Conductor Arnie Roth’s recent announcement caused quite a stir in our community. His “announcement” of a Final Fantasy XII remake made fans of the game anxious for all the Gamescom events, hopeful for any official word on the matter from SE. Sadly, Gamescom came and went, and no news surfaced. Roth retracted his initial statement, though his explanation seemed to raise more questions than answers, as the only thing he corrected was his improper use of the word ‘remake’. Fans speculate that means an HD remaster is on the way, or whether our dear Arnie simply means FFXII’s soundtrack will get more new arrangements for a new concert.
Whatever the case, fans of the series have become more eager to play an HD remaster of Final Fantasy XII than ever. And for good reason! Here are twelve magical reasons why we need Final Fantasy XII HD.
12. We can’t play it on any of the current-gen consoles.
All of the FFs preceding it have had at least one rerelease. Be it through a simple PSN port, an HD remaster or an all-out remake, the entire series up until this point is playable on current systems. The only way to play FFXII now, aside from the dubious practice of emulation, is through plugging in that dusty PS2, which might as well be dead at this point. I know mine is.
11. The world is vast.
We really haven’t had an FF with quite so big of a world with so much stuff to do before or after XII. So, in preparation for the FFXV world (which is reportedly expected to dwarf Ivalice), it might be a good idea to give the fans an opportunity to ease into that vastness, eh? Square Enix? *nudge nudge, wink wink*
10. The graphics are still beautiful today… Though we wouldn’t mind a tiny facelift.
As many of the practitioners of the forbidden art of emulation will tell you, upscaled to an HD resolution, FFXII still looks beautiful. The menus – less so. FFX/X-2 HD required a more thorough update due to being an early-PS2 game. FFXII was released in the PS2’s waning years and it really doesn’t require that much effort. Just make it a little better suited for higher resolutions.
9. The Japanese got a ton of content we never had a chance to experience.
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Ah yes, the dreaded ‘International’ releases. Not that international, when you think about it, considering most of them made their way out of Japan. European fans were lucky enough to get all the International version bonuses in FFX’s original release, but the rest had to wait until the remaster came along, and not even Europeans got X-2 HD on PS2. An HD remaster would be the perfect opportunity for FFXII fans to finally get their mitts on the fabled content. And oh boy, is there a ton of new content.
8. There’s more gambits!
Not only are all the gambits accessible much earlier in the game than in the original, the IZJS (International Zodiac Job System) version of the game gives you a number of new gambits, letting you customize your party dynamics much earlier and to an even more refined degree. Speaking of more refined strategies, the International version also offers…
7. Controllable guests and summons!
That’s right! No longer do you have to look up a guide to know just what kind of spell Mateus wants you to cast to perform his special moves – you now have complete control over Espers and guest party members! On the flip side, that also means Larsa is no longer the free hi-potion dispenser. But that’s still fine, since now…
6. You can speed up your game!
Through a simple press of a button, your game can now go into MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE and level up insanely fast. Gone are the days of setting up your gambits just right so that you can leave the game on for the night and wake up to find your characters maxed out because otherwise the grind is too much. But even that can’t compare to the biggest draw of the international release, which is…
5. The Zodiac Job System!
Should the HD version we all so yearn for be of the International version, this is why it will be totally worth it, even if your initial reaction to the game was, let’s say, lukewarm. Each character gets to choose one of the 12 pre-defined jobs with a corresponding License Board. Once a character selects a board, they cannot change it for the rest of the game, and it becomes inaccessible to the other party members. These License Boards have more refined sets of skill and equipment licenses, preventing all party members from mastering the same Licence Board and becoming a carbon copy from each other.
4. The music was beautiful – but perhaps it can sound even better.
The MIDI quality was admittedly much better in FFXII than it was in FFX, but since FFX had most of its soundtrack redone for the remaster, it would be logical to expect FFXII to receive the same treatment!
3. FFX/X-2 HD was a smashing success – there’s no reason to expect things will be different for XII.
Sales for FFX/X-2 HD were so high, in fact, the SE decided to rerelease it again for the PS4. C’mon, SE. This is easy money. Give us FFXII on the PS4! Or better yet…
2. Imagine FFXII on the go.
If our potential FFXII HD follows in the footsteps of FFX, we could also be getting a PSVita release. Hunting down that tough mark or exploring every last corner of the Zerinan Caverns on the train, or during your daily commute, or even underneath your blanket as you get cozy before bed sound pretty darn appealing.
1. It’s simply a one-of-a-kind experience.
Final Fantasy has always taken steps to make each entry different from the last, but few made such bold leaps as Final Fantasy XII. Crafted by Yasumi Matsuno, Final Fantasy XII’s story takes on a more political spin than your average FF, its battle system is incredibly refreshing, and the sheer scope of the world makes us yearn for the days of the world map of old a bit less. Final Fantasy XII simply deserves to be remastered in HD if only because it dared to be different, so old fans can relive one more FF, and new fans can learn about this one unique gem in the series.
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