Final Fantasy X has some cringe moments, but overall I think it's one of the better told stories in the series. It's on my Mount Rushmore of FF games.
X - purely aside from the oft loathed laughing scene (that is a Japan thing, they could have set it up better for Ameri'canz to understand or get it better) -
Anyhow, X is a really well done game and story, that actually could have been even better if it widdled off some of the outside of the mainline narrative stuff, lowered the "action" or battles down and kept the intimate and intense focus on the personal character stories that was very, very well done in the start, middle and end of the game. It actually could have been a great movie or mini-series, and I think that is how it was really put together - the "pad time playtime" stuff is...to me.. very much the worst and can be removed... I personally do not think they needed a big bad guy outside of Sin and the dread of your MC being fake / memory and essentially walking willingly into his own non-existance. The info about the summons or whatever was enough of a plot tension build to add on to the main through-plot to keep the player on board.
The music was awesome and fit the dread, love, somber, fore boarding feel perfect.
Not often do I really get into characters and "cheer" them on... but when Tidus and Yuna finally kissed, like about time! I think that was built up to and paid off almost perfectly in timing, any sooner or later and it would not have been as good.
The lore and background that you learn on the journey was perfect... again the "oh but THIS is also happening!" and. "Oh and THIS DUDE is gonna kill everyone also!" was all just kinda needless (imo) distractions from a very good dual heroes journey with Tidus and Yuna both having their own solid journeys weaved together.
X culminated Squares "love" story that they started with 8, and even 9 - the "Empire world domination" thing was 2, 4, and 6 general themes. 3, 5 and 7 (maybe kinda 1) were also thematically similar with the entity/ alien poisoning the world/earth kinda thing.
