Replaying this game again is reaffirming that it is my favorite RPG of all time, maybe my favorite game period. Despite ditching the ATB system it feels like the ultimate refinement of the turn-based, story-driven RPG.
Should I review this game at this point? I own it in every format - not sure which version I'd even use - and it would undoubtedly be an A+ regardless.
Final Fantasy X (again)
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Retro STrife
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Re: Final Fantasy X (again)
ptdebate wrote:Replaying this game again is reaffirming that it is my favorite RPG of all time, maybe my favorite game period. Despite ditching the ATB system it feels like the ultimate refinement of the turn-based, story-driven RPG.
Should I review this game at this point? I own it in every format - not sure which version I'd even use - and it would undoubtedly be an A+ regardless.
For some reason, I always forget how much I loved FF10. To me, it's definitely between FF7 and FF10 for which is the best game in the FF series (sorry FF6...). I only played FF10 on PS2 back when it came out - and, by the end, I remember thinking that I liked it even more than FF7. I ranked it higher than FF7. Such a great game and great story in FF10 - I'd agree it's an A or A+. But for whatever reason, the memories of it just don't stick with me like FF7. Whenever I list my "top 10 favorite games", I always include FF7 and forget FF10.. not sure why that is.
What system are you replaying it on? If you ever did a review, I think the PS2 original would make the most sense, since that's the system people associate it with.
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DrLitch
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Re: Final Fantasy X (again)
FF X is top 10 for me as well. I am overall a big fan of the series outside of a few lazy spin offs and the online only offerings that were not overly noteworthy. By all means review FF X. Compare and contrast different versions. I have not played the remastered ones yet.
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HawgWyld
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Re: Final Fantasy X (again)
Final Fantasy X is nothing short of awesome.
However, I actually prefer Final Fantasy IX.
Perhaps that makes me an oddball...
However, I actually prefer Final Fantasy IX.
Perhaps that makes me an oddball...
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ptdebate
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Re: Final Fantasy X (again)
HawgWyld wrote:Final Fantasy X is nothing short of awesome.
However, I actually prefer Final Fantasy IX.
Perhaps that makes me an oddball...
They're both phenomenal, they're just good in different ways. FFIX has a much better story than it gets credit for. This is a minor quibble but the only thing I dislike about it is the loading time to get in and out of battles.
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Matchstick
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Re: Final Fantasy X (again)
I appreciate your enthusiasm, pt, and I'm glad you've managed to find a game that you enjoy so much. Me, I don't know if I've ever played a game that I'd consider to be perfect, or an A+. I'm just too damn critical! Not to say I don't enjoy my favorite games quite a bit, but I feel like there's always something that could be improved upon.
Kind of how I look at my life in general, truthfully. Curse you, graduate-level art critique / theory courses!!
I do have an honest question for you: why consider writing a review if you already know going in that you will give the game a perfect score? In giving in the A+, do you feel that you will accurately be able to convey to readers why the game is perfect, in your eyes? Do you feel that readers who have never played the game (such as myself) would be able to grasp what makes the game perfect, especially when compared to similar games in the genre or series? Do you honestly feel there is no room for improvement with the game, that absolutely nothing could (or should) have been changed or altered for the better?
Sorry if it sounds so critical - I honestly mean nothing bad by it! Again, I'm happy for you, that you have a game that you hold so near and dear. Thinking of some of my favorites off the top of my head (Doom, Ms. Pac-Man, the original NES Metroid, Street Fighter II, Empire Strikes Back on the 2600...) I still don't know if I'd call any of them perfect. Some of Doom's later levels drag on too long and break up the flow of the game. Metroid's mazes can really get out-of-hand and leave you completely stuck. SFII has some legit balancing issues. ESB only has one screen that never ends. Ms. Pac-Man never gains any weight despite all the junk food she eats. I'd say of that bunch, Doom comes the closest to getting the A+ in my eyes.
