Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster Limited Edition

While I wouldn't recommending pre-ordering games off Amazon (it took a whole week after the game's release to arrive at my doorstep with free shipping, and I ended up buying a non-limited edition copy in store on release day just so I wouldn't be without), I do recommend getting it off here if you have no physical alternative of getting the limited edition as a free upgrade. The box is stunningly beautiful, and the artbook that comes with is simply amazing! Gorgeous pictures and captions explaining what the artist was thinking when creating things, ect. Oh, and Amazon does CashBack bonus for your Discover card (so in a sense, it's like getting the game for free or for a discount if that applies to you). As for the game itself, it's the same Spira only naturally the International Version (expert sphere grid, dark aeons, ribbons, ect. Need I say more?). Personally, that makes me happy since modding my PS2 to play the original International Version wasn't easy. I find they did a wonderful job remastering this game while more or less keeping to the feel of the original tale. Some scenes took my breath away (Otherworld opening scene, for example though there are MANY more). Backgrounds are beautiful. The remastered soundtrack is overall great, though it can be hit and miss depending on how much you liked the original/some tracks sound kind of different (Mi'ihen Highroad, for me, though it's more of just adjusting than anything). Personally, my favorite would be the orchestrated normal battle theme, which actually makes me want to grind just to listen. Now don't get me wrong, it's amazing (and already is one of my favorite games in existence before the HD Remaster), and the remaster did a pretty great job. There are still a few scenes here and there that look untouched (Luca, for example), but overall, if you could manage to play the original, I'd say go for it because they really did a pretty great job, and the movie-like cut scenes are spectacular (as if they weren't already?). As for X-2, I haven't gotten around to playing it yet, so no comment. I will say this, though. Be prepared for an "audio drama" that will more than likely confuse you. It's an option on the disc, and after listening whilst watching the artwork on screen, I can definitely say it's likely to stir up quite a few of the fans in speculation, ect. For anyone who has never played this game before, never gotten into Final Fantasy, hasn't been too sure about this one, ect, I give it a full recommendation. The Sphere Grid system provides a small challenge (Expert Grid especially) on getting the best use out of your characters, and I find the storyline wonderful, yet tragic. Unlike a lot of FF games, you get to take your sweet time in battle instead of it being a timed event (great for when you need to get away from the console during a battle and forget to pause). Hell, I could go on and on about X, but really I'd say it's something every gamer should experience at least once in their lives. Now as for X-2, umm...I've played it for completion before, but in no way (at least to me) does it stand up to its prequel. But, it does give you some closure (or does it...?) That's for you to decide, though the audio drama does make much more sense after playing both games.

I own both FFX and FFX-2 from the PS2, but since I've always wanted to try out the international version (with the Dark Aeons and such), I decided to try the Remastered version. Plus, my PS2 discs weren't going to last forever. I preordered this, but I didn't really get around to (re)playing it until recently, and so here are my thoughts. I remember the complete shock of how amazing the graphics looked when FFX first came out (this was me coming from FFVIII, where there is a huge difference in graphics), so I had always loved this game's visuals, even if since then graphics for Final Fantasy have steadily improved. So it's important to note that when I started playing the Remastered version, I noticed even more improvement. Very sharp, clear visuals with even more details added than before. Noticeably. Excellent. A+ for their clean-up. Since the graphics had undergone some cleaning, I had expected some of the music to have as well, but to my surprise, they *changed* some of the music! Completely took out songs. Besaid's song is replaced by a track that's not even offered for download on iTunes yet. Okay, so I purchase all FF soundtracks, and I am still sore they haven't released anything yet for this new remastered soundtrack. And I'm still sore they changed the music I had loved so much during my first play through. The music for Besaid, Kilika (I think), Djose Highroad, etc.--they managed to keep the Thunder Plains tune, unfortunately, though they could have replaced that annoying one and it would have been a vast improvement. In short, despite my liking some of the new songs, I don't particularly like their complete omission of others that were essential the ambiance of each area. As for gameplay, it's still the same loveable gameplay as before. My main issue is now that the Dark Aeons and many of the other sidequest bosses are infinitely more difficult to defeat than previously (not I played the International Version with the Dark Aeons, but this is what I've gleaned from online forums and from my own experiences with the other sidequests). As for the story, it hasn't changed much. But it's still worth saying that FFX is one of my favorite FF storylines. The protagonist, Tidus, is pretty annoying, but if you can look past that, you will really enjoy the story. Tidus is thrust into an unfamiliar world that is ravaged every decade by a sinister being called Sin, which is unsurprisingly thought to be a punishment for the past transgressions of the human race. In this world, the heroes are Summoners, who make a pilgrimage through Spira to defeat Sin or silence him, anyway, for another decade. Yuna, the protagonist of FFX-2, is one such Summoner, and Tidus begins traveling with her and her party, looking for a way home. His eyes are fresh and not tainted by the strict religious teachings in which all the other characters have grown to cling to, which ultimately leads them down the path that is common in the Final Fantasy series, where he questions what is expected and considered normal. Along the way, they unearth corruption and harden their resolve to restore hope and end evil. Anything more would be spoiling it (that goes for the basis of FFX-2 as well). They have a very interesting world here, my favorite idea being the fayth and how they are created, which you don't really find out about until you almost get to the end, so make sure you hang on until then at least. Despite my frustration about the musical score, I still think the Remastered Version deserves 5 stars. What can I say? Square Enix is on a winning streak. Now when will they Remaster/Re-do FFVII?

