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''Final Fantasy X'' (ファイナルファンタジーX ''Fainaru Fantajī X'') is the tenth installment in the '' Final Fantasy '' Role-playing game series and the first game of the series to be released on the PlayStation 2 . Introduced in 2001 , it is among the Top Twenty Best-selling Console Games of all time, having sold in excess of 7.75 million copies worldwide. Set in the Fantasy world of Spira , the game's story centers around a group of adventurers and their quest to defeat a rampaging force known as " Sin ." The game is significant in that it marks the transition from entirely pre-rendered backdrops to fully three-dimensional areas with the PlayStation 2’s robust graphical capabilities (although two-dimensional backdrops are present in certain building interiors). It is the first in the series to feature a wide range of realistic facial expressions, as well as other technological developments in graphical effects, such as variance in lighting and shadow from one section of a character's clothing to the next.1 ''Final Fantasy X'' is also the first in the series to feature Voice-over actors, as well as the first to spawn a direct Sequel , '' Final Fantasy X-2 ''. ''Final Fantasy X'' also marks a number of other significant advances in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. For instance, because of the implementation of voice-overs, scenes in the game are paced according to the time taken for dialogue to be spoken, whereas previous games of the series incorporated scrolling subtitles. ''Final Fantasy X'' also features changes in world design, with the focus now placed on realism. The gameplay also makes a significant departure from past games, with several new elements incorporated. GAMEPLAY Like previous games in the series, ''Final Fantasy X'' is presented in Third Person Perspective , with players directly navigating the main character Tidus around the world to interact with objects and people. Unlike in previous games, however, the world and town maps have been fully integrated with one another, with terrain outside of cities now rendered to scale. Upon encountering an enemy, the environment switches to a Turn-based "battle arena" where characters and enemies must await their turn to attack. In line with previous ''Final Fantasy'' titles, players are given the opportunity to develop and improve their characters by defeating enemies and acquiring items, though the traditional Experience Point System has been replaced by a new system called the "Sphere Grid". The gameplay was also to feature Online elements, but these were dropped during production, and Online Gaming would not become part of the ''Final Fantasy'' series until '' Final Fantasy XI ''.23 Field map ''Final Fantasy X'' Battle system ''Final Fantasy X'' introduces the Conditional Turn-Based Battle System (CTB) in place of the series' traditional Active Time Battle (ATB) system. This system differs from ATB in that the game will pause the battle on each of the player's turns, allowing an indefinite period of time to select an action, whereas the ATB system involved all playable characters and CPU -controlled enemies selecting and performing actions concurrently. The CTB system also allows characters' and enemies' attributes to affect the number of turns they're allowed and the order in which they occur. The game provides a graphical timeline along the upper-right side of the screen, detailing which characters and enemies will be receiving turns next, as well as how various actions taken will affect the subsequent order of turns. Character-specific special abilities (known as "Desperation Moves" in '' Final Fantasy VI '', " Limit Break s" in '' Final Fantasy VII '' and '' Final Fantasy VIII '', and "Trances" in '' Final Fantasy IX '') reappear in ''Final Fantasy X'' under the name "Overdrives". In this new incarnation of the system, most of the techniques are interactive, requiring Fighting Game -style button inputs or precise timing to increase their effectiveness. Furthermore, the game introduces Overdrive Modes, which allow the player to designate what circumstances (such as receiving damage, slaying an enemy, or being the only live character on the field) cause the Overdrive meter to fill. ''Final Fantasy X'' introduces an overhaul of the Summoning system employed in the previous eight games in the series. Whereas in previous games a selected mystical creature would appear to perform a single action, summoned monsters in ''Final Fantasy X'' (called " Aeons ") arrive to take the place of the party in battle entirely, and for as long a duration as desired by the player before dismissed or slain. The player acquires five