FF X-2: First impressions

[auronlu]

What a strange, strange game.

Zanarkand, a tourist attraction.

Yuna, giggling and grinning while robbing people blind, having a fine old time of being an irresponsible treasure hunter.

Clothes and fashion like Barbie gone mad.

A world suddenly covered in machines which was delightfully fantasy-mythic-epic before.

The magic of Spira, its ancient majesty, its rural beauty, suddenly crazily modern.

The site of Auron's death, now presided over by an ex-Summoner playing games show host.

Politics and factions.

Yuna's cousin lusting for her bones.

Yuna too dense to recognize the difference between a 25-year-old-man who doesn't look that much like Tidus, and the genuine article.

However, despite all the changes... all the weirdness... all the "my gods, it's almost like the real world now!" feeling... Lulu hasn't changed that much. I can't fathom why she would marry Wakka. But assuming she did, she's still talking like herself.

Gentle put down... "He's always like this."

And the big sister conversation with Yuna was exactly right. Nonjudgmental. Reminding Yuna of her own worth, then stepping back and stepping aside so that Yuna can spread her wings. Right now, Lulu's wisdom in that scene is the one reason that I can tolerate some of the strange ways Yuna is behaving, as she attempts to do exactly that. She is not following paths that Wakka and Lulu would have expected her to. But that's good.

Except that the sphere-hunting thief schtick feels to me just as cheap as turning Zanarkand into a tourist trap.

The black mage costumes have got to go. I realize they must be based somewhat on Viv, a character I haven't yet met, but I fear I've gotten used to Lulu in all her gothic strangeness, and prefer black to frilly bits. I can't abide using black magic in this game because the outfit is so odd. (White magic isn't much better.)

TOO MUCH CUTE.

And I must kill whoever put Yuna in a moogle outfit. I confess: I cordially dislike moogles.

Paine is, however, a babe.

I hope I find Rin soon. I've discovered almost all the other characters from X that I miss.

I'm just finished chapter 1, and miss Tits and Ass Syndicate has just pilfered the Gullwings' ship.

Comments

[pyrefly-sky.livejournal.com]

Rin can be found by Luca stadium locker rooms in chapter one. I'm not sure where else later on.

I was sickened by what has happened to Issaru, I mean here was a man willing to die for everyone and is now reduced to THAT. They killed one of my favorite characters by doing that.

Paine is great, shes like the love child of Auron and Lulu, although shes too old to be Lulu's daughter, shes not too old to be Aurons and that thought amuses me loads.

Yes, some of the dresspheres suck, I hate gun mage and any other mage type, they just look nasty.

Yuna also has made me very unimpressed with her whole attitude change and how she randomly goes back to be all sweet and charming when she meets someone she knew from previous game.

Also I have never missed Seymour more than I did during this.

[trekqueen.livejournal.com]

Paine is great, shes like the love child of Auron and Lulu, although shes too old to be Lulu's daughter, shes not too old to be Aurons and that thought amuses me loads.

auronlu and I have a theory for that. :D But I cannot divulge too much since it is going to be in my sequel. muahahaha...!

[pyrefly-sky.livejournal.com]

Ohhh don't tempt me! I have theories also. But let me know when it's written, I'd love to give it a read! ^_^

[muggy-mountain.livejournal.com]

Besides all the character assassination, the most irritating part of that game is that you can't unlock all the story elements during the first play.

I finished the entire game with only a 60 percent completion rate or so. And, to make it worse, many of the episodes require an arcade method of play. No fun.

[trekqueen.livejournal.com]

I finished the whole game with all the side quests and everything in around 13 hrs. The people at AFF forum, where auronlu also posted her opinions on the game, don't believe that the game is beatable in 13hrs. well I'm going to go double check my saved game because I'm absolutely sure it never went even close to 24hrs when FFX took me a good 80hrs at least.

I hate to say it but I think the majority of the people who enjoyed that type of j-pop weird girly Charlie's Angels stuff must be the type of audience movies and tv shows are dumbed down for. There was nothing of excitement or mystery in it like its predecessor.

[auronlu.livejournal.com]

I like Tomb Raider, which is very close to mindless. I can enjoy games with less substance, the way I can enjoy both really fine sushi and Wahoo's Fish Tacos.

It's just a challenge when one's favorite sushi has become Wahoo's Fish Tacos. :)

[trekqueen.livejournal.com]

yea I can enjoy Tomb Raider too but I'm EXPECTING a certain thing from Final Fantasy, especially FFX at least. Their games are not the same as Tomb Raider and are not meant to be.