It's really nice to see an HD remake of a classic that constitutes something more than a cynical cashing-in of the sort that Squenix has been indulging in rather frequently in the last few years. The FFX/-2 remaster brings with it very significant boosts in graphics that make it a pleasure to look at on the big screen. At the same time, the improvement in graphics throws a slightly sharper light on some of the original games' (entirely forgivable, in those early days) missteps in voice acting and cutscene animation; and the remastered facial models for the main characters, while very well done, do tend to make the NPCs' dimensionless features that much more immersion-breaking. The International (European) versions of both games bring with them a few important changes for players (myself included) who have only experienced the North American (NA) versions. The "value added" to each game is different: - Addition of Dark Aeons and an open sphere grid for FFX are nice options for players who ended up with overpowered gods by the end of the original NA FFX; though it's hard to say how much value that actually adds to the experience unless you're willing to invest the INSANE amounts of time required to level up post-story to take on these superbosses. I'm not sure I am, so for me, apart from the improved graphics, there wasn't much difference in the *storyline* experience compared with NA FFX. One bit of technical advice: if players intend to obtain celestial weapons for Yuna and Tidus, they should be sure to complete all necessary steps in the required locations BEFORE permanently acquiring the airship, as after this point the Dark Aeons will block access to several items needed for their weapons and they will not be easy to defeat. - The International version of FFX-2 brings with it a number of critical tweaks, most importantly elimination of the "catnip maneuver" to overpower bosses at the end of the regular game and especially in the optional (though thematically relevant and very, very scary!) last dungeon. The developers' introduction of mascot dresspheres is an inspired solution since they are quite powerful enough to take down any boss in the game, but require the player to manage the girls strategically, so that they complement each others' activities and work as a true team. It's a lot like having the Magus Sisters as your squad; to say nothing of the sheer joy of kicking butt dressed as a moogle. These small tweaks improve the gameplay experience to the point that I enjoyed FFX-2 very much more than back in 2004; the sequel can finally hold its head high as a very different but still worthy successor to its predecessor. The only realistic thing I think they could have done with the remakes for both games, but didn't, would have been to allow players to skip cutscenes (in FFX-2, without sacrificing completion points at least as long as you have viewed the cutscene/FMV at least once). It remains very annoying to make repeated attempts at a tough boss who spends 20 minutes talking about he's going to slaughter you before he, well, slaughters you. Again and again. Oh, the humanity. Finally, be sure to listen to the wonderful audio drama that accompanies the equally well done credits! I'm really hoping it hints at a chance to re-experience Spira through very un-Yunalike eyes.:)

This is definitely one of my favorite games of all time. So when they released an HD version which includes the extras of the International version it was an easy buy, The Positives: The updated picture quality is very well done. I have not encountered any bugs or glitches that a few others have reported experiencing. I've flown pretty fast through most of the game to be able to finally experience the dark aeons. I would say they live up to the hype. Adding in "The Eternal Calm" which shows the events after FFX leading up to FFX2 was a nice touch. The story/game is everything I remember and the turn based style RPG is the most fun I have experienced. I've played the original numerous times over just for the story which is amazing. The Negatives: - The limited edition packaging/artbook is pretty disappointing. The case is a little larger than every other case so it doesn't quite fit with the rest of them. Also it is like cheap carboard. The artbook on the inside of the case isn't what I was expecting. It also feels cheap. Luckily this doesn't take anything away from the game itself. - A minor gripe is they didn't fix a couple minor errors on the original like the kid in Kilika that says he wants to be a blitzball when he grows up. Not really a big deal though. - The music. I'm only putting this as a negative for my personal taste. The new sound tracks aren't all necessarily bad but I really liked the old ones much better. And to not even have the option to use the old or new music is disappointing, Many of the tracks sound almost the same. A couple even sound better. But there are a few that should I dare say are awful. - Another noticeable thing that is slightly annoying is there is now a short loading screen added which I don't remember in the original. You go in to a hut/house you get a few second loading screen. You exit, a few second loading screen. Enter another temple/hut/area. Another loading screen. I think the story and game play alone make up for the minor annoyances about the game and I would absolutely recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed the original or anyone that is a fan of RPGs/Final Fantasy. This was revolutionary when it came out and is still an amazing game.

