You're not a Final Fantasy!

[Ashley Schovitz]

To me this Final Fantasy just doesn't feel like one to me. It's good, well really great, but it still doesn't feel like a FF to me. Here are my reasons.

1. None of the summons are the ones used in previous FFs, Shiva, Ifrit, Atomos, and Leviathan are all airships and I don't recall seeing Bahamut in any form.

2. Where's Biggs and Wedge? I always loved this comedial duo, the lack of them is is sad.

3. Spells. Some of the spells from other FFs have changed like Life is now Raise and there seems to be a lot of unnecessary ga's.

4. Cactuars. I might not just be far enough in the game, but I haven't seen a single Catuar yet and Cactite doesn't cut for it for me. I hope that they will have Tonberries

5. The story stands out a lot compared to all the other FFs. I'm not complaing though i like it.

This wasn't really a list of complaints except for reasons 1 and 2. I just don't think it really feels like an FF to me, although Balthier reminds me of Wakka and Zell.

[Omni-Odin]

I feel ya. I like the game as well, but without the old battle system and all the past times (Wedge, Biggs, tonberries, etc.) it isn't the same.

[TidusMaster]

ya, i agree. it doesnt feel the same. and whats with the Nu-Mou's? they look TOTALLY different then in the FFTA game....

[Ichimonji]

1. Bahamut is an Airship, at least they're all refered to. There was no Summons in Final Fantasy I & II.

2. Biggs and Wedge weren't in Final Fantasy I through V and IX. In XII there are two soldiers named Gibbs and Deweg. Deweg is an anagram for Wedge, and for Biggs, they swaped 'B' with 'G'. They bicker like Biggs and Wedge from Final Fantasy VIII.

3. 'Ga', 'Aga', and 'Ja' have been around from Final Fantasy VIII - XI, and Raise was a term various old school Final Fantasies.

4. Cactuars started with Final Fantasy VI.

Final Fantasy is all about change (with various references to previous Final Fantasies), and I'm sure all those Final Fantasies mentioned above felt like Final Fantasy... The definition of Final Fantasy is different for everybody though. Final Fantasy needs change, if they continued to have the same material in every Final Fantasy, then it would be no better than Dragon Quest. Don't get me wrong though, I love Dragon Quest also. I'm glad they changed a few things up that they have been repeating a lot lately, it gives them something else to refer to in the future.

[Ashley Schovitz]

speaking of Dragon Quest, where did it come fro, I never heard of it until VIII, so what happened to all the other 7?

As for Ja, I don't ever recall Ja being in VIII, IX, or X.
Vanishga and Esunaga just sound plain stupid.

[Ichimonji]

Oh, Dragon Quest has been around since before Final Fantasy. I think the first one came out in 1986. Anyways, you can find the old school DQ games now on Game Boy Color, and DQVII was released for Playstation. Most of them were released on the NES/SNES though.

Gravija was used in FFVIII and/or FFX I believe. They also used 'Ja' for Final Fantasy Tactics.

[Goldenboko]

speaking of Dragon Quest, where did it come fro, I never heard of it until VIII, so what happened to all the other 7?

As for Ja, I don't ever recall Ja being in VIII, IX, or X.
Vanishga and Esunaga just sound plain stupid.

They where in X international.

[BustaMo]

Final Fantasy is all about change (with various references to previous Final Fantasies), and I'm sure all those Final Fantasies mentioned above felt like Final Fantasy... The definition of Final Fantasy is different for everybody though. Final Fantasy needs change, if they continued to have the same material in every Final Fantasy, then it would be no better than Dragon Quest. Don't get me wrong though, I love Dragon Quest also. I'm glad they changed a few things up that they have been repeating a lot lately, it gives them something else to refer to in the future.

Thank you, for that whole paragraph.

I've played almost all of the Final Fantasy games to date and this one DOES feel like a Final Fantasy. Castle's, dragons, leagendary weapons, re-occuring bosses (the Judges), tons of side-quests (more than any other FF to date), Mega Bosses, etc.

I think if I'da played one more damn FF game where I had to acquire a Ifrit, Shiva, and Bahamut (respectively in that order basically), I'da went to Japan and shot Sakaguchi, personally. It gets oldddddd. So many people complain that Square-Enix is losing its touch because they aren't original wioth FF's anymore, then they go any try something different with the battle system and Espers, and no one can ever be pleased.

