It was cool and everything, but it really seemed that the main character was way too....unimportant to everything and everyone around him. I didn't see it all the way till the end, but for the most part Vaan just seemed to be a worthless vagabond taggin' along with some growed ups while they do their growed up things.
It was cool and everything, but it really seemed that the main character was way too....unimportant to everything and everyone around him. I didn't see it all the way till the end, but for the most part Vaan just seemed to be a worthless vagabond taggin' along with some growed ups while they do their growed up things.
Pretty much. I don't think they ever explained why he can see what Ashe sees, either? Although, I think most people will argue that the "main character" was Ashe, anyways.
Dashui on
Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
oh yeah, i forgot. the story is pretty suckish, so dont get your hopes too high for that part.
Houk the Namebringer on
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
edited April 2007
It's funny how the perception of the story goes from 'FFT amazing' to 'suckish'... I have high hopes considering who wrote it, but from what I've seen, I'm in no hurry.
I'm waiting for the price drop, like I do with all FFs.
It's funny how the perception of the story goes from 'FFT amazing' to 'suckish'... I have high hopes considering who wrote it, but from what I've seen, I'm in no hurry.
I'm waiting for the price drop, like I do with all FFs.
It felt a lot like Star Wars to me, actually. :P There were a lot of moments that seemed straight out of the movies. I enjoyed it, though.
Dashui on
Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
it is amazing if you're sick of ultra sterilized RPGs deeply embedded with Pop Culture.
it is amazing
I'm not sure what you are saying because the game is so heavily based on Star Wars that it isn't even funny. Star Wars being the epitome of pop culture.
It's funny how the perception of the story goes from 'FFT amazing' to 'suckish'... I have high hopes considering who wrote it, but from what I've seen, I'm in no hurry.
I'm waiting for the price drop, like I do with all FFs.
It's funny how the perception of the story goes from 'FFT amazing' to 'suckish'... I have high hopes considering who wrote it, but from what I've seen, I'm in no hurry.
I'm waiting for the price drop, like I do with all FFs.
It is FFT/VS good.
I agree with this statement, for all the wrong reasons. :P
With the reminder that FFT's is a blatant and complete copy/hackjob of TO's.
The story was nothing to write a book about, but I thought it was a refreshing change. Saving the world is a bit passé in RPG land... saving your country is a bit more realistic and grounding as a storyline.
Edit: Seriously, Basche had the potential to be the best character in any Final Fantasy game, and all they had to do was stick with the introduction. But that wouldn't have been completely lame, though, so they clearly had to change it.
It's Basch, for the record. Although, I have to admit I also found his initial character concept more interesting than what his true circumstance ended up being. They could have done a lot with that idea ("What drives a person to become a traitor?"), although I think some of the scenes towards the end redeemed his character and ultimately made him more interesting.
I think XII has one of the most well-roundedly likeable cast though. Although they weren't wholly developed, most of them had bits and pieces of back story and personality which you could extrapolate on.
Also, yes, the voice acting is superb. I probably prefer it to the Japanese audio, and that's rarely the case for a lot of RPGs in general, I think (They tend to be ear-raping or passable with minor stand-outs). Maybe for some the Gambit system 'plays itself' or takes out some of the strategy, but it reduces a lot of the tedium and you can never let it run itself for the whole game. Replaying the early sections without gambits once you got use to them, you realise how poorly it would play if they didn't exist.
Anyway. I enjoyed it (I'm on my second run, actually doing more than the base requirements of the main quest this time), you'd be missing out not to play it.
I'll echo the sentiment that the story was underwhelming. And it really burned me in FFXII, because so much of the game is well-done. The art, character animation, cutscene direction, music, all the visual and audio elements were great, but they served a skeleton of a plot.
I really liked the battle system, but the Gambit system, while interesting, was also poorly-implemented. All gambits should have been available from the beginning, and there should have been more gambits that catered to magic-users. As it is, you can set up some simple Gambits, give everyone a sword and some healing magic, and you're good for almost the entire game. Sure, you can customize, but why do so when there's an obvious path of least resistance?
It's funny how the perception of the story goes from 'FFT amazing' to 'suckish'... I have high hopes considering who wrote it, but from what I've seen, I'm in no hurry.
I'm waiting for the price drop, like I do with all FFs.
It is FFT/VS good.
I agree with this statement, for all the wrong reasons. :P
With the reminder that FFT's is a blatant and complete copy/hackjob of TO's.
Exactly. Tactics Ogre's plot was better, anyway. Branching plotline FTW
Fantastic battle engine, really makes games with random encounters look primitive.
They still have Random Encounters. The difference is sometimes you don't know you're in combat until they've gotten a few whacks.
Many of the sidequests are maddening (did anyone get to Hell Wyrm without a guide?), but hey, that's what GameFAQs is for.
That is absolutely disgusting reasoning. You're giving them a pass on a poorly implemented game feature because, hey, look at this, gamefaqs/strategy guides exist? Not just Hell Wyrm, but the four chests?
The boss and mark fights are enormously cool. And the gambit system is a fantastic way to alleviate the tedium of the average JRPG.
The gambits could only be used for random encounters, which would have been equivalent to just pressing X again and again besides. Leaving the gambits on for boss/mark fights is sheer suicide. It sped up a remarkably tedious series of generic repetitious battles by automating the X pressing.
The bosses are incredibly fun until they get to roughly 10% of their health bar. Then they go into super frenzy mode, take what seems to be 1/4th damage, hit four times as hard, and three times as fast. Yeah, that's 'strategy' for you. Fights going well, going well, going well, uh oh he's critical wham wham wham dead wham wham heal oh wait target is dead wham dead wham wham wham dead.
Also, status spells are still incredibly useless.
Though I will say it was amusing kiting a giant turtle with Fran. I nearly killed my friend by giving him fits of hysterical laughter.
For the bad, characters aren't heavily developed. Anyone can do anything with enough license points-- that irritates some people.
Never understood that upsetting people. If I want Chick A to be a MNK, or a WHM, more power. The grid being hidden at first is ridiculous, but hey, 'that's what gamefaqs is for,' right?
The later dungeons are too damn long, and the puzzles vary between inexplicable and obvious. Still, the fantastic fighting engine carries it.
Yeah, the later dungeons/puzzles are all sorts of silly.
Highly recommended.
Still the best FF in a long ass time, in spite of my nitpicking of my poor comrade above.
Fantastic battle engine, really makes games with random encounters look primitive.
They still have Random Encounters. The difference is sometimes you don't know you're in combat until they've gotten a few whacks.
I meant the "pssh! *screen shatters* dah dadadada dah..." kind of random encounter. The most striking feature of the game to me was that they kept the basic ideas of JRPG gameplay without interrupting gameplay every 6 seconds.
Many of the sidequests are maddening (did anyone get to Hell Wyrm without a guide?), but hey, that's what GameFAQs is for.
That is absolutely disgusting reasoning. You're giving them a pass on a poorly implemented game feature because, hey, look at this, gamefaqs/strategy guides exist? Not just Hell Wyrm, but the four chests?
Hey, I ain't giving them a pass. Like I said to my friend, "Half the ideas here make me want to shake the developers' hands. The other half makes we want to kick them in the groin." It's just that I think the one half outweighs the other.
Four chests thing bugs me, but I did ok without the spear anyway. Again, bad, but not fatal to my enjoyment.
The gambits could only be used for random encounters, which would have been equivalent to just pressing X again and again besides. Leaving the gambits on for boss/mark fights is sheer suicide. It sped up a remarkably tedious series of generic repetitious battles by automating the X pressing.
Nah, you just needed different sets for bosses. Healing at higher percentages, turning off syphon, dispelling. I do wish they had let you define and save sets of gambits/equipments for easy switching. See: Behemoth King.
The bosses are incredibly fun until they get to roughly 10% of their health bar. Then they go into super frenzy mode, take what seems to be 1/4th damage, hit four times as hard, and three times as fast. Yeah, that's 'strategy' for you. Fights going well, going well, going well, uh oh he's critical wham wham wham dead wham wham heal oh wait target is dead wham dead wham wham wham dead.
Also, status spells are still incredibly useless.
Yeah, palings/magic shields are a cheap way to extend fights. As for bosses being stronger in critical, what's this, your first video game? Plus, your guys got the same benefits on the board.
