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FFXII: Best Final Fantasy Ever?
By Yours Truly, The Amazing Lisa.
9am, February 23rd, 2007 - The marking of a truly remarkable day. Why? FFXII had graced European shores at last, and to me, this day felt like Christmas once more. I was at Prince Quay up in the town centre, conversing with someone about the game itself. The stores to GAME then opened, and several people went in, me behind my old college friend, vigorously rubbing a copy of FFXII on my way in - it felt so good :3. I was offered at the counter the limited edition launch title guide along with some freebie stuff, but that would be an extra £17.98 to the game itself. So I just bought a DS Lite Bundle (with Bart Simpson on it) and FFXII.
When I arrived at college, I desperately wanted to show my good friend Sandro my amazing purchases. He had slept in the bastard, but he had confirmed over the phone how great FFXII was. Eventually when he arrived, I got out my copy of FFXII at the “Comfy Chairs” area in the Robert Blackburn building, and licked the front cover right in front of him.
I will now tell you about the places I have been to over the next few weeks/months/years, and about the characters I have encountered. Just because I want everyone to know about my amazing experience with maybe the most sexy FF title to date. Yarly.
May 2nd 2007 - Finally completed the game, 102+ hrs done, still not officially done everything, will do 2nd time round. You can now expect a full review.
Characters:
Vaan - “Don‘t just assume he is like a major main character“:
..He isn’t seriously. Sure, for the first few hours of the game, you pretty much have to have him in your team, but not as a leader. Neither is he annoying - sure, he says some things which do seem a bit silly, but he isn‘t a complete idiot - he‘s always on the go, not too overexcited, and he‘s a role model for a lot of orphans living in Rabanastre. He‘s also well known by a lot of people generally in his home town, and I can see why so many people would like him. Voice, well, it’s not my favourite voice for sure. Sounds a bit generic, but I can’t imagine him having any other kinda voice. It suits him pretty much. His quickenings are impressive, more appealing them some of the others I’ve seen. Though he didn’t have a completely massive role in the story, I could see where he changed. When you met Vaan at the beginning, he was angry, hurt upset with Basch’s supposed betrayal, and for what he did to his brother. Who wouldn’t be? As you progress through the game, Vaan realises that revenge isn’t an answer, it’s not going to bring back those you lost, who you held so dear to your heart. He learns to move on and focus on his future at the end of the game, as you can see when he has his own airship and a new journey in sight.
Rating: 8/10
Penelo - “The lovely little lady who isn‘t the next Yuffie or Rikku“:
Thank the Lord this is not another Rikku or Yuffie. A rather mature and not so giggly girl. She’s not all “OMFG, I NEED A SUGAR FIXXX PLZZZZ!!” The only thing I do not like about her..isn’t really a character design/personality fault, it’s more of an in-game fault - her voice..at most times sounds really muffled. It’s the only character in my opinion who seemed to have this problem. To me she seems very relaxed, she doesn’t seem to over exert herself. She’s not the most exciting character, granted, but she still appeals to me. Her quickenings unfortunately, were a tad dull, even though I liked Intercession.
Rating: 7/10
Ashe - “The ignorant bitch“:
Right from the start her attitude bugged me. She was only nice when she wanted to be. I can understand her being all uptight and what not, due to how she was raised, and with what happened in the past, but still, I never liked her. Take for example, whenever she talked and Vaan would say something - she accused him of interrupting. The poor lad - he never “interrupted” her. Half the time, she’d stop speaking, and Vaan would say something. Seeing as she had stopped and Vaan didn’t want to ACTUALLY interrupt her while she was speaking, it only seemed proper, and he did so because he was being polite. But no, Vaan had apparently done something wrong each time, and whenever she bit at him, I felt like giving her a slap. Silly woman. Apart from that, her character was strong, although at time she was in doubt. Of course she would be - the Empire was massive, and of course someone like her, with not a whole lot of support when you think about it, was going to have doubts. The Resistance just wanted to kick the Empire back to where they think they belonged. Personally, I never liked her, mainly because of what I mentioned, however, being professional and not biased haha, she’s not your traditional shy girly princess. She’s a fighter, her attitude is rather brash, not all flowery and cutesy, more..well, you know what I’m getting at. Design wise, her style of clothing was practical, though that little pink skirt thing whatever you want to call it, came across as way too short. She’s in no way a slut, this is just me commenting on her style of clothing haha.
