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I Tried, I Really Did: Final Fantasy X-2 is Better Than I Remember

Final Fantasy X-2 is arguably the worst sequel of all time. It reduces complex characters into Charlie's Angels -esque sex symbols. It sacrifices the lore from the first game at the altar of modernization - in the same way that Legend of Korra updates the world of Avatar into a more "realistic" or "contemporary" setting, FFX-2 turns Spira from this rich unique world into something a little more ordinary. Yuna - who underwent so much in the first game to obtain strength and independence - is now something of a smitten teenager. This is all how the game is commonly criticized, and so it deserves to be raked over the coals.

Or does it?

FFX-2 is actually pretty interesting in how it inverts the gameplay of the first one. You are not Tidus in this game. You are Yuna, and so it makes sense that the game should feel significantly different. You are not walking across Spira - you have the airship from the very beginning. You are not limited by your job anymore - the dress spheres allow for the job system to be implemented in a way that gives you complete freedom. And that's the real interesting idea being explored here: what does Yuna do now that she's free? Why should we expect her to be the same Yuna as the first game? Is the game itself not a giant rejection of gamers who want Yuna to act/behave a certain way? Are we not the actual Seymours?

That being said, I could write an essay about FFX-2's unique brand of feminism, or I could confess that the game is still pretty bad. The skeleton of the battle system is strong, but it is unbalanced - you get OP really quickly. The game is pretty much constant backtracking. The new characters are all unlikeable. It's full of stupid minigames. The music just isn't good (except for "Memory of Lightwaves" and "Real Emotion" obviously!).

The game's biggest sin is missables/requiring multiple playthroughs though. I just can't handle this anymore. I did a quick playthrough and watched the best ending on Youtube. Then I read about the Tidus getting decapitated by a Blitzball and FFX3 plans and decided it's best that we never return to Spira perhaps.