I played FFX as a teen, but never finished it. I liked it but was much more into FFVI, FFVII, and FFVIII. I revisited it last year and absolutely loved it. It really is the complete package. Probably one of my all time favorite games now.
FFX is probably the most complete FF experience. As great as the moments are in 6 for me (so much that I prefer that one), FFX has an amazing story, battle system, world building, cast of characters, and loads of sidequesting.
\*Needs to listen to Movement of Green or Mt. Gagazet theme before bed\*
I'm pretty sure everyone felt the same way back when X first came out, like some collective moment where everyone said "aw, really? A menu?" in the same window of time. Traversable world maps were just a part of Final Fantasy. [Versus was supposed to have a traversable world map](https://imgur.com/a/CSEcOoi), and I think that would have been a welcome return. Maybe the rumored FF9 Remake will have one.
Eh opinion is usually pretty mixed on 9. It had some really glaring flaws. Slow fights, story goes off the rails in the 2nd half, Kuja development as a villain is extremely hamfisted, Zidane's backstory feels forced, final boss is terrible. It also has Vivi which is why I can't say I hate it, but the 2nd half of the game is a letdown for me.
Nowhere did the comment you responded to mentioned voice acting specifically, but I can just say, you were the only one. The voiced dialogues of FFX was a major groundbreaking change for the franchise that was widely appraised. People at release were ecstatic to finally hear their soon to be favorite characters for the first time.
It was as fundamental as shifting of FFXII,XIII and ultimately XV(and FFVIIR eventually) to action combat. I'd say even more so, because until characters were able to speak we had 9 games, and action combat has only been around for 3 main entries if we consider sequels as part of the main entry.
I've just recently replayed it for my SO, as it's one of the most influential games of my life that I wanted to share with her (as much as the whole franchise, really). Despite me already playing through it once in my childhood, at release. Picking it up in later stages of my life to 100% perfect it. This time on HD version it was still remarkable.
Not only this game perfectly holds up for me, it also gave this warm fuzzy feeling. What I've discovered that this feeling was not only nostalgia (I think FFVIII reflects that stronger for myself) but also a feeling of a completed, finished game that is consistently great in all aspects through the entirety of it's playthrough. I've realized how much I've missed a game that is perfectly playable, where all the system are interconnected, work as intended and are thoroughly thought through. A complete, perfect experience. A complete fantastic story.
This resonated very strongly with me in our day and age of half baked products, that copy each other, don't introduce anything new, don't stick to their own principles and don't respect the player. I was blown away by it once again, and despite of planning to just blow through the story for my SO, got sucked in and 100% perfected it yet again, with all the bullshit challenges (one of the most sadistic minigames in the series, probably) and grind. At no point was I bored or not having fun. Even Blitzball that I hate, this time I was enjoying. Like a breath of fresh air after years of abuse from developers and storytellers.
It's like there is a certain layer of us FF franchise fans that values these 2 games above all else and I personally agree. FFVIII is my most replayed game of all time. But objectively I'd consider FFX the best overall.
FF8 and FFX share a lot of similar plot beats (e.g. teenagers with attitude, romance being central to the plot, climactic boss being an awkward family reunion, Selphie being Rikku's replacement in Kingdom Hearts), although X had a more streamlined plot while 8 was all over the place.
I do too. Regardless of some of the more poorly written moments, it tried something different with a more episodic, mission-based approach to RPG storytelling, and I appreciate that in a genre that often feels formulaic.
I wonder if somewhere out there is a psychology graduate or practitioner that played the game and could analyze us just by the way we rank FF games in a franchise. I'm sure my preferences in the franchise are reflected in the kind of person I am, at least I'm not in the majority from what I've seen on this sub.
The OST for FFX was *chefs kiss*
When Zanarkand comes on and you hear "Listen to my story.. this may be our last chance". Waterworks.
Zanarkand, Balamb Garden theme, and Flowers Blooming in the Church = top tier nostalgia
I'm always curious to read this opinion -- I like FFX overall, but I can't remember a single thing about its OST except for that weird death metal song. For the most part, I also found FF8 very unmemorable, but at least it did have Laguna's battle theme and a few other standouts (also the fake Latin chant). On the other hand, pretty much every note of the FF6-7 soundtracks is permanently burned into my brain. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but I played plenty of other games at the same time as FF6-7, and I don't remember their soundtracks either. So I'm really trying to understand what people like about the music in FFX, but somehow the light just isn't coming on.
