FFXII isn’t without its flaws but overall it’s game which deserves a lot of credit and praise.
It doesn’t take very long to figure out that this game is very different from it’s forebears. FFXII introduces a new battle system in which you fight enemies in the field of play instead of a random new screen, not ONLY that but you can fully move around the environment. When the demo was released last year, a lot and I mean A LOT of people were skeptical about it. It didn’t feel like FF…it was too complex…it had useless moving manoeuvres, which seem pointless. But the final product actually slams those comments in the face. The battle system is unique yet very similar to previous games. The gambit system is an excellent addition and during the game I found it really enjoying to actually just go around and chain enemies for superior loot. Something that I don’t do in RPG’s…waste time leveling. I don’t know about you but random battles in FFX annoyed the hell out of me and by today’s standards even the BEST rpgs can irritate me with those things. The license board is also great, you can argue it’s really not necessary for the weapons etc..but it really shouldn’t bother you, you get plenty of LP and every enemy you kill gives you 1 LP..so you can go back to the first areas and kill loads of enemies with one hit for quick LP. The battle system just flows. You go into an area, kill the enemies and go into the next area. You can also FLEE by running but this often puts you in a position where you are surrounded by loads of enemies.
Overall I’ll give the gameplay a 10. It’s fantastic. It really is. It’s addictive, it’s fluent and it’s just enjoyable to play. In other FF the game just gets annoying with random battles and this game proves that random battles are really getting old.
Graphics – 10
Technically this is probably and arguably the best looking PS2 game. The visuals are stunning the characters look incredibly animated and the textures and environments just look beautiful. Rabanastre is HUGE and you will definitely feel that when you are playing. Nothing can be said here, graphics are superb.
Sound – 9
I had to split it up I would give the VA a 10 and the soundtrack an 8. The VA is just well above average compared to most JRPGs released in America. In fact FFXII is probably the best English Voice acted JRPG ever. Music wise…it’s great but there are memorable tracks missing, the ending song is great but with a few good battle songs the game doesn’t really have the power melodies of FFX. Having said that FFXII does still have a decent soundtrack, just not enough memorable tunes.
Value – 9
This game has a ton of stuff to do. Not only the main story but you can go on these mob hunts where you go around killing unique enemies which only appear during those hunts. Yu get rewards and get to fight more powerful secret enemies late on during the game. The rewards are great ranging from powerful weapons to amazing accessories. Basically you haven’t completed the game until you‘ve beaten ** spoilers** the last 50 million HP boss. I’ve spent around 100 hours on FFXII and I have still yet to achieve such a task. However this game doesn't have a new game+ so playing it through again would mean doing everything again. Still great if you want to play with different characters.
Tilt – 9
Ok,ok, this game is great but I just felt like it could have been a Masterpiece. The story in this game is it’s ONLY flaw. And I’m not talking about the actual story itself but the production of it. This game doesn’t have a big story emphasis; you‘ll be going from on area to the next without any long cut scene or detailed explanation of what you are supposed to be doing. The game doesn’t really force you on the back stories of you’re main characters either. Which is a shame since FFXII has some of the best characters. By the end of the game(this game has a great ending) you get a excellent epic emotional cut scene and a superb boss battle, but you’re left in a state where you haven’t really been given that much information and development of the story/characters to feel that emotion. I did feel some emotion, but it was really the fact of actually completing the game and not the story itself. In all though I have to say gameplay wise this is the best FF game by far, even with its story faults the game is wonderful and will keep you playing well above 50 hours. If you’re looking for an RPG with a great cast of characters, and a good enjoyable battle system, FFXII is for you but I recommend EVERYONE to at least try this game out. *Note, This is the same as P2L5NM's review because i wrote that review and changed accounts.