I love Final Fantasy. I may be biased, the original Final Fantasy X was my first real RPG game and I played it to death and back. X-2 was one I got later down the line and, while I enjoy it, there's really no comparison. The Games: X has, in my opinion, a beautifully crafted story in an interesting, if a little confusing, fantasy world. The political and religious aspects of the game might be a little tough for some, as Square Enix doesn't have any problem taking shots about blind faith and religion is a central point of the game. Heck, the biggest monster around is literally named Sin. The combat mechanics are exclusively turn based, meaning you can spend all night planning your next move if you're careful, and sometimes it does take a good amount of though to get it right. The special ability system (Overdrives) do have some time-based mini game-like aspects, but they're generally easy to learn and don't get too complex. Leveling up is also as simple or as complex as you want it to be, with generally defined paths for each character but various junctions available to deviate into someone else's path. It looks hard but it's very easy to learn. This remaster is also based on the international version of the game, meaning all the content (the second level up grid, dark aeons, etc) are open. X-2 is an immediate squeal and pretty bland story wise. You pick up some short time after and seem to have forgotten all you abilities and how a lot of the world works is completely changed. A job based system replaces the grid and you switch between jobs during battle (similar to Paradigm Shifting in FF13 but with much, much more to customize). There's not a whole lot to say actually. Yuna (the player's character of X-2 and secondary main character of X) is robbed of her agency as a person and more or less functions only in the context of Tidus (the player's character of X) and the rest of the girl squad mostly exists to help Yuna for reasons this and that reason. One silly thing that I love however is the shout-outs to X, specifically Yuna and Rikku (the other playable character from X who returns) will use specific items from X, some their own, some others. It's a nice touch to say "Hey, we didn't just throw their stuff out!" The Remaster: This is not a remake. From what I can tell, a select few character models (commonly used ones like the main party and our old friend S.) have been updated to much higher quality, and their textures along with it, but most of the characters have not been changed which makes for some awkward scenes between somewhat realistic people and box people composed of a third the geometry or less, but for the most part it's not too noticeable. Close ups of non-remade characters aren't the norm. The audio is great, with rerecorded versions of the battle theme and others, while keeping some of the old sounds for things like menu selection and what not. It's a little jarring if, like me, you have the originals memorized, but the updates are very well done. Verdict: The only, ONLY reason this doesn't have five stars is that I would have liked if they updated more of the characters, textures, and animations. At times if feels like a port and FFX was notorious for the bad lip-sync to the audio, by which I mean complete lack of. The mouths were not updated to move to the English dialog, so any time you look at someone's mouth while they speak you feel like you're watching a dub, because you basically are. Frequently someone's feet will hover above the ground, particularly on slanted terrain. That said, these games, particularly X, will always hold a special place in my heart. Anyone who liked the originals will love playing again on a modern console, and having both together is nice, especially for us Americans who never got to fight the Dark Aeons! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some Sigils to collect...

For the comments which constantly bring up the graphics and how they could have been more “updated” please take a look at the game ten years ago to now. It is far more crisp and it is a “HD Remaster” not a redone game. So don’t expect the cut scenes to have renditions such as “wet hair” after getting wet. I mean c’mon that is just being over critical and if that really bothers you that much then you obviously didn’t get the game for the simple purpose of entertainment. But a small drawback is that you cannot skip scenes (which is somewhat annoying having played through the game before but this does not take away from the game for first time players) Anyways, playing this game again I was reminded why I loved it so much, very expanse lands and hours of gameplay (I already have 70 hours played just after release). For first timers to the FF series this would be a great game, but do not expect to play FFX and then play the series backwards. It took a different route from its usual JRPG play style. For those who have played the newer versions of FF such as FFXIII do not expect this to be the same either. It is a very unique game from other FF’s. Overall it’s a great game and worth the 40$. Also this includes the international content just as everyone has mentioned, and let me say the dark Aeons are hard as hell to beat. It will honestly take some serious grinding to beat even one of them when they deal out so much damage. Yet aside from that There is not much more to say if you have played through FFX years ago when it was originally released, all I can say is if you liked FFX years ago and enjoyed it just buy this remake and make your day when it arrives.

