Summoner's Dilema

A month or so ago, perhaps a bit longer, I completed my replay of Final Fantasy X, the latest in my replay of the Final Fantasy series. FF X was the first Final Fantasy for the PS2. It was also the first FF in full 3D and with voice acting. Both those actually made the game feel somewhat different than its predecessors - though the lip syncing does leave something to be desired. I don't remember being blown away by the game or anything the first time I played it, though I seem to have enjoyed more on my second time through.

It seems I don't have any stunning commentary for this game. It was, perhaps, more linear than most FFs (even by FF standards) and the lack of proper airship flying was a tad disappointing, but overall a good game and worth playing. The sphere grid was also an interesting twist on the normal leveling process. It was also nice to be able to swap out party members on the fly. Most of the characters were at least somewhat interesting - except for Khimari, he was kind of boring.

The game's ending was... well, I don't remember how I reacted the first time I saw it, but this time around I was very misty eyed - I may have even cried a bit. Very bitter sweet at the end, alas! But now with FF X out of the way, I'll move on to X-2 (after I finish Persona 3) and then the Tactics games (probably just the original Tactics and FF 12), at which point I'll have to decide on whether or not to play the PS version of Tactics or get the PSP version (which would necessitate getting a PSP). Choices, choices!

Anyway, I think that's enough babble, on to the summary. Spoilers abound.

Final Fantasy X Summary

- Enter Tidus, star blitzball player on the Zanarkand Abes, meeting his fans before the big game. He signs a few blitzballs then has to be moving along.

- During the signing and on the way to the game, Tidus hallucinates about some short hooded kid, but otherwise nothing unusual happens. Whilst running through the city, a voice-over comments on legendary blitzball player Jecht, who also happens to be Tidus' father and it's fairly clear that Tidus didn't see eye-to-eye with good ol' Jecht.

- The blitzball match begins, which turns out to be some sort of underwater soccer played in a suspended sphere of water.

- The excited crowd seems oblivious to the large wall of water approaching the city, except for a man in a red trenchcoat who has a penchant for standing on tall things.

- The wall of water reaches the city and starts shooting things at it, which finally gets the attention of people in the stadium who flee in terror.

- Running with the rest of them, Tidus encounters the red trenchcoated man outside the stadium who he knows as Auron.

- Auron drags Tidus along with him, telling him that the monster thing is called "Sin" (no, that's not ominous at all) and gives him a sword, supposedly from Jecht, when they encounter some sin spawn.

- After clearing out the monsters, Auron appears to toss Tidus at Sin at which point things go kind of funny, and Tidus eventually wakes up by himself in some water filled ruin things.

- While exploring and looting the ruins, Tidus gets chased by a giant fish thing but manages to escape, then lights a fire to keep warm.

- After a little bit, Tidus is captured by some people who speak another language - Al Bhed (though the game might not name them at this point) - and they take them back to their ship.

- One of the crew, a young woman and the apparent leader, speaks Tidus' language. He tells her he's from Zanarkand but she claims it was destroyed a long time ago and thinks that Sin's toxins got to him, making his brain a litte funny.

- Anyway, the leader (named Rikku), recruits Tidus to help activate some underwater ruins because it's apparently better to endanger random strangers (especially since he's a bit addled anyway) rather than her own crew.

- They manage to activate the ruins and return to the ship, but that's when Sin shows up. Yay! Tidus gets to nap again for a bit and this time he wakes up just off a pleasant looking beach.

- A blitzball lands near Tidus, from a group of players practicing on the beach. Tidus decides to show them up and returns the ball using one of his fancy moves.

- This gets the notice of the team captain, Wakka, who's trying to train up his (rather incompetent) team, the Besaid Aurochs. Tidus slips up by saying that he plays for the Zanarkand Abes (there's that Zanarkand again), but smooths things over by saying that Sins toxins got to him. Seems he learns quickly, eh?

- Wakka doesn't seem too fazed and invites Tidus back to Besaid for a bit, so we get to go on a nice jaunt through the country side.

- On the way to the village, Wakka suckers Tidus into helping train up the Aurochs (who have never won a game) for a big upcoming Blitzball tournament.

- In Besaid, Wakka lets Tidus wander around a while and Tidus gets even more bewildered, though he runs into a couple of Crusaders who fill him in a bit about how Sin goes around smashing things up, and they try to fight him and pick up the pieces afterwards.

- After a quick trip to the temple and seeing the statue of the former high-summoner, Tidus goes for a nap in Wakka's place, though part way through Wakka is called off for something mysterious.