Freak'n damn, I don't want to play the same damn boring game with only a different story, for every Final Fantasy game released. Keep these new ideas rolling SE! I Love 'em! Quite relying on past glories and start exciting us with new and pleasantly surprising features!

[Zeromus_X]

How can this not feel like a Final Fantasy?


1. None of the summons are the ones used in previous FFs, Shiva, Ifrit, Atomos, and Leviathan are all airships and I don't recall seeing Bahamut in any form.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i166/Zeromus_X/kthxbai.jpg, the final dungeon is Sky Fortress Bahamut.



3. Spells. Some of the spells from other FFs have changed like Life is now Raise and there seems to be a lot of unnecessary ga's.

I'm thankful that the spells are properly translated this time.

Anyway, Ichimonji is correct. This game is very unique in that it has about ten times more the nostalgic qualities of Final Fantasy IX, has some old-school attributes, and yet has the most revolutionary system of combat of all the Final Fantasies. Final Fantasy is a constantly changing series, but there are some things that will always stay.

[Roto13]

I think it feels more like a Final Fantasy Tactics than a Final Fantasy. :P

[Crossblades]

It feels like an FF game to me, despite the radical changes SE has made.

[Moon Rabbits]

I've been getting the final fatnasy vibe the whole way thorugh.

[Spatvark]

1. None of the summons are the ones used in previous FFs

That irks me, it really does. Why does it matter that they tried something different? And even then, they aren't that original;
most of the summons are actually from previous games:
Chaos - FF1
Mateus - FF2 (Emperor)
Famfrit - FF3 (Dark Cloud)
Zeromus - FF4
Exodus - FF5 (Ex-Death)
Ultima - FFT (Altima)
Zodiack - FFT (Zodiac)
Adrammelech - FFT:A

Which leaves Belias, Shemhazai, Hashmal, Cuchulainn and Zalera.


I think if I'da played one more damn FF game where I had to acquire a Ifrit, Shiva, and Bahamut (respectively in that order basically), I'da went to Japan and shot Sakaguchi, personally.

Why? It's not like he's part of S-E anymore. In fact, note that he left and THEN Ifrit, Shiva and Bahamut suddenly aren't summons. I wouldn't be surprised if they turn up in future Mistwalker games though XD


I think it feels more like a Final Fantasy Tactics than a Final Fantasy. :P

Well, Matsuno, the first director for the game did also direct FFT, FFT:A and VS, which account for a hell of a lot of what makes FF12 so different from the previous games in the series. Which is also why it's such a tragedy he left S-E.

[Zeromus_X]

Which leaves Belias, Shemhazai, Hashmal, Cuchulainn and Zalera.

Those are all Lucavi from Final Fantasy Tactics, albeit, with different names in that game of course.

Belias= Velius
Shemhazai= Shumihaza (I think this was a Lucavi. I'm not entirely sure.)
Hashmal= Hashmalum
Cuchulainn= Queklain
Zalera= Zahlera.


And yes, final bosses as summons is possibly the best thing they've ever done. :cat: :love:

[Germ Hamee]

I think it's funny, because all of the things fanboys/girls are whining about not being in this game are the least appealing points of the series for me. What, were you only looking forward to it so that you could summon Shiva again? Was the old battle system really so amazing that you'd want to use it in every game thereafter?

How about, you know, just playing the old ones over again? Personally, I don't see the point in spending my money on a new, prettier version of an old game every few years.

What is this much talked about but yet to be defined "feel" of Final Fantasy, anyway? Is it really just the cameos? I don't get it. What's the fuss? As long as the story's good, I see no reason to complain. It's silly to put that much in a title.

[Roto13]

What old battle system? It changes from game to game.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

This is much, much more of a quintessential Final Fantasy game than FFVII, FFVIII, or FFX. In fact, I'd call it the ultimate Final Fantasy game.

[*Lady luck*]

without change you'd end up with the same game. it would get boring

[BustaMo]

I think if I'da played one more damn FF game where I had to acquire a Ifrit, Shiva, and Bahamut (respectively in that order basically), I'da went to Japan and shot Sakaguchi, personally.

Why? It's not like he's part of S-E anymore. In fact, note that he left and THEN Ifrit, Shiva and Bahamut suddenly aren't summons. I wouldn't be surprised if they turn up in future Mistwalker games though XD

As an article writer for FF games on RPG sites, I can't believe I just wrote that earlier...wow. Thanks for the catch and correction Spat. Akitoshi Kawazu vs. Sakaguchi; mind blank at the time. :p

[LunarWeaver]

I think this discussion happens everytime a game in this series is released.

