Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission

Written by Adam Woolcott  on July 02, 2004

Import Review: Who wouldn't want to see Yuna in a schoolgirl outfit and blindfolded? Or is that just meЕ

Tweet

Comments

In recent times, Square (and now Square Enix) has taken a habit of releasing the American versions of their larger games in Japan, with the new changes and fixes that came along with our domestic releases. Final Fantasy VII International, Final Fantasy X International, and Kingdom Hearts Final Mix come to mind right away Ц and though FFX International did have a couple new things (like a video that became the base for Final Fantasy X-2Еwhich of course made its way here last fall via the Official US PlayStation Magazine), most of these releases have had little to bring up interest to other regions that pretty much played the same game. With Final Fantasy X-2, however, Square Enix has gone beyond the traditional СInternational' release. Instead, Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission is fully loaded up with not just minor tweaks, but actual all-new gametypes that make the game feel less like a rehash and more of a full-fledged expansion pack. The language barrier notwithstanding (read: Square really needs to get off their asses and localize this still), X-2 International is fresh enough with new stuff that it's well worth picking up if you have the means, whether you've played through our US release 1,2,3 timesЕand so on. If it's YRP you just can't get enough of (such as me), this is your ticket to yet another 30-40 hours of play - if you have the patience.

The СInternational' side of things is exactly what it says Ц the US/UK version of FFX-2 (which you can read much about right here at Gaming Target in detailed form, no need to rehash it here), which of course was a translated version of the original Japanese FFX-2, which came out in March of 2003. However, the only thing that makes this International version stand out is the English voice acting Ц everything else is written out in Japanese. Unlike Final Fantasy X International, which contained everything fully in English, you're stuck with English voices and Japanese text, making it a bit difficult to comprehend if you're not fluent in Japanese. A positive is many things are still done enough in English to understand Ц healing items usually say HP and a number, so HP 200 means a potion, etc. Anything involving Gil is also written in our usual numerical format as well, so quests like the YRP ticket scalping mission, the sphere break tournament, or finding the ciphers in Besaid are definitely doable. The Gunner's Gauntlet mini-game is also playable, as it's entirely in English. It takes some trial and error for the rest (you learn fast how Сyes' and Сno' are written out in kanji, but anyone who's knowledgeable with the US version will definitely be able to play. All the traits from the Japanese version are brought back here as well Ц СChapters' are referred to as Story Levels (though it still says СChapter X Complete' when you clear one), СHotspots' are called Active Links, СGarment Grids' are referred to as Result Plates (to be honest, Japanese games have such dry names for many thingsЕI mean, Result Plates?), Сspherechange' in the battle menu is referred to as Сdress up', and the X and Circle buttons are reversed, a la Final Fantasy VII's control scheme. In many ways, this so-called International version might just as well be the Japanese version with swapped out voices, an adjusted С1000 Words' FMV straight from the US version (the original Japanese version didn't have the parts where Yuna and Lenne were singing, back to back, together on the deck of the Celsius), and a serious handicapping of the СCat Nip' accessory (auto-berserk, auto-slowЕyay, not as easy to abuse anymore).

That's not to say that there's nothing new in the International version of Final Fantasy X-2Еbecause there's a lot of new stuff. The least of which are two new, cool Dresspheres to deck YRP out in. There's the Saikikka Dressphere, better known as Psychicer. Unquestionably the best of the new pair, it's also probably one of the best overall in the game. Easily earned, this sphere lets YRP use psychic powers to attack fiends, be it telekinesis to make enemies eject themselves from battle, generating energy from their hands to attack, and even the ability to stop time entirely while your ATB bar still moves in real-time. The best part of the Dressphere, however, is the eventual learned Сeater' abilities that absorb every kind of magic, including gravity-based ones (such as Demi), and turn it into HP. While a usual Psychicer is a bit weaker against physical attacks (low HP), the ability to be healed by magic evens things out and becomes incredibly useful against magic-oriented enemies. The other one is a bit different, that being the Omatsurishi Dressphere, widely known as СFestival-goer.' Acquiring this one is as easy as speaking to Brother on the bridge right away in Chapter 1, so you can toy with it right away, instead of having it hidden in the depths of Spira. This sphere is very unique in that Yuna, Rikku, and Paine each have different abilities tied to their use of this Dressphere, making it a great Dressphere for those who want each character doing something unique. It's not as cool as the Psychicer, but it's a useful sphere that eventually earns the ability of auto-Regen, which is never a bad thing. There's also a handful of new Result Plates to use with these new Dresspheres (and all existing ones, naturally), creating even more confusion in choosing a good one, one of the few real problems with FFX-2's gameplay system.