- People seem worried about why the summoner-in-training hasn't returned from the temple so of course we've got to go stick our nose in.

- Wakka's in the temple and tells Tidus about the Cloister of Trials, which can be dangerous, but he thinks everything's ok. Tidus decides to go in despite people trying to tell him not to.

- After a silly little puzzle, Tidus finds the Cloister (and Wakka catches up) with two others standing guard. The summoner then emerges, having successfully completed her trial.

- Back outside the temple, the Summoner, now known as Yuna, shows off by summoning Valefor and Tidus seems duly impressed.

- The village throws a party at night. Yuna seems mildly curious about Tidus, but Tidus is prevent from putting the moves on her by the local village hag.

- Somewhere in there, Wakka fills in Tidus about how he's a Guardian, along with Lulu and Khimari (who had been waiting outside the cloister for Yuna when Tidus barges in), meaning they are supposed to protect Yuna. It also turns out that Tidus bears a resemblence to Wakka's younger brother, Chappu, who was a crusader and got himself killed fighting Sin. So for Wakka, this is all about revenge, which means it can't end well.

- Next morning, our rather motly assortment of misfits sets off to guard Yuna on her pilgrimage to other temples to collect the allegiance of other Aeons which will allow her to (hopefully) defeat Sin, but only temporarily.

- We take a boat, heading for Kilika (at which point we'll transfer to another ship bound for Luca where the Blitzball tournament is held where, we're hoping, Tidus will run into some fans).

- Enroute to Kilika, Tidus gets to chat up Yuna and finds out that Lord Braska, the former high summoner, was her father and that he (and therefore she) somehow knew Jecht, Tidus' father. Tidus seems doubtful its the same person - or at least doesn't want to believe it. We also encounter the wandering merchant Oaka.

- As we're approaching Kilika, Sin decides to attack. The crew on the boat try to distract Sin, but this doesn't end well. Kilika gets kind of mauled.

- Yuna gets to perform the "sending", a ritualistic dance that sends the spirits of the deceased to the afterlife to prevent them from becoming fiends. Then it's nap time for now.

- In the morning, we start by making a trip to the local temple to go Aeon hunting.

- The crusaders are also out in force, on a mission to be annoying (so it seems) and give useless advice.

- After fighting past the Ochu Lord, we reach the stairs up to the temple and make use of a handy save point that says "boss ahead".

- The Besaid blitzball team decides to race Tidus up the stairs and has Yuna be the official starter, but she cheats and runs ahead before finishing her count down. But sure enough, they almost immediately come running back saying there's a Sinspawn up there. How's that for karma?

- After dispatching the Sinspawn, we proceed the rest of the way up to the temple, but not until Wakka and Lulu have had a moment wherein Lulu gets mad at Wakka for making up theories on how Chappu could still be alive.

- Outside the temple, the Luca Goers, a stupidly named Blitzball team which, nevertheless, seems to be one of the better ones, shows up and "poo-poos" the Aurochs.

- Then inside the temple, we meet another summoner, Dona, and her meaty guardian, Barthello, who seems to be all brawn and very little brains. Dona acts all condescending and stuff and is, in general, a bit of a bitch.

- Yuna, Wakka, Lulu and Khimari descend into the cloister area, leaving Tidus behind since he's not a guardian yet. Dona gets wind of this and has Barthello drop Tidus into the Cloister, no doubt hoping that his precense will foul things up somehow.

- Nevertheless, Tidus manages to find his way through the puzzle area and finds the others, and blames his precence on Dona. Anyway, nothing bad happens, but Wakka and Lulu fill Tidus in on the Fayth - souls that died fighting Sin that now dwell in statues and allow themselves to be summoned as Aeons.

- Anyway, Yuna comes out in possession of her new toy, Ifrit (not a surprise from the fire theme of the Kilika temple).

- As our work here is now done, we board the ship for Luca and leave the people of Kilika to wallow in their misery.

- With various teams arriving in port for the Blitzball tournament, coverage is big, though the Auroch's are rightfully marginalized, though Tidus doesn't pass up the chance to look like a fool for the camera. The head Maester dude for Yevon is also in town for the tournament along with Maester Seymore, a Guado, who's kind of scarey looking. Guess that means he can't possibly be a villain.

- Anyway, the Auroch's catch a lucky break and don't have to face the Goers for the first round like last year and instead get to go up against the Al Bhed team. This doesn't stop them from being depressed however ('cause they do suck, after all), and Wakka tries to give them a pep talk before the big game.

