It is the BEST Final Fantasy to date
Story: 9/10
The story is good, but it isn’t the best unlike previous final fantasies. The story is revolved around war. That much said is pretty general. While the war plot works well, it isn’t deep, compelling, and fascinating like ff10, ff7, ff8 or ff9. final fantasy is known for its magical plot, and while final fantasy 12 is indeed magical, it somewhat feels more like an action adventure than an rpg like the other final fantasy, even though the elements are in there.
Graphics: 10/10
The graphics are just damn amazing. I thought final fantasy 10 was dam good, ha final fantasy 12 is even better. Facial reactions are very noticeable in the game. Hair blows in the wind, animations is very good, the graphics are crisp, smooth, and sharp. CGI scenes are also to die for. The environments, mountains, deserts, wastelands, mines, forests, beaches, cities, and ancient temples, are very well designed. The graphics are amazing, but they're not the best on the ps2 (Resident Evil 4)
Game play: 10/10
This is the biggest change to the final fantasy series. Some of you people may hate it, some may love it, but random battles are completely gone in final fantasy 12. Square-enix decided to make a new fresh start with the series, by rendering it in full adventure. You explore the world, and when an enemy is spotted, a battle is engaged. I personally love the new battle system, because it offers %100 freedom. You can control your characters during a battle, it’s very realistic. However the atb bar is still in there, so that still gives that final fantasy touches. You can move around all you want but you can’t attack, until the time bar fills up. Square-enix has added two new features, to improve your fighting. License board: very similar to that of the sphere grid in ff10. Every time you defeat an enemy it drops LP (license points) which can be used to purchase new slots on the license board. The top half focuses on augments, techniks, and accessories that you will come across with. The bottom half is completely focused on armor, shields, and weapons. If you want to equip something, you first have to buy the license first which requires a certain amount of LP. For example if you got the zodiac spear (which is the strongest weapon in the game) and you want to use it you first have to buy it off the board. It costs 235 LP. This is a nice touch they added, however I wished that they would’ve made it longer like the sphere grid.
Gambits: this is perhaps the most complicated feature in final fantasy 12. Gambits are commands that you can assign to each character. They can revolve around healing your party, buffing them up, and attacking enemies in a certain way. Each character has a maximum of 12 gambit slots, where all of them can be purchased off the license board. U can buy hundreds of gambits at gambit shops. More are available as you progress through the story. When you want to assign gambits think hard. Gambit slot #1 will be your character’s #1 thing to do, whether it is inside a battle or not. I suggest that you always put your status enhancers first like protectga, hastega, shellga, bubble, bravery, and faith, because if you put attack an enemy as your #1 slot, they will only attack the enemy, and not focus on the other slots. Healing is also very important to put in.
Lasting Appeal: 10/10
This game is definitely long, perhaps the longest final fantasy to date. The main quest can vary to 40-60 hours, but if you want to complete everything, from all hunts, to collecting all weapons, to maxing out your levels etc, it will take you over 100 hours.