Final Fantasy 10 (PS2, 2001)

A highly regarded entry that brought a lot of firsts for the series.

Nostalgia Factor: Low.
Difficulty: Easy. One of the easier games in the series.

For many, FF10 is the capstone of the series. Even though FF10 brought a lot of firsts for the series, in many ways it was also the last of the classic FF JRPGs. It was Yoshinori Kitase’s last game as director (Chrono Trigger, FF6, FF7, FF8), and the series diverted significantly in style and gameplay after FF10.

One of the major changes that FF10 brought to the series was the introduction of voice acting. Sadly, some poor voice direction (forcing the English actors to match unnatural lip movements) led to several awkward performances. The iconic “Tidus laughing scene” has become immortalized in the annals of meme history. Honestly though, for the time, most of the voice acting was… fine. It brought a huge leap forward for the series.

FF10 takes a break from the well-worn (but beloved) ATB system and brings back turn based combat. The unique “conditional turn-based battle” system features a dynamic turn order which allows for lots of strategic planning. Party members can swap in and out on the fly so you can exploit enemy weaknesses or protect vulnerable characters. The unique “sphere grid” provides tons of character customization options.

Blitzball is either the best or the worst FF mini-game, depending on who you ask. It didn’t grab me quite like Triple Triad in FF8, but there’s so much depth and complexity to Blitzball, the term “mini-game” feels like a misnomer. Back in the day, many of my fellow RPG-nerd friends spent hours upon hours playing Blitzball, and they loved it.

The visuals are quite impressive for a PS2 game. Some pre-rendered backgrounds were still utilized, but most of the game was built in full 3D. The cinematics were some of the best of the era, absolutely jaw-dropping to behold in the early 2000s. FF10 was unlike anything seen before in the mainstream market. The game’s design incorporated a fusion of South Pacific, Thai, and Japanese iconography, and Tetsuya Nomura’s character designs were some of the most complex we’d seen yet.

FF10 was Nobuo Uematsu’s last soundtrack as lead composer in the series, and it is easily one of his best. I could list over a dozen phenomenal tracks. “Zanarkand,” “Tidus’s Theme,” “The Blitzers,” and “A Fleeting Dream” are just a few. FF10 is also a breakout moment for Masashi Hamauzu, another one of my favorite VGM composers. Check out his tracks, “The Splendid Performance,” “Wandering,” and “Servants of the Mountain.”

Again, depending on who you ask, the story is either amazing or terrible. I thought the story was solid. In spite of some awkward voice acting performances, the characters are very memorable and engaging. Some major plot twists at the end had me on the edge of my seat.

I enjoyed my ride through FF10. It’s one of the “big three” classic FF games that most fans of the series recommend – FF6, FF7, and FF10. If you’re a fan of retro RPGs, give FF10 a shot.