Okay this is coming from a FF fan to another. This is also coming from someone who never played FFXII because it looks grungy and the chocobos look like overgrown chickens. I watched a friend play it and it looks like Star Wars with a problem and lacks good character design really.

So please..help me gain insight into why you like this particular installment of the game. So that I can look at in another light.

Spoilers welcome since I never plan of playing the game and please keep it polite. No cursing and no unreasonable arguing. Also no name calling. Argue your point in a respectable, mature, fashion.

I guess I liked the music the most of all since I listen to the soundtrack to XII a lot more than most other FF's (besides IX). Masaharu Iwata and Hitoshi Sakimoto did a fabulous job with Tactics and I was pleased to hear they would be composing the score for Final Fantasy XII.

I guess another thing I liked about this game is the racial diversity that was spanned throughout it, you got to see Humans, Viera, Bangaa, Nu-Mou, Seeqs, and Moogles come together, similar to Tactics Advance but XII has a different look and feel to it.

Respectufully, you might clearly explain your gripes with the game because no one will know what you mean by "grungy" and "Star Wars with a problem". And why you would skip the game because of chocobos... :itsamystery:



I enjoyed the gameplay most and the battle system. Spent more hours focused on hunts and leveling than the game's story. The graphics too were quite refreshing. Or maybe just a welcome change after seeing the same designs cross from FFX to X-2.

Respectufully, you might clearly explain your gripes with the game because no one will know what you mean by "grungy" and "Star Wars with a problem". And why you would skip the game because of chocobos... :itsamystery:



I enjoyed the gameplay most and the battle system. Spent more hours focused on hunts and leveling than the game's story. The graphics too were quite refreshing. Or maybe just a welcome change after seeing the same designs cross from FFX to X-2.

Yeah I see that the battle system is like Kingdom Hearts. The grungy look comes from the mute colors and the chocobos lack the same lighthearted feel.

It's good to see someone talk about the battle system but you said that you spent more hours on gameplay and leveling than on than story. But maybe since I really really look at the story is why I was probably turned off by it.

But part of a good game is the story. What turned you onto to playing the game if you didn't focus on the story? Was it just because of the fact that it's a FF installment?

But part of a good game is the story. What turned you onto to playing the game if you didn't focus on the story? Was it just because of the fact that it's a FF installment?

As I said, the gameplay. To me, the gameplay made up for it. Pretty much the only reason I kept playing besides a vague and dissociative desire to see events play out. The story is not abysmal. Simply, I found its grip upon my interest lacking more than past FFs and its PS2 contemporaries.

But 70% of the game is grinding/hunting/dungeon devling so it's not that hard to ignore the parts I didn't like.

The story sucked and this is still one of the most fun games to complete. I played through it barely having any idea what was going on, but really, if you're just gonna play this game and ignore sidequests, it's going to be really boring.

This game had battles that were actually challenging and requiring strategy and thinking ahead, and it was always a different approach. Mark hunting, completing the Bestiary, among other stuff... was quite fun. It's also got a great license system with equipment, and learning magic is really not all that complicated.
Might I also add that a lot of things make cameos and references to past FFs, such as... well, without spoiling too much I'll say there is a reference to II, V, and VI, and possibly more. But this is only in sidequests.
As for things always having a different approach, that's what I liked about the Rare Game sidequest even though it was annoying as fuck.

Might I mention that all the mandatory battles are a joke. That's right this game is mainly a challenge for completionists so if you're not someone who bothers with that kind of stuff then you probably won't like it. But if you are I would recommend it because I had more fun dominating it than most of the other installments.

During my second playthrough there were parts where I'd get to a point in the story and spend days completing other quests before advancing in the story.

Well, I actually liked the story, but maybe that's just me.

The sheer amount of stuff you can do in it. It was the first FF game of the modern era to have a decent-length main plot (i.e. not FFX-2) and have optional content that could reasonably stretch you as far as the main game. Just doing all the hunts gives you an extra 30+ hours of gameplay, minimum.

Also, the music was good, the gambit system was refreshing albeit sometimes too limited and the graphcal developments since FFX, especially the moveable camera, were welcome.

Well, I actually liked the story, but maybe that's just me.


Okay so what did you like about the story? Explain it to me spoilers and all.
Zak said that it sucked. Why did it suck to you Zak?
And as far as the gambit and licencing system goes...Isn't Bathier a sky pirate. Why the hell would he need or even want a licence to bear arms. Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of him being a pirate.
Last time I checked...
If you're doing anything illegal and or against their corrupt government, wouldn't you want to stay as low-key as possible?
In some games the battle system doesn't system make sense with the story.
And the gambit system I've heard was incredibly annoying. How'd you guys like it?

And don't even let me get into the espers...

The gambit system was mainly a bonus because it took out the necessary button pressing that was necessary in previous FFs, where all you did for a good deal of battles was simply Attack of cast Cure 99% of the time.

It also adds a good degree of strategy and seeing your party co-ordinate a gambit-specific chain of commands could be rewarding.

'Licence' doesn't need to be taken literally in Balthier's case. It could simply represent his level of confidence that he knows enough about the weapon/armour/ability to use it without it going wrong.

In what way does the battle system not fit in with the story? Can you give examples?

I liked the story for FF12. I spent my first trip through the game focusing on the story mainly so that it really made sense and was pretty interesting. Sure, some of the characters like Vaan and Penelo really didn't interest me, but I have found people like that in every FF game.

As for the license and gambit systems, I thought those were great. As Ceidwad has already said, the gambit system really was one of the big improvements. It sure beats hitting the O button ten million times. And the license system was pretty interesting, it made a lot more sense than the sphere grid from FF 10.

The length of the game was another thing I really liked. On each of my playthroughs I have reached at least 100 hours. The only other FF game that I did that on was FF 10. Completing the hunts and defeating the espers was where the real challenge came in. Spending the extra time to do these really did add to the enjoyment I got from the game.

So I guess what I am trying to say is that the game is great because of all of the parts put together. If you simply look at just one part then you will miss out. Trust me, I almost didn't play FF 12 because of the battle system. I was really disappointed that it wasn't turn-based anymore, but after playing for a while I got used to it and now I love it.

I do have one question though. I don't mean this to sound rude, but I am curious as to why you are wanting to know the redeeming points of FF 12 if you absolutely refuse to ever play the game?

In some games the battle system doesn't system make sense with the story. And the gambit system I've heard was incredibly annoying. How'd you guys like it?

The game functions on the exact same principles as ATB. If you never use gambits the battles function just like any other RPG. Gambits are just macros/scripts in disguise. You don't have to use them and won't suffer for it because the option to set battle to "wait" remains. And because of that it's a good, flexible system allowing you to completely disavow gambits if you don't like them. Perhaps the only gripe I had with it was in being forced to "discover" new gambits. And it's a pretty minor gripe.

Some of the sidequests were definitely good, particularly the hunt. I liked how the game offered the same sort of freedom of movement seen in Final Fantasy X-2. Gate Crystals were a good idea. Yeah, some of the story was a bit weak, but there were some things to like it. And there were some characters who I came to enjoy, particularly Basch and Larsa. Also, I completely agree that some of the battles could be quite challenging and required some real strategy.

As far as the battle system not making sense with the plot, Bathier should've been noted to break the rules and not use a licence instead of simply leaving you to guess. That way It would've seemed as though they tried to make his occupation make sense with the licensing system.

Another example of the battle system really not making sense with the plot is Kingdom Hearts chain of memories.

Sora needs cards to attack since all of his memories are stored in the cards. I personally think that you're not going to forget how to swing a blade. They should've made all of his special skills in cards since you'll probably going to forget how to swing one expertly. But to just simply attack--which he does on field without the assistance of cards...Yeah. That just doesn't coincide.

And me not wanting to play the game Wolfmaster913(by the way your question wasn't rude^^) is simply because I the plot doesn't interest me. I would get to a point where I would be to busy finding the flaws in the game than simply enjoying it. So I'd much rather see the good in the game from an unbiased, source such as you guys.

