Final Fantasy X-2

[Naiera]

I don't have that one either... And that boss in the desert still just whipes the floor with me

[marcus]

Remind me again, which section of the desert is that boss in? You should try the one in the Cloisters area, thats pretty tough too, although it only has 35000 HP. It deals instant death blows, which is the main problem.

[D-SG]

Does anyone know if Paine has a special sphere also, as Ive yet to come accross that?

It's called Full Throttle, and I'm afraid you've missed it - you get it from talking to Tromell (the Guado regent) and starting to defuse the Ronso-Guado war in either the first or second chapter. I'm pretty sure those are the only places it's available.

Another incentive for New Game + perhaps

And that boss in the desert still just whipes the floor with me

Although it's probably not much help to you now, a trick to Angra Mainyu is that you can soften it up a little by fighting it earlier in the game - its HP total carries across until the final battle. When you're first digging in Bikanel (Chapter 2, IIRC) you will occasionally be ambushed by AM ("A large unidentified object is approaching fast!"), but it won't use any of its attacks other than Unnatural Selection, which does no damage, just ends combat. On later chapters it will start using attacks, but not its whole repertoire. So you can chip away at it up until actually having to fight the full-strength version in Chapter 5.

Course, the more time you spend in the desert digging, the more parts for the Experiment you'll dig up and you'll end up making that incredibly tough when you hit Chapter 5, so I guess it's swings and roundabouts.

[marcus]

I guess that I would of needed to play the game more thoroughly then in order to get it, that kinda peeves me as I feel you should be able to get most things of importance at any stage in the game, theres an awful lot to do throughout the game in FFX2 and its quite likely I would of missed doing the certain task I needed to in order to get the sphere. Im not sure if Ill play it through again when Im finished, as theres far too much other stuff to play right now.

Ive been hanging around in the desert trying to fight that monster but it never shows, which bit is it in?

[D-SG]

that kinda peeves me as I feel you should be able to get most things of importance at any stage in the game

Well, you can get by fine without it, so it's not of huge importance, but I do see your point: however, I think the game's constructed with at least one replay in mind (because of the New Yevon/Youth League mission branch), and possibly more given that most of the endings are determined by your playstyle throughout the game. Like Dragon Quarter, it's a short game that wants you to play it multiple times to pick everything up. Or to pick 80% of it up, and miss the last 20% because it's outrageously unintuitive and/or hardcore.

All that said, though, I appreciate you've got too much on your gaming plate to give it another run-through, but maybe you can save it for a rainy day. And you'll still have completed the game once, which ain't so bad.

Ive been hanging around in the desert trying to fight that monster but it never shows, which bit is it in?

In Chapter 5 you shouldn't be able to access the desert at all without fighting it - it destroys the Al Bhed camp, and arriving on Bikanel starts the fight. Perhaps it doesn't show if you don't do the Cactaur Nation branch; although it should still be lurking in the desert as a random event?

[JetBlack]

One of the keys to defeating the desert fiend in chapter 5 (when it attacks the camp) is to realize it consists of three parts. 2 arms and a body. One side deals out physical damage, the other side deals out magic. The main body does some healing (at 9999 HP) and that horrid status breath.

A simple thing I found was to cast REFLECT on your party and it will deal damage to itself up to 9999. Of course if you cast reflect then you MUST ONLY use items for healing. However, I think Rikku's MIXING abilities - with that suit isn't affected by REFLECT.

Darkness attacks also seriously hurt it. Yuna's special dress sphere has healing abilities so you can beat it down with that.....but only she will get the exp. points (if that matters).

As for the Paine special Dress Sphere.....I have to admit, I forgot where you score it.....I guess what D-SG said is where to go. If that's the case shouldn't you be able to go to Guadosalam and still talk to him....he's standing next to the music band playing music. And he gets you inside that house (which I guess is where the dress is at).

Funny how I don't recall this anymore.....haha!

As for dress spheres, I did miss 2 of them when I finished my game. The Moogle suit (seen in the Luca Chapter 1) and some other suit I've yet to figure out. Apparently the Moogle suit is one of those easy to miss dresses - after you hand out balloons and finish that chapter you need to turn around and go right BACK to luca and run all the way down to the Sphere Break / Blitz Ball players area and talk to Rin. He gives you the suit.

But once you hit Chapter 2 .....forget it. Gone forever.

