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As a veteran player of every Final Fantasy game ever released, I looked forward to this version with much anticipation. I have completed this latest installment and while I enjoyed the gamplay, there were more "cons" to this game than any other I've played in the FF series. To give credit where it's due, the graphics and technical aspects were unmatched. However, that to me was cancelled out by a lack of strong characters and storyline. Pros - The graphics here are better than ever. The cut scenes are absolutely breathtaking, vivid, detailed and intricate. Technically, FFXII is unmatched and will absolutely captivate you. - I found the battle system (which changes after every new FF installment) to be a refreshing improvement. There's no intro and exit scene for every battle, bless them, only with major bosses, which makes the game flow much faster and makes it more realistic. You can pick and choose your fights for the most part, flee your foes, and can spot enemies lurking through the mighty helpful "map screen" shown through most of the game. - The various party and character command sections, (party, licenses, equip, status ,etc. ) are more streamlined and less time consuming than previous games, giving you more time to enjoy the game and less trying to figure out the best sword to use. CONS - There is no gil (money) for winning battles, only items which you can exchange for money. There is NEVER enough money to buy what you want until the very end. - The Esper component is not as enjoyable as past games. Summoning an Esper uses up all your magic, which is a total flop, and you dont' have anywhere near as much control over the Esper's actions as past games. The Mist Knack chain sequences take some getting used to, are poorly explained, and again, use up all your magic. - Character and storyline are just as not as well developed as in previous games and are downright dismal when compared with, say, Final Fantasy X (with the exception of the charming and amusing Balthier.) There's no real sense of comraderie or bonding, the storyline needs some work, and the characters are rather bland. Vaan is the wimpiest "hero" to date of all FF games, no? The Princess did not inspire any loyalty on my part (was truthfully mildly annoying), I still dont' know what Penelo was doing there, and the only thing Fran had going for her was her nearly bare bum. - Game is a little TOO easy; and it's nearly impossible to die. Takes away some of the thrill. All in all, a good game for those thrilled with the technical aspects and not so much for those who have enjoyed past FF's outstanding and unmatched character and story development. This game has some decent bosses and marks that really challenge your survival abilities, some decent side quests, hunts, and espers including whole game areas that are strictly bonuses. I just hope that future games will bring back the character magic and memorable storylines of past installments.Read full review
Pros: Amazing graphics, great sound and voice acting. The story is deep and the cutscenes are amazing, but this isn't surprising because this is a Final Fantasy game. The new Licence System works well, it complements leveling up nicely. Activating a new ability on the licence board give you benefits instantly even if your level up is a while away. The new battle system in FF12 is a mix between turned base and real time battle systems. You are now able to avoid fighting enemies. If you see an enemy and don't wish to engage it, just walk away. It's as simple as that. FF12 has a rich world with an incredible amount of content. You can engage in hunts to take down special marks. You can also track down espers, defeat them and they will join you. And of course there are male characters who look like women and cute yellow chocobos... this is always a plus. Cons: The new battle system is functional but it isn't very fun. After you set up the gambits correctly there is nothing more that you have to do. Just move your characters to the general area and the battles fight themselves. Your characters will attack, use spells, and even heal themselves all automatically. Bottom Line: This is a must own title for any Final Fantasy fan, or anyone who enjoys deep RPGs. However, those who like twitch-based action RPGs might not enjoy this title.Read full review
I have been a loyal follower and fairly consistent buyer of square especially the final fantasy series and other popular hits of theirs. I am most impresses by their ability to include all aspects of game play: music, characters/story, battle systems, items, and length of games/replay value. Final Fantasy Twelve was no different, however I felt there was a certain element of 'trying to do too much.' The free roaming style of play and battle is a nice new system that works well, but to me the game was two large scale. I enjoy long games, and sometimes even games that are tedious as long as there is a point and you aren't easily bored. Sometimes I just don't feel like crossing a vast three hour dessert filled with hundreds of enemies that are too weak to advance your characters strength but too strong to just plow through. The story is deep and kept interesting throughout. The characters are likable, and the game as a whole is worth playing through at least once, and I do recommend buying it. Either my standards for RPG's is getting too high because of games like Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, or square is getting too lax. Over all, 8/10.Read full review
If you're not familiar with the other Final Fantasy Games, then you will enjoy this very much. It is your typical RPG MAXED OUT! I would recommend this to anyone who hasn't played the previous FFs. But if you are a diehard FF Fan like myself, this game got mixed review from me: PROS: 1) SUB-QUESTS Galore! - I'd even recommend getting the guidebook there are so many and they're actually some hard ones, making the game quite challenging at parts 2) Beautiful graphics - FF never disappoints us with graphics 3) NO RANDOM BATTLES - A new fight system that was very satisfying, liked the gambits (which help automate fight so don't you don't to command everything) 4) Huge world map to explore - New style of walking around called zoning (nice!) 5) Great game play factor - if you don't do any of the side quests, its about 40-50 hours. I did almost all the side quests and i went about 130 hours!! 6) Even the animals give pelts and hides instead of gold (cuz all animals carry gold in their pockets) CONS: 1) NO CUTSCENES (FMV) - There was a second or two here and there, but no movies 2) BORING MAIN CHARACTER - They say there is no main character, but vaan is boring 3A) SLOW TO NON EXISTENT STORYLINE/PLOT - this was what i missed most and have come to expect from all FFs. 3B) SLOW TO NON EXISTENT STORYLINE - Did I say that already? I'm saying it again b/c there are SOO MANY side quests, that you don't even want to do the story line at all as the story line sucks that much. And b/c all the side quests are so much harder than the main storyline that by the time you get a good chunk done of the side quests, the main storyline's bosses are MORE than pathetic. (i.e. last sub quest boss has 200x the HP of the main storyline boss, yes 200x! im not exaggerating!) 4) NO GOOD SOUNDTRACK - I missed the amazing composer they usually get for all FF 5) SUMMONING IS NOT WHAT YOU'D EXPECT - you basically have to use all your MP to summon so its not worth it, especially when they die pretty quickly anyway. **BOTTOMLINE:** The sub quests are satisfying so much to a point that you don't even want to play the main story. the main story is dull with no plot, no deep characters, no cutscenes, etc. If you're going to play this game, which I do still recommend regardless of my cons! buy the guidebook for the subquests.Read full review
I'm a big fan of the series, playing almost all of the titles from FF1 to FFTactics, even the less than well recieved Mystic Quest. I played through the game in about 100 hours. Now I did play every side game and miniquest, but I did get most of them. I imagine playing straight through you could knock out the game in 72 ish hours. And what a solid 3 days of gaming it will be! Excellent graphics, engaging story line, and even a few odd quirks like running around town yelling that you're a different character (that you get later in the game). While not Job board intensive like tactics, or esper heavy like FF3, FFXII handles very sweetly allowing you to come with programable tactics, rages, and many more customizable abilities. Give your fighters awesome magic powers! Give your mages the power to take down a boss in a single stroke! Like having one character be a theif? How about all 6 of your characters stealing from the enemy? While my favorite FF title will always be FF3, FFXII is definately worthy of the Final Fantasy name!Read full review
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