The largest addition, however, is the СCreature Creation' mode. By talking to Shinra, and enduring a lengthy tutorial (where you capture Brother, in amusing form), you can begin capturing and training fiends, and some people, from all around Spira. Like the main game, there's an actual percentage of fiends to capture and train (and you can even give them English names, yahoo), and each captured fiend has a Story Level of its own (which isn't much good for anyone who doesn't understand Japanese), and there's even a special ending for getting 100% in this mode. The cool thing is, once you capture someone, you can actually place them in your party, of up to 11 people (well, 8 if you count YRP, naturally). They cannot be controlled in battle, but they level up like normal and actually somewhat use Dresspheres and items despite that. The capturing process is all done from Shinra's station on the Celsius, so it's not really like the Monster Arena from Final Fantasy X.

The other half of this mode is the Coliseum. Here, you can either take YRP or any combination of them and captured creatures and place them in a tournament-style series of battles. The events get increasingly tough, with the most difficult events only unlocked by capturing and training so many fiends. However, it's worth it as you can unlock some familiar faces and actually make them party membersЕit would be a bit of a spoiler to anyone, so I won't mention who, but fans of three certain FFX characters would be pleasedЕif you can beat them in battle, that is. This mode is quite lengthy and can take up a good 10-15 hours on its own, adding a lot of life to the game. However, it's entirely in Japanese, so you'll have to really learn to recognize symbols or know how to translate what's on the screen to get very far (or be like me and print up a translation FAQ/guide), but it's a lot of fun to clear the different cups and battle some very tough enemies (the final fight is against a fiend with 14 million HP. That's million. And we all thought Trema was a pain in the ass with his measly 1 million HP).

Effectively, if you love Final Fantasy X-2, and want more, this International version will feel familiar, but there's enough new stuff to add some freshness to the game. Personally, I cleared it all once at 100%, and spent a lot of time with the new stuff, but I doubt I'll play through this version again merely because of the language barrier, but all the new stuff was a blast to play. If Square Enix comes to their senses and localizes it, there's a whole different story, but until then, this will stay on the shelf, and if I need an FFX-2 fix, I'll be playing the US version instead. If you know the language this isn't an issue, but I'd figure most will be in my camp Ц great to see all the new stuff, which is really fun, but once you clear it all once, it's not really worth doing again merely due to the text. HoweverЕno matter how you slice it, this is an expanded version of an awesome, awesome game (and quite honestly one of my top 5 favorite games of all time), meaning you get that same great adventure in a new package, which counts for something, seeing as this was our PS2 and RPG game of the year in 2003, and runner-up for overall GOTY.

The real meat, and the only reason I really wanted this package, is Last Mission. The Square Enix team has referred to this game as the Сgraduation' from the FFX world, and actually has gone so far as to say this is really Final Fantasy X-3 (which is all the more reason to bring this to the US). Taking place three months after the events of FFX-2, Last Mission begins at Luca Stadium, where Yuna is alone, waiting around for someone (in the east block, front row, fifth from the rightЕfamiliar?). Eventually both Rikku and Paine appear, each with a letter in hand inviting them to Yadonoki Tower (better known as Tower of Illusion), where someone promises to meet them atop this tower. The trio boards the Celsius at Mi'ihen Highroad (without Brother, Buddy, or ShinraЕPaine is the pilot with Yuna doing Buddy's job), and travel to the location of this tower, which seems to be located in either ancient ruins or an old Al Bhed homestead, based on the appearance of the nearby Сtown.'

However, if you were to start a game of Last Mission without any kind of FFX-2 clear data, you wouldn't see this or any other cutscenes. If you have a completed save from the original Japanese game or International (unfortunately, a US save won't work), you can see all the story events, but if not, you only get the actual Last Mission itself, with no storyline details. And in some cases, what ending you got actually determines what a cutscene discusses Ц if you get anything less than the Сgood' ending, you get one thing, get the Сgood' or 100% endings, and you'll see the best possible scene. Unfortunately, it's tough to know what's going on Ц unlike the International game, everything is in Japanese, so not even the story makes sense, only able to comprehend body language and such (I did figure out the whole YuRiPa thing, the Japanese way of saying YRP). So it's almost not worth it to bother with a clear save, as you can't understand it anyway. Oh well.

Last Mission is treated as a mission within FFX-2, just a really long one. Taking one member of YRP (only if you get the clear saveЕif not, you can only start out as Yuna), you enter the tower and begin to climb up. However, it plays nothing like FFX-2, instead taking a very action-RPG oriented slant. Basically, the combat is turned-based, but it all flows in real time. It's all done in a Сsquare' system, where moving from one square to another takes up an actual turn. For instance, if you're fighting a fiend, and it attacks you, that's a turn. If you attack, that's one turn. If you run away and move, you can move one block, as that counts as a single turn, and the current opponent can then attack you again. At first, this whole process is really strange, and since Last Mission is exceptionally tough right away (anyone who thought FFX-2 was a tad easy will be in store for a lot of trouble in LM), it will take some tries to get the means of the game down. Unlike past FF games, you can actually control the camera as well, be it for zooming in and out, or swinging it one direction to see. The map is actually one that grows as you advance through a floor, but it does map out enemy locations, item locations, and the location for the lift that takes you up a floor. It's fairly easy to grasp the basic functions of LM Ц it's the advanced stuff that's tricky.

