Trombonus said:I heard about the new Tactics game, but not the new (old?) FFIV. Sounds cool.
Trombonus said:
human_male said:
Trombonus said:
Trombonus said:
Hee hee, finally made it here huh.Lady Reiha said:
Trombonus said:Ok, this is a day late, but I was out of town all weekend, and yesterday was my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary, so I was kinda busy.
For those that don't know, Final Fantasy XII is the game that has sucked up almost all of my time for the last few months, so it seemed only fitting that this would be my next review. It is the most recent offering in the main Final Fantasy line, and also one of the best. So, here we go with my review of Final Fantasy XII.
Final Fantasy XII
System: Playstation 2
Genre: RPG
Final Fantasy XII is set in the land of Ivalice, which is home to two large empires on the brink of war. Two early casualties of these tensions are the small kingdoms of Nabradia and Dalmasca, which are taken over by the Arcadian Empire. The game starts with the wedding of Princess Ashe of Dalmasca and Lord Rassler of Nabradia. Not long after, the Arcadians invade Nabradia, and Lord Rassler loses his life in the battle, sgnalling the fall of Nabradia. Rather than fight a pointless battle, the King of Dalmasca decides to surrender to the Arcadian Empire, thereby saving his kingdom from almost certain destruction. However, some shady happenings happen at the treaty signing, and the king is assassinated, seemingly by one of his loyalest followers. It is this moment in time where the game begins, and you gain control of Reks, a soldier in the Dalmascan army. This first section is basically a tutorial, so that you can get used to the gameplay mechanics.
What I like about this world is the fact that there are so many different races of beings living together. We have the Humes, which resemble humans (go figure). 5 of the 6 playable characters, are Humes, and they are the dominant race in the game. Then there are the Viera. Their race is comprised entirely of females, and are distinguishable by their slender forms, and large ears. They live in the wood, and are deeply connected to it. However, they isolate themselves from the outside world, and shun any and all outsiders, including those of their own kind who leave their wood. one of the main playable characters is a Viera. Another race of beings is the Bangaa, a noticably reptilian race. We have the Seeq, which are large creatures featuring a piglike snout and a single horn on their forhead. The beloved furry critters known as Moogles make their return in this game. They are micelike creatures with tiny bat wings on their back and large pom-pom balls above their heads. The leader of Clan Centuria is a Moogle. Clan Centuria is a major aspect of this game (and a nod to the GBA Final Fantasy Tactics Advance game), and will be mentioned later in the review. There are four other less prominent races including the warrior race known as the Garif, the shady Goblin-like race of the Baknamy, the wise Nu Mou, and the isolated Urutan-Yensa. All these races play a key part in the story at some point.
Once the first section is over, you gain control of Vaan, who is the main character in this story. He is a young orphan who dreams of becomming a Sky Pirate, and is also the younger brother of Reks. Now, the funny thing about this character is, although he's considered the main character, the story doesn't really revolve around him too much, especially in the later half of the story. Not only that, but to be honest, I find him to be the most annoying of all the characters.
The next character we meet and get to play as is Penelo, a childhood friend of Vaan's and also an orphan. The two grew up together, and are like brother and sister. Penelo is possibly the least important of the 6 main playable characters. She gets kidnapped in the beginning, and once she is rescued, her importance is over, only showing up alongside Vaan as an excuse for the other characters to explain some more of the back story, or talk about their current location.
We run across Balthier and Fran just before Penelo's capture. These two characters are Sky pirates, and are constantly getting the party through the tough situations in the game, often imparting their wisdom in various ways. Balthier is the "leading man," as he puts it, and is someone Vaan eventually comes to look up to. He is deeply connected to Fran, a viera woman who had long since left her kin behind in the wood. It is often infered that the two love each other, but never outwardly stated.
Basch was a former captain in the Dalmascan army, and one of the King's loyalest supporters. However it is known amongst the public that he is the man who killed the King at the treaty signing. Vaan also believes it is Basch who killed his brother as well. Eventually he becomes a valued member of the party, and another source of information throughout. He's also a staunch protector of our 6th hero, and helps guide her, never leaving her side. The truth is revealed as the story progresses, but I wont spoil it for you.
The final character is also the one I consider to be the TRUE main character in the game. Ashe is the former princess of Dalmasca, who was said to have taken her own life after the death of both her father and her husband. In truth she has been a secret member of the resistance, and the story largely revolves around her connections to the royal family and the legacy they left behind, as well as her struggle against the Arcadian empire.