standards aeons over the course of the game, and several additional aeons can be unlocked by completing various sub-quests. Aeons have their own stats, commands, special attacks, spells, and Overdrives, and can even be slain by the enemy. Aside from offering powerful attacks, they can also be employed to guard the party during battles against difficult bosses, as any damage received from the enemy while an aeon is present will be inflicted on the aeon instead of the party. Originally, ''Final Fantasy X'' was to feature wandering enemies visible on the field map, seamless transitions into battles, and the option for players to move around the landscape during enemy encounters.4 Battle art director Shintaro Takai has explained that it was his intention that battles in ''Final Fantasy X'' come across as a natural part of the story and not an independent element. However, due to hardware and system limitations, these ideas (later dubbed "the Active Dimension Battle system") were not used until '' Final Fantasy XI ''. Instead, a compromise was made, whereby some transitions from the field screen to battle arenas were made relatively seamless with the implementation of a motion blur effect. The desire for seamless transitions also led to the implementation of the new summoning system seen in the game. Sphere Grid ''Final Fantasy X'' Producer Yoshinori Kitase has explained that the purpose behind the Sphere Grid is to give players an interactive means of increasing their characters' attributes, such that they will be able to observe the development of those attributes firsthand.5 The Sphere Grid system also allows players to fully customize characters in contrast to their intended battle roles, such as turning the Summoner / White Mage Yuna into a physical powerhouse and the swordsman Auron into a healer. The ''International'' version of the game includes an optional "Expert" version of the Sphere Grid; in this version, all of the characters start in the middle of the grid and may follow whichever path the player chooses. As a tradeoff, however, the Expert grid has noticeably fewer nodes in total, thus decreasing the total statistic upgrades available during the game. STORY See Also: Mythology of Final Fantasy X ''Final Fantasy X'' begins in the high-tech metropolis of Zanarkand , the home city of the main character, Tidus . When Zanarkand is suddenly attacked by a giant creature known as "Sin," Tidus — along with his long-time mentor, Auron — are sucked into the creature and Tidus awakens to find himself alone in the ruins of a deserted temple. Thus begins Tidus' quest to return to his homeland. Rescued by some local divers, Tidus is told that his city was destroyed one thousand years in the past. He has little time to dwell on the significance of this news before Sin attacks again, however. Tidus eventually washes up near the small island of Besaid , where he meets Wakka , captain of the local Sports team. Impressed with Tidus' prowess in the fictional sport called " Blitzball ," Wakka asks Tidus to join his team in an upcoming tournament and suggests that he may meet someone he knows there. During the voyage that follows, Tidus is introduced to Yuna, a young woman who — newly-inducted into the and Kimahri , who, along with Wakka, are to serve as Yuna's Guardians after the blitzball tournament, as she journeys on a Pilgrimage to the Zanarkand Ruins. There, she plans to acquire the aid of an entity called "the Final Aeon " to defeat Sin. The party happens upon Auron in the city of Luca , and — upon learning that Yuna is on a pilgrimage for the Final Aeon — he joins the party as her newest guardian, as does Tidus. Soon after, they are joined by a young Al Bhed girl named " Rikku ," who — despite being publically branded an outcast for her people's beliefs — joins the party, declaring that she also wants to protect Yuna. As the pilgrimage continues, Tidus learns that the present-day Spira centers around The Temples Of Yevon , a millennium-old and heavily influential organization. The Yevonite clergy teaches that Sin is a divine punishment set upon the people for their use of machines (known as "machina"). As a result, the temples have forbidden the use of modern technology, and a culture of atonement for past sins is promoted in the hopes of appeasing Sin.Tidus: "Yuna, why does Sin always come back?" / '''Yuna:''' "Sin is our punishment for our vanity. And it will not go away until we've atoned." (''Final Fantasy X'') The only other method of defeating Sin deemed acceptable by the temples is the use of the Final Aeon. Growing increasingly fond of Yuna, Tidus eventually discovers — to his horror — that if she completes her pilgrimage and uses the Final Aeon against Sin, she will die.Tidus: "Why couldn't they trust guardians to protect summoners... The Al Bhed had no right stopping their pilgrimage!" / '''Rikku:''' "The pilgrimages have to stop! If they don't, and they get to Zanaraknd... They might defeat Sin. Yunie could...but then she... Yunie will die, you know? You know, don't you? Summoners journey to get the Final Aeon. Yuna told you, didn't she? With the Final Aeon, she can beat Sin...but then... If she calls it, then the Final Aeon's gonna kill her. "Even if she defeats Sin, it will kill Yunie too, you know?" (''Final Fantasy X'') Aware of her fate, Yuna intends to give her life to provide the people of Spira with "the Calm," the brief period of peace that follows Sin's destruction — temporary because Sin always returns.Tidus: "What's the calm?" / '''Lulu:''' "The Calm is a time of peace. It comes after a summoner defeats Sin, and lasts until Sin reappears." (''Final Fantasy X'') Complicating matters further, Auron reveals to Tidus that his father Jecht is alive but no longer human, having now become the unwilling embodiment of Sin.Tidus: "Is he alive?" / '''Auron:''' "It depends on what you mean by 'alive'. He is no longer human. But then... I felt something of Jecht there in that shell, couldn't you? You must have felt him when you came in contact with Sin." / Tidus: "It can't be..." / '''Auron:''' "It is. Sin is Jecht." (''Final Fantasy X'') Falling in love with Yuna, Tidus resolves to find a way to free his estranged father and permanently destroy Sin without sacrificing Yuna's life. , one of the locations visited by Yuna and her guardians during her pilgrimage]] As the party approaches Zanarkand, another disquieting fact is revealed: neither Tidus nor Jecht are ordinary human beings. They and the Zanarkand they hail from are "dreams," or summoned entities, the same as the aeons.Tidus: "Wait...this is a dream." / '''Fayth:''' "Precisely." / Tidus: "A dream? Are you crazy? I don't have time to be dreaming now!" / '''Fayth:''' "You're wrong. It's not that you're dreaming. You are a dream." (''Final Fantasy X'') Their city, Dream Zanarkand, was created one thousand years earlier, around the time of the original Zanarkand's destruction. At the time, a war led to Yevon, Zanarkand's ruler, taking a desperate measure to preserve his city's memory.'''Fayth:''' "Long ago, there was a war.... A war between Zanarkand and Bevelle. Bevelle's machina assured their victory from the start. Spira had never seen such power. The summoners of Zanarkand didn't stand a chance. Zanarkand was doomed to oblivion. That's why we tried to save it – if only in a memory... The remaining summoners and the townspeople that survived the war... They all became fayth — fayth for the summoning." (''Final Fantasy X'') He had his city's surviving people become Fayth , statues that provide a summoner with the means to summon, so that he could use their memories of Zanarkand to create a new city in its image, far removed from the warfare on the Spiran mainland. Thus, Yevon was able to save the memory of his city, even if he could not save the city itself. Additionally, Sin was created at this time, given form by none other than Yevon himself.6Mika: "Spira has lost its only hope. Destruction is inevitable. Yu Yevon's spiral of death will consume us all. I have no desire to watch Spira die...." / '''Rikku:''' "Wait, gramps! Who's Yu Yevon?" / Mika: "He who crafts the souls of the dead into unholy armor. An armor called Sin." (''Final Fantasy X'') His intention was that the creature would protect him and the fayth while he summoned Dream Zanarkand, and that it would also prevent anyone on the mainland from discovering the summoned city. While the creature performed this duty, Yevon, for his part, would become known as "Yu Yevon" ("the Curse of Yevon") and lose his own humanity, reduced to a disembodied spirit that existed with only the desire to maintain Dream Zanarkand's existence.'''Fayth:''' "Tell me, what do you know about Yu Yevon?..." / '''Yuna:''' "Sin is his armor. It protects him." / '''Fayth:''' "Yu Yevon was once a summoner, long ago. He was peerless. Yet now he lives for one purpose: only to summon. He is neither good, nor evil. He is awake, yet he dreams." (''Final Fantasy X'') Over the next one thousand years, Sin would constantly terrorize Spira's people, leaving destruction and heartache in its wake. Tidus and his companions would also learn that the Final Aeon is created from the spirit of one to whom a summoner is personally close, and that when Sin is defeated, Yu Yevon's spirit then possesses the Final Aeon that defeated it, transforming it into a new Sin. It was for this reason that Jecht