Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster

Unreleased

The Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster, written as Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD Remaster in the official logo, is an upcoming remastered compilation of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. It was announced at the Sony Press Conference in Japan on September 14th, 2011 as part of a 10th anniversary special, and was released on December 26th, 2013 in Japan, and is scheduled to be released on March 2014 outside Japan. The compilation is based on the International version of both games.

It has been announced that Square Enix's 1st Production Department is developing this port, a change from Square Enix's normal method of outsourcing remakes and ports to other companies, for example the DS remake of Final Fantasy III and Finest Fantasy for Advance, which were developed by Matrix Software and TOSE, respectively. However, it has been stated it is solely of a quality remaster, featuring a small quantity of upgrades.

The two games will be available together on a single Blu-Ray disc for the PlayStation 3 version. Square Enix also confirmed that the Vita versions of the games will not be sold individually as previously stated. Instead, only Final Fantasy X will get a physical release, but it will include a download code for Final Fantasy X-2.

Differences from the Original Versions
The games contain improved maps and character models and textures as well as improved lighting, shadowing and enhanced pre-rendered movies with better quality in high definition. Trophies for both games are added and all controllable and other major characters have new character models with monsters and minor characters having rearranged textures to improve quality. The game now plays at 16:9 widescreen and some scenes have been adjusted with different camera angles to accommodate for it. Despite all the new improvements, Final Fantasy X still doesn't have an option to skip cutscenes.

As the HD remasters are of the games' International versions, they have some new additions for North American and PAL region players. The Final Fantasy X International was never released in North America and includes a new Sphere Grid option, new optional bosses and new abilities. Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission was a Japan exclusive release, and adds new dresspheres, a Monster Create system, and Coliseum, and a new dungeon, Iutycyr Tower.

Both games will get improved voice audio and have around 60 tracks remastered.

Yoshinori Kitase has confirmed that those who pick up both Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 on PlayStation Vita will be able to take advantage of swapping saves between systems allowing fans to transfer data between the standalone Vita version and the PlayStation 3 counterpart.

Kazushige Nojima also wrote Final Fantasy X -Will-, a "new episode" for the HD Remaster that is a 30-minute audio drama at the end credits featuring a new cast and new character voices.

Content
There are 5 options in the PlayStation 3 version:
 * Final Fantasy X
 * Final Fantasy X: Eternal Calm
 * Final Fantasy X-2
 * Final Fantasy X-2: Last Mission
 * Credits

All the content can be accessed from the main menu.

Development
The idea for the remastering came about when Square Enix met with some of the voice actors during the making of Final Fantasy Type-0 and realized they hadn't met since the making of Final Fantasy X, and how it would be fun to do something for the game's 10th anniversary. Character designer Tetsuya Nomura negotiated with various people and got shown green light for the project, but as staff were still devoted to the Final Fantasy XIII project, the remake wasn't possible right away. The remastering wasn't completed in time for the game's 10th anniversary, but Yoshinori Kitase has joked they lucked out in making it for the Final Fantasy X-2 anniversary instead.

During the Square Enix Presents livestream at E3 2013, Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama mentioned the reason they wanted to remaster Final Fantasy X and, in turn, Final Fantasy X-2, was because earlier Final Fantasy games are playable on current generation consoles via PlayStation Network and various remakes, but as Final Fantasy X was a PlayStation 2 game, and only the first generation of PlayStation 3s had backwards compatibility with PlayStation 2, Final Fantasy X was seen as an ideal candidate for a remastering. During the livestream interview, it was also mentioned that, learning from the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster project, Square Enix has realized they need to keep good backups of game data, in case they want to remaster it in the future. Back when Final Fantasy X was first developed, development was open, and the planner could develop whatever he wanted, but in modern game development, a lot of the process is tool-based and polish-focused, and the planner is not be able to put his own flavor into the game. Square Enix hopes they can merge the old ways with using the new tools. It was always Square Enix's intention to release the Final Fantasy X-2 remaster alongside the original Final Fantasy X, but the PS Vita versions are being released separately for storage capacity reasons.

