FFX - Worth Getting? - Page 4

January 4, 2008, 10:38 AM

Buy Final Fantasy X for the soundtrack, and the storyline and graphics.. The character development, and the voice actors, however, are severely lacking compaired to FFXII, in my opinion.

January 4, 2008, 3:35 PM

... WHAT!

In FF12, the only character development was with Ashe, Basch, and maybe Fran. After the sky pirates don't want Vaan's Goddess' Magicite anymore, their impact on the storyline is nil save for Eruyt Village and getting Strahl. Basch is eager to restore honor to his name for all of Dalmasca hating him, and Ashe of course wants her kingdom back. There's only like ten minutes of character development in-between the beginning of the game (up to leaving the prison) and the ending of the game (starting when you finally go after Vayne). The voice acting was very well done, however.

In FFX, each character had their own story to tell, and the storyline envoked SO many emotions.

Tidus
Tidus starts out as your common whiny and ignorant teenager, but evolves into a caring and protective guardian for Yuna. He does not know how he is connected to Sin at first, and frequent flashbacks hint at his murky past. When he finds out he is just a dream, his entire world is turned upside-down and his final mission is not to try and reverse his fate, but to save the entirety of Spira from the wrath of Sin. Finding out that Sin is his father and making vital connections with Auron, Yuna, and the other party members is more character development than all of FF12 put together.

And when he realizes he is fake and dives into the fires of Spira, that is one of the, if not THE most dramatic FMVs to unfold in Final Fantasy. I don't care who you are, you have to appreciate all that Tidus went through only to die in the end for the one he loved.

( Damn FFX-2. )

Yuna
Yuna, of course, starts out as the pilgrimaging summoner who knows she has to sacrifice her life to defeat Sin. Over the course of the entire game, she falls in love with Tidus, and harnesses his carefree nature to break herself out of her own suffocating shell. Seymour also makes her seem more like the damsel in distress type, but she overcomes his control and battles her own conflicting thoughts over not only the entirety of Yevon, but the world itself. So many lies had been told to her, and she has to overcome all of that and fight on even when the entire continent is against her and her guardians. She dives into Bevelle to get Bahamut, battles her way out of Via Purifico, and goes against her entire religion just to see her mission achieved.

When she refuses to sacrifice her best friends to defeat Sin for only a few years, she makes that final step into realizing her own true identity. No longer was she a servant of Yevon, but her own person changing the fate of Spira forever.

Auron
Honestly, Auron confused me from the beginning. His character development stems from events that transpired before the game. He utilizes his talents as a guardian to help Yuna achieve his goal, but throughout the entire game he lies in ambiguity. You as a player knows that he knows something vital about this whole process, but does not speak a word until the grand scheme is revealed by Lady Yunalesca. Throughout the pilgrimage, he also helps Tidus mature and get used to Spira, while battling his own bits of hatred for Yevon and dying long ago. Auron also helps Tidus make his connection to Sin and Jecht, which is crucial for the end of the game.

Kimahri
The silent protector of Yuna, of course. The gamer knows nothing of his past until they reach Mt. Gagazet, and watch him battle those who ruined his childhood. Before that, it's very amusing to watch Tidus try and break Kimahri out of his shell. When Kimahri protects everyone on the bridge at Bevelle, that is of course a pivotal moment for him, allowing him to shine as Yuna's guardian.

Not as much character development, but it's still respectable. His moral for the game is probably to not let childhood bullies dictate your entire life, or something.

Wakka/Lulu/Rikku
Ooh, I love them. The care they have for one another is evident, and they are like Yuna's parents as she embarks on her journey. They teach Yuna and Tidus a lot through their words, while simultaneously having a... thing for each other. Lulu shows her care for Wakka at the Blitzball tournament, and throughout the game acts as the cool, calm, and sexy mage. Gotta love her for that.

Wakka, on the other hand, is of course the devout Yevon servant. Yevon this, Yevon that. When Rikku joins the party and is the antagonist for every single piece of his religious beliefs, he is clearly offended with his prejudice on the Al Bhed race. The conflict between Wakka and Rikku is one of the most prominent rivalries in the game. Wakka's mission becomes not only to show Yuna to Zanarkand Ruins for the ultimate sacrifice, but to preserve his religion with someone who hates Yevon from the get-go. Rikku's hatred of Yevon for what they have done is her driving position the entire game as well.

It's when Wakka and Rikku finally come to appreciate each other for their differences that they both mature considerably. This could be applied to the real world as well, motivating people to dispel the religious boundaries between all types of people and learning to accept them for who they really are.

Wakka's realization that Yevon is a fraud is an emotion grabber as well. Very well done.

I could've gone on for hours, but this is just a VERY brief summary on character development in FFX. Let's go to FF12, shall we?

Vaan
Street rat, has to deal with the death of Reks from the beginning. Hates Basch and blames him for everything, then realizes 10 minutes later that he didn't do it. That's as far as his development goes.

Balthier
A very cool character, being a sky pirate and all. He could've potentially had a good conflict with Vaan with that Magicite from Rabanastre Palace, but that ended within an hour. After that, there's not much more development for him save for his classic lines and his debonair persona. Then again, we've seen that before in Irvine Kinneas.