And status spells were awesome! Berserk (Basch+Masamune+Genji gloves+berserk was my main damage dealer), Sleep (worked on Fenrir!), Dispel (a requirement), Oil (Slyt), Blind/silence (could make physical/magical bosses much easier), and of course Haste. If you weren't using these, you made the game much, much harder for yourself. Quick tip: Nihopaloa+Remedy on a boss inflicts all possible negative status effects instantly. Very handy.
For the bad, characters aren't heavily developed. Anyone can do anything with enough license points-- that irritates some people.
Never understood that upsetting people. If I want Chick A to be a MNK, or a WHM, more power. The grid being hidden at first is ridiculous, but hey, 'that's what gamefaqs is for,' right?
Exactly! No, I actually really liked exploring the board, and with the golden amulet, I'd always have more than enough LP. Anyway, I can sorta see where the complainers are coming from--a bunch of jacks-of-all-trades are less interesting than characters with strengths and weaknesses who need to work together. Luckily, both are possible. For what it's worth, I liked the customizability too.
Anyway, sorry to nitpick the nitpicks. The game is flawed, I'd be the first to tell you. But I think it's a lot of fun regardless.
I think it's a great game but it did get overtalked in hindsight. It's good, but not as good as many think.
You just described every game ever. Every single one.
Except Gears of War. Gears is just as good as it was on day one.
Oh please. Gears of War was one of the most (if not THE most) overtalked games of last year. Having played it and finding it good, I can say that it's basically RE4 + cover + shitty dialogue + rubbish level design.
But I digress, personally I save all my MP (and good items) for boss fights. I very rarely have to use all of it, but it's nice to have just in case the boss is insanely hard (or I'm under-levelled).
I played gears of war once, and I totally agree with your opinion... needs more light bloom though.
I do have to question making Vaan the main character. Not because I have any Vaan hate outside of his costume design (and certain lines as delivered by his voice actor), but because it seemed like Ashe was the more logical candidate for "main character", at least where I am in the story.
Just got out of the Tomb of Raithwell
It makes more sense to me to view it as a FFVI "there is no main character" sort of thing, except it was easier for Squeenix to assume you'd be walking around town as one character when designing their dialogue, so they just went with Vaan since you have him the longest.
DeVryGuy on
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JeanHeartbroken papa bearGatineau, QuébecRegistered Userregular
edited April 2007
The combat system was the funniest I ever had the pleasure of playing in a non tales RPG
The game was too big for its own good tough. I completed it in 82 hours and I still miss a lot of extra content
Jean on
"You won't destroy us, You won't destroy our democracy. We are a small but proud nation. No one can bomb us to silence. No one can scare us from being Norway. This evening and tonight, we'll take care of each other. That's what we do best when attacked'' - Jens Stoltenberg
The combat system was the funniest I ever had the pleasure of playing in a non tales RPG
Haha. I still remember fleeing from petty Seelings to build up a skeleton battle chain, accidentally shooting one of my party when they failed to wake up from having a knot of rust thrown at them (Only to awake just as Penelo was aiming), and fleeing like fuck from
one of those freaking huge elementals in Giruvegan. It wouldn't stop following me! D':
There's some things you only get in real time battles...
Hrr. It took me 60 hours and I basically got no extras at all. It didn't feel terribly long since I basically finished each half a month apart.
It was great. Not fantastic. Not amazing. But it was great. I ruined my gaming experience by the way I leveled and essentially turned the game into the most boring cake walk ever. So, I couldn't finish it because it was too easy. Other than that it was a damn good game and I still trust Squenix.
For the bad, characters aren't heavily developed. Anyone can do anything with enough license points-- that irritates some people. The later dungeons are too damn long, and the puzzles vary between inexplicable and obvious. Still, the fantastic fighting engine carries it. Highly recommended.
Those first two sentences were different complaints; I was trying to fit it all in one paragraph. Sorry for the muddled wording.
FFXII is a game that I really tried to enjoy, but nothing about it really pulled me in. I ended up making it to around hour 10 before realizing that I just wasn't having much fun. I can't point to any one thing specifically, except maybe Vaan. And (I guess) the terrible license board system.
Wow! Well for me this game is damn excellent! I have no complains about Vaan but Balthier is definitely the main character!:P
I can't express how much I love this game. It is one of those games that compelled me to play it through the end and actually work for the extras. (Okami is doing the same to me!) I can't even say the same about Twilight Princess.(Although I beat it, and loved every second of it!) Usually, I rate FFs on their pull on me to play through them and how much actual fun I had with them.:P
FF6-7, FFT, FFX_X-2, FFT:A, and FFXII all FTW
ruiisu on
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Mojo_JojoWe are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourseRegistered Userregular
edited April 2007
I found FFXII to be a fun disappointment. The battle system is a really good idea but ends up not quite working as it should, it feels empty for the most part (some of the hunts are pretty epic though), it's oddly like it came from a MMORPG and has been ported over with a few tweaks. I don't know why I feel that but I do.
The plot was just almost not present. Just as it starts to get vaguely interesting, the game ends (I presume you can glean a few more shreds from the bestiary).
The license board is the sphere grid system gone horribly wrong. Characters have predefined roles but end up horribly smeared together as you buy up every spell and ability fairly early on. Quickenings tend to either offer an instant victory or are suicide as you end up with a party with no MP left (I did really like the various methods of MP regeneration though).
On the other hand, I was addicted. It stole 120hours from me, and I wasn't bored. I just wasn't engrossed as I should be by a Final Fantasy (I also didn't have any "Woah" moments after getting a couple of hours in).
I think it was a good stepping tone for the series, it shows some new ideas and it is a shame that nearly every one of them is fatally flawed.
Mojo_Jojo on
Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
I found the story line to be pretty dull for my tastes, but I loved the combat and the hunts. If you end up playing the game and don't really like the hunts, I highly encourage you to tough it out and do the hunts up at least to the Man of Mystery clan hunt, you won't be disappointed at all.
Well, FFXII was the first JRPG I played in a long time with actual gameplay. I felt more like the general commanding a small squad, which was good. Because I was tired of just hitting X, X, X, X, X, down, X, X, X, X as fast as possible for 1.11111011 seconds so that I can sit through a 5 second debriefing screen telling me how much xp, gil and crap I earned. So yeah, no button menu mashing, no screen wipes and debriefings. I for one loved the optional hunts. I also really loved developing a strategy for some of the optional summons. I never used a guide for those, so simply stumbling onto a few of them was a real treat. And then having them whoop my ass almost immidiately was interesting as well. I spent a good amount of time grinding up and developing a solid strategy for whichever Esper you had to manipulate the vines to climb into the sky and reach. Good times there. Plus, shockingly, parts of the story are actually resolved through some of the side quest! I didn't do them all, but the plot points I came across with some of them were rather satisfying. And doable I might add. Nothing super obscure or obsessive compulsive required for the most part. Except the Zodiac Spear. But who cares.
Bottom line, great game, I loved it. I thought the narrative started out strong and got weaker and weaker as the game progressed, but still great.
the thing that pisses me off about final fantasy games is that the majority of the game is just you levelling up and doing fuck all because you have shitty skills
the game only starts like 20 hours in for me
i have kind of bored myself on FFXII, i will complete it after DMC3 and okami probably
Well, FFXII was the first JRPG I played in a long time with actual gameplay. I felt more like the general commanding a small squad, which was good. Because I was tired of just hitting X, X, X, X, X, down, X, X, X, X as fast as possible for 1.11111011 seconds so that I can sit through a 5 second debriefing screen telling me how much xp, gil and crap I earned. So yeah, no button menu mashing, no screen wipes and debriefings. I for one loved the optional hunts. I also really loved developing a strategy for some of the optional summons. I never used a guide for those, so simply stumbling onto a few of them was a real treat. And then having them whoop my ass almost immidiately was interesting as well. I spent a good amount of time grinding up and developing a solid strategy for whichever Esper you had to manipulate the vines to climb into the sky and reach. Good times there. Plus, shockingly, parts of the story are actually resolved through some of the side quest! I didn't do them all, but the plot points I came across with some of them were rather satisfying. And doable I might add. Nothing super obscure or obsessive compulsive required for the most part. Except the Zodiac Spear. But who cares.
Bottom line, great game, I loved it. I thought the narrative started out strong and got weaker and weaker as the game progressed, but still great.
Was not a fan of it, played a lot of it and it just wasn't fun any longer to me. The biggest annoyances to me were the combat system (personal opinion, just prefer solid turn-based for this kind of thing) and the license board (like trying to navigate using a map with no labels). Ended up giving it away to a friend of mine who I thought might enjoy it more as I just wasn't going to put up with playing it anymore.
It's incredibly good. Essentiall, it removes the monotony of hitting "attack", and leaves the player to focus entirely on items/status/buffs etc. The end result is much, quicker, more interesting combat. In some of the harder bosses, you'll almost be giving commands nonstop.
one of those freaking huge elementals in Giruvegan. It wouldn't stop following me! D':
Yea, first time I got in there and saw one, I said to myself "Why are they putting these low lvl elementals in here?"
A note for future FFXII players: Elementals |= Entites
I'm about 80 hours into the game and still haven't finished it. It is a great game, but I do have gripes that have been previously mentioned. I don't like my character builds to all end up the same. I wish there were character specific abilities/spells. I also don't like that fact that Espers are so underpowered. In FFVIII, GFs were invaluable. In FFXII... you can just about go the entire game without summoning one. It makes the accomplishment of obtaining them less worthwhile.
FFXII was okay. Not one of my favorite FF games by any means. I prefer the cliche shit of previous games to the dull fantasy politics of FFXII's plot. A very significant amount of the gameplay time is just going from place to place on foot with some excuse about why you can't fly there. More importantly, the gameplay is just boring IMHO. Basically you just theorycraft your encounters in the menu and then watch things happen while you push the stick in the right direction. On top of that, the game expects you to do sidequests like the hunts(run back and forth to various hunting zones looking for specific monsters to kill) and if you don't you'll be underlevelled and progress is very tedious. I only managed to finish the game because of the auto-levelling trick you can use maybe 2/3 of the way through. I admit that I've lost patience with the tedium of JRPGs in recent years, but this was a big step back from the combat system of FFX-2.
The gambits could only be used for random encounters, which would have been equivalent to just pressing X again and again besides. Leaving the gambits on for boss/mark fights is sheer suicide. It sped up a remarkably tedious series of generic repetitious battles by automating the X pressing.
I think I left the gambits on for every boss fight. But my gambits be complicated, and ready for anything!
The bad part about XII was that the mark hunting / item getting / levelling was more fun than the story itself. My sidequests lasted so long that they started to feel like the 'real' game and the story felt like an intrusion.
So, in that sense, it's got nothing like the opera sequence that stood out for me. The gameplay mechanic is the star of the show -- I'm hoping they stick with it and give me a better integrated plot next time out.
RedShell on
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The gambits could only be used for random encounters, which would have been equivalent to just pressing X again and again besides. Leaving the gambits on for boss/mark fights is sheer suicide. It sped up a remarkably tedious series of generic repetitious battles by automating the X pressing.
Gambits can be used for almost every boss, provided you change them up beforehand. Technically you can do it better yourself but there's rarely any reasoning required that's too complicated for gambits.
And I really don't buy this excuse that gambits streamline boring random encounters. "Well, we know that it's boring to fight all these generic monsters again and again, but at least now you don't have to actually be playing!" If there's a part of the game that isn't fun then it should be removed, not automated.
I honestly don't think there is any real reason to grind in the game. My first playthrough I didn't grind at all and I was able to get by (albeit some things were quite difficult, but it was doable). Gambits were there to keep the secondary characters active while playing in active mode (the way it's meant to be played) and keep a general battle plan in line if other things require my attention.
However, if you choose to grind to get extra weapons, equipment, levels or money, the gambits are useful for automating it a bit.
Gambits can be used for almost every boss, provided you change them up beforehand. Technically you can do it better yourself but there's rarely any reasoning required that's too complicated for gambits.
And I really don't buy this excuse that gambits streamline boring random encounters. "Well, we know that it's boring to fight all these generic monsters again and again, but at least now you don't have to actually be playing!" If there's a part of the game that isn't fun then it should be removed, not automated.
Yiazmat was the worst example of this idea. "Oh, so they can automate things now? Lets make this boss fight last 9 hours."
I left it on when I was in class, for god's sake.
That said, this was probably my favorite of the FF games.
Have all your characters go for the same kind of armor, and then only buy 3 pairs of armor. You'll have much more money left over for techniks and magic and weapons.
Have all your characters go for the same kind of armor, and then only buy 3 pairs of armor. You'll have much more money left over for techniks and magic and weapons.