For both Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2, many of the character models are remade from the ground up, including all the controllable characters. The other characters and monsters are having their textures rearranged to improve quality. For the 16:9 support, the camera has been adjusted to have the visuals work in 3D scenes, but the pre-rendered background scenes required a lot of redrawing and adding on to get them to look correct. With the cut scenes, if the view was simply extended to 16:9, things like people on the sides waiting for their 'cue' to enter, would become visible.

Recreating the original gameplay was surprisingly tough. The gameplay had to be adjusted to match with the improved visuals, but care was taken to ensure the player's impression would remain the same. Not all of the data from the original development project remains, and Square Enix is working with an external development studio and an internal staff for the project, with the internal programmers handling data salvage and repair. Yoshinori Kitase has said that in some ways, it'd be easier to rebuild some of the assets from scratch.

When asked about the International versions having the option of using Japanese voices with English subtitles, Yoshinori Kitase said that is not possible due to PlayStation Vita not having the capacity for it, and they aim for the two versions to be as identical as can be.

On May 29th, 2013, Famitsu revealed that remastering of Final Fantasy X was estimated at 80% completion, while remastering of Final Fantasy X-2 was at 65% completion. In the July 3 issue of Jump magazine, it was revealed that Kazushige Nojima would be writing a post-credit 30-minute story with new voice cast and characters. For a long time, Square Enix was unsure of whether or not to include Last Mission since they considered it a separate game from Final Fantasy X-2. On October 9th, 2013, it was confirmed that both the Final Fantasy X-2 prologue, "Eternal Calm", and "Last Mission" would be included.

Kazushige Nojima wrote an audio drama for the remaster set one year after the events in Final Fantasy X-2 titled Final Fantasy X -Will-. The drama is not meant to clearly depict a particular event, but to hint at the characters' lives after the events of Final Fantasy X-2. The developers didn't want a particular image to be set in stone by presenting clear visuals, and that's why audio-only was chosen, to leave room for the fans' imaginations. Final Fantasy X -Will- and Nojima's spin-off novella Final Fantasy X-2.5, leave open new plot threads, hinting at a possible future sequel, but Square Enix has yet to make any formal announcements on the subject.

This version was developed by Virtuos Games in Shanghai, China.

Release
Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita will be released in North America on March 18 and March 21 in Europe. The PS Vita versions will be released separately, while the PlayStation 3 version will bundle both games together. Those who pre-order the PlayStation 3 version will get a limited-edition artbook.

A limited edition PlayStation Vita featuring Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster design will be released later in 2013.

Japanese Release
The PS3 version includes both Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 and retails for 7,140 yen for physical copy, and 6,400 yen for download. It includes: Final Fantasy X HD Remaster, Final Fantasy X "The Eternal Calm", Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster, Final Fantasy X-2 Last Mission and credits and bonus audio.

The games are being released separately for PS Vita. Both retail for 3,990 yen with the download version costing 3,600 yen. The Final Fantasy X HD Remaster includes the game, "The Eternal Calm" bonus video, and credits and bonus audio. The Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster includes the game, Final Fantasy X-2 Last Mission and credits and bonus audio.

The two PS Vita games are also being released in a single pack, known as Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD Remaster Twin Pack that retails for 7,140 yen or 6,400 yen for the download version, including everything from the single-version games.

The Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD Remaster Resolution Box for PS Vita retails for 25,788 yen and includes a PS Vita (PCH-2000 series) WiFi model, both games, a USB cable, an AC adapter, a power cord and printed matter.

Square Enix is also planning an assortment of goodies for the Square Enix e-Store, including original soundtracks, Ultimanias, newly released Final Fantasy Play Arts Action Figures of Tidus and Yuna, and a "Final Fantasy X-2.5" book tentatively titled The Eternal Calm.

North American Release
The games arrive to PlayStation 3 and PS Vita on March 18th and will support cross save functionality. The games will retail for $39.99. The combo pack will be available as a download on PlayStation Network. One can also buy Final Fantasy X at retail that will include a voucher to download Final Fantasy X-2 from the PlayStation Store.

A limited edition Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD Remaster Collector's Edition for PlayStation 3 will be available exclusively at the Square Enix Online Store for $79.99. The set includes a 40-page hardcover art book filled with concept sketches, environment art, and character artworks for both Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2. The Collector's Edition includes a Final Fantasy X HD Remaster original soundtrack (blu-ray music disc) that is over six hours of music set to images from the game, and five lithographs of art.