This is the first Final Fantasy game that I've played, and I absolutely loved it.
STORY:
The story is about a land called Ivalice. The Archadian Empire is trying to take down Rabanastre. It begins with Ashe marrying a prince, but then the Archadian Empire attacks. The main story starts off with Vaan, a thief who tries to sneak into the palace to take back what's theirs. Later on throughout the game, Vaan teams up with a sky pirate named Balthier and his rabbit-like friend Fran. Also, other characters such as Basch, who was a traitor to Dalmasca, redeems himself by returning Dalmasca to what it was before the war. I won't spoil too much. I found the story brilliant. The reason being is, I think it shows the depth of each character and their reason for returning Rabanastre to what it was before. I have to say, the story was very strong. I like all of the characters and what the story offers.
Score: 10
GAMEPLAY:
I was new to the series with this game, but I have played some older ones now. The difference is, is that the combat is quite different. You can now move around, control the camera, and you don't have any random encounters, thus meaning this game features real-time combat. There are two new features in this game - one is the gambit system, which allows you to do the character's own responsibilities. Basically, you start off with an attack and the characters start doing what you told them to do in the gambit system. It's very confusing at first, but I managed to figure it out and I ended up enjoying it. The other new feature is the license board, which when you buy weapons and such, you cannot equip them straight away. You have to go to the license board, which is like a grid, to spend on what you want. It's kind of similar to Scrabble when you pick something out and try to go around the board. You get license points by killing enemies, which is very fun to do. The other reason I like Final Fantasy XII a lot is because this game takes about seventy hours to complete, and it's very challenging. Boss battles are very fun.
Score: 10
GRAPHICS:
The best graphics I've seen on the PS2 next to Devil May Cry 3. The worlds draw you in, and it is the best thing I've ever seen. The characters look perfect, and there's never a moment where the frame rate slows down.
Score: 10
SOUND:
Attacking with weapons and other sound effects is never annoying and is quite satisfying. The music is excellent - strong, engaging and absolutely perfect.
Score: 10
OVERALL:
This is the best game I have ever played on the PS2 and there's nothing really bad I can say about it. If you want an RPG game, I seriously recommend this game.