I got his game as a present couple of years ago, never played it though because I lost faith in FF's after 10, since 10 seemed to end my enjoyment for RPG's. Do you think it is worth playing or not? Provide opinions. Thank everyone.

This one (and FFX...I liked it) is definitely worth playing. I know that people hate on the story and characters a lot, but all in all, it is a good game. I know that it is different, and I let that keep me from playing it for over two years. Once I did get around to giving it a shot, I found that the story is actually interesting (even if it is a little slow in some parts) and that the characters (at least a few of them) did keep me wanting to finish it. It is not just the story that makes it great, but it is also the sheer amount of side-quests and optional content. I have played through it 3-4 times now and have amassed at least 100 hours on it each time. In the end, I don't think I would give the game a 10/10, but I would definitely recommend it, at least, be given a shot.

If you liked FF Tactics & Vagrant Story, you should play this game ASAP.
You'll find a lot of references & nice things.
The gameplay is great, it's really dynamic, but you have to be patient, because the story advances pretty slowly on this one & at some points you will be dissapointed, mainly because of the protagonist of choice, but when things get interesting, they really get.
I say that you need patience because it's not the kind of game that you can make a playthrough without making the optional things, they made the game that way, you need to do the optional things to get yourself entertained or you'll get bored or they going to kick your ass, the difficulty of the game is set in a way that you need to do some things before keep advancing on the storyline.
But if tactics is your fauvorite & if you enjoyed Vagrant Story, go for XII blindly, you will enjoy it a lot. I enjoyed it a lot. Many characters are great, some aren't, the storyline is interesting, the gameplay is fantastic, but it's a long game.

Play it for yourself for enough time to make a personal assessment. I personally played through it all the way and had quite a lot of fun, but could never play it all the way through again. I think, though, that even if you don't like the characters/follow the story, you can still have a good time with the battle system/side missions. Alternatively, if you're only into strict RPGs with a solid plot, well developed characters, etc., it might not be for you. But only you can determine whether you'll find it interesting or fun.

I will say that if you want to get a complete game on the first run, you might want to play alongside a guide, either the official guidebook or something on gamefaqs.com

It's a different experience when compared to other FF games, but that shouldn't stop you from playing it. It's a great game.

I actually never enjoyed this game. Whilst I invested well over 60 hours into it, I found it more of a chore than a pleasure.

It does do some really neat things and the Gambit system is a very clever way of programming AI, but other than that I just found it long, boring and grind heavy. I spent majority of the game grinding than any other activity.

Even without the masterful touch of Uematsu to compose the soundtrack, and without much of the development team to design it that created some of peoples' favorites from the series, XII is one of the best games I've ever played. I loved it from the second I first played it. Sure the battle system is different, but anyone can admit, there's only so many ways you can switch the old system up. From I to X, pretty much no matter how you look at it, the battle system was about the same; either take turns, or wait for your ATB to ascend and make your move, on a separate battle screen and both sides in rows. Sure, it works, but nobody says it has to be the same here. This game switches it around a bit by creating more of a real-time feel. I mean, from what I've seen, it looks like XIII is actually more of a throwback to the old battle system than XII is. And for the story, I'm not terribly far into the game, but I can't say the characters are that bad. They seem right on par with those of FFTactics. Sure Vaan isn't the greatest lead character, but he's sure not the worst. I personally find him to be quite a bit more headstrong than Tidus or Cloud. He's not whiny (so far), he's not a somber, emo idiot (yet), he's just himself and does what he thinks is right *Shrugs*. And the story is quite compelling, at least as far as I've gotten. I realize that at some points it does force you into some level grinding to the point where you lose track of what's happening in the story, but what I do is just create multiple save files and refer back to earlier ones if I get a little out-of-touch with the events taking place. Not that tough to keep up, really. And as I mentioned, the music; wow. Honestly, one of the best soundtracks in a game I've ever heard. I can't believe it gets as much hatred as it does. There are plenty of great tracks throughout the game, and few that I did not like. Fits the mood of the game perfectly. All in all, I can't recommend this game enough. It's just as worth playing as any of them are.

Short answer: yes.
Long answer: hell yes!


And as I mentioned, the music; wow. Honestly, one of the best soundtracks in a game I've ever heard. I can't believe it gets as much hatred as it does. There are plenty of great tracks throughout the game, and few that I did not like. Fits the mood of the game perfectly.
I agree completely, especially with the bolded part. If it isn't my favorite gaming soundtrack, it is damn near close.

Also, sharing my favorite track (which is HORRIBLY underrated even among those who also like the OST), The Mosphoran Highwaste.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fKGcc_tjDg

Also the Soundtrack is awesome, I forgot that... xD

I just beat this a few minutes ago, actually, and I was pretty impressed. Everyone likes to rip on the characters. These people are just sucking square off for their old games. Purists. If this game did not bear a Final Fantasy title, people would love it a lot more, but instead, they get disappointed because they expected something similar to the older games in the series. Change is good and this game certainly proves it.

best battle system of the series
best sidequests of the series
biggest and most open world of the series

Only problem is the lack of anything relating to narrative.

Change is good and this game certainly proves it.

