Its been six years...

[Wolf Kanno]

... so what are your thoughts on FFXII now that you've had time to experience other new FF titles and digest this game. Do you still have the same thoughts you had when you first played it? if not, what changed?

[Fynn]

I have learned to appreciate it even more. Even though I loved it before, as I matured, I started to be even more sensitive to some aspects of storytelling. I appreciate the subtleties of the characters and story even more than I used to, although I can see how people dislike it, since it is quite difficult. This game really requires your involvment. I see it as a flawed masterpiece. Probably the most ambitious FF out of the numbered series.

[Citizen Bleys]

It's been six years since we sailed away
And I just made Halifax yesterday
God damn them all!

[CimminyCricket]

I still really like this game, it took me a few years to actually beat it since I started the day it came out and I beat it sometime in 2010. It wasn't that it was a bad game it's just that I sometimes need to take a break and reflect on why I suck so much.

[Lone Wolf Leonhart]

When I start the game I still think "Man that's a lot of desert".

I think I've matured a lot in the past six years and now more than ever I can appreciate the underlying political intrigue as well as the quirks of the battle system compared to other FF games.

I just started up a new game of this recently and I'm looking forward to continuing.

[ShinGundam]

... so what are your thoughts on FFXII now that you've had time to experience other new FF titles and digest this game. Do you still have the same thoughts you had when you first played it? if not, what changed?

I personally have a hate relationship with XII, i just can't accept mechanics such as the random treasure system which is BS and tons of treasures are 10 gil worth or something. Not a fan of battle-related sidequests nor LP system.

I just don't like MMO stuff on my single player JRPG.

[maybee]

Still hate it and most likely always will.

[Elpizo]

When I first played it I thought it was one of the best FF games of all time. Now, six years later, I've come to realise that it is actually one of the best games of all time, period.

[Cloudane]

I will probably re-play it at some point and enjoy it for what it is.

At the time I was disappointed because it came after the epic story that was FFX. Instead of being the usual big exciting save-the-world story set amongst amazing scenery it was something much more subtle and political... and set in towns and deserts.

It also went from the best battle system (not to be confused with progression system) I've known in any FF to that kind of "like an MMORPG but your group are NPCs" system which I wasn't too fond of.

Knowing what to expect though, and more importantly what NOT to expect, I'll probably enjoy it more. Political stories can be very good indeed (see DS9, especially the early seasons) as long as you're expecting a political story to begin with.

[TrollHunter]

Ive come to love it even more
The characters
The story
The gambit system
The weapon selection and the balance within
The lp system
It really lets you play it how you want. You can just play it, you can get so so damn creative with it. Lots of replay ability thanks to that

God i adore it.
One problem though: the character designs are ridiculous, though i guess its normal for a desert right?

[Loony BoB]

I like a lot of things about it and I don't like some things about it. I'm not sure my opinion has changed as much as I've become more experienced and have a better idea of how to approach the game. Keep in mind I only beat it for the first time roughly a year or so ago - I had played it a lot before then but got too distracted by the massive scale of the sidequests (Hunts/Weapon Synth/Monster Lore gathering)... and lost all track of the story.

The worst thing about the game is the pacing, and then there is the gambit system. I'm not saying that the gambit system is completely bad, just that in many ways I feel it's a flawed system. I just never felt that I enjoyed such micro-management, and that is what I would refer to as "not a good thing" when playing a game. Vaan and Penelo were to of the least likeable playable characters I've ever come across in a Final Fantasy game. Penelo in particular, actually. At least Vaan had his moments. Penelo, for me, was just bland and I'm not sure what her major purpose in the plot was.

I liked the other characters and in some cases (Ashe/Basche/Balthier) liked them a lot. I felt the story was forgettable. The world was fantastic and the gameplay (once you got past the gambit system) was great. The number of little missions you could get involved with was something I liked, and I adored the bestiary=lore system. I hope more games do this eventually, particularly FFXIV. It's a great idea for MMOs as far as I'm concerned as it takes a lot of time to get through and it rewards a combination of fighting skill and exploration. Really hope it happens!

All in all, I felt it was a good Final Fantasy game. I suppose one downside for it when thinking in Final Fantasy terms is that I never got the emotional attachment to the characters or storyline that I got with V, VII, VIII, XIII or XIV. Which is a shame, because I really do like some of them.

[Tigmafuzz]

When I first played it I thought it was one of the best FF games of all time. Now, six years later, I've come to realise that it is actually one of the best games of all time, period.

If it weren't for the ridiculous amount of desert, that's how I would feel.

[Raistlin]

When I first played through FFXII, I was more critical of it. I thought it was a decently good game and I spent about 100 hours on it, but I really didn't like other parts about it (such as the pacing, which inhibited my ability to really care what was going on). But I've since grown a much stronger appreciation for the game, especially the story after having played FFXIII. I now consider it among the best in the series.