Metareview - Final Fantasy XII (PS2)

by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 1st 2006 at 2:15PM }

It took a while to translate and localize, but Final Fantasy XII is finally out in a non-Japanese form. Yeah, sure, some of you have been bragging about your ultra-super-advanced copy you've been playing for months, or the one you got lucky and picked up from CompUSA last weekend, but for the rest of us -- we're just playing it now.

Is it the ultimate Final Fantasy experience? Apparently it's close enough, and the controversial battle system will grow on gamers.

Gamespot (90/100) Purists be damned: "While Final Fantasy XII takes some liberties with the series' conventions, it sticks closely to most of the good ones, delivering another memorable and highly recommended experience in the process."

IGN (95/100) Nothing but praise: "When does a game with momentous hype and anticipation actually live up to media, consumer, and competitor expectations? ... 'When you're playing Final Fantasy XII.'"

Game Informer (93/100) The plot is the thing: "Led by a politically charged story that instantly seizes your imagination with riveting events and an extraordinary cast of characters, Final Fantasy XII rides onto the PlayStation 2 with its sword held high, delivering one of the year's most exhilarating adventures."

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Premaximum @ Nov 1st 2006 2:22PM

The combat system is completely ridiculous. I couldn't play for more than 10 minutes because of it.

I'm sure if I could get over that and play a bit longer it might be an interesting game, but I think Square took a step in the wrong direction with the combat system.

ShrimpyMcDougal @ Nov 1st 2006 2:28PM

Crappy game and crappy series since 8 (9 was good though). Only reason it makes high marks is because of it's branding.

Slap another name onto the box and it would be getting 7.0-8.0's.

Michael @ Nov 1st 2006 2:29PM

Final Fantasy just sucked after the release of FF4 for the SNES, the only good ones were the first 3 (those are the US #s btw)

crono141 @ Nov 1st 2006 2:27PM

WTF are you talking about Premaximum.

The combat system was arguably the most stale part of the FF franchise, and long overdue for a retooling. I think this combat system is awesome compared to the "load up battle screen, wait for a menu to appear, select action" type battle.

Wedge @ Nov 1st 2006 2:28PM

I couldn't play another FF game with random encounters. I gave up on FFX at the Calm Lands because I was just so tired of them. Looking forward to playing this eventually, especially when Gamespot's review made mention of the art style following Vagrant Story, which was phenomenal.

Jecrell @ Nov 1st 2006 2:28PM

Premaximum -- get off your high horse and actually play the freaking game. It's good, the combat system is enjoyable once you spend more than 10 minutes with it.

God~

> @ Nov 1st 2006 2:28PM

If Gears of War doesnt score all 10's then all the hype would have been for nothing... esp. conisdering that a 'last gen' game can score so high everywhere.

benjamin @ Nov 1st 2006 2:30PM

@#1:

"The combat system is completely ridiculous. I couldn't play for more than 10 minutes because of it."

Seconded. I played it for like a half-hour before swapping it out with Okami. I'm *tremendously* happy that I decided to borrow it from a friend rather than buy it first (as I have with like every other FF game).

On the upside, the bizarre direction the fighting took with this game makes me hunger all the more for FF3 on the DS. I can't wait for it!

Flit @ Nov 1st 2006 2:32PM

@6:
I have a feeling you are right. This is the same reason Halo 2 got 9's. If a "review" site gives a popular franchise like this a bad score, they could honestly lose readers and therefore ad revenue. not gonna happen.

crono141 @ Nov 1st 2006 2:40PM

ShrimpyMcDougal obviously hasn't played the game. The only thing so far thats given me bad vibes is the very StarWars Ep 1 feel of all the FMVs.

Somebody tell Squenix that Ep1-3 are the worst sort of starwars there is (except the christmas special)

Though I agree that FF8 sucked, 9 was ok, and 10 was the worst crap i've played in an FF game. Didn't touch 10-2, or 11, and I understand your skepticism.