- After Wakka bores his team (and especially Tidus) to tears with his Blitzball tutorial, Yuna bursts into the men's locker room (is she hoping to see something, perhaps?) with news that Auron's been sighted in a cafe in Luca.

- Tidus volunteers to help look for him as he assumes that it's the same Auron that he knew in Zanarkand and promises Wakka he'll be back in time for the game.

- So, heading over to the cafe, looting as we go, this is also when Yuna tells Tidus that Auron was one of her father's guardians.

- As we go, Maester Mika gets the tournament off and rolling.

- We get to the cafe only to find Auron conspicuously abset, but Khimari gets into a bit of fisticuffs with a couple of other Ronso, with Tidus egging him on.

- Conveniently, at this time, we find out that Yuna's gone missing. Apparantly, she's been kidnapped by some Al Bhed who want the Auroch's to throw their game (currently 2-2) for her safe return.

- Well, we'll have none of this pansy blackmail stuff, so Tidus, Lulu and Khimari go rescue Yuna from the Al Bhed's ship, and this is when we learn that Yuna is half Al Bhed (Cid is apparatly her uncle) and Wakka, it seems, has anti-Al Bhen tendencies.

- Lulu gives the all clear signal which means Wakka is free to go ahead and score the winning goal.

- The others rush back to the stadium to find the Auroch's about ready to go up against the Luca Goers, with Wakka seemingly injured from the game against the Psyches.

- Tidus steps in to fill Wakka's place for the finals against the Goers, but due to popular demand, Wakka is brought back in during the second half, but the Auroch's lose anyway.

- As the Auroch's are about to wallow in their misery, the stadium is attacked by fiends! Wakka and Tidus to their best to fend them off and are joined by Auron, who decided to turn up after all, but they are soon overwhelmed.

- The day is saved when Seymour summons his aeon, Anima, a big ugly looking thing, which then proceeds to vapourize the fiends.

- After the mayhem, Wakka says goodbye to the Aurochs to resume his position as one of Yuna's guardians. Auron signs up for the job as well, as a promise he made to Yuna's father, and brings Tidus along as a promise to Jecht.

- Auron tells Tidus that Jecht is no longer alive - he is Sin. Tidus doesn't seem to want to believe this. To the others, Auron simply tells them he hasn't seen Jecht in 10 years.

- Yuna attempts to cheer up Tidus, which seems to involve having him practice his evil villain laugh. After that's out of their system, the pilgrimige continues along the Mi'hen Highroad to the Djose temple.

- On the Highroad we meet various individuals including Maester Maechen, a travelling scholar, some other summoner and a nun in training. Also, there a trio of Chocobo Knights who seem to be planning something with the Crusaders, Luzzo and the other one, conspiring to defeat Sin with "forbidden machina"

- We stop for the night at one of Lin's shops, an Al Bhed establishment. Wakka's anti-Al Bhed sentiments show through, but Auron puts his foot down on the matter.

- While there, Yuna and Tidus enjoy a sunset and discuss how Sin keeps coming back after being defeated. Some people just don't know when to give up.

- After resting, we set out, but encounter the Chocobo Eater which loves those Kilika Firaga Chocobos. Anyway, it is soon dispatched and then we continue along the Mi'ihen Highroad.

- At the end of the highroad, we find our way blocked by the Crusaders and those Chocobo Knights as part of their anti-Sin operation. That snobby summoner Dona is here too, also being stonewalled.

- We fail at convincing the guards to let us past the roadblock, but then Seymour shows up and throws his weight around and lets us through as some Sinspawn are being taken to the site of the operation as bait for Sin.

- Wakka asks Seymour if a Maester should be involved in something that goes against the teachings of Yevon, but Seymore basically tells him to pretend he's not there (Jedi mind powers he has not)

- We wander over to HQ for the operation and then things begin. Sin appears, as expected, and is very angry. The Crusaders and Chocobo Knights are overmatched and soundly decimated. Even the Al Bhen laser canon thing doesn't work in the end.

- Corspes litter the beach in the aftermath and Auron tells Tidus that Jecht (aka Sin) came to see him and that he wants Tidus to kill him. Auron also warns Tidus not to tell the others about Jecht.

- This little misadventure out of the way, we head on over to the Djose temple where we acquire the aeon Ixion, after a brief encounter with Dona (though her guardian Barthello seems to idolize Auron).