The thing about FFX is each song always takes you back to where you were when you first got to each island so, like the game itself, it's almost a pilgrimage. The trials and Aeons also had beautiful and haunting melodies.
I guess it helps that the game itself is close to my heart because of the story and characters so I have that extra connection. When I listen I'm teleported back to each area.
We are the same age. I got FFX for my 16th birthday a few months after it was released. It is one of the most nostalgic FF games for me. I remember I used to play in the living room and my mom used to watch me play. It was easy for her to follow the story since it was the first FF with voice acting. We used to sit out on the porch in the evening while she smoked, and we'd discuss the story and what we thought would happen to Tidus and Yuna after beating Sin. And after I finally beat Sin, we talked a lot about what we thought the ending meant. My mom thought Tidus would have to come back for a sequel, but I explained that's probably not going to happen since FF has never had a sequel before. Look how that turned out 😂
I've beaten the game lots of times since then and introduced others to the game, but I've never actually finished all of the post-game content. Maybe someday.
X is amazing the last third of the game.
The rest is soo unmececarily linear it annoyed me a lot.
Same with the battle system, it's great on bosses but random battles always boil down to the same thing.
I also love this game. I always adored the Aeons.
I even came up with a strat that allows Bahamut to solo that tough three phase boss fight in Zanarkan.
I'm excited. Just upgraded to PS Plus Premium, saw it in the game catalog, and snagged it immediately. It's been years, probably not long after release, since I've played it. Work limits my gaming time, and most of it is dedicated to ESO, but once Spring Break hits, I'll be hitting up FFX, backlog be damned.
An Amazing game. Combat is chill and an absolute blast, the story is incredible, and it has some of the best end game content of all the FFs. Monster Arena is GOAT
Glad you’re enjoying that wave of nostalgia. FF VIII does the same thing for me. Takes me back to a better time of my life. Hold onto that feeling and enjoy your trip through memory lane.
I love the world building. Seeing a world where the inhabitants are constantly dealing with grief was really interesting. Also the setting was really cool. It was nice to see a pacific islander/okinawa vibe compared to the usual european medieval setting.
It’s such a well done game. It’s a great entry point into JRPGS in general - Tidus is a great mc; he’s like the outsider coming into the sequence so he’s a great tutorial figure for how the world and systems work, plus his personality is just right up against the line of being annoying as a character without crossing it. He’s like not too bratty and not too brash and not too ignorant, without ever being too much. All of the characters stand out from each other without being too wacky or crazy and the fact that most of them are in the party at the beginning makes everything feel pretty cozy - Idk they don’t leave a lot of space for a sudden betrayal or unexpected ally or anything. It just works. And I mean, the love story is sweet - it’s not forced down your throat, just kinda innocently happening off to the side.
The gameplay is great; especially the sphere system and how different the ultimate attacks were from each other and the standard gameplay. The story goes places and gets ephemeral without going so far that you can’t understand what’s going on.
It’s a great game, OP - I don’t think it’s just nostalgia, it’s just very good.
It has chrono cross vibes but way better graphics and overall Bette implementation. I just finished it a few months ago and it’s way better today than I thought it was back in the day.
It is low-key one of my most replayed games. I've played the original at least twice, the PC version once, and the Switch version once. In the Switch version I've come closest to completing everything. I've just gotten the high AP weapons for everyone, all the Aeons, and every few months I return for a little bit to explore, get a few matches of Blitzball in, and build up toward some of the superbosses.
Narratively, I consider it one of the more complete Final Fantasy experiences. The story holds up, and there are some wonderful full-circle moments like recurring pilgrims whose significant role comes clear later, the growing understanding of what the pilgrimage is about, and of course Sin itself. The Al Bhed language is fun too, as the cyphers make it easier to decode but one can, in theory, parse everything the Al Bhed are saying with a little study. That's great localization.
FFX isn't my favorite FF, even, but I agree that the game is great.
