When Final Fantasy X for the PS3 and Vita was announced a while back, it was specifically billed as a 'remake', even though most of us (at least me) figured they really meant "Remaster" since that is kind of the thing to do now and it makes sense. Of course, the 10 versions of Final Fantasy IV alone will attest to the fact that Squeenix does, in fact, like taking their older Final Fantasy games and retooling/redoing them for reasons that always equal money, so it was a bit up in the air even though Remaster still made the most sense. Officially today, it has been stated that yes, they really did mean HD Remaster which doesn't explicitly rule out fiddling, as the Silent Hill Collection will certainly attest to. Though with the X remaster being 'early on' in development still, it's hard saying what all will make it in.
I think it's safe to say that if Squeenix decided to only take the PS2 game of Final Fantasy X as it was when released in North America and make that shiny, it's....not going to fly too well, since there's no way it's going to sell as cheap as the other Remasters out there, comparatively. (Generally speaking, a Remaster for one game is $15-20 since they usually come in twos or threes.) At the -very least-, Squeenix should really put some thought into making it the 'International Version' of the game which had quite a bit of extra things in it from what I understand. Beyond that, I'm not even sure what they can do to really sweeten the pot to make it tangible for the likely inflated pricetag it's going to carry, being the Squeenix that we all know and...know. The remasters aren't really known, as I said, for a lot of extra stuff, instead relying on the numbers for the sell, so with Final Fantasy X being the only game in the package, it's gotta have -something-. And it's a bit late in the game for them to suddenly say "Oh yeah, X-2 is going to be in it too".
It might all be a little moot from my point anyway, since I'm fairly on the fence on whether or not I'll even get it. I'm sure if I do, it'll be for the Vita since, hey, portable version of a full-size RPG is always nice to have for those times when I have time to kill and nothing exactly pressing to kill it on. I guess the extra things that go in it, if any, will determine at what point I throw down the cash for it, really. Since I bought the game at full price once already and shinier graphics and trophies aren't enough for me to throw down roughly the same amount of money for it again 12 years later. Final Fantasy X was one of those games that, while I was playing it, it was fun and interesting and stuff, but the minute I beat it I instantly had no more interest in it whatsoever and just didn't want to touch it again. That might've had something to do with how I dismissed Final Fantasy X-2 so easily with just the demo, since I'm not even sure when I played it all those years ago, that I even gave the combat a good try. And that was apparently the best thing about the game and one of the better fighting systems of FF games in general. I can't say if that's true or not and on some level it does kind of bug me.
It's funny because in trying to think of ways FFX HD becomes an easier sell, all I've managed to do is think of things that would make me not want to buy it even more than I already don't want to. Like if they changed the voice acting, unless they brought in the same VAs to try it again, I guess. Or, hell, as long as they just keep John DiMaggio for Wakka, I don't really even care. Then, knowing Japanese trophy design as I obviously do, I'm already dreading the "Get all the Ultimate Weapons" and "Unlock all the Ultimate Weapons" or whatever trophies that will inevitably be in there. I braved the lightning jump and that was....well, it was tedious, but not difficult. But the Chocobo Racing? Get 0:00 as a time on the course by use of the time bonuses scattered through it? Nah. Fuck that. Perhaps in the 12 or 13 years that will have passed before the game hits American shores again, I'll have gotten better at that or will have gotten to a point where I can be better at it, but right now I'm not relishing the idea at all.
But Blitzball...I wouldn't mind playing Blitzball again. Hmm.
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