With Final Fantasy XIII on the way, I figured I'd churn through my Final Fantasy back log. Having played through Final Fantasy VII, Tactics, and most of the Anniversary Edition, I felt I should have some grasp on X and be able to deal with whatever it could through at me. Sadly, I was wrong.
 
Thus far, I'm three hours in, and I've realized that its really has failed to grab me. It's been an incredibly linear experience. Every time I try to reach somewhere outside of the fixed perspective, I'm met with invisible walls. I could cope with linearity if it's effective, but this is claustrophobia inducing. Everywhere I go seems to be a narrow road, a short platform, or a broad area with only one point of interest.
 
As for the story, I've really haven't got anything from it minus confusion. I've shifted through a thousand years, but somehow living in a island oasis is a bad thing compared to living in technology ridden wasteland. There also seems to be a lot of emphasis on repetition: locations, expressions, experiences. 
 
The game-play to me has felt like a regular final fantasy game, with a weird fascination with D-pad functionality. Instead of integrating it within the basic menu, I have to reach around for several moves, which I just feel is a rather cumbersome and lazy way to go about it. The grid system has yet to appeal to me. I find it rather ugly and limiting. I feel that in order to appreciate the grid system, it's probably one of those things I would need to replay the game after completion, or fully realize only late in the game.

At three hours in, I've come away with the thought that Square spent too much time on the visuals, which look rather good considering it's age, but too little on the game itself. I can count on my hand how many battles I've had.  I enjoy a good grind, or an interesting battle system. But thus far, Final Fantasy X has stripped away the game aspect and replaced it with a middling interactive story. Here's to hoping the next 57 hours change for the better.