Final Fantasy XII Review

By Luke Albiges Published 18 April, 2006

'Final' for this generation, at least.

Version tested: PlayStation 2

The light creeping in through the small barred window above me reminds me of what I miss so much. The outside world. Life as an aspiring pirate isn't as easy as people make out and for the third time this week, I've ended up on the wrong side of the law. But this time it's serious. Serving time itself is one thing but the hardened inmates here are out for blood. My blood. With my equipment gone, I only have my fists to rely on when the inevitable occurs and one of these reprobates makes an attempt on my life. Sure enough, with a deafening crash, three hulking Seeq warriors fall out of nowhere and my very life hangs in the balance...

I could probably do the whole review like that, but Final Fantasy XII deserves better. Much better. There's just so much to say about this wonderful game - from the top-notch characters and settings to the compelling combat - that spending paragraphs explaining the melancholy feeling of wandering the barren wastes of Ivalice alone would just be a waste of everyone's time. And just as you might be turned off by a review that opens like an ill-advised blog, Final Fantasy XII is the kind of game that can be easily dismissed by those unwilling to give it the investment of time it not only requires but deserves. Unlike said reviews, however, XII actually rewards your continued attention with more than a drawn-out string of bad metaphors and unintelligible similes.

'Final Fantasy XII' Screenshot 10

Square Enix's animation and sense of style is as strong as ever, cutting seamlessly from movie footage to in-game engine.

In fact, there's a surprising amount of things in the game that don't really click until much later on. The targeting arcs, for one, initially seem like some kind of pointless visual flair and it isn't until you've got numerous Gambits set up (which we'll come to shortly) that at-a-glance updates of exactly what each character is doing become essential, allowing you to jump in and reissue orders if allies get a little too carried away. Even the battle system itself won't win any awards for immediacy but when you do the maths and work out how much of your life would have been spent waiting for fights to load had this been any other FF title, you'll discover a new-found respect for XII's choice of direction. Indeed, battles themselves benefit greatly from the new format (a blend of MMO-style command-queuing and more traditional FF ideas), somehow managing to capture the same dangerous level of addictiveness as the cream of the massively multiplayer crop while giving the player more to work towards than simply the benefits of levelling up.

But never let it be said that Final Fantasy XII is an easy game. Having to organise your three-man posse from six possible party members in order to maintain a balance in levels is tricky and time consuming to say the least, and with dangerous high-level creatures roaming most of the game's hostile areas, you'll need to keep your allies in check if you don't want to be assaulted by overly powerful dinosaurs or elemental spirits. Similarly, it can be all too easy to wander into the wrong area at the wrong time and be surrounded by enemies you won't be able to even touch for another twenty-odd hours - there's no shame or penalty involved in running away and you'll soon learn that this is often the best strategy when things get too much.

To be this far into the review without any real mention of the Gambit system is criminal, but if things had continued in the horrible way they started, you'd still be reading about the emotional and social impact of Vaan's haircut so it's not all bad. Anyway, Gambits. This ingenious system basically allows you to customise the AI of your party to your liking and as the game progresses, you'll be able to dictate in more complex and useful manners how your team behaves in combat. Up to twelve criteria-based actions can be set and like VII's unrivalled Materia system, this makes for some seriously deep customisation options - set up an ally to cast curative magic on undead foes with a certain number of hit points, use group healing spells when several allies lose health or detect an enemy's weakness and use elemental skills accordingly. The system is well explained and the hierarchy works well, meaning rules higher up the list take priority over lower ones, so basic actions such as attacking are almost always relegated to the lower tiers. It's far harder to explain than it is to use and within a few hours, you'll easily be settled with Gambits that work well for you until you discover new options later in the game.

'Final Fantasy XII' Screenshot 01

Dungeons vary wildly, from overgrown caverns to industrial complexes, and each is as beautiful as the next.

