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Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster | HearLore
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
In the year 2013, a decade after the original release, the world of Spira was reborn in high definition, bringing the beloved characters of Tidus and Yuna to a new generation of gamers. This remaster, developed by Square Enix with significant contributions from the Chinese studio Virtuos, was not merely a graphical update but a comprehensive overhaul that preserved the soul of the original games while making them accessible to players who had never experienced them. The project began as a reunion of the original development team and voice cast, driven by a desire to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Final Fantasy X and to ensure that those too young to have played the games could experience them firsthand. Producer Yoshinori Kitase was motivated by his own son, who knew the characters only from the spin-off title Dissidia Final Fantasy, and by the realization that many fans had been unable to play the games due to hardware incompatibility with the PlayStation 3. The remaster was first announced at the Tokyo Game Show in 2011, with the expectation that it would be released to commemorate the anniversary, though the actual development process was delayed as much of the team was still occupied with the creation of Final Fantasy XIII.
A New Chapter in Audio
The remaster introduced a new audio drama titled Final Fantasy X: Will, which played during the credits and served as a direct sequel to the events of X-2. Written by scenario writer Kazushige Nojima, the drama featured multiple characters from the games alongside two new characters: the narrator Chuami and her companion Kurgum. The story followed Chuami and Kurgum as they were sent to summon Yuna to investigate a mysterious phenomenon known as the Beckoning, where the dead were being called back into existence. Over the course of the story, it was revealed that Tidus was suffering from some kind of weakness, and that Yuna and he had broken up, with Yuna seeing someone else. The drama ended with Yuna preparing to face Sin again and Tidus, despite his weakness, deciding to follow her, while Chuami and Kurgum decided to accompany them. The team wanted the audio drama to be the direct opposite to the upbeat feel and happy ending of X-2, resulting in a more melancholy atmosphere. The drama's open ending was intentional, as Kitase wanted to leave something up to the player's imagination, and the team brought Sin, the main antagonist of X, back into the story to keep it involved in a similar fashion to Sephiroth, the main antagonist of Final Fantasy VII and its companion media.
The Technical Challenge
The development of the remaster faced significant technical hurdles, particularly in porting the games to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. The original games used many functionalities unique to the PlayStation 2 hardware, and the loss and repair of some of the original assets posed another hurdle. Kitase commented that it might have been easier to recreate the data from the ground up. The PlayStation 3 version supported display resolutions of 720p and 1080p, while the Vita version ran at 720x408 pixels. Graphical features such as the water effects and lighting were improved, and other changes included the addition of bloom, the move from circular to dynamic shadows, and tweaks to environmental geometry and texturing. The developers revised the 3D models for both games, with most models merely receiving new textures but those of the playable characters being rebuilt completely with noticeable changes to their faces. The cutscenes and prerendered environments needed to be adjusted from a 4:3 to a 16:9 screen ratio, a process that required lots of art and programming readjustments. For example, the widescreen display led to character models being visible in a cutscene although they were to appear only in a later shot, and these instances had to be corrected. Both the prerendered background images and cutscenes were cropped at the top and bottom to fit the new screen ratio, but they received a bump in resolution to appear much clearer than in the PlayStation 2 version.
When was Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster first announced?
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster was first announced at the Tokyo Game Show in 2011. The project was intended to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the original game but faced development delays as the team worked on Final Fantasy XIII.
Who developed Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster and which studio contributed to the project?
Square Enix developed Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster with significant contributions from the Chinese studio Virtuos. Producer Yoshinori Kitase led the reunion of the original development team and voice cast to ensure the project preserved the soul of the original games.
What new content was added to Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster besides the graphical updates?
The remaster introduced a new audio drama titled Final Fantasy X: Will which served as a direct sequel to the events of X-2. The drama featured characters Chuami and Kurgum alongside returning characters like Tidus and Yuna to investigate a mysterious phenomenon known as the Beckoning.
On what date was Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster released for Windows via Steam?
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster was released on Windows via Steam on May 12 one year after the PlayStation 4 port. The PC version includes 4K support, 5 game boosters, 3 parameter changes, audio volume options, the option to skip FMVs, and an auto-save feature.
How many copies of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster sold in Japan during its first week?
The PlayStation 3 and Vita versions of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster sold 185,918 and 149,132 copies respectively during its first week in Japan. The total sales for both versions in the first week exceeded 339,000 copies in Japan.
Is there a confirmed sequel to Final Fantasy X based on the audio drama Final Fantasy X: Will?
Square Enix has not confirmed a sequel to Final Fantasy X despite speculation sparked by the audio drama Final Fantasy X: Will. Director Motomu Toriyama expressed interest in returning to the world of Spira after finishing Final Fantasy VII Remake while writer Kazushige Nojima has a story written for a potential sequel.
Sixty tracks of the original Final Fantasy X soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, and Junya Nakano were rearranged for the remaster. Hamauzu and Nakano took charge of most of the revised music, with Tsutomu Narita and Ryo Yamazaki also making select arrangements. The soundtrack for X-2 by Noriko Matsueda and Takahito Eguchi was carried over from the original PlayStation 2 version. The remastered soundtrack received mixed reviews, with some critics noting that the revamped music might be less agreeable to fans of the original score, while others praised the general improvement in the sound. Some tracks were improved by the remastering, while others felt uneven or lost their impact. The audio drama Final Fantasy X: Will also received mixed responses, with some critics finding it incredibly weird and confusing, while others called it a good little distraction. The team wanted the audio drama to be the direct opposite to the upbeat feel and happy ending of X-2, resulting in a more melancholy atmosphere. The drama's open ending was intentional, as Kitase wanted to leave something up to the player's imagination, and the team brought Sin, the main antagonist of X, back into the story to keep it involved in a similar fashion to Sephiroth, the main antagonist of Final Fantasy VII and its companion media.