became Sin. With the hypocrisy of the Yevon order revealed, Yuna and her guardians defy claims that Sin can never be destroyed, engaging Sin in battle directly, and without the use of a Final Aeon. After successfully penetrating their way into the creature's interior, they free Jecht's imprisoned spirit and fight a subsequently weakened Yu Yevon. By finally destroying him, the party succeeds in bringing an end to the cycle of Sin's rebirth, allowing the fayth of Spira to rest after a thousand years. Dream Zanarkand then vanishes, taking — much to Yuna's grief — Tidus with it. DEVELOPMENT Developed from 1999 to 2001, ''Final Fantasy X'' cost approximately 4 billion Japanese Yen to produce (approximately $32.3 million US)7 with a crew of more than one hundred people. As with most other games in the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise, the characters and story of ''Final Fantasy X'' are distinct from those of its predecessors. Executive producer Hironobu Sakaguchi states that this is to maintain the novelty of each title and to show off his team's true potential. Although he had certain reservations about the transition from 2D to 3D backgrounds, the voice acting and the transition to real-time story-telling, Sakaguchi believes ''Final Fantasy'' For his part, scenario writer Kazushige Nojima has said that with this installment of the series, he was particularly concerned with establishing a connection in the relationship between the player and main character. Thus, he penned the story such that — since both Tidus and the player find themselves in a new world — the player's progress through the world and growing knowledge about it is reflected in Tidus' own developing understanding and narration. ''Final Fantasy X'' would also feature innovation with regard to the emotions that could be visually portrayed through the game's characters. This was achieved through "motion-capturing human movement, {Link without Title} then importing and manipulating the data into the game"8 coupled with the human facial bones that could be simulated by the PlayStation 2's hardware. Included in the facial expressions that could be conveyed were realistic lip movements, which were then programmed to match the speech of the game's voice actors. Voice-overs Nojima also revealed that the inclusion of voice-overs had a substantial impact on the writing of the game's story. He has explained that the presence of voice actors allowed him to maintain a more simple method of storytelling, as the range of emotions that could be expressed through them was greater than that provided by text alone. Nojima has further revealed that the presence of voice actors led him to make various changes to the story and characters themselves, so as to solidify the voice actors' personalities with the characters they were portraying.9 In some respects, however, the inclusion of voice-overs led to additional difficulties. With the game's cutscenes already programmed around the Japanese voice work, ''Final Fantasy X'' Although Tidus is the lead character in the story, he is the only character whose name is never spoken by the game's voice actors. This is because ''Final Fantasy X'' follows the ''Final Fantasy'' tradition of allowing the player to rename the lead character. In this game and ''Final Fantasy X-2'', the other characters refer to Tidus as "him", "he", or "you". However, Wakka speaks Tidus' name in '' Kingdom Hearts '', another Square Enix title, pronouncing it as "tee-dus", as does Tidus' English voice actor ( James Arnold Taylor ) during interviews,10 while Selphie Tilmitt of '' Final Fantasy VIII '' fame pronounces it as "tie-dus" in '' Kingdom Hearts II ''. Characters ]] See Also: List of Final Fantasy X characters The Playable Character s in ''Final Fantasy X'' are Tidus, a Fighter ; Yuna the Summoner / White Mage ; Kimahri Ronso the Dragon Knight ; the Blitzball player Wakka ; Lulu the Black Mage ; Auron the Samurai ; and Rikku the Thief . The primary antagonists of the game are Seymour Guado and the other Maesters Of The Yevon Religion , while the malevolent creature known as "Sin" serves as the primary source of conflict. In addition, there is a vast supporting cast of named characters, who — along with the main characters — feature voice talents complementing the principle roles, as well as the myriad incidental characters that have traditionally populated the worlds of ''Final Fantasy''. Character designer Tetsuya Nomura took particular care in each of the characters' designs. For example, Nomura based Yuna's overall design on Okinawan kimonos. When he learned the character was to perform a dance called "the Sending ", he wanted to give her outfit something