Games of the Decade: Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X was released for the Playstation 2 on December 20^th, 2001; just a little over a year after the release of the hardware. It ended up being one of the best Japanese role playing games ever released on the PS2. I include this game on my ‘Games of the Decade’ list for a bunch of reasons. The main reason is that I can remember key scenes from the game as if I had just played it yesterday. The opening of the game is so strong that it just blew me away when I first played it. I can still remember Yuna and Tidus kissing in the water, and the first time Yuna does the dance to keep away Sin.

The music was excellent, making the game feel very ethereal. It reminded me of the classic Final Fantasy games from the SNES era. Final Fantasy X also introduced the Sphere Grid leveling system. You earned skills by following lines along this board. If you wanted certain abilities, you had to plan the way you would unlock others to get to them.

Most of the characters were memorable, and all seemed to have their own secrets that came out as the game progressed. Auron was one the greatest characters ever in a Japanese RPG and when you realize what he is; your mind may have been blown. Tidus and Yuna's relationship was well developed and I found myself enthralled in it. The only characters I didn’t care for were Waka and Lulu, but I understand why they’re there.

Final Fantasy X also contained a sports mini-game called Blitzball. I was never good at Blitzball and skipped playing it unless I was forced. I knew people who were really good at it, but I just never cared enough to get better. Final Fantasy X is also the first Final Fantasy game to get a direct sequel. Final Fantasy X-2 was released for PS2 on November 18^th, 2003. It was not as acclaimed as Final Fantasy X, but it did include most of the original cast and what happened to the world after the demise of Sin.

Final Fantasy X-2 was the last game that executive producer Hironobu Sakaguchi would be a part of at Squaresoft. After that game, he formed Mistwalker Corporation. This studio was responsible for Lost Odyssey, which unsurprisingly had a lot in common with Final Fantasy X. Final Fantasy X is the last great Final Fantasy game and I believe a lot of that has to do with the lack of Mr. Sakaguchi. If you have never played Final Fantasy X; you should go back and play it now. If you have a 360, Lost Odyssey is the next best thing.