On the box, this collection is described as an "HD remaster." I cannot think of a better term for this package. This definitely had more work put into it than your run-of-the-mill PS3 HD port collection , and I don't just mean visually too. Overall, I'm pretty impressed by the amount of upgrades these games received. For those who are already familiar with the original Final Fantasy X and X-2 and want to hear about the enhancements/changes the games have in this package, skip the next two paragraphs. If you're new to the FFX/X-2 saga and want to know a little bit more about those games, then I'll try to sum them up in a concise manner. *Quick reviews for Final Fantasy X and X-2* Depending on who you ask, FFX is either the last great *traditional* single-player FF game, or the beginning of the end of the series. For my money, FFX is a classic. At the time of its release, the whole gaming community was caught up in its beautiful world and interesting characters. Thematically, FFX is a magical game, filled with beautiful locales and heaps of mystery. There's also a great deal of deep philosophical musings on all sorts of things ranging from religion to dreams to the very nature of existence. MOST of the characters are also likable. Auron is a real contender for coolest FF character ever. The visuals were seriously incredible back in the day, and its art design is still wonderful (this world really benefits from being in HD now), and the music is among Nobuo Uematsu's very best works, and that's saying A LOT. Mechanically, FFX was a pretty great JRPG. There were plenty of things to do, and almost all of them engaging. The battle system is incredibly deep, strategic, and rewarding to master. There's even an interesting, huge meta-game that incorporates the in-universe sport, Blitzball, with JRPG mechanics that are pretty interesting. Even though I don't think it matches up to its immediate predecessor, the virtually perfect Final Fantasy IX , FFX is still a fantastic classic very much worth playing. FFX-2 is not quite so beloved as X, generally speaking. At the time of its release, the consensus among the FF community was a lot of confused and pissed off fans. It was the first sequel to any entry in the FF series, and it was such a dramatic departure in pretty much every way from FFX that nobody knew what to make of it. Gone was the sweeping orchestral music, replaced by lots of J-pop. Gone was the feeling of a FF adventure, replaced with an almost Charlie's Angels "BOW, PICHOW, KACHOW, let's strike a cheesy pose for no apparent reason" campy romp sort of way, starring Yuna, Rikku, and newcomer Paine (designed to be a female Squall ) on their quest to find Tidus. It has been stated by the developers that it was made to appeal more to the large female demographic of X's fanbase, and I'm not sure if that succeeded. I have to admit, some of the game is so cheesy and embarrassing to be caught playing (The scene where Yuna gives another character a message complete with orgasmic sounds is borderline pornographic, and makes me cringe every time). X-2 IS a strange game, no doubt about it. What most haters of FFX-2 DON'T tell you is that, mechanically, X-2 is pretty awesome. The dressphere battle system is pretty great, utilizing a class-style focus in a very unique way. There's always something engaging to do in X-2, and getting to the mountain of side quests is easy and intuitive. The story also features some genuinely well-written parts as well, despite the overwhelming cheese majority. It's not as great as FFX is, but if you can get used to the strange thematic elements, then you may be surprised just how fun and engaging X-2 is as a JRPG. *Review of this package as an HD remaster* Obviously, the biggest change is in the title of the package: HD visuals. How does this collection do in that way? Surprisingly well. Despite the fact that the bones of the package here are from an early PS2 title, the visuals in these games look fantastic. Textures have been cleared up immensely, and the lighting and shadow effects have also received attention and look great. The game is in 16:9 widescreen and it all looks fantastic. Because of the transition to widescreen, the cutscenes and their assets have been remade completely and look gorgeous in HD (although you still can't skip them, which is sure to bother some). Perhaps best of all, almost all of the in-game character models have been remade from the ground-up and look right at home on the PS3 system. Auron has never looked more awesome than here. It may not be as huge of an upgrade as some modern full-on remakes and there are some graphical quirks remaining (i.e. hands going through sleeves, hair clipping into clothes if a character moves their head back, some hilarious lip syncing blunders, etc). Still, considering the fact that most HD collections amount to slapdash up-rezed ports and nothing more, this collection looks great. So bravo to Square-Enix for clearly going the extra mile to refresh this game visually. They did a great job. From an audio perspective, there have been a few improvements as well. Voices are clearer and sound better (whether the voice acting was great or not in the first place is highly debated by fans). Now all aspects of Tidus and Yuna's imfamous forced laughter scene look and sound clearer than ever. Whether that's a blessing or a curse is up to you, lol. Roughly 60 tracks have also been remastered for this game and they sound better than ever. However, the audio enhancements in this package are clearly not as drastic of an upgrade as the visual elements are. Still, X/X-2 have never looked OR sounded better. Another huge change from the originals comes in the form of additional content. Back in the day, FFX was rereleased with additional content in Japan. We never got that version in the US. Now we do. In addition to some new optional bosses, FFX also gives you the option to try out a revamp Sphere Grid that allows for more customization and challenge. X-2 has some new dresspheres as well as a "Creature Creator" that allows you to capture and train most enemies, including bosses from BOTH games, to use as party members in future battles. I wouldn't describe any of these additions as paradigm shifting, but they are pretty cool additions and it's nice to know we're getting the most updated, complete version of the games. Add in trophy sets for each game, and you get what is pretty much the definitive release of these games. The package includes several new additions to the X universe's story. There's Final Fantasy X: Eternal Calm, which is a long epilogue cutscene following the events of FFX. It's not a particularly interesting plot,but it does bridge the gap between X and X-2 stories, and that's nice. There's also Final Fantasy X-2: The Last Mission, which is a short expansion of sorts that takes place three months after X-2's ending. I can't speak as to its quality, but I do know that it does change depending on the events that took place during a players' game of X-2, which is neat. Finally, there's a brand new audio drama set a year after X-2 entitled -Will-. I'm always a little hesitant to buy into these sorts of official/unofficial side stories, as they can be really bad at times, but still, I'll take what I can get. Clearly, the main draw of this package is the core X and X-2 games, but all this content at $40 is pretty cool if you ask me. So there you have it. Overall, I'm very impressed by the work that went into this collection. It's definitely higher-quality than your average HD port. The visuals and audio have never sounded better in these games, and there's just so much content here on just one blu-ray disc, it's pretty awesome. All of this for $40 seems like a steal to me. If you've never played these JRPG classics before, then now is definitely the time to get into them, as they have never looked/sounded/played better than here. If you're like me and you sunk countless hours into the original all those years ago, I'd definitely recommend picking up this package again. I've been loving diving back into the world of FFX again. The enhancements to this version definitely makes it feel new again. These games, and particularly FFX, hearken back to a time when Final Fantasy games were universally hailed for their immersive worlds, great stories, interesting characters, brilliant music, and engaging JRPG mechanics. Now, they're better than ever. So buy it, prepare for a classic FF experience, and get lost in the magical, lovely world of Spira.

