I am going to be highly critical because I love Final Fantasy X and can justify many of my critiques. But I can't do that if I don't point them out

[Ayen]

You're close. 2001 was its original release date which would put it early into the PS2's life and a lot of games that came out around this time didn't get to fully capitalize on the console's power since we were still making the transition from the PS1. I agree with you on the justification for re-release, that's why I don't get the sudden trend of making a HD port of everything if all you're doing is touching up the graphics. Besides from the obvious cashing in on a previous success without having to put in as much work as you did before and I think that's a terrible reason for re-releasing something.

I get being hard on games you love, too. I was the same way when I reviewed the first Mass Effect.

[Jinx]

Echoing Scotty, I always just assumed Auron was "raising his glass" as it were. More of a toast, bottoms up, etc. He knows all hell is about to break loose, so it's just sort of a salute.

Loving this thread, Jiro! Can't wait to keep reading it.

[Psychotic]

I hate the god damn double intro thing. The last two FFXIII games got me with those.

[Kalevala]

I hate games that show you the opening scene when you boot it up and then the same exact opening scene when you start a new game. What's the point in that? Ninja Gaiden is the worst offender of this I've seen so far. Not only does it have the opening scene before the title screen and then start a new game, but it has all of that written down in the instruction manual! Why!? Why?! Then again you can at least skip it both times.

I find this especially frustrating because I often wait and watch the entirety of whatever scene is shown upon boot up, just in case it's something different. THEN I start the game and have to sit through the exact same scene (usually) without the option to skip it. I've been falling for this ever since FFVI.

[Pumpkin]

I was gonna say what Scotty said about Auron :P

I don't think he was as cool as I used to. Now the aspect I appreciate about him most and am most interested in is his change from his pilgrimage with Braska to how he is now. Because let's face it, he changed a good bit.

[Karifean]

You can skip the second intro with the Select button though.

[Pete for President]

I love how things in videogames do not have to be realistic.

[Ayen]

I hate games that show you the opening scene when you boot it up and then the same exact opening scene when you start a new game. What's the point in that? Ninja Gaiden is the worst offender of this I've seen so far. Not only does it have the opening scene before the title screen and then start a new game, but it has all of that written down in the instruction manual! Why!? Why?! Then again you can at least skip it both times.

I find this especially frustrating because I often wait and watch the entirety of whatever scene is shown upon boot up, just in case it's something different. THEN I start the game and have to sit through the exact same scene (usually) without the option to skip it. I've been falling for this ever since FFVI.

Final Fantasy VI did this?

I love how things in videogames do not have to be realistic.

Nobody said that. I find the inclusion of anime logic in some of the FF games that came out in the late 90's and early 00's to be disheartening but I'm not going to act surprise that they're there given the time frame and it was never bad enough IMO to hinder my enjoyment of the games overall. But some games take the realism aspect too far, the introduction of the stamina meter in wrestling games is one such example I can think of where it was realism in sacrifice of just having fun.

[Kalevala]

FFVI did back on the SNES I believe. I think it does the same thing on the GBA version. If you don't press anything it will play the opening scene between Wedge, Biggs, and Terra and then the opening credits as they march on Narshe.

[Jiro]

Sunken Temple (aka Baaj Temple right?)

We wake up on a rock and Tidus freaks out, as you would. This is a really great location because it draws an immediate contrast between Zanarkand and Spira. Zanarkand was impressive and built up; this location is trout and crumbling and underwater. It also serves as a sort of progression as well as a contrast: Zanarkand was built up but now that Sin has arrived it will likely look like this.

One thing I hadn't mentioned yet is the mini map. In previous Final Fantasy games, whatever mini map you have takes the shape of a traditional map. They're old, sort of medieval inspired, in stark contrast to the modern or futuristic radar map that FFX has. It's interesting when you consider that this was in some ways the "modernisation" of Final Fantasy. I admit bias here; for those older than me, Final Fantasy VII might have served this role with the shift to 3D.

This opening area instils a great sense of dread. I already do not like deep dark expanses of water, and now I know there are probably things out there trying to eat me. Of course, I explore anyway, because RPGs are about exploration. It is cool to find the Al Bhed note, as it hints at something to be revisited. The Al Bhed sphere, though, completely deletes the sense of isolation. Here is some random technology that, instead of being mysterious, tells you what it is about. In simple terms, it's a spoiler. I want to say the word anachronistic here so I will. Anachronistic.

As an aside, I find it strange that Tidus has a shield. I recognise that it makes sense given his weapon choice, but everybody else's equipment seems to make sense. Tidus, however, has a shield for no reason. It would not make sense in Blitzball, unlike Wakka's armguard, and he did not receive it from Auron. Strange.

