Another unfortunate part is that the game utilizes minigames that aren\'t very fun, such as the in-universe sport Blitzball.
I personally love Blitzball, and consider it extremely fun. I\'ll agree with the other minigames lime Chocobo Racing, Butterfly Catching, an Lighting Dodging though.
Blitzball is an interesting concept as a sports game with RPG elements, but it\'s fairly tedious to have to view more than a dozen different tutorials before you even start to play (by comparison, the battle system nicely eases you into things). It\'s also frustrating to have your first match be against a team that greatly outmatches yours at this point (even if the Luca Goers are the team to beat, and the Aurochs have a 23-year losing streak), particularly when the RNG related to various stat checks tends to go in the computer\'s favor, and it\'s extremely difficult to score a goal when there are players besides the goalie guarding it.
I know the barrier for entry is rough, like most people I had to use the exploit to win the first time, but once I really invested in learning all the mechanics I found Blitzball really fun to play. As a minigame, I find it much more mechanically sound and thought out than every other minigame in X.
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Polished, but has some of the newer FF games' flaws
Final Fantasy has changed a great deal over the years, and some changes are welcome while others are not. The tenth game is a product of those changes, for better or worse.
The story- involving an outsider named Tidus being sucked into a world known as Spira, which desperately fights for even a brief respite from the monster known as Sin- is the game's high points, as it involves some of the best worldbuilding and Character Development in the series. The game effectively utilizes Show, Don't Tell, helping you to learn a great deal about Spira and the people in it with relatively little exposition.
One problem that limits replay value, though, is that it's impossible to skip the cutscenes or story scenes, which makes the game drag at times, particularly in the early game, which has lots of dialogue and fights that are a bit too easy.
The world is overly linear, even compared to the other titles in the series. Most outdoor areas only consist of one curving path, with a few chests, save points and NPCs along the way, and there are hardly any towns, giving little sense of exploration. Unfortunately, there are things that you can and will miss if you don't look for them, such as the Al Bhed Primers (the game doesn't tell you about them until after you've passed by a few). The game discourages backtracking, since after clearing each area, you're put on the path to the next, and you don't even get the Global Airship until just before the final area.
The battle system is one of the best-designed ones in the series, as the characters all have various specialties, and you'll have to use all of them at various points (helped by how you can swap party members without using a turn).
The Sphere Grid, in which party members progress along a large board, moving each time they gain a level and spending spheres to gain stat increases and abilities, is a deep and innovative system for leveling. The item customization is a good concept, but getting the very good bonuses involves a bit too much farming of rare items.
Aesthetically, the game had excellent graphics for the time that aged fairly well, even without the HD re-release. Unfortunately, the soundtrack doesn't quite measure up to the rest of the series, as while it has some Awesome Music ("Assault," "Someday The Dream Will End," the final boss theme and others), much of the music, such as the standard boss theme, is mediocre, if not repetitive (I had to turn off the music when the "tense" music played during the Zanarkand Cloister of Trials, so I could solve the puzzle there).
Another unfortunate part is that the game utilizes minigames that aren't very fun, such as the in-universe sport Blitzball. You don't have to be much good at them to progress in the story, but you do have to play them in order to unlock powerful gear and get achievements, which can be frustrating for those who dislike the minigames.
All in all, FFX is highly enjoyable, but I don't consider it the best FF.