Huh, could've sworn I posted in this. Well anyway, When I think of FFXII, I think of the gameplay, the story, and the environment, in that order.

I really loved the gameplay. Yes there's a few weird quirks to it - what is the actual point of measures and hand-bombs? - but overall I really loved how you could really specialise characters. I mean sure by endgame everyone knew everything and the best combination is just spamming physicals; offensive magic does get relegated harshly in this game. But that's besides the point. For the majority of the game, the gameplay was very impressive and made me think about which licence to get for each character. Even better, the remaster will make the specialisation element a mandatory requirement, and magic will be better now that you don't have to patiently queue up for the last spell to end.

The story is understated yet deeply moving in places. I will say I wish the story could be refined and improved upon. A few characters barely get a look in. I really wanted to see more Drace, and I wish Penelo had more of an impact to the story than either kidnap victim or marriage material. But honestly, what we have is compelling in its own right and was a mature game. I liked the Star Wars-esque feel, with the 'Resistance' and the Empire, yet the mature plot also manages to fold more fantastical magic and prophecy into it, which mostly works. The Occuria were kinda just there to say 'surprise!'. But there were good plot twists, like the major plot twist at the end of the prologue that I didn't really figure out until we met Basch.

The environment was good as well. Lots of various locales. I hated The Great Crystal, which was an absolute mess to navigate, but it was definitely pretty. All the locations were, with maybe the exceptions of the Sandseas for being so long, and the Garamsythe Waterway for being another maze. Other than that they were amazing.

I'm so looking forward to FFXII: TZA though, where they can iron out just a few things and improve the gameplay even further.