Game Information

Final Fantasy X can be viewed as a revolutionary game in both the general sense of the video game world and the Final Fantasy saga. Hitting stores in the years 2001 and 2002 FFX was the very first game in the Final Fantasy series to be released on the PS2 and subsequently became the first ever PS2 game to sell 2 million and 4 million copies. It also currently holds the record as one of the top 20 selling games of all time with over 7.25 million copies sold.

Squaresoft seemed concerned about the reception of the game due to drastic changes made to it which contrasted to previous Final Fantasy releases. The concerns however were unfounded as FFX sold more copies in it's first week of release than all it's FF predecessors. Critics were also quite welcoming and accepting of the changes giving the game a 'universal score' of 92/100.

FFX marked the end of Squaresoft's independent releases of games as they merged with the powerhouse Enix soon after. However FFX and Square left a legacy within the gaming and FF world. FFX was the first of the series to involve voice-overs which affected the time of FMV and gameplay. It was also the first pre-rendered release with extraordinary 3D graphics.

Realism was of top priority in the FFX game according to the creators. Changes were made to the system of travel so that people could only travel along a predetermined line on foot across Spira until an airship is aquired late in the game. No top perspective world map was integrated into the game. Improvements were also made to the classic experience point leveling system allowing the player to choose what abilities to teach each character more freely. This was labeled as the sphere grid. Many people had issues grasping the new system while others used it to the fullest gaining many advantages during the game.

Finally FFX also introduced a new type of battle system never seen in an FF release before. The Conditional Turn-Based Battle System (CTB) replaced the traditional Active Time Battle (ATB) system. Within the new system the battle would literally pause while a player chose their next move to make, it also meant that character and enemy attributes could affect the number of turns and order of turns taken by respective players.

FFX was a step into the future with graphics far before its time and clever new systems which made the game even more enjoyable. For many people even today years after it's release FFX still impacts on their lives, inspires and entertains. I for one shall forever be influenced by this game and Square will have to work very hard to top this best seller.