I've never been one for politics and corrupt hopeless governments. I also hate stories where the 'gods' come into play and they're made out to be total assholes, and there's no one to stop them. I mean in reality who can go up against a legion of gods anyways.

Admittedly, when I first read a sort of plot synopsis I wasn't interested at all, but I was given the game as a present and gave it a go. I ended up enjoying it alot - regardless of the 'sketchy' plot in parts, some characters were great and as already mentioned, the sheer size of this game and all the extra content has great gameplay value, especially the Hunts and the optional Espers.

That makes sense, Song_Of_Silence. I have played games where I simply stopped playing because of all of the flaws I found.

As for Balthier having to use the license board, they had to do that. In my opinion, if they had let him go without using it, he would have been completely overpowered. Being able to use any weapon at the very beginning of the game just takes out all of the fun of leveling people up so you can see what they do. I prefer to think of it like Ceidwad said, the licenses are just to represent the confidence needed to use that weapon.

As far as the battle system not making sense with the plot, Bathier should've been noted to break the rules and not use a licence instead of simply leaving you to guess. That way It would've seemed as though they tried to make his occupation make sense with the licensing system.

Another example of the battle system really not making sense with the plot is Kingdom Hearts chain of memories.

Sora needs cards to attack since all of his memories are stored in the cards. I personally think that you're not going to forget how to swing a blade.

They should've made all of his special skills in cards since you'll probably going to forget how to swing one expertly. But to just simply attack--which he does on field without the assistance of cards...Yeah. That just doesn't coincide.

No offence, but that really is clutching at straws. Little inconsistencies like that are in pretty much any fantasy/RPG game going. I could almost certainly name at least one in every single game I've played that involves combat. That's what makes them fantasy games. If little issues like that put you off FFXII, you're probably not going to enjoy many games.


I've never been one for politics and corrupt hopeless governments. I also hate stories where the 'gods' come into play and they're made out to be total assholes, and there's no one to stop them. I mean in reality who can go up against a legion of gods anyways.

The gods of Ivalice aren't infallible, and you only go up against one of them, anyway, Venat. Plus, you have the help of loads of other Occuria as well as Espers (demi-gods) and magic stones which are basically combined more than enough to take down one god.

Aside from all that, your characters don't go head-to-head with the gods, they just defeat Vayne, a mortal, and foil his plans. Nothing implausible there. I for one felt that, compared to other FFs, your characters' power was scaled down to a refreshingly realistic level. Not like in other FFs where they were able to actually face up to gods on their own.

As far as the political elements of the story are concerned, I can't really say much there. If you didn't like it, that's simply your issue. I enjoyed it myself, it made a change from the by now fairly formulaic FF pattern of 'good guy has grudge against bad guy, grudge becomes ever more epic and boils down to a big massive 'save the world' scenario, during which the good guy finds true love with some woman he picked up along the way'. The one thing you could indisputably say about FFXII's story was that it went a different way from previous FFs. I think that, had the characters recieved more dialogue overall, especially in some appropriate places, the story would have been pretty great. Regardless of lack of dialogue, I still think it's solid compared to previous games in the series.

Lol. Ceidwad the whole 'he falls in love with some chick he picks up along the way' thing is pretty funny and sadly enough true.

In a video game of course there will always be something that you don't like. But the question is, are those problems at a minimum. I also find it devastatingly unrealistic that in alot of games where a special power comes into play, the enemy never seems to have one of their own.

The only exception was FFX where Seymour actually had his own aeon that he would use against you. So tell me guys. Why did you like the plot?

Go into complete detail as to why you enjoyed it. I know sometimes the plot can be to developed or totally underdeveloped. And then there are those good ones that go inbetween.

Games about war and politics have never really interested me since they're so close to real life. I play and like fantasy games to escape that, not to jump head first into it. And why is it that one small group of people alone is enough to take down the whole corrupt system? Why them is specific? You know just ask yourself these questions...

I also find it devastatingly unrealistic that in alot of games where a special power comes into play, the enemy never seems to have one of their own.

The only exception was FFX where Seymour actually had his own aeon that he would use against you.
The only exception? Ultimecia could junction with Griever. Kuja was the only character in Final Fantasy IX who could use Ultima, etc. etc....

Yeah that's true. Good catch agent...
But that still doesn't explain what you like about 12...
lol.

I already explained what I like about XII. It's late at night, and I don't have any interest in going into anymore detail right now. Maybe some other time...

I already explained what I like about XII. It's late at night, and I don't have any interest in going into anymore detail right now. Maybe some other time...

That's fine with me. What about the rest of you guys?(the ones that didn't already go into detail.)

What did you like and dislike most?

I guess I might type out a reply about why I like the plot later. Might be on the weekend, as it's likely to be quite long and frankly I don't have the energy for it right now.

I will answer this question though:


And why is it that one small group of people alone is enough to take down the whole corrupt system? Why them in specific?

A small group of people are enough to take down the corrupt system because the corrupt system is itself sustained by a similarly small group of people. There was nothing particularly corrupt about the Empire itself, per se, merely Vayne and some of the Judges, such as Judge Ghis, Judge Bergan, Doctor Cid, and (for a certain amount of the game) Judge Gabranth. Take out those guys and there's nothing particularly sinister about the Empire.

As for why them in specific, well apart from Vaan, Fran and Penelo, all the main characters and guests have a good reason for opposing the aforementioned corrupt figures (even if Balthier's reasons do not become apparent until later in the plot), and as per their backstories would likely have some knowledge of the politics involved (Balthier becausehe used to be a Judge, Ashe because of her former status as Princess of Dalmasca, Basch because of his years as a top ranking knight in the Dalmascan army, Larsa because he is the son of the Emperor, etc.). Therefore, they have both the motivation and the means to take down the system.

Thanks Ceidwad. That totally clarifies that for this game!^^
I really can't vouch for other games though...
And that's an interesting realization about Bathier too. Thanks for the info.

Penelo.


No cursing and no unreasonable arguing. Also no name calling. Argue your point in a respectable, mature, fashion.

ROFL

????
Penelo?
That's pretty vague...
lol.

Not at all. She's ultimately the only thing that I've consistantly liked about the game.

You can read my old posts in this forum to see what I used to like. If you get there before I delete them ;)

Wow really? Someone said Penelo was a great white mage. What's she like?

Everyone is pretty much the same in terms of abilities. There is absolutely no difference in any of the characters whatsoever, besides the Quickenings, but they only look different and have different names, yet they do the same thing.

They DO have different starting stats which kinda give advantage, but it's hard to really notice such a difference, it's all about who you decide to train and in what direction.

I played a game where I kept everyone at the same level and every time I got a new item, licensed it to everyone. I guess if you do that you're supposed to notice the difference in advantages but I didn't notice much?

FFXII is pretty solid, but it doesnt feel like a Final Fantasy game a lot of the time.

Firstly, the voice acting is far better than FFX. So if you enjoyed FFX but still found yourself cringing at Tidus's laughs, then you'll be pleased to know they fixed it here. From the start, we get to see voice acting outside of American Accents. I think theres English, German and Spanish. That and the mere quality of the voice acting is better, Baltheir and the Judges being great examples.

The gameplay is pretty solid also. It's user friendly and the gambit system is pretty clever. Its not like KH though, I dont know why anyone would say that. Kingdom Hearts isn't turn based, whilst FFXII clearly is. The abscence of random encounters is good and bad. It allows you to dictate which monsters you fight, but it also makes FFXII feel like a different game from the others in the series. That and also there isnt a battle theme track, which is often one of the better tracks in the game.

The playable characters are decent I suppose. Vaan is a weak hero and Peleno's a dud, but Ashe and Fran are okay and Basch and Baltheir are gems. The Villain is okay, though he lacks actual communication with the party. The judges compensate for that though, both in their own communcation with the party and being great characters.

Its story is a little flat and its lacking a much needed romance, but it has its moments. There is potential in the story, but due to there being fewer cutscenes than other games, its never tapped into.

