Review: Final Fantasy X (PS2)

Graphics - 9/10
Praises:
One word for the graphics: WOW. The graphics in Final Fantasy X are absolutely amazing! Colorful, rich in detail, beautiful CG scenes—the best graphics to ever grace the PS2 at its time. If you look in the background, you can see little blades of grass moving, trees swaying, people moving around, and water moving—little things that aren't usually paid attention too. The character models are unbelievable in detail. There are three types of character models: high-polygon count, low-polygon count, and CG. Low-polygon count models are used in some of the less important cutscenes, while on the field map, and in battle. The higher-polygon count models are used in the more important cutscenes. In these models, the character's expressions are realistic and believable, and the clothes and hair move realistically as well.
Complaints:
The noses on the characters seem a little flat at times, especially in front angles, and the hair on the characters have (mostly) little movement. You won’t be seeing real-time shadows. There are certain areas of the game where the environments and even some of the characters have rough, black-outlined edges around them, and most of the lip-syncing is off time.

Sound - 9/10
Praies:
The music is amazing; you will literally get lost in it. Composer Nobuo Uematsu has an amazing talent. Every piece of music is played beautifully, and it really fits into the game. The in-game sounds are a work of art, also. You can hear birds chirping, water brushing banks, and footsteps of other people around you. The footsteps aren't the same, meaning you can hear the different pit-pats. This is the first Final Fantasy to have voice-overs...and it's great. The voice-overs are actually pretty well, even the minor characters. Most voices/people you will recognize, so you know you are going to get good acting.
Complaints:
Sometimes, the steps sound like they don’t fit in. It should sound like your stepping on stone when you are on stone, but in certain spots, it still sounds like the soft ground. This are hardly noticeable, though, so it won't bother you too much. Most of the acting is convincing although I do have to admit, some sound a little silly.

Story - 9/10
Praises:
The story, like any other Final Fantasy, is incredible. The story pulls you in, and it is so in-depth. There's over 5 hours worth of voiced-dialogue (revealed in the official walkthrough book), so you know there are plenty of cutscenes, meaning a lot of story. You get to know your characters, understand them, and sometimes you can predict what they'll say, once you learn their personality. There are plenty of plot twists, enough for 5 soap operas.
Complaints:
There really isn't anything to complain about, but sometimes you just wish there was more to it.

Battle System- 9/10
Praises:
Final Fantasy X boasts the best battle system out of any previous Final Fantasy. [This review was written before the release of XII. I believe that XII has a better battle system now.] It is still turn-based, but it’s not active-time battles like Final Fantasy X’s PlayStation counterparts. You can’t actually pause during battles; there is no need. You can sit for hours deciding on your next action. Now you can actually browse through all of your special commands, items, magic, and even change your equipment and weapons in the midst of battle. Another cool addition is that you know when you can attack, or whenever the enemy is going to attack. On the right side of the screen, there is a list of your characters and the enemies, and you can browse through it with R1 and R2. Another new feature, which is really helpful, is the ability to recruit members of your party—right in the middle of the battle! By pressing L1, a list of your available party members will show up, along with their Overdrive Gauge, hitpoints, and manapoints. Overdrives are X's version of previous "Limit Breaks". You can change how this gauge fills up. For example, you can change it so it will fill up when: you attack, you are attacked, a party member gets hurt, and plenty of other options. When the gauge is full, you have the option to unleash your overdrive, which is a powerful attack.
Complaints:
X uses random battles, meaning you walk on the field map without seeing any enemies. With a breaking glass transition, you are thrown into a battle against fiends. Besides the minor annoyance of the random battles from time to time, there should more of a variety in the fiends that you fight.

Gameplay - 9/10
Praises:
This game features many side-quests, mini-games and a unique leveling system, called the Sphere Grid. You gain AP as you battle, and if you collect enough, the AP will turn into Sphere Points, which allow you to move along on the Sphere Grid. Another cool thing about the grid is that any character can have any job. Take Yuna for example: she deals with white magic, but you can move her along too Lulu’s Sphere Grid where she can learn black magic. Along with exploring, talking to the citizens of Spira, buying/selling items, and solving the puzzles called "The Cloister of Trails", there is plenty of playtime to be found in this game (your first try might take you up to 50 hours to complete it). Riding chocobos is fun, too. First, you must train a chocobo to "tame" it, then you have free access to ride your chocobo.
Complaints:
The Sphere Grid can be a little confusing at first, but it is a lot easier to understand than Final Fantasy VIII’s Junction system. Blitzball is completely unfair, and is just not interesting to play, but awesome to watch.

Overall - 9/10
Final Fantasy X is an excellent first Final Fantasy for the PlayStation 2. Hardcore fans and newcomers can both appreciate this game for it's easy learning-curve, yet challenging moments. Whether you like RPGs or not, X is an incredible addition to your game library. Final Fantasy X is now a Greatest Hits title, meaning you can buy it new for only 20 bucks, so go buy it!