Printable View
What RPG's are you playing? Within the FF series, I think this will officially be the only game that I can't beat in well under 40 hours. Even when talking about other RPG's, I've rarely seen one that went much beyond 40 hours on my first playthrough. I think FF Tactics was the only one that managed that, so I guess it's no surprise that XII has as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by atlanteay
[quote=LunarWeaver;2024759...But XII is more play and less watchy, which will be good for some and bad for others I suppose.[/quote]
That is if you actually count battles as playing and not watching.
In terms of plot development the game was extremely short. Only the last 3 areas of the game offered any really interesting plot advancement, and they all end abruptly leaving a huge amount of things unconcluded.
Which is alright if you are going for the uncertain future ending, but does not work well with happily ever after.
I felt the game was very short but looking back at my play time it is a considerable length, guess it just seeped shorter because while other games have my undivided attention I was usually on the computer while I was 'playing' XII.
ive played final fantasy 12 for 129 hours now and im still playing everyday.thats just how good thia game is.if you sit and think a while about the storyline it is very satifying.but i still think tactics had the better story.plotwise and lenght
I dunno if I agree with that. Most 'happily ever after' endings are really not so neatly tied up. I mean, Dreamworks has made several hundred million dollars on Shrek stuff, and the story seems like it can completely end in the first movie, and it's completely finished (again) in the second movie.Quote:
In terms of plot development the game was extremely short. Only the last 3 areas of the game offered any really interesting plot advancement, and they all end abruptly leaving a huge amount of things unconcluded.
Which is alright if you are going for the uncertain future ending, but does not work well with happily ever after.
I'd wager to say that if Hollywood can find a way to screw up 'happily ever after', all the loose ends are never tied up completely. Since FFXII is Matsuno's game, and since Matsuno's games always have eerie paralells with things that actually happened, I'd say that he's just being faithful to his source material, and that he's being faithful to create a realistic world.
Given that, I think perhaps your disappointment might be in how the game is NOT an ideal, magical experience in which good triumphs over evil 'once and for all'. After I played Vagrant Story, I don't even look for that in Matsuno's games... It's really not why I play and love them.
I think that FFXII tied up its story pretty well, the only problem is that there wasn't much of a 'story' to begin with. The ending is much more 'happily ever after' than FFX, FFVII, or even FFVIII.
40hrs for VI seems incredibly short, but I did only play it on the PS version, which has horrible loading...
IV is very very fast/short.. but manages to satisfy my story needs for the most part.
Tactics was perhaps the longest FF i've put time into... it seemed as though 100hours was just scratching the surface of that game, where it is near 100% in others. And while it did have a very good story, I don't recall there being an awful lot of story telling time spent... such as with the 15minute FMVs of the VII-X era.... :)
/shrugs... I still can't comment on XII though, but there is my view on story in older FFs.
haha..my thread is getting a lot of attention :p but i think i've gotten over it... at least i still have FF3 to entertain me but once i'm done with that >.<
anyways..i think i'm gonna go back to the game again and start finishing up some of the hunts i didn't do. Are there any fun sidequests anyone might suggest ?
I still havent finished IV, i got tired of being killed and moved onto VI. On tactics my final save file is 52:55:11, and that includes me getting every optional character in the game, even cloud and his sword (although i didnt bother lvling him since by the time you can get him he's so weak compared to everyone else).Quote:
Originally Posted by ValiantKnight
The most i ever put into a FF was 70-something hours in VII, that was because i went after the Weapons and tried to get a golden chocobo, but i gave up on that. But i'm pretty sure that I will easily surpass that in XII without having to do any hunts or get optional espers.
im at almost 100 hours.. half of it was just fighting around desperate for gil... chronically broke no matter what i did! :mad:
FFV is probably the only FF that really ends "Happily Ever After" for everyone at least.
FFXII's ending was more like FFVI and FFVIII's, mostly happy but with a level of uncertainty. I wouldn't say (SPOILER)Ashe or Basch are exactly jumping for joy in the ending.
Of course, I'm bias. I hate happy endings. It was probably FFX's strong point and FFIX's weak point for me.
I agree with you antlanteay. Experiencing the storyline was like hopping onto a roller coaster- it moves forward up the hill, up- up- up.... finally, you get to the top of the first hill and - THE END.
It seemed so abrupt, that I found it hard to believe when I saw my last file had 100+ hours. I think they just put so much energy into all the other stuff that the story's progression and cohesiveness suffered.
When I think of the characters, I don't feel like there's anything there to connect with. Not necessarily because they aren't interesting, but because, even at the end of the game, they all still feel somewhat like strangers to me. It's really kind of disappointing...
Luckily, I get enough enjoyment out of the leveling/collecting/developing aspects of FF's that it somewhat levels out, for me anyway.
Wow, I finished the game in 97 hours. But I only used the book after I got stuck at that big gate that Belias had to open. When I got the book, it was too easy. My main character was already at level 68 when I fought Vayne.
This is my first FF game I've played. I was curious to know what was all the hoopla in playing these FF games. Is it imperative to get the book everytime you play a FF game??? It seems like the main storyline is only half the game. Not only that, but even the main storyline seems too hard to figure out on your own without the book.
Each game is different, so I wouldn't base your entire idea of the FF games around just one game. It's not necessary to use the books either, but if you are new to the series it's not a bad idea to use it.
Vaan and Penelo do actually get enough screentime, but it's a different type.
You can see them in the background, acting like buffoons. I found this out because, during most of the cutscenes, if Baru-Sama isn't there, I tend to drive my eyes away from the main focus and enjoy the scenery.
Of course, you probably wouldn't even want to THINK about watching those two when they aren't in the foreground. They certainly do act their age.
As for the story length, I remember stating three times that it was BIG. First by looking at the size of the most detailed official walkthrough to date, next by seeing the background goings-on, and then by looking at my playtime and noticing it maxed out everything else I've ever played (except for X-2, but that's only because I kept having to start over after beating it the 100th time or so and going after another unaccomplished goal. :eep: )
I'm happy with XII. In fact, I think it's a new favorite.
Eh, the play time is pretty average of a Final Fantasy.
There can be over 100 hours if one does all the sidequests and hunts.
If the story dragged out any longer, I'd be angry. The most interesting parts of the game were towards the end IMO. And if it dragged on any longer, I'm afraid that I would have quickly gotten bored.
The develepors were smart about the play time aspect. They included 60 hours of story for players who wanted to know more about characters and events. And for the player who wants to explore and do everything, playtime can go over 100 hours.
Overall, I'm satisfied with the playtime. I'm 100 or so hours into the game as I have already beaten it, and I'm going back to do everything.
Final Fantasy 12 has such a fun world to venture; I'll gladly play for more than the ending.