Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (PS4) Review–Not Everything That Shines Works

Final Fantasy X and X-2 have captivated many people. Last year, they were released as a remaster on PS3 and Vita. This year, they have made their way onto PS4 with a new coat of paint.

If you remember, last year when I reviewed Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster I wasn’t a fan of a couple things: the music in X and the loading times. I loved the International content of X-2, and the fact they’d only done a few spruce ups on it. Now on PS4, I was excited to jump back into these games and maybe start working on those Platinum trophies again.

So yes, just to get it out of the way: yes the game looks prettier. They’ve spruced up the fields and NPCs, though I think they also now look a bit shinier than before. The loading times are very much fixed, with loading near instant in some places on the digital version. The ability to change to the Original OST on FFX is also fantastic, though I do wish it could’ve just been patched in on PS3 and Vita.

Some issues have cropped up in this version though – and they all seem to be issues relating to FFX. FFX-2 is perfectly fine and is still highly suggested by me to play – the International content really is awesome. So what ARE these issues in FFX?

Issue one: The music doesn’t continue from where it left off when you leave the battle. This is the minor issue, though slightly annoying if you want to hear more than the first little bit of a song if you don’t have No Encounters on. My guess is this has something to do with how the ability to switch to Original OST was added. It’s definitely an issue, no matter how minor it is. EDIT: It has come to my attention that the music issue is ALSO present in FFX-2, which I was not aware of at the original time of review. I have checked and can confirm this to be true. I now have no clue as to why this has happened, though I still have a theory it was to do with them adding the Original OST for FFX back in.

Issue two: The RNG (Random Number Generator) is broken. Yes, you read that right. The RNG in FFX has been broken. It’s not random anymore. You will always have the same events happen every time you load a save. The fourth battle you get? It’s going to be an ambush. Want to farm Dark Aeons by reloading your saves? It’s never going to drop a Ribbon. At least, from my time on Dark Valefor this was true. I saw a lot of Regen armors before I realized what was going on. Stuck on that boss and want to take a break? When you reload it, it’s always going to do the exact same things.

Now, so I don’t turn this review into a 5-page long review, I’ll try and keep it brief. It doesn’t matter what your playtime is. Your stats matter only so much in it determines your turn order, and I’m guessing it will change when your misses will happen. If you have the same stats though, those misses will always happen on the same hits. In fact, it doesn’t even matter if you defend to try and push them.

There is some minor variations that seem to happen when it comes to fights with multiple enemies, but only so much in who they hit. Even then, most of the time it will always be the same battles happening after a reload. The same drops will also happen. It seems you can also minorly influence the turn order by adjusting the order of your party (including reserves). It doesn’t affect drops however.

Luckily, Final Fantasy X-2 remains intact, RNG and all.

This RNG brokenness extends beyond battles, too. While I didn’t go into as much extensive testing, I did look at Blitzball for a bit. Every time I reloaded, something that should NORMALLY randomize if you get a tournament or not… I always got one. It wasn’t just “getting a tournament” either – it was always the SAME TOURNAMENT. No, it wasn’t started, I checked. I had an active league going at the time, but not a tournament.

So my question is: Square Enix, what in the WORLD did you do to break FFX’s RNG on PS4? It works perfectly fine on PS3 and Vita! This RNG issue is a gigantic blow to how playable the PS4 version is. Well, it is playable but not if you want to actually farm drops or do ANYTHING involving RNG. I desperately hope that this will be patched, as I would very much prefer to be able to farm on PS4 because the loading times are SO nice.

As a small note, I also questioned the install of the digital version a bit. It installs it as a “piecemeal” so-to-speak. The last thing it installs? The data transfer. So if you’re like me and want to transfer over your saves from PS3 or Vita, be prepared for a wait.

As it stands now, I give the PS4 version of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster a gigantic PASS. The nice shiny new coat of paint is nice, as are the loading times and the option to change to the Original OST, but the fact the randomness is so broken just kills it.

If you are just looking for FFX-2 and NOT FFX from this release then the PS4 version is fantastic. The only thing I’d nitpick about is the places where broadcast blocking are placed are a bit awkward – namely, why are the loop video and the title screen blocked? Final Fantasy X-2 performs, as far as I can tell, as it did on PS3. It just has that nice shinier coat of paint and MUCH improved loading times. The score below is influenced JUST from of Final Fantasy X. Final Fantasy X-2 alone, as said, is much better – it would be more like a 4.5 if this was FFX-2 alone.

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (PS4) Review Score

2/5

No really. The RNG being so broken is that much of a deal breaker for me. Anyone want some Regen armor? I hear Valefor likes giving them out on this version!

You can purchase the PS3 version from Amazon now.

I would like to thank Square Enix for providing me with a copy for review.