Why is Jeff playing through Final Fantasy X-2?

After listening to the Giant Bombcast for 03/17/2015 and hearing Jeff complain about this game, I was just wondering why is he playing it if he hates it so much.

mod edit

https://twitter.com/jeffgerstmann/status/578064196652302338

His girlfriend is playing it.

@robsamuel: Or so he says... His girlfriend probably plays alot of Yoshis island aswell.

Yeah FFX-2 could not be less of a Jeff game if it tried. The dress-spheres and garment grids are actually pretty deep if you give them a chance!

Based on what he said in other Bombcasts he's not the one playing it, his girlfriend is. He mentioned that he's usually playing something on the PC while she plays X-2 on the TV. As a result he ocasionally glances at it and, based on what he said on the bombcast, becomes disgusted with what he sees

Jeff do what Jeff does, ain't no rhyme or reason, dood is straight gangsta.

Don't a lot of people dislike/hate this game? A recent tweet of his made it sound like people liked it when it came out. I don't remember it that way.

@sethphotopoulos: I thought it was pretty popular. Like it was a silly take on things but many seemed to say it was good if you were down with that.

@sethphotopoulos: The game is very divisive. The gameplay is actually quite solid and unique for the FF series since it uses an ATB, but also lets each of your 3 part members switch between a bunch of classes mid-battle. The story vacillates between melodrama and lighthearted fun. The game is also the only FF game with a majority (in this case entirely) female playable cast so that bit of the game drew a lot of attention as well. FFX-2 is a really weird game and people have mixed opinions on it.

If Jeff didn't play games he disliked, he'd only ever play Burnout, Windjammers, Call of Duty and Target Earth.

Jeff gets played by FFX-2.

Jeff has always been playing Final Fantasy X-2. Forever and ever.

@sethphotopoulos: It has good gameplay, a dumb story, and even dumber characters (though not quite as dumb as the FFX cast). Fun game though. The main reason not to like it is because it singlehandedly killed the Tipping Forties alongside Slowbeef. Bobby Hill is in the game.

Thanks guys for the answer. I missed the answer while listening to the pod.

I loved FFX back in the day, but never gave FFX-2 a shot.

@sethphotopoulos: It's crap from floor to ceiling but Final Fantasy fans can find a silver lining in the blackest cloud.

The story about how he came to own 3 copies was magical.

I still like FF X-2. It's so stupid and borderline self-parody that I can't help but appreciate it.

All I know was that he was slaying me on Twitter last night ranting about it.

It's almost like Final Fantasy is a really good series or something.

Took you long enough to show up

I really like X but X-2... man fuck that game. I love FF VIII - even like the dumb as fuck story but X-2 is just too bad. Like, so bad. The worst. Apparently the battle system's pretty good but I didn't get to mess around with it much due to all the "I REMEMBER THIS PLACE HE LOVED IT HERE (TIDUS BTW MY LUV) OMG I MISS HIM HAHAHA WAKKA IS SO FUNNY I <3 WAKKA" as well as the dumb mini-games. Also, I appreciate a game saying go and do stuff yourself but the utter lack of structure besides "Hey go here, OH WAIT THESE GUYS ARE WELL OVER YOUR LEVEL GO AND DO SOME DUMB BORING SHIT AND LISTEN TO POINTLESS EXPOSITION" is ridiculous. Side quests should be that - optional. If I don't want to play them I shouldn't have to.

Also fuck Leblanc.

It's objectively the best Final Fantasy game.

@joe423: Like Matt Leblanc? What does Joey have to do with anything???

Because it's better than FFX.

So much this.

How you doin'?

@endaround: hey, someone needs to stand up for truth, justice and magical girl-style wardrobe changes.

It warms my heart to see there are other actual sane people in this world that can also recognize FFX-2 as the greatest in the series.

@sethphotopoulos said:

When I was a young dramatic teenager, and Final Fantasy was one of the only things I cared about, Final Fantasy X-2 was the first time I ever felt betrayed. I'm glad I can laugh about that now.

The op question has now been answered... Thread becomes a rambling about meh.

I remember not having as much fun with it because I tried very hard to get 100% on my first play through. I got 99.something%. God. Damnit.

The same reason I watched the Hunger Games movies.

@brendan: I thought I remember reading that it's not even possible to get 100% on one playthrough

I associate the game with a very specific subset of people I dislike, I'll leave it at that.

FFX-2 is such a bizarre game. What on earth were they thinking.

@shindig: lol when did he tell this story ?

I can't wait to hear what Jeff's girlfriend plays next!

during this portion of the bombcast!

@dprotp: ahhh thanks I remember that story now haha

A lot of people wrote it off as girl-pop fanservice stuff. Reviewers were generally positive because it's actually a pretty good game. The combat was faster than X and the dress spheres were basically the job system from 5 and tactics. The story finds its footing about halfway through.

I haven't really talked to many people who played it and didn't like it.

He's right about it being jittery though. I seem to recall them fixing the jitters in the X hd version but it sounds like they didn't for x-2. All of the character models were shaking CONSTANTLY in both games on the ps2 during cutscenes.

Mahou shoujo?