Hell, just set up hp=100% - steal and attack on different people, and you pretty much won't have money problems for the whole game. You'll still need to be a bit conservative, but you can get all the important spells and stuff.
I don't understand the hate on the license board. Exploring it was a ton of fun for me, especially the augments corner. On the other hand, I was introduced to it by a friend, so that might have helped.
Posts
Pretty much. I don't think they ever explained why he can see what Ashe sees, either? Although, I think most people will argue that the "main character" was Ashe, anyways.
I'm waiting for the price drop, like I do with all FFs.
It felt a lot like Star Wars to me, actually. :P There were a lot of moments that seemed straight out of the movies. I enjoyed it, though.
I'm not sure what you are saying because the game is so heavily based on Star Wars that it isn't even funny. Star Wars being the epitome of pop culture.
It is FFT/VS good.
I agree with this statement, for all the wrong reasons. :P
It's Basch, for the record. Although, I have to admit I also found his initial character concept more interesting than what his true circumstance ended up being. They could have done a lot with that idea ("What drives a person to become a traitor?"), although I think some of the scenes towards the end redeemed his character and ultimately made him more interesting.
I think XII has one of the most well-roundedly likeable cast though. Although they weren't wholly developed, most of them had bits and pieces of back story and personality which you could extrapolate on.
Also, yes, the voice acting is superb. I probably prefer it to the Japanese audio, and that's rarely the case for a lot of RPGs in general, I think (They tend to be ear-raping or passable with minor stand-outs). Maybe for some the Gambit system 'plays itself' or takes out some of the strategy, but it reduces a lot of the tedium and you can never let it run itself for the whole game. Replaying the early sections without gambits once you got use to them, you realise how poorly it would play if they didn't exist.
Anyway. I enjoyed it (I'm on my second run, actually doing more than the base requirements of the main quest this time), you'd be missing out not to play it.
I really liked the battle system, but the Gambit system, while interesting, was also poorly-implemented. All gambits should have been available from the beginning, and there should have been more gambits that catered to magic-users. As it is, you can set up some simple Gambits, give everyone a sword and some healing magic, and you're good for almost the entire game. Sure, you can customize, but why do so when there's an obvious path of least resistance?
Ultimately I can't recommend it.
But the story was much too light for my tastes.
Exactly. Tactics Ogre's plot was better, anyway. Branching plotline FTW
NNID: Glenn565
The bosses are incredibly fun until they get to roughly 10% of their health bar. Then they go into super frenzy mode, take what seems to be 1/4th damage, hit four times as hard, and three times as fast. Yeah, that's 'strategy' for you. Fights going well, going well, going well, uh oh he's critical wham wham wham dead wham wham heal oh wait target is dead wham dead wham wham wham dead.
Also, status spells are still incredibly useless.
Though I will say it was amusing kiting a giant turtle with Fran. I nearly killed my friend by giving him fits of hysterical laughter. Never understood that upsetting people. If I want Chick A to be a MNK, or a WHM, more power. The grid being hidden at first is ridiculous, but hey, 'that's what gamefaqs is for,' right? Yeah, the later dungeons/puzzles are all sorts of silly.
Still the best FF in a long ass time, in spite of my nitpicking of my poor comrade above.
Four chests thing bugs me, but I did ok without the spear anyway. Again, bad, but not fatal to my enjoyment. Nah, you just needed different sets for bosses. Healing at higher percentages, turning off syphon, dispelling. I do wish they had let you define and save sets of gambits/equipments for easy switching. See: Behemoth King. Yeah, palings/magic shields are a cheap way to extend fights. As for bosses being stronger in critical, what's this, your first video game? Plus, your guys got the same benefits on the board.
And status spells were awesome! Berserk (Basch+Masamune+Genji gloves+berserk was my main damage dealer), Sleep (worked on Fenrir!), Dispel (a requirement), Oil (Slyt), Blind/silence (could make physical/magical bosses much easier), and of course Haste. If you weren't using these, you made the game much, much harder for yourself. Quick tip: Nihopaloa+Remedy on a boss inflicts all possible negative status effects instantly. Very handy. Exactly! No, I actually really liked exploring the board, and with the golden amulet, I'd always have more than enough LP. Anyway, I can sorta see where the complainers are coming from--a bunch of jacks-of-all-trades are less interesting than characters with strengths and weaknesses who need to work together. Luckily, both are possible. For what it's worth, I liked the customizability too.
