Final Fantasy XII (PS2) - PC and Console Games (Square Enix)

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Customer Reviews of Final Fantasy XII (PS2)

bifukawjbmbf

30th October 2008

A Late Review. Sorry
Final Fantasy XII is something I have been working through recently due to the current economic crisis. I heard some major changes were made to this game and so differs a lot to its predecessors.

Anticipating the horror of a new combat system in the manual, I actually was amazed at how efficient and engaging it is. The gambit system is a useful tool for those who are too lazy to issue your other characters an attack or defensive strategy. It makes the game very efficient during battles but I should point out the game still revolves loosely round a turn based system.

The GF's, those who can turn the tide of battle with a single summoning returns. They are known as Espers in this game and they are very hard to get hold of. They now roam around with their summoner fighting enemies like one of the characters and usually execute their finishing moves in a cut scene, classic Final Fantasy style.

There is little variation in the game, not many sub plots and sub games which is disappointing. It is needed because the structure of the main plot is very repetitive. One gets something to do, one travels through the desert and fights baddies, one goes through a ruin/dungeon to retrieve something fighting baddies along the way and the cycle goes on. What ever happened to those addictive sub games? The card game in FFVIII was classic.

So was the world roaming in the spaceship, the Ragnarok. Is there really no freedom? Actually there is in the towns. Good graphics help make these beautifully articulated places that are very memorable and you can almost believe in them. Sometimes it feels like you are on vacation. Very exotic places and an enjoyable experience roaming round the towns. When you are outside the towns its just desert or glacier, no suburbia or farmland! How do the people survive and where do they live? :D

I do agree with some others who reviewed this game stating that the characters were not very interesting. I think that would partially have to do with the English voice overs. They don't appear enthusiastic or emotional enough for instance when you expect them to be in order to help you engage with the plot. The plot is very political, subliminally sending out messages to those young gamers and well timed considering the political situation between the West and the Middle East. Although I am not sure that was intended :D

Good job for changing the combat system. If it was the same as all the other FF games I would not have continued playing. An addictive chill-out sub game would have been nice though.

Final Fantasy fan
UK
18th August 2008

AWFUL!
I waited almost 3 years for this, and I pre ordered it. When Squaresoft merged with Enix, and because SquareEnix. I think they lost the plot. The main Composer left, who had done all the score to all the games.

In Final Fantasy 7 8 9, there was a very strong bond between the characters, even in 10 there was a bond.

In this game, there is non. The characters, they are just there for the sake of it. No real story line in the characters apart from a little in Balthear.

To me this game is so repetitive, boring, You wander around endlessly to find where you have to go. the grafix aren't as good as in Final Fantasy X and even in the older games like FF7 FF8. There are no Summoning of GFs, Aions exc. Just Limit breaks.

I am a hard core Final Fantasy, so please don't slam me for what I have put in this review, as this is my Honest opinion.

I own all the games from 1 and to the last one, which was Crisis Core.

I just hope Final Fantasy 13 which is due for release next April 2009, is gonna live up to expectations, and have an in depth story line as well as characters.

Sir Squidshaker
UK
5th August 2008

A New Low for Square
If the horrific voice acting or the fact that the characters seem to say "You wait here, I'll take care of these!" about seven hundred times in the first half hour doesn't immediately ruin XII for you, the pathetic attempt at decent character design will. The only character that actually looks good is called Panello, and putting aside "Panello" sounds like a pet name for somebody's meat & two veg' it's hard to shake the feeling her design was ripped straight from Last Exile.

At first the main character seems fairly likeable, until you're switched with his teenage crotch weasel of a brother, that is. This character is actually designed to get on your nerves and makes you wonder what on earth happened to targetting an age group of over 15 and as a result XII feels more like a Tolkein adaptatation of Hey Arnold than a serious epic.

I wouldn't wish Final Fantasy XII on any of my enemies and I'd be wholely surprised if XIII turns out to be anything but another laughable Angst-fest dressed up in silly armour.

(Oh and, if you weren't bored 32 seconds into the extremely longwinded CG intro then you must be some kind of android built to withstand extreme tedium levels. Check yourself for hidden circuit panels, your parents may have some explaining to do.)

Ms. A. Doherty

25th June 2008

Too repetative, and at times just boring.
I enjoyed this game at first, but I soon realised I was doing the same thing over and over. The story in this game seems quite good, if a bit odd. Sometimes a character will come out off no where with no explaination.

I really enjoy the new battle system. It's bassically just like it always was with the massive difference of it being in real time. This means you can hold down the "Fleeing" button as soon as you see an enemy you don't won't to fight, and avoid him without any hasle. There are new things like Lisences, Gambits, and monster hunts. They're fun but the main gameplay never changes and I feel like I've wasted my money.

Michael D'Amore
London, England, UK
20th February 2008

First a whole-new, unique fighting system...then FFXII makes it to Platinum - I think there's a message to be said
I'm gonna keep the main statement simple: this has GOT TO BE the best Final Fantasy game to-date on the PS2; OK, maybe not story-wise but gameplay and graphic-wise this is the shiznit...

...the all-new, original Active Dimension Battle system is a whole new view on classic RPG turn-based fighting, especially for the FF series. The Active Dimension Battle (or ADB) system, now "seamlessly integrates exploration and combat", so say 'goodbye' to all of those annoying random encounters...and say 'hello' to 3D mapping. Yes, now you can rotate the camera view (with the second analog stick) in ANY direction you require so no more hiding for those pesky chests full with valuable Elixir (true FF fans would understand).

...standing side-by-side with the ADB also is the "revolutionary Gambit System and Licence Board which give you complete control over the development and behaviour of your characters."

(1)The Gambit System are basically orders you pre-set so that, when in combat, your characters can automatically carry out their commands, e.g. 'Attack -> Nearest Enemy' or 'Curaga -> Ally <20% HP'; it might sound a bit confusing now, but trust me, you'll get the hang of it soon enough.

(2)The Licence Board is a unique take on the usual 'kill-an-enemy-acquire EXP-level-up' path. When you defeat an enemy, besides acquiring EXP points, you also acquire LP (Licence Points); the stronger the enemy, the more you will get. These LP are used on the LB to enable your characters to weild certain weapons or armour. Other than this, they can also be used to augment your characters' stats such as '+250 HP' or 'Decrease MP cost by 10%'. I'll admit that sometimes intentionally acquiring these LP is a pain but then again, at the same time you are gaining invaluable EXP points.

I could go more into detail but these features are the most cutting-edge for the FF series. I HIGHLY recommend this game for RPG-lovers and FF-fans alike and even if you do buy it, all we can do now is look forward to the various future-releases of more FF games.

This may be Final Fantasy but definitely not the last.