It had always seemed a shame to me that Squaresoft could create such deep storylines, memorable characters, and imaginative worlds for each installment of their venerable Final Fantasy series only to turn around and wipe the slate completely clean for the inevitable follow-up. While I understood and appreciated the developers’ desire to keep the titles fresh and innovative, a true Final Fantasy sequel had always held the numero uno position on my game-related wish list. It should come as no surprise then, that Final Fantasy X-2 was one of my most anticipated games of this past holiday season, despite it not being the Final Fantasy VII sequel I really wanted. While the ultra-conservative, fundamentalist Fantasy fanatics (who make John Ashcroft look like Jello Biafara in comparison) may have already branded this light-hearted, booty-baring spin off as the infernal byproduct of some hell bound focus group-oriented marketing department, I’m here to reassure you: it’s not that bad. Honest.