Role-playing game overlord Square Enix seems to have a bit of a thing for these high-definition super duper mega collections of their classic games at the moment. First came the announcement of Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix, a combo of two games previously only released in Japan (sort of) which looks set to hit these shores in August, and now we've got word that the HD remakes of mega PS2 role playing games Final Fantasy X and X-2 will be making their way to the PS3 and PS Vita later this year. It's no Final Fantasy VII, VIII, or IX, but we suppose it'll have to do for now.
A collection of two of the more highly regarded Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy X and X-2 bring with them all the characteristics fans of the series have come to expect - an epic storyline with a touching boy-meets-girl undercurrent, an androgynous male character, a guy called Cid, turn-based battles, levelling galore, and a fantastic soundtrack, all of which combined to form a pair of games that many have rather fond memories of.
While it's always a challenge to sum up the stories of Final Fantasy games, as they tend to be more than a tad complex, in a nutshell: Final Fantasy X follows the tale of teenage Blitzball star Tidus, whose high-tech home of Zanarkand is destroyed mid-match by a mysterious creature known as 'Sin' - a creature they spend the rest of the game trying to defeat, while in X-2, a direct sequel to the original game, Yuna, the love interest from the first game, discovers a strange sphere which shows a recording of Tidus locked up in a prison cell. Filled with the desire to see him one last time, she sets off on a journey to uncover the truth.
Yuna brings a whole new meaning to the saying 'cry me a river'...
Originally released on the PS2 back in 2001, Final Fantasy X particularly brought with it a collection of new features and "improvements", some of which were more welcome than others. Thankfully retaining the series' accessible turn-based battles, Final Fantasy X was the first Final Fantasy game to have voice acting - which was something of a mixed bag. Call us old fashioned, but after hearing some of the voices in here, we think we preferred just imagining what they'd sound like in our head. Final Fantasy X's sphere grid, meanwhile, was a much more welcome addition, as an easy to use, yet surprisingly complex levelling up system that let you mould your characters as you wanted them. Letting you choose from a selection of skill paths to follow, instead of getting a pre-determined set of stat boosts with each level, you could choose options like more health, better spells or new special moves, meaning you could tailor your characters to your own personal weaknesses.
As a great place for those who're yet to discover the Final Fantasy games to get started, or for those looking to replay Final Fantasy X or X-2 with trophies and in HD, the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is expected to hit shelves later this year for the PS3 and PS Vita. Oddly, if you're buying on the PS3, the game will be available as a collection of both Final Fantasy X and X-2 on a single disc, while on the PS Vita, both games will be available individually. Whether the PS Vita versions will get a price cut to make up for having to buy both versions, or whether you'll be expected to pay more for less remains to be seen. Until then, we have a trailer to whet your appetite and take you back to 2001, and the last good Final Fantasy game:
