[HEADING=2]It's About Time! reviews by a Stranger[/HEADING]
[HEADING=1] Final Fantasy XII[/HEADING]
Yes I know, I have put 12 and not 13. Yes that was deliberate. No I am not going to review Final Fantasy 13 because I do not own that game, funny really since I was drooling over the trailers that were released. Anyway I have decided to do this review for several reasons which will now be explained to you: firstly, all I have seen so far on the internet is hate for this game and secondly, I loved it.
Final Fantasy 12 is an open world, Japanese RPG that has you controlling a select party of misfits who have been thrown together by a mix of fate, coincidence and bad story writing. Unsurprisingly, this is the 12th instalment of the series and it brings several new things to the table, such as the fact that there are no longer any random encounters, you fight enemies in the same screen that you walk around in, there is a new Gambits system and also you unlock skills by means of a License Board.
The main character is Vaan, a teenage street orphan who lost his parents and brother in the war that saw their homeland of Dalmasca annexed by the Archadian empire. He gets by by stealing from unsuspecting Archadian guards and by performing petty tasks for a shopkeeper who has taken him under his wing. He is constantly getting himself into trouble and dreams of becoming a Sky Pirate (don't we all?). Throughout his travels you accumulate more people to your party, such as a war criminal, the princess of your country and a proper Sky Pirate. They all have distinct personalities that play quiet well off each other, each one has their own speciality but you can model them to suit your needs.
p
The very first part of the game sees you playing as Vaan's brother, fighting your way into your country's palace to prevent your king from signing a treaty to legalise Dalmasca's predicament. This is, in essence, a tutorial level where you can get used to the fact that combat is slightly more than taking turns to bash each other with sticks. Enemies now appear in the explorable world and although you still have to wait some time between each attack, you can move around during that time in the vain hope of trying to dodge the enemy's sword. I have to say that this is a vast improvement on simple turn-based combat as it really feels as though you are more involved in the action. The menus are still present to select attacks, magic, technetics (like spells but they don't need mana for use) and whatever but they are relatively simple and don't detract from the experience too much. At the end of the tutorial you use your newly acquired combat skills to fend off a contingent of guards on the staircase before running off to rejoin your group in the throne room, only to find everyone in the room, including the king, is dead and there is no sign of the killer. The camera snaps into a first-person view, you swing around after hearing a noise, the screen then shakes and you look down to see a knife sticking out of your chest. What follows is a long and drawn out death sequence from the dying man's perspective which I found to be very effective and incredibly (I hate to use the word) immersive.
What I am very happy to tell you is that Final Fantasy 12 is incredibly long, especially so for a one disk PS2 game, I sunk over 120 hours into it on one play through and I didn't get close to completing everything that you can do. The story missions take upwards of 80 hours and there are lots of other things other than side quests such as Monster Hunts, which is basically an excuse for a hell of a lot of boss fights. Thankfully, to achieve this goliath length of a play time, the game does not resort to simple collection quests. Near to the beginning of the game you are told to collect something along the lines of 2 screws, a wooden plank and a saw. Vaan replies :"You're joking, right?", and receives the answer "Nah, I'm only kidding, how boring would that be?" Which shows how they've really listened to the responses from the community (wouldn't it be nice if Infinity Ward did that). It also means you can spend more time fighting and levelling up, which is the purpose of RPG's and also a lot more fun than running from one side of the city to the other to find some inane object.
