History VideoGame / FinalFantasyX2

** Warrior is a cross between Auron from ''X'' and the trusty [[MagicKnight Mystic Knight]] (Sorcerer in the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation PS1]] [[DubNameChange translation]]) from ''V''.

* SpoilerOpening: ''X-2 HD Remaster'' came as a separate game on the UsefulNotes/PSVita, and therefore has its own title screen as a result. The image of said title screen? It's straight out of the ''Golden Ending!''

* ImprobablePowerDiscrepancy: The series is infamous for this trope, but this game does this relative to its own universe. Given that a major game mechanic is capturing and leveling up monsters, power levels are all over the map. Behemoths, a classic final dungeon monster, show up in the first chapter and are easily curbstomped. Omega Weapon and Ultima Weapon, both common superbosses of the series (and in the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX previous game]]), are RandomEncounters in the final dungeon and Via Infinito.

* PunnyName: Shell Shocker and Concherer/[[spoiler:Grand Maester Mika]]. Concherer is a {{portmanteau}} of "conch shell" and "conqueror". Both are hideous, giant mutant snails. They use the same model as Neslug, the only truly UniqueEnemy {{Superboss}} from ''X's'' Monster Arena.

* {{Superboss}}: Plenty of bosses in chapter 5, but those who fit the criteria for a ''Final Fantasy'' 'superboss' are:
** Angra Mainyu, an ancient fiend who attacks the excavation site after being [[DugTooDeep reawakened by their digging]].
** The Den of Woe pits Yuna in a one-on-one battle versus a possessed [[spoiler:Rikku and Paine]], followed by a 3-on-3 battle against the Crimson Squad ([[spoiler:Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal]]).
** Experiment. You can fight it up to 6 times: the first time, and then once more for each Repair Manual you find and deliver. The initial four Levels are not a problem. Level 5 ''is'': it's got rocket attacks, followed by Lifeslicer and Annihilator (always in that order). Lifeslicer is instant-death since it's based on Experiment's max HP. Annihilator is a multi-target, non-elemental Blue Bullet which ignores most defenses. Once you beat it at 5/5/5, you get a special cutscene and it's Episode Complete; you can't fight it or repair it ever again, even with Manuals.

** With Paragon, certain damage makes him counter with Big Bang, a souped-up version of Nemesis' Armageddon attack from ''X''. Big Bang originated with ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV IV]]'s'' Zeromus and is more-commonly linked with {{final boss}}es in the series, not optional ones. Trema takes longer and has a couple of annoying spells like Ultima and Meteor, but his Meteor is nowhere near as annoying as Ozma's from ''IX''. However, Meteor is much worse than Ultima since it's actually multiple hits of Gravity magic, which can kill you.

###Two original fiends, Almighty Shinra (an accidental merging of Shinra and Omega Weapon) and Major Numerus. Trying to beat Shinra pre-Via Infinito is not easy. Major Numerus does not appear until you've won at least five times.

###If you manage to beat the returning party members from ''X'', you can play as them again. In the Youth League Cup, the battle is restricted to non-Fiend opponents, including Lulu and Kimahri. The others never appear unless you win the Farplane Cup once. After winning the first time, Seymour will be your only ''X'' opponent. You must defeat him and win the Cup afterwards in order for him to be recruited. After you recruit him, Auron appears. He is difficult because he will Eject your party members. After beating and recruiting him, you-know-who will appear. (It's Tidus but the game lists him as "[[MyNameIsQuestionMarks ????]]".) If you try to reach him, you're guaranteed to be going up against either Paragon or Trema or both.