[Takara]

I think this discussion happens everytime a game in this series is released.

Yah. A lot of fans are too attached to previous titles and then they find all sort of reasons to hate the new game, ranging from the name of the spells, to the main character looking too girly, to summons and the villain not being another Kefka/Sephiroth/insert past villain here.

[Miriel]

I don't really understand how you can say this doesn't feel like a Final Fantasy game when all the games have been so different. Especially when your reasons for thinking it's not a FF game are because of some minor changes to certain elements of the game. They changed the name of Life to Raise? That's what makes you think this game is soooo different? They used the term Raise in FFXI so it's not like it's new to the franchise.

[Madame Adequate]

The only valid point would be the absence of Tonberries.

[Zeromus_X]

Raise is the actual spell name for 'Life', it was just rarely translated properly before. >_> Ironically, in FFT, alot of the spell names actually were correct, which is funny considering how butchered the script was in that game.

Same with the suffixes. Although, I think anyone can see how the suffixes are alot more creative and spell-sounding than 'Ice 3'.

[Lynx]

raise was also in FFT and FFT came out quite a few years ago so that it could be seen as perfectly normal to have raise instead of life. besides they are on invalice so try and remember everything you can about FFt and FFTA. those 2 broke a lot of traditions and started there own which FFXII picked up on.

i think the game is great i do miss bahamut but im over it.

this game does break a lot of traditions but if final fantasy didnt change then we'd all get bored with it because then theres not much of a difference between the games.

[BustaMo]

The only valid point would be the absence of Tonberries.

Sure there may not be Enemy tonberries that we are familiar with and love, but remember your first real battle with Reks in the beginning the battle on that bridge; the ship he was flying in 2 years before the game was called the Tonberry.

Not the same affect, but still, encorporated in.

As for the suffix's on spells, I find them more interesting and creative then just the numerical listings as Zeromus_X pointed out with 'Ice 3'. Bleh.

a, ga, and ja. Sweetness.

[Roogle]

I think that this game captured the essence of Final Fantasy very well. You must remember that each title is hardly cohesive to its predecessor and its sequel.

[Moshenokoji]

Out of the PS2 RPGs that i've played... this is one of the best i've played in a long time. It and Dragon Quest 8 hold the titles of greatness.

[Madame Adequate]

Given the changes in each individual FF game, I don't think it reasonable to say that there is any particular defining thing about it. How can you compare them? They are, honestly, stand-alone games with a few commonalities, a sometimes similar battle system, and the same name. With the exception of things like DoC and Biggs and Wedge and some enemies, each one is pretty distinct.

As an aside I was totally in love with this game when I heard the callsigns were Antlion and Tonberry. :love:

[Germ Hamee]

What old battle system? It changes from game to game.

Why would you hook on to that, and not on the fact that Shiva's not in every game? You've officially missed the point, try again! =D

[pantsofpower]

Without mixing things up, Sqeenix would have had a whole lot of trouble keeping the franchise alive through 12 games... I know I'd get pretty bored playing the same game over and over. :tongue: Actually, knowing that each new game will feature something new and exciting is one of the main reasons I love Final Fantasy. And yet, the games never lose that distinctive FF vibe... *feels the vibe* Oh yeah. :cool:

[chionos]

I think it's exciting to play each new FF, anticipating and discovering the throwbacks to past FF's hidden in the game while enjoying the new stuff. If I knew for certain that chocobos and moogles and tonberries were going to be in every game, there'd be no discovery process. I don't think that anyone can claim to say what is or is not Final Fantasy unless they've hardcore played every FF from FFI to FFXII, and for those of us that have it is plain that FFXII is a spectacular combination of everything inbetween. Moogles, Espers, Airships, Cid, Spiky Hair, Chocobos, Moogles, Magic, LimitBreaks(Quickenings), Religion, Empires, Elements, Quests, Notorious Monsters(Marks), Castles, Princesses, Knights, Thieves, Pirates, Crystals, Mist(FFCC as miasma, FFIX as Mist, etc), Gil, Backstory, Priests, Elementals, Slimes, Massive Bosses, Yetis, at least 40 reused monsters dating as far back as FFI, Zodiac, Bazaaring, Undead, Bombs, Friendship, Love, Weapon/Armor/Accessory Progression, Potions/Ethers etc, Adamantoise, Stealing, oh I could continue forever.
A person would be blind to not see how much FFXII IS Final Fantasy. If FFXII doesn't feel Final Fantasy-ish enough to anyone, then they haven't played enough FFI-FFXI.