YES!! Finally someone who doesn't worship FF7 and the classics as gods.
Just joking around here, try not to take this too seriously you guys =P .

I recommend playing FFXII. I will agree with most of what Harkus is saying about the game except for the side-quests. The side-quests are great! But all you do is fight =P . Same with FFXIII's sidequests...

I don't think that it's the greatest FF game out there but it definitely isn't night-marishly (not a word) terrible either.

I think it is definetely worth playing. :) I even enjoy it more than FFX

I wasn't a fan of the story, but it's an awesome game to keep a completionist-challenge undergoer busy. If you want some actually challenging bosses that'll drive you crazy and make you keel over and take a deep breath after beating them, then you'd have fun with this. Also try completing all the loot recipes.

There is way more optional stuff than there is mandatory story-related stuff, which is why I think if you stayed linear and did only the mandatory stuff then the game would be completely boring.

Oh, and the music is amazing.

XII is the best FF in a long time.

XIII is terrible.

The only real beef I have with this game is all the impractical minutiae that no normal person would possibly figure out, therefore requiring the assistance of a guide.

I'd concede a little if my experiences of playing the game weren't so much like reading out of a book and putting what I read to use in the game.

I actually never enjoyed this game. Whilst I invested well over 60 hours into it, I found it more of a chore than a pleasure.

It does do some really neat things and the Gambit system is a very clever way of programming AI, but other than that I just found it long, boring and grind heavy. I spent majority of the game grinding than any other activity.

Quoted for truth.

I don't get the appeal anyone could possibly have for this game. I found pretty much everything about it completely uninteresting outside of Balthier. There was a ton of potential but none of it seemed to be realized. I also don't buy the "If it wasn't a Final Fantasy people would like it more". To me crap is crap. It doesn't matter if it's' Final Fantasy or not. And to me, this game was crap.

So all in all, my vote obviously goes towards not playing the game. There are far better games out there to invest your time in: RPG's or otherwise.

Definately - it's one of the best FF.

And IMO, saying a game's story is slow these days, is some of the highest praise you can give an RPG. Shortening attention spans of audiences, have led far too many RPGs to rush their storylines and just say 'Quick, let's get some more explosions in there!' It hurts credibility for the stories and for the characters (writers are under such intense pressure to get things moving along, that the art of introducing new characters into the party naturally is becoming a lost art - or an utter 'But Thou Must!' chore like in ME2).

FF12 does take its time to tell its story, but ends up being all the more heavyweight and credible for it, when the dust settles. Add to that, the fact that the world is well designed, feels real and looks great. It's a pleasure to simply walk around, looking for treasure and beating up baddies in grand looking locations.

Seriously, one of the most underrated games of recent times.

Seriously, one of the most underrated games of recent times.

x2

I think that giving FFXII a chance is a win-win opportunity. Even more if you consider that its price is around 12~ dollars these days. Don't miss the chance to play one of the very best RPG's ever made.

Enjoy!

Despite some problems with the pacing of the story and character development, FFXII is still one of the best RPGs out there and one of my favorites. I liked the main cast more than many other titles in the series, I loved the setting of the game (since I'm a huge FFTactics fan), I found the battle system a refreshing change from previous entries, and the soundtrack is still one of my all time favorites. Sure, the game (and the changes it made to established Final Fantasy tradition) isn't for everyone, but it's at least worth a playthrough, if for no other reason than that it's the final entry in the series on the PS2 (and perhaps the best entry in the series on that console, depending on how you felt about X, X-2, and XI).

One of the best rpgs ?
rotfl...

One of the worst FFs of the modern era.

Worth playing.Yes..as a generic rpg..not as an FF game.

Worth playing.Yes..as a generic rpg..not as an FF game.

:O . I really don't get the difference between playing a game as an RPG vs. playing a game as an FF game. To me biases will always obscure your experience of the game.

Definitely - it's one of the best FF.

IMO, saying a game's story is slow these days, is some of the highest praise you can give an RPG.

Shortening attention spans of audiences, have led far too many RPGs to rush their storylines and just say 'Quick, let's get some more explosions in there!'

It hurts credibility for the stories and for the characters (writers are under such intense pressure to get things moving along, that the art of introducing new characters into the party naturally is becoming a lost art - or an utter 'But Thou Must!' chore like in ME2).

FF12 does take its time to tell its story, but ends up being all the more heavyweight and credible for it, when the dust settles.

Add to that, the fact that the world is well designed, feels real and looks great. It's a pleasure to simply walk around, looking for treasure and beating up baddies in grand looking locations.

Seriously, one of the most underrated games of recent times.

x3

I think it's worth playing, I really enjoy it. It's one of my favorite FF games, It's also very customizable.

I think it's worth playing, I really enjoy it. It's one of my favorite FF games, It's also very customizable.

I agree wit this although I don't know how much my opinion is worth since its the only FF game I played so far >:

I'm curious,did this game ever come out on pc?

Thing is:i want to try out the demo first.

now I can say that its worth playing and I'd play it again because I finally beat it the other day :D

I thought XII was awesome. Its my second favorite FF so far after 7. I def recommend it. I thought it had a solid storyline, the battles were great and I just really enjoyed it alot. Its another game like 7 that has so much stuff to do also.