* BonusBoss: Plenty of bosses in chapter 5, but those who fit the criteria for a ''Final Fantasy'' 'superboss' are:
** Angra Mainyu, an ancient fiend who attacks the excavation site after being [[DugTooDeep reawakened by their digging]].
** The Den of Woe pits Yuna in a one-on-one battle versus a possessed [[spoiler:Rikku and Paine]], followed by a 3-on-3 battle against the Crimson Squad ([[spoiler:Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal]]).
** Experiment. You can fight it up to 6 times: the first time, and then once more for each Repair Manual you find and deliver. The initial four Levels are not a problem. Level 5 ''is'': it's got rocket attacks, followed by Lifeslicer and Annihilator (always in that order). Lifeslicer is instant-death since it's based on Experiment's max HP. Annihilator is a multi-target, non-elemental Blue Bullet which ignores most defenses. Once you beat it at 5/5/5, you get a special cutscene and it's Episode Complete; you can't fight it or repair it ever again, even with Manuals.
--->'''Al Bhed''': ''If you think you can beat it easily, you are mistaken!''\\
'''Paine''': ''[[ForScience Whose side are you on?]]''
** With Paragon, certain damage makes him counter with Big Bang, a souped-up version of Nemesis' Armageddon attack from ''X''. Big Bang originated with ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV IV]]'s'' Zeromus and is more-commonly linked with {{final boss}}es in the series, not optional ones. Trema takes longer and has a couple of annoying spells like Ultima and Meteor, but his Meteor is nowhere near as annoying as Ozma's from ''IX''. However, Meteor is much worse than Ultima since it's actually multiple hits of Gravity magic, which can kill you.
** The Fiend Arena has the following:
###Two original fiends, Almighty Shinra (an accidental merging of Shinra and Omega Weapon) and Major Numerus. Trying to beat Shinra pre-Via Infinito is not easy. Major Numerus does not appear until you've won at least five times.
###Dark Bahamut in the Aeon Cup. Maddeningly, he can use a few Samurai abilities (specifically Fireworks and Shin-Zantetsu) in addition to his usual Mega Flare.
###If you manage to beat the returning party members from ''X'', you can play as them again. In the Youth League Cup, the battle is restricted to non-Fiend opponents, including Lulu and Kimahri. The others never appear unless you win the Farplane Cup once. After winning the first time, Seymour will be your only ''X'' opponent. You must defeat him and win the Cup afterwards in order for him to be recruited. After you recruit him, Auron appears. He is difficult because he will Eject your party members. After beating and recruiting him, you-know-who will appear. (It's Tidus but the game lists him as "[[MyNameIsQuestionMarks ????]]".) If you try to reach him, you're guaranteed to be going up against either Paragon or Trema or both.
** Completing Varan's Fiend Tale unlocks three difficult Sphere Break opponents: Varan himself, then a Tonberry, and finally a Haunt; each one rewards an endgame accessory.

* PunnyName: Shell Shocker and Concherer/[[spoiler:Grand Maester Mika]]. Concherer is a {{portmanteau}} of "conch shell" and "conqueror". Both are hideous, giant mutant snails. They use the same model as Neslug, the only truly UniqueEnemy BonusBoss from ''X's'' Monster Arena.

Along with ''X'', an [[{{Remaster}} HD version]] of the game was released for UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita Vita]] as part of a CompilationRerelease. (The [=PS3=]/[[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 PS4]] version of ''X'' also includes ''X-2'' on the disc, but the Vita version instead comes with a code for the digital version of ''X-2''.) Like the ''X'' remaster, the HD release is the RegionalBonus version, which in ''X-2's'' case came with: two new Dresspheres, the Creature Creator (a game-changing feature which allows you to [[{{Mon}} recruit enemies and bosses found in the game]]), some Fiend Tales ([[BreakoutMookCharacter amusing side stories involving the fiends]] you capture), a [[MonsterArena Fiend Arena]] for them to fight in, and a GaidenGame called ''Last Mission''.

The compilation was also ported to [=PlayStation=] 4 in May 2015, and to UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} one year later. Finally, the compilation was released on UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/XboxOne on April 11, 2019 in Japan and Asia, and April 16, 2019 elsewhere.

** The International/HD release adds the Creature Creator, which is another can of worms entirely. To unlock certain features in CC's Fiend Arena and capture rare fiends, you have to locate and finish the "Fiend Tales" throughout all five chapters. Which fiends? Good luck figuring that out because it's not mentioned ''anywhere''. And yes, some of these creatures are permanently-missable, especially when Chapter 3 ends.

* PermanentlyMissableContent: Downplayed. Many things can be permanently missed in any given playthrough, including Garment Grids, Dresspheres, Accessories, Treasure Spheres, but with the NewGamePlus system you get more chances to obtain then in later playthroughs.

* PermanentlyMissableContent: Many things can be missed. Garment Grids, Dressspheres, Accessories, Treasure Spheres. It takes at least three games to get everything.

