Gridlock

With the recent release of the FFX/2 HD version on the PS3, I decided to take a trip down memory lane and dig up some of my old save files on my PS2 (yes I still have them).

Make no mistake: The high point of the entire game was, for me, the sphere grid. Say what you like about the game's graphics/voice acting/plot/combat/linearity/limp mini games, the biggest thrill for me was abusing the sphere grid and sending all seven members of my party into a whole manner of directions beyond their original path - Who would've guessed that both Tidus and Yuna would've made such effective thieves?!
And hey, when you're grinding to level up your characters and it never once feels like grinding then something must've worked.

They say that to get the most out of the sphere grid one needs to approach it with a plan in mind and that certainly rings true here. My approach is that I nutted out what each character needs to do and when they need to do it (actually I just looked at a All-Thieves guide I found on GameFAQS).
Once I had my plan I put it into action: This involved sending characters in certain directions, utilizing particular spheres and, in some cases, leaving characters waiting before they're allowed to claim the advances that awaited them. It took patience and precision but damn it was worth it.

And it the effect it had on the game was indeed pleasing: I found that with certain abilities, everyone had something to contribute to the party's functionality. My party started functioning like a well-oiled machine with everyone playing a part and no one being useless. Characters I found annoying (like Tidus) were getting a lot of mileage and characters I had no idea what to do with (like Kimahri) ended up getting used a lot. And with certain skills being duplicated across the party, never once did I feel like there was a problem that couldn't be solved.
And it was fun seeing characters develop in strange and fun ways: I particularly enjoyed making Tidus into a thief and then beefing him up by sending him in Auron's direction. It was great to make Kimahri into a thief and then into a white mage. It was fun sending Auron down Tidus' original path and give his speed a necessary boost. And I offset Yuna's White Magic and Aeons with Thieving skills and Black Magic (hey she's got the best magic stat after all) effectively making her a one-man army (she is the game's driving force after all).
Okay so maybe it may have made the game kinda dull in the later stages with the spreading of skills resulting in a breaking down of character distinction, but I like the idea that this was a party I had built up, was my own unique one (sort of....) and I was beating the game on my own terms (fitting when one considers just how linear this game is compared to it's predecessors).

But ultimately my abuse of the sphere grid was something that I could never replicate - and it is for reason that I'm not rushing out to get the adore-mentioned FFX/2 HD version and a PS3 to use it. But perhaps it shouldn't be. I can't recall each and every planned step I made or what spheres I used and when. But I don't care - because I still have my saved games and they still stand as proof of my clever customization. The fact that I can still fire up my PS2 and still have a bash using my awesome party, is indeed proof that it was all worth it.

And to wrap this post up, I was so proud of my abuse of the sphere grid that I actually used one of my saved games to help a friend through some of the tougher areas. Considering I made precision movements through the grid, I can only wonder what steps she subsequently took....