I dont think its anywhere near the quality of most of the other titles, but its pretty neat. Id give it an 8.8/10. It probably works for gamers who arent that into cutscenes/romances and just story in general. Ie. the mainstream gamer. As most of us arent that kind of gamer though, its a shame.

Ashe's mini-skirt.
Using the camera to look up Ashe's mini-skirt.
The new battle system
The Hunts.
Balthier
The Sky Pirates Den - I love collecting stuff in games, and this was something that had me playing it as much as possible to get everything.
I would normally write a pretty big post with more detail. But i'm busy and know I won't check this thread again tonight when I get home. But I wanted to participate so I figured simple bullet points would be fine. I might edit if I get around to it.

Ashe's mini-skirt.
Using the camera to look up Ashe's mini-skirt.

This too. It's pink, I mean, c'mon.

"Ashe's mini skirt". lol.
I'm suprised you weren't comepletely enthralled with how skimpy Fran was.
I personally enjoy seeing a story without romance since I believe that there's a time and a place for it. Not every story should cater to it and I think that showing the bond between friends alone is just as powerful.

But It's actually interesting to hear that people still look foward to it. I also like your rating on the game and completely agree that it's unlike any other Final Fantasy in terms of feel. I just didn't feel as though I was looking into the same beloved world.

And yes Tidus laughing was pretty horrible. Actually between his and Yuna's I don't know which one was worse...lol.

To post seriously in this thread:

I really enjoyed the battle system, the graphics, and I was perfectly fine with the story not being focused on romance. Quite enjoyed that fact, tbh. My gripes come with the amount of optional content in comparison to the main story. I just feel like it FAR outweighed it, more than any other game that I've ever played.

If you enjoy that, hey, to each their own.

Also, some of the aspects of the game seem designed to encourage multiple, frustrated playthroughs if you don't purchase a guide, which this game seems, also, designed to make you do. The requirements for rare game spawns range from haphazard to impossible-without-information, and one notable drop takes about 12 hours of chaining and chicanery. The ultimate weapon requires counterintuitive action on the part of the player and I am sure there is not a single person who has gotten it without consulting a guide.

Ceidwad and Agent will probably say I'm harping on the same problems, and I am. You can read this rant in several places in this forum. I just felt as a person who is consistantly visiting this forum and thread that you deserved a serious answer from me.

Welcome to Shrine ^_^

Why thankyou Neg. A clear answer and one that allowed me to see the game in a different light. I'm sure everyone has their gripes about each respective game but it's the question of if those cons outweigh the pros.

For me a good story with characters you actually care about are the fundamentals of creation. Final Fantasy XII seemes to take a different approach to battling that seemed to agree with the audience. Though I didn't catch the fact that it was term based still. I also was mistaken in thinking it was much like Kingdom Hearts.

I dont mean to say a romance is absolutely nesecarry, im not that much of a sucker. But I thought that it would've added another dimension to what was a very 2D plot. If those bonds of friendships as you described, were as strong as they should have been, then it wouldn't be a problem, but it doesnt feel that way at all. Baltheir and Vaan have a slight younger/bigger brother thing, but its nowhere near as strong as say Tidus/Wakka.

Back to the romance, the annoying thing is that its set up for two characters, which I wont specify. They come so close but then ultimately do nothing.

Yes, I've definately seen parties where the bonds of friendship were horrible and It made the game a little less enjoyable.

I mean when you're all there for your own respective reasons and really have no reason to work together, It makes it easier for fights and misunderstandings to come about. You say the plot is 2D and that romance probably would've helped it have more dimension. In what way?

The two posters above me should stick around this place. The FF sections need some new faces.

As long as people are griping about romance and voice acting, I might as well put my two cents in. As for the romance, there has been one in all of the other FFs that I have played, and it did seem somewhat less of a FF in that fact. Also, I feel that the voice acting was great, but it kind of sounded like they were talking into a can. I feel that when they were producing the game they could have made that a better quality.

Yes, I've definately seen parties where the bonds of friendship were horrible and It made the game a little less enjoyable.

I mean when you're all there for your own respective reasons and really have no reason to work together, It makes it easier for fights and misunderstandings to come about. You say the plot is 2D and that romance probably would've helped it have more dimension. In what way?

In that the story has only one angle or course, which is to defeat the Empire. There are no sub plots really and each dungeon is just another step towards destroying/using the dawnshard. If it was designed a storyboard, itd honestly look like this.

[ ]---[ ]---[ ]---[ ]---[ ]

You get the point.

Lol. A romance would've added a different flavour to a dull story and given us something else to think about whilst we run around in dungeons. Like someone said above, you spend so much time dungeon crawling that you actually forget why you're even there.

In that the story has only one angle or course, which is to defeat the Empire. There are no sub plots really and each dungeon is just another step towards destroying/using the dawnshard. If it was designed a storyboard, itd honestly look like this.

Even though I didn't like the story that much, there were plenty of subplots amongst the characters. You have:


-Vaan, trying to become a sky pirate and come to terms with the death of his brother.
-Balthier, a bit Han Solo-like in his metamorphosis from apathetic pirate to heroic rebel. Also the conflict with his father takes centre stage.
-Fran, outcast from her people for venturing out into the world (not to mention the subtle romance between her and Balthier). Although, her story peters out far too soon.
-Ashe shouldn't really need explaining. You deal with her crap almost the entire time.
-Basch, as he seeks redemption through his duty to Dalmasca.
-Penelo she...ok, well she's a bust.

While they're clearly present, problems still exist imo. Specifically how unevenly the characters were presented. Most of the focus shifts amongst Ashe, Basch, and Balthier. Even Larsa gets more exposure than some of your PCs.

Penelo and Larsa had a thing going on, I will bet money on it.

Even though I didn't like the story that much, there were plenty of subplots amongst the characters. You have:


-Vaan, trying to become a sky pirate and come to terms with the death of his brother.
-Balthier, a bit Han Solo-like in his metamorphosis from apathetic pirate to heroic rebel. Also the conflict with his father takes centre stage.
-Fran, outcast from her people for venturing out into the world (not to mention the subtle romance between her and Balthier). Although, her story peters out far too soon.
-Ashe shouldn't really need explaining. You deal with her crap almost the entire time.
-Basch, as he seeks redemption through his duty to Dalmasca.
-Penelo she...ok, well she's a bust.

While they're clearly present, problems still exist imo. Specifically how unevenly the characters were presented. Most of the focus shifts amongst Ashe, Basch, and Balthier. Even Larsa gets more exposure than some of your PCs.

Those are all weak, even though technically they are subplots. How much time is actually spent in Fran's hometown/past? Theres one cutscene and its back to finding the shards.

A good example of a subplot is Barret's story about North (or is it South?) Corel, its destruction and his eventual reunion with Dyne. Chasing Sephiroth takes a number for a few hours of gameplay and we get to learn about Barret. There is no subplot of that calibur in Final Fantasy XII, bar maybe Gabranth and Basch's relationship, which again, had potential that was never tapped on.

Subject of Romance

Also, I dont think Baltheir and Fran were ever intended to seem more than friends. I thought that was pretty universal? They've been companions for years, if they had anything going, wouldnt we have seen it clearly? The

I thought it was pretty obvious that the only possible romances were Ashe v Baltheir, Penelo v Larsa and maybe Basch v Ashe.

I liked finding rare game. I also liked when you were thrown into the dungeon and you had to fight those seeq with no weapons. I didn't like Penelo though...( I hated leveling her up)

Those are all weak, even though technically they are subplots. How much time is actually spent in Fran's hometown/past? Theres one cutscene and its back to finding the shards.

A good example of a subplot is Barret's story about North (or is it South?) Corel, its destruction and his eventual reunion with Dyne. Chasing Sephiroth takes a number for a few hours of gameplay and we get to learn about Barret. There is no subplot of that calibur in Final Fantasy XII, bar maybe Gabranth and Basch's relationship, which again, had potential that was never tapped on.