One of the things I mentioned in the (proper) opening paragraph was the Gambit system, this is much like the Tactics system from Dragon Age: Origins and allows you to control the AI of the 2 other party members that you are allowed to use at a time, as well as the AI of your character. It has options for things like Nearest Enemy and Ally: Health<20% which can be coupled with other options like Attack and Cure. It essentially means that if you get the options right then you do not actually have to do anything which does lead to the combat becoming quite mundane after a time although certain situations do mean you have to override the AI do deal with a specific enemies. This system is essential for long boss fights, especially the two bosses that have 50 health bars and take hours to be put down, in one such fight I learnt the boss' moves and then altered the Gambits so I could leave it on overnight and come back in the morning to see my party victorious. These mega-bosses are optional, so only the people with no life (that would be me) attempt them.
filler
The other thing I mentioned was the License Board, after killing a monster you gain a certain amount of License Points along with the standard experience points, these are used to unlock tiles on what looks like an oddly shaped chess board. Each tile allows you to use allow you to use certain weapons, spells, armour etc. and also enable you to unlock the tiles around them which are usually higher level weapons etc. This has to be my favourite addition to the game since it allows you to completely customise your character, you can choose different types of anything (there are at least 7 different types of magic) which really helps you to craft your character and your party. In addition to unlocking the item or spell for use you do actually have to own the item or spell as well so that is something to keep in mind, oh and unlike the games successor, you purchase items by means of an actual shop in an actual city, not via a save point.
p
This game also introduces a force known as mist, it enables the characters to summon Espers (you have to have defeated the Esper before you can summon it) which add another element to the combat. Initially these are well worth summoning as they are very powerful but sadly they are quickly out powered by the characters themselves. Mist also allows the performance of Quickenings, these quick-time events have the chance to massive amounts of damage at the expense of all the characters mana, but again these become quickly obsolete as leveling does not have much of an effect on how much damage they do.
Despite these additions, this game is not completely different to other Final Fantasy title, it still contains many recurring themes like airships, Chocobos, someone called Cid and the fact that although guns are around, for some reason the weapon of choice is the comically oversized sword. True to form, the graphics of this game are amazing, the world is huge, it's detailed, bright and colourful and the cut scenes could easily be mistaken by ones on the PS3. The player is drawn into the game by this but quickly spat out again because of (like in the other Final Fantasy games) terrible voice acting, it often comes across as awkward and I find Vaan's voice to be unbearable.
Of all the faults in this game, the worst has to be the story which basically consists of you trying to prove the Princess' identity by collection royal artefacts, then having them taken from you and then trying to prevent the Archadian empire from producing Nephacite, an artificial magic rock that is powerful enough to produce huge explosions. This story would have been fine for a normal size game but since the size of Final Fantasy 12 is more akin to Jupiter the story needs to be more engaging and complex. This isn't helped by the distinct lack of lore or backstory, which could have been a great addition to the game. It is for these reasons, that so many hate this game, along with the fact that they think it is blasphemy for anything to be better than Final Fantasy 7.
I congratulate any who have gotten this far, the sad thing is that I know that I've missed things out, but this review has gone on long enough already. This truly is a great game and it deserves far more praise than it has received from the Final Fantasy fan base. If you have not already, go and play it. Just keep in mind that you will lose a chunk of your life to it.
-Thanks for your time. Any comments, whatever they may be, are welcome.
[HEADING=1]unrelated[/HEADING]
In music reviewing related news, the next review will probably be up tomorrow and will be on Manchester Orchestra's old album, I'll resume with taking suggestions after that.
Yes I know, I have put 12 and not 13. Yes that was deliberate. No I am not going to review Final Fantasy 13 because I do not own that game, funny really since I was drooling over the trailers that were released. Anyway I have decided to do this review for several reasons which will now be explained to you: firstly, all I have seen so far on the internet is hate for this game and secondly, I loved it.
Final Fantasy 12 is an open world, Japanese RPG that has you controlling a select party of misfits who have been thrown together by a mix of fate, coincidence and bad story writing. Unsurprisingly, this is the 12th instalment of the series and it brings several new things to the table, such as the fact that there are no longer any random encounters, you fight enemies in the same screen that you walk around in, there is a new Gambits system and also you unlock skills by means of a License Board.
The main character is Vaan, a teenage street orphan who lost his parents and brother in the war that saw their homeland of Dalmasca annexed by the Archadian empire. He gets by by stealing from unsuspecting Archadian guards and by performing petty tasks for a shopkeeper who has taken him under his wing. He is constantly getting himself into trouble and dreams of becoming a Sky Pirate (don't we all?). Throughout his travels you accumulate more people to your party, such as a war criminal, the princess of your country and a proper Sky Pirate. They all have distinct personalities that play quiet well off each other, each one has their own speciality but you can model them to suit your needs.
p
The very first part of the game sees you playing as Vaan's brother, fighting your way into your country's palace to prevent your king from signing a treaty to legalise Dalmasca's predicament. This is, in essence, a tutorial level where you can get used to the fact that combat is slightly more than taking turns to bash each other with sticks. Enemies now appear in the explorable world and although you still have to wait some time between each attack, you can move around during that time in the vain hope of trying to dodge the enemy's sword. I have to say that this is a vast improvement on simple turn-based combat as it really feels as though you are more involved in the action. The menus are still present to select attacks, magic, technetics (like spells but they don't need mana for use) and whatever but they are relatively simple and don't detract from the experience too much. At the end of the tutorial you use your newly acquired combat skills to fend off a contingent of guards on the staircase before running off to rejoin your group in the throne room, only to find everyone in the room, including the king, is dead and there is no sign of the killer. The camera snaps into a first-person view, you swing around after hearing a noise, the screen then shakes and you look down to see a knife sticking out of your chest. What follows is a long and drawn out death sequence from the dying man's perspective which I found to be very effective and incredibly (I hate to use the word) immersive.
One of the things I mentioned in the (proper) opening paragraph was the Gambit system, this is much like the Tactics system from Dragon Age: Origins and allows you to control the AI of the 2 other party members that you are allowed to use at a time, as well as the AI of your character. It has options for things like Nearest Enemy and Ally: Health<20% which can be coupled with other options like Attack and Cure. It essentially means that if you get the options right then you do not actually have to do anything which does lead to the combat becoming quite mundane after a time although certain situations do mean you have to override the AI do deal with a specific enemies. This system is essential for long boss fights, especially the two bosses that have 50 health bars and take hours to be put down, in one such fight I learnt the boss' moves and then altered the Gambits so I could leave it on overnight and come back in the morning to see my party victorious. These mega-bosses are optional, so only the people with no life (that would be me) attempt them.
The other thing I mentioned was the License Board, after killing a monster you gain a certain amount of License Points along with the standard experience points, these are used to unlock tiles on what looks like an oddly shaped chess board. Each tile allows you to use allow you to use certain weapons, spells, armour etc. and also enable you to unlock the tiles around them which are usually higher level weapons etc. This has to be my favourite addition to the game since it allows you to completely customise your character, you can choose different types of anything (there are at least 7 different types of magic) which really helps you to craft your character and your party. In addition to unlocking the item or spell for use you do actually have to own the item or spell as well so that is something to keep in mind, oh and unlike the games successor, you purchase items by means of an actual shop in an actual city, not via a save point.
p
This game also introduces a force known as mist, it enables the characters to summon Espers (you have to have defeated the Esper before you can summon it) which add another element to the combat. Initially these are well worth summoning as they are very powerful but sadly they are quickly out powered by the characters themselves. Mist also allows the performance of Quickenings, these quick-time events have the chance to massive amounts of damage at the expense of all the characters mana, but again these become quickly obsolete as leveling does not have much of an effect on how much damage they do.
Despite these additions, this game is not completely different to other Final Fantasy title, it still contains many recurring themes like airships, Chocobos, someone called Cid and the fact that although guns are around, for some reason the weapon of choice is the comically oversized sword. True to form, the graphics of this game are amazing, the world is huge, it's detailed, bright and colourful and the cut scenes could easily be mistaken by ones on the PS3. The player is drawn into the game by this but quickly spat out again because of (like in the other Final Fantasy games) terrible voice acting, it often comes across as awkward and I find Vaan's voice to be unbearable.