[VengefulRonin]

I dont see how its not a final fantasy. So what the battle system is changed or it has none of the old summons (i still really miss Ifrit and Bahamut though), most of the spells are the same (or related to old ones), there's plenty of references to old FFs (for christ's sake, this game is set in freaking Ivalice). It doesnt have the old battle system which i liked, but this new system works well too...and one fantastic thing about this system is that you can go into the main menu right during battle and apply LP points, and thats pretty useful.

The most awesome thing about this game though, i think, is the story. Not only is it insanely long, but its unique. Its political (but then, so was the original Tactics), its complicated (but not confusing), certainly not cliche, it has modern technological stuff in it but it still manages to keep a good fantasy feel to it.

This game is certainly a Final Fantasy, and moreso than Final Fantasies X and X-2, i'd argue.

[Lynx]

and o almost forgot the only thing i miss really is the world maps where you can fly your airship around but i can perfectly understand why they leave it out.

but final fantasy is an everchangeing series there are no exact standards for it.

[DonathienAlphonse]

I think...Final Fantasy works over a concept, not about a name or common places...FFXII keeps that original concept....all the things must change and FFXII goes on the right way....

[Khaotic]

Doesn't feel the same to me, infact, I tend to let it sit for hours and forget its on while i'm playing FF11 - thats not normal for a hardcore gamer, infact, it proves that to me, the game is boring, and doesn't keep my attention. I think taking out the traditional battle system, they took away final fantasy, people can say whatever they want, but I saw final fantasy with the battle system, it didn't matter what changes they made to it, but making it so you run around with no random encounters, to me, was a no-no.

[Germ Hamee]

Doesn't feel the same to me, infact, I tend to let it sit for hours and forget its on while i'm playing FF11 - thats not normal for a hardcore gamer, infact, it proves that to me, the game is boring, and doesn't keep my attention. I think taking out the traditional battle system, they took away final fantasy, people can say whatever they want, but I saw final fantasy with the battle system, it didn't matter what changes they made to it, but making it so you run around with no random encounters, to me, was a no-no.

Um, and FFXI is the game you're playing instead? Doesn't that kind of completely contradict everything you've just said? Or maybe I'm the only one thinking of FFXII as FFXI offline...

But still.

[atlanteay]

the lack of inns are the only things that tick me off XP everything else is fine.

[VengefulRonin]

One thing that's starting to annoy me greatly is that it takes so damned long to lv up. I know that in the past its supposed to get harder...but not at the freaking beginning of the game! And it seems that the only way to make money is to steal, and thats an enormous hassle. When i'm in the middle of battle i'm trying to concentrate on killing my foe and not being killed, so i kinda hate that i have to draw out the battle and be hurt more just so i can get more "loot" to sell and make money.

[atlanteay]

oh yes. gil is harder to get now. :mad: lvling up is also hard. oh my god the world is coming to an end!!!111one


get a gameshark then.

[Khaotic]

Doesn't feel the same to me, infact, I tend to let it sit for hours and forget its on while i'm playing FF11 - thats not normal for a hardcore gamer, infact, it proves that to me, the game is boring, and doesn't keep my attention. I think taking out the traditional battle system, they took away final fantasy, people can say whatever they want, but I saw final fantasy with the battle system, it didn't matter what changes they made to it, but making it so you run around with no random encounters, to me, was a no-no.

Um, and FFXI is the game you're playing instead? Doesn't that kind of completely contradict everything you've just said? Or maybe I'm the only one thinking of FFXII as FFXI offline...

But still.
You said it yourself, one is online, the other isn't. Why would I play pretty much the same game offline, when I can play it with people? Besides I've been playing FF11 since PC Usa release.

[Raistlin]

Doesn't feel the same to me, infact, I tend to let it sit for hours and forget its on while i'm playing FF11 - thats not normal for a hardcore gamer, infact, it proves that to me, the game is boring, and doesn't keep my attention. I think taking out the traditional battle system, they took away final fantasy, people can say whatever they want, but I saw final fantasy with the battle system, it didn't matter what changes they made to it, but making it so you run around with no random encounters, to me, was a no-no.