It hink the strongest part of the story in Final Fantasy XII is the fact that it doesn't focus around a love story. In fact, there IS no love story at all. It is all about the struggle to free Dalmasca from the control of the Arcadian Empire, and prevent a war between the Arcadians and their couterparts, the Rozarrian Empire. Of course, the small kingdom of Dalmasca is right inbetween the two major powers. In my opinion, this is the best storyline of the series since it moved to the Playstation I'm still debating on whether it is the best of the whole series or not, but it's certainly up there. I also love all the references to older games in the series. The later FF games have been known to do that, but not to the extent that this one does. From the music to several names brought back from other games, this installment has a big nostalgia factor that long time fans of Final Fantasy will appreciate.
The music is simply amazing. Every piece just fits with what is going on, and the opening fanfare of the main Final Fantasy theme is just incredible. They even bring back the old victory fanfare when you defeat a boss. As for the voice overs...well, they're not too bad. Some are better than others.
The graphics are incredible. The world Square Enix created for us is just beautiful. The characters are all really well made and animated, and are very detailed. This is one area where they definitely did not hold back on. Graphics aren't everything, but they certainly help.
The gameplay takes a new turn in this game, departing from the standard menu based random battles for a new system. Commands can be accessed by menus but you can also set your characters to do certain actions automatically when the opportunity presents itself. This makes things much simpler for you. In addition, you can see enemies before you attack them. This means no more random battles! You can fight as much or as little as you like. A new battle chain has been implemented, which increses as you defeat successive enemies of the same type. The more of a certain bad guy you defeat, the higher the battle chain gets, and the better the items the enemies will drop. Money is gained differently too. Rather than gathering money from fallen enemies, you gain certain "loot" items, which you seel at any store for your money. I absolutely LOVE this aspect of the game. I've always wondered how monsters happened to drop money when they die. Yes it's a game, but seriously, where are they supposed to put it? Having this new system makes things much more believable.
Now for the new skill building system. When enemies are defeted the give you experience points and licence points. Experience points allow you to level up, making your character stronger. Licence points allow you to unlock new abilities, raise your stats and make new weapons and armor available to you. Of course, you can't just pick and choose what you want, you have to branch out from the abilities you start out with. Also, just because you unlock the ability on the licence board, doesn't mean you can use it. You have to buy the abilities from a store as well. Every player has the exact same licence board to start out with. Licences come in many different forms, but fall into a few certain categories. Weapon, Armor and Accessory licences are pretty self-explanatory, unlocking new weapons and armor for your characters to equip. Magicks unlock all the magic spells you've come to know and love from the FF series. Augments raise your stats, or allow you certain advantages during battle. Technicks are special moves you can use in various situations, and don't require MP to use. However, the circumstances needed to use them are very specific. Quickenings and Espers show up on everyone's board, but can only be unlocked and used by one character. Once it's been taken, it disappears from the other character's boards. These are the only Licences that differ from character to character.
Quite frankly, this is one of the best games that has come out in recent years, and a definite pick up for anyone who loves RPG's.
Graphics: 100
Sound: 99
Gameplay: 99
Storyline: 100
Overall: 99.5
Trombonus said:Hee hee, finally made it here huh.
So, I haven't done the review for last week yet. I've been both busy and somewhat unwell lately, but I promise I will get one in, maybe tonight after I get in the shower.
Sorry about that guys.
lol, ok ok.Lady Reiha said:your forgiven. But hurry up before I make my own review
I'm out of the shower, now I just need to figure out what game I want to review...
That's it! No spankings for you! You hear that ladies...he's being punished!Trombonus said:So, I haven't done the review for last week yet. I've been both busy and somewhat unwell lately, but I promise I will get one in, maybe tonight after I get in the shower.
Sorry about that guys.
She likes Transformers too.deathlynx said:That's it! No spankings for you! You hear that ladies...he's being punished!
And Reiha likes video games as well?!?!? Ok, now I'm getting suspicious! She's just too perfect to be believed
Trombonus said:lol, ok ok.
ETA: Think I know what it is going to be, but it's a doozy so I might not do it until tomorrow.
Trombonus said:Thanks.
deathlynx said:That's it! No spankings for you! You hear that ladies...he's being punished!
And Reiha likes video games as well?!?!? Ok, now I'm getting suspicious! She's just too perfect to be believed
lol, I appreciate it though. For those that don't know I've been tremendously busy as of late, and I've been pretty sick the last couple of days. So I took Rei up on her offer and she'll be doing the review that was supposed to be done last weekend. I really appreciate you doing this Rei. If someone else wants to do one let me know, I'll call on you if I can't get it done on time.Lady Reiha said:or pawn it off for me to do
Trombonus said:
Get some rest =^.^=