* BandOfBrothers: The Crimson Squad. We see that their brief time together formed an unshakable bond, such that years afteshooting his teammates in the back, [[spoiler:Nooj]] still gets invited to clandestine meetings with them and attends without fanfare.

* DebateAndSwitch: Carries over from the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX first game]]. In the original, there is an active debate in-game about whether or not it's right to sacrifice people in order to temporarily bring the rest of the world peace. Near the end of the game, the characters find a workaround to the ViciousCycle, but it will still cause the deaths of ''two'' of the major protagonists. This was done intentionally, in order to show TheHero's growth from being selfish to selfless. However, in the sequel, a similar situation comes up and a character offers to sacrifice himself in order to defeat the BigBad of X-2. Yuna vehemently opposes this idea, stating that she is sick of watching friends die or fade away, and that she does not want to fight battles where "we have to lose in order to win." [[spoiler:Furthermore, the aforementioned sacrificed hero gains a chance to be reborn in this game, should the player meet certain requirements, providing no resolution to the overall debate.]]

** An inanimate example: the ''Farenheit'', your airship from ''X'', can only be seen ''once'' in the entire game, stationed just outside the ruins of Zanarkand Dome. Cid's been using it for his money-making schemes.

* DistantSequel: After a millennia of forced MedievalStasis, Spira's freedom from Yevon's oppressive Machina ban causes the world to change ''drastically'' in just the TimeSkip between the two games. Formerly untamed wildernesses like the Calm Lands and religious sites like Zanarkand have turned into flat-out tourist attractions. Augmenting technology into combat has forced off most wild beasts leaving formerly endgame zones safe at best, and the Fiends that do show up can be easily dealt with. The Thunder Plains in particular, for what a pain to navigate they used to be, has turned the lightning storms into a non-issue with machina-augmented lightning rods laid out across the entire road.

* DrillSergeantNasty: Beclem is a blitzball coach from Hell who was sent over by the Youth League to replace Wakka. He has a chip on his shoulder the size of Wyoming, and he's a dick to Yuna no matter which faction you side with. When Yuna objects to his questionable training methods, he calls Yuna washed-up and challenges her to a minigame, the Gunner's Gauntlet. As alluded to in Chapter 4, Beclem embarks for Kilika to regroup with the League, and the Aurochs are happy to be rid of him. He responds by performing a perfect flip and kicking a blitzball at them, which sends the goalie flying.

* {{Catchphrase}}:
** Shinra's "I'm just a kid," in response to questions he doesn't know the answer to.
** "Anything goes for..." Leblanc, Tobli, the Gullwings -- take your pick, all of them are used at some point or another.

* GoldenEnding: Getting OneHundredPercentCompletion unlocks the Perfect ending of the game. [[spoiler:Tidus comes BackFromTheDead, he and Yuna reuniting just outside of Besaid. Plus, with Vegnagun and Sin both gone for good, the Youth League and New Yevon agreeing to end their conflict, and progress being made towards unification, peace has finally been brought to Spira. The final scene of the ending -- and the main difference from the Good ending -- is Tidus and Yuna standing in the ruins of Zanarkand, pontificating in how Tidus came back to life, and what this could mean for Spira going forward. The final shot provides BookEnds for both ''X'' and ''X-2'', with Yuna standing in the same spot and same pose as Tidus overlooking Zanarkand that began ''X'', looking forward to a peaceful future.]]

* AbortedArc: [[spoiler:Shuyin's resemblance to Tidus is a major plot point at the start of the game,]] it being the reason Yuna took up Sphere Hunting in the first place. But nothing ever comes of it, and by the end more focus is placed on his relationship with Lenne.

-->[[spoiler:'''Tidus:''' Whoa! You've changed!]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Yuna:''' Well, you've missed a few things!]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Tidus:''' I want to hear everything!]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Yuna:''' Well, it all began when I saw this sphere of you...]]

* LateArrivalSpoiler: This game assumes you've played ''FFX'' and are aware that Sin [[KilledOffForReal permanently kicked the bucket]] (as opposed to undergoing the reincarnation process) and Tidus went with it.