So you complain about no random encounters... then go play an RPG with no random encounters...

Getting rid of random encounters was a good move.

[Zeromus_X]

Doesn't feel the same to me, infact, I tend to let it sit for hours and forget its on while i'm playing FF11 - thats not normal for a hardcore gamer, infact, it proves that to me, the game is boring, and doesn't keep my attention. I think taking out the traditional battle system, they took away final fantasy, people can say whatever they want, but I saw final fantasy with the battle system, it didn't matter what changes they made to it, but making it so you run around with no random encounters, to me, was a no-no.

Um, and FFXI is the game you're playing instead? Doesn't that kind of completely contradict everything you've just said? Or maybe I'm the only one thinking of FFXII as FFXI offline...

But still.
You said it yourself, one is online, the other isn't. Why would I play pretty much the same game offline, when I can play it with people? Besides I've been playing FF11 since PC Usa release.

It's fortunate that FFXII isn't actually the same as FFXI, then. Just because they have similar gameplay does not make them the same.

[Khaotic]

Doesn't feel the same to me, infact, I tend to let it sit for hours and forget its on while i'm playing FF11 - thats not normal for a hardcore gamer, infact, it proves that to me, the game is boring, and doesn't keep my attention. I think taking out the traditional battle system, they took away final fantasy, people can say whatever they want, but I saw final fantasy with the battle system, it didn't matter what changes they made to it, but making it so you run around with no random encounters, to me, was a no-no.

So you complain about no random encounters... then go play an RPG with no random encounters...

Getting rid of random encounters was a good move.

Apparently I can't have my own opinion on video games anymore! I mean, we're on a forum called Eyes on Final Fantasy afterall, so I figured I could have my eyes on it and say what I think about it. Besides, who's complaining? I simply don't like it, nothing wrong with that. Quit hating.

[Raistlin]

Doesn't feel the same to me, infact, I tend to let it sit for hours and forget its on while i'm playing FF11 - thats not normal for a hardcore gamer, infact, it proves that to me, the game is boring, and doesn't keep my attention. I think taking out the traditional battle system, they took away final fantasy, people can say whatever they want, but I saw final fantasy with the battle system, it didn't matter what changes they made to it, but making it so you run around with no random encounters, to me, was a no-no.

So you complain about no random encounters... then go play an RPG with no random encounters...

Getting rid of random encounters was a good move.

Apparently I can't have my own opinion on video games anymore! I mean, we're on a forum called Eyes on Final Fantasy afterall, so I figured I could have my eyes on it and say what I think about it. Besides, who's complaining? I simply don't like it, nothing wrong with that. Quit hating.

Apparently I can't have a differing opinion on video games anymore! I mean, we're in a discussion forum for FFXII after all, so I figured I could critique someone else's reasoning. "Questioning" is not "hating."

You say you don't like something for one reason, and then go play another game with that very same "flaw." I just found it interesting.

[Avarice-ness]

Yeah the cataurs are in the desert.

Honestly, -this- should have been an MMO, it plays like one and feels like one to me, and saddly, because of that I get the MMO mindset were I think I can skip 80 monsters, not level up, but still get far. I realize this is not the case as I hit my own personal record of Game Overs in two hours.

Then I was confused because it went from being Lord of the Rings-ish, to Star Wars-ish, to Vaan being Aladdin, and then I wandered into the movie dune for a bit to get a sunstone or what not.

I like it, but the only thing that makes me realize it's a final fantasy is the moogles randomly placed through out.

P.S. I just picked up my copy today, and only played for 2 hours, this is just my feel so far.

[Zeromus_X]

Don't worry Avarice, you'll feel much better later on in the game. :) :cat:

[Goldenboko]

Just what until you get to the mini-game in Bhujurba

[Khaotic]

Doesn't feel the same to me, infact, I tend to let it sit for hours and forget its on while i'm playing FF11 - thats not normal for a hardcore gamer, infact, it proves that to me, the game is boring, and doesn't keep my attention. I think taking out the traditional battle system, they took away final fantasy, people can say whatever they want, but I saw final fantasy with the battle system, it didn't matter what changes they made to it, but making it so you run around with no random encounters, to me, was a no-no.

So you complain about no random encounters... then go play an RPG with no random encounters...

Getting rid of random encounters was a good move.

