I’m trying to remember exactly when I was playing Final Fantasy X  for the first time.  It came out when I was in Grade 10, though I first saw it when my cousin showed it to me at my grandmother’s house in Gimli, the town where I grew up.  But even still, I don’t think I started really playing it until I was university, which was about three years after its release.

Anyway, I can’t say anything that hasn’t already been said, but let’s get down to it:

Final Fantasy X HD Remake (PS3)

Pros:

The customization was more fun than I remember, particularly making new weapons and the sphere grid.  Whenever I got a new weapon, I’d think “aw yeah!” except that all of the weapons were really the same, you’d just need to assign a few different abilities (though some had more slots, so okay, I get that).  It was really fun to just customize everyone infinitely, then compounding that with the real-time customization during battle and it became really fun.  The in-game subbing of people felt more strategic than before, which both a pro and a con, but more on that later.

This might be heresy to say, but I really liked the updated OST for the HD Remake, but I liked it because it wasn’t that different (which, in itself, is a heretical comment).  Honestly, so much of it felt like updated the samples and/or playing things live; in short, it’s not as different as purists would want you to believe.  There are some tracks like Besaid, which are pretty different between the original and the remake, but most of the music in the remake is just cleaner with better samples and recordings.  Seriously, it really, really holds up.

Cons:

Some of the magic was gone this time, and I don’t know what it was.  There was something about the storyline and the world that just didn’t hold up like I remember, which was upsetting.  Not that it was a bad game, it just wasn’t as magical as I remember.  Again, not to say it isn’t good, but something was different this time.  Maybe it’s because I’m older or I have a different understanding of the intersection of plot and design, but something resonated with me differently this time.  I cared less about the characters and the journey.  Maybe it was because I knew what was coming and how it was all going to end, but I don’t know.

I still liked the experience, but I’m not sure if I would go through it again, which contrasts my excitement for the FFVII remake that I can’t wait to explore.

Anyway, only four more FFs left now…

-K