This game is really smurfing good.

I got rid of my PS2 a while ago, so obviously haven't played this game for a while. However, that doesn't changed the fact that this game is really smurfing good. :D

Though I know loads of people hate the Gambit and License Grid system (because they're BOIKS;)), I found both these things fantastic. It meant that I could use the characters that I liked, rather than the characters I had to use for practicality's sake. The Gambit system was totally rad, and it was great fun trying to make a system that worked for everything, as well as changing it to suit the particular environment. One of the main bitches arguments against Gambits is that you just set up the perfect and leave the game to itself. Job done. Game completed. For me, this wasn't the case. I found myself repeatedly changing my list, and doing massive great make-overs every time I got a new...bar...row...whatever.

The storyline was bitching, if a little short and underdeveloped. However, this was completely countered by the OMFG background information you could get. You could practically live in Ivalice if you killed enough things.

Having said all that, I found the characters somewhat underdeveloped too, but this happened with all the FFs I've played. But, whereas other FFs leave one or two characters a bit vague, this game left pretty much all of them empty if I remember correctly. Also, I agree with everyone who says that the Espers were totally lame. If they were half as good as they were to catch the bastard things, I'd be happy. But no.

I disagree with people who say the Quickenings sucked. The Quickenings were difficult to even become OKish at, which is probably why most people hate them. However, it's well worth failing a handful of times, doing some 400 damage or something, just to see the occasional barrage of luck that causes you to deal four hundred bajillion damage.

Anyway, there's no real point to this thread. I miss my PS2 and I miss this game, so I thought I'd reminisce some. Maybe you could discuss you favourite and least favourite bits? I dunno. Go wild. It can be your general love or hate, or it can be a particular part of the game you love or hate, or an event, dialogue, whatever.

On the dialogue subject: "blah blah blah, like proper kidnappers" has always remained in my mind. I dunno why. Just makes me laugh. It's such an adorable voice. If I had a talking rabbit, Fran is what it would sound like. :) EDIT: Just realised who she reminds me of: the hedgehog from Beatrix Potter's books/videos. :D

WOO

XII is one of my top FFs, it really restored my faith in the franchise and it saddens me that XIII looks to be taking it back down the path I don't like. I just wish that more fans would have appreciated it cause then the series could have moved forward.

It really set a benchmark for world design. I also loved its more daring storytelling and character development. I really felt the series grew up with this one and finally moved past the generic anime/rpg soup that other titles had brought us. Sure its far from perfect but I still feel that its strengths easily outweigh its weaknesses and finally built a game that lived up to FF's WOW factor.

I really like FFXII, I may play it a second time before the end of the year.

The hunts are really my fav. part of this game, and the variety of weapon choices. I feel like each play through is refreshing. FFXII is different in that it can be extraordinarily linear like all the rest, or it can be different each time. It depends on how you want to play it. I won't lie, I love the other final fantasies for what they are but this one was just so innovative and fresh. I really just want to go play it again right now loll.

I thought that FFXII was one of the most (if not THE most) developed game for the PS2, it had a book-nice story, visually beautiful (on IGN it was the ONLY PS2 game of their Top Ten games of 2007, the rest were PS3/360/Wii) and it felt more like an interactive movie than a game.


But in my honest opinion, I thought that the game's battle system seemed a bit dull and slow, and it really didnt have the best soundtrack, it just didnt capture the Epic-feel that past FF's have had. (If only Uematsu had done it, it would've been the perfect FF)

It's not one of my personal favourites, but it is a great game.

I think of it as the best FF game in the series. It had better gameplay than FF games in the past and I loved the fighting system.

I'm Captain Basch fon Rosenburg of Dalmasca!!

You know... I got all the way to the end of the game but stopped because I wanted to do the hunts.... perhaps I should do that...

i think this game is great. i had so much fun explorin all the different and wide areas and stuff! so much to do, so much to see, so many ppl to talk too!! :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KH-Cloudy

I'm Captain Basch fon Rosenburg of Dalmasca!!

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DUN BELIEVE ONDORES LIEZ!!11


Oh, and yeah, XII rules. :love:

Famitsu - 40/40

nuff said

I loved FFXII its one of my top two favorite titles in the series.
The best thing about this game is the new battle system it actually makes since now enemys dont appear out of thin air and the animals dont randomly carrie ammounts of cash money on them you get pelts, teeth, ect. and u sell it at the bazzar, i think this is much more realistic. And this game has so much to do the side quests are numerous enough that it consumes half of the game play time fantastic game.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Darkswordofchaos

and u sell it at the bazzar, i think this is much more realistic.

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I can understand that but it didn't really bother me since I'm not looking for reality when playing games... hehe , maybe animals have their own shops where they spend their hard earned gil. I can totally see rogue tomatoes bargaining at the bazaar:p

I really loved this game. Actually, I feel like playing it again, so I might start it up next week. :D

Well I always feel it's necessary to offer a counter view, and quite frankly there's been enough positivity about this game. So I'm going to take it in the opposite direction and say I thoroughly do not like this game. At all.

I wrote a blog post about why I don't like this game, but I'll summarise my thoughts thusly; The Gambit system turns the game into an auto-play scenario where you're only necessary input is to push the directional button. The Uber Bosses in the game aren't challenging, they just take ages to kill and often require cheap tactics to survive. Penelo is utterly superfluous as a character and smacks of a lousy character design process, while the rest of the party is either under developed or boring. Maps often lead into areas where you're not supposed to go and can see you have to back track due to dying accidentally. Espers are useless to the point of their inclusion in the game being a tacced-on element that wasn't properly tested or balanced. Every step of the game has you going to get some MacGuffin of a plot device only to be shipped off to another area to do the exact same thing. Plus you have to dredge through seemingly endless corridors of samey, unimaginative dungeons to get anywhere. The script is atrocious, in that there is little to keep your interest for most of the game and the scope never matches the promise. Plus the actual so-called "bad guys" in the game aren't actually that bad thus removing any sense of urgency. O, and the drops system in regards to enemies spawning and items; nothing short of a cheap cash-in. The developers admitted they made the drop system so convoluted so as to force consumers to buy a strategy guide.

Large worlds and several enemies to kill does not a good game make. Despite common opinion you can't pile crap on crap and get gold.

Oh Yeah there is also no cheesey love story crapin up the story of this game.

I love this game to bits, flaws and all.

I didn't like the battle system at times, and sometimes I didn't really get the storyline (mainly because the cutscenes were so far apart that I often forgot bits of the story), but it was just so different from other games in the series and that's what appealed to me most.

The licence grid system was ok I guess (I prefer the Sphere Grid, myself). I absolutely loved the Gambit system, though. Like Quin, I was constantly changing my gambit list. I was always playing around with gambits to see what was the most effective, and if battles were starting to bore me, I would try new gambits to mix things up a little and make the game more interesting. I also loved some of the technicks, especially charge, which is an absolute lifesaver when it actually worked.

I adore this game hardcore, and most of the things seen by others a "flaws" are things I consider strengths. It's impressively, refreshingly different from other FFs, especially in the storytelling style.
Brilliant dialogue, memorable characters, and - as a bonus - one of the neatest couples in FF history, namely Fran & Balthier:D