- The pilgrimage continues northward, now travelling past the Moonflow to Guadosalam (a Guado city)

- We encounter those two disagreeable Ronso that we saw in Luca and they warn Khimari that Summoners are disappearing (though they're still not very nice about it); it all seems rather ominous. (Dun dun dun!)

- Then we arrive at the crossing for the Moonflow (a river that attracts a lot of Pyreflies at night) and we get to ride ze shoopuff! (A large elephant like thing.) Tidus gets rather overexcited at the prospect.

- Whilst riding the shoopuff, we get a bit of a history lessen about the machina war 1000 years ago and find out more of how much of a religious nut Wakka and some of the others are (we can only use the machina that Yevon tells us!)

- Also, seems like Sin appeared during the machina war (and is what put a stop to it) and is now seen as the punishment for "going to far", as it were.

- But then, an Al Bhed appears out of nowhere and kidnaps Yuna! So Tidus and Wakka dive into the Moonflow and fight this machine while holding their breath a really long time.

- But, alls well that ends well as Yuna is saved and we get to the other bank without further incident. However, a short way along the path Tidus finds an Al Bhed washed up on shore who comes to and does a little strip show for him (don't worry, she's actually wearing clothes underneath) and it turns out to be Rikku from earlier

- The others catch up and Rikku bamboozles her way into our group (after a little huddle with Yuna and Lulu), and Wakka, poster child for the anti-Al Bhed, doesn't realize that Rikku's actually Al Bhed without her uniform on (there's a sharp one for you)

- Then we arrive in Guadosalam, home of the Guado. Yuna and her rif-raff are invited into the manor to visit Maester Seymour who ends up proposing - though apparantly for essentially political reasons (all for the good of Spira). In a manor with spooky music playing and an unsuspicious looking guy like Seymour, there's no way he could have less savory motivations, right?

- As part of the conversation, Seymour shows us an image of Zanarkand at its height along with the first summoner, Yunalesca (whom it is implied was from Zanarkand) and says stuff about a strong bond of love being needed to defeat Sin. Yunalesca also seems to be fond of skimpy clothing.

- Yuna is somewhat flustered and doesn't give an answer right away, but goes to visit the Farplane to commune with the dead. Sounds kind of creepy. Rikku and Auron both choose not to enter the Farplane, for different reasons.

- In the Farplane (which is conveniently accessible from Guadosalam), Yuna has a staring match with the images of her parents, Wakka with Chappu and Tidus gets to see his mother whilst remembering why he hates his father (seems he had a bit of an Oedipus complex)

- Yuna's now made her decision, but as they're leaving the Farplane, the spirit of Lord Jyscal, Seymour's father and former leader of the Guado, appears and is in need of sending. So Yuna sends him, but not before dropping something which Yuna discretely pockets.

- On the way back to talk to Seymour, it is implied that Jyscal had an "unclean" death, which caused his spirit to linger the way it did. I smell something fishy. Dun, dun, dun.

- When Yuna goes to give Seymour her answer, the darned Guado has already left to go to Macalania temple, so off we go.

- First we get to go galavanting through the Thunder Plains, and it turns out that Rikku is deathly afraid of thunder, but we're cruel so we force her to go anyway.

- We get a quick pit-stop at one of the many incarnations of Rin's Travel Agency, at which Tidus bursts into Yuna's room whilst she is watching that sphere she got from Jyscal - she claim's it's his will and that he said to "take care of his son", whatever that means. We also find out that Rin himself had once tended to a grieviously wounded Auron (but that he'd vanished mysteriously the next day)

- After leaving the Agency, Yuna decides to tell the party that she's decided to marry Seymour.

- After successfully crossing the Thunder Plains, we enter the Macalania woods in which we must dodge killer butterflies while on the way to the temple.

- While in the woods, Auron takes us on a little side trip (mutilating a branch that wasn't bothering anyone in the process) to a place they visited with Jecht and Braska where a sphere that Jecht made was left. Some of Jecht's early "sight-seeing" is viewed and it turns out he doesn't actually entirely dislike his son after all.

- Also in the woods, we have a brief encounter with meat-shield Barthello. Apparantly, his summoner, Dona, has gone missing.

- Through the woods, we get to another enstallment of Rin's Travel Agency on the edge of a forbidding snow and ice area. When leaving the agency, Tromell, Seymour's lackey, er, butler or whatever, shows up to escort Yuna.

- The escort is cut short, however, when some Al Bhed attack. We fend off their giant canon thing and then find out that the person responsible is Rikku's brother. Wakka doesn't react kindly to finding out that Rikku's an Al Bhed.