that would flow. For this reason, the specific style of kimono he chose for her was a Furisode , a kimono bearing long sleeves. Additionally, he adorned her dress and necklace with images of the flower also called "Yuna" ('' Hibiscus Tiliaceus ''), and her name carries the meaning of "night" in Okinawan , a direct contrast with Tidus' Japanese name, "''Tīda''," the Okinawan word for "sun." Nomura has explained that while all these subtle details may be unnecessary, he does not want his designs to be without explanation.11 For minor characters, sub-character chief designer Fumi Nakashima 's focus was to ensure that characters from different regions and cultures bore distinctive characteristics in their clothing styles, such that they could be quickly and easily identified as members of their respective sub-groups. For example, the masks and goggles of the Al Bhed — in her words — give the group a "strange and eccentric" appearance, while the attire of the Ronso Tribe lend to them being able to easily engage in battle. Geography and cultural aspects See Also: Spira (Final Fantasy X) The world of ''Final Fantasy X'' (called "Spira") is composed of one continent and several islands. Life in Spira is simple, as technological advancement has come to a halt in the 1,000 years since Sin's appearance. The sacred city of Zanarkand is located on the northern tip of the Spiran continent, but it was reduced to ruins by Sin 1,000 years before the events of ''Final Fantasy X''. Bevelle, the spiritual center of the Yevon religion, lies on a thin strip of land slightly north of the center of the Spiran continent. The city is built as a series of layers, with the headquarters of Yevon located at the top. The world of Spira itself is very different from the mainly Europe an-style worlds found in previous ''Final Fantasy'' games, being much more closely modeled on Southeast Asia , most notably with respect to its vegetation, topography and architecture. For example, the names of most of the main cast are drawn from either Okinawan or Ainu words ("Yuna" meaning "night" and "Tidus" meaning "sun" in the former, and "Wakka" "water" in the latter). In speaking about the inspiration behind Spira, producer Yoshinori Kitase recounted that players had found fault with the Sci-fi atmosphere of ''Final Fantasy VII'' and ''Final Fantasy VIII'', instead desiring a "simple fantasy world". To Kitase, the word "fantasy" did not indicate a purely medieval-European setting, so he intentionally set out with the objective of redefining the stereotype held in players' minds. Conveniently, character designer Tetsuya Nomura had expressed an interest in designing a world with a dominantly Asian theme, and thus, the world of Spira was born in the minds of its creators. For his part, Nomura identified the South Pacific , Thailand and Japan as major influences on the cultural and geographic design of Spira, particularly in regard to the geographic locations of Besaid and Kilika . He's also said that Spira deviates from the worlds of past ''Final Fantasy'' games most notably in the level of detail incorporated, something he's expressed to have made a conscious effort to maintain during the design process. Like other games in the franchise, ''Final Fantasy X'' borrows elements of other cultures, such as Arabian and Hindu (their respective mythical legends, Ifrit and Shiva, are recurring elements in the series). Modern philosophy is also represented, with Carl Jung's Anima (the aeon Anima). Musical score See Also: Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack ''Final Fantasy X'' marks the first time Nobuo Uematsu has had any assistance in composing the score for a ''Final Fantasy'' game. His fellow composers for ''Final Fantasy X'' were Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano . The game includes three songs with vocalized elements, one of which is the J-pop ballad " Suteki Da Ne ." It is sung by Japanese folk singer Ritsuki Nakano (also known as "Rikki"), whom the music team contacted while searching for a singer whose music reflected an Okinawan atmosphere. "Suteki Da Ne" is sung in its original Japanese form in both the Japanese and English versions of ''Final Fantasy X''. The song's title translates to "Isn't it Wonderful?" in English, and its lyrics were written by scenario writer Kazushige Nojima, while Uematsu composed the instrumentals. Like the ballads from ''Final Fantasy VIII'' and ''IX'', "Suteki Da Ne" has an in-game version together with an orchestrated version used as part of the ending theme. The other songs featuring lyrics are the heavy metal opening theme, "Otherworld," sung in English, and the " Hymn Of The Fayth ," a recurring piece sung