Will @ Nov 1st 2006 2:37PM

Good god? Am i playing a different game than the rest of you? This is without a doubt the finest video game experience I have ever had. I bought it 2 days ago and I can hardly sleep. The combat seems odd at first, but once you get a few people in your party it really gets intense. It is challenging, fast paced, almost NO loading whatsoever. The graphics are just as good as if not better than anything PS2 has to offer and the story is second to none. It actually has a MATURE (which has been absent since 7 in my opinion) storyline and believable realistic characters that you actually care about. I very much enjoy the fact that all characters can become whatever you wish instead of forcing them to be one particular job. The main character leaves a little to be desired at this point, but as usual, im sure he will grow up by the end. I had low expectations for this game after hearing all the naysayers. Dont listen to them, and don't listen to anyone whose review starts with "I played the game for 10 minutes and...". That is what we call a fucking dolt. Anyways, I have some.....business.....to attend to.

Miniboss @ Nov 1st 2006 2:37PM

For those of you bailing out on FF12 early, I would suggest keeping with it for a bit longer. Once you've got multiple party members and gambits, the game becomes much more fast-paced and fun.

Shannon @ Nov 1st 2006 2:40PM

I'm not calling you a liar number 8 (benjamin). But your telling me your friend went out and bought FFXII right away, and before playing it himself, decided to let you borrow it?

Premaximum @ Nov 1st 2006 2:42PM

"4. Premaximum -- get off your high horse and actually play the freaking game. It's good, the combat system is enjoyable once you spend more than 10 minutes with it.

God~"

I'm not trying to give some omnipotent air. I'm just giving my opinion. I rather liked the turn-based, classic combat system. I still play games today that use the same thing. Changing it to the more fast-paced "turn-based" that they turned it into for FF12, in my opinion, was a bad choice.

It doesn't seem as much like an RPG anymore. For the record, one of my favourite games uses the same type of system, Knights of the Old Republic, though it's slightly different.

I just preferred Final Fantasy as a classical turn-based game. I have to agree with some of the people who have said that Final Fantasy hasn't been the same since 8...I really haven't been able to get into a FF game since then. 10 was decent, but nowhere near what 7 and 8 accomplished.

Shannon @ Nov 1st 2006 2:40PM

Also, FFXII is awesome so far. I am loving it. The story is great and I love the new combat system.

Eih'Beir @ Nov 1st 2006 2:42PM

"I hate a game I played for 10 minutes. Look how edgy I am!"

Urbanstorm @ Nov 1st 2006 2:44PM

Final Fantasy 12 ( if you take time to play it ). Is thee best RPG out rigth now i got 6 hours into it and theres not an rpg out that can match this game.

The only reason this game didnt get a 10/10 scores is because some reviewers can get use to the new battle system. Which is why final fantasy 8 got so under rated....

Rabish12 @ Nov 1st 2006 2:44PM

#6, #7:

Final Fantasy didn't go downhill after 7. It didn't go downhill after 4 either. It's just never been particularly good to begin with. The gameplay (if you can call occasional random battles that rarely ever take any real interaction, with the exception of bossfights, "gameplay") has always been terribly shallow and sparse, and for what? Plots that, for the most part, are also incredibly shallow, typically throwing together a bunch of cliché characters who are horribly underdeveloped, horribly predictable, or horribly idiotic?

I think the worst part of all of it is that Final Fantasy XII, the first game in the series that's actually tried to add some serious gameplay, to give the plot a bit more political intrigue, and to just basically improve the overall formula, is the one that fans complain about.

I must look like a terrible troll here, but jeez. Stop complaining because they're trying to improve the series, because it's had a serious need for improvement for a very long time now.

crono141 @ Nov 1st 2006 2:45PM

Good point about the mature storyline.

benjamin @ Nov 1st 2006 2:45PM

@#13: Since you asked:

Bought over lunch time yesterday and I car pool with the purchaser. Stopped by my house on the way back and popped it in.

White Rose Duelist @ Nov 1st 2006 2:46PM

Two recent games borrowed the battle system from the first .hack series - .hack//G.U. and FF12. One improved upon it, one made it worse. Guess which is which?