But it's the epic and sprawling landscapes that really steal the show. With plains stretching out for miles from the central city of Rabanastre, it'll take literally weeks for you to take in everything on the map and only through continued exploration will you find all those hidden summons. These have always been the bits of Final Fantasy games that are used to show off the game to non-believers and, as expected, XII's are as flashy as ever. Those expecting the familiar line-up of Shiva, Ifrit et al have a new set of Espers to grow to love but for series veterans, that shouldn't be an issue - bosses from older games in the series make their return in this conjurable capacity as well a few more familiar faces.

Final Fantasy XII is hands-down the best instalment in the series since VII. There, we said it. It succeeds on just about every imaginable level, combining a loveable and well-designed cast and suitably twist-ridden storyline with the most unique slant on the series' traditional turn-based combat system since it went all tactical to stunning effect. The variety, attention to detail and imagination piled into this small cross section of Ivalice would suggest that returning to the somewhat underused source material of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was nothing if not a stroke of genius. The beautiful architecture and interaction of the various races is far better suited to a fully fledged adventure such as this and every location is a pleasure to discover and explore for this very reason. You'll never tire of returning to familiar locales, be it for the main narrative or one of the many side-quests that the game throws at you, so much so that you might even find yourself churning out pieces of creative writing about your time in Ivalice.

9 / 10

Please beware that while it's available to import, Final Fantasy XII has yet to be translated into English and you're likely to struggle to understand it in its native form. English speaking gamers will have to wait until later this year to get their hands on it. Although it sounds like it'll be worth the wait...

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About Luke Albiges

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Comments (82) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • York #1 6 years ago

    Unexpected review, but hey, great score!

    (Too scared to read the main review text).

  • smelly #2 6 years ago

    Dammit! Let me finish oblivion, then dq8 then zelda before releasing this!!!

  • ecureuil #3 6 years ago

    Didn't see this one coming.

    9/10 thoroughly expected, though.

  • Talha #4 6 years ago

    That good? Looks like I will be coaxed into playing my second RPG ever... What the world is coming to...

  • Cosmopolitan #5 6 years ago

    Is that the main protagonist on that picture? Gay-looking characters FTW.

  • Dizzy #6 6 years ago

    >Gay-looking characters FTW

    Welcome to FF. Where you play an emo teenager, a cross dressing weirdo or a cute fluffy animal :) or sometimes even the three combined.

    Tried this a bit in japan and it looks like it will be well worth it for the FF fan so that 9 will be about right. In my case the game just makes me puke. -5 if you hate JRPG cliches!

  • statix101 #7 6 years ago

    does this run in Squaresofts usual PAL 50hz squash 'o' vision ?......

  • Inigo #8 6 years ago

    I got really excited for a second, can't wait to play this. After playing oblivion i realise how much i miss a really strong story and npcs.

  • smelly #9 6 years ago

    After playing oblivion i realise how much i miss a really strong story and npcs.

    Which is why im looking forward to DQ8 after oblivion, then zelda after that, then FFXII after that.

    Should take me to the end of the year i think.

  • lemonfist #10 6 years ago

    The main character is ghey! LOLZ etc.

  • RedPanda #11 6 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • wanksta10 #12 6 years ago

    DQ8 is bloody awesome to be honest, fort i shud jus say BUY IT! im lookin forward go XII afta lookin at the review altho it is short, brief on everything apart from the gambit sytem. mind u i think the UK review will be a fair bit longer and detailed, here's hoping

  • KraftWerk #13 6 years ago

    "The best Final Fantasy since VII"?

    Hardly fair to ignore FFIX if you ask me. That game is a work of art.

  • Blerk #14 6 years ago

    Yet another 'excellent' rating for this one. I'm starting to get curiously hopeful that it is actually a brilliant game. PAL release is going to be chuffing ages yet, though. Bah.

  • killyourtv #15 6 years ago

    not read the review yet, does the guy talk about story or just the way the game plays, I dont wanna know any story

  • Grunk #16 6 years ago

    when did this Luke guy turn up??

    /hasn't been paying attention

  • Blerk #17 6 years ago

    returning to the somewhat underused source material of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

    And the original (and vastly superior) Final Fantasy Tactics, remember. I'm surmising this is a return to the hard-faced, politics-heavy original storyline rather than Advance's slightly kiddified 'dream world' thing, yes?

