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Nov. 25th, 2017 10:14 amI'm not sure how far I'm going to get with this - I've been weirdly struggling to get engaged with any fiction recently - but I've started up a replay of Final Fantasy X.
Interesting that you meet all the party members within the first two or three hours, even though Auron and Rikku (the first two you meet, other than Tidus) don't actually join the party until several hours later. I feel that's unusual for a Final Fantasy game; there's usually someone you don't meet until you're a good few hours in (Strago and Relm, Cid Highwind, Irvine, Eiko, Fang...). In XV, of course, you meet all the party members immediately, but XV's party is unusually small. I suppose you've met the whole XII cast before long.
I still remember how affronted I was when Irvine joined the party in VIII, my first Final Fantasy game. You're too late, Irvine! I'm already invested in everyone else; I've got no room for you! You can't just barge in here and be one of us! (Sorry, Irvine.)
There's a perfectly good route to Besaid village over land, but Wakka instead insists on going in the direction that means he gets to shove Tidus off a cliff into a lake.
Wakka warms very quickly to Tidus and is very physical with him. I wonder whether there's much Tidus/Wakka. There's a lot to work against it, though: they don't have a frequently-'shipped dynamic, I don't think Wakka's an especially popular character, Tidus is divisive, Tidus/Yuna is popular, Tidus explicitly reminds Wakka of his brother.
The scene where Sin obliterates Kilika is very beautifully lit and absolutely horrific. It's striking that it has no music at all, too. There's also no music when you disembark at the village's ruins. (It feels like practically every settlement you visit in Final Fantasy X is coastal! Stop building coastal villages when you're plagued by a creature that can cause tidal waves, Spira!)
It took me a while to work up the courage to watch Linkin Park's Carpool Karaoke episode with Ken Jeong, filmed a week before Chester's death and aired (with his family's permission) a couple of months afterwards, but I'm glad I did at last! Ken just relentlessly bullies Mike and somehow it's magical.
My favourite parts:
- One minute in: 'This is a weird way to meet somebody. We went straight to "wet dream". Within, like - it was five seconds to "wet dream".'
- Chester being the friendliest guy and so willing to play along with everything. Requesting to be taught the stupid 'hotdogs and ketchup' dance!
- Mike's look of sheer alarm when he's unexpectedly called upon and realises he might be expected to do a heavy metal scream (and his uncertain attempt to 'whisper-scream' afterwards).
- Mike and Ken's incredible, moving rendition of 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing'.
- ALL I WANT TO DO IS BE MORE LIKE ME AND BE LESS LIKE MIKE
I love how delighted Chester is by all the picking on Mike. He just seems to be having a really good time. I'm glad.
Interesting that you meet all the party members within the first two or three hours, even though Auron and Rikku (the first two you meet, other than Tidus) don't actually join the party until several hours later. I feel that's unusual for a Final Fantasy game; there's usually someone you don't meet until you're a good few hours in (Strago and Relm, Cid Highwind, Irvine, Eiko, Fang...). In XV, of course, you meet all the party members immediately, but XV's party is unusually small. I suppose you've met the whole XII cast before long.
I still remember how affronted I was when Irvine joined the party in VIII, my first Final Fantasy game. You're too late, Irvine! I'm already invested in everyone else; I've got no room for you! You can't just barge in here and be one of us! (Sorry, Irvine.)
There's a perfectly good route to Besaid village over land, but Wakka instead insists on going in the direction that means he gets to shove Tidus off a cliff into a lake.
Wakka warms very quickly to Tidus and is very physical with him. I wonder whether there's much Tidus/Wakka. There's a lot to work against it, though: they don't have a frequently-'shipped dynamic, I don't think Wakka's an especially popular character, Tidus is divisive, Tidus/Yuna is popular, Tidus explicitly reminds Wakka of his brother.
The scene where Sin obliterates Kilika is very beautifully lit and absolutely horrific. It's striking that it has no music at all, too. There's also no music when you disembark at the village's ruins. (It feels like practically every settlement you visit in Final Fantasy X is coastal! Stop building coastal villages when you're plagued by a creature that can cause tidal waves, Spira!)
It took me a while to work up the courage to watch Linkin Park's Carpool Karaoke episode with Ken Jeong, filmed a week before Chester's death and aired (with his family's permission) a couple of months afterwards, but I'm glad I did at last! Ken just relentlessly bullies Mike and somehow it's magical.
My favourite parts:
- One minute in: 'This is a weird way to meet somebody. We went straight to "wet dream". Within, like - it was five seconds to "wet dream".'
- Chester being the friendliest guy and so willing to play along with everything. Requesting to be taught the stupid 'hotdogs and ketchup' dance!
- Mike's look of sheer alarm when he's unexpectedly called upon and realises he might be expected to do a heavy metal scream (and his uncertain attempt to 'whisper-scream' afterwards).
- Mike and Ken's incredible, moving rendition of 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing'.
- ALL I WANT TO DO IS BE MORE LIKE ME AND BE LESS LIKE MIKE
I love how delighted Chester is by all the picking on Mike. He just seems to be having a really good time. I'm glad.