** At the start of Chapter 3, Rikku hits upon the idea of slaying Fiends for profit, or as she puts it, "[[Franchise/SpiderMan Your friendly neighborhood Gullwings]]"

* ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike: "Tourist Trap". The fondest memories from Yuna's pilgrimage are being trampled by stampeding tourists. Try to revisit Zanarkand and you'll notice them rubber-necking around the place. This winds up backfiring on the Calm Lands agencies: The Cavern of the Stolen Fayth erupts with fiends again, forcing you to rescue the guests within the maze. Hilariously, the guests are very demanding and won't leave with you until you make them happy. They're lucky that they didn't get filleted by Dark Yojimbo.

* ReestablishingCharacterMoment: In ''Final Fantasy X'', Yuna is very stiff, the weight of the world on her shoulders as a summoner tasked with bringing relief to the world of Spira from Sin by summoning the final aeon. This game opens with her, her cousin Rikku and new edition Paine infiltrating a concert being held by an imposter, Leblanc, posing as Yuna. This culminates with the three of them confronting Leblanc and her gang in style, complete with a ''Series/CharliesAngels''-style pose, to show that Yuna has finally let down her hair. And then you spend most of the rest of the game learning [[DeconstructedTrope this isn't nearly as true as she would like to believe.]]

* BossAlteringConsequence: During certain battles in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'', you may notice little drone-like enemies called Watchers. If you don't defeat these little guys as soon as possible, then in a later boss fight against the Machina Panzer, the Watchers will disable whatever abilities you used in their presence in previous battles.

** Baralai's Sphere's video takes place at the same time that Tidus's party crossed the Moonflow.

* SimultaneousArcs: The videos contained in the Crimson Spheres happened at the same time that Tidus's party was at Mushroom Rock Road for Operation Mi'ihen in the first game. [[spoiler:Maester Kinoc had planned to use the operation, which he knew would end in disaster, as a coverup for the Crimson Squad's deaths.]]

** Amazing Chocobo needs to be freed from the Calm Lands dungeon. It will escort your other chocobos, improving their rate of success and preventing them from running away. But by the time you uncover this place, you're most likely done doing dispatches.
** Finale, only used with the "The End" Garment Grid, which can only be obtained by Oversouling all monsters in the Bestiary. Fundamentally this game's version of the Brave Blade from ''V'', Finale deals 99,999 physical damage to any target, but only if the user has never Fled from a battle. The problem here though is that it's obviously ''meant'' to be used on a second or third playthrough, when you would conceivably have access to accessories and skills that eliminate that need. By by then, there's little you actually need it for. This issue is mitigated somewhat fortunately, thanks to Creature Creator and its Fiend Arena.
** In a New Game+ playthough, you'll start to accumulate duplicate Dresspheres. There can be up to six slots in a grid, and you can eventually acquire six copies of every job. This lets you fill any grid with a single job, so you can activate Gates without actually switching Dresspheres. By the time you've played through the game six times, you should already be invincible.
* BreakableWeapons: In Iutycyr Tower (''Last Mission''), each Dressphere has a set amount of HP; if it runs out, it breaks and the girls have to wear the next Dressphere in line. If they run out of Dresspheres, they will be reduced to fighting with punches and kicks.

** Finale, only used with the "The End" Garment Grid, which can only be obtained by Oversouling all monsters in the Bestiary. Fundamentally this game's version of the Brave Blade from ''V'', Finale deals 99,999 physical damage to any target, but only if the user has never Fled from a battle. The problem here though is that it's obviously ''meant'' to be used on a second or third playthrough, when you would conceivably have access to accessories and skills that eliminate that need. By by then, there's little you actually need it for. This issue is mitigated somewhat thankfully with Creature Creator.

** Certain Grids grant you status immunities or convert enemy spells into HP. (X)-Eater abilities are overpowered in Chapter 1, and the Gullwings can speed the process along by [[HealingShiv casting low-level Black magic on themselves]].

** Potentially limitless gil courtesy of O'aka XIII, merchant extraordinaire, available almost immediately after the intro missions. With that, the Gullwings can settle our merchant friend's debt, which he thanks you for by selling common items at a ''95%'' discount.
** The powerful defense accessory, Adamantite. In the ''International/HD Remaster'' versions, you can obtain ''two'' Adamantites very early on with the help of Creature Creator.