Quote Originally Posted by FFIX Choco Boy View Post
3. Great characters that are intertwined with the plot. Every non-optional character in Final Fantasy I-IX is necessary for the plot except for Edward in IV. If you removed any character, the plot would either be changed drastically, wouldn't work at all, or would have a VERY hard time staying on its original path. This is untrue of X, XII, and XIII, though. I found Tidus, Vaan, Penelo, Hope, Snow, and Sazh to be completely unnecessary in their own games. Remove any of them, and sure the plot will change a little, but it will still be pretty close, and will still work(if we're assuming XII and XIII's plots actually do work).
I disagree with Tidus here. While I agree that much of the storyline, specifically the pilgrimage, would largely go unchanged, the entire Jecht, Yevon and Dream Zanarkand plotline would be unconnected to the main characters. The story of DZ is a very important part of FFX and this is where Tidus shines, as well as (IMO) fully taking over as the main protagonist after the pilgrimage is over.
5. Replayability, and being able to play with more than 1 viable strategy. I-IX were great with this, and X was pretty good with it, even if your characters were pretty specialized until pretty late in the game. XII had more of this than any other game, whereas XIII, XIII-2, and X-2 you barely had any choice in a lot of encounters. There was one specific way to beat things, and if you didn't do it, you lost.
I really don't see how X-2 fits in here. I get what you mean with XIII and XIII-2, but X-2? The game gives you 6 different jobs pretty much right off the bat and you consistently get more - and all of them are viable options to face the encounters you're given. Also, I don't think XII is really that good in this aspect.