Tidus gets knocked around a bit by that sea monster whose name I have forgotten. He then manages to stabilise himself, despite being underwater. I am reminded of Dragon Ball Z, where the characters are able to "slide" in the air, as if there is something offering resistance. It is less obvious here, and less problematic, given that water obviously does have resistance, but still.



Here is an intermission.

[Jiro]

Final Fantasy X has a very gentle introduction to its combat. While the bulk of the tutorials are yet to come, it is worth noting that the only place you can die up until the point Rikku shows up is when you have the swarm of Sinscales. Every boss only damages you for half current health, and there are not enough non-attack functions available to not kill the enemies before they can kill you. I mean, it would take a special kind of determination to die before this point.

After "defeating" Geosgaeno a cut scene plays. I mentioned the running animation earlier, and in this cut scene, Tidus demonstrates an unbelievable and unrealistic swimming animation. Generally, his movement is fine, but in this instance, he seems to defy the nature of water. But the fact that he swims in boots etc is already crazy enough, so let's pass over this.

"Out of the frying pan... and into the freezer" is a really clever play on a cliché. The writing is hit and miss the whole way through, but there are certainly some examples of clever writing. Contrast this with a lot of other JRPGs that are almost entirely full of clichés.

Tidus enters the next room by pushing over rubble from gigantic stone pillars. Unless this is styrofoam, there is no way he would be able to do this. It seems like a ridiculous inclusion just to get the visual they want. Convenient rubble blocking off exits doesn't faze me, but plot convenient superhuman strength is stupid. Consistency!

Tidus spends a lot of time talking to himself early on, but rarely does it feel unrealistic. Those are situations where I could imagine myself doing the same. It's a nice way to characterise Tidus without having him just narrate everything.

The flower-flint-fire puzzle is pretty cool, because it's extremely understated. You don't get told what to do. You just have to explore and figure it out. Understated is excellent.

I got sick of the loading screens again This happens a lot. The white ones are far nicer.



On that note, let's have another intermission. It's hard to look at my own text in such large blocks.

[Jiro]

Another important point of note is the camera position. I love that the camera is not static. Later, in Besaid, the camera pans with you to show gorgeous landscapes. But sometimes the camera moves around in a strange way, which results in Tidus running into stupid walls unless you stop moving and recalibrate your stick position. It's a minor issue, but one that crops up regularly and that is really quite frustrating.

Flashbacks and dreams are used a lot to further Tidus's progression. Some of them are... weird. It's interesting though. I take issue with this one though: why is the Bahamut Fayth seen? Tidus apparently sees him, but shows no sign of recognition. It does establish the mentor-mentee relationship between Auron and Tidus though, which is good. (It does bring up questions about Auron's ability to travel between Spira and Zanarkand though.)

Rikku's introduction is strange. First, the door explodes (cool) and the pieces of what seemed to be rock but are apparently metal fly towards the screen (cool) but it just feels really awkward in the way it all moves. Then the other Al Bhed dudes rock up, and there's a flash of light and Rikku appears in front of them, despite not being visible in any shot prior to that. Ridiculous. There are better ways to introduce a character than a flash of light.

Obviously, from a gameplay perspective, it makes sense that only Rikku joins your party for the fight. But it still seems very odd that you have four other armed Al Bhed just standing there watching this monster thrash their boss.

Following the battle, the fanfare theme plays and I feel invigorated and inspired. It really has to be one of my favourite versions.

The camera angles in the next cut scene cling to Rikku's curves. Given that she's jailbait for most of the world, that's really a bit strange. I mean, I'm okay with this, and it probably fits in with Tidus's personality, but it can feel a little detached and ecchi. Those Japanese sure love their gratuitous angles.

[Jiro]

The cut scene with the Al Bhed is stupid. I find a lot of the interaction with the Al Bhed to be stupid. Rikku does not engage directly with Tidus. One of the dudes wonders if he is a fiend; not an unsent, but a fiend. This is stupid and undermines any sort of intelligence the group as a whole has. Why would they have not stepped in earlier if they thought he was a threat? Why would Rikku have helped if she was concerned? Even if Rikku is not the head of the operation, is she not the commander at this point for this little group? Take him back without knocking him out. Why take him back at all if they thought he was a fiend? There are so many inconsistencies in this section.

The intent, clearly, was to have Tidus wake up somewhere thanks to a mysterious group. That way, SE doesn't have to show how he got there or reference it at all. Instead of achieving their goal, they have created huge we-were-all-from-the-same-orphanage sized inconsistencies. As you can see, I have a huge problem with this scene which doesn't measure up to a lot of the clever scenes throughout the rest of the game, and indeed, leading up to this point.

I'm going to actually take a break now and then I can dive into the Al Bhed ship part. I hope to be up to Besaid by this evening but we'll see how it goes.


EDIT: PS there is no way Rikku could have incapacitated Tidus from that distance, surely.