What comes to mind when you here the name Tetsuya Nomura? Most people I know would draw a blank. But for those of you familiar with tiles such as Parasite Eve, Brave Fencer Musashi, as well as Final Fantasy 7, 8, and 10 should know that his character designs was one of the reasons those games became staples of video game lore. In this day of mediocre game releases and endless big budget movie based title flops, it is becoming more and more difficult to immerse yourself into a game where you actually care about what happens to your characters for more than five minutes. Some of you may disagree, but just take a look at the shelves of any game store nowadays. Am I the only one seeing the trend of bland, soulless characters delivering what seems to be the same sarcastic one liners over and over again? I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but it can get to you after a while. I'm not expecting Shakespeare here but give us (gamers) a little more credit. Not all gamers out there are mindless button mashers after all. Thankfully Nomura-san's brilliant style once again returns in the latest inception from one of the most successful RPG series of all time. The first true Final Fantasy Sequel hits U.S. shores this holiday season with Final Fantasy X-2.

Now for the uniformed, FFX-2 doesn't refer to Final Fantasy 12. In fact we are seeing the continuation of the events from Final Fantasy 10. For those of you who don't know, Final Fantasy 10 has sold more than 1.8 million units in the U.S. and more 5.9 million units worldwide. The word "successful" is an understatement here. Well, Square Enix has heard the outcry of fans and support and has decided to deliver an excellent Christmas present this year. But rather then following the same old design, they've taken it to a new level of gaming. Not to mention bringing fans the first all female cast to bring the pain on the forces of evil. Ladies (I'm speaking to the 49% of gamers out there folks), don't say that the industry doesn't appreciate you. Fellas, there is eye candy for you too, so don't feel discouraged either. With all the improvements and new stuff there is still one underlying high point here...it's Final Fantasy folks! RPG fans can't go wrong here!

Here's the story according to Square Enix, "Taking place two years after Yuna's fateful journey to defeat Sin, the once chaotic world of Spira has gone through a massive transformation, entering a period of "Eternal Calm". The people of Spira now shun the teachings of Yevon and have opened their arms to former foes, the Al Bhed and the use of "machina". The Machine Faction aims to propagate the use of machina in Spira, going as far as renaming "machina" to "machines" to remove the stigma. However, even with the peaceful life they now lived, there is emptiness in Yuna's heart that is keeping her from moving on as the others have." One day Yuna comes across a magical sphere containing images of what appears to be an incarcerated Tidus, who had gone missing after the events of FFX. With the added push by her cousin Rikku and spurred on by the possibility of locating her lost love Tidus, Yuna joins the Gullwings in their adventurous quest and becomes a Sphere Hunter.

Now as anyone knows, if you want to get a group of ladies together to kick some ass you have to have at least 3. Hey it worked for Charlie's Angels right? Anyway, by now you know Yuna and Rikku fill in those first two spots. Rounding out the trio is newcomer Paine. A strong, silent, and leather-clad (did I mention scantly dressed…there you go fellas) warrior sporting a bad ass sword which nicely fills in the dominatrix-like void left with the departure of Lulu. Don't worry folks you'll see Lulu in there, but I won't spoil it for you. These three ladies are joined by Brother, Buddy, and Shinra aboard the Celsius (they're ship) to make up the Sphere hunting group known as the Gullwings. Though you can only play as the female trio, these guys add an interesting blend of humor and information to the quest as they travel across the world of Spira in search of these mystic spheres. As the story begins, you'll be treated to a fabulous CG movie of Yuna on stage giving a concert to her legions of fan in full Jpop style glory. If you haven't already seen this intro on the web or through import copies, you are in for a breathtaking performance that got everyone here in the office raving with excitement. I won't spoil it too much for you so you'll have to wait and see for yourself.

To that average gamer, this may sound like just another Final Fantasy incarnation. Same old stuff as always right? Wrong. Rather then branching away from a successful story (come on look at the sales tallies), Square Enix has taken it to new heights. All those new improvements mainly deal with the way in which you'll complete your quest. With this sequel, we see the return of the active time battle. This adds a deciding factor to the difficulty, speed, and not to mention enjoyment (at least in my part) to battles. With the ATB, enemies in the game will be attacking you while you are selecting your strategies. This means you have to think and react quickly or else the fabulous trio will meet their end in a most untimely manner. Utilizing the ATB, Square Enix also introduces the "Garment Grid". Similar to the stat grid of FFX, players can now switch the trio's costumes in the midst of battle to incorporate different attacks and abilities. Now guys, don't start drooling. Top utilize the Garment Grid, you'll have to collect "Dress Spheres" along your adventure. Each Dress Sphere introduces a new costume for your characters, along with new abilities and unique job classes. Among some of the job classes I was fortunate to experience with this preview build were "Magic Gunner", "Berserker", and of course the typical "Songstress". Hey what's a Final Fantasy without singing? With each Dress Sphere change, players will be graced with stunning transformation sequences that remind me of quite a few different animes. Now before you're minds start racing guys, I know most magical girl transformations you've seen in anime do involve a certain degree of nudity. Seems like an everyday thing if you're an anime fan. But no, you will not see that here folks. So, let's get those minds back on the preview gentlemen. Shall we?

Well, among some of the new additions to the game which I found interesting is that everything is now mission based and non-linear. This means that rather then running on a set path, players now have the freedom to explore different regions of Spira at their leisure. Thankfully Square Enix hasn't left you completely out in the cold. Each mission location is ranked by difficulty, so you won't accidentally run into an area you're not ready to take on. However, for those of you who want a challenge, give it a shot. In addition to difficulty rating, each location is also designated with the term "Hot Spot" if it applies to a possible piece in your quest. This allows players to keep the story moving and not succumb to boredom. But to keep you from that, Square Enix has also included a variety of mini-games throughout the quest in keeping with the Final Fantasy tradition. Everything from Reptile races to Chocobo chases (Come on you need Chocobos in FF) are included here. But I don't think you'll be adequately prepared to see the mini game to beat all mini games though. Something to do with a girl-on-girl massage thing, but I won't go into too much detail with that one (I'll let your minds race with that one guys). You'll just have to wait and see.

In keeping with the idea of the word "preview", I won't spoil too much for you. But let's just say that Christmas this year will be exceptional with the addition of this game to your library. I strongly suggest you go out and reserve this one now! Everything from new creatures, stunning visual effects, climactic and fast paced battles, a deep plotline, and the all around girl power effect definitely come together in this one. Who doesn't like to see three scantily-clad ladies kick ass? Anyway, this is one you Final Fantasy fans shouldn't be without. This is borderline phenomenal guys. Excellent job Square Enix! We'll all be waiting!

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All images property of ?2003 SQUARE ENIX Co., Ltd.

MAIN CHARACTER DESIGN: TETSUYA NOMURA

ILLUSTRATIONS: TETSU TSUKAMOTO

LOGO ILLUSTRATION: ?2003 YOSHITAKA AMANO