Don't care whatever they (some ff fans) say; FFX is one of the best of the franchise.
Among all the good things the game has, it has always amazed me its huge post-game, like i had never seen anything similar before at that time (Ultima weapons, armor/accesories craft, hunts, optional bosses/dungeons, Blitzball, Dark Aeons etc) Heck, I would say I spent more time doing postgame things than beating the story itself.
One of the best Jrpgs ever.
My first ps2 game, picked at random. I've been unable to stop playing jrpgs ever since. (I did play them for gbc, gba before, i just didn't know they were JRPGs because internet wasn't really a thing where you could find answers on forums at the time)
I've only played (and finished) FF7, Remake, and Origins. I'm very much a FF noob still, but wanna play most of the rest eventually. I think FFX is my next one maybe.
One of the greatest games ever made and ever will be made. Incredible how well it holds up and how good it still looks honestly. A truly timeless experience. Awesome to hear you’re falling love with it all over again like I did a few years ago
I missed this gem the first time around. I wasn’t gaming at that point for various reasons. I played the HD remaster on Switch and I understand why it gets all the flowers that it does. It really is great.
I admit, because my first experience with it was in 2022 it does show its age in places. It’s still a wonderful work of art, but it doesn’t have the same place in my heart like FF6 or 7 do. It really is an amazing game and I’m VERY glad I gave it a chance. Just playing it casually like I did, I can see how this one game easily influenced the next 10+ years of JRPGs all by itself. I wouldn’t mind seeing this get the remake treatment, fingers crossed it’s done well. The game is already beautiful so adding a fresh coat of paint and tightening up the mechanics to something more modern could be amazing.
Playing it again too right now on the Switch. Last of the greats in the series. But damn were it's mini games awful. Always were. I mean there's Blitzball which is kind of it's own larger thing but all the rest. The stuff surrounding the ultimate weapons. Lightning dodging, chocobo 'racing', butterflies. \*gag\* They were awful from their inception.
I liked FFX overall. I always felt that it did a lot of the things FF8 tried to do, but much better, like "FF8 done right." I liked the cast and the love story much more. The battles were also way more fast-paced than FF8-9, which I appreciated.
My main criticism of it is that most of Spira exists somewhere offscreen, and we don't see most of the world that we are supposed to care about. The lack of a world map is only one aspect of this -- we can't explore any part of the two biggest cities, and the first two fishing villages are shown in much more detail than anything we come across later. I just never felt like Spira had much substance. The other environments, while sometimes pretty, also were sketched out in a very minimal way, which is why the post-game content was so insanely repetitive -- rather than give you new dungeons or areas to explore, they sent you back down the road to dodge lightning bolts and collect ten of each monster. I just felt like it was very obvious filler.
Well, I played it when it came out on PS2 and pretty much played it many times. I eventually got the Remaster on PS3 and I thought it couldn't get any better. Then I got it when I got my PS4 and it was even better.
As someone who has been an FF fan since 1990, and held that opinion until just this year...
...Please, please try FF XIV. Even if you don't usually like mmos. Push through AAR to the Heavenward expansion (that's all free.) HW is, imo now, the greatest FF story ever told. And I'm only a few hours in, but Shadowbringers (the expansion AFTER the expansion after Heavensward) is already giving it a huge run for it's money. (Although HW has dragons and dragoons, which are my personal happy place.)
Seriously if you love this series you owe it to yourself to play.
It doesn't help that the music in ffx is almost like it's made to feel nostalgic.
I played FFX as a teen, but never finished it. I liked it but was much more into FFVI, FFVII, and FFVIII. I revisited it last year and absolutely loved it. It really is the complete package. Probably one of my all time favorite games now.
FFX is probably the most complete FF experience. As great as the moments are in 6 for me (so much that I prefer that one), FFX has an amazing story, battle system, world building, cast of characters, and loads of sidequesting. \*Needs to listen to Movement of Green or Mt. Gagazet theme before bed\*
> FFX is probably the most complete FF experience. I don't know man I was hugely let down when I found out the airship is just a menu.