  • Retroid #18 6 years ago

    "Main characters are teh ghy!21121121!!!!! ROFLWANK"

    Welcome to FF - made for japanese girls :p

    DQ sells far, FAR more than this does.

  • Freek #19 6 years ago

    Don't worry, this won't be out here for another year and half, atleast.

  • ST.. #20 6 years ago

    One question: are there random battles? If so then I absolutely will not purchase.....

  • Decoded #21 6 years ago

    I'm starting to get curiously hopeful that it is actually a brilliant game

    Aren't all the Final Fantasy titles brilliant?

    /sets trap
    /waits

  • Blerk #22 6 years ago

    Aren't all the Final Fantasy titles brilliant?

    No. No they are not.

    /springs trap, but jumps clear in time

  • gamesb*tch #23 6 years ago

    My advice to anyone considering DQVIII would be to rent it if I was you - I am BIG JRPG fan and found it very slow in many technical and narrative areas - voice file loading, animations in general, battle completion animation sequences, and plot progression in general. I was gutted to say the least, but I've always got FFV on a SNES EMU :)

    All the above, IMNSHO, of course ;0)
    Edited by 1 at 18/04/06 @ 13:37

  • Scientist #24 6 years ago

    "DQ sells far, FAR more than this does."

    What's your point?
    If it is "A sells more than B ergo A is better than B", then it's a fatuous statement.

  • TripSkyway #25 6 years ago

    Sounds good, interesting read too.

  • TwistidChimp #26 6 years ago

    To those asking, no there are no more random battles anymore. Its like an mmorpg, you can see the monsters skulking about and choose to attack them. (or so I understand)

  • lambtron #27 6 years ago

    If it is "A sells more than B ergo A is better than B",

    But of course things that sell well are teh better - I mean State of Emergency sold more than the original release of Ico!

    Wait there is a flaw in my argument...

  • gamesb*tch #28 6 years ago

    Current wisdom states that VIII to XI are a beeet iffy, does it not Blerk :p

    /cunningly walks away from trap, but misses bear trap behind him #snap# trapped and at the mercy of Spanish lala villagers :/

  • Pike #29 6 years ago

    Why does a lack of random battles make it like an MMO, in that sense? I don't think I've ever played an RPG with random battles in them. It is more of a PC versus console RPG thing, really.

  • J_C_X #30 6 years ago

    This should get me off Oblivion (the best RPG since FFVII!). I thought FFX was such a dissapoinment after KOTOR and Tales of Symphonia it paled in comparison to these for story and gameplay.

  • Blerk #31 6 years ago

    Current wisdom states that VIII to XI are a beeet iffy, does it not Blerk :p

    I loved IX and VIII and X were very good (VIII's niggly battle-system aside). Only X-2 really irked me for being teh b0r1ng.

  • Triggerhappytel #32 6 years ago

    Quite a short review. Will we see a US review, then subsequently a PAL review of this too? I hope so. I'd like to know more of the story and characterisation - always my favourite part of a FF game.

    It looks a lot like Vagrant Story (I know, it's by the same team), which is great news. How does the fighting system work exactly? It sounds a little bit like V. Story crossed with KotOR. Which sounds okay, but I prefer real-time.

    Also, how is the music? That's always been one of the strongest parts of any FF game. In particular, the title music from IV, VI and VII, Sephiroth's music from VII, Rufus' music from VII and (both) Kuja's music from IX.

    Anyway, can't wait for this. Just gotta finish FFIX and DQVIII and I'm right there.

  • Feanor #33 6 years ago

    "DQ sells far, FAR more than this does."

    Not if you go by worldwide sales. So your claim is wrong unless you're Japanese, live in Japan, and don't give a shit about the rest of the world.

    Whoever said this should have been released on the PS3 needs to realize they've been working on FF12 since at least 2002, and that the PS2's user base is currently infinitely larger than the PS3's.
    Edited by 1 at 18/04/06 @ 13:48

  • Decoded #34 6 years ago

    THERE IT IS! No Final Fantasy thread/comments section is complete without the requisite FFX-2 bashing, and I for one am glad it's underway. I'm squarely on the fence, so find it all thoroughly entertaining.