- We then end up stealing the snowmobiles the Al Bhed left behind during their hasty retreat to speed across the snow area until arriving at Macalania temple.

- Inside the temple, Yuna and Seymour are in the Cloister, so one of the peon alcolytes goes nosing about in Yuna's stuff and finds Jyscal's sphere - which proves to be somewhat illuminating. He says he expects to get killed by his son and asks whoever's watching to stop him.

- Suspecting what Yuna's up to, we burst into the Cloister and find Seymour waiting. He does not deny killing Jyscal and basically goads us into attacking him (just after Yuna emerges with her new mostly naked Aeon Shiva)

- After disposing of Seymour's flunkies and his uglier-than-Sin Aeon, Anima, Seymour turns out to be pretty flimsy himself. Unfortunately, this is when flunky #1, Tromell, bursts in and jumps to the entirely wrong conclusion. I mean, so we killed Seymour, but he totally had it coming. Plus he just looks evil.

- Throughout this, Wakka seems to be having a personal crisis.

- When we try to leave, Tromell breaks Jyscall's sphere (our evidence) with the weak excuse that "Guado deal with Guado affairs, so we run for it and end up dispatching various guards who are sent in a futile attempt to stop us.

- After a short boss encounter, we fall through the ice to the bottom of the lake. (Must be cold, most of those people aren't wearing cold-weather clothes.)

- Here we hear the Fayth singing in the temple. It is apparantly a song that was popular in Zanarkand and that Jecht was fond of. The singing, however, attracts Sin (since it's really Jecht) and Tidus has a brief hallucination in which he admits that Sin really is Jecht after all, and realizes that Jecht just wants to end this.

- Tidus then wakes up in a desert oasis, alone, but soon meets up with everyone, except Yuna. Rikku knows this as Bikkanel Island and there is apparantly an Al Bhed settlement near by, so its off to see the wizard, er, Al Bhed.

- After traipsing aimlessly through the desert, looting and pilaging, we arrive at the Al Bhed settlement, creatively entitled "Home". So I guess it's home sweet home... or maybe not, 'cause it's under attack.

- A dieing Al Bhed blames Yevon and the Guado and then Cid, the man himself, has everyone retreat inside. Somewhere, somehow, you just know this is all Cid's fault.

- Things are as much a mess inside as outside, but Rikku leads everyone to the "Summoner's Sanctuary" where all those missing Summoners have been held, for "safe keeping" you see. Aparantly, defeating Sin involes the summoner dieing, so better to just keep them locked up instead. It's for thier own good, after all.

- The missing summoners include Dona and Isaaru, but Yuna is aparently not there. However, the Yevon-Guado attack is not going well for the Al Bhed so everyone makes a hastey retreat onto an air ship that seems to have been prepared. Rikku suggests it was what the Al Bhed were salvaging back at the beginning of the game.

- The airship takes off and makes its escape, then Cid shows his pyromaniacal tendancies and blows up Home with lots 'o missiles. Take that.

- But the Al Bhed and Summoners are safe on the airship (despite Cid not being entirely sure how things work, way to go, Cid) so we set to looking for Yuna.

- Cid lets it slips that Yuna is his neice and Wakka has an existential crisis. Another one.

- Using some fancy sounding techno babble, it is determined that Yuna is at Bevelle and, what's this, she's about to marry Seymour? Isn't he dead? Well, I guess he's an unsent now. That seems to happen alot, maybe they should develop an ointment?

- So, off to Bevelle! But it's not a free ride, we've got to fight the guardian beast, some nasty dragon thing. But we prevail and, in a gravity defying stunt, everyone surfs down the riggings from the ship to just below where the ceremony is taking place.

- We fight our way through a bunch of peons only to have Maestre Kinoc (who, along with Mika appears to be colluding with Seymour) have everyone pull their guns on us. Come on, we just beat a big-ass dragon, like this is going to stop us...

- ...except it does. Yuna pulls out her summoner's staff and tries to send Seymour (where was she keeping that? In her cleavage?) but Seymour threatens to kill her friends if she tries anything. Yuna wimps out and drops her staff, Seymour kisses her (who knew she was into necrophelia?) and then orders the guards to kill the others anyway. Figures. You never can trust the dead.

- However, Yuna backs away sloooowly, then jumps off of the edge to her apparent doom, but she's secretly summoning Valefor who comes and prevents her from become just another splat on the ground. The others run off and head to the cloister in the Bevelle temple which is where they assume Yuna will be headed.