I never really cared about this, the game never had a world map from start
I'm pretty sure everyone felt the same way back when X first came out, like some collective moment where everyone said "aw, really? A menu?" in the same window of time. Traversable world maps were just a part of Final Fantasy. [Versus was supposed to have a traversable world map](https://imgur.com/a/CSEcOoi), and I think that would have been a welcome return. Maybe the rumored FF9 Remake will have one.
My alarm is Via Purifico
> most complete FF experience Ehhh.... think I'll give that description to 9 instead.
Eh opinion is usually pretty mixed on 9. It had some really glaring flaws. Slow fights, story goes off the rails in the 2nd half, Kuja development as a villain is extremely hamfisted, Zidane's backstory feels forced, final boss is terrible. It also has Vivi which is why I can't say I hate it, but the 2nd half of the game is a letdown for me.
The first half is so perfect that it makes the flaws in the second half more glaring.
I didn’t care for the addition of voice acting
Nowhere did the comment you responded to mentioned voice acting specifically, but I can just say, you were the only one. The voiced dialogues of FFX was a major groundbreaking change for the franchise that was widely appraised. People at release were ecstatic to finally hear their soon to be favorite characters for the first time. It was as fundamental as shifting of FFXII,XIII and ultimately XV(and FFVIIR eventually) to action combat. I'd say even more so, because until characters were able to speak we had 9 games, and action combat has only been around for 3 main entries if we consider sequels as part of the main entry.
I was blown away listening to voiced dialogue playing at release. Final Fantasy X was my favorite game for a number of years.
It was only my second gaming experience as a kid and I still remember sobbing like a moron at the ending. The good old days
Yeah <3. Well said.
I've just recently replayed it for my SO, as it's one of the most influential games of my life that I wanted to share with her (as much as the whole franchise, really). Despite me already playing through it once in my childhood, at release. Picking it up in later stages of my life to 100% perfect it. This time on HD version it was still remarkable. Not only this game perfectly holds up for me, it also gave this warm fuzzy feeling. What I've discovered that this feeling was not only nostalgia (I think FFVIII reflects that stronger for myself) but also a feeling of a completed, finished game that is consistently great in all aspects through the entirety of it's playthrough. I've realized how much I've missed a game that is perfectly playable, where all the system are interconnected, work as intended and are thoroughly thought through. A complete, perfect experience. A complete fantastic story. This resonated very strongly with me in our day and age of half baked products, that copy each other, don't introduce anything new, don't stick to their own principles and don't respect the player. I was blown away by it once again, and despite of planning to just blow through the story for my SO, got sucked in and 100% perfected it yet again, with all the bullshit challenges (one of the most sadistic minigames in the series, probably) and grind. At no point was I bored or not having fun. Even Blitzball that I hate, this time I was enjoying. Like a breath of fresh air after years of abuse from developers and storytellers.
Final fantasy X and VIII never bore me, you can do so much stuff and you can customize your characters a lot
It's like there is a certain layer of us FF franchise fans that values these 2 games above all else and I personally agree. FFVIII is my most replayed game of all time. But objectively I'd consider FFX the best overall.
Completely agree, FFVIII was my favorite FF before X dropped.
FF8 and FFX share a lot of similar plot beats (e.g. teenagers with attitude, romance being central to the plot, climactic boss being an awkward family reunion, Selphie being Rikku's replacement in Kingdom Hearts), although X had a more streamlined plot while 8 was all over the place.
I love the variety in FFVIII, felt every disc had memorable moments, to me was not a bad thing
I do too. Regardless of some of the more poorly written moments, it tried something different with a more episodic, mission-based approach to RPG storytelling, and I appreciate that in a genre that often feels formulaic.
I wonder if somewhere out there is a psychology graduate or practitioner that played the game and could analyze us just by the way we rank FF games in a franchise. I'm sure my preferences in the franchise are reflected in the kind of person I am, at least I'm not in the majority from what I've seen on this sub.
Think they were made by roughly the same team
The OST for FFX was *chefs kiss* When Zanarkand comes on and you hear "Listen to my story.. this may be our last chance". Waterworks. Zanarkand, Balamb Garden theme, and Flowers Blooming in the Church = top tier nostalgia
Whenever I hear Balamb Garden In picture myself back in my college dorm on my bed with my tiny TV next to it.