FFX is my all time favorite game in the Franchise. From the incredible music, a cheesy dialog, to an epic story. Last generation we saw several HD remakes of older games and you will immediately notice that SquarEnix made a greater effort. The character models are incredible. In addition, the colors and texture upgrades of the environments are vastly improved. I still shocked! The music is the same but some of it is a remixed version. Everyone has different tastes so some will like it and other will hate it. In my opinion, it's still great and I really like it (The Zanarcand theme is unchanged ;-)) This version of FFX and FFX-2 is based on the international version that was released in Japan and Europe. Meaning, the following additions are accessible to everyone :) Expert Sphere Grid, new character abilities, alternate versions and optional boss battles including the Dark Aeon and super-boss Penance encounters, and new game play areas including FF10-2 Last Mission. New abilities in FFX: Pilfer Gil: Steal gil from enemies. Nab Gil: The Mug equivalent of Pilfer Gil. Full Break: All four "Break" effects at once. Quick Pockets: Use curative items quickly, without losing a turn. Extract Power: Same effect as a Power Distiller item. Extract Mana: Same effect as a Mana Distiller item. Extract Speed: Same effect as a Speed Distiller item. Extract Ability: Same effect as an Ability Distiller item. In addition, four new weapon auto-abilities. The weapon auto-abilities are called Distill Power, Distill Mana, Distill Speed, and Distill Ability. They force an enemy to drop a particular type of sphere after battle. In FFX-2, new Dressspheres will be available. This game also has a short film called Eternal Calm. It's a cinematic scene linking FFX and FFX-2. Both games have trophy support for PSN.

I am a huge fan of the series, and the remake lived up to the standards I expected from them! The bonus story and cinematic were great, and there is finally a continuation of the second part. A must have for any fan!!!

Product arrived quickly and without issue. I was very happy to get it in perfect condition and for a good price. I have nothing but good things to say. If they are selling what you want, buy it.

Final fantasy one of my favorite RPG games to play lots of adventure and challenging battles etc I played this before on the PS2 and still enjoy playing as much now. A great game for all RPG fans.

Happy to have seen this re-mastered for ps3. Really loved it on ps2 and can't wait to re-play it on ps3.

Fun game