Subject of Romance

Also, I dont think Baltheir and Fran were ever intended to seem more than friends. I thought that was pretty universal? They've been companions for years, if they had anything going, wouldnt we have seen it clearly? The

I thought it was pretty obvious that the only possible romances were Ashe v Baltheir, Penelo v Larsa and maybe Basch v Ashe.

Well, I didn't say they were all strong in my post. Just that they're represented in contrast to your "no subplots".

But neither do I think all the character subplots are weak. Some are pretty shallow, but the three I mentioned simply aren't imo.

As I said, Ashe, Basch, and especially Balthier's issues extend over most of the game as they are directly connected with the main plot. You can call the rest weak and I'd agree with you. But those three? Considerable evidence exists to the contrary. It's pretty hard to lump them in with the weaker stories.

Are they good? That's not up to me, but they are pretty deep and omnipresent.

Balthier and Fran had a very subtle romance plot and Revnant Wings further confirms it. But as I said, it was very subtle so it's easy to miss. That wasn't said to dispute the lack of romance in the game, because honestly, there isn't much concrete.

I just thought it was shit tbh
Not my type of game.
Didnt seem like a final fantasy.
even if I haven't played the whole way through, and anyhow, that should say something for itself.

Doomjockey nails it. Ensemble cast, each character with his or her own motivation/goal/obstacles (granted, some of them are pretty weak. Basch and Balthier specifically are the two most fleshed-out playable characters).

Kinda reminds me of that old show Firefly. Six people venturing into the vast world, united by a common goal, yet looking for six different things.
("Nine people looking into the blackness of space and seeing nine different things.")

^ Lol I'd say Ashe is a little more fleshed than Basch and Baltheir, considering the plot is built on her journey.

The way her will for revenge melts away is one of the few character developments in the game.

ugh, Ashe.
*shudders*

I liked that the world seemed to be huge.
I didn't like, though, not setting foot in Rozarria at all.

Fran's accent.

haha, seriously, I loved the battle system, story was solid, and i loved the gambit system. Good game overall, it definitely broke some ground in the series, not that its 'better' than the other games. The only pain in the ass was leveling, and gil hunting, that shit took forever.

I'm a bit annoyed by the fact that you, the thread starter, never bothered to play the game in the first place. But thats just me since its disappointing to see a great game being judged by its cover. IX and Valkyrie Profile 2 were some square-enix games that had quite the similar issue as this.

Before anything though, I'd like to mention that XII was meant to be a groundbreaking game (which in fact it was), and take RPG's to the next level before leaving the gradual obsolete PS2 console. Many reviews of XII were positive and Japanese gaming magazine 'Famitsu' gave the game a very rare 40 out of 40. The only problem was that because of the attempt to take rpg's to the next level and catch a bigger audience, many FF fans were put off by the previews of the new changes such as a real time battle system with a touch of MMO elements in its gameplay and environment.

To be honest, I was also put off when I first saw these things. I thought the gambit system to be a confusing piece of crap and I also thought the license system was a very complicated system which I quite laugh at now. But as I started to get further into the game, I began to see how much of an innovative jewel XII really is.


These are factors in why I like FFXII, and why it is a great game:

First of all would be the obvious great graphics which even a lot of next gen games don't even bother to surpass the graphics of this PS2 game. Square-Enix always produces top-notch graphics for its games, so theres no disappointment there. It is presented quite like Punk Scifi/Fantasy which explains why theres giant cities with flying vehicles in contrast to the natural/untouched environments surrounding them. Perhaps the suggestively erotic and odd character designs were influenced by this also. There isn't anything to be said bad about the graphics, since its all very final fantasy-ish and typical to the standards of Square-Enix in terms of graphics.

Now the game play. Many people were put off by this change to real time... and in such an odd manner too. You fight in a party of three which you can switch with characters of six during real battle time. There are no random enemy encounters, so every monster is viewed on the screen/area you are in. Furthermore, you don't have to activate a battle like that in star ocean 3, which saves loading time and because of this, you can choose whether to fight or not without much hassle.

Items are collected as drops with the occasion of gill from certain enemies after they have been downed. These are based on percentage as usual. Instead of collecting gil from monsters, you collect 'loot' (quite the MMO feel) and sell it to dealers around the XII world known as Ivalice. While this may seem time consuming, it is also productive as it goes hand in hand with leveling, item upgrading (via bazaar etc), license point collecting etc. It also helps keep a challenge to the game, so that one cannot be overpowered with gil without effort. Many early access overpowered items give quite the difficult challenge to obtain as well.

License Points at first, seemed to be complex nonsense, but became quite easy once you got the hang of it. XII's demand of killing monsters (be it good or not) really makes any difficulty of the license grid obsolete. Eventually every character will learn everything, so there isn't much to complain about. In a sense, the license grid is a range of bonuses that one can obtain throughout the game for ease against challenges.

I thought the Gambit System was confusing, perhaps a challenge to VII's Materia System, which turned out to be completely wrong. In fact, the Gambit System is the most easiest thing to use and in turn will make everything a lot easier. Gambits are set in priority so you can decide what the character does first and last, which helps relieve any annoyances in things you don't want your characters to be doing. Therefore, technically you don't even have to lift a finger (but the game isn't that forgiving XD). But what really matters is that your character will quickly heal or revive, or attack or do anything accordingly (espers and quickenings are excluded).

Quickenings are a different turn to FF's special attacks and limit breaks. Activating one quickening means activating everyone else's to make a chain for bigger damage. It is challenging and it does mean that these are not overpowered without collaboration from other characters. But the game isn't gonna let you get away with it. You have a certain amount of time to chain as much quickenings as you can, so you have to act fast. Also the game gives you a chance to increase your chains with mist charges which come at random. So speed and luck are your friends here. In a way, it seems that timing is quite a factor in XII's mechanics and it does give a good challenge for players. I'll leave it at that for game play.

Oh the soundtrack is absolutely superb! I was a bit sad that Nobuo Uematsu didn't create the OST, but its nice that some of his pieces are there. Hitoshi Sakimoto really kicks ass. Almost every soundtrack is orchestral based, which is quite welcoming to the ears (it also, to me makes it feel like video game music is becoming as serious and competitive as music in film and tv etc). Battle themes are very nicely composed, and really enhances the feel of the game. There are really nice tracks for areas also. Osmone Plains, Giza Plains and Phon Coast are some soundtracks that really keep you going. They're very catchy and a good comfort for leveling and traversing.

The story of XII is its weakness, but it is a decent mature story. The fact that it is lacking is not because of flaws or confusing twists, it is because the spoilers in the storyline are quite fast and leave nothing to grab your attention. So a cut-scene with major spoilers might be dimmed by a great soundtrack in the background. One other problem is that long parts of the game are depleted of dialog until the main destination is finally reached. There is nothing wrong with the story in particular, but how it has been placed. It is a typical war-fare story with crystals playing a major role (how very FF). What retains a level of maturity is its political perspective and lack of character relationships in terms of romance. So it is pretty clearcut with the occasional comedic scenes and clich�'s.

It is disappointing that XII also lacks character development. In a way, the story is centered mostly on Balthier and Ashe with Basch set on the side. Vaan, Fran and Penelo are just there for the ride. To truly find character development, you the player has to decide for yourself why they are there in the first place and so on. The game does shed light on each characters reason, but many are left for you to ponder. Perhaps it can be viewed as a good thing, everything complete may not always leave people wanting more.

But it is XII's array of side quests that highlight the greatness of the game. You have hunts which are quests to kill monsters for rewards. You have mini side quests obtained by talking to certain people which gives rewards and a slight break from just killing things over and over. You can also collect trophies and sky pirate den figurines by killing rare games and fulfilling certain conditions. While I can go on and on about this, its better for you to pick up the controller and see for yourself.

Okay... XII has so much things to talk about that make it so great. As mentioned, I can go on and on and on about it till my fingers bleed, but its better for you to pick up the game and play it. It doesn't cost much if you don't have it. It already is platinum. I really like this game, and it is one of very few games which I can play over and over again (like IX). See for yourself.

