It’s chill. X-2 is an excuse for experimentation rather than some genuine and necessary sequel to X. I’m really not here for the story or drastic shift in tone, but it’s fun to see how unserious this entry was considering it’s the first direct sequel in the series.

The combat system is astonishingly interesting for what some would consider more of a spin-off title. Direct sequel final fantasy games always get weird with battle mechanics. It’s almost an excuse to try new ideas instead of scrapping them during production of a new game. The combat here is totally a precursor to XIII’s combat. I think I like XIII’s more but X-2 does often feel more tight and easier to grasp. It’s super fun. I really dig getting to see characters from X again too. It has this incredibly long epilogue feel to it in regard to them and I think that’s cool.
Not sure I fully vibe with certain ideas in the ending, but it’s also harmless and does not detract from any moments in X.

This game kind of owns. It’s more of a fun goofy ride than a dramatic and lush narrative experience. I like it for that though. It’s not like this was ever meant to be the new high budget mainline title of the FF series at the time, but it’s cool that the series is capable of lighter moments that don’t take themselves too seriously.

Of all the direct prequel/sequel games, I think it’s a little better than XIII-2 for me but not as good as something like Crisis Core. It’s half the length of X as well so it’s a quick jam.