Okay, it should come as no surprise to most of you that I'm reviewing this particular game (considering my love for Final Fantasy)...so here we go!
Final Fantasy X-2
Gameplay:
Well, the gameplay is certainly different than any other Final Fantasy. Instead of being locked into a linear story, having to go from point A to point B, you instead complete various missions. The only missions that you're required to do are hotspots, all others are completely optional. But it does make the game much easier (and you get a lot more out of it) if you visit all the areas, not just the hotspots. The battle system has gone back to the ATB, but the ATB is really quick, unlike in FFVIII and FFIX when it could just drag on forever at times. You really have to think about what you're doing, though you can get through most battles by just mashing the X button. My favorite new thing was the Garment Grid and the Dressphere system -- there's a huge number of different possible party combinations because of all the dresspheres. And even though a few of the dresspheres (like Songstress and Lady Luck) seem really weak at first, keep at them and build them up -- Songstress becomes VERY useful because you can use it to cast status effects (like darkness, silence, haste, etc.) and you will need it later on in the game, and Lady Luck is just a lot of fun if you like a game of chance. The only think I didn't like about the gameplay is that some of the missions are really silly and don't seem to add much to the story, otherwise I really liked it.
Score: 9/10
Story:
Hmm...the story in this one is really good. Due to the fact that I don't want to spoil the game for anyone, I'm not going to directly say anything about the story. The only thing I don't like is that the story really doesn't start to come in until the end of the second chapter, nearly halfway through the game, and one particular event, which goes a long way in explaining the story, is optional. Otherwise, the storyline is rather deep and serious, balancing out the silliness of the game.
Score: 8/10
Graphics:
Well, it's a Final Fantasy game, what do you expect? FF has always had awesome graphics, and FFX-2 is no exception. The FMVs are just as good as in FFX, if not better, and the little mini-scenes when you switch dresspheres in battle are just as cool as the summons in FFX. In-game graphics are as good as ever. My only misgiving is that there's not nearly as many FMVs as in FFX (though the 1000 Words FMV is AWESOME).
Score: 9/10
Other:
The minigames in this game are fun, the main one being Sphere Break, which (even though it requires math and some thinking) is a lot of fun. Blitzball doesn't come up until the end, but I must warn you, if you liked Blitzball in FFX, you may be disappointed with it in FFX-2...a lot of the minigames in here are connected to missions and though they may seem pointless when you do them (like digging in the desert, catching chocobos, and calibrating lightning towers), they pay off later in the game. Character development is something that's really important in FF, and I was a little disappointed in this game...you really don't learn a lot about most of the new characters (like Paine, Lenne, Shuyin, Nooj, Gippal, Baralai...etc.) unless you do a lot of the various side missions.
Score: 8/10
Overall:
Fans of Final Fantasy should like this one, and if you played FFX and were saddened by the ending and wanted more, then DEFINITELY play this one. Yes, it is a change from the typical Final Fantasy, but I think that most of the changes were for the better. I'd certainly recommend playing it, but ONLY after playing FFX -- because otherwise you'll have no idea what's going on ^_^
Total Score: 8.5/10