Customer Reviews

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster Special Edition

Aeons and blitzball are back!
Rather than summarize the plot or game system, I'm going to be focusing on the qualities that make the FFX|X-2 HD Remaster stand apart from the originals.

DIFFERENCES FROM ORIGINALS:
+ Improved map and character/monster textures
+ Remade character models
+ Higher quality cutscenes
+ Trophy support for each individual games (Double platinum!)
+ Cropped change from 4:3 to 16:9 perspective
+ Improved voice audio
+ Approximately 60 remastered music tracks
+ Exclusive 30-minute audio drama following the end credits
+ Added "Final Fantasy X International" content, which includes a newer Sphere Grid and Dark Aeons, as well as new bosses and abilities
+ Added "Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission" content, which includes new dresspheres, a new Coliseum battle arena, and a new dungeon

WHAT COMES WITH THE GAME:
The standard edition (currently $39.99) comes with both the Final Fantasy X HD Remaster and Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster on one disc.
The special edition (currently $39.99) is a limited time upgrade that gives you a book-like casing that includes a vibrant 24 page artbook covering both X and X-2, mostly concept art.
The collector's edition (currently $79.99) includes a gorgeous hardcover art book, a 6-hour Final Fantasy X HD Remaster original soundtrack blu-ray music disc, and five lithographs of art from both games.

There are five choices in the main menu:
+ Final Fantasy X
+ Final Fantasy X: Eternal Calm (Cinematic cutscene sequel to FFX)
+ Final Fantasy X-2
+ Final Fantasy X-2: Last Mission (Playable sequel to FFX-2)
+ Credits and Bonus Audio (Set 1 year after the events of FFX-2)

IS THIS GAME WORTH IT?
Considering that both Final Fantasy X and X-2 are available for the PS2, and many avid RPG fans already have this staple classic, it may seem redundant to pick up this title. However, nothing really compares with the sweet feeling of nostalgia from playing a classic with a brand new coat of graphics on. Plus, if you never found a chance to play the International versions, this is the first opportunity to experience the new content.

For newcomers to the series (or even to RPGs in general), this is a great way to step into the Final Fantasy world. The battle system is simple enough to learn quickly, while deep enough to never grow bored of the expansive sphere grid system. The graphics are beautiful and interesting, and are accompanied by an equally beautiful audio track. Tidus, Yuna, and the rest of the cast are unforgettably unique and bring you with on one of the most exciting journeys available in the gaming world!

Whether you're a veteran of the Final Fantasy games or new to the series, the Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster for the PS3 and the PS Vita is a great experience for anyone who enjoys a great RPG.

On the box, this collection is described as an "HD remaster." I cannot think of a better term for this package. This definitely had more work put into it than your run-of-the-mill PS3 HD port collection, and I don't just mean visually too. Overall, I'm pretty impressed by the amount of upgrades these games received. For those who are already familiar with the original Final Fantasy X and X-2 and want to hear about the enhancements/changes the games have in this package, skip the next two paragraphs. If you're new to the FFX/X-2 saga and want to know a little bit more about those games, then I'll try to sum them up in a concise manner.

*Quick reviews for Final Fantasy X and X-2*

Depending on who you ask, FFX is either the last great *traditional* single-player FF game, or the beginning of the end of the series. For my money, FFX is a classic. At the time of its release, the whole gaming community was caught up in its beautiful world and interesting characters. Thematically, FFX is a magical game, filled with beautiful locales and heaps of mystery. There's also a great deal of deep philosophical musings on all sorts of things ranging from religion to dreams to the very nature of existence. MOST of the characters are also likable. Auron is a real contender for coolest FF character ever. The visuals were seriously incredible back in the day, and its art design is still wonderful (this world really benefits from being in HD now), and the music is among Nobuo Uematsu's very best works, and that's saying A LOT. Mechanically, FFX was a pretty great JRPG. There were plenty of things to do, and almost all of them engaging. The battle system is incredibly deep, strategic, and rewarding to master. There's even an interesting, huge meta-game that incorporates the in-universe sport, Blitzball, with JRPG mechanics that are pretty interesting. Even though I don't think it matches up to its immediate predecessor, the virtually perfect Final Fantasy IX, FFX is still a fantastic classic very much worth playing.