Something else I missed was a chest right next to Cid (when you find him down in the hole /thunder plains. Of course I talk to Cid to see if he's okay.....and of course, by doing that I trigger the boss.....which of course after beating him kicks me OUT the hole....and of course when I go BACK inside the hole to find the chest the entire cavern is now a math game.

Of course I finished the math game.....but the chest I never got to open was ......of course.....not there.

Of course.

[marcus]

Guys Im having trouble with what must be the second last boss in the game, Vegnagun. I am using Rikkus special dressphere which deals about around 5k damage per attack, the problem is that Im able to keep this going for a while, but it always gets the upperhand. It heals itself whenever it hits me also, so as soon as I start to lose against it all the damage I did previously replenishes itself. Just spent about 45 mins against it, only to find I hadnt knocked a single point off its HP!

[JetBlack]

Marcus:
"I guess that I would of needed to play the game more thoroughly then in order to get it, that kinda peeves me as I feel you should be able to get most things of importance at any stage in the game..."

You know Marcus, I have to agree with you on this point.

I first played FFX-2 for 12 hours, then realized I pissed away my chance at finding things by Chapter 2, so I THREW OUT 12+ hours and restarted my whole game. I kept my save file of the old game and replayed it. When I reached that 12 hour mark again I had 10% more completion, and almost ten levels higher for all my characters.

And STILL I had missed things.

I agree it seems the more important (possibly game winning) items should be more accessible to the "average" gamer, not just for the secret society underground handshake cult of mystery buffs. And even if some items are part of that "cult of secrecy" then as Marcus advocates, it should be reachable at more than just one moment in time of the game.

Granted replay is promoted here.....but FFX-2 isn't a very short game. Granted, it is short enough by most RPG standards, but it is not by any means so short that I could replay it over a weekend. Perhaps I would understand that more....if the replay game ONLY consisted of the parts I missed in my first game. In short, if the replay only had chapters and missions that were never completed. But new game plus opens up the ENTIRE can of worms all over again (starting over at level 1). I admit in replay you can skip the missions you finished the first time ? which would make it somewhat shorter.

But I guess, like Marcus (not to be an ass kiss) it does peeve me off from time to time.....especially after I beat the game and then discovered all the things I missed. Serious things?..important things.

Not only items, but also story, and dialog.

For me I totally missed the whole Rikku and her family stuff in the Cabin area of the airship. Once all of them were on the airship (Rikku, Cid, Brother....). That kinda pisses me right off. Missing Clasko on my airship by Chapter 1 was another thing. Grrrrrr?.

But you know.....isn't this what many gamers also begged for? Open-ended questing and less linear game play? The ability to carve out one's own path to the end of the game.

I guess it's time to use that old adage....."Be careful what you wish for".

[Tom Salter]

I've purposely not been reading FAQ's to enhance my enjoyment of the game, but it looks like I'll have to to get more out of this game. I'm currently at the start of Chapter 3, and the plot is starting to thicken and get interesting.

But since I'm trying to review this one, I've hurried through the plot, deviated very little and not really spent any time exploring to find the hidden items. And now you're telling me that without starting the game again, I've missed my chance? That's totally ****e :P

[JetBlack]

Electric Boogaloo, that's about the gist of it.

However, I would think you could review this title without completing 100%. In fact, I'd be willing to wager that 90%, or more of review sites out there have done so without 100% completion of this game. And if they did, it was only to remark on the last 10 minutes of the game - which is all the 100% completion would help you to do.

The game features 6 endings....however, the endings are stacked on top of, or added to the next. Thus, it's not like you don't get anything. You just get more of, or less of the same ending.

Now granted, there is quite a bit offered in those endings. And my personal choice would have been to get an ending that offered MORE (I only got the normal ending). For all the fighting and wishing for "someone/something" to happen at the end....I was upset to not have it come to fruition.

In fact, as a reviewer...it is quite easy to talk about this title BECAUSE the very fact of how easy it is to miss aspects of the game through the "mission based" objectives. In short, I wouldn't worry....unless 100% is your goal.

If that's the case, I suggest restart and use of a guide. Trust me, there are some things that no ordinary person would ever figure out. Just so off the mark it boggles the mind. To be sure, the dev team had some serious inside jokes going on here.

Case in point....there are 3 Squatter monkeys on a sign in one particular scene ( I won't say where). They are there for the ENTIRE game. However, at one point in the game, if you synchronize their jumping and push X at the right time you'll get something. This is part of reaching the 100% goal.