    Anyway, no random battles is good and all, but gives me less to complain about. Oh what a frightful quandry!

  • Blerk #35 6 years ago

    Don't you have Stella Deus to finish, Decoded? ;-)

  • gamesb*tch #36 6 years ago

    Any good, Decoded? It appeals to me cos a) sci-fi fantasy :), b) grid turn based system \o/

  • gallow #37 6 years ago

    I decided to ignore this game due to the use of CPU controlled characters now after reading the review I want to buy this game again! I have played all of the PS FF games and spent lots of time playing each now I have to do it again!

  • banjoted #38 6 years ago

    moore25: "Is it me, or are EG's reviews getting a little too short? I know that Luke Albiges used to write for GamesTM but here on the good old interweb you don't have to worry about running out of page space.

    Make 'em longer, EG."

    NO NO NO! the one criticism I have of Eurogamer is the length of reviews - they're too long. Keep em short and sweet, quality not quantity etc...

  • Machetazo #39 6 years ago

    So, no Ifrit or Shiva, and XII plays like a simu-MMO? (Did I get that right...)

    Anyway, I found with X-2 that at first it's a curious game. It took a while for me to get into it. But the thing is that it's really just "The Continuing Adventures of FFX's Summoner Yuna!"
    You can almost imagine the whole thing being told as a cartoon series. I guess it's fanservice for the most part, but I found it enjoyable.

    Out of the recent FF's, at some point I'm going to return to IX (AGAIN.) XI doesn't mean a thing to me. I'll wait for more info on XII before I decide whether to bite or not, but I'm not overly enthusiatic about this.
    Edited by 1 at 18/04/06 @ 14:26

  • Retroid #40 6 years ago

    "Not if you go by worldwide sales. So your claim is wrong unless you're Japanese, live in Japan, and don't give a shit about the rest of the world."

    Tiny matter of them not really bothering to release many DQ games outside of Japan previous to this one, no?

    Oh, and to anyone else entirely missing the point of my pointing out that DQ is more popular in Japan than FF is: I was pointing out that FF is seen more as a girl-gamer RPG there, and STRANGELY, since they're made in Japan, that's the audience they focus on when designing the characters ;p

    I know: madness! :o

  • Decoded #41 6 years ago

    gamesb*tch: you might want to cast your gaze over to the forum thread. Initially I was impressed with the game, but boredom gradually began to set in and now I just want to cry.

    Blerk: at the present time I'd rather finish that bottle of bleach, ta.

  • Killerbee #42 6 years ago

    I guess I should (or maybe I shouldn't) add my voice to those calling for a bit more detail in these kind of reviews - I know it's an import review, but since a new Final Fantasy game is likely to be pretty high up on any console-RPG fan's radar, I feel this deserved a bit more coverage. I suppose we will get the obligatory euro-version revisitation, but still... some details about the characters / setting (for those who haven't played FFTA) / music / story (sans spoilers) and battle mechanics would be welcome. Having read the review, I'm as much in the dark as I was before...

    Then again, I'm bound to rush out to buy it the moment it's released, so what do I care!?

    And since we're laying into FFX-2, I suppose I should say I enjoyed it more than VIII but not as much as X, IX or VII. So there you go. :)

  • tengu #43 6 years ago

    I really enjoyed FFX-2 for the simple reason it was a fun game with lots to do. That's all I want from any game.

    From what I've played of FFXII, it seems pretty damn spiffy. The combat system is going to take some adjusting to considering how different it is to previous FFs, but it looks to be pretty good on the whole. Can't wait for the english language release so I can stuck into it.
    ---

    "Dizzy: In my case the game just makes me puke."

    So why are you even in this thread at all? Oh yes, it's a Playstation game and you're a troll. Silly me.

    Edited by 1 at 18/04/06 @ 20:45

  • Asundai #44 6 years ago

    "And since we're laying into FFX-2, I suppose I should say I enjoyed it more than VIII but not as much as X, IX or VII. So there you go. :)"

    Argh. Why does everyone hate VIII. :(

    I liked that one more than X, which i never finished. Though that was more down to irritating voice acting (and the fact that the ending and half the important plot points were spoiled for me >_< ).

    "We should go that way!"
    *5 minute pause*
    "ok!"

    etc....


    Anyway, i've played the XII demo and the combat seemed interesting, it's a nice change from the whole random battle thing that everyone must be getting tired of by now (at least i am). Here's hoping the rest of the game is just as good.
    Edited by 1 at 18/04/06 @ 16:29

  • space_ace #45 6 years ago

    fantastic finale!

  • Daryoon #46 6 years ago

    VII's unrivalled Materia system

    Buh? The materia system was shite, it removed all sense of character individuality! It no longer mattered who you had in your party, because everything was dictated by what materia they had equipped instead.

  • absolutezero #47 6 years ago

    1 thing, do the characters yell out the move names as they perform them ala Star Ocean 3 and the Tales series?

    Cos theres only so much "SPHERE OF MIGHT" I could take before I threw the disc out the window.
    Edited by 1 at 18/04/06 @ 18:08

  • wonton #48 6 years ago

    No, I think the reviewer is saying that the materia system is unrivalled from a customization standpoint, not gameplay wise.

  • ilmaestro #49 6 years ago

    Machetazo: Ifrit and Shiva are in there, but they're not what you're expecting.

    absolutezero: No shouting out of move names, but the characters do have a few catchphrases for when they are performing Mist Knacks.

    And the point had better have been knocked off because it's not in English, otherwise this review fails. :)

    Good grief, how many typing errors can I possibly make...
    Edited by 3 at 18/04/06 @ 17:56

  • lucky_jim #50 6 years ago

    I've not played a Final Fantasy game through to the finish since VIII, IX slipped off my radar due to my misguided obsession with the then-next-gen (a mistake I'm not repeating this time, the best games come out at the end of a console's life!). X just seemed to be aimed too squarely at overly-angsty pretentious teen poets, and bored me to tears. So, I didn't bother with X-2.

    After reading this review I'll give XII a go though; I think the complaints about this being an import review are groundless. Nobody could argue that the site isn't Euro-focused, unless you were trying to claim it's too UK-focused to be called Eurogamer. but that's a different can of worms. Given that this game WILL get a PAL release, and the conversion will probably be of Square-Enix's recent standards (i.e. far from perfect, but better than they used to be), I'd rather hear about this now. It'd be absurd to keep previewing a finished game for a year 'til it's released over here.

    Lastly, a few comments here seem to have presumed the reviewer doesn't understand Japanese.

  • manic_mouse #51 6 years ago

    Is the sphere-grid from FFX in this game? I thought that was a really impressive way of mixing up the whole leveling up thing, and also allowed you to dictate what your characters were like to a certain degree.

  • Scimarad #52 6 years ago

    Gimme! Now!

    "Also, how is the music? That's always been one of the strongest parts of any FF game"

    The soundtrack is by Hitoshi Sakimoto for the most part so pretty damned good:-) Basically have a listen to Vagrant Story and that should give you a good idea...

    Edited by 1 at 18/04/06 @ 19:46

  • Daryoon #53 6 years ago

    No, I think the reviewer is saying that the materia system is unrivalled from a customization standpoint, not gameplay wise.

    And FFV shits all over FFVII as far as that's concerned.

  • Killerbee #54 6 years ago

    Argh. Why does everyone hate VIII. :(

    I didn't hate VIII, I just found it a big disappointment after VII and IX*. I didn't really like the characters (Squall wasn't a patch on Cloud, and ditto Rinoa/Aeris, Zell/Barret, not to mention Sephiroth/Ultimacea); I thought the "junctioning" magic system was flawed and led to far too much emphasis on summoning; there were a couple of hideously unfair difficulty spikes (the battle where Rinoa gets taken hostage for example); and the whole final section where you get stripped of all your hard won abilities and have to win them back is possibly the worst game-design crime ever committed. imho, natch...

