Final Fantasy XII Impression
Many of you have asked me for my impression of the game, so I have decided to give you my take. Please bear in mind that this is only my opinion and does not represent the overall consensus.
STORY:
Many Japanese claim that the story for FF12 is weak. Well, personally, I thought it was okay. It's not superb, but it's not bad. It's a bit on the dark side, and everything is rather gray instead just having good guys and bad guys. In addition, there's a huge emphasis on politics between countries and evil schemes, which started to sound like Star Wars: Episode 3. One thing I don't like is that there are too many names with similar sound. It's difficult to remember who is who (especially in the case of secondary characters), and which country is which. The character is also a little on the weaker side. We don't know who exactly is the main character (many would say Vaan, but I disagree), and what is he/she fighting for. In a sense, it's difficult to get attached to the characters. Many Japanese gamers remembered shedding tears in FFVII when Aerith died, and in FFX when Tidus disappeared. But until now, I haven't felt anything.
BATTLE SYSTEM:
Most of you already know that Square Enix changed the battle system completely. No more battle screen! You run around and enemies would appear and it turns into a battle ground. It's very similar to the battle system that is used in FFXI or Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic. In other words, once you press "fight", the character will keep on hitting the enemy until it dies or another command is given. Therefore, no more pressing all these buttons. Just program your fighting pattern (gambit system) and watch your characters kill the enemies. Whether this is good or bad, I will leave that decision to you. Personally, I enjoy it. However, because it's so troublesome to tell characters to do something other than "fight," I find myself relying less on magic. Speaking of magic, it's also weaker than previous FF games. They don't do any major damage to an enemy!!! Also, what's stupid is that while you gain EXP when you kill an enemy, NO EXP is given when you defeat a boss! What's the point? It's as if the only reason to defeat a boss is to move on with the story. Lastly, when leveling up, only your HP and MP increase. Character attributes only increase when you buy new weapon and new armors. In other words, weapons and armors dictate your strength. If you are at LV30 and use the weapon from the beginning of the game, you are still as weak as LV1 (except you have more HP).
MUSIC:
Many Japanese gamers think the music in FFXII suck. My take is that it's not bad, but it doesn't stand out. A similar comparison would be comparing the soundtrack of the original Star Wars trilogy to the new trilogy. In the original trilogy, John Williams had many memorable themes (Empire theme, Rebel Theme etc), but in the new one, he had less notable themes. This is the same for FFXII. The music is good, but it won't be in your head for long. Because the battle screen is gone, the music during a battle is the same as the music of the place you're at. And yeah, no more victory music (except when you defeat a boss).
ONE LAST NOTE:
There are fewer save points in this game, and sometime you might not even find one for an hour in a maze. Because of this, the game actually recommens you to save your game in different save file in case you get stuck in the dungeon and can't go back to the original place. The dungeon is also larger and more complicated with meaner enemies. It's very easy to die in FFXII, and you will know that when you fight the wrong enemies (you know what I mean when you play it).
That's it for now. I hope that gives you a feel of the game. It's a good game with addicting gameplay. If you are just a RPG fan, you might like it. If you expect a lot because it carries the name of Final Fantasy, then you might be a little disappointed.