- After making our way through the most annoying trials so far, we get to the cloister. Tidus practices his break and enter skills, with a little help from Khimari, to burst into the cloister whilst Yuna is still praying.

- In the cloister, we witness the "Faythe", which Auron explains are human souls trapped in statues. Our inconsiderate intrusion fortunately does not affect Yuna's prayers, but she's notably fatigued so Tidus carries her out after she snags the Aeon Bahamut (score!)

- But we walk right into a bunch of soldiers with guns, lead by Kinoc. Crap. We get hauled off to a "fair" trial, despite having just got Bahamut. C'mon, you know we could kick their asses!

- The "trial" is presided over by Mastre Mika whilst Seymour and Kinoc look on. When Yuna openly accuses Seymour of killing his father he just laughs it off again. When she further claims Seymour is already dead, Maester Mika reveals that he, too, is unsent. Yikes! Where do they find these people?

- So this sends Mika, Seymour and Kinoc into a tirade about Spira's cycle of death and how everything just leads to death anyway (they're a bunch of emos, it seems), that this is the true nature of Yevon and that this all justifies sacrificing Summoners to bring temporary, fleeting hope to the easily swayed masses.

- Anyway, the sentence is death, but they don't have the decency or the guts to just kill us outright, probably because they know they wouldn't win in a straight up fight. No, we get dumped into the Via Purifico for a long, drawn out demise.

- Despite the fact that nobody's ever survived the Via Purifico, Seymour volunteers to guard the exit and kill anyone who might escape. But why don't they just block up the exits then??

- Yuna starts off by herself in a labyrinth-like portion of the Purifico, but soon finds Auron and Khimari. Yet we still have our weapons. Why do they always forget to take our weapons??

- We then run into Isaaru, who has been sent by the Maesters to prevent Yuna and co from escaping. (Seems they were set down in the Calm Lands by the airship - meaning that this is, of course, Cid's fault for rescuing the Summoners in the first place), but Yuna bests Isaaru and we continue. Auron, however, informs the defeated summoner that his pilgrimage is over.

- Cut over to Tidus, Wakka and Rikku who are in a much more water filled part of Via Purifico which means its time to pull out the lightning-based weapons. Woot! Lightning!

- Anyway, a short boss fight later, everyone's together and happy again, at least until Seymour shows up to try and execute justice. He and his lackeys are dragging along an altogether dead looking Maestre Kinoc.

- Seymour goes on some more about death and claims that if everyone was dead, nobody would have to suffer. Hmmm... I'm not sure I like his logic. And he insists on taking Yuna to the Dead City Zanarkand to use her power to achieve the Final Aeon.

- We're having none of that, so Khimari stabs Seymour (not that it has much of an effect) whilst the others run for it, only they end up deciding they'd have much more fun killing Seymour a second time. Khimari just shakes his head.

- After Seymour's second death, we make a strategic withdrawal from Bevelle and find ourselves back in the Macalania woods. Yuna's gone off for some alone time, but both Lulu and Auron strongly suggest that Tidus should go check up on her. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more)

- By a lake, Tidus and Yuna share a tender moment during which Yuna contemplates giving up her pilgrimage and Tidus tries to convince her to go back to his place in his Zanarkand. Tidus says his Zanarkand never sleeps which, I guess, means it thinks its New York or something.

- However, after taking a swim while being seranaded by a mysterious singer, Yuna turns him down (better luck next time, Tidus, maybe Rikku would take you up on your offer?) and decides to continue her pilgrimage after all.

- Next morning everyone heads out and comes to the Calm Lands, where summoners tend to like to fight Sin, since its big and empty and there's nobody around to get hurt.

- Out on the plains, some dude we've never seen before that Lulu seems to know, refered to as Father Zuke, appears. He tells us that our group is being framed for the murder of Maestre Kinoc by Maestre Mika, and that things at Bevelle are in a bit of a turmoil under the surface, but Zuke doesn't seemed overly concerned with the accusations and seems more interested in checking us out.

- (After talking to Lulu, it appears Zuke was a failed summoner she and Wakka were guardians for.)

- Not much to do on the Calm Lands other than catch monsters for some guy who's too lazy to do it for himself.

- Heading north over the gorge some Guado lackeys try to apprehend us. When we refuse to go along quietly, they sic some machina thing on us but it fails to stop us.

- But it's now high time for a field trip to the bottom of the gorge where the main attraction is the Cave of the Stolen Fayth, a Fayth that was apparantly stolen from a temple a while back. It is being guarded by the unsent spirit of Gillem (or something like that), another failed summoner that Lulu also used to guard. And Yuna trusts her, why?