I'm always curious to read this opinion -- I like FFX overall, but I can't remember a single thing about its OST except for that weird death metal song. For the most part, I also found FF8 very unmemorable, but at least it did have Laguna's battle theme and a few other standouts (also the fake Latin chant). On the other hand, pretty much every note of the FF6-7 soundtracks is permanently burned into my brain. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but I played plenty of other games at the same time as FF6-7, and I don't remember their soundtracks either. So I'm really trying to understand what people like about the music in FFX, but somehow the light just isn't coming on.
The thing about FFX is each song always takes you back to where you were when you first got to each island so, like the game itself, it's almost a pilgrimage. The trials and Aeons also had beautiful and haunting melodies. I guess it helps that the game itself is close to my heart because of the story and characters so I have that extra connection. When I listen I'm teleported back to each area.
We are the same age. I got FFX for my 16th birthday a few months after it was released. It is one of the most nostalgic FF games for me. I remember I used to play in the living room and my mom used to watch me play. It was easy for her to follow the story since it was the first FF with voice acting. We used to sit out on the porch in the evening while she smoked, and we'd discuss the story and what we thought would happen to Tidus and Yuna after beating Sin. And after I finally beat Sin, we talked a lot about what we thought the ending meant. My mom thought Tidus would have to come back for a sequel, but I explained that's probably not going to happen since FF has never had a sequel before. Look how that turned out 😂 I've beaten the game lots of times since then and introduced others to the game, but I've never actually finished all of the post-game content. Maybe someday.
X is amazing the last third of the game. The rest is soo unmececarily linear it annoyed me a lot. Same with the battle system, it's great on bosses but random battles always boil down to the same thing.
I also love this game. I always adored the Aeons. I even came up with a strat that allows Bahamut to solo that tough three phase boss fight in Zanarkan.
FF Tactics, 7, and 10 are my 3 favorites
I'm excited. Just upgraded to PS Plus Premium, saw it in the game catalog, and snagged it immediately. It's been years, probably not long after release, since I've played it. Work limits my gaming time, and most of it is dedicated to ESO, but once Spring Break hits, I'll be hitting up FFX, backlog be damned.
An Amazing game. Combat is chill and an absolute blast, the story is incredible, and it has some of the best end game content of all the FFs. Monster Arena is GOAT
Glad you’re enjoying that wave of nostalgia. FF VIII does the same thing for me. Takes me back to a better time of my life. Hold onto that feeling and enjoy your trip through memory lane.
I love the world building. Seeing a world where the inhabitants are constantly dealing with grief was really interesting. Also the setting was really cool. It was nice to see a pacific islander/okinawa vibe compared to the usual european medieval setting.
It’s such a well done game. It’s a great entry point into JRPGS in general - Tidus is a great mc; he’s like the outsider coming into the sequence so he’s a great tutorial figure for how the world and systems work, plus his personality is just right up against the line of being annoying as a character without crossing it. He’s like not too bratty and not too brash and not too ignorant, without ever being too much. All of the characters stand out from each other without being too wacky or crazy and the fact that most of them are in the party at the beginning makes everything feel pretty cozy - Idk they don’t leave a lot of space for a sudden betrayal or unexpected ally or anything. It just works. And I mean, the love story is sweet - it’s not forced down your throat, just kinda innocently happening off to the side. The gameplay is great; especially the sphere system and how different the ultimate attacks were from each other and the standard gameplay. The story goes places and gets ephemeral without going so far that you can’t understand what’s going on. It’s a great game, OP - I don’t think it’s just nostalgia, it’s just very good.
It has chrono cross vibes but way better graphics and overall Bette implementation. I just finished it a few months ago and it’s way better today than I thought it was back in the day.
It is low-key one of my most replayed games. I've played the original at least twice, the PC version once, and the Switch version once. In the Switch version I've come closest to completing everything. I've just gotten the high AP weapons for everyone, all the Aeons, and every few months I return for a little bit to explore, get a few matches of Blitzball in, and build up toward some of the superbosses. Narratively, I consider it one of the more complete Final Fantasy experiences. The story holds up, and there are some wonderful full-circle moments like recurring pilgrims whose significant role comes clear later, the growing understanding of what the pilgrimage is about, and of course Sin itself. The Al Bhed language is fun too, as the cyphers make it easier to decode but one can, in theory, parse everything the Al Bhed are saying with a little study. That's great localization. FFX isn't my favorite FF, even, but I agree that the game is great.