Rating: 7/10
Basch - “The guy all the Mothers would want their daughters to marry“:
Basch amazed me. He did not retaliate at Vaan when the young boy constantly distrusted him. The numerous times Ashe spoke ill of him, when she was right in front of him, and even she slapped him, he never said anything. He kept his calm. His words never spoke of wanting revenge against the Empire, he never spoke of wanting to blatantly destroy those who had wronged him. Incredibly apologetic for things he hadn’t done, his hopes, his honour as a Knight still shined on. Basch never seemed to brake, though at times he probably felt very low while imprisoned. He was a gentle, kind hearted man. Someone anyone could look up to for a role model, perfect father figure I guess. He loved the people, and it most have broke his heart (it certainly broke mine), when people still believed he was the traitor, the one who slew King Raminas. I just hope Ashe tells the people of Dalmasca that Basch wasn’t the traitor they all thought him to be. He deserves that little bit of peace at least. Design wise, I’ve come across many people who thought at least the piece of clothing that was plastered on his chest could have been done without. To me, this flattened Rubiks cube or whatever you want to call it, didn’t really phase me. Personally, as long as I saw some chest, I was happy. His voice fitted him well too. Though Basch doesn’t come across as “moody” or “cool” as all these other main characters, there’s a lot to like about him. He’s not a psycho, he’s respectable. Some may argue that once Basch joined the party, he never really spoke much, and that his backstory wasn’t developed enough. For instance, the history between him and his brother, when it turned sour. To me, you got what you wanted to know, you got what was needed for you to follow the story. Generally, I find that with every game, you always have to do some extra research on characters from other games to get a general feel of their profile more.
Rating: 10/10
Vossler - “Not a bad looker, considering he is 38 in the game“:
I could knock ten years off this guy. Why the heck SE made him 38, I don’t know. Despite being a bit ruthless in his actions, he was a good man deep down inside - he was very loyal. If I put myself in Ashes shoes, I’d have been angry at his betrayal, but as they were speaking, Vossler and the princess, Vossler seemed so positive that a solution had been reached at last. You could tell in his face though when Ashe commented on his trust, that it was not an ideal way of ending problems. Having to betray the person he’d spent so long trying to protect, no one likes the thought of doing such a thing, but for some people, desperate times call for desperate measures. I can see why some people would dislike him, his arrogance and betrayal being certain issues. He was quite a good physical fighter, and had an awesome sword - was quite large from what I remember. Pfft..I can see someone making a rude joke here about what I wrote lolz. It really is a shame he died. I half expected him to survive and help with the restoration of Dalmasca, remain as a proper character in the party, but that wouldn’t seem logical on the menu page and the license stuff, seeing as he never had a grid. Plus, you’d need room for guest characters that would come along further in the game. Or he could have remained alive, you know, still fighting as part of the resistance. Oh well. Things don’t always go my way *cries* Still, he was one of my favourite characters, and probably my favourite guest character anyway.
Rating: 10/10
Migelo - “Every smurfer in Rabanastre seems to know him”:
One NPC in particular mentioned that all you hear these days are things about Migelo. Migelo is one popular bangaa, and owns the Item shop “Migelo’s Sundries” in Rabanastre. One thing I noticed about this old guy is that he likes a good drink, which I thought was rather cute. Though you really don’t get to see him speak so much not far on in the game, you could already tell he had quite a character. He had an army of orphans who would do loads of chores for him, even though they slacked off a bit every once in a while. Doing his best to impress the consul when he was introduced as the one who would be managing the food for the party that night, seemed as if he was trying to get into his good books on purpose, but Pennelo says something along the lines of Migelo having to do this. Not because he wanted to, but because he had to keep the peace pretty much as it was. Migelo appears to be the only elderly bangaa during the game, as the rest appear in their prime/youth whatever you want to refer it as.
Rating: 8/10
Rabanastre NPC’s - “Everyone gets along so well“:
The ideal country where no one seems to be racist. These people are awesome. There’s just so many you can speak to it’s unbelievable. I feel sorry for those poor saps who live in Lowtown - fight against the Empire chaps!
Vayne, - “He has lovely hair. I wonder what shampoo he uses“:
At first I thought, nah, that voice doesn’t suit him. It seemed too..non manly at first. You get used to it eventually though, and it’s the kind of voice you’d expect to hear from someone in a royal family. Vayne has charm. He wins the crowd over at the first FMV you see him in, by using some awfully convincing words. However, he is very cold. He’s not a good boy. He knows what he wants and how he can get to it. Take for example the murder of his father, and successfully placing the blame on the Senate. His becoming Emperor gave him a great power boost - he had complete control over the army - the Imperial soldiers welcomed him as their new leader. He still has Bergan to back him up, Zargabaath who follows the Empire but isn’t an asskisser like Bergan (Ghis being at that this time now dead). Drace was the only to challenge him, but Vayne wasn’t threatened - as if she would be able to stop him. To silence her, he called for her execution. He easily controlled Gabranth, making him do the horrible task. He’s calm, very confident in himself.
When you face him for the last 3 major storyline battles of the game, you’ll see some excellent special attacks. He’s one of the very few, if not the first FF boss to use martial arts skills in a fight. His final form can be a pain, especially if you’ve not taken the time to train your party appropriately - even I had trouble taking him on for the last fight - his piercing magic attacks could do some serious damage to you. Thank the Gods for all my main party having Bubble belts.