Quality review. Didn't miss a thing. ^

Aye. Judging FFXII off superficial reasons like a glance at the cast, or that the chocobos look stupid, is really a bad reason not to play the game. I challenge someone calling themself a fan of the series if thats how fickle they are.

Like Vorvel said. The game is cheap as chips. You can buy it for 25$ here in Australia. God knows its cheaper in US and Europe. Have a go, play it, even force yourself to finish it, at least so that your opinion of the game is more educated.

Exploration. I feel in love with the world

Okay...after my computer totally fell apart(after my car and playstation 3) I finally found a computer I can use this temporarily to post this message.^^

Vorvel:
Don't become irritated just because I didn't play the game. It's okay. I know how it feels when someone criticizes something without giving it a chance. But don't despair! I have seen enough of the game played out before me to know the gameplay, look, soundtrack, etc.

And that's the reason why I chose not to play it. I didn't just see it in the game shop and say "Ewww. This lookin to funny." and set it down like an unintelligent oaf. I've seen it up close. I know it will never be the same as playing it for myself but think about it. It's quite simple.

We all have likes and dislikes. If you try and play/view/listen/read to something that you totally have no interest in you'll be to busy looking at the things you hate than enjoying it. So...I did the smart thing and tried to see it through the eyes of someone who appreciates it's worth.

That's why I started this thread. So in a way...I'm not missing out.XD

So I appreciate you guys showing me the worth of the game. I just needed someone to help me give it a chance. Maybe I will play it one day thanks to you guys. The method seems to have worked. I do feel more interested in it that before. So thanks. And don't despair guys. I did actually see it up close. I'm not just downing the game without meaning.^^

So thanks to all who have answered. Thanks for your intelligent reviews.(You guys are pretty smart. I like that.lol)

And moreover thanks for keeping it polite. I know some of you probably wanted to tear my head off.

I don't know when I'll be back so carry on without me.

Fran's accent.

Me too! :)

I loved Final Fantasy XII, it was the first Final Fantasy I played.
The story was ok, not as great as it could have been. In a way it reminded me of Star Wars, which is probably why I enjoyed it. It also had that playability factor. There were so many things to do after you had completed the story, from hunts to getting better weapons and hidden espers. I've completed all the hunts and am currently concentrating on beating Yiazmat, but he's a tough one lol. I also loved the characters, they had such funny quotes, Balthier in particular. Overall it was a good game.

The little side missions the music and the battle system

The only redeeming qualities about this game are the fact that the hunt missions were fun, and it exposed Matsuno as the fraud he is. Never again will I buy a game Matsuno makes.

The soundtrack. I love Hitoshi Sakimoto's music.

I've loved quite some other things too, great game overall. But the music, GOD DAMN

It felt like a merging of an Eastern RPG and a Western RPG.


Balthier and Fran also helped.

The soundtrack and Fran's ass.

...Yep.

What I like of this game is that it's not an FF, though it shares some of the elements such as the moogles the chocobos,etc. The game it's not and FF, it's just somewhat another chapter of Ivalice, I played Vagrant Story before this game and before Vagrant, Final Fantasy Tactics, and when I played this 3 games, one after another, the whole concept closes pretty well, the storyline is depth and mature, the characters are charismatic and moved by their own passions, there are many events that your characters do not see, there's conspiracy, plot twists and there's even more, you have plenty to read about the world in the Bestiary or Brave Story in FFT.

The gameplay of FFXII is pretty good and there's a lot of things that you can do besides than doing the main quest. You can build your characters as you want there are almost no limitations. The thing that I don't like of the gameplay is the "Random Treasure Chest".

The Voice Actors were great, using the old english dialect and the accents gives much more atmosphere and personality.

The Music was great too, although not the best of Hitoshi Sakimoto in my opinion, but it fits great.

The artistic direction and the design, the baroque style on the scenarios, buildings and the use of the colors gives a very mystical atmosphere along with the music. While some of the characters wears some weird but also elegant clothes.

On the other side, the viera's are nothing more that an excuse for fanservice. I partially agree about the character development, I mean there's not much to develop about Penelo and Vaan, and Fran it's a quiet character that knows much about the myths and it's Balthier's companion, there's nothing on else to connect these characters with the events.

I also would never compare it to the other FF of the traditional saga, I've already gave my reasons.

The Star Wars similarities are only because of the airships, the strahl it's almost the same as the milenium falcon, Balthier is han solo and Fran is chewie xD and the existence of an "empire", that's why it bears that resemblance.

It's a great game overall, I don't think I could give it a second play because there's plenty of extra things to do, and advance in the storyline without doing anything of the optional things makes the game very very difficult.

For the ones that liked this game and didn't played Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story, Play them, they're great games with great gameplay, great storyline and great music worth to try. =D

What I like of this game is that it's not an FF, though it shares some of the elements such as the moogles the chocobos,etc.

It is a Final Fantasy game. :/

Yeah, Final Fantasy tactics shares also that elements, but you see that game as a Final Fantasy?, It's like comparing the Mana series with Final Fantasy, they're both of the same company, they both have chocobos and moogles, but they're not the same game.

And yet, it does have a lot of nods, not just to Tactics, but to many other past FFs, including some of the classics.

I really enjoyed all aspects of the game, having played all the previous FF games it was a breath of fresh air that in many ways completly re-invented the series while staying trie to its roots. Every sequal should be like this.

The soundtrack was epic, the gambit system really deep and interesting, I loved havign to change gambits for different situations, watching the 3 of them fight like a well-oiled machine. graphically it pushed the PS2 to its limits with such a huge variety of places to explore.

A lot of people say the story was the weakest in the FF line, but I really enjoyed it. Sure it might not have been as emotional as the other FFs but the characters are so appealing, Gabranth remains one of my favourite characters because of his situation, he truly believes what he is doing is the right thing to do, and that Bashe is the evil one who betrayed their homeland. Theres a lot of perspective issues where you actually can see the empires point of view.

The use of characters like Larsa, someone really close to Vayne, or Balthier being the son of Cid showed that these enemies simply werent the pure evil that was Sin, Ultimicia or Sephiroth, they actually believed what they were doing was for the good of mankind. In many ways you could have played them as the heros saving the world from the oppressive gods.

Sure they may be spare but every cut scene in the game was electrifying, with terrific voice acting and pace. we all know that the storyline was somewhat compromised due to unfortanate staff changes at SE, and some internal conflict but in all fairness they did the best they could with a crappy situation. Kudos to them to pulling it off I say.

Well, I actually liked the story, but maybe that's just me.

I liked the story so its not just you lol

The best thing about the game for me was the music and the battle system, the thing that i found dissapointing about final fantasy games was the random battle system and turn based combat, so XII was so good to play compared to the others and just what i wanted from a final fantasy game.

I like the new battle system, those random encounters where getting on my nerves. The music its a Final Fantasy game so it has great music. The side-quests, I mean some of them were hard but all were equaly enjoyable. The Hunts, gave you the freedom to fight who you want, when you want, even thought some conditions did piss me off and finally the freedom itself, you had freedom, I really had the feeling that I could go anywhere I wanted.

I'll try to be as sincere and short as possible:

For some, reason I don't have a specific opinion of this game. One day I wake up and i say to myself it sucks, and the other i think it's great. Maybe cuz i have in my head, scenes from the game that i loved or hated. Whatever.

Like the guy who wrote the REALLY big review above said: It's storyline is it's biggest flaw. It does indeed give major spoilers by itself and doesn't leave you guessing. Like that big politician speech by Vayne in the beginning of the game. You just knew that guy was full of it.

Other than that everything else was very enjoyable. The soundtrack, while clearly not as good as nobuo's pieces in previous games, stood out, it was memorable, and while i'm not a really big fan of fully orchestral scores for games, i think Sakimoto did a pretty good job.

The gameplay gave a lot of options to the players and that's something i appreciate. Battles can easily be skipped, the gambit system really does allow you not to even move a finger for the most part, the licence board was ok, it's difficulty level is decent, you know not too easy not too hard.