ShrimpyMcDougal @ Nov 1st 2006 2:50PM

I didn't bail early I have played about 20 hours of it and can't stands it no more.

At 9:
I love the Halo series. I think the first one got that it deserved but even though I still like Halo 2 most reviewers gave it too high of a score. They didn't notice the incredibly boring sections in the single player, the blue-balling ending, or the initially broken multiplayer.

Same thing with this game. The combat system is interesting but gets boring fast, the story for a final fantasy is what makes people play it and this one is lacking so much. Nothing really deals with the main character, everythings about the nations and your just watching whats going on.

microdot @ Nov 1st 2006 3:05PM

i agree with #12....

ive got no clue what game all you whiners are playing, but its obviously DRASTICALLY different from what i have here. this is hands down one fo the best rpg games i have played so far. i cant says its THE best, as i am still very early into the story, and there is plenty of time for something to screw up.

ff12 = as close to perfection as i could ask for.

Scott @ Nov 1st 2006 2:50PM

I played the FFXII demo that came with DQ VIII. I didn't like it at all. It made me cancel my preorder. Reading all the reviews now has me interested again, but not enough so to buy it at full price. I'm going to wait till I can grab it used or as a "greatest hits" release. I honestly think that demo disc did more harm than good in the minds of a lot of people.

Jeff @ Nov 1st 2006 2:49PM

*Most* FF games take a while to get into. *All* of them have had changes significant enough from the previous in the series to warrant serious griping from supposedly "die-hard" fans (who think that being so attached to the system in one particular iteration is what makes them "real" fans of the series).

If you don't realize that, then you're *not* a fan of Final Fantasy. You're a fan of one particular edition of it. Which is not to say that everybody has to always love everything that Square does to this series, but it's pointless complaining about a new FF game because it is different from the previous FF game. They are *all* different from the previous FF game. That's the reason *why* some people like the series so much - it keeps things fresh, despite being on the 12th console sequel.

It's actually sometimes funny to watch some people gripe because certain things are different and other people gripe because certain things are the same. That, to me, actually suggests that Square is doing something right - they are straddling that line perfectly. You can't please everybody all the time, but they are making just enough changes to keep the series from getting stale while still retaining what long-time series fans expect. In the process, some people may think they've gone way overboard, some people are really just looking for a different game series to begin with and don't even know it. But most people are satisfied.

I honestly don't have time to play FFXII right now, though I will probably buy it within the next few days and definitely within the next few weeks. But the stuff I'm reading here is *exactly* the same kind of griping that I have seen regarding FF7, FF8, FF9, FF... well, you get the picture. So I'm not worried in the slightest. (I also recall that Famitsu gave it straight 10's, which is not something they do very often - and I trust them when it comes to RPG's.)

BillBix @ Nov 1st 2006 2:53PM

The game does take a minute to get into, but I think it's worth it. I like the new combat system, although it was something to get used to as a retro final fantasy fan. But it's an awesome game, give it a chance.

webbah @ Nov 1st 2006 2:55PM

If you find combat slow, you can speed it up in the options menu. If you have ever played a FF game, you should of known this already.

Miniboss @ Nov 1st 2006 3:02PM

@ 24.

"I played the FFXII demo that came with DQ VIII. I didn't like it at all. It made me cancel my preorder. Reading all the reviews now has me interested again, but not enough so to buy it at full price. I'm going to wait till I can grab it used or as a "greatest hits" release. I honestly think that demo disc did more harm than good in the minds of a lot of people."

Yeah, the demo was trash. I wasn't going to pick up FF12 after playing it, but all of the positive reviews got me reconsidering, and so I bought it. Glad I did. It's quite good!

matthew @ Nov 1st 2006 3:04PM

I'm a huge fan of FF up through 8-9. I was sceptical of the new battle system, even after playing it at Digital Life a couple weeks ago. That being said, I've only been playing for a couple hours and I'm enjoying it very much. The story hasn't picked up too much, but according to many reviews it takes about 6 hours before the game starts showing you it's true beauty.

