Oh boy, what an adventure! The OST, the epic world, the art direction, the tropical-steampunk aesthetic and the CGI scenes. PURE state of art, impeccable and extraordinary! The turn-based combat is strategic, dynamic and smart, but the grind is mandatory and tedious at certain points in the game. The random encounters are way too frequent. Even though you can flee, it's still annoying because it makes exploring the world frustrating even with Fast Travel. The boss battles are hit or miss; they're either really good or terrible. I fought Yunalesca for approximately 40 minutes—that’s toooo looooong. Speaking of the devil, Seymour is one of the worst villains/antagonists I've ever seen in an epic fantasy. If he were cut from the game, it would instantly improve.

Of course, the plot is the highlight of FFX. While most party members aren't very deep, there are 2 or 3 well-developed characters you'll surely sympathize with. Except for Tidus, the protagonist, who is the stereotype of a teenager. Enduring him for about 40 hours straight was mentally tough. The final act is good, but nothing special, the journey itself was more interesting to me. There are many cringe and bizarre cutscenes, but it's the first entry in the series with voice acting, so I could overlook it.

The year 2001 was incredible, with the release of GTA 3, MGS2, Halo and Silent Hill 2. Because of that, I don't think I can say that FFX is GOTY level, but it's definitely not far behind. It's a really good game. An epic journey of love to save the world from the leviathan!

ps: not my first JRPG, but this is my first Final Fantasy game.