Apparently I can't have my own opinion on video games anymore! I mean, we're on a forum called Eyes on Final Fantasy afterall, so I figured I could have my eyes on it and say what I think about it. Besides, who's complaining? I simply don't like it, nothing wrong with that. Quit hating.

Apparently I can't have a differing opinion on video games anymore! I mean, we're in a discussion forum for FFXII after all, so I figured I could critique someone else's reasoning. "Questioning" is not "hating."

You say you don't like something for one reason, and then go play another game with that very same "flaw." I just found it interesting.
How are they the very same flaw? One is offline, one is online, I can communicate with real people, real friends, and also have purposes, its practically a virtual world, whereas FF12 is not, unless you enjoy doing things all by yourself. Lets not even get into details based on the two games, I was never even comparing them, just saying my attention was else-where.

Funny, I did not see any question in your last statement, so I fail to see how you were questioning anything. You saw an opportunity to start something with me, and you took it, thats the bottom line.

Don't get where you can't have your own opinion, I never said you couldn't, you have yours, and I have mine, so do yourself a favor and drop this meaningless debating.

[the_sandman]

welll..its obvious the thread starter didnt play any of the old school FF.

[Wolf Kanno]

Personally, I feel this game is definetly targeted towards the "old-school" fans. I personally love it, especially for that very reason. I love the fact that the game has broken several of the modern RPG cliche's (Oh my god! A strong-willed female lead that isn't afraid to get her hands dirty!) The world reeks of in-jokes and I'm happy to be able to summon the Lucavi from FFT.

The game overall, just has so much more thought put into it. It's a new FF for the fans that have been here since the beginning. It's more mature and relies on it's excellent story telling and it's deep rich world to draw you in. FF has always been about change and FFXII delivers in a good way. I remember having this debate with other FF fans ever since FFVII was released, and I'm certain we'll be debating about it when FFXIII comes out (With complaints like "It's too futuristic", or even possibly we'll here people whine about it being too much like an action game... who knows?)

I really like FFXII so far, and unless it pulls off some dumbass plot twist that makes no sense and ruins the point of the story for me (I'm looking at you VII and IX :mad: ) I can honestly say it's the first FF I've really loved since IV - VI. Hell, this game has already reminded me of why I really like the series (I may even find it in my heart to forgive SE for FFX-2... probably not but it came close...)

[Avarice-ness]

Personally, I feel this game is definetly targeted towards the "old-school" fans. I personally love it, especially for that very reason. I love the fact that the game has broken several of the modern RPG cliche's (Oh my god! A strong-willed female lead that isn't afraid to get her hands dirty!) The world reeks of in-jokes and I'm happy to be able to summon the Lucavi from FFT.

The game overall, just has so much more thought put into it. It's a new FF for the fans that have been here since the beginning. It's more mature and relies on it's excellent story telling and it's deep rich world to draw you in. FF has always been about change and FFXII delivers in a good way. I remember having this debate with other FF fans ever since FFVII was released, and I'm certain we'll be debating about it when FFXIII comes out (With complaints like "It's too futuristic", or even possibly we'll here people whine about it being too much like an action game... who knows?)

I really like FFXII so far, and unless it pulls off some dumbass plot twist that makes no sense and ruins the point of the story for me (I'm looking at you VII and IX :mad: ) I can honestly say it's the first FF I've really loved since IV - VI. Hell, this game has already reminded me of why I really like the series (I may even find it in my heart to forgive SE for FFX-2... probably not but it came close...)

Not to mention somethings being destroyed ever 5 minutes and every time you turn you think "Aww man, another thing I have to kill?"
I'm actually liking it now, it has the dark side I really like to games. =]

[James16]

This is much, much more of a quintessential Final Fantasy game than FFVII, FFVIII, or FFX. In fact, I'd call it the ultimate Final Fantasy game.

I 100 percent agreee with you. To me this game is jus freckin awsoem. There's jus so much stuff you can do. When youer tired of the main story line you can go to mob hunts. There is a verity of monsters from what ive seen an im not even that far in the game. I love the new battle system. I think its cool that the summoner get s to fight beside his esper. I think the espers look awsome. An the best thing to me is the Thousands of diffrent weapons you can get an use! Verses other FFs like FFVIII, dont get me wrong i love FFVIII but it sucked that your chars could only get like 5 or 6 weapons an that was all they could use. You couldnt give squall Ivreine"s guns. But in this one you can give anyone anything as long as you get the lincinse for it.An i think the floatin spells are cool. It reminds me of that Chris angel dude!:D

[Mirage]

I've only played for 14 hours, but it is definitely a Final Fantasy game.

