Gamer's Closet #4: Final Fantasy X2
Reader and friend Doug R. sends in this (very well written) story proving that gay gamers aren’t the only ones with a Gamer’s Closet!
“I’ve always been a fan of the Final Fantasy series. When I was 10 years old one of the first games I had ever truly beaten and felt accomplishment all throughout the adventure was the very first installment for the original Nintendo. Over a decade of amazing game play, brilliant cinematic and involving storylines the excitement of each title that graced my console never changed or got dissolved. My own personal adventure battling through epic worlds of airships, notorious villains, dazzling magic, unearthing old gods to summon alongside you in battle, and riding giant yellow chickens never grew tired in my favorite genre of gaming. The Final Fantasy series made me love games, and made me even more inspired to play role-playing games. It is and always will be my all time favorite style of escapism. Although in 2003, I was a bit confused, Final Fantasy X-2 had hit the selves and I was ready for yet another adventure. This time around though, it was from a different perspective.
In FFX2, you play only as a trio of heroines, destined to battle through the lands of Spira in order to find true love, belief and self resolve in the struggle of good versus evil. The battle mechanic of “Dresspheres” which allow you to change outfits during fights and allow you to ‘morph’ into familiar character classes of the series on the go were intriguing as well as the lengthy variations of Japanese Pop inspired cut scenes with all sorts of glamorous dancing and love-strung ballads. So what if it did have romantic overtones of a woman longing for her man, I played that game like every one before it…”
I became interested in each detail of storyline and even more so found myself wondering what was next behind each and every unraveling plot that presented itself. The battle system was original, the monsters were extremely detailed and vicious, the scenery through each zone was flawless and the storyline kept you interested all through until the end. I had faith in this game just as the ones that passed through my console before it and I was determined to play it with my complete focus and pride as a Final Fantasy fan.
Although it did feel a bit strange playing a female character and watching her emotion narrate throughout the storyline, protesting her love for her man as you get deeply involved with her and each of the characters as you play along. I couldn’t care less, I loved it. I was never really ashamed for playing it, or for my interest in it, it did in fact open my eyes a bit towards some real situations. And as sappy and emotional as the whole game was, you couldn’t help but enjoy it and probably for the simple fact I had a ‘gamers’ crush’ on Rikku. For about two weeks of non-stop playing I played through the lives of those three women, and I’ll still remember the struggle each of them had as part of my own history a gamer. But no one will ever know, I guess until now.”
Fruit Brute
Posted to Gamers Closet, Video Games on 27 August 2006
Other stuff like this: fantasy, final, x2