    Then again, I still played it through to completion with a good 60 hours on the clock, so I can't really say it was a waste of money. Being (imho) the weakest game in a very strong series, isn't necessarily me saying it was crap. :)

    * Just to explain that one: I was a bit late getting into the series which meant I played IX straight after VII and then went back to VIII.

  • biru #55 6 years ago

    For a very balanced review highlighting the negatives as well as positives from FFXII, I'd recommend this one: http://www.gamebrink.com/viewitem.php?id=432&review=178

    I'm currently 80 hours in and, while I'm utterly absorbed as usual in a FF, this is definitely going to be a harder game to swallow for the more casual players of the series. If you play FF for the story rather than the gameplay, it might be one to avoid, as this one is VERY gameplay heavy, and the story's not quite as emotionally involving. You can go for hours without any exposition at all.

    I really respect what the game has done for the series though. It's changed things some really fundamental aspects. Some of these changes will doubtless piss off a lot of people, but personally I welcome them and hope Square builds on what they've done here with the PS3 FFs.

  • SpaceKoala #56 6 years ago

    It doesn't matter which Final Fantasy shits over which other version...

    Final Fantasy 12 is by the same chaps that gave us Vagrant Story. Hell, what more d'you need? If it has even a fraction of Vagrant Story's art direction and atmosphere it'll be well worth the wait for the european version.

  • Machetazo #57 6 years ago

    Thanks for the clarification, Ilmaestro.
    Also, biru, what you say about things being changed up (or down, dependant on taste :p) from other episodes certainly spurs my interest in this, but it's still very early days, as far as the Euro release is concerned, I'll keep a watch for more text updates.

    FFXII's likely to launch this year?...Well, that's at least something. :)
    What with Zelda (+ Phantom Hourglass), and DDS, I doubt the wait'll seem so long.
    Edited by 1 at 18/04/06 @ 21:21

  • brn #58 6 years ago

    Why oh why do we have to wait for sooo long?
    It's not like they could translate and record everything for the english versions simultaneously with the japanese version. I mean, it's not like square has the budget for that. It's not like Final Fantasy is the most loved series of games there is.


    ...meh, I haven't played any of the PS1-FFs (I'll play 7 & 9 this summer, promise) so I should probably keep my mouth shut.

  • ROCKSTORM #59 6 years ago

    Hurry up Sqaure - i want this game more than anything else (even more than the revolution!)

  • Pastici #60 6 years ago

    They've been recording scince at least March, maybe before. I could be dependant on how much there is to translate *shrug*.

  • roselan #61 6 years ago

    a shame we won't see it in the european format before the PS3...

  • Kami #62 6 years ago

    "Argh. Why does everyone hate VIII"

    I don't hate FF8. I just think it's the low point in the series. As a game, it's very very good, with a sound plot and nice game mechanics. But, in comparison to other titles, it lacked the depth and character that I had gotten used to in #7. The mechanics were alright, but the plot made me want to puke.

    And in agreement with Daryoon, I loved FF7 and I did like the materia system, but without strengths/weaknesses to match it wasn't the best of systems to use.

  • biru #63 6 years ago

    People really need to move on from FFVII. No wonder Square is whoring it for all it's worth, because it seems people want nothing else. Sigh.

  • firefly #64 6 years ago

    One thing I'm curious about...
    Final Fantasies VI and VII were arguably the best when it came to giving the ensemble cast something greater to do. In both of those games it felt like each character was there for a reason and at some point, be it a part of the main game or a side quest, everybody got to take centre stage (well maybe not everyone on VI but there were too many characters in that game) at some point. One of the problems I found with VIII was that it was all about Squall and the rest of your party was made up of stereotypes who existed purely for the purpose of battles. IX and X fixed the problem to a certain extent but both of those games felt like somebody had decided to tighten the plot and get rid of the character diversions that make up much of VII - the minor characters have moments or in Quina's case they have mini-games but compared to, say, the materia-less Wutai quest they don't really get to do much. Similarly in the horribly linear X (not too bad a game but I hated that everything took place on rigid paths) everybody's motivations linked entirely to the main quest.
    So anyway what I want to know is whether this is another protagonist driven game or if they've given the rest of the characters any status. I see that the character count is down on X so I don't hold much hope but to be honest I figure one of the things that makes VII stand out to this day is the fact that every character stood out and had something to do outside of the actual mission.