Ehh, i'm out. that's pretty much it. And a small comment for the starter of this thread:
I'm sure that you have seen and heard a lot of FFXII. But playing the game is always different, really. Just taking the game and playing it for yourself and not for like 20 minutes at a friend's house. It's really not the same.

i kinda like the whole battle system
i dont really mind it
but one thing i dont really like is the whole license thing.

I thought the esper fights were legendary, otherwise just normal fantasy gubbins.

*Spoiler:I think FF12 is a great game. The graphics are astounding and a great gameplay. I don't like how many villians die (Vayne, Judges, ect.) and others (Vossler, Grand Kiltius, ect.). That made it seem there would never be a sequel to the game, but there still was one on DS but it sucked (completely different- new characters, and every other character came at the end of the game, and crappy gaphics, but the battle system was ok)

Anyway, the battle system for the game was new and great. No more random battle encounters that came at the worst time like a huge moster that popped up right before a boss battle that kiiled me in attemps to try to run, that has happened way to many times, now I can heal and run from mosters and know I can still outrun them. The attack grphics are not TOO bad, but I think they could have done a little better.

My brother has been playing games practically since he was in diapers, but when he told me he didn't like XII, I actually lost respect for him as a gamer. While I agree with some that the storyline is weak, sparse, and malnourished, I think FFXII may be the most engrossing of the series.

Normally, I'm not really bothered by broken battle systems, because like the original poster I prefer plot and characterization over the more hardcore 100% completion aspects to playing a FF. Maybe that's why I can stomach FFVIII better than a lot of people. But something about the battle system in XII is really addictive.

I love to play around with Gambits, and come up with elaborate ways to use my party to slowly torture and kill enemies. It's like setting up Dominoes or winning a game of Mousetrap when your party works in sync to methodically destroy any and all opposition, like a tank rolling through the battlefield. I think OCD personalities would love the efficiency of the Gambit system (if you do it right) because of just how organized it is.

I also love the Hunts. That's what really disappointed me about my brother. He said he didn't like the game, but he'd never gone on a single hunt of his own volition. Hunts and Espers are the real meat of FFXII, and I think that that's what throws so many players off. It doesn't feel like the familiar, comfy old Final Fantasy formula. You come for one aspect, but stay for another. Or you don't, like the original poster decided not to do.

While I understand why someone would be too disappointed by the sprawling but lacking in personal urgency plot, and varied but almost more caricature than character main party to even finish the game, I've found that the best way to really really enjoy XII is to play it like you would one of those old-school imperialist RPGs on PC. The dogged determination to "conquer the most territory" pretty much became my reason for playing XII.

Also, fight Adramelech for the first time, not knowing what you've stumbled into, with the lights out, home alone at night. It made me open my eyes to what kind of game FFXII really was. Experiences like that help you build characterization where the story has none - I knew what the characters would be feeling at a point like that, because I was feeling it too. Weirdly enough, I gradually became really attached to the characters if only because of what kind of horrific fight I had just subjected them to - nothing to do with plot. Sentimental? Yes. Fun? Yes. I enjoyed it more than X and X-2, that's for sure.

Sometimes characterization and plot only make things worse.

Yeah, Final Fantasy tactics shares also that elements, but you see that game as a Final Fantasy?, It's like comparing the Mana series with Final Fantasy, they're both of the same company, they both have chocobos and moogles, but they're not the same game.

They can say whatever they want, i have been playing final fantasy and square game for almost 12 years, and i have been enter on that discusion whit my brother, leadind for the same conclusion as you.

its easy, a final fantasy saga would have the original summons, and dont tell me that they died on final fantasy X because they are on the FF 11 world, very alien like, but still are they.

i know i know is a "final fantasy" but in name only, because is a total ivalice chapter, even crystal chronicles it is morphing to a "non" final fantasy game.

a game that have the traditional icos (monsters, names, ect..) of FF not mean that is a FF saga.

for me its like a version of a program it have to be the same thing, only whit new technology and graphics, like castlevania series, that have been the same thing over and over but whit a few improvements, so FF have to be the same (the saga).

its not the time real gameplay because FF explore always new ones, like Cerberus (shooter), chocobo tales and racing (car, cards, minigames), FF11 (MMO), CC (4 players game), its the fact of not having the basics, blue magic, traditional summons, job class (or something similar like FF9, FF6,FF4), tOOO MUCH IVALICE

i love the game by the way, im not citising on a negative manner, i have addictive obsession for his art, very nice work just love every esper and monster texture, the landscapes are insane, just teleport to the tomb of rathinwall and just look that architecture. not mention guiruvegan.

The caractes that i love more, they have so much personality the best CID of all times, and i agree whit the others in the fact that if you dont do quests the game turns very hard.

the point is , and a conclusion, is that FF12 differss alot of the mainlys FFs, mmmmm it is still a FF, and a good one, but not like the other ones in essence.


think of that, if ff8 dont have the junction and summons, it would be a FF??

The soundtrack and Fran's ass.

...Yep.

http://forums.ffshrine.org/customavatars/avatar310628_1.gif

I like the customization the best, I like that any character can be just about anything you want, they can have any spell and any weapon. I really like that, I love customization.

some boss fights
autoleveling (seriously lol)
the bestiary
some towns

I wasn't going to Necro this thread until I saw this...



Its story is a little flat and its lacking a much needed romance, but it has its moments. There is potential in the story, but due to there being fewer cutscenes than other games, its never tapped into.

It probably works for gamers who arent that into cutscenes/romances and just story in general. Ie. the mainstream gamer. As most of us arent that kind of gamer though, its a shame.

Why the game would need much more drama and pointless love stories that don't make sense one bit that the series has been so infamous about?

This is the reason people don't like story of FFXII apparently, they need that stupid fanservice Cecil/Rosa, Terra/whatever, Celes/Locke, Cloud/Aeris, Cloud/Tifa, Squall/Rinoa, Zidane/Garnet.

Yeah, it kinda worked for some characters on IV, VI and VII...
But seriously having no bland stupid and distracting romance on this FF was a nice breathtaking.

Well, the story of FF12 takes a very unusual slant, in that it goes for a level of political and diplomatic realism that is very easy to get lost in. Usually in these things, its your party versus the Evil Empire. But in this game, Archadia actually isn't a very evil empire at all, and most of them are surprisingly pretty decent people. They certainly come across as being no more or less evil than Rozarria (who it is implied by Al-Cid himself, would be doing exactly the same thing as Archadia, if they had the chance). The game explores how difficult it is to go to war, because of the need to consider how it looks to outsiders, and whether people will support you if you try to do that etc etc. This is a level of complexity that you don't usually get, because the bad guys in these games are usually really, really evil and don't care what people think.

Vayne eventually gets there, but only towards the end of the game, when he feels he has the power (from the stones, Bahamut etc) to be openly warlike. Until then, he has to spend most of the game maneuvering to stop Dalmasca negotiating their way out of being invaded, to get rid of his ailing father, the meddling senate etc etc. Same with Ashe - she has to spend most of the game, trying to convince people like Basch, Vossler, Balthier and Ondore etc that they should be fighting, rather than suing for peace or backing away. There are so many problems associated with this (because most don't think they can win, don't think that the people would support it, or even that diplomacy might be the better option).

Which is all very interesting, but it does leave the player thinking 'So... what *are* we going to do, then?' The ins and outs of who is offering what kind of deal to whom, whether they are genuine about it and whether or not it would be a good idea to accept it even if it turns out to be legit, all becomes very difficult to follow. And through all of this political wrangling, very little of traditionally Final Fantasy 'Epic, sweeping action, Good Guys versus Bad Guys etc', is happening. Leading many to hurl the accusation that 'Nothing Happens in this Game'.

Which is untrue, but also is kind of true, at the same time...

We've said it plenty of times, but it bears mentioning again, that this game obviously suffers from the withdrawl of its original writer. Without him guiding the story to its natural conclusion, many of the elements that are so meticulously plotted and set up in the first half, never really get paid off. The second half of the game sees the villains (and many important NPCs) almost disappear from the story completely until the very end, whereas various locations and story threads are mentioned as being important, yet barely (if ever) feature. And by the time you're walking around in a giant crystal meeting some very evil Godlike beings who give you yet another useless sword, you start to think 'This game's lost the plot, big time...'

