Swing out sister - Now you're not here

Swing Out Sister - Now You're Not Here από pezhammer

Listen to my story. This may be our last chance.

Final Fantasy X, including its direct sequel, X-2, was the last diamond of the Sakauchi era Final Fantasy series. Back when I was a kid, and Squaresoft produced great games. I admit that me being 23 now, has a lot to do with how I evaluate  today's games. I am not as easily impressed as I was in 2003 when I first played FFX. Would the game have the same effect on me today? Probably not, but that's partly what makes it so sweet to reminisce. All the games have a special place in my heart, until X-2. After that, Hironobu Sakaguchi left the company due to reasons unexplained to the public.
I wish SquareSoft still made good games like that. Now their titles are too action oriented and too frothy story-wise. The music is not as memorable either .I remember waking up in the mornings to play FFX. Oh boy, that fight with Seymour on the snowy mountain of Gagazet. It was so hard to beat him that I remember, even his robotic voice, to this day . What a badass he was. Wakka, the dependable, albeit naive character of the group. Always hoping for the best, and keeping in line with the teachings of Yevon. His faith is tested in the game, and in the end, what he sees changes his whole perspective of it. Funny, easy-going, a brotherly figure for Tidus, and a serious and trust-worthy guardian at heart. Yuna, a quiet but powerful summoner. Respectfully going on a pilgrimage towards her doom, following her father's footsteps in a suicidal ceremony that will grant the people of Spira two or three years of Peace. Rikku, the cousin of Yuna, secretly an Al-Bhed , the comic relief of the group. Nicely making fun of  people to their faces, and being the carefree and full of energy thief-guardian of the lot. She acts as a little daughter to Lulu, the most mature of the group. Hardly the small-talk type, her remarks are always spot on, and her wisdom is always a great aid to the hot-tempered youth of the fellowship. I suppose she is like a mother to Yuna,when something goes wrong, Yuna always finds comfort in her arms. That leaves us Kimahri and Auron. Kimahri hardly ever talks, and thus he doesn't have many lines in the game. But his acts speak more that most people's words. He was with Yuna from years back. In a way, maybe his own tribe 's turbulations made him who he is. Kimahri's love and protection of Yuna sometimes makes him seem intimidating to others. But Yuna always found solace knowing that he was around. And she loved his little broken horn. It's what made him special.
Auron. When the game starts, the character Auron appears , non-chalantly re-defining the word cool ,to my 16 year old eyes . As I raised my jaw from the floor, the sequence begins when Tidus is brought back to reality from the dream of Sin by a whilrwind of anti-gravity. Somehow Tidus is transferred to another dimension through his "old man" 's intervention. But how did Jecht first materialize from the Fayth in the first place? How did he break free  from the dream of the Fayth ? He must have swam a long way from home , in "Dream Zanarkand" . The game cleverly leaves us hanging in questions such as this one.

Anyway, what I know now is that both things have happened. I grew older, and the games are really bad now. Final Fantasy is not the game that I loved to play. I still remember my wild excitement when I saw the little paragraph in a videogames magazine (yes I used to buy them, I was a hardcore gamer back then) that announced a sequel to FFX. I found solace in these games. Final Fantasy was a portal outside of this world for me, and every different installment of the Sakaguchi era games had a different charm to it . It's not a coincidence that Final Fantasy was successful and made its name in the 90's. The world was more open to dreamers back then, people were more open to sentimental and romantic ideas. But then again, I might just have grown old.
I don't want to hear any comments on how great Lighting's return must be in the new FFXIII. I don't want to listen to what casual fans have to say about the games. I am one of the niche market that grew up with it, that dreamed with it , and fell in love with its charm . I want  , however, to think that somewhere these kids (then) still look back to these utopias now, and reminisce them from time to time. I want to believe that these young dreamers are still the same today, somewhere in their heart, and the dream did not end just because they are now adults. Let's hope I am not the only one .