Last fall, Sqaure-Enix made an announcement that they would be re-releasing Final Fantasy X for the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita. Although little has been told about this project, Square-Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto recently told us that the project would be an HD re-mastering as opposed to a total remake of the game. In the past year, a lot of Playstation 2 classics have been re-released in HD for the PlayStation 3; The Silent Hill Series, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and the Devil May Cry series just to name a few. This is always a well-appreciated concept amongst PlayStation fans; no one is going to complain about playing their old favorites in beautifully rendered H.D graphics. And for those who are just jumping into the world of PlayStation, they can experience the classics for the first time on their PlayStation 3’s. However, it seems that Final Fantasy X is a strange choice at the moment for an HD re-mastering. Although Final Fantasy X was a huge success when it was released and was a great addition to the series, Final Fantasy fans have being going mad for years waiting for the remake or re-mastering of Final Fantasy VII, which was, and still is a favorite among many fans of the series. Unfortunately, a remake of this title has yet to be confirmed. The re-mastering of Final Fantasy X will obviously not be met with animosity, but how long is Square-Enix going to makes fans wait for info on the rumored modern release of Final Fantasy VII?
For those unfamiliar, Final Fantasy X came out in 2001 and was the first in the series to be released for the PlayStation 2. It was also the first in the series to feature voice acting and total 3-D environments as opposed to pre-rendered backgrounds. The story was set in the fictional world of Spira and was centered around the protagonist Tidus, a young and popular Blitzball star. Blitzball is a fictional sport that is popular in Spira and plays out like game of European hand ball, only it takes place underwater and is much more intense, to say the least. After Tidus’s home city of Zanarkand is destroyed by a giant monster called Sin, he finds himself traveling with a group of unique adventures, protecting the beautiful summoner, Yuna, on her pilgrimage to defeat Sin. Like other games in the series, Final Fantasy X takes players on a wild ride of plot twists, memorable characters, epic boss battles, and addictive side quests. The ending of Final Fantasy X was definitely one of the most emotional and memorable in the series. I wont give away any spoilers, but it initiated the release of Final Fantasy X-2, the first direct sequel to any game in the series.
Final Fantasy X was clearly a huge success amongst both gamers and critics, and a re-release on the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita will be welcomed with open arms. However, it is quite clear that fans have been ravenous for years as they wait for some info on the remake of Final Fantasy VII. Lets just hope that the HD release of Final Fantasy X will keep the vultures at bay for a while longer. Look for it in 2012!
