Final Fantasy X

It's rare to hear a video game being compared to a piece of literature, but Final Fantasy X reminds me of nothing so much as Chaucer's THE CANTERBURY TALES. (Perhaps it more accurately compares to Dan Simmons HYPERION, but since HYPERION was loosely based on Chaucer, well...)

A summoner and her six guardians embark on a holy pilgrimage whose lofty goal is to save the world from suffering, if only for a short while. The closer they get to their destination, the more treacherous the way becomes as forces gather to divert or destroy them before they can achieve their goal.

Along the way, the stories of the seven are shared: where they came from, how they became a part of this journey. We watch as their individual stories combine into an epic tale of love, camaraderie, sorrow, sacrifice, and triumph.

In a business filled with shoot-em-ups and car crashes, it's wonderful to see a series that tries to stretch the form in ways that resemble art and literature, truly exploring the possibility of video game as an art form.

As to the voice work that so many people complain of, I can only believe that these people were looking for big-name Hollywood stars to provide the voices of the characters--take a look at the resumes of the actors who provide voices for FFX and you'll find a history of American animation for the last 10 years. Check your own expectations before you criticize and you may find, as Shakespeare said, that "the fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves."