Looking back: FF12, was it worth the wait?

Now that its well