FFX-2 is not quite so beloved as X, generally speaking. At the time of its release, the consensus among the FF community was a lot of confused and pissed off fans. It was the first sequel to any entry in the FF series, and it was such a dramatic departure in pretty much every way from FFX that nobody knew what to make of it. Gone was the sweeping orchestral music, replaced by lots of J-pop. Gone was the feeling of a FF adventure, replaced with an almost Charlie's Angels "BOW, PICHOW, KACHOW, let's strike a cheesy pose for no apparent reason" campy romp sort of way, starring Yuna, Rikku, and newcomer Paine (designed to be a female Squall) on their quest to find Tidus. It has been stated by the developers that it was made to appeal more to the large female demographic of X's fanbase, and I'm not sure if that succeeded. I have to admit, some of the game is so cheesy and embarrassing to be caught playing (The scene where Yuna gives another character a message complete with orgasmic sounds is borderline pornographic, and makes me cringe every time). X-2 IS a strange game, no doubt about it. What most haters of FFX-2 DON'T tell you is that, mechanically, X-2 is pretty awesome. The dressphere battle system is pretty great, utilizing a class-style focus in a very unique way. There's always something engaging to do in X-2, and getting to the mountain of side quests is easy and intuitive. The story also features some genuinely well-written parts as well, despite the overwhelming cheese majority. It's not as great as FFX is, but if you can get used to the strange thematic elements, then you may be surprised just how fun and engaging X-2 is as a JRPG.

*Review of this package as an HD remaster*

Obviously, the biggest change is in the title of the package: HD visuals. How does this collection do in that way? Surprisingly well. Despite the fact that the bones of the package here are from an early PS2 title, the visuals in these games look fantastic. Textures have been cleared up immensely, and the lighting and shadow effects have also received attention and look great. The game is in 16:9 widescreen and it all looks fantastic. Because of the transition to widescreen, the cutscenes and their assets have been remade completely and look gorgeous in HD (although you still can't skip them, which is sure to bother some). Perhaps best of all, almost all of the in-game character models have been remade from the ground-up and look right at home on the PS3 system. Auron has never looked more awesome than here. It may not be as huge of an upgrade as some modern full-on remakes and there are some graphical quirks remaining (i.e. hands going through sleeves, hair clipping into clothes if a character moves their head back, some hilarious lip syncing blunders, etc). Still, considering the fact that most HD collections amount to slapdash up-rezed ports and nothing more, this collection looks great. So bravo to Square-Enix for clearly going the extra mile to refresh this game visually. They did a great job.

From an audio perspective, there have been a few improvements as well. Voices are clearer and sound better (whether the voice acting was great or not in the first place is highly debated by fans). Now all aspects of Tidus and Yuna's imfamous forced laughter scene look and sound clearer than ever. Whether that's a blessing or a curse is up to you, lol. Roughly 60 tracks have also been remastered for this game and they sound better than ever. However, the audio enhancements in this package are clearly not as drastic of an upgrade as the visual elements are. Still, X/X-2 have never looked OR sounded better.

Another huge change from the originals comes in the form of additional content. Back in the day, FFX was rereleased with additional content in Japan. We never got that version in the US. Now we do. In addition to some new optional bosses, FFX also gives you the option to try out a revamp Sphere Grid that allows for more customization and challenge. X-2 has some new dresspheres as well as a "Creature Creator" that allows you to capture and train most enemies, including bosses from BOTH games, to use as party members in future battles. I wouldn't describe any of these additions as paradigm shifting, but they are pretty cool additions and it's nice to know we're getting the most updated, complete version of the games. Add in trophy sets for each game, and you get what is pretty much the definitive release of these games.

The package includes several new additions to the X universe's story. There's Final Fantasy X: Eternal Calm, which is a long epilogue cutscene following the events of FFX. It's not a particularly interesting plot,but it does bridge the gap between X and X-2 stories, and that's nice. There's also Final Fantasy X-2: The Last Mission, which is a short expansion of sorts that takes place three months after X-2's ending. I can't speak as to its quality, but I do know that it does change depending on the events that took place during a players' game of X-2, which is neat. Finally, there's a brand new audio drama set a year after X-2 entitled -Will-. I'm always a little hesitant to buy into these sorts of official/unofficial side stories, as they can be really bad at times, but still, I'll take what I can get. Clearly, the main draw of this package is the core X and X-2 games, but all this content at $40 is pretty cool if you ask me.