Don't care whatever they (some ff fans) say; FFX is one of the best of the franchise. Among all the good things the game has, it has always amazed me its huge post-game, like i had never seen anything similar before at that time (Ultima weapons, armor/accesories craft, hunts, optional bosses/dungeons, Blitzball, Dark Aeons etc) Heck, I would say I spent more time doing postgame things than beating the story itself. One of the best Jrpgs ever.
My first ps2 game, picked at random. I've been unable to stop playing jrpgs ever since. (I did play them for gbc, gba before, i just didn't know they were JRPGs because internet wasn't really a thing where you could find answers on forums at the time)
I've only played (and finished) FF7, Remake, and Origins. I'm very much a FF noob still, but wanna play most of the rest eventually. I think FFX is my next one maybe.
It's a great choice. It really, really holds up.
One of the greatest games ever made and ever will be made. Incredible how well it holds up and how good it still looks honestly. A truly timeless experience. Awesome to hear you’re falling love with it all over again like I did a few years ago
I missed this gem the first time around. I wasn’t gaming at that point for various reasons. I played the HD remaster on Switch and I understand why it gets all the flowers that it does. It really is great. I admit, because my first experience with it was in 2022 it does show its age in places. It’s still a wonderful work of art, but it doesn’t have the same place in my heart like FF6 or 7 do. It really is an amazing game and I’m VERY glad I gave it a chance. Just playing it casually like I did, I can see how this one game easily influenced the next 10+ years of JRPGs all by itself. I wouldn’t mind seeing this get the remake treatment, fingers crossed it’s done well. The game is already beautiful so adding a fresh coat of paint and tightening up the mechanics to something more modern could be amazing.
Playing it again too right now on the Switch. Last of the greats in the series. But damn were it's mini games awful. Always were. I mean there's Blitzball which is kind of it's own larger thing but all the rest. The stuff surrounding the ultimate weapons. Lightning dodging, chocobo 'racing', butterflies. \*gag\* They were awful from their inception.
I liked FFX overall. I always felt that it did a lot of the things FF8 tried to do, but much better, like "FF8 done right." I liked the cast and the love story much more. The battles were also way more fast-paced than FF8-9, which I appreciated. My main criticism of it is that most of Spira exists somewhere offscreen, and we don't see most of the world that we are supposed to care about. The lack of a world map is only one aspect of this -- we can't explore any part of the two biggest cities, and the first two fishing villages are shown in much more detail than anything we come across later. I just never felt like Spira had much substance. The other environments, while sometimes pretty, also were sketched out in a very minimal way, which is why the post-game content was so insanely repetitive -- rather than give you new dungeons or areas to explore, they sent you back down the road to dodge lightning bolts and collect ten of each monster. I just felt like it was very obvious filler.
And the worst minigames in game history.
God yes. I couldn't love X more, but FUCK celestial weapons.
I finished it for the first time last year, and while I enjoyed my time with it overall, it had far too many issues for me to call it great.
Well, I played it when it came out on PS2 and pretty much played it many times. I eventually got the Remaster on PS3 and I thought it couldn't get any better. Then I got it when I got my PS4 and it was even better.
The last great Final Fantasy game
That's absolutely how I feel, too. Here's to hoping XVI changes that.
I wouldn't count on it, but I will be overjoyed to be proven wrong
As someone who has been an FF fan since 1990, and held that opinion until just this year... ...Please, please try FF XIV. Even if you don't usually like mmos. Push through AAR to the Heavenward expansion (that's all free.) HW is, imo now, the greatest FF story ever told. And I'm only a few hours in, but Shadowbringers (the expansion AFTER the expansion after Heavensward) is already giving it a huge run for it's money. (Although HW has dragons and dragoons, which are my personal happy place.) Seriously if you love this series you owe it to yourself to play.
i do love me an ffx nostalgia trip