Final Fantasy X

Paradox World counts FFX a soul satisfying success. Fans of paradox can start with an appreciation of a title containing both "final" and "X". From there, the pleasures grow only more visceral.

The world is similar to that of Final Fantasy IX. Gorgeous, three dimensional animation adds more beauty and depth to the scenes, and the vocal work suits the characters, if not always the movements of their lips. The dialog has some of that translated from the Japanese awkwardness found in much anime. I quickly began to hear past it to the characters and their stories, and found the characters sympathetic and appealing.

The game play works well. An arrow to the exit helps provide orientation on a minimap in the upper left corner. Battle commands take place in order, from an intuitive menu system, with the most desired options usually highest in the lists. I enjoyed the new ability to switch active characters during battle as often as desired, bringing in useful skills or making sure all characters earned experience.

The story developments provided strong rewards for play. Outstanding cut movies offer visuals more imaginative than 95% of the offerings on the big screen, and animated actors equally as attractive. And this story seemed to maintain its logic to the end.

I reached that end after about 75 hours of game play, a remarkable quantity of three dimensional exploration, fighting and movies to fit on a single dvd. This makes the $50 retail price an excellent value in dollars per entertainment hour. And the ending was so satisfying, that I watched the end credits, and then sat listening to one of many excellent musical pieces playing over the words "The End", just to bask in appreciation of it.

Some replay value remains. I did not complete the subplots about learning the Al Bhed language or collecting a full set of creatures for the arena. I also didn't play any extra blitzball, as reducing a game played in a large sphere of water to movement along a plane rather disappointed me. These side tasks could add more play time to the game. And I would enjoy watching the visuals again, and spending more time with the characters.

Final Fantasy X delights the ears, the eyes, and whatever organ hungers for story. My own story appetite ranks this as impeccable sashimi in porterhouse quantity. A treat!

 
Cybermancy, Incorporated by Chris Roberson

Clockwork Storybook is a print on demand publisher working to build a reputation for quality product. Judging from this offering, they are off to a good start. Cybermancy, Incorporated collects related stories following the extended Carmody family through weird adventures in the last two centuries. Magic works, though it's just out of sight, and it combines interestingly with computers. The modern day sections have a snappy style, while a nineteenth century portion slows enough to recall period prose without dragging. I found it a good, gonzo read, reminiscent of Tim Powers and more cheerful. Check it out at www.clockworkstorybook.com

Postscript: Clockwork Storybook is gone. Chris Robeson's books remain available through Amazon.com.