using Japanese syllabary. RECEPTION ''Final Fantasy X'' The game sold 90% of its first 2,140,000-unit shipment — adding up to 1,926,000 units sold — in just the first four days of its release in Japan, having already sold between 1.4 million and 1.5 million copies in pre-orders prior to release.12 These figures exceeded the performances — in a comparable period — of ''Final Fantasy IX'' and ''Final Fantasy VII''.13 ''Final Fantasy X'' was also the first PlayStation 2 game to reach sales totals of 2 million and 4 million copies.1415 Consistent sales eventually made it one of the Top Twenty Best-selling Console Games — and the third best-selling ''Final Fantasy'' game — of all time, having sold 7.75 million copies worldwide, as of December 2005.16 Critical response Both Japanese and western critics have generally given ''Final Fantasy X'' high scores, with the game attaining a 92/100 "universal score" according to Metacritic .17 Leading Japanese video game magazine, '' Famitsu '', awarded the game a near-perfect 39/40 score,18 while readers of the same magazine voted it the best game of all time in early 2006.19 Another leading Japanese gaming magazine, ''The Play Station'', gave the game a score of 29/30 at the time of release. As part of their reviews, ''Famitsu'' and ''The Play Station'' expressed particularly favorable responses toward the game's storyline and graphics, while the UK -based Magazine '' Edge '' only gave the game a 6/10,20 describing it as "Sequential software that labels itself next-gen" without providing a next generation gaming experience, instead repeating "the mistakes it made on the last version." Even so, ''Final Fantasy X'' was nominated for the 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards for animation and console role-playing game of the year in 2003.21 Subsequent impact Due to its intense popularity and commercial success, Square Enix released a direct sequel to ''Final Fantasy X'' in 2003 , entitled "'' Final Fantasy X-2 ''." This sequel — the first direct sequel developed in the ''Final Fantasy'' series — is set two years after the conclusion of the original story, establishing new conflicts and dilemmas, while also serving to tie up loose ends left by the original game. Also as a result of the game's reception, the producer and scenario writer decided to establish a plot-related connection between ''Final Fantasy X'' and '' Final Fantasy VII '', another popular ''Final Fantasy'' title.22 The advancements in portraying realistic emotions achieved with ''Final Fantasy X'' through voice-overs and detailed facial expressions have since become a staple of the series, with its sequel and other subsequent titles — such as '''' — featuring enhancements of this development. Additionally, real-time 3D environments that are traversed in place of an overworld map have also become a standard of the series, utilized in both '' Final Fantasy XI '' and ''Final Fantasy XII''. DIFFERENT VERSIONS AND MERCHANDISE An territories under the name "''Final Fantasy X''." It features content not available in the NTSC releases, including battles with dark versions of the game's aeons, an airship fight with the superboss Penance, and various added scenes. The Japanese release of ''Final Fantasy X: International'' also includes a twelve minute video clip bridging the story of ''Final Fantasy X'' with that of its sequel, ''Final Fantasy X-2''. Additionally, the Europe an release includes a bonus DVD entitled "''Beyond Final Fantasy''," a disc including interviews with the game's developers, as well as two of the game's English voice actors, James Arnold Taylor (Tidus) and Hedy Burress (Yuna). Also included are various trailers for ''Final Fantasy X'' and other Square products, a gallery of concept and promotional art for the game, and a music video of "Sutaki Da Ne" performed by Rikki.2324 In addition to a sequel, Square Enix produced a two disc Machinima DVD of the game's story, numerous action figures, several versions of the Game's Soundtrack and various books, including ''The Art of Final Fantasy X'' and three '' Ultimania '' guides, a series of Artbook s/ Strategy Guide s published by Square Enix in Japan. They feature original artwork from ''Final Fantasy X'', offer gameplay walkthroughs, expand upon many aspects of the game's storyline and feature several interviews with the game's designers. There are three books in the series: ''Final Fantasy X Scenario Ultimania'', ''Final Fantasy X Battle Ultimania'' and ''Final Fantasy X Ultimania Omega''. A similar three-book series was produced for ''Final Fantasy X-2''. REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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