The best game I've ever played, and also one of my favorites, is Riven. Normally I don't go for games that are long and drawn-out, but I've always been partial to the Adventure genre mostly because you, as the player, are in control of how long and drawn-out the game will be. If you want to take your time with it and soak in the world and stumble through the puzzles, go for it. If you want to beat it in an afternoon, grab a hint book and get busy!
I played Riven during my first time in college while I was in art school, and I took my dear sweet time with it, sketching out the island and writing solutions to the puzzles as I went. The final major puzzle, involving putting colored marbles on a large grid, seemed so impossible at first glance. Once I realized that the grid was basically a map of the island, I used my notes and retraced my steps, color-coding specific areas as I went. Solved the puzzle, beat the game, and went to bed a pretty happy man at about 5 in the morning, months after I first began playing.
In many ways, I think Riven is to me what Final Fantasy X is to you.
The game consumed me, and I loved every second of it, but it still wasn't perfect. Damn close, though. I might even give it an A. Might. Hm... maybe I should give it another playthrough, seeing as how it's been years since I touched it. I think I even still have the original 5-disc sleeve and big retail box stashed in the house somewhere. Anybody have a late-90s PowerMac I can borrow for a weekend??
Kind of how I look at my life in general, truthfully. Curse you, graduate-level art critique / theory courses!!
I do have an honest question for you: why consider writing a review if you already know going in that you will give the game a perfect score? In giving in the A+, do you feel that you will accurately be able to convey to readers why the game is perfect, in your eyes? Do you feel that readers who have never played the game (such as myself) would be able to grasp what makes the game perfect, especially when compared to similar games in the genre or series? Do you honestly feel there is no room for improvement with the game, that absolutely nothing could (or should) have been changed or altered for the better?
Sorry if it sounds so critical - I honestly mean nothing bad by it! Again, I'm happy for you, that you have a game that you hold so near and dear. Thinking of some of my favorites off the top of my head (Doom, Ms. Pac-Man, the original NES Metroid, Street Fighter II, Empire Strikes Back on the 2600...) I still don't know if I'd call any of them perfect. Some of Doom's later levels drag on too long and break up the flow of the game. Metroid's mazes can really get out-of-hand and leave you completely stuck. SFII has some legit balancing issues. ESB only has one screen that never ends. Ms. Pac-Man never gains any weight despite all the junk food she eats. I'd say of that bunch, Doom comes the closest to getting the A+ in my eyes.
The best game I've ever played, and also one of my favorites, is Riven. Normally I don't go for games that are long and drawn-out, but I've always been partial to the Adventure genre mostly because you, as the player, are in control of how long and drawn-out the game will be. If you want to take your time with it and soak in the world and stumble through the puzzles, go for it. If you want to beat it in an afternoon, grab a hint book and get busy!
I played Riven during my first time in college while I was in art school, and I took my dear sweet time with it, sketching out the island and writing solutions to the puzzles as I went. The final major puzzle, involving putting colored marbles on a large grid, seemed so impossible at first glance. Once I realized that the grid was basically a map of the island, I used my notes and retraced my steps, color-coding specific areas as I went. Solved the puzzle, beat the game, and went to bed a pretty happy man at about 5 in the morning, months after I first began playing.
In many ways, I think Riven is to me what Final Fantasy X is to you.
The game consumed me, and I loved every second of it, but it still wasn't perfect. Damn close, though. I might even give it an A. Might. Hm... maybe I should give it another playthrough, seeing as how it's been years since I touched it. I think I even still have the original 5-disc sleeve and big retail box stashed in the house somewhere. Anybody have a late-90s PowerMac I can borrow for a weekend??
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Stalvern
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Re: Final Fantasy X (again)
Matchstick wrote:I do have an honest question for you: why consider writing a review if you already know going in that you will give the game a perfect score? In giving in the A+, do you feel that you will accurately be able to convey to readers why the game is perfect, in your eyes?
