Final Fantasy XII

[bobobrazil1984 0]

one thing I really like so far is how level grinding is a lot less tedious with the new system. I like finding a peak or something and scouting out which enemies are where, kind of strategically picking them off.

 

also in case anyone didnt realize (and I didnt because the basic tutorial part didn't mention it), pushing down the right joystick snaps the camera back behind you.

[Lightning Flik 0]

I just can't agree calling it one of the best when you could in fact cheat the game out by using Yuna's summons to beat the hell out of the game.

 

Maybe the other thing is that Tidus just wasn't really a very compelling character for me either.

 

>_< Dammit, next Thursday hurry up so I can play this damn thing.

[Black Lushus 0]

yeah, Tidus was a tad too whiney...too many "Huhs"

 

i loved the story, though...great ending, actually made me sad

[The Niggardly King 0]

yeah, Tidus was a tad too whiney...too many "Huhs"

 

i loved the story, though...great ending, actually made me sad

 

Yeah.

 

I enjoy Final Fantasy X, and I just had to download the fucking game soundtrack for that metal song in the beginning.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

i was clearly doing something wrong with yuna's summons in that game, since none of my summons ever went up a level from where they started. they ended up only being useful when Yuna went into overdrive. Loved that game's story too though.

 

Anyways back to XII, the more I play it the more I'm enjoying the battle system. It's a bit cautious though b/c if not careful things can sort of spin out of control in a hectic blaze, but once you get the hang of it you can really strategize. my favorite tactic is starting my attack command waiting just outside of range until the bar is full, then running in, hitting, and scrambling out, and as the enemy chases to get back in range, my bar is filling up. done right, you can get 2 or 4 hits (depending on how many in your party) without the enemy getting a chance to hit you. i'm only at the point where its Vaan and Penelo, but level grinding is actually fun this time around.

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

yeah, Tidus was a tad too whiney...too many "Huhs"

 

i loved the story, though...great ending, actually made me sad

 

Yeah FFX's the only game that caused me to tear up. My dad had passed away just before X was released so it was still fresh on my mind when I hit the end. I should've expected a bittersweet ending though. Has Final Fantasy EVER had a prototypical "Hollywood" happy ending? Is it some sort of "growth through pain" mindset in Japan or something?

[bobobrazil1984 0]

FF8 had kind of a 'typical happy ending', with Squall and Rinoa. I can't even remember wtf the story was in 9.

[Lightning Flik 0]

By Hollywood style, no one of the main characters or sub characters gets offed and you get everyone having a happy ending. Probably the only one is really FF8. You could make a case for FF4 or FF9, but 4 has Kain leaving on his own journey and probably never finding happiness and 9 has everyone trying to rebuild the world pretty much (and Hollywood endings have little of that).

[EricMM 0]

What about Six?

 

You save Terra!

[Lightning Flik 0]

FF6 you have to rebuild the whole freaking world. I think that counts against a typical Hollywood ending.

[{''({o..o})''} 0]

Actually, yeah, it kind of is.

[LaParkaMarka 0]

Back to the XII chat, this game plays a lot more like Vagrant Story than any FF game before it.

 

Story thoughts: Vaan seems like a younger, whinier version of Aladdin. Maybe he'll find a magic lamp soon.

[Lightning Flik 0]

I hate whiny characters unless they are thieves/"baddies", and only whine just because they can to be an ass. Usually though that isn't the case with the games.

 

Actually, yeah, it kind of is.

General Leo wouldn't've died though or would've been resurrected. Along with Gogo actually being Daryl (Setzer's love). If it was a Hollywood happy ending.

[World's Worst Man 0]

Back to the XII chat, this game plays a lot more like Vagrant Story than any FF game before it.

 

Story thoughts: Vaan seems like a younger, whinier version of Aladdin. Maybe he'll find a magic lamp soon.

 

I wish more games played like Vagrant Story, as it was one of the best RPGs I've ever played. Square needs to really make another game using that exact system (or there abouts).

 

On Vaan - The character development in general isn't very good. That is to say there is hardly any. So I never thought he was a typical whiny character, but I never thought he was much of anything really. Balthier, Basch and Ashelia are the only characters who I really got into, and even then, there wasn't the level of character development that FFVIII or FFX had. Fran was awesome from an aesthetic viewpoint, but outside of that didn't have much personality either.

[Black Lushus 0]

I enjoy Final Fantasy X, and I just had to download the fucking game soundtrack for that metal song in the beginning.

 

Jecht's metal theme at the end owns your black ass!

[The Niggardly King 0]

 

 

I enjoy Final Fantasy X, and I just had to download the fucking game soundtrack for that metal song in the beginning.

 

Jecht's metal theme at the end owns your black ass!

 

I perfer Seymour's techno like battle theme

[AndrewTS 0]

The Penny Arcade Strip actually was a parody on it, and also the write up for that day that they had said the Gambit was a good thing but there were just sometimes it felt like that strip.

 

"They?"

 

Before it came out I couldn’t understand why they would change the combat system so much. In fact after playing the demo I really thought it was terrible. Now seeing Kara play the game it makes sense. It’s not bad, It’s just not for me anymore. It’s for a different sort of gamer and that person will really like it.

- Gabe - Wed, November 01 2006 - 10:11 AM

 

So I guess it hasn't really changed.