So I don't think its the lack of a proper romance plot, that lost people. I think the blame is in the most obvious place - namely that you can't just change writers halfway through a project and expect the end result to make much sense. Especially not when the story was as ambitious as FF12's was.

The battle system. Best in the series, no debating.

And by the time you're walking around in a giant crystal meeting some very evil Godlike beings who give you yet another useless sword, you start to think 'This game's lost the plot, big time...'

I would be fucking amused if someone comes to me and tells me that they haven't digged the whole Sword of Plot Advancement considering how many other ridiculous things did the series before this.
Yeah, I admit that I was kinda dissapointed and a little pissed off with the presentation of the Treaty Blade. But I enjoyed the speech given by the Occuria before all that. And the inclusion of the Sun-Cryst was a nice touch I have to say to finish the Deconstruction of the Magical Crystal type of storyline.
Plus, at that point I was paying attention who was manipulating who rather what were the actions and discovery's of the main party.



So I don't think its the lack of a proper romance plot, that lost people. I think the blame is in the most obvious place - namely that you can't just change writers halfway through a project and expect the end result to make much sense. Especially not when the story was as ambitious as FF12's was.

You may think that, and while you say is true and I agree throughly...
The exclusion of a Fanservice love story in a Final Fantasy game simply doesn't help the fact that many players got really pretentious regarding the storytelling of these games. If they don't get heavily emotional Drama they don't see it as a good.
And I'm still amazed about how little credit they give to the storyline of this game.

But is it that disastrous to the romance fans in the long run? Because they'll have had their pet pairings that they wanted to see, and you know how these things go - regardless of evidence to the contrary, they would believe in their head canon romance, write about it, insist there is evidence for it etc etc anyway. With no definite romance established, and lots of 'Well, maybe...' hooks on several character pairings, I'd have thought this would be okay with them.

Romance is a hard thing to do, if you aren't going to allow people to influence the outcome, and who ends up with whom. If you do it that way, you win legions of (dangerously obsessed) fans. If you don't, then you run the inevitable risk of alienating people who don't approve of certain romances etc. I was relieved to not have it getting in the way for once tbh. And again, I think the story would win higher honors if the writer had stayed on and finished the job. Its unfortunate in the extreme that he had to quit, but I guess these things happen.

The music and the graphics were amazing in this game! However i didn't favour the story much which is a shame. Oh well i guess i'll have to wait for versus a little longer!

Kind of hard to decide

Loved the storyline, environment and the music.

I would say the environment, it was breathtaking.

Can anyone explain to me about the landscapes and walking? is the game always so openly explorable?

It looks pretty open ended world.

Also:Talk to me about basch or whatever his name is.
I keep hearing bad things about the characters in this game.

I want to know about vaan and um penelope and the bad guy.
What makes them well developed? what makes the characters not developed?

What do you love about the story?
What do you hate about the story?

Can anyone explain to me about the landscapes and walking? is the game always so openly explorable?

It looks pretty open ended world.

Also:Talk to me about basch or whatever his name is.
I keep hearing bad things about the characters in this game.

I want to know about vaan and um penelope and the bad guy.
What makes them well developed? what makes the characters not developed?

What do you love about the story?
What do you hate about the story?

If you played a MMORPG, such as World of Warcraft, you know how huge that is right? Well this game can be compared to that as well in terms of exploration and world size imo. Even the first town Rabanastre is fricken huge *-*!

The world map, dungeons and towns are all huge and have many areas within them to explore.

Basch imo is the best character in the entire game, his story starts out slow cause he joins later in the game, but what happens with him intensifies the storyline (since his brother plays a major role in the game as well).

Vaan is like Tidus (if you played FFX you will know what I mean).
Penelo is like Rikku from FFX

Fran is a popular silent character kinda like the mixture of kimhari and Lulu from FFX.

Ashe is like Yuna

Balthier is a pretty cool guy similar to Wakka.

The bad guy imo isnt as popular as old villains from the FF series, but he pretty much lived up to being a villain in the game.

What I love about the story is its based upon War heavily similar to FFTactics, the storyline is dark but it has a innocent side to the storyline due to the inclusion of Vaan and Penelo.

You might find exploring tedious because its huge unless your one of those people who love big games and exploration. There is a bit of a grinding too much because the game's battle system is similar to a MMORPG like WoW but not as tedious. Cant say I hate much about the story, the characters developed pretty well.

I would give the game a 9/10

+Amazing Storyline
+Huge World to Explore
+Unique battle system to the FF Series
+Good Character Development
+Incredible music

-The FF game with the most grinding next to FFV
-Summon System isnt as dynamic as the older games
-Gambit system may be a bit confusing at first

I would give the game a 9/10

+Amazing Storyline
+Huge World to Explore
+Unique battle system to the FF Series
+Good Character Development
+Incredible music

-The FF game with the most grinding next to FFV
-Summon System isnt as dynamic as the older games
-Gambit system may be a bit confusing at first[/QUOTE]

Thank you,this is exactly the info i wanted.

I am trying to convince myself to play this game,but its a tough choice.

I've always been a final fantasy fan.

Thank you,this is exactly the info i wanted.

I am trying to convince myself to play this game,but its a tough choice.

I've always been a final fantasy fan.

Play the game now! Its really good, trust me. You wont regret it.

I liked the creatures, and the new setup.

I LOVE the music! When it comes to actually important stuff, the game is okay. Most of the time you just run around and...run around as the the game does much of the battling for you with the gambit system. Now that's good for me as I get bored easilly just pressing x in a battle(like in X-2 and XIII, but XIII's okay as the graphics and battling is eyecatching to me). But it is a good game. As for story, I'm too dumb apparently to really grasp its meaning and mood and feelings, nut that's okay too. Overall, I say it's at least worth trying.

I hate when people try to say the Occuria came out of nowhere. "Gods" were mentioned pretty frequently long before you head to Giruvegan and the thing you're after is called Deifacted Nethicite ie. hod-made Nethicite. The fact you run into the beings who made the single biggest plot device in the game is...unsurprising.

FFXII is awesome. What do I like most about it? That's a toughy. I adore the music, the villains, the overall story and its themes...

But I guess I'd have to say what I love most about the gme is how it immerses me more than any other FF game ever has. In Final Fantasy XII I can literally spend hours just wandering around and exploring. The beautiful locations and the battle system make it feel like I'm truly on a grand adventure through fantastic lands.

The game is just sheer addiction.

The world map for sure. It's by far one of the best and biggest worlds of the FF franchise and it's amazing. Totally love it, my only criticism was that it wasn't a globe, so you couldn�t run all the way round it like in previous FF's. I also didn't like that it was only a piece of a world, I do prefer seeing the whole world. It is the best part for me though, second would be the gameplay which I also enjoyed immensely, great sidequests, great battle system, the levelling system could use some work, but the world is the best thing about it for sure. It really felt epic.

Xx..xX

The music, even though Nobuo Uematsu did not do the music for it, I think it is one of the best in the series.

I loved the battle system, the gambit system was unique and interesting, it had it's problems, but what battle system doesn't?
I like the story, it strayed away from the mainstream "teen emo boy saves world" instead the story takes place in a more political, country vs country setting. The main character was not the all powerful character this time and I liked that.

The setting was also amazing, I love Ivalice, the towns, countries, and overall landscape was immense and interesting,

The side quests and mini games were also fun and enjoyable too.

And lastly, the thing that I liked the most was it is so much fun to play and has incredible replay value.

I loved the music, and still have most of the files in my MP3 player. Pretty unsurprising I guess, Uematsu's a genius.

I also loved the semi-realtime fighting in the open world roaming, reminded me of my online game days. The depth of lore and design put into all the worlds, and the monsters was also amazing (though it felt odd how a beginner-level item such as an 'iron knife' looked like something special and magical already).