Fran
I luff her, I really do. But unfortunately in addition to her sky pirate ways (which isn't emphasized, seeing as how she is very mellow and non-sneaky), her only other development stems from Eruyt Vilalge. I love her conflict with leaving the village to see the world, but unfortunately that doesn't last too long, either. There's not much more here except for her ability to sense Mist. Woohoo.

Basch
As I said in Vaan's bit, he has to deal with the failed mission to save Dalmasca. His imprisonment and escape is a very cool part of the story, and throughout the game he has to work to support Ashe in eliminating Archades' influence on his homeland. His development relies on Ashe's mission, but he doesn't have anything else for his character development. Vossler was a good addition to the mix, however.

Ashe
I think I've explained her enough. The death of her husband, a fallen kingdom, and the journey to get what she needs to restore her kingdom is the overarching theme of the entire game. Very good character development here, and it is constant throughout the entire game unlike all of the other characters.

Penelo
Street rat, and that's about it. What was her motive? What DRIVED her to accomplish anything? This character has nothing behind her for development, so everyone just assumes that she was in it for adventure. That's not enough to make a game.

----------------------------

I might have missed some things in FF12, but if I did, it was because the events that transpired weren't gripping enough to hold my attention or keep me interested. Most of the character development is with Ashe, Basch, Vayne, and the kingdom of Archades with their political plights and all that. In FFX, it is more equally spread out to all of Spira, with each location having its own story to tell (Guadosalam, Home, Kilika being destroyed, Luca attack, etc.). Each character had their moment to shine, and continued to develop throughout the game with the multitude of videos, cutscenes, and other plot-driving elements. When they all came together in the end and stood behind Yuna during her final speech, it was truly moving.

Therefore, from this analysis and from my own opinion, there is no comparison in terms of character/storyline/plot development. There was a twist at every turn in FFX, from the "death" of Seymour Guado to the destruction of Home to the realization that Tidus is just a dream. How FF12 got 40 out of 40 I will not know, but all I know is that it never evoked any inner emotions or implied any profound morals or motifs, so it was rather dry overall.

Mod Edit: Please use spoiler tags when posting in these types of threads!!!! People who have not yet played the game may check these threads and I'm certain they do not want to spoiled! Thank you! ~Lady Aerith~

January 4, 2008, 3:45 PM

Reality.Fantasy, I posted a mod edit in your thread, but I'm also going to make a quick post here to remind you all if you insist upon typing out spoilers, PLEASE USE SPOILER TAGS AROUND THE SPOILER!!! A lot of people here haven't played the games and I'm certain they wouldn't want to be spoiled! If you do not know where the spoiler tag button is located look above you right where you see a black rectangle with the letters BC beside it is your spoiler tags. I cannot implore you more to use them. Thank you and carry on.

January 4, 2008, 7:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lillyane Refia

Buy Final Fantasy X for the soundtrack, and the storyline and graphics.. The character development, and the voice actors, however, are severely lacking compaired to FFXII, in my opinion.

Wait, what? O_O I'm sorry, but I failed to see any character development in XII. However, you're right, the character development is a bit lacking in X. Wakka probably displays the most in the game, and Auron and Kimahri the least.

And Reality.Fantasy, holy christ that was a long post O__O

I really don't think Tidus displayed that much character development. He went from being whiny and disoriented through almost the entire game to finally becoming mature near the end. However, I agree with you on the ending FMV. That's easily one of the most touching scenes to grace a FF.

And just on a little sidenote, as you said, Auron's character development takes place before the game. We only see tiny bits of his past through Jecht spheres. So really, I don't think he counts. And even then, his character development is minimal. He goes from being an impatient youth to a stoic lecturer.

I'll leave my post at that, since there's too much more I could say.

January 4, 2008, 7:57 PM

In my opinion, Final Fantasy X has the best soundtrack of any video game. Final Fantasy IX has the biggest soundtrack of any Final Fantasy game, and it has many unused tracks.

January 4, 2008, 8:00 PM

To each his or her own, Ronin.

And Reality.Fantasy, there really wasn't any need to bite my head off for stating my opinions...O.o

January 4, 2008, 8:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tedius Zanarukando

In my opinion, Final Fantasy X has the best soundtrack of any video game. Final Fantasy IX has the biggest soundtrack of any Final Fantasy game, and it has many unused tracks.

The IX soundtrack is 8 songs larger than X's soundtrack. Not that much bigger. Still, both are excellent soundtracks, and I don't know why but I love the Hymn of the Faith.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lillyane Refia

To each his or her own, Ronin.

And Reality.Fantasy, there really wasn't any need to bite my head off for stating my opinions...O.o

True, true

And I think Reality.Fantasy is just a huge fan of X...cuz there really isn't that much character development in the game

Regardless, it's a damn good game.

January 4, 2008, 8:29 PM

Oh, there is no denying that it's a good game. It has a wonderful storyline, and I love it.. I just can't..stand the characters.

January 4, 2008, 8:37 PM

Alright guys, you're going a bit off of topic here ^_~ Please keep the thread on topic! Thanks!

To bring it back on topic, I love this game. I'm actually currently playing it at the moment. I love the characters (though people might not agree with me so please don't quote me and start debating with me) I felt there was nice character development except for maybe Kimahri and as for Auron considering he was an unsent, I can see why he didn't have major character development like some did The storyline is deep, draws you in and tugs at your heartstrings. The facial expressions and emotions seen and the emotion in the voices is another thing that really pulled me in with this game. I do feel it is well worth it and I'd encourage anyone to play it.