So there you have it. Overall, I'm very impressed by the work that went into this collection. It's definitely higher-quality than your average HD port. The visuals and audio have never sounded better in these games, and there's just so much content here on just one blu-ray disc, it's pretty awesome. All of this for $40 seems like a steal to me. If you've never played these JRPG classics before, then now is definitely the time to get into them, as they have never looked/sounded/played better than here. If you're like me and you sunk countless hours into the original all those years ago, I'd definitely recommend picking up this package again. I've been loving diving back into the world of FFX again. The enhancements to this version definitely makes it feel new again. These games, and particularly FFX, hearken back to a time when Final Fantasy games were universally hailed for their immersive worlds, great stories, interesting characters, brilliant music, and engaging JRPG mechanics. Now, they're better than ever. So buy it, prepare for a classic FF experience, and get lost in the magical, lovely world of Spira.

In 2001, the original Final Fantasy X came out and single-handedly brought the JRPG into the PS2 generation. It was a remarkable feat. It had a brilliant story, a good combat system and a soundtrack that was to die for. It quickly became recognized as one of the greatest JRPGs you could find on the PS2. It has had it's ardent fans and ardent haters alike. It is a game that garnered a lot of strong responses from gamers. Square-Enix is a little late at jumping on the HD bandwagon, but if there was one game in their catalog that definitely deserved one, it was Final Fantasy X. Final Fantasy X-2 is here as well, but it did not make the same splash as its predecessor. There are some things about Final Fantasy X that are still brilliant. It's nice to relive it and to experience it again. As for Final Fantasy X-2, though I would not claim it to be as memorable as the first one it had some great gameplay elements that still hold up well today.

Final Fantasy X centers on Tidus. He is a star Blitzball player, like his father before him. One night during a game a mysterious entity called Sin attacks and takes Tidus from his home and sends him into the land of Spira. There he meets Yuna, a summoner about to go on a pilgrimage to the various temples in Spira so that she can have the power to destroy Sin. Final Fantasy X has a lot to its story. It had a lot of well developed characters, but mostly it was willing to tackle a lot of themes. In particular, the large amount of time it spends looking at the fictional religion of Yu Yevon and the teachings present. It's quite a story. It is only a shame that the voice acting isn't that especially good. Final Fantasy X didn't have great voice acting in 2001 and it's certainly not better now. It's a good story but the voice acting takes some time to adapt to. Final Fantasy X-2, by comparison, does a slightly better job (although not by a whole lot).

The gameplay in Final Fantasy X still resonates quite well. There are random battles to be fought, but the battle system was quite intuitive at the time. You always know the order in which you and your enemies will take action. This allows for lots of strategy and planning as opposed to being quick on your feet. For some this made the game easy, for others it allowed for them to have more control over combat. Each character also had an overdrive gauge which was very similar to Final Fantasy VII's limit breaks. When the gauge is full you can use an overdrive attack, which is a powerful attack. Each character also has their own uses and "job" in battle. Tidus is good at hitting agile enemies, Wakka hits flying enemies with ease while others miss, Auron has piercing attacks, Lulu casts her magic, Rikku steals and disassembles machines and Kimahri can absorb abilities of his enemies and use them. But the most interesting is Yuna who can summon aeons that you'll use in battle. Each with their own set of abilities and attacks. You can also switch characters in battle at any time provided that they are not knocked out. Every character shares in experience.

The most amusing aspect of Final Fantasy X was the sphere grid. The sphere grid is Final Fantasy X's unique level up system that has certainly influenced some RPGs (most notably Tales of Xillia). Each character gains sphere levels and follows a path along the sphere grid. You activate various nodes using spheres to raise your stats and learn abilities.