THE ONLY complaint I have is that it looks like crap on my '32 Sony Bravia LCD HD. I switched everything to 16:9 on the PS2 and the in game menu. Have component cables, etc. It actually makes it a bit thinner than 4:3 ratio, and has tons of blur. My GC, XBOX and 360 all look great. So I might just be moving my PS2 tyo my girlfriends house so I can play it on my old '32 SD SOny Wega... The odd thing is that it looked prestine on the Sony HDTV's at Digital Life, and all those screens were definitely real gameplay, as we were the ones playing them. Hmmm.

Still though, the game looks to be a return to great story in FF and an interesting yet hard to learn battle system is welcome. I think the hardest part of the system is just being forced to do something different in battle in a FF game for the first time in ages. The inverted left right on the camera is a bitch as well at first.

benjamin @ Nov 1st 2006 3:04PM

I should also mention that despite its perfect Famitsu scores, shortly after FF12 came out there were a few reports from Japanese players stating that the game wasn't nearly as grand as media outlets made it out to be.

Here's an article from Next Generation for example:
http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2591&Itemid=2&limit=1&limitstart=0

When I first heard that even gamers in Japan weren't terribly impressed I started having my doubts.

Now having played it myself, I can understand where they're coming from.

Flit @ Nov 2nd 2006 9:42AM

@22:

*Just* because you need to add *emphasis* to every fifth word, doesn't make you sound *intelligent* or let you *make* a better *argument.* I didn't even *read* your post because your *stars* were too distracting from your *point*

benjamin @ Nov 1st 2006 3:09PM

@#30:
"ive got no clue what game all you whiners are playing"

No one is whining, microdot. I'd hope that I've presented a rational alternative view to the reviews that this game had received. If you enjoy it, that's fantastic! I'm just trying to explain why I was dissatisfied.

wellsie @ Nov 1st 2006 3:20PM

materia FTW!

PS dont kill me, only joking but I would like to see it return in a FF game

zbarron @ Nov 1st 2006 5:19PM

@Scott

That very same demo disc is what kept me away from this game. And also it was played by me within the same day as DQ8, so I was expecting something that could rival it.

Aex @ Nov 1st 2006 3:13PM

I'm actually surprised how much I enjoy the battle system. I really enjoy the license system. Also, if the battles are too slow for you, you can speed them up, to make them much less boring. They sorta mixed FFXI into 12. It feels like an MMORPG instead of just an RPG. I'm enjoying it thoroughly. Of course I'm not far into the story yet, but it is feeling like a final fantasy to me :) I also like the jump they took back to the days of knights and kings... been missing that since Final Fantasy Tactics.

loomis @ Nov 1st 2006 3:15PM

best. game. ever.

benjamin @ Nov 1st 2006 3:19PM

"They sorta mixed FFXI into 12. It feels like an MMORPG instead of just an RPG."

I can't help but to wonder if that's why I'm not enjoying it. An interesting point, Aex.

Nill @ Nov 1st 2006 3:23PM

Boo hoo, it's not turn-based. Get over it already.

Non-random battles?
Party AI?
An epic, intriguing storyline that doesn't ape the same hackneyed anime stereotypes for the Nth time in a row?
A fantasy world that's ACTUALLY REPRESENTATIVE of a civilization where magic is aplenty and has advanced the quality and style of life of its people and is portrayed with the scope and richness to do such a world justice?

How are these not good things?

The franchise was becoming stagnant and had begun cannibalizing its own marketbase with fanservice like ffx-2 and the ff7 spinoffs.
Playing up to a core minority of fans might get you some easy money for a while, but it will eventually drive away the majority of your target audience.

You want to play the same old stuff? Fine.
They got you covered with the DS and other re-releases coming out.
Just let everyone else get the chance to play a NEW game every once in a while.