  • ilmaestro #65 6 years ago

    Oh yes, all of the characters are at least very good and tied right into the story in some way (although I'm not a massive fan of Panelo, she is possibly the odd one out for large parts). Va'an is superb, much different to what I expected and Balflear... well he simply steals the show. Even the 'side' characters (notably the Judge Masters) are a significant presence.

    biru: I can't get that review. Is that the right address?

  • jlaakso #66 6 years ago

    Damn, this is starting to feel like I may have to buy that PS2 after all.

    Eurogamer reviews tend to be a little too long. This was perhaps a little too short, but on the average you're doing a ghood job compared to the competition. Never ever go over two pages, please.

    As to VIII vs. others: FFVIII was a grave disappointment after VII. The characters are all uninteresting. The world is bland. I still played it to almost completion, but the flawed (cumbersome, needlessly repetitive) junction system and summonings finally got the better of me.

    But Vagrant Story is up there among the very best videogames of all time, so...

  • Triggerhappytel #67 6 years ago

    "And since we're laying into FFX-2, I suppose I should say I enjoyed it more than VIII but not as much as X, IX or VII. So there you go. :)"

    I just want to say, if you haven't played VI I'd really recommend it. If you can look past the graphics what you have is one of the best FF games, with a very good central cast (there are about 4-5 'main' characters, as oppose to a single standout one. I really liked that) and an excellent villian.

    I've also got IV and V to play, I really ought to get round to them soon.

  • biru #68 6 years ago

    "In both of those games it felt like each character was there for a reason and at some point, be it a part of the main game or a side quest, everybody got to take centre stage (well maybe not everyone on VI but there were too many characters in that game) at some point."

    Not everyone likes the cheesy 'every character gets a dance in the spotlight' thing of those games. It suited FFVI because of the whole format of the game - i.e. it didn't really have a character you could call 'main', but they all came together for a common cause. In FFVII however, where it was quite clearly all about Cloud and Sephiroth, it felt extremely forced the way they tried give every single character their own little tragic past. It's a very paint-by-numbers approach to storytelling, and not in the least bit subtle.

    That's what Square sought to change with FFVIII - they kept the key characters of Squall, Rinoa, Seifer and Laguna - at the forefront, with the rest of the characters playing a more supporting role. Nevertheless, a character does not need a unique past to make them a good character. Good characterisation comes through a well-written script, their reaction to events, and their interaction with one another. FFVIII had that in spades in my opinion.

    And, I should point out, that nothing has changed with FFXII in that regard. Just as in FFVIII and FFX, the game flows organically to allow characters to come to the forefront when it is right for them to do so. There's no silly sidequests, no unique tragic pasts.

  • manic_mouse #69 6 years ago

    I agree Biru, as I personally thought think FFVIII is one of the best Final Fantasies. It was released as the sequel to one of the biggest video games of all time, and in many ways I think Sqaure made the right decision by not trying to do a "FFVII 2", like FFIX tries, and fails miserably, to be. FFVIII is more gritty, it's more realistic (you know what I mean!) and the characters all felt like real people rather than a bunch of one dimensional stereotypes.

    The battle system is much better than FFVII's. I agree with the poster at the top of the page who said that materia is over-rated. It is! Considering that the characters in FFVII are fairly typical (Aeris is a healer, Barrat the hard-hitting tank) it's strange that they implimented a skill system that means you can make any character good at anything. FFVIII had a far deeper summoning system and the limits weren't simply "uber damage" attacks but had interactivity and varying effects. I'll agree that the junctioning system, while interesting, wasn't pulled off as well as it should have been. The fact that using the magic you had accumulated from monsters weakened your character if it was junctioned was a little annoying.