[VengefulRonin]

I'm 44 hours into the game right now and still not even halfway through, and that just includes basic storyline and leveling, i havent even done the sidequests (and i tried doing a hunt or two but realized they're worthless). Yeah, the game got rid of random encounters, but i like it better that way. You can see whats ahead and know whether or not you should fight it, or if you're short on time or impatient you can avoid (some) the enemies. The gambit system makes fighting very smooth, and should you elect to do things the oldschool way, you can (just better make sure its in Wait mode).

Someone complained to me that its not a FF because you're not saving the world. Okay, technically thats true, because you're not out to defeat an egomaniacal psycho bent on destroying reality, however, you're defending the world against a conquering empire, and while thats not saving the physical world from destruction, you are trying to save everyone's current way of life, and that is just as important, dontcha think?

The only thing that i still dont much like about this game is the soundtrack, because its not Uematsu. Uematsu's songs are distinct and memorable. When i hear a song of his i not only remember what game it's from, but also the event/place where it was playing. In this game...that doesnt happen. Its nothing bad, but it sure as hell isnt anything special. At least half the time i find myself muting it and actually playing other FF soundtracks so i can have a nice background.

[Dewprisms]

While I prefer Uematsu's previous soundtracks to this one set aside from the games themselves, I prefer this soundtrack while actually playing. Why? I don't like games that have music that is super catchy- it distracts me and takes away from the enviornment of the game by putting the focus too much on one part. I prefer underpaintings of music that draw you in but don't distract.

[Ultros0]

Actually, I feel similar... I like Final Fantasy XII but i'm just not connecting to it like i have ALL of the other ones. There's not really a funny aspect to it... Quina from FF9, Lulu/Wakka from FF10.... There's just not enough emotion in the story line period... not even about love. Vaan doesn't seem very deep he's just like uhh i want to be a sky pirate. Also, about the humor issue, the bangaa and seeqs would be alot better if they had voice actors because then the game would be funnier... Altogether, i love ff12 because it brings back ff4 and ff9 to me, but it really isn't the same... Also the fact that espers are practically useless throws me off too... I am almost to the end... but have never really been surprised by anything in the story...it's just like ok this is gonna happen then lets do this... I also don't like that they still haven't brought back the world map and being able to manually fly the airship. In fact they even took away from that because now you can't even walk on the airship!!!!! I don't know why noone has mentioned that.

I do like, maybe even love final fantasy 12, but i love it more like a crystal chronicles... I like that it's actually kinda difficult, and I like that it's not as linear as the past few....

[Ichimonji]

Final Fantasy XII arguably gave you the largest exploration aspect in the series, and you’re worried about a “World Map”. The entire game is the World Map. You’re going from place to place over massive regions of terrain, and you are able to find secret and optional areas by venturing away from your current destination at any given time. The only difference from the “World Map” that you are referring to is that it’s not scaled down to inaccurate magnitudes and proportions so that your character is the size of mountains; therefore reducing the graphical mapping and textures in addition to taking away from the lush feel of the game.

This is the 21st century. Videogames are far more advanced, and as a result there is no need to include a world map anymore. We have the capabilities of creating worlds that are so immense that we don’t need to scale down our environments to create the illusion of exploration. In terms of graphical engineering, reality is all the more possible in videogames. Sorry to disappoint you, but videogames will not scale down graphics to create a World Map anymore. This is the future of gaming. Also, when you’re dealing with a graphical powerhouse like Final Fantasy XII, it would just seem odd and out of place.

The only new generation game that I know of that has the most relevance to an old-school World Map would be Dragon Quest VIII. They were able to do this due to the nature of the game and its graphical components. They did not have to scale the graphics down because it was mostly one big field that connected to difference towns, and the graphics were already simplified (in a sense). You are able to fly in this map because of these reasons and for the fact that your means of transportation was a bird that is no larger than your own character. Again, due to the nature of the newer Final Fantasies this would be bizarre and out of place.

I wouldn't count on seeing a "traditional world map" system with the Final Fantasy games in the future.