The Global Release
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster was released as a collection for the PlayStation 3 and as separate releases of each game for the PlayStation Vita. Alongside the standard PlayStation Vita releases in Japan, there was a Twin Pack that bundled both games and a Resolution Box collection that additionally contained the handheld console. A dual release was decided against for the Vita versions due to the limited storage capacity of the cartridges. Play Arts Kai figurines of Tidus and Yuna were produced, and the original soundtracks were re-released. Two new Ultimania guide books were published for each game, and Nojima wrote the tie-in novel Final Fantasy X-2.5: Eien no Daishō that bridges the gap between Last Mission and Final Fantasy X: Will. A Collector's Edition of the PlayStation 3 version was exclusively released in North America via Square Enix's online store, containing both games, an artwork book, a Blu-ray disc for the rearranged soundtrack, and five artwork lithographs. A special launch event was held at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, California during March 2014, which included a signing event with Kitase and Naora, and an artwork auction with all profits going to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. The PlayStation 4 port of the remaster, which supported save transfers from the PS3 and Vita versions and remote play on the Vita, was released worldwide on PS4 in May 2015. It was later released on Windows via Steam one year later on May 12 with 4K support, 5 game boosters, 3 parameter changes, audio volume options, the option to skip FMVs, and an auto-save feature. Versions for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One were released on the 16th of April 2019, with the audio volume options as well as 4K support on Xbox.
The Critical Response
The remaster has received favorable reviews, with the Vita version holding a score of 86/100, the PS3 version an 85/100, the PS4 version an 84/100, and the PC version an 83/100 on Metacritic. Reaction to the quality of the remaster was mostly positive, with IGN's Meghan Sullivan saying that despite the game showing its roots, it looks and sounds dramatically better, though she critiqued some textures, off-putting facial close-ups, and lip-synching problems carried over from the original. GameSpot's Josiah Renaudin was generally positive, calling the visual upgrades compelling reasons to revisit one of the most poignant entries in the long-running series, although he found the uneven graphical upgrade comparisons between player characters and NPCs jarring. Reviewing the PlayStation 3 version, Destructoid's Dale North generally praised the upgrade, but also said that the fixed camera had not aged well and some of the smaller, more detailed aspects of environments and models had not received a thorough HD treatment. Game Informer's Kimberley Wallace generally praised the upgrade, but noted that character movements betrayed the game's age. GamesRadar's Ashley Reed called the environments better-looking, but found the characters oddly doll-like and noted graphical limitations carried over from the original. She found less of these problems in X-2. Digital Spy's Mark Langshaw praised the upgrade, but noted framerate dips and ropey animations. He also noted that the character models in X-2 were updated better than those in X. Reviewing the PS3 version, VideoGamer.com's Daniel Cairns was highly positive, despite noting some lingering awkward moments. In his review of the Vita version, Ryan King of NowGamer generally praised the updates and polishing the game received. While the Vita version was similarly praised by the majority of reviewers, Renaudin and Wallace noted that some dated textures stood out more.
The Sales Success
During its first week on sale in Japan, the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions of the game sold 185,918 and 149,132 copies respectively. The total sales for PS3 and Vita versions in its first week was over 339,000 copies in Japan. The individual PlayStation Vita versions of X and X-2 sold 31,775 and 16,355 copies respectively during their first two weeks in Japan. The two versions of HD Remaster were also successful in North America, selling 206,000 copies within a month of its release. The game was the 7th best-selling game for PS3 and the top-selling title for Vita on the PlayStation Network for the month of February 2014. The title's overall sales were cited by Square Enix as a reason for its improved financial situation at the end of the 2013/14 fiscal year. As of April 2018, the PC version of the game has sold over 584,000 copies on Steam. As of September 2021, the Final Fantasy X series had sold over 20.8 million units worldwide, and at the end of March 2022 had surpassed 21.1 million.
The Legacy of Spira
The audio drama sparked speculation of a second sequel to X. In a February 2014 interview, Shinji Hashimoto said that the audio drama was simply meant to expand on the universe and did not mean a sequel was in development. Prior to this, Nojima stated that if there was enough demand, there could be developments, and that he would like to write the story for a second sequel. Nojima later revealed to Famitsu: For the record, there's a plot from start to finish, and if there's some way we can have it show up elsewhere… well, so I've said to Square Enix. Later, speaking with Famitsu in a feature concerning industry rumors, Kitase denied that a second sequel was in development, and that both Eien no Daishō and the audio drama were simply intended as standalone continuations of the games' universe. Shinji Hashimoto revealed in October 2016 that Final Fantasy X-3 is possible but Square Enix is currently busy with other projects and he also confirmed that the audio drama is the basis for it. In July 2021, Tetsuya Nomura revealed that a story for the potential sequel has been written by Final Fantasy X writer Kazushige Nojima. Final Fantasy X director Motomu Toriyama similarly expressed interest in returning to the world of Spira and said that it could potentially happen after finishing Final Fantasy VII Remake.