- After defeating the undead summoner and the Aeon Yojimbo, we try to recruit him, but he makes us pay around 250 000 gil for his sevices. And just what is a spirit going to do with that money, hmmm?

- Continuing the sight seeing tour north out of the Calm Lands we come to the sacred mountain, Gagazet, home of the Ronso. Initially, they aren't willing to let us pass, but when Yuna basically says she's going through no matter what, they bow to her superior resolve.

- Howver, Biran and that other Ronso that have a grudge against Khimari, aren't so quick to let him through. Khimari has to duel them, two against one (real brave, that). So Khimari just lancets them to death, I'll bet that'll show 'em.

- We then travel the snowy paths of mount Gagazet (passing the graves of several failed summoners, such an uplifting sight). Eventually we encounter everyone's favourite dead emo Guado, Seymour. Good to see he doesn't let something as trivial as death get in his way.

- Seymour drones on about Spira's cycle of death again, and vows to become the next Sin with Yuna's help, thereby giving a healthy outlet to his destructive tendancies and freeing Jecht at the same time. When we basically tell him to go shove it, he merges with some odd looking thing and we kill him... again. Maybe he'll stay dead for a change now.

- Some of the things Seymour said make Yuna start thinking that something's going on, so Tidus owns up that, yes, Jecht is actually Sin. She seems to take this better than Wakka, who seems to experience another existential crisis, which is unfortunate as he'd seem to be getting better lately.

- Continuing along, our next stop on the tour is a creepy looking wall of Fayth that are being used to summon something (or so it seems). Tidus does something incredibly stupid and touches the thing, promptly falling unconcious.

- But, hey, now its story time! Tidus finds himself in his Zanarkand, talking to that hooded kid from way back at the beginning of the game. Here's the short version: that machina war we've heard about was a war between Zanarkand and Bevelle, and as Bevelle's technology was stronger, they won; however, the remaining people of Zanarkand chose to become Fayth's to essentially summon the memories of the city and its inhabitants by dreaming them, which includes both Tidus and Jecht; but they're getting tired now and are hoping that Tidus can help them stop dreaming.

- That's when Tidus wakes up, and refuses to admit anything out of the ordinary just happened, so we all continue on our merry way. Just watch out for those Behemoths up ahead.

- Now we get to go through one of mount Gagazet's many scenic caves where we must pass two trials - but wait, what happend to the third trial? Don't these things always come in threes?

- No sooner to we leave the cave then we are faced with a boss monster. Joy!

- After defeating the boss, a sweeping vista of the ruins of Zanarkand lie ahead. Rikku frets that she and Tidus still don't know how we're going to stop Yuna from dieing. Just before everyone runs down into the ruins, a sphere falls from Yuna's robes which Tidus picks up and, thinking nothing of Yuna's privacy, he watches what turns out to be her farewell messages to her guardians which seems to have been recorded somewhere on the Mi'hen Highroad or thereabouts.

- We spend the night on the outskirts of the ruined city (oh look, it's that scene that plays during the intro) and, as everyone is resolved to continue, we plunge into the city.

- We eventually come to what appears to be the ruins of the blitzball stadium. Inside is filled with pyreflies which produce visible memories and we see spectres of previous summoners. This also includes Seymour's mother choosing to become a Fayth for Seymour about which young Seymour is none too pleased (which makes him somewhat Freudian, or perhaps Oedipal), and images of a younger Auron with Jecht and Braska.

- After playing an odd sort of tetris and fighting another boss we descend into the final chamber. We meet the apparantly unsent lady Yunalesca who tells us that the Final Aeon is one of the Summoner's guardians, one with whom the summoner has a close bond. (Her Final Aeon was her husband Zaon.)

- Further memories of younger Auron show he wanted to find another way, to avoid anyone dieing (guess he was rather the idealist in his youth), but Braska seemed set in his ways and Jecht volunteered to become the Final Aeon.

- Confronting Yunalesca, she says that the cycle of defeating Sin and it being reborn after the Calm is neverending, the Final Aeon always becomes Sin in its turn and that there is no point trying to end the cycle. Yuna and company, however, refuse to go along with this notion and choose to fight (though Wakka still manages another existential crisis).

- With Yunalesca good and dead, it is now left up to us to find a way to defeat Sin without the Final Aeon. Auron also takes this moment to reveal to Tidus that he, too, is unsent, having unsuccessfully tried to defeat Yunalesca single handedly after Braska died.