[VengefulRonin]

*nods*

Why do you even need a world map in this game? You have the maps for the certain sections you're in and you can flip through different areas like pages, makes more sense to me. And its not as if you're traveling from continent to continet, because ivalice is one huge continent and as ichimonji said, you're traversing vast regions on foot. Didnt having an overworld and world map make everything seem kind of small? With this, you're running through the areas (which are pretty friggin big) and you can feel like you're just a small person on a large trek rather than big person covering supposedly vast portions of a continent very quickly.

Okay, Ultros, i dont know what the hell you've been doing in XII, but the summons ARE kinda powerful. Not to mention they're extremely useful. At first it seems that it might be bad since only the summoner remains on field with the summon, but since most if not all of the enemies gang up on the summon, this provides you a great opportunity to attack all you want. Also, the last time i checked, you CAN move around on airships, and those things are pretty damned big.

Ultros, you said you wanted voice acting for bangaa and seeqs so the game would be funnier? How would that make the game funnier? o_O Besides, that would just take even more resources for square, nor would it be necessary. You want a funny aspect like wakka or quinna...need i remind you that those characters (especially wakka) were basically crappy slapstick characters who took away from the feel of the game? And now for my favorite stupid thing you said:

There's just not enough emotion in the story line period... not even about love.

Dude....wtf....seriously, that is the most cliche, overused thing EVER. I'm sick of seeing the overly emotional or rebel/punk character get some princess or equally amazing chick because they traveled together so much that she falls for some aspect in his personality.

[VeloZer0]

By taking away the world map you are effectively 'shrinking' the world by a great deal. I suppose this doesn't conflict with the philosophy of not even having a story worthy of traveling the world for, but the world seems far, far more limiting.

I wouldn't say this doesn't feel like a FF, I wouldn’t just say it certainly doesn't feel like one of the better ones. I don't know how you can justify having the game play itself as being fun. The fact that 60% of the game (70% of all statistics are made up by the way :)) can be played by having one finger on the analog stick the entire time and eyes checking back to the TV every 4 sec, well....

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

I'd agree that a world map actually makes the game's world seem larger, not smaller. But in the case of FFXII, unless they'd have implemented it in some highly ingenious way, it would have clashed with the rest of the game too much. Qué lástima.

[Ultros0]

ok basically i don't like that i can't fly the airship myself, let alone i can't even WALK on it anymore... Makes me feel like there isn't even an airship. Wow they put it in CG movies... that just doesn't do it for me. ESPECIALLY since Vaan wants to be a sky pirate... It's a RPG, I'm Vaan, I don't even get to fly my own airship. I actually think it would have been possible... u just fly and when you land you land in the area... therefore no need for a world map.

The characters don't have much of a personality...I feel like Balthier is the most developed character. I miss the flashbacks, I want to know about when Vaan and Penelo were little, what they went through. I want to know about Basch's relationship to King. They are like "he is loyal" I want proof. I want to see.... I don't think they did enough of this to make the players really feel for the characters. I want to know more about Fran and the Viera and her sister. They just threw it all on you at once.

[Renmiri]

ok basically i don't like that i can't fly the airship myself, let alone i can't even WALK on it anymore...

The characters don't have much of a personality...I feel like Balthier is the most developed character. I miss the flashbacks..
Didn't you cross the Leviathan on foot ? That was cool :p felt like Star Wars rescuing Princess Lea.

Aye, characters are thrown at you and the story is so clichee I mean, how much more cliche can you get than having an evil twin ?. They skimped on story writing and soundtrack, that's for sure! :tongue:

[VengefulRonin]

Originally Bespoken by Ultros:

The characters don't have much of a personality...I feel like Balthier is the most developed character. I miss the flashbacks, I want to know about when Vaan and Penelo were little, what they went through. I want to know about Basch's relationship to King. They are like "he is loyal" I want proof. I want to see.... I don't think they did enough of this to make the players really feel for the characters. I want to know more about Fran and the Viera and her sister. They just threw it all on you at once.

Okay, that part i actually kinda agree with. The characters (aside from penelo) seem pretty cool, but it doesnt do much for ya when you dont even know anything about them. What i'd like to see most i think would be the relationship between Balthier and Fran. You know, how did they meet, how long have they been sky pirating together, are they just friends or more than that, etc. And just the whole backstory on Fran would be pretty friggin interestings, since she's...i dunno, i'm gonna guess 70 years old? I dont think you ever learn her exact age, and Vaan didnt exactly ask her in a good way, so that didnt help any.

[Ultros0]

Agreed... I'm at the final boss now... i hope the ending isn't what i expect... i guess i'll have to see!