Despite being over a decade old, the FFX series still provides a fun and immersive JRPG experience.
Final Fantasy X is a game that brings back a lot of fond memories. It was by far my favorite game on the PS2, and I remember spending several hundred hours playing and replaying it. Everything from the story to the gameplay simply fascinated me back then, and seeing the difference between IX and X amazed me. Then we have X-2, a game which some think was completely unnecessary. While it indeed wasn't as serious as X, I still remember having a lot of fun with it, and found its easy going nature quite charming. But the real question is, how do these games hold up today?
Well, personally, I think that both games contained in Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD Remaster are still able to stand their ground amongst today’s games if you're looking for a solid JRPG experience. The story of Final Fantasy X is still as memorable as it was back in 2001, and the gameplay also works out pretty good. Square decided to switch out its usual Active Time Battle system for the slower paced Conditional Turn-Based Battle system, which has both strengths and weaknesses compared to the ATB, but overall works out quite well. The new system also allows the switching of party members mid battle, allowing for more strategizing on the fly. The classical leveling system is also replaced by a kind of point system. Leveling up grants you Sphere Levels, which you can then spend on the Sphere Grid, a huge board with nodes that represent either stat increases or abilities. Another plus of the HD Remaster is the fact it includes the International version of the game, which means that it includes the Dark Aeons which were previously absent in some regions.
Then we have X-2, which is quite shorter than X and gives you a lot more freedom right from the get-go. Personally, I'd describe the story as kind of silly, but the game itself is quite entertaining. X-2 brings back the ATB and also introduces the classic Job System from earlier Final Fantasies. The combat is fast paced and a lot of fun, and the game goes back to the traditional leveling system. The main story can be completed simply by heading to the marked locations, but you can also take your time and explore the various locations available to you and complete a ton of side missions.
As far as the actual HD remastering goes, both games received new updated character models for the main characters, though the side characters retained their old models making the difference quite noticeable. Some of the background textures also look a little less HD than you would want them to. Both games also received an updated soundtrack, and though I was quite fond of the original one, I think that the new one sounds really good and even better than the original in some cases. The Remaster also includes Final Fantasy X: The Eternal Calm, a short story that bridges the gap (though I do not think this was really needed) between X and X-2, as well as Final Fantasy X-2: Last Mission, a kind of roguelike sequel to X-2 in which you explore randomly generated dungeons.
The remaster is not perfect, however. I did have some technical difficulties, such as the game freezing up on the title screen if I had my PS3's video output set to 1080p. Occasionally, lines of dialogue would be randomly skipped, the load times seemed both longer and more frequent than I remember them being on the PS2 and the rendering of enemy models during battle sequences took from 10 to 30 seconds near the beginning of my play sessions. Weirdly, load times seemed to improve until they were normal the longer a play session would be, making me question if there was a problem with the game or the console itself. Despite all this, Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD Remaster is a good choice for those who wish to relive their past journey through Spira, as well as those who have never played Final Fantasy X or X-2.