[Slayer 0]

Has it really been five years since X

[Lightning Flik 0]

The Penny Arcade Strip actually was a parody on it, and also the write up for that day that they had said the Gambit was a good thing but there were just sometimes it felt like that strip.

 

"They?"

 

Before it came out I couldn’t understand why they would change the combat system so much. In fact after playing the demo I really thought it was terrible. Now seeing Kara play the game it makes sense. It’s not bad, It’s just not for me anymore. It’s for a different sort of gamer and that person will really like it.

- Gabe - Wed, November 01 2006 - 10:11 AM

 

So I guess it hasn't really changed.

 

My apologizes I should've said Tycho. My bad. I forgot Gabe said it wasn't for him.

 

Has it really been five years since X

 

And yes, it has really been that long since we've had a "real" Final Fantasy.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Yeah, it's been five years, though it's hard to tell with Final Fantasy characters popping up in the Kingdom Hearts games, starring in their own movies, and moonlighting in really crappy cell phone originals.

 

I actually liked the changes in FFXII when I played through the DQ8 demo. As charming as they are, random encounters are an anachronism in today's action-oriented gaming world - players want to see those enemies and be able to react in different ways, either by putting together an ambush or avoiding them entirely. The Gambits essentially create a mini-game of their own for more advanced players, as they try to program up a battle strategy that will take them through enemies in the most efficient way possible.

 

The battle system could still probably do a more elegant job of implementing distance as a variable in the action - I'm not saying that they should allow you to insta-cartwheel out of the way of attacks, but you should be able to run away without having to worry about monsters taking free shots at you, MMORPG-style. Also, playing on Active mode is a little too frantic, especially with having to manage and coordinate your attacks within some of the awkward camera shots (some of the bosses are way too big for the coverage).

 

But, despite all that, it's still an intriguing change away from simple turn-based models that the Final Fantasy series has kind of driven into the ground. With battles now taking place as a part of what looks to be a gigantic "outer" world, the game immediately feels much larger in scope.

 

More importantly, though, there seems to be a major shift in tone. Though they still meet the series' quota of overly effeminate men and watered-down steampunk, the game seems to have shifted back to its thematic roots from the 16-bit days: there are wars between kingdom and empire, political maneuvering, and airships. From the opening cinema in the demo, where you see the armored knight walking in the sun with the airship flying alongside and a slow march-like string motive playing in the background, it's very evident that Square wants to put the "fantasy" back in Final Fantasy. I can't wait to play the full game.

[World's Worst Man 0]

The seamless battles should be the way of the future. Not that turn-based needs to go or anything, but the battles happening on the field map needs to become a staple. Random battles should just go away entirely, it's an outdated and completely unnecessary gimmick at this point.

 

Re: Tone of the game - I hope Square just starts alternating between typical fantasy type stuff and more character driven drama, as I enjoy both. And who knows, maybe they are. FFVIII was a heavily character driven story, FFIX was a throwback to the old days of RPGs, FFX was another dramatic, character driven story, and now FFXII is more of the old-time fantasy stuff. FFXIII looks like it might be a futuristic kind of game, but who knows what the story will be like.

[EricMM 0]

Hey as long as it takes another five years.

 

AlthoughI suppose part of that was in the making of FFXI.......

[muzz 0]

Back to X for a moment, I literally marked out when I heard John DiMaggio's voice.

[Invictus 0]

He's in FFXII as well, as Migelo and Gilgamesh, I believe. I recognized him right away, always great to hear him getting more work. Definitely not as prominent a character as Wakka, though, but still neat.

[AndrewTS 0]

Hey as long as it takes another five years.

 

AlthoughI suppose part of that was in the making of FFXI.......

 

 

FFXI doesn't really count. Nobody likes that game. Even Anya is at a loss for good things to say about it, for crying out loud.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

damn this game really grows on you. I like the battle system more and more as I get used to it.

 

Though I think if they use it again, they should add an option that "pops up" every character's battle command menu after they act, that will make the game easier for those who like past systems. However it should be something you can set, just like active/wait here.

[Anya 0]

FFXI doesn't really count. Nobody likes that game. Even Anya is at a loss for good things to say about it, for crying out loud.

 

 

The two weeks I played it was nothing but walking and tedious fights with crabs.

[AndrewTS 0]

FFXI doesn't really count. Nobody likes that game. Even Anya is at a loss for good things to say about it, for crying out loud.

 

 

The two weeks I played it was nothing but walking and tedious fights with crabs.

 

Nuh uh.

 

You forgot the giant bunnies.

[LaParkaMarka 0]

I know someone who loved XI, and she's pretty normal. It seems to have a large community, popular enough to span two expansions. Yep, no one likes it.

 

If you didn't like Tidus, you won't like Vaan. I don't care for Vaan at all, and I actually liked Tidus. Vaan in a word: petulant.

[World's Worst Man 0]

FFXI just wasn't even a good MMORPG, especially compared to something like World of Warcraft. The game was seemingly designed for power-gamers in big guilds, as you needed big groups of people to actually do anything in the game. In WoW you could at least get somewhere solo, but FFXI not a chance. And really, it's an MMORPG, so if someone doesn't like those games, there's no point in playing it and expecting a "real" Final Fantasy. The game was just a waste of a number.