Final Fantasy X
PlayStation 2 £44.99 Squaresoft/Sony ***
Unfortunately this won't be the final Final Fantasy. Not that this 10th instalment is bad, but the flaws inherent in the role-playing series are still all too apparent. Unskippable cut-scenes, cloying dialogue and heavily linear progression are just some of the problems, and although fans of the series - and there are many - will be pleased by some stunning visuals, the rest of us expected a bit more from the first FF game on PS2.
Cosmetically, there are improvements. The graphics are well animated and full of variety, and Squaresoft still produces the best in-game cut-scenes in the business. But although these non-interactive storyboards are initially stirring, the fact that you can't skip them means boredom soon sets in. Then there is the spoken dialogue, a first for the series. Plot is essential to Final Fantasy but due to poor vocal acting, much of the power of the story is lost. But there are some enjoyable elements. With progress, made by battling enemies, gaining experience points and new skills, managing the interplay among team members becomes enjoyably crucial. The turn-based combat can be engrossing, with battles taking more than half an hour.
But there are still too many random battles and arduous boss characters placed after movie sequences. This is a massive game and, for those willing to persevere, there is plenty to see and do, with Squaresoft making it easier for newcomers. But by updating only the graphics and ignoring the series's myriad flaws, Final Fantasy X has to rate as a disappointment. (GH)
Next Generation Tennis
PC, PS2, Game Boy Advance £19.99/£29.99/£24.99 Wanadoo ****
With Wimbledon fast approaching, publishers are scrambling to get tennis games into the shops, and obscure French outfit Wanadoo has won this year's race. Next Generation Tennis is a competent, if unspectacular, effort that should satisfy tennis lovers.
Bristling with game modes (including Training, which lets you bash balls against a wall or hone your skills against a serving machine), it does not manage to produce such exciting-looking play as Sega's classic Virtua Tennis, which completely eclipses any real tournament play in these biff-bang days. But it does compensate by allowing two people to play doubles co-operatively, or for one person to play doubles with a computer partner. As you progress through the various modes and earn ranking points, you unlock several top-line players (England's eternal hopeful Henman is available from the start). Graphically, Next Generation Tennis is pretty nice-looking in a high-contrast, texture-free manner, and all the requisite crowd response and atmosphere-generators are present and correct. Gameplay-wise, the control system is commendably easy to learn, but serving is too automated, so it is difficult to come up with either aces or double faults.
Of the three versions on offer, the PC offers the best graphics - although, as sports games always seem more fiddly and less appealing on the PC than on consoles, the PlayStation 2 version makes most sense. The Game Boy Advance version, meanwhile, is a little gem, with great graphics and the ability to get you hooked more or less instantly. Not an all-time great, but a solid, middle-ranking pro that won't let you down. (SB)
The Partners
PC £29.99 Monte Christo Games ***
It's rare to find a PC games chart that doesn't include at least one title from the gaming phenomenon that is The Sims and its numerous offshoots. There seems to be no end to the hydra-like franchise and, judging by the sales figures, no desire among the gaming masses for the demise of the dollhouse-style simulation. With that in mind, it takes a brave developer to even consider encroaching on such well-established territory, but that is exactly what Monte Christo Games is attempting to do with The Partners.
In The Sims, you mainly control the home and social lives of your characters, rather than their time at work, but The Partners lets you take over the working lives of a group of lawyers and juggle the political and sexual machination of a busy office. If you think of it like a sim Ally McBeal, you're about 90% of the way there. Unfortunately, the characters in Partners don't see dancing babies, or break into spontaneous dance routines.
The idea is to balance building up the office and winning cases, with objectives such as getting characters to fall in love or not fall in love, or making sure they don't get caught in the closet with the intern. The animation is rather clunky in places and you'll need to download the latest patches to smooth out some of the bugs. However, there's enough tongue-in-cheek humour and general voyeuristic gameplay to satisfy Sims' fans while they're waiting for their next expansion fix. (RP)