    I'm a big FFVIII fan, it's one of the few sequels to "big" videogames that I wasn't disappointed in. I was actually much more disappointed in FFIX (with it's dumbed down battle and character development systems) and FFX (because of it's sheer linearity and annoying characters). IMHO the series took a dip in quality after FFVIII, which is every bit as good as FFVII but in different ways.

    It looks like FFXII is a step back to what made the old games great, and the new battle system sounds excelent. I'm excited about FF again!

  • Triggerhappytel #70 6 years ago

    "Good characterisation comes through a well-written script, their reaction to events, and their interaction with one another. FFVIII had that in spades in my opinion."

    That's precisely why I didn't like Squall - he was moody and unfriendly and just... fundamentally unlikeable!

    I also think it's strange to say FFVIII doesn't have cliches. You've got the lone wolf (Squall), the rival (Seifer), the love interest (Rinoa), the loud one (Zell), the ditzy girl (Selphie) and the ladies' man (Irvine), among others. My main beef with the game was that I just didn't like any of them. Too much teen angst.

  • Feanor #71 6 years ago

    "That's precisely why I didn't like Squall - he was moody and unfriendly and just... fundamentally unlikeable!"

    Not even close to being true. Apart from a couple of times in the game, he was only unfriendly if you chose unfriendly responses.

  • akellard #72 6 years ago

    This review upset me purely because it reminded me how long we'll have to wait until it gets a European release.

  • Daryoon #73 6 years ago

    Sqaure made the right decision by not trying to do a "FFVII 2", like FFIX tries, and fails miserably, to be.

    Huh??? FF9 was a throw-back to the pre-7 games most people are unaware even exist...

  • ilmaestro #74 6 years ago

    Well, the leads are both short and blond...

  • Asundai #75 6 years ago

    I can't really remember much about FFVIII's "junctioning" system, but i seem to remember liking it even if it was overly complicated.

    "It looks like FFXII is a step back to what made the old games great, and the new battle system sounds excelent. I'm excited about FF again!"

    Me too. It all kind of went downhill after VIII or IX... X had irritating characters and was a little too linear, X-2 was just... X-2, and then they went all MMORPG on us. XII will be the first FF game i've looked forward to in 7 or 8 years (wow, has it really been that long?).

    "This review upset me purely because it reminded me how long we'll have to wait until it gets a European release."

    To hell with that, i'm getting the US version as soon as it's released. Though that'll still be bloody ages :/
    Edited by 6 at 19/04/06 @ 23:40

  • Azu87 #76 6 years ago

    Well Asundai, you won't be winning too much with importing FFXII from the US. It has been confirmed that the US and Europe release are almost at the same time in November. So even Europe will see this before next year.

  • Virgil #77 6 years ago

    If were complainin about FF, can we please all start on Advent Children..grr Advent Children!

    Im not gonna get worked up until a us review, the voice actin and overall story can really be a thorn in the side of some RPG's

    Also..i liked the random battles

    *Runs away*

  • oneshotgame #78 6 years ago

    i know it's an old argument BUT while it might be a great game, it still has the most horrible character design ever! sorry, but i can't stand these semi-gay main sissie and the metrosexual harrison ford pirate. whenever i see these artworks i am not able to *beep* my girlfriend for two days... so, buying this would spoil my relationship and my bathroom - due to puking...

  • Asundai #79 6 years ago

    " Well Asundai, you won't be winning too much with importing FFXII from the US. It has been confirmed that the US and Europe release are almost at the same time in November. So even Europe will see this before next year.
    ignor"

    Really? Nice.
    Edited by 1 at 20/04/06 @ 12:00

  • ilmaestro #80 6 years ago

    oneshotgame: err, yeah, okaaay...

    But seriously, play the game. Vaan is really cool, and I'm not really sure what your problem with Balflear's design is.

  • brn #81 6 years ago

    "whenever i see these artworks i am not able to *beep* my girlfriend for two days... "

    Whenever I see the artworks I wish I had a girlfriend just like Va'an!

  • Feanor #82 5 years ago

    Should have been a 10!