Final Fantasy X-2

Dress up Square's Angels in the first ever direct Final Fantasy sequel. Here's our full preview of FFX-2.

	Version PS2	Developer Square Enix	Publisher Square Enix	Genre RPG

By Rico Rodriguez

Final Fantasy is back again, and this time it's here to party. From the opening song, dance, and battle number to the lavish costumes adorning the three lovely ladies heading up Final Fantasy X-2, it's clear that this game is shooting for a lighter mood than your usual 'the world is doomed unless these teenagers do something about it' RPG fare. In fact, the whole game is shaping up to look like one big side quest, but one that'll provide hours of fun as you see what kinds of messes these crazy girls get themselves in to.

Two years have passed since the events of Final Fantasy X, and Yuna is adrift in a changing world without purpose. Ushering Spira into a new age of 'Eternal Calm' did not come without a price, and Yuna's importance as a Summoner has waned greatly, as the Aeons are no longer needed in Sin's absence and Yevon's teachings are falling to the 'Machina Revolution'. Rikku comes back into Yuna's life, bringing a vision that suggests that Yuna's beloved Tidus may still be alive, and Yuna begins a new quest that she hopes will finally settle all the unanswered questions in her heart. Thus begins Final Fantasy X-2, a new chapter in what many consider the greatest Final Fantasy adventure of all time, and the first true sequel to any Final Fantasy game.

Okay, enough with the set up. Let's get right to what's really grabbing all the attention. The clothes. Yes, Yuna has abandoned her robes for the revealing and form-fitting sort of get up that is apparently necessary if you want to aim a gun properly. Rikku has also managed to trim a bit of fabric from her ensemble as well, and it's not like she was heavily covered to begin with. But more important than just the amount of digital flesh being shown off (at least with respect to actual gameplay), is the fact that the clothes in FF X-2 really do make the woman, or at least her job class.

Each of the three women that comprise your party starts off with one dress sphere that defines her skills. Yuna, with her Lara Croft-inspired short shorts and dual hip holsters, is a gunner. Rikku starts off hanging on to her old role as a thief. And newcomer Paine gets dressed as a warrior, complete with a skull engraved into the pommel of her sword. Paine is the powerhouse figure here, and can brood with the surliest of Final Fantasy characters from games past. If Paine and Squall from Final Fantasy VIII ever had a child together, the kid would be scowling from birth.

The storyline this time around is mission based. You must take on one mission at a time, but you are free to choose from any mission available. Naturally, completing one mission opens up others, and the missions you choose can take you down branching pathways in the story. This means that you'll have to play again and again to see all the endings. On the plus side, since the story is driven by the missions and not timing/geography, most of Spira is open to you from the very start of the game, and you even get an airship to zip around in from the get go. A lot of the environments will be very familiar to those who played through FF X

Much of the gameplay is driven by the search for spheres, which can contain all sorts of things, including the vision that caught Rikku's attention as well as new dresses/job classes for your party. Rikku is now the leader of the Kamome-Dan Sphere Hunting group, and they're not the only game in town. Many of the missions will send you searching through Spira to find these spheres before your rivals, but there are other missions as well, and this is where the game can get a bit nutty. Not all the missions are what you would call serious, and you will occasionally find yourself having to do things like poll townspeople or give a massage to advance to the next mission.

Naturally, this being an RPG, you will also be doing a whole lot of battling. Defeating enemies brings ability points, and ability points let you unlock new abilities on your dress sphere. However, to really mix things up you need to find more dress spheres. Switching your gal's outfit during battle switches her skill set. For example, you can take Yuna from two fisted gunner to white mage to songstress and even to a mascot dressed up as a moogle. In addition, each party member has one ultimate dress sphere that makes it look like the women are summoning themselves. Knowing when to use which outfit makes up a large part of the game's battle strategy.

The Active Time Battle System makes a return and has been enhanced for this outing. Each action takes a set amount of time to complete. Using an item takes less time than using a spell. Likewise, some special skills may take more time to execute than a regular attack. The battle order panel returns, so you can see the order of action between your party and the enemies. Also, the new Attack Chain System allows you to combine attacks between party members for massive damage. Summons are gone with the Aeons, as are overkills. Another minor change is that enemies may now move around the battle field, adding another dash of strategy to the mix.

Visually, the game world and characters are gorgeous. You may find yourself flipping through dress spheres just to watch the girls change clothes again and again. FF X-2 promises to build on the solid gameplay of the rest of the series, while giving gamers a bit of a breather in the pathos department. Whether the public responds to a non-epic RPG remains to be seen, but undoubtedly many gamers will happily give up their time and cash to get to know Yuna, Rikku, and Paine better.