Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster
The FF series' first sequel work, also a failed attempt. Though the combat system is novel and support systems rich, there are serious problems in core aspects like story and character development, a disappointing sequel.
Art Appreciation
Rating Breakdown
Deductions
The game has a “completion percentage” mechanic: you need 100% completion to get the true ending, which is very hard to reach on a first playthrough, leading to lots of repetition.
The thin story and poor characterization greatly weaken immersion.
Highlights
Probably because FFX sold so well, the FF series released its first direct sequel, and it ended in failure. The game itself isn't especially bad and adds plenty of fresh, substantial gameplay; the problem lies entirely in it being FFX-2.
The combat system is actually quite fresh: real-time ATB, and the three leads can switch jobs.
The game's most distinctive feature is its side systems, which let you raise monsters and chocobos, rich and highly replayable. But if you only play the main story you can ignore them entirely, wasting good design.
Deductions
The same green-screen issue as the FFX remaster. The two are really the same release, but they have to be reviewed separately.
Deductions
Yuna's whole character has changed, and her iconic outfit is gone too. There's only one new character, and she isn't especially memorable either.
Yuna's model has also degraded somewhat in this game; the model and CG differ from the previous game, which is why many players feel Yuna became a different person inside and out.
The first mainline FF without Nobuo Uematsu's involvement, though that alone doesn't make the quality poor. But since Yuna is now a pop singer, the music in many places fails to support that premise, which is surprisingly jarring.
Deductions
Same problem as the ending: the developers force the two to reunite, which makes no sense. The heroine switching careers to become a singer is strange enough, but the public's reaction is just as strange: they accept it outright and instantly start chasing Yuna like a celebrity?
A thin main story and fragmented side content; it's hard to call it coherent.
Whatever else it is, this is officially the canonical sequel to FFX. With Yuna's character already so thoroughly developed, pulling a complete 180 makes it hard for players to connect the two. Even Tidus himself says Yuna has changed a lot when they reunite. Does that count as the developers poking fun at themselves? As for Tidus, he only appears in the final scene, with no characterization to speak of, and for lack of buildup, when the reunion finally comes it can't give players a sense of fulfillment or emotion. The new characters aren't really necessary, while the old ones are left unaccounted for, as if simply having them get pregnant and have a baby lets the game skip them and get away with less content.
The character motivation is indeed the reunion, but the world's savior idly running around having fun, becoming a singer, and hunting for elusive sphere recordings is hard not to find odd. Besides, Yuna still holds on to her fixation on finding Tidus, so turning her into such a cheerful persona just doesn't fit.
The actual main story is very short, which feels perfunctory.
One big reason for making X-2 was probably that so many players lamented Yuna and Tidus's parting, yet this game's reunion is supposed to smooth that over? Many players won't even acknowledge it as canon. The image in the sphere is just someone who looks like Tidus; it's reasonable for Yuna to chase it early on, but the ending still inexplicably reunites them just to make up for players' regrets, which is poorly handled.
The main story is too short and forcibly sends you on a lap around the world map; the pacing is poorly handled.
Even the dialogue quality drops: very juvenile, without much substance, and exasperating for longtime fans. That kind of dialogue would be fine for a casual light game, and while it essentially is one, the developers made it a mainline entry, so this too counts as a deduction.
Given the script's overall weaknesses, plus the unavoidable comparison with FFX, the presentation falls far short. Even at the very climax, Yuna's concert CG, with a theme song pointedly titled “1000 Words”, fails to truly convey Yuna's feelings.
The worldview itself could have been developed in more depth: the old order has been overthrown, but new conflicts follow, and Yuna is even key to mediating between the emerging factions. Yet none of this goes anywhere, because Yuna is set up as someone who has withdrawn from the world to do her own thing.
Deductions
If you skip the side systems, the main story is quite perfunctory, nowhere near the scale of a mainline entry.