Anyway, sorry to nitpick the nitpicks. The game is flawed, I'd be the first to tell you. But I think it's a lot of fun regardless.
I played gears of war once, and I totally agree with your opinion... needs more light bloom though.
It makes more sense to me to view it as a FFVI "there is no main character" sort of thing, except it was easier for Squeenix to assume you'd be walking around town as one character when designing their dialogue, so they just went with Vaan since you have him the longest.
The game was too big for its own good tough. I completed it in 82 hours and I still miss a lot of extra content
Haha. I still remember fleeing from petty Seelings to build up a skeleton battle chain, accidentally shooting one of my party when they failed to wake up from having a knot of rust thrown at them (Only to awake just as Penelo was aiming), and fleeing like fuck from
There's some things you only get in real time battles...
Hrr. It took me 60 hours and I basically got no extras at all. It didn't feel terribly long since I basically finished each half a month apart.
It's valid. They are speaking at a game level instead of at a plot level.
Those first two sentences were different complaints; I was trying to fit it all in one paragraph. Sorry for the muddled wording.
I can't express how much I love this game. It is one of those games that compelled me to play it through the end and actually work for the extras. (Okami is doing the same to me!) I can't even say the same about Twilight Princess.(Although I beat it, and loved every second of it!) Usually, I rate FFs on their pull on me to play through them and how much actual fun I had with them.:P
FF6-7, FFT, FFX_X-2, FFT:A, and FFXII all FTW
The plot was just almost not present. Just as it starts to get vaguely interesting, the game ends (I presume you can glean a few more shreds from the bestiary).
The license board is the sphere grid system gone horribly wrong. Characters have predefined roles but end up horribly smeared together as you buy up every spell and ability fairly early on. Quickenings tend to either offer an instant victory or are suicide as you end up with a party with no MP left (I did really like the various methods of MP regeneration though).
On the other hand, I was addicted. It stole 120hours from me, and I wasn't bored. I just wasn't engrossed as I should be by a Final Fantasy (I also didn't have any "Woah" moments after getting a couple of hours in).
I think it was a good stepping tone for the series, it shows some new ideas and it is a shame that nearly every one of them is fatally flawed.
Bottom line, great game, I loved it. I thought the narrative started out strong and got weaker and weaker as the game progressed, but still great.
the game only starts like 20 hours in for me
i have kind of bored myself on FFXII, i will complete it after DMC3 and okami probably
You still pretty much hit X..over and over.
Or let the game do it for you. Yawn.
Yea, first time I got in there and saw one, I said to myself "Why are they putting these low lvl elementals in here?"
A note for future FFXII players: Elementals |= Entites
I'm about 80 hours into the game and still haven't finished it. It is a great game, but I do have gripes that have been previously mentioned. I don't like my character builds to all end up the same. I wish there were character specific abilities/spells. I also don't like that fact that Espers are so underpowered. In FFVIII, GFs were invaluable. In FFXII... you can just about go the entire game without summoning one. It makes the accomplishment of obtaining them less worthwhile.
I think I left the gambits on for every boss fight. But my gambits be complicated, and ready for anything!
The bad part about XII was that the mark hunting / item getting / levelling was more fun than the story itself. My sidequests lasted so long that they started to feel like the 'real' game and the story felt like an intrusion.
So, in that sense, it's got nothing like the opera sequence that stood out for me. The gameplay mechanic is the star of the show -- I'm hoping they stick with it and give me a better integrated plot next time out.
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And I really don't buy this excuse that gambits streamline boring random encounters. "Well, we know that it's boring to fight all these generic monsters again and again, but at least now you don't have to actually be playing!" If there's a part of the game that isn't fun then it should be removed, not automated.
However, if you choose to grind to get extra weapons, equipment, levels or money, the gambits are useful for automating it a bit.
I left it on when I was in class, for god's sake.
That said, this was probably my favorite of the FF games.
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@hoodiethirteen
I don't understand the hate on the license board. Exploring it was a ton of fun for me, especially the augments corner. On the other hand, I was introduced to it by a friend, so that might have helped.