by Eric Himsel
The HD remake trend has been popular for a few years and Square Enix has finally jumped on the bandwagon with its Final Fantasy franchise to produce Final Fantasy X X-2 HD Remaster. This HD collection comes complete with a Final Fantasy X related media. The international version of X and X-2 are present and the in between story “Eternal Calm” is included as well. Also making its first appearance in North America is “Final Mission”, a bonus chapter that takes place after X-2 and a new audio drama that extends the story even further.
Final Fantasy X international makes its North American debut in HD however this version is not perfect. The original game is kept in tact with a few added bonuses. These include dark aeon bosses that can be a pain if you forget key items in past areas. These omissions prevent you from obtaining extra aeons and ultimate weapons. The HD overhaul looks great in faces and colors but it sorely lacks in attention to detail with NPC faces. Having a fully rendered face next to an untouched one is a bit jarring. The soundtrack was also rearranged and offers a fresh take on classic songs. The added instruments and fully orchestrated versions of select songs really bring value to this HD version. However, small complaints aside, the story and gameplay still holds strong, and revisiting the world of Spira is like catching up with a long lost friend.
The Eternal Calm video takes place two years after Final Fantasy X and acts as a bridge for the narrative. Details in regards to the faces are not up to par with the scenes in Final Fantasy X. You can certainly tell the video’s age. Also, the story is not very compelling. The call to action at the end leaves something to be desired.
Final Fantasy X-2 is actually quite the extra treat. I forgot how much fun the game is and how much customization there is. New dress spheres were added to the international version as well as bosses, areas, sphere grids, and a creature capture feature was added to this version. All of these bonuses make for a solid game. The content is great but the only real noticeable HD touch ups are Yuna, Rikku and Paine’s faces, not much else is noticeable. However the new additions make this version of X-2 worth playing.
Final Mission takes place after the events of X-2 and is a fun piece of bonus content. The dungeon you explore is set up with a chessboard like grid and features elements from the Gunner Gauntlet mini game in X-2. It’s interesting and completely enticing. A minor negative is in regards to the combat. It moves a bit slow and the controls take a little bit to get used too.
The last extra piece included in the collection is the radio drama that takes place some time after the events of Final Fantasy X-2 and Final Mission. I do not want to spoil its contents but I will say that if a Final Fantasy X-3 were produced, this audio would be more meaningful. However as things stand, it seems to open up loose ends that did not need rehashing.
All rendering issues aside this HD collection is a must have for any Playstation 3 or Vita owner. Some areas of the game show its age, but this is a minor hiccup in a great collection. For anyone interesting in the Final Fantasy series this is a great place to start.
+ The international versions are finally playable
+ HD scenes make for great eye candy
+ Both games still hold up
- NPC animation
- Eternal Calm and Radio Drama are lacking
I give Final Fantasy X X-2 HD Remaster an 8 out of 10.