- Stepping back outside the dome, there's Sin waiting to greet us. He looks reproachfully at Tidus for nixing the Final Aeon thing, but then Cid comes along with his airship (where the hell's he been? The man likes taking his time) and picks us up before anything can happen.

- So now we have to figure out how to get rid of Sin once and for all. The only thing we can come up with is to go talk to Maester Mica. But before that, it's exploring time!

- Spend some time spelunking in the Omega Ruins, home to the heretic Omega. By the time we venture to defeat the infamous Omega ourselves he's... well, pretty wimpy, 'cause we're just that buff. Ok, time to go steamroll Sin.

- Arriving in Bevelle, the guards don't seem too happy to see us for some reason... I can't imagine why. However, before we get to kill them and loot their corpses, Shelinda, newly promoted to captain, intervenes and everyone stands down. Shelinda then arranges for an audience between ourselves and the undead Maester.

- Mica is aghast that we've defeated Yunalesca. He tells us that there is now no hope for Spira. He also divulges some details on Sin... it is an armour made by Yu Yevon out of the souls of the dead. When defeated, he merges with the Final Aeon and rebuilds his armour, thus perpetuating the cycle. The distressed Mica then decides to vanish on us.

- Yuna and Tidus then go to speak with the local Fayth. He tells us that Yu Yevon was once a summoner without equal, but now he's more a force of nature than anything else, really. The only way to end the cycle is to defeat Yu Yevon. We propose to do that by distracting Sin with the Hymn of the Fayth so that we can bust inside and get him from the inside. The Fayths promise to help.

- Before leaving Bevelle, we tell Shelinda to spread the word that the people of Spira should sing along when they hear a big ship in the sky playing the Hymn. Isn't that supposed to be a sign of insanity?

- Return to the airship and head off to attack Sin! The airship plays the Hymn and Spira has one big sing-a-long! This gives us enough of an advantage to start hacking Sin's fins off, and then "rip him a new one" allowing our fearless heros to slip inside (but not before Tidus can make a bad sports analogy).

- Inside Sin, we soon encounter Seymour. Ack! Again? This time, he's been absorbed by Sin and is claiming he'll be able to learn to control it, in time. However, a nice spammage of Ultima, Flare and Holy shuts him up nicely and Yuna is finally able to send him (and his little dog too!)

- Continuing through Sin's surreal bowels, we eventually come face-to-face with Jecht. The father-son reunion is not to last, however, as he transforms into his Final Aeon form. Another volley of Flare, Ultima and Holy spam takes care of things.

- With Jecht down, Yu Yevon appears - a floaty, pulsating ball thing. Yuna then summons each of her Aeons in turn. Yu Yevon possesses each one, and is then one shotted by Holy.

- With all the aeons gone, Yu Yevon has no choice but to stand and fight. It turns out, he's some sort of bug thing. Anyway, he doesn't take too long to dispatch, especially since he's reflecting Curaga on us after each attack.

- Yuna performs what will presumably be her last sending: for the aeons and Sin, I suppose, though Auron is also sent.

- Now that the Fayth are all gone and have stopped dreaming, Tidus says goodbye and starts become rather insubstantial. Before he vanishes, Yuna says she loves him, and he embraces her, before taking a running leap and is greeted by those who went before him: namely Braska, Auron and Jecht.

- All across Spira, the Fayth are turning into simple stone as their dreams disappear. Sin, also, explodes spectacularly.

- Some time later, Yuna is addressing a crowded stadium, telling the cheering throngs that Sin is defeated once and for all and that Spira is their's now.

- Finally, after the credits, there in an enigmatic scene of Tidus, in some body of water, swimming towards the surface. Hmmm.... could that mean, sequel?

Here we go Again...

It seems that blogger is where all the cool people are blogging these days, so I figured, why not? Except in my case, replace cool with "freak" or... whatever. As my previous blog over on live journal seems to have fallen by the wayside, I figured I'd make another, possibly soon-to-be-neglected, blog here. The old one will still be up on live journal (for as long as they keep it around) for posterity, though I may migrate a few of the entries over here eventually.

So! Let the experiment begin. No promises of regularity or quality or entertainment or anything of the sort. In fact, this blog may end up being incredibly boring as my day-to-day life isn't really all that exciting, but who's going to lose sleep over something mundane as details like that, right?

Anywho, I shall conclude my inaugural post by saying that I went to see The Dark Knight last night, and it was good. Amusing side note: the ticket for the movie misspelled the name as "The Dark Night".

Freak Out,
-TFitC