Anyway, time to cheer up Emo kids, since it's looking like you'll get your turn-based, Advent Children-esque fluff style and played-out game/story stereotypes back in FF13.
So quit complaining and let fans of innovative RPGs enjoy this rare gem from the folks that brought us Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy Tactics.

arenar @ Nov 1st 2006 3:23PM

So far the game has been incredible... in it's own way every bit as enjoyable as most every FF I've played (except 10-2), the only gripe I have at this point is with the camera not being configurable.

saboola @ Nov 1st 2006 3:24PM

I am sure the new combat system is cool. I do however still like a classic combat system. Dragon Quest 8 was one of the best games I played in years. It was fantastic.

bazald @ Nov 1st 2006 3:26PM

I would just like to state for the record that I have played FFXII for 0 minutes so far, and I haven't enjoyed the battle system one bit. So there.

jcmschwa @ Nov 1st 2006 3:28PM

Scott,

Hey, I played the demo a long time ago too. And my initial reaction was that it was odd. Almost to the point of discomfort. But then I played it a couple more times and really played around with it figuring out what could be done in the world with the new battle system and whatnot. In the end I preordered the special edition from GameStop. I'd recommend popping in that demo disc and giving it an exploratory go around. As for the demo giving you the distinct goal of killing that t-rex or the wyvern, don't worry about it. The game, of course, isn't like that. They probably just gave you goals to make sure the demo had an ending. I don't know if that was what concerned you but I thought I'd clarify just in case you felt the game had specific "stages" you had to clear.

Some Guy @ Nov 1st 2006 3:39PM

So far FFXII is great, it's just different from other FF games. To me FFXII feel like a large 3D version of Secret of Mana set in the future.

dje7878 @ Nov 1st 2006 4:08PM

the battle system is one of highlights of the game, next to the gambits. took me a few days to actually figure out what i was doing, but it was well worth it. gameplay plays much better and does not drag with random encounters. almost no downtime with battles if you play on active mode (which i do for the most part, except for the bosses). the only downside is the license board, since everybody shares the same one, no unique skills or such...

JD @ Nov 9th 2006 10:12PM

Gotta agree with crono141. I keep feeling like I'm playing KOTOR.

Other than that, I'm liking it. Haven't played long enough to decide if I love or hate the new battle system. I wasn't a fan of the random battles, but I miss having dragons fly out my ass at the press of a button. Am I gonna get super-over-powerful battle demons that have 2 minutes of animations before they attack in this game too?

crono141 @ Nov 1st 2006 8:45PM

I haven't gotten to play enough even to experience the license board, but if its anything like FFX's sphere grid, its going to suck.

I hated the sphere grid.

jdb @ Nov 1st 2006 4:35PM

@36. Look, I'll agree with you that overplayed anime-inspired stereotypical plots/characters were a problem in some Final Fantasies, but certainly not all of them. Really, only FF7 and FF8 were so bad in this regard that it was painful; FF10 was actually pretty innovative in both character design and plot to be more or less original -- and the character development was the best since the old days.

Still, FF6 is/was the example of a completely original, innovative, diverse character-set game that was both epic and amazing in character development. In fact, I'd argue that there hasn't been a single FF game before or after FF6 that focused so much on character development. That game also had a great turn-based battle system, esp. since it was the last FF game to really make each character different in battle (these days, you can groom every character to be more or less the same).

I'm thrilled that what I've seen thus far of the game, and heard more so from others, suggests FF12 finally focuses on amazing character development again. Still, they was no need to canniablize the great turn-based battle system to accomplish this. I mean, WTH? Square finally makes a game that I might like as much as FF6, but they have to ruin it by fixing something that wasn't broke? Esp. after FF10 perfected the battle system with things like Auto-Med, Auto-Phoenix, etc?

They were so close to perfection too....

Walt's Ghost @ Nov 1st 2006 4:40PM

It plays like a bioware rpg... and that's not a bad thing.

Mr. Khan @ Nov 1st 2006 4:44PM

You who complain about the game having played only 20 minutes or so of it

All Video Games with an EXP Level-up system suck at the beginning, your characters are so few and so weak, that everything is incredibly frustrating
But as long as the game isn't built to be Mind-bendingly tough, it gets fun once your characters get noticeably stronger than most enemies and can take on the more powerful bosses
Judge RPGs by how they play in the Middle of the game, not the beginning