In a nutshell many of these elements in Final Fantasy X still hold up. Final Fantasy X-2, on the other hand, was somewhat polarizing back in 2003. Yet, for what it's worth, over a decade later it's really not a bad game by any means. The story is not as strong and neither are some of the characters. On the other hand, it is a more open world than Final Fantasy X. In particular, the battle system is still fast paced and fun. It goes back to the ATB battle system instead. Each character has access to dress spheres where they learn various abilities to be used in battle. The jobs affect how fast they attack and this makes Final Fantasy X-2 a fun game to battle in. The system is unique. Each job plays its own role. White mages heal, thieves steal and warriors attack. Final Fantasy X-2 has such a non-linear approach it can come across as quite tough and challenging at times.

There are some moments in Final Fantasy X-2's tone that certainly clash from time to time with Final Fantasy X. Where as Final Fantasy X is quite sad in many respects and downtrodden, X-2 is a lot more upbeat. Both games are rather fun to play, but fans probably still see Final Fantasy X-2 as being a less "serious" game. Originally when I played Final Fantasy X-2, I did not care for it. Here, I'm okay with it. The battle system is fun. And while the story isn't nearly as good as the first one, it's not necessarily bad either.

The HD Remaster has quite a few things of note, however. While I would like to point out the HD visuals first, I'd rather start with the fact that this is the international version of the game. Meaning that for North American players there's a wealth of new content. First and foremost, the sphere grid. There is now a standard and expert version of the grid. The expert grid allows for slightly more flexability. Where as the standard grid kept most characters contained to their own section, the expert one lets you divert a lot sooner. This means characters may learn other characters abilities sooner rather than later. It is also a less straightforward path. The expert sphere grid will require more grinding. There are more paths that diverge. Where as the standard is a more straightforward path, the expert sphere requires you to be a lot more aware of what you're doing. You might find yourself going back one direction just to get an ability you missed. The standard sphere grid will, for the most part, take every character to every ability along their path, but the expert sphere grid is less concerned with that. It can make the game harder or easier. The reality is that you need to zero in on what you want sooner rather than later. The expert sphere grid alone can give you a totally different experience with Final Fantasy X. I would highly recommend veteran players go with it. Newcomers should stick to the standard grid.

The other big addition are the dark Aeons. In 2001 North American players completely missed out on this optional quest. These are ruthlessly challenging bosses with millions of HP, requiring the best and boldest from players. Likewise, there is another hidden boss called Penance These bits of extra content are worth your time if you're willing to invest it. But most of all, they make Final Fantasy X worth revisiting even for those who mastered it over a decade ago.

Final Fantasy X-2 doesn't really include much (if any) extra content, unfortunately. No new bosses or story elements. But the collection as a whole does include "Final Fantasy X-2" Last Mission as well as a prologue to Final Fantasy X-2. There is also an audio credits sequence. In terms of whether or not you're getting your bang for your buck it's no argument... you are getting a lot of content for the asking price.

There are some other notable changes. The visuals are actually quite noticeable. The font of the text is different, for instance. But more important, the actual look and art style is more expressive and vibrant. It looks fantastic and it runs in 1080p. Not only that, but it's just a smoother looking game. A lot of HD remakes neglect to touch up on some of the pre-rendered stuff but Final Fantasy X and X-2 certainly do. Even the prerendered scenes have no muddied textures or blotches. They're also in 16:9 like the regular game. It's clear there was a lot of care taken with this one. Lastly, the music has been rearranged. While I still remember the original soundtrack quite clearly some of the new arrangements definitely do justice to the original tunes. Final Fantasy X-2 does not have a rearranged soundtrack, however. It's a good sounding game. The voice acting on the other hand isn't that good. As I said, it wasn't that good back in 2001, but now it just sounds terribly outdated. You almost wish they had re-recorded the voices. I'm not too especially bothered by it, however. The gameplay and story trumps it and there's something deliciously nostalgic about bad voice acting and.

There are smaller things that I'm somewhat picky about. Chief among them is that Final Fantasy X spends a lot of time expressing its dialog in various cutscenes. The option to skip them isn't present. I wish Square had added that for when one decides to replay as some moments can get a little dragged out. Likewise, with the audio there are moments when the game has small hiccups or pauses before other characters begin speaking. The dialog doesn't always flow naturally because there are moments when the next line has to load. Those nitpicks aside there isn't much reason not to get this HD collection if you loved Final Fantasy X and X-2. Even if you liked one and didn't like the other, there's enough content to justify the purchase of just one game. Square-Enix included a lot of stuff here that makes it worthwhile for fans. The version I had also came with an artbook and it's gorgeous. It has an introduction by Yoshinori Kitase, the game's producer. It's a neat little artbook that comes with the Limited Edition of the game.

