Final Fantasy X was the first of the franchise to make its way onto the PS2. Boasting voice acting, a detailed (and confusing) storyline, and superb graphics both in the world of Spira, and the battles in which your characters fight. Final Fantasy X-2 is set two years after the end of Final Fantasy X and continues to tell the story of Spira. FFX-2 manages to change enough, and keep enough of the original to mould it into a sequel to the first game.
To decide which is the better one, requires us to break down the different aspects of the Final Fantasy game.
Features
Being Final Fantasy games, both have long, detailed and occasionally confusing storylines. While one does flow easily from another, someone picking up FFX-2 before playing FFX might feel rather confused, as some details are left out, although flashback scenes and characters musing help fill this gap of knowledge. There are many, many hours of RPGing fun to be had in both games, as even after finishing the main storyline, there are plenty of side quests and other things to do. These are things like FFX's monster arena, and the fearsome Via Infinito in FFX-2. While optional, they extend the life of both games. If you want to truly revel in the storyline, then its advisable to play FFX first, before playing FFX-2.
Winner: Final Fantasy X
Gameplay
Moving around the world is similar for both games, with simplistic controls and a mini-map for those confusing areas. However, in FFX-2, Yuna can jump gaps and climb ledges to continue exploring. There are hardly any load times to bother with, and both games retain their frame rates, even during some of the more hectic battles.
The battle system is where the two games differ immensely. Final Fantasy X uses a conditional, turn based system. Characters and enemies will only move on their designated turn, and will only attack otherwise if conditions are met (Taken certain amount of HP damage, counter attacks, etc). This means that battles can be carefully planned, which is very useful for long battles that require careful planning to make sure your characters aren’t toast. Of course, the player still has to take into consideration the changes in condition which could suddenly disadvantage them. Final Fantasy X-2 is almost the complete opposite, characters can perform combos by selecting attacks that will execute at roughly the same time, of course, the same applies to your enemies. This means that battles can be quite hectic, particularly when there is magic and elemental resistances being thrown everywhere, and it can be difficult to prevent your characters from dying to sudden attacks, because your attention was elsewhere in the same battle. For this reason, battles that you will encounter during FFX-2's storyline will be more difficult than those during FFX, they are certainly more hectic.
In the end game, where the player is in a position to finish the storyline off, FFX-2's Via Infinito doesn't really match up to the Monster Arena in FFX, which asks players to capture monsters and when certain conditions are met, the owner will create new super hard monsters for you to fight. Without careful training, you will be hard pressed to defeat these enemies. To counter, FFX-2 digs up a concept not seen since the days of Chrono Trigger on the SNES, New Game +. This feature allows the player to load their status from a cleared game into a new one, to finish other paths of the storyline, and to collect things missed on the first run. While fun, it does require you to level your characters again, as these are not transferred.
Character customization is also different between both games. FFX uses the Sphere Grid system, and doesn't have "levels" as seen in most Final Fantasy games. Characters gain Ability Points and use them to move around the Sphere Grid. Using Spheres then activates the nodes on the grid, which boost stats, give your characters magic, or give them support abilities. Weapons and armour also have slots, which allow you to customize abilities onto them as well. All the characters in FFX start out different, but using the Sphere Grid, it is possible to iron out the differences to make an efficient fighting force that covers many weaknesses. FFX-2 makes use of spheres again, but rather use Dress-spheres to change the jobs of the three main characters mid fight. Only a certain number of these spheres can be put on a Grid which you carry into battle. The only thing that you can equip are a couple of accessories, which can boost stats or allow you to use the abilities of a certain job, even though you're a different job. Because each job has a different weapon, there is no customization, and you have to rely on what abilities you can learn as that particular job. While the ability to trade your sword for a gun at any point in battle is nice, you heave to put a lot of time in to each job (So it learns abilities) if you want to be able to change effectively from one into another.
The Sphere Grid in its... uh... empty glory
Overall though, FFX wins this section, nothing beats having a go against enemies with hit points that runs into eight figures.
Winner: Final Fantasy X
Graphics
Both games are very similar graphics wise, but FFX-2 does not have the Aeons that featured so prominently in FFX, and doesn't have their spectacular Overdrive attacks (Which always raise a smile in the FF world). The most impressive thing that FFX-2 can muster is the job-switching scenes, which happen rather a lot during the course of the game. Since FFX-2 and FFX are set at the same time in the same world, the areas outside the battle will seem very similar. FFX-2 does add new areas to this mix, but they all seem the same graphically.
This would be a tie, but Aeon Overdrives still look better than FFX-2's job-switching scenes.
Winner: Final Fantasy X
Is it me, or did it just get REALLY cold in here?
Audio
It's undeniable that both games feature that same old Final Fantasy charm. FFX-2 features a pop song in its opening, while FFX is filled with such delights as "To Zanarkand". The music in both games compliments the on-screen action during the storyline very well, and so, it's hard to see which one is better music wise. Of course, there is some music which is reused in FFX-2 from FFX, but FFX-2 does introduce new tunes into the mix too.
Winner: Tie
Lifespan
If you wish to defeat all there is to offer in FFX, it will mean that you have to spend time traveling around the sphere grid to maximize your characters abilities, this will take in excess of 100 hours, but the actual storyline itself will only take an average gamer around 30-40 hours to finish. With FFX-2, the New Game + feature allows the player to go through the storyline differently, to see what would have happened had choices been different. This extends the life of the storyline past the originals, and to get 100% complete will take a long time to do.
Winner: Final Fantasy X-2
You're only saying that because I like FFX more than FFX-2, even if Yuna is wearing short shorts.
Conclusion
While FFX-2 is a nice addition to the series, you really must play the original to fully understand it. This is probably what Square Enix intended. However, those loyal fans who went out to get FFX-2 to see how the events of FFX have effected the world might be a little dissapointed.
Overall Winner: Final Fantasy X
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