I really liked the story too - it was full of political intrigue and did not have yet another 'obligatory' romance scene complete with smooches. In the end, I was left questioning how 'evil' the bad guys really were. Not in the sense of bad storytelling, but more in the sense that I won't ever get the full impact and motivations that spurred their actions (as well as how truly selfish or noble their goals were, as opposed to the Occurians that were trying to manipulate Ashe), which more or less left me with a sense of wonder.

I'm a bit disappointed that Basch wasn't the main character as the initial storyline wanted him to be, though. Seems like it would have had alot of potential, but then again, he did spend all his time languishing in imprisonment until Vaan found him.

I loved the music, and still have most of the files in my MP3 player. Pretty unsurprising I guess, Uematsu's a genius.

It wasn't Uematsu who did the music for XII it was Hitoshi Sakimoto :)

It's good to see some love for XII sometimes =)

EDIT: Yeah, the music was by Maestro Hitoshi Sakimoto, who did FFT, Vagrant Story, Valkyria Chronicles, Tactics Ogre, etc.

i think one of the best things about the game has to be the character design. because it's fashionable, and fashion is all i care. though I think vaan must feel quite bad wearing that metal vest.. especially when running in the deserts and snowy mountains

next thing should be the story, focusing more on the world than the characters sure gives the game more depth... (but sorry xiii, you went too deep i got proper lost)

gameplay gameplay, i like to overpower my fiends but i hate the troubles of leveling up.. gambit system is just what i need! and no more wastin time on battle starting scenes! yay!

the art concept is so awesome. i almost wanted to buy a property in rabanastre..

music is also great, but unfortunately there wasnt anything that stab right into my heart(like liberi fatali)

still for me it is a 9.5/10 game, if not 10/10.

In a nutshell, I like everything about Final Fantasy XII. I don't see how or why you came to the conclusion of using words like grungy or star wars to describe, when its one of the most polished games on the entirety of the PS2. Anyways breaking it down.

Many people are split between liking or hating the story, but here's why I'm infatuated with it. The plot, above all, is about resistant groups and neighboring countries joining arms to fight off a power-hungry tyrant leading a super-power state. Engaging political points asside, the absolute best part of the story is that there is no real main character among the main protagonists, and most, most, most importantly, there's no melodramitc love quarrels going on between party members in the story. I also love the lack of emo characters. No feels-sorry-for-themselves protagonists like Cloud or Squall and no annoying, ditzy, naive, crappy, sappy, and childish love interests like Rinoa, Garnet, Aerith, Rose, Yuna, Serrah, etc... The FF12 story paints a wonderful picture of political resistance and all-out war. The entire plot starts of slow, but the buildup is highly suspensful and the near-end practically explodes in a huge, wonderful mess of the most memorable scenes in all of FF.

Character design is the most enchanting and charismatic in all of FF. Not surprising from a FF game based in Ivalice, a re-occuring world in the FF series, that FF12 fits within the history and lore of Vagrant Story and the Tactics games before it. Moogles are at their most-adorable in this game and often serves USEFUL purposes throughout the world of Ivalice and play ;arge roles in all of Ivalice (not the story) that makes the world go round. Main cast. the focus of the game is also top-notch. How can you not admire Young Larsa's strive for world peace and Basche+Gabranth's devotion to their knightly duties? How do you not fall in love with Balthier charming arrogance or Fran's heavenly mystique? Or Ashe's unwavering determination or Vaan's unyeilding supportive role?

Graphics are obviously some of the best on PS2, the best of any FF before it. Character animations the most complex and capable on the system. Loading times are fast, lighting effects are stellar. menu and other UI are clean. Colors are vivid, and environments are expansive. Not to metion a whole mess of other things I'm forgetting to mention. the graphical detail in enviroments is also something to admire as insanely varied from location to location throughout all of Ivalice. The expansive deserts, although boring to people who hate the deserts offer an elgant beauty in it's subtle realism the entire landscape of Ivalice portrays. Not to mention theres a magnificent complicate web of inter-connecting maps and areas that make the sheer scope of the game as large as any MMORPG, and many more games released even to this date. Theres no game on the PS2 and only a limited amounts of game on the current gen that offer the same around of land-content that you can travel, and even less that are all inter-connected like a REAL world. The story may be as linear as any FF before and after it, but the rest of the world is as free as free can get. Lets not forget to mention that landscapes and enemies CHANGE based on fake-wet and dry seasons making some events only possible at specific times. Its dynamic, its beautiful, its genius.

And OMG Francine, the sound, omg the sound. Final Fantasy definitely has one of the strongest soundtracks in the entire series. All the sound effects are clear and crisp. Things like menu switches, confirmations, cancels; they all feel satisfying each time they're heard. enemy and other ambient sounds are pleasant and extremely life-like. And not to be forgotten of course is the strong and professional work of the voice cast. Though not my favorite actors in the world, they all play their parts, and play their parts perfectly. They don't sound like fakes who are only there for the paychects. You can tell that all the voice actors are totally invested in their work and character. They don't read lines, they act and play them. Theres tones of passion, sorrow, fatigue, anger, enthusiasm, curiosity, and all sorts of emotions in the dialogue. With the exception of Kytes, which thankfully has only one voiced scene, everyone in the sound booth is as professional as any Pixar movie, and all that praise for the voice work is not even mentioning the very appropriate, and very charming use of distinct accents throughout the entire game. Any "gamer" who doesn't love expertly-performed dialogue of Ye olde English, obviously doesn't appreciate the finer workings of what voice casting ought to be an a production.

Of course, you can't ignore the perfectly streamlined gameplay that is the gambit-assisted free-world ATB battle system. You claim its like Kingdom Hearts, you're a fool. Thats like claiming Mario is like Kingdom Hearts because you have full control over Mario's X, Y, and occasionally Z locations. The single greatest thing about FF12 gameplay is how battles ARENT broken up into random battles, and they don't disrupt your pacing. Everything is streamlined as far as battling goes, and its a huge plus that enemies don't disrupt the epic soundtrack. Not to mentions that you MUST admire subtle touches to the engine that makes the entire game feel like a living, breathing world that will continue to go on, even if you're not playing. Its subtle and beautiful, that without your influence at all, you can watch a T-Rex randomly eat a weaker enemy just-because, and then that Rex gets exponentially stronger because it has just fed. Name another FF where enemies feed on other enemies when you;re not around. And equally enchanting when neutral-type enemies will randomy heal and buff each other, sometimes even helping you out as well.

Unfortunately I'm only about 20% done with writing my opinions on FF12, and I didn't even mention a third of the gamely, details on Ivalice Lore, all the races, the other half of the sound, details on polygon animation and textures, uniqueness and ambition it has that separates itself from all other FF's, the villians and their performances, details on the Rozarian Empire and Ondore, or Raithwalls towering influence. Didn't even get to touch about the dozens of subtle animations and dialogues, licensees, sidequests, intriguing mark-hunt system and the lengths you go through to hunt things, ship names, eidolons, magicites and their impact on FF as well as nethicites and all their terms, looting, ranks, points, secrets, awards, achievements, easter eggs.

Its just its 5am and my passion in writing kinda burned so I'm mostly unfinished in the greatness of XII. Its my all-time favorite FF and the 2nd game in my fave list to take over OCarina of Time. I'm also a little upset to the shockingly inaccurate terms and comparisons you used to describe 12, especially of how inaccurate and insulting they all are. Thats like comparring Mass Effect to Call of Duty because there are guns in both of them. Unfortunately IGN's 4-page review doesn't even scratch the surface so linking to it is pointless. FF12 is so un-noticingly great that theres not a review anyone can write thats enough to thoroughly describe it. Its a game that gets more enjoyable the more you understand and beat it. I've been playing for 6 years, with thousands of hours, and I still find something subtle/new to me in the game even after all this time. If PS3 did the details of FF12 in HD, it would turn into a black hole.

I think I like the battle system the most, but the muisc is excellent too, I also like it.

I really like how much content there is. It's a long game that's actually challenging and there are SO MANY fun side quests to partake in. I also really like the atmosphere of the game. Every area is inventive and unique.