Matchstick wrote:Curse you, graduate-level art critique / theory courses!!
How did you end up in grad school if you think that it's pointless or even impossible (?) to argue a thesis?
(Also, you're going by assumptions that ptdebate clearly doesn't share. An A+ is a grade of 100%... of a standard set by the grader. You've set a hypothetical "perfect game" as your standard, but ptdebate is well within reason to grade video games against his favorite one – not to mention that we're all posting on a site with a still more lenient rubric.)
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Retro STrife
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Re: Final Fantasy X (again)
I didn't read any ill intent in Matchstick's post.. But as for A+'s, I don't think that an A+ implies perfection. When we talk scores here, we're usually scoring using the VGC's scale, since we're all familiar with it here. VGC grades on a curve, and grades only against other games on that system. So an A game on the CD-i isn't necessarily even a good game... it might be a C or D if it was on the SNES.
So far, VGC has given 3 A+ scores on the PS2 - God of War, God of War 2, and Guitar Hero. To me, giving FFX an A+ would mean you're saying it's the best game on PS2 (or at least one of the few best) - and, since the PS2 had a such a great lineup of games, you'd also have to be willing to say that FFX is one of the all-time classic games. I don't know if it reaches that level - it's not as clear cut as FF7 was on the PS1 - so I might lean a tinge lower. But reasonable minds could go either way, and still a great RPG either way.
So far, VGC has given 3 A+ scores on the PS2 - God of War, God of War 2, and Guitar Hero. To me, giving FFX an A+ would mean you're saying it's the best game on PS2 (or at least one of the few best) - and, since the PS2 had a such a great lineup of games, you'd also have to be willing to say that FFX is one of the all-time classic games. I don't know if it reaches that level - it's not as clear cut as FF7 was on the PS1 - so I might lean a tinge lower. But reasonable minds could go either way, and still a great RPG either way.
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DrLitch
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Re: Final Fantasy X (again)
Well in England I believe an A grade is awarded where the Student receives eighty percent or more. An A+ I imagine would be ninety percent or better. So going by the UK system it would mean an A+ has a chance of not being perfection. Just pretend we are going by UK grading system so any issue of perfection in letter grading can be circumvented 
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ptdebate
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Re: Final Fantasy X (again)
So that's just the thing - and this is one of the reasons I'm struggling with which format to review - I'm realizing that based on the grading system of this site, FFX would merit a different score depending on the platform.
Granted, there are other PS2 games I think should be A+ (MGS3 for example), but the highest score in what is probably the best console library that ever was or will be? Maybe it would only be an A. PS3 or Vita? Definitely an A+. PS4? Could go either way with titles like Bloodborne sharing the same space. Xbox One? Maybe since that's the version played most recently I should review it there (even though it's a strange fit for Final Fantasy). It's probably my favorite version as well (for reasons I would explain).
Matchstick, thanks for the thoughtful post - I too am a fan of Riven. I don't look at an A+ as indicative of a "perfect" game because even FFX has its flaws (outdated mo-cap, racial stereotypes). It's more like a ranking system and is - as Stalvern mentioned - based more on comparison to other similar titles than some absolute measure of quality.
Granted, there are other PS2 games I think should be A+ (MGS3 for example), but the highest score in what is probably the best console library that ever was or will be? Maybe it would only be an A. PS3 or Vita? Definitely an A+. PS4? Could go either way with titles like Bloodborne sharing the same space. Xbox One? Maybe since that's the version played most recently I should review it there (even though it's a strange fit for Final Fantasy). It's probably my favorite version as well (for reasons I would explain).
Matchstick, thanks for the thoughtful post - I too am a fan of Riven. I don't look at an A+ as indicative of a "perfect" game because even FFX has its flaws (outdated mo-cap, racial stereotypes). It's more like a ranking system and is - as Stalvern mentioned - based more on comparison to other similar titles than some absolute measure of quality.