Aeons wield both physical attacks and standard spells as well as special techniques and Overdrive spells. In an effort to speed up combat, battle director Toshirou Tsuchida has done away with most of the ATB system. Now, turns occur in a fixed sequence and there is no pause between them. A bar on the right side of the screen tracks which fighters will move next, allowing players to anticipate their enemies' moves and strategize accordingly. Described by director Yoshinori Kitase as a mixture of basketball, soccer, and rugby, the underwater sport is played in teams of six.
Players pass the ball through the water and score points by getting it into a triangular goal.
A second major mini-game will challenge players to master the fictional language of Al Bhed, but details on this excursion are still sketchy. While Final Fantasy X once appeared to be overly derivative of FFs VIII and IX, the new systems and characters announced more recently have finally distinguished it from the previous installments in the series. While FF X still appears the most similar to Final Fantasy VIII, its creative systems and mini-games should earn it a unique place in FF history. Preview by Fritz Fraundorf , GIA .