[muggy-mountain.livejournal.com]

But of course, even if you finish the whole game with all the side quests there are still certain elements aren't revealed unless you play through it a couple times, choosing differently at key times. In a way it is an interesting approach and might even be preferable if the game wasn't a completely embarrassing ordeal. I read somewhere that Square made this game was made with the "North American" audience in mind. And to think they were considering an Braska/Auron/Jecht prequel instead of the sequel that was produced!

[trekqueen.livejournal.com]

*pouty lip* I waaaant my Auron! *glomps onto Auron* I very much would have enjoyed a story with Jecht, Braska, and Auron than what was ffx-2.

[auronlu.livejournal.com]

Depends on what they did with it. After seeing X-2, I am a) relieved that Lulu's role is not larger, because I would've wept to see her "bereft of lordship and dignity", as Denethor would say, and b) relieved that Auron remains safe on the Farplane, where he can't be screwed up.

I haven't checked out kingdom hearts because Disney gives me hives. I hear he's not so bad there but...but...mergh.

[trekqueen.livejournal.com]

yea true... i've been contemplating borrowing Kingdom Hearts from my friend who has it just so I can get my auron fix.

[muggy-mountain.livejournal.com]

I played through a few chapters of the first Kingdom Hearts, mainly because I was looking forward to that certain cameo in the second one. I didn't like it...the action based fighting is a bit too chaotic. I like my fighting contemplative and stragtegic. Not expecting to play the second one after my half-hearted attempt at the first, I did watch a couple videos of Auron's appearance. And from what I could tell, it stayed true to the Auron we know, ignoring the fact that he was in a Disney world, of course.

But then, my taste in games is utterly picky (though am always open to suggestions!). I look forward to FF12, it seems to be back to Square's epic leanings on that one.

[pyrefly-sky.livejournal.com]

I hate to say it but I think the majority of the people who enjoyed that type of j-pop weird girly Charlie's Angels stuff must be the type of audience movies and tv shows are dumbed down for. There was nothing of excitement or mystery in it like its predecessor.

Seconded, I just looked at the start of FFX2 and cringed. I still haven't gotten over the obvious rape of Zanakand yet, that almost reduced me to tears. Makes me very glad that Auron is on the farplane, I don't think he could cope knowing he died for a world so shallow and just full utter self absorbed morons and crapness. I couldn't see him getting along with it at all.

Now the Auron/Jecht/Braska I'd have loved to see, but I wouldn't beg them to do it because I wouldn't be able to stand it if they butchtered it.

[muggy-mountain.livejournal.com]

Typos ahoy!

Typing on no sleep. :(

[auronlu.livejournal.com]

Augh, I found Rin. It's not quite as surreal as Isaaru turning into a games show host over the ruins of Zanarkand, but one thing I liked about Rin -- even though he was the standard Dude You Buy Supplies From, I always felt like he was an honorable fellow. His Inns were placed around for Summoners to use on their pilgrimage. He stayed calm through just about anything, and was using his proceeds to build a new home for the Al Bhed (right? or was he lying)? He tried to save Auron's life, was genuinely concerned when they met again, but respected Auron's wishes to drop the subject, unlike a certain blue-haired Maester.

I always felt like Rin was a man to trust. Despite the trenchcoat, which struck me as a silly thing to be wearing while swimming, I had him on my Blitzball team just because he was a nice guy.

So here he is, no longer raising money for the Al Bhed, but catering to entertainment.

In a way, I understand: the point is that the people of Spira have time to relax now. I'd love to have seen art, history, storytelling, sailing, building, discovery, exploration... all sorts of things instead of simply games shows, cheap tourism, and political factioning. I wanted Spira to wind up as New Zealand or Narnia, not Los Vegas.

It cheapens the sacrifice of Auron, Braska, and Jecht. Auron said, "this is your world now" ... but I wish it were still his.

Why did I buy this game? Why am I still playing it?

Mostly to understand all the fanfic out there. I gather there are some good characters worth meeting.

And perhaps to hear Auron's gruff whisper one more time, the voice of a ghost who cared too much. Better to write it, though. We know his spirit better.

[saharasnow.livejournal.com]

Hi there, I got here from the Aulu community^^
The new Yuna attitude and Rikku getting more childish doesn't really bother me much since I don't treat this game seriously. But the fact that Lulu married Wakka made me jumped.
The question that is always on my mind is how Lulu can actually look so slim and fit into that darn corset when she is pregnant. My friend and I were going, "OMG no tummy! Where's the tummy?!"

My on-going Aulu fanfic has a theory to overthrow everything in the game. And its killing half of my brain cells to make it good.

But I really like Gippal though =p