When you first enter the tower, you start at level 1, with no items, and only your default Dressphere. As you progress through the tower, you can find items (though you can only hold so many at a time, there's an actual limit this time), and find & equip Dresspheres Ц only 5 at a time, but that's a lot. As you defeat enemies, you level up like most RPG's Ц but only your character levels, not the Dresspheres Ц you must find higher leveled spheres on each of the 80 floors. Each Dressphere has a HP and MP designation; if it runs out of HP, it Сbreaks' and you go to the next sphere and use that. If you run out of Dresspheres, your character will be reduced to their main form, in their undies at that. At this point, your character is at their highest levels, but there's no abilities for them to use, and nothing but punching and kicking for beating fiends. If your bare character gets KO'dЕyou warp out of the tower, lose all the levels you gained, all the items you've earned, and you have to start all over again. Ouch. You can save every 5 floors, but only after breaking a seal that requires all sorts of weird objectives that are almost impossible to know (I used a very basic guide that explained what was necessary). There's a delicate balance between leveling up and advancing Ц go too fast and you'll be annihilated, go too slow, and this Trema lookalike will appear on a floor, and turn you into one of Leblanc's goons, or even warp you out of the tower. There's also the issue of traps here and there Ц some are meant to scare you so items drop, others will eject you to other parts of the floor, others will inflict status effects (I got caught in a Сparalyze' spell a whole bunch of times). Stepping on them once will merely activate them, but walking over them again will result in a possible bad thing.

The language barrier really hurts in LM Ц there's tons of new items that are never before seen, and who knows what each one does. For instance, I used one item that raised me two levels, which is good. Then I used one that dropped me a level. Not good. Finally, I used one item that actually poisoned me, and I died. Fun. On the other hand, I didЕsomething that gave me MP-Regen, so I could keep healing with my equipped White Mage sphere (all abilities are useable as long as you have the Dressphere equipped, so you don't have to swap Dresspheres to use an ability with a certain sphere) and avoid too much trouble until it wore off. It's the ultimate in trial-and-error, though I'd be certain it'd be easier if everything were in a language I understood (the hurtful items are the ones you keep for floors that have a Сdrop X items' requirement to break the seal). You can play through it by being smart and learning certain things, but it's a game of patience to really make any progress.

It's still a fun mode, despite the challenge and confusing aspects due to the language barrier Ц but one worth learning if you're an FFX-2 fan. As each floor is randomly generated, it's a unique experience each time you play, and the gameplay is also unique and pretty interesting, though it can get very repetitive after a while, what with nothing to break up the game other than cutscens and the occasional warping to the item shops. It's also very lengthy, as it'll take at least 20 hours on your game clock to play all the way through, and that's probably not counting reloads of saves and warps out of the tower to switch characters and buy/sell items from the two shops nearby (how convenient). The nature of the game can get very frustrating, but if you learn the proper pacing needed to be strong enough to handle harder floors, it balances out. I don't recommend it to anyone who has no patience to learn the nuances of the game, but anyone with patience can get by and beat the game and see the super-neato final FMV, which recaps the entire FFX/X-2 storyline in a 5-minute morsel.

If you've already played FFX-2, you know the graphics are pretty, and the CG's are ridiculously good. So all that's left is the new stuff. The Coliseum Cups take place in a techy, arena-like place, which is quite different for this universe. Nothing memorable, but interesting to note. The Last Mission portion has the same engine as the main game, so it looks about the same Ц the outside area of the tower is beautiful in its design (for all the cutscenes and such), but the inside area is a bit dull and drab, with tight corridors and pretty much boring colors all around to match the repetitive look of each floor. This is about the only real spot of uninspired design, but it's disappointing to see the tower as soЕboring, and it drops the visuals score a bit. Of course, I can't go without mentioning the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children trailer that's on the disc Ц if you've seen the ripped version online, it can't prepare for how beautiful it looks on DVD. I'm far from the world's largest FFVII fan, but this movie looks incredible.

There's some new additions to the soundtrack, but not a whole lot Ц the same jazzy pop stuff is back, along with the awesome СSeal of the Wind' theme that you only get to hear towards the end of LM. On the voice acting front, the International game actually has some new English voice clips from the VA's, to match the new Dresspheres. There's also some amusing Japanese phrases that Hedy Burress (Yuna's voice actress) recorded that you hear from time to time Ц some of them are terribly pronounced, but I'd figure this was the whole point. While I can't understand the Japanese voices, I must say they did a good job finding VA's on both sides of the Pacific that sound somewhat similar to each other, though Rikku's Japanese VA makes Rikku's US VA sound like a manic depressive. Everything else is the same old solid and familiar voices from FFX-2 US, so you know what to expect playing the International version.

If you enjoyed the US version of FFX-2, you'll enjoy Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission, as long as you have the patience and knowledge that despite the language difference, IS playable with enough trial and error, and spending some time learning to recognize things.