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.