Was X-2 Necessary? (Warning, unmarked spoilers)

[Big D]

Most of the men in that game are wearing pretty mimimal clothing, too - Brother, to name but one; Buddy's outfit is also pretty form-fitting. It's not just the women who're lightly clad. As for 'lesbian inuendo', I'm guessing that's referring to the Mount Gagazet hot springs scene - an optional event, and so ambiguous that it kind of hard to make head-or-tails of it. There's also the 'Leblanc massage' scene, which is actually fairly apt considering Leblanc's personality. Crude, but apt. There was far more homoeroticism in FFVII, but that was limited to the male characters only, and is usually defended as being amusing or even 'sweet'.

X-2 is definitely an odd game, in terms of its style, plot and degree of 'dodginess', but the originality is a plus. It's unrealistic to expect every game to include characters who're totally devoid of sexuality; a whole world of peoplw with pure motives and morals is implausible. Just see how much was added to FFVII by the horriible old sleazebag Don Corneo... it's a little unfair that male sexuality should be above the criticism levelled at similar portrayals of women.

this was just a blatant attempt to sell sex.

Can't say I've ever felt like purchasing sex as a result of playing this game... I do have some misgivings about the lack of clothing some of the dresspheres provide, but it's certainly not a blatantly, gratuitously smutty work.

[Savannah]

Of course I'm not saying that FF games should be devoid of sexuality. I've just always held them to higher standards than, say, a Charlie's Angels episode.

[Celes]

I haven't played FFX-2, but I am looking forward to playing it because I thought that the FFX ending sucked! SPOILER: I didn't like that the last boss, Yu Yevon, resembled the Spider Man logo (you know an oval with eight legs) . Also the last few fights in the game were confusing but too easy. Then Tidus appears to vanish, and a lot of questions go unanswered, like where did he go, was he ever alive? Was the whole game the fayth's dreaming? Also they didn't explain much about Yu Yevon. Which dimension is he from? Is he dead or alive or what? Well anyways I hope FFX-2 can answer some of these questions for me.

[Big D]

Actually, X-2 won't answer a whole lot of those questions... because they're all answered in FFX itself!

Then Tidus appears to vanish, and a lot of questions go unanswered, like where did he go, was he ever alive? Was the whole game the fayth's dreaming?

Tidus was a dream of they Fayth, just like the vision of Zanarkand that he and Jecht came from. After the real Zanarkand was destroyed, the Fayth kept their memory of it alive, in the form of that 'dream world'; when the Fayth finally lost their power and were set free to the Farplane, the dream faded, and Tidus along with it. However, he's not entirely gone: just like other dead souls, he ended up at the Farplane, or so it seems... but then, at the end of FFX, after the credits, we see Tidus awaken in an ocean, which is what the Fayth of Shiva said would happen, a kind of 'thank you gift' to him.

Also they didn't explain much about Yu Yevon. Which dimension is he from? Is he dead or alive or what?

Yu Yevon is neither alive nor dead, neither dreaming nor awake... he's somewhere in between. He was once human - a summoner and the leader of Zanarkand; but then his homeland was defeated by Bevelle and many of its citizens died; he enabled the survivors to become Fayth, and from those Fayth he created the 'dream world'; he also created Sin, in order to punish the world for its rampant self-destruction. A thousand years of existing only to summon, dream and punish transformed him, though, much like others who died and weren't sent.

All of these answers come directly from FFX, but you have to explore for a while in order to find them. A few hints...
Before you confront the Final Aeon, head out into the real world and find Maechen, who's standing at the gate to Mount Gagazet. He'll be able to tell you a lot. Also, go back to all the temples (except Bevelle, which is inaccessible) and talk to every Fayth. They'll explain a lot.

[Ouch!]

I in no way mean to slander FFX-2's name. True, I didn't really like it, but I still bought it and played through it twice, a half-arsed attempt to get 100% completion. It was amusing, and that's the purpose of any video game, to amuse people.

Though I would have much rathered they left the ending of FFX as it was. The need to have a happy ending was just too strong, I guess. Honestly, I thought the ending of FFX was great. Most great works of literature are tragedies, why not make a game and allow it to end on a sad note?

[UltimateSpamGrover]

I hate FFX-2 it leaves the traditional Victorry song...

[aeris2001x2]

yes, true Zaphier. ffx-2 does undermine ffX genius end.

anyway i,ve never known a game be so rationally bad but still increidably fun. i just hope they dont use this new atb systerm in ff12. by far the worst battle systerm. either the old atb systerm, ffX style ctb or even pokemon style ctb from ff1-3, but not the ffX-2 pseudo turn based/real time rubbish.

[EtherealShadow]

I don't think that X-2 was necessary. For me, it took away something from the ending of X, something that I liked. The ending went from "Oh, look, we've gone through all this, but even still, I've lost you. But I must continue to live on" to "Oh, look, everything's good and we all lived happily ever after!" It went from seeming like reality to a storybook ending.

By itself, X-2 is okay. The plot is pretty shaky, but if you ignore that, it's a nice, fun little romp through the world, and I think people should just play it as such.

[aeris2001x2]

very true Etheralshadow, it is not a great game at all, but it is SO MUCH FUN . i started liking it when i stopped taking it seriously and pertend it was in a alternative time line 2 ffX.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

I just hated the thought of Yuna's speech being invalidated at the end of FFX. She gets her beloved Tidus back (depending on the ending), but I assure you all the other people who've lost their loved ones to Sin just have to suffer and move on.

[listentomystory]

yea but yuna sacrifices her life to help others and the fayth recognise this and justly reward her thats what makes ffx-2 a fantastic story, its a story of hope

[aeris2001x2]

lol but hope turns me off. i like storys of loss (ff7)

[EtherealShadow]

I just hated the thought of Yuna's speech being invalidated at the end of FFX. She gets her beloved Tidus back (depending on the ending), but I assure you all the other people who've lost their loved ones to Sin just have to suffer and move on.

Exactly! It's all good that she served the fayth and all, but losing Tidus was the whole point of the story, at least how I see it. X-2 simply doesn't have the same air about it that X did, and I was sorry to see that go. I'm generally all for cheesy love stories, but this one seemed to lose a lot of its meaning at the end.

[listentomystory]

i can see where you guys are coming from but i see x2 as a victory for tidus as well as yuna and i think if you look at it in the context of his contribution of x you might be happy for tidus and not feel that x was undermined. just a thought.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

I would far prefer to think that Tidus might have returned, or found peace in the Farplane. I didn't like that kind of resolution.