Final Fantasy X: A game that literally forces you to experience its story.

I remember the first time I played this game, and the lengthy review I left on GameFAQs so many ages ago. At the time, I called it "PlayStation's sword against Xbox and GameCube". At the time, it seemed appropriate, as it was unlike anything we had available up to that point.

It's interesting how much less I enjoyed the game the more I played through. I don't recall it being so dry, but then again, it's been a LONG time.

What I Liked

The game did an excellent job with character development. Almost everyone stands out with memorable personalities that last long after the game is over.

Excellent music tracks especially Besaid Island. The remixed tracks sound even better than the original.

Intriguing, thoughtful story (although see below) that does its best to involve everyone, not just the main protagonists.

Lengthy, beefy cutscenes. I think I saw somewhere that there's about 9 hours worth, which for the time was rare outside of GameArts games.

What I Didn't Like

The problem with replaying games is that they really need skippable cutscenes, so as not to waste time. Not to be found here. It requires mods - which is disappointing, since Square Enix could have done it with the remaster as a QoL improvement and chose not to.

The script in general isn't that good, especially for Tidus and Wakka. Only Auron has a standout script.

There are points where you're forced to do sidequests and puzzles, such as the Cloister Trials. These aren't hard; they're annoying. I would say they're more annoying than Breath of the Wild's temples. Worse, one of the optional Aeons basically forces you to 100% each of the trials.

There's a slight bit of RNG with this game. You don't "level up", you earn AP and spheres that you use to build out the grid, which is how you get stronger. Problem is, there are stretches of the game where these get harder to come by. A better mechanic in hindsight would have done away with the Sphere Grid and just use AP for skills with regular leveling, similar to Dragon Quest Heroes.

It's not the kind of game I would recommend to someone new to RPGs anymore. If they had some skin in the game and just wanted to try something new, absolutely. But there's just been superior battle engines and voice acting, where it's clear this was good for the time but has lost some of the sizzle.