You have got to be ****tin' me.

Electric Boogaloo, I look forward to your review - and slant - on the game.

[Tom Salter]

Nice one, cheers.

About restarting, I think I'll just play it through and work it out myself. Games shouldn't be about sitting with a strategy guide in one hand, and joypad in the other. If it's not easy to work out what to do, why bother? It's nice to know it's there though, if you want to go back through.

As for the non-linear way through the game, I'm really liking it. Although the point you raised about the game being a long one, that kinda puts a downer on it. It's not like say, Shadow of Memories where you could razz through the game twice in a day. I don't think many people are going to play this through more than once. When I got to the first branching point, I played the next 40 minutes or so of each scenario just to see how it affected the story

You've gotta admire Square and the way that each Final Fantasy game throws up entirely different themes and moral thoughts, whereas other series love to rehash the same, or very similar ideas.

\I shall get cracking on playing more when this damn hangover disappears >_<

[JetBlack]

Good luck on the hangover - hah!

I agree with you that games shouldn't need the employ of a guide in order to achieve satisfaction in game play. As a rule I never use a guide to play a game - and only look at them AFTER I've beaten them on my own two feet.

However, FFX-2 is a game I just might replay with a guide in hand. I fear I would only make the same mistakes as in my first game and miss the inside gags and secrets without a guide. Or worse....that the replay game lasts twice as long as my first play - because I'd be searching every Square inch (pun intended) of Spira.

But I also agree in regard to the Final Fantasy franchise. They do know how to toss a monkey wrench into the system with each incarnation. Devil May Cry 2 this aint.

[D-SG]

If that's the case shouldn't you be able to go to Guadosalam and still talk to him....he's standing next to the music band playing music. And he gets you inside that house (which I guess is where the dress is at).

Afraid not - he just gives it to you after you meet him in Macalania and talk about the Guado's future.

I first played FFX-2 for 12 hours, then realized I pissed away my chance at finding things by Chapter 2, so I THREW OUT 12+ hours and restarted my whole game.

Not to suggest anyone's "playing it wrong", or anything, but I think it's possible to get too hung up on the completion percentage - maybe that's a fault of the game, or of games in general. The perfect ending isn't the be-all and end-all of FFX-2 - it's what happens along the way that matters, and unless you get the bad ending (which I believe requires you to fail the requirements for every plot episode and lose the fight against the final boss) you've still completed the game, and (hopefully) enjoyed yourself along the way. 100% completion is for the secret society underground handshake cult of mystery buffs: everything else is for you.

Guys Im having trouble with what must be the second last boss in the game, Vegnagun.

I'm not sure which fight you're on (there are four seperate battles, yeah?), but if it's using Regen to regain life, Dispel that as soon as you can. Using all three girls where possible and then mopping up with a special dressphere is probably a safer bet than relying on one special dressphere for long - if you start losing the edge with the special dressphere, bring the gang back in. Use Shell and Reflect and abuse Spare Change madly. In the Arm fight, ignore the orbs and concentrate on the arm itself; in the Body fight, try to constantly keep the Bulwarks KO'd so it wastes time healing them; in the Head fight, do the same with the tusks (I think you have to in order to attack the head anyway).

Sorry to be vague, but I'm **** at attrition-based boss fights, and I wish FFX-2 hadn't ended with a gauntlet of the bloody things.

[marcus]

Ah right, I guess Im at the first one then in that case. I tend to get so stuck into the basic routine of using two out-and-out attackers and a healer and just levelling up I forget about all the other things you can use, like Dispel, and spare change which I cant say Ive used at all. Although now that I have accumulated over 500,000 gil I may as well try it. Im currently trying to level up black magic on Yuna and Bushido on Payne.

[D-SG]

and spare change which I cant say Ive used at all. Although now that I have accumulated over 500,000 gil I may as well try it.

That'll probably kill every incarnation of Vegnagun right there . It's a ludicrously overpowered cheap shot, although strangely I feel no guilt about overusing it. Players on other forums seem to just hammer the equally overpowered Dark Knight abilities to win the final fights - next time around I'm going to try some entirely different combination of jobs, which I reckon will make things much harder but not necessarily impossible.

Im currently trying to level up black magic on Yuna and Bushido on Payne.

Bushido rocks - bizarrely, Rikku makes a good Samurai too, and has a great costume in the Auron style.