Overall, I'm satisfied with this HD reissue. Final Fantasy X was a fairly remarkable game to me and it still remains so. The updates and care taken to the game are worthwhile. For fans of these games, it is certainly work taking the time for that trip down memory lane.

I got this on release day yesterday so I haven't gotten to far into either game but it's a beloved favorite and I'm mostly reviewing on the changes. It looks beautiful, I find myself actually paying attention to the back grounds and not being nearly as annoyed by the constant walking back and fourth some of the game requires. The sounds are different, good. The old soundtrack was very good and a little more soothing but tended to get repetitive quickly. My only complaints are that they didn't take the time to lip sync properly or even bother having back ground characters mouths move when they speak. I am also seeing a loading screen so frequently that it has become a bit of a house joke.
If you love this game then the remaster is wonderful. If you are new to the series then I think you will enjoy this game if you remember how old it actually is and don't expect perfection.

I remember playing both of these in the days of the ps2. When my old system died I sold off the games but have wished to play them both again (mostly X of course). Now I have in my hands the beautiful remake of one of my top five FF games.

SYNOPSIS OF GAMES

Starting in Zanarkand, Tidus is a star blitzball player on his way to the championship game. However things go south with the appearance of a giant creature called Sin. When he wakes up he is in a new world where he joins the party of the young summoner Yuna, daughter of the last summoner to defeat Sin who with his father Jecht. There they will go on a journey of discovery, danger, deception, and perhaps hope for a better future.

X-2 is two years later, Yuna is a sphere hunter looking for recordings of the past. but a mysterious sphere found by her cousin Riku showing someone who looks like Tidus has her hoping that he may still be out there, and with new abilites and friends she goes on a new journey to discover the truth.

I am only a little into the first game, and I am going to be putting aside Dark Souls 2 for this title for a while. The graphics are crisp, the opening movie is amazing (was amazing on the ps2 - this puts it into a whole new level and i can not wait for the Yuna scene and the lake scene). The soundtrack is great. Also you can play the international version which has the dark Aeons, new enemies for the US, and the new sphere grid to customize your characters in whole new ways. Also the artbook gives you the developer art that was used in the development of this game. If you enjoyed this in the old days and are like me you will not only enjoy these games but will keep it in your library for a long time to come.

My favorite game for the playstation 2 finally makes its to the vita. Final Fantasy X the last of the great Final Fantasy games imo (12 was good but not great) upgraded Graphics for the most part a new fmv and sphere grid from the international version of the game(dark aeons added to x and whole new areas added to x-2 as well). My only complaint is that they decided to redo some characters faces this is a pretty minor complaint considering i got use to it in 30 mins still say they should be careful doing stuff like that. Final Fantasy X-2 is the biggest let down in final fantasy history with ease imo the game is tolerable at best (that being an overly nice assessment of the game) the battle system was good but outside of a few scattered mini games the rest was bad and most of the places you go too are from Final Fantasy X so you've seen them before or will if you play them in order. Playing Final Fantasy X again was like taken a step back in time to when i use to be a big gamer nerd lol good times.
P.S. X-2 is 3.394 gigabytes or both games (according to psn) 6 gigs in case memory card space is a concern of yours.

I) The packaging:

The design is gorgeous: the disc encased inside a 24-pages artbook, similar to the Kingdom Heart 1.5 HD Remix Limited Edition.
Unfortunately, the blue shell still made out of a very flimsy cardboard.

II) The good:

A solid storyline with a closure, something that SquareEnix decided to milk off with the FF13 series. While FFX is perhaps one of the best (not the best in my opinion), FFX-2 certainly not the same cup of tea, nevertheless, it still a fun experience. The Remaster edition not only experience the world of Spira once again, but it also comes with extra contents that never released to anyone outside of Japan or Europe. The cutscenes were beautifully remade, simply to the point you almost forget these games were ported from PS2. Not only you'll be spending hours going through the storyline, you will spend as that much time for Blitzball in FFX (wouldn't say the same case for Blitzball in FFX-2); it's not obligatory, but the mini-game simply THAT good.

