Having a Final Fantasy upon its title is not just for promotion... it is a LEGACY!!!
FF XII integrated some twist that never used int the previous single player FF game series. First, there is no transition between exploration and battle meaning the battle will happen in the exploration field, further more, the battle is not in random you can outrun, avoid it and live well.. it depends on the one that attacking you. Because someone on Enix put a level 35 dinosaur and a level 40 elemental ball of death on the way of a level 5 party... what can I say... err.. FUN!! FF XII put a new way to battle, they call it Gambit System and Licence Board. Gambit System is actually a command system that allows you to give the characters how to act to a certain situations. For example, if you want to heal a member that is dying, you must put the command "Heal allies 10% HP" or something like that for them to automatically do it if somebody is dying. So if you can put up a good chain of strategy upon your party in a certain level of difficulty, your only job is guide them to the massive maps and dungeons of this game (I mean massive, especially the desserts) and watch them in action. Well.. you will not actually JUST WATCH because somehow, the enemy AI is much clever than it looks and your grandiose strategy will go down in flames and in your face so you have to put up a new plan immediately. You can make it a turn-base game if you like... if your not a real-time dude. Liscence board is much like a chess board that you need to fill up in order that your party member can equip a certain type of equipment, accessory and even a skill. A member have his own board. They can still level up but other bonuses in stats are hidden on the liscence board. So, as the late Gamesmaster Magazine quote, "You don't need a liscence to kill in FFXII, but you need a liscence to use an equipment." .. or something like that.
This game is actually have a MMORPG touch into it. First, you don't earn Gil (game's currency). Instead you will gain loots that you need to sell in the shop for you to gain money. Second, there are quests (Hunt) that can be done. It's not required but it can be one of the reason to have FUN. Well if you have patience of finding the hunt that you need to kill.. is fun. One of the Hunts obligates you to look into a cave window 15-30 mins just for the hunt to come out wherever its hiding. So much for FUN huh?
The characters (6 people, three can be front, and 1 can be a guest, a free loader if I may say yet can become in handy in some situations) is a colorful bunch namely 2 orphan-childhood friends, an accused-loyal knight, a knight, a ex-judge (what is a judge you say? This is not a spoiler you know.), a cast-out non-human, a queen, and a prince. ("Anybody have a King, Rook and a Bishop? 'Cause I wanna play chess!!") The story from which they were intertwined was a serious one. Not a single humorous though in it. (Makes me wanna cry.)
The Good: Everything... Hold that thought... Umm.. Pretty much.. Yeah.
The Bad: ...except the final boss. I mean, I Game over 20 times on a white chocobo but not even close to death on a final boss? Whose idea was that. Though, its forgivable, If you wanna die that badly... find all the hunts and secret summons, they ought to make you. And man, is it just me or the MAIN STORY is NOT THE STORY OF THE MAIN CHARACTER?? Its pretty much disappointing that you have to buy another handheld to know the MAIN CHARACTER'S MAIN ADVENTURE... How sad..
One of the best of all the FFs ever released to date.