Of all the faults in this game, the worst has to be the story which basically consists of you trying to prove the Princess' identity by collection royal artefacts, then having them taken from you and then trying to prevent the Archadian empire from producing Nephacite, an artificial magic rock that is powerful enough to produce huge explosions. This story would have been fine for a normal size game but since the size of Final Fantasy 12 is more akin to Jupiter the story needs to be more engaging and complex. This isn't helped by the distinct lack of lore or backstory, which could have been a great addition to the game. It is for these reasons, that so many hate this game, along with the fact that they think it is blasphemy for anything to be better than Final Fantasy 7.
I congratulate any who have gotten this far, the sad thing is that I know that I've missed things out, but this review has gone on long enough already. This truly is a great game and it deserves far more praise than it has received from the Final Fantasy fan base. If you have not already, go and play it. Just keep in mind that you will lose a chunk of your life to it.
-Thanks for your time. Any comments, whatever they may be, are welcome.
It's About Time! Fallout 3 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.186956-Its-About-Time-Fallout-3-version-1-2] Dragon Age: Origins [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.185708-Its-About-Time-Dragon-Age-Origins] Little Big Planet [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.184065-Its-About-Time-Little-Big-Planet]
Games Cel Damage Overdrive [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.187437-A-Stranger-reviews-Cel-Damage-Overdrive] The Fall(en) [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.183414-A-Stranger-reviews-The-Fall-en-updated], Plants Vs Zombies [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.183040-Plants-Vs-Zombies-In-a-Nutshell], Borderlands DLC: Secret Armoury [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.179437-A-Stranger-Reviews-Borderlands-Secret-Armoury-Get-you-one],Cod: Modern Warfare 2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.181561-A-Stranger-reviews-CoD-Modern-Warfare-2-a-review-to-end-all-others-well-hopefully], B:BC2 demo [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.176510-Review-Battlefield-Bad-Company-2-multiplayer-demo]
Movies 2001: A Space Odyssey [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.179870-2001-A-Space-Odyssey-A-Strangers-verdict]
Music [url-http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.183857-Music-for-Dummies-A-collection-of-music-reviews-7-Technicolour-Health-by-Harlem-Shakes]The Music Thread[/url] My Dinosaur Life [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.182845-A-Stranger-reviews-music-My-Dinosaur-Life-by-MCS], Cajun Dance Party [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.181141-Cajun-Dance-Party-A-Strangers-Music-Review], Bloc Party [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.178462-A-Music-Review-Bloc-Party]
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Games Cel Damage Overdrive [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.187437-A-Stranger-reviews-Cel-Damage-Overdrive] The Fall(en) [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.183414-A-Stranger-reviews-The-Fall-en-updated], Plants Vs Zombies [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.183040-Plants-Vs-Zombies-In-a-Nutshell], Borderlands DLC: Secret Armoury [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.179437-A-Stranger-Reviews-Borderlands-Secret-Armoury-Get-you-one],Cod: Modern Warfare 2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.181561-A-Stranger-reviews-CoD-Modern-Warfare-2-a-review-to-end-all-others-well-hopefully], B:BC2 demo [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.176510-Review-Battlefield-Bad-Company-2-multiplayer-demo]
Movies 2001: A Space Odyssey [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.179870-2001-A-Space-Odyssey-A-Strangers-verdict]
Music [url-http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.183857-Music-for-Dummies-A-collection-of-music-reviews-7-Technicolour-Health-by-Harlem-Shakes]The Music Thread[/url] My Dinosaur Life [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.182845-A-Stranger-reviews-music-My-Dinosaur-Life-by-MCS], Cajun Dance Party [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.181141-Cajun-Dance-Party-A-Strangers-Music-Review], Bloc Party [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.178462-A-Music-Review-Bloc-Party]
Random The Escapist forums [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.182355-A-Stranger-reviews-The-Escapist-Forums] Progress Wars [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.185328-Poll-A-Stranger-reviews-Progress-Wars]
[HEADING=1]unrelated[/HEADING]
In music reviewing related news, the next review will probably be up tomorrow and will be on Manchester Orchestra's old album, I'll resume with taking suggestions after that.