I suppose this guy is one of my favourite villains, as he just comes across as being different really. He wasn’t too emo, had a miserable life etc. I like him as much as I like Rubicante and Ultros, and those guys rock. However, there’s a part of me that thinks..was Vayne really a villain? I try hard not to call him a villain all the time, as he doesn’t always come across as being your generic villain. He wanted countries to be at peace, but under his leadership alone. When Vayne was dying, he said to Venat to search for someone else so that the rogue occuria could still fulfill it’s ambitions - this alone hints that instead of fighting for power, he gave Venat the option to leave.
Rating: 10/10
Cid - “58 and looking amazingly smurfing sexy“:
The first Cid villain ever in a Final Fantasy! Which makes a welcome change. I suppose my favourite Cid before XII was VII’s, but the Compilation ruined the image of him for me. There weren’t many other Cids which seemed to catch my attention, IX’s maybe. It was refreshing to see Cid portrayed as a villain, as it showed another bold new side to SE, one that could be pulled off successfully in my eyes. Though he came off as a bit batty, (which I personally adored haha), he had a great character, his facial expressions were a joy to watch especially when he taunted Ashe during their first meeting. He had a way with words, and for a character approaching 60, he was quite dashing. Though his special attacks when you took him on in a boss battle probably weren’t as graphically over top as Vayne Novus’ and The Undyings‘, he always came up with some sort of quirky line, which made him all the more likeable. Just seeing him using some sort of massive machine gun cracked me up. During his last scene, it appeared to me he and Balthier had made some sort of peace. His final words, though they stung Balthier momentarily inside, I do believe contained love for his son. Cidolfus probably missed him an awful lot, but because of his obsession with nethicite, he may never have admitted it. L
Rating: 10/10
Venat - “The genderless being”:
Ah yes, the floaty Undying creature who is seen as a heretic by the other Occurria. Venat helped Cid become further involved in nethicite, and Cid’s obsession with it proved to be fatal eventually. Vayne was affected by nethicite, as was Bergan. One does wonder, if Venat had never come into Cid’s life, would things be different now? Was Venat deliberately messing about with the minds of humes, or did Venat truly want to free the Humes? :O
Rating: 6/10
Judge Magister Ghis - “The Judge everyone loves to hate. Those people are retarded however“:
Quite possibly, one of my most favourite FF characters to date. Strange you may think, but I also may think you be strange when you claim Balthier as your favourite. He had quite possibly, one of the best VA’s ever in a videogame, and probably one of the better character designs for a minor villain - the way they made his face animate during cut scenes made me go weak at the knees. Though I do not like the colour Gold often, I just fell in love with the armour. His helm was pretty awesome. Through this, I have found him to be a rather handsome character - sure, he isn’t like super young, or super “kawaii”, but..looks don’t always have to be important in liking someone do they? I also believe he had the potential to be a much larger threat, as he wanted to further his ambitions by using the stone he had got off the party after they had been to the Tomb of Raithwall. He wanted to become Emperor, as he detested Vayne, making a comment in one cutscene about blood alone can not make an Emperor. He may have been a bit foolish in testing the stone on the Leviathan, however, it wasn’t as if he knew that was going to cause his death, and the death of so many others. When you face him in battle, he can be tough, especially if you are low on health, items and MP - making a big run from the cell where you released Ashe to where you faced him was a challenge. Taking on or trying to escape the Imperials was not easy, especially if you wanted to conserve your energy. There were a lot of lines he spoke which I really liked, however, this one seems favourite at me "As for YOU my dear..THE EMPIRE REQUIRES YOU NO MORE!".
Rating: 10/10
Judge Magister Bergan - “Another nutty bastard who is completely badass”:
When you first got a look at his face, you could tell he was mean and nasty. It was like he was constantly snarling, he resembled a ravenous pitbull. He was the only Magister to believe in Vayne completely, the one who used his strength to throw Drace single handedly - he also orchestrated the attack on Mt. Bur Omisace when going to retrieve Larsa. He was truly bloodthirsty, and probably never cared much for being kind to someone. The guy who voiced him did a great job in bringing out his wicked side, and his speech before the party faced him had me hooked - the way he said “Hark!” made me squee. Part of me wanted to see what he looked like when he fell after he was defeated. Seeing as the nethicite inside him probably screwed his body up, it would have been interesting to see the after effects of defeating him!
Rating: 9/10
Judge Magister Drace - “She stood up for what she believed in. Poor lass got stabbedy stab stabbed in the end”:
I wonder if she always had doubts about Vayne. She was right in that Vayne was to be doubted, as he had killed his father, but had she chosen a wrong time to try and arrest him? Had she acted too soon? Personally, she should have done something else, rather then to try and take him on head on. Maybe joined the main party, who knows. Both she and Gabranth could have dealt with things more appropriately. But alas, things don’t always go the way I want them to.
Rating: 6/10
Judge Magister Zargabaath - “Voiced by Simon Templeman. Nuff said.”:
He was a good man, a good Magister who never seemed to lust for power or blindly follow someone. You could doubt that however, when it came to Drace. Though he pleaded for her death to be stopped, he could not prevent it. He was loyal to the Empire, but from what we saw he never came across as a complete ass kisser. A part of me thought he was weak, but if he stood up further to prevent Drace’s death, he would have too probably met his fate at the hands of someone else on Vayne’s side. Nevertheless, he was a good Magister, one of the more sensible ones, someone who never lusted for power, someone who probably didn’t have any issues concerning his past. The only one to survive out of the Magisters, I suppose Zargabaath would have been happy that Larsa announced himself as the new Emperor. Though you never saw him speak or interact any other way with the child, one could probably imagine him enjoying being under the rule of the young emperor, someone who was not tainted like Vayne was.
Rating: 8/10
Judge Magister Gabranth/Noah Fon Ronsenburg - “The judge magister everybody loves, and with good reason.”:
So much must have been going on in this mans head. Basch, he truly did hate with a passion, right until the very end of the game. With him having more time on screen playing his role, more people are going to vote him rather then vote for someone who was only on screen for a short period of time. He was completely different from Basch too - he was weak, allowed himself to commit horrible crimes - I.e. the killing of King Raminas and Drace. He let himself become Vayne’s lapdog, instead of fighting back. My only wish for this character, was that he stood up against Vayne, without endangering his life, protecting Drace. To only realise sooner that all hope was not lost, and that he need not be angry at his brother. He only really achieved his peace in the end on his dying breath, which was quite sad, as he deserved to live again, reclaim his honour and life, to carry on protecting Larsa. To only make amends during his last moments of life, instead of living and rebuilding the lost relationship with Basch. He was a tragic man, someone who really didn’t deserve to die. The only other issue I have with him in the game is that it would have been nice for more info as to how their relationship got so sour.
Rating: 8/10
Larsa - “Why do people always assume that Larsa was a girl? Since when do girls sound like him and dress like him?”:
What a cutie. Such a lovely well educated child. He’s very sophisticated, and has a heart of gold. He does his best to try and get his point across to his brother, and stands up to him right at the very end. Even though he eventually grows to dislike his brothers actions, after you first fight Vayne and defeat him, he runs over to his brother, trying to see if he was ok. He wishes for peace, the best for everyone really. When he joins you as a guest, you’ll him for his potions more then anything. Say you are low on items, and you don’t have enough to quickly heal someone, Larsa will automatically heal any weakened character up. Kinda handy that, seeing as his supply is unlimited! Despite the Empire being fierce enemies with Rozzaria, Larsa has a great friend in Al-Cid Margrace, a member of the Rozarrian royal family.
Rating: 8/10
Halim - “DON‘T GIVE IN TO THE EMPIRE HALIM!”:
The narrator! His voice probably took a lot of getting used to more then anything. This guy does the narrating at the beginning of the game and throughout, describing specific events along the way. When you first go to Bhujerba, you’ll see that he’s managed to keep the place neutral, thus not turning it into another Dalmasca. However, it becomes more apparent that the Empire does have a little influence on Bhujerba, using the Lhusu mines as an example. Despite the Marquis handing you over to the Empire, and resisting somewhat in helping you, he detests the Empire and leads the Resistance towards the end. He cares deeply for Ashe, and she also cares for him, calling him “Uncle”. Not sure if he is her actual Uncle, or just a close friend of King Raminas who she has simply just come to see as an Uncle like figure.
Rating: 8/10
Fran - “The viera with a nice arse“:
I just love what she wears, she has such a cute voice too. She’s an outcast of Eruyt village, where the viera there shun any of their own kind who leave the woods.
Balthier - “Lyke, omg, I wear rainbow rings”:
If you don’t already know, I do NOT like this guy at all. He bugs me so much it’s unbelievable. Not hard to see though why people do love him, as he appears to be quite the popular one. He has the looks, the smile, a smart mouth too - he also sees himself as a leading man. From my point of view, though he has the potential to be the leading man, Basch deserved that role - Basch‘s presence proved far more important. I never used to dislike Balthier. He was always one of those who I thought was simply, “ok”. From whatever point it was, my like for him just went downhill. Maybe he was just too full of himself for me to actually care about him? Oh well. His past was somewhat interesting though, what with him being Cid’s runaway son - the tearaway who hated being a judge, who wanted his freedom. If I were to give him a rating, he wouldn’t get anything. On a professional outlook..
Rating: 8/10
Currently working on Fran.