III) The bad:

Aside from the flimsy shell, there are other things that keep this game from coming back with a perfect score.
1) Graphic: sadly, only the improvement can only be seen with the cutscenes, the game graphic still pretty much the same, not a whole lot noticeable improvement.
2) No cut scene option! Yup, no chance for you to breeze through the game should you already played it.
3) Skipping voice dialogue: every now and then, the voice dialogue would skip and end abruptly for no reasons.
4) Mouth synching: characters mouth don't move accordingly to the dialogue.

Overall, I am very pleased with this HD remaster.

The Pros:

~The graphics are much clearer, vivid, and higher res than the original from thirteen years ago. There are still the occasional phasing issues, particularly with Yuna's kimono-style sleeves, but they are minor and not a deal-breaker.

~The soundtrack upgrades are beautifully done. X has always had one of my all-time favorite OSTs in the FF series, and in this version I can hear so many different instruments that I couldn't pick out as easily in the original OST! They did a really wonderful job mixing and mastering the music.

~This set comes with the International versions of the games, which are fantastic since, during the PS2 generation, you could not play the original Japanese International versions without a Japanese PS2. I am thoroughly enjoying playing around with the "Expert Sphere Grid", and am excited to discover the "dark aeons" and hidden boss when I get further into the game. Those additions will definitely make me feel like I'm rediscovering the game :)

The Cons:

~It contains all of the original voice overs (they redid the soundtrack and foley work, but not ADR). I'm assuming they just didn't want to rehire all the original voice actors, since that would have cost them more money, which is understandable. I do wish they had at least fixed the animation a bit more to synch it with the voice overs better.

~The FMV cutscenes are all exactly the same as the ones used in the original- meaning neither their audio nor video has been altered. Therefore, when stretched out onto an HD television screen, you can see the same pixellation that you would on the PS2 version. Also, the audio levels are much lower on the FMV scenes (both in volume and quality), so I have to keep adjusting the volume on my tv to keep it even while switching between standard cutscenes and FMV sequences. So, what you are actually getting is better graphics and audio during standard cutscenes/gameplay than in the 'movie'-style clips. It's not a drastic difference, but it is noticeable.

~My biggest complaint about this version is how buggy it is! It continues to freeze on me, usually in the middle of boss battles, which is quite frustrating. I do have an older PS3 system (the 80GB backwards compatible model), but even that older model has handled completely brand new games like Squeenix's own Lightning Returns, which also just came out, with absolutely zero lag issues (and I have played LR in both Japanese and English versions, and neither version gave me any problems at all), so I know it's not my equipment that is the problem. I also checked a a few places via google search, and have found that other people (even those with much newer PS3s than mine) are having this freezing issue as well. I think that Squeenix should have done further testing before releasing it, due to these 'freezing' issues.

To Sum Up:

Overall, this HD update to such a well-loved FF game is a must have for any fan of the series, whether old or new. I enjoyed playing this game as a kid, and I still enjoy playing it now as an adult! It's definitely making me wish Blitzball were a real sport again! ;)

I've played only an hour of FFX on the PS2, but the coming of this game compelled me to buy the PS3 just to play it.

And it is gorgeous. :) I don't know enough of the story/gameplay critically compare this to the original, but I definitely think it's a worthy investment if you're a fan of the Final Fantasy series. FFX and FFVII are the most acclaimed of the series, and I'm very glad I bought this.

The 24-page artwork that comes with the special edition was a bit disappointing in its size (the game disc has a slot in it) but still beautiful to look at.

P.S. I really recommend getting this for the Vita, because there is honestly not a lot of good games out for this system.

I love this game. When I heard they were giving the international version of both games I thought Yay!,!! And so far I am very happy and except for one thing I am. There is an audio drama in the bonus section. My issue except the woman who did yuna's voice(I forget her name) they are different from the game. And the two new characters voices were kind of annoying :-p. Otherwise GET THE GAME!