For you launchies, a month later
For all of us who bought this game on launch day. What do you think? Now that you've had the time to play it a lot, and the initial thrill has worn off, how do you feel about it? Is it still the best of the generation?
If you didn't get this on or near launch, please say so in your post.
I got it on launch day
honestly I feel like this has been discussed many times on here already, but basically, I think the story in this game is very lacking. The gameplay is fun, and what really makes me want to continue, which is different than most of the other FF's. In others the story was the main thing that made me keep going. Not that the gameplay wasn't good, it was awesome. but the story is really what drove me to continue. I have absolutely no emotional envolvement in the story and characters of XII.
Don't get me wrong I am highly enjoying the game (I'd hope so for being ~125hrs in) But what got me into FF in the first place were the stories, there was a sense of epicness (is that a word?) that is def not in XII.
Last edited by ekkatin; 11-30-2006 at 09:27 PM.
Searching For everything already there For every thought already known For everything that ever was, is, and will be Struggling Oh how we struggle And the more we avoid it The greater the struggle becomes Until we realize That struggle is a blessing Progressing Changing Evolving Growing From a seed to a tree From a child to a (wo)man From a (wo)man to a spirit To a god fulfilling his plan Purpose No words can describe the unmeaning No beginning No end Just always now Marvelling at the miracleAnd all of a sudden It all seemed to make sense somehow Searching For everything already there For every thought already known For everything that ever was, is, and will be
I got it on release day.
Honestly though, I'm not a big fan of this Final Fantasy. Don't get me wrong, it was fun and I enjoyed some of the characters. The story though... It just didn't do much for me. I didn't even realise I was at the final stage of the game at first. I was still waiting for the story to make some amazing turn and develop the characters more. I often felt like I could read the same story from a history book. It doesn't seem like some aspects were explained as much as other FFs too. Where did this come from, or why doesn't this do this? Sorry, I'm being vague to avoid using spoiler tags. It was just a very shallow game story wise.
It also seems like the characters don't interact with anyone besides their "buddies" throughout the story. How often did Basch talk to Penelo really? Or Ashe to Fran? It seems like Vaan talks to everyone, but the others don't. Penelo talks to Balthier, Fran, and Vaan. Ashe talks to Balthier and Basch. Basch talks to Ashe. The characters never seem to bond. Now, I know there are times when the characters interact more, but this is just a general feel of the game. Who knows, maybe I am use to the most recent FFs on console (X and X-2) where there was a cutscene every five minutes, but it seems that there were more character bondings in the predecessors as well.
Oh well, I still enjoyed it. I was just hoping for a fun, interesting story. I guess maybe I'm just numbed down to ordinary "save the kingdom" games because of all these extravagant story lines people push out these days. Like...dreams comming to life...or time traveling witches. Even alien life forms from meteors who make crazy babies with silver hair (I know, thats off a bit, don't kill me). The MAGIC is what was missing from this game. The magicite appearently had this awesome power of magic...but all I ever saw magicite doing is blowing up like a nuclear bomb. It just seemed like reading the pages of a history book, which I think is what they intended to a degree. I've just repeated myself for the last 5 minutes, so I'll shut up now.
Laters. Oh, and I'm one of those crazy kids who enjoyed FFX... So you'll probably ignore my post now :P
On the contrary, the story has been my main motivation in this game. It's breaking my heart to ignore it while I wrap up all these end-game side-quests.Originally Posted by ekkatin
And yes, this is definitely the best installment of this generation by far. And in terms of the entire series, it's up there with FFVI and FFIX.
12:01 October 31...
Anyways, I really enjoyed the game. I thought that the story was good, however; not as good as a couple other games. In my opinion, the gameplay was excellent. Depending on how much effort you wanted to put in, the game could be tailored to your skill as a gamer. I was a little sad about the summons not being as effective as one could have hoped, but I got over it. Contradictory to many other opinions, I wasn't a huge fan of quickenings(waste all my mp for something that, in my case, was not very effective at all). Then again, I really liked VIII,X, and XI.
I leave you to valuate my opinion.
-Adam
fair enough, to each their own. Maybe I'll apreciate the story more on the second play. (which I'm sure won't be for quite a while)On the contrary, the story has been my main motivation in this game. It's breaking my heart to ignore it while I wrap up all these end-game side-quests.
And yes, this is definitely the best installment of this generation by far. And in terms of the entire series, it's up there with FFVI and FFIX.
Searching For everything already there For every thought already known For everything that ever was, is, and will be Struggling Oh how we struggle And the more we avoid it The greater the struggle becomes Until we realize That struggle is a blessing Progressing Changing Evolving Growing From a seed to a tree From a child to a (wo)man From a (wo)man to a spirit To a god fulfilling his plan Purpose No words can describe the unmeaning No beginning No end Just always now Marvelling at the miracleAnd all of a sudden It all seemed to make sense somehow Searching For everything already there For every thought already known For everything that ever was, is, and will be
Agreed. The political intrigue present in this story trumps most other stories in just about any game I've played in a while and more than makes up for the somewhat lacking (though far from non-existent) character development. Throw in some of the best gameplay I've found in any RPG and you have a total package that adds up to the best RPG I've played since FFIX at the very least, possibly since FFVI (my favourite game of all time).
I got it the day it came out by the way.
The XII story is fascinating to me, even if it does lack the emotional attachment to the characters that games like IX and X have. It's a different kind of story and it's well done.
What is it about the story that has you enthralled so?
Personally, I didn't really have any interest in futhering the plot much, apart from the side bit with (SPOILER)Balthier and Dr. Cid. Aside from that, (SPOILER)the whole Basch/Vaan/Gabranth thing never got paid off, and the main plot of Ashe seeking vengence never got off the ground. For me, there wasn't a driving issue that kept the plot moving, and the only villians who got much of a chance to shine were (SPOILER)Bergen and Dr. Cid. There were only maybe one or two points in the whole game where I felt 'if I don't win this battle the world is going to come to an end,' and you could count the number of epic moments on one hand. In my opinion, Final Fantasy games should be huge in scope and emotion, not driven by political drama. Apart from Fran and Balthier, I don't really think any of the other characters have staying power; Ashe is too glum and none of the others got any time to shine (why was Penelo there again?).
Even with all that, I still think FFXII is a great game, but to cite it's plot as a plus...I don't get it.
Thats because for once in the series, the world doesn't really hinge on you. Your just part of a larger force, although an effective part.
I got it on launch day, and must say, it has my favorite story ever. My second favorite (10 just had this aura of uberness sorrounding it).
Leave some shards under the belly
Lay some grease inside my hand
It's a sentimental jury
And the makings of a good plan
Dude. Head. on. nail.
I love the storyline although I don't have as strong of an attachment as I did with IX. I love some of the characters, definitely, but I don't like, "omg <3" them.
I think the plot is FFXII's best feature. It's what's keeping me hooked. The battle system with gambits and everything is too automated for my liking, and I miss having characters with individual strengths and weaknesses. The way I've been playing, all the characters will eventually have virtually all the license grid spots opened to them. It makes things a lot less unique, and I don't really like that. I do however like seeing monsters on screen instead of the random battles. And I think adding battle chains to the game was a definite plus. Too many dungeons and tombs for my liking especially since I don't usually like dungeons AT ALL, and there are certainly quite a few in this game. The voice-acting was superb and I don't think there was a single voice I disliked.
So yeah, it's a pretty great game. But again, not as much emotional attachment as I would have liked. The game seemed more... distint to me if that makes any sense. But maybe that's just me and the fact that I've been trying to play this game through midterms and finals (not a smart thing to do btw).
i agree with that completely.
FFVI and FFIX were my 2 favorites and FFXII is ranking up there. all though i dont find myself emotionally attached all that much in the game i still find the storyline great. i find myself wanting to do hunts but at the sametime wondering where the storyline is going to go. i can see so many possible paths for it to go keeps me on edge. the characters are interesting too. the battle system is fun and i only ever run when im about to die. i look for rare game enemys go on hunts steal from everything and poach every once in awhile. for me every aspect of the game is fun.
i got the game on launch day.
lynx
beaten final fantasy III,IV,VI,VII,VIII,IX,X,X-2,XII,mystic quest, tacitcs, tactics advanced, crystal chronicles.
you only live once but if you do it right once is enough
my FF amvs
I........LOVE THIS GAME!!!! It quickly beat IX as my favourite Final Fantasy. But IX is still close to XII.
Everything is just wonderful! It'll never bores me. The story, music, graphic and gameplay = WIN MY HEART. I like all of the characters and espers. I even like them above Shiva, Ifrit etc.
This is the game for me.
I got the game on 9th October (AND DON'T QUOTE ME ON THIS).
The Late Owen Macwere Production.
I got it on launch day.
I've been thoroughly enjoying this game. It was the fresh breath of air I felt the series really needed. Less flashy cutscenes, a deep political story that borrows from the greatest stories in real history. A party that doesn't necessarily like or trust each other (I hate it when the game tries to make you believe your party should be the "best of buddies" it's so unrealistic.) And for once, you didn't have to worry about the world ending and supposedly "you're the only that can save us!" which I also feel is unrealistic.
The gameplay is wonderful and fun once you get the hang of things. My only real complaint was the fact that treasure chests are randomized a bit...
I love the cast and story and I'm glad that no one has given me their damn sob story of their past. The story is historically epic and I like the sense of realism to the game. The world itself is the crowning jewel. There is so much wonderful detail.
If anything, this game has restored my faith in the Final Fantasy series. FFX was such a disappointment to me that I almost thought about giving up the series. FFX-2 pretty much killed my belief that SE could ever make a game like FFIV, VI, and IX. With Sakeguchi gone, I didn't think SE could ever make another good game with FF in the title but this has restored my faith to some extent. It is definetly the best in this generation.
Last edited by Wolf Kanno; 05-12-2007 at 08:34 AM.
True beauty exists in things that last only for a moment.
Current Mood: And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe. Maybe this year will be better than the last. I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself. To hold on to these moments as they pass...
The story of FF12 starts picking up after a while (a looong while). Before that, it was nonexistent. I still don't think the story is anything special, but it is better than my original opinion (which was "crap"). Or maybe it's just because I've played the Suikoden series, who does the "deep, political plot" oh so much better. FF12's story is a poor man's Suikoden V. Also, the character development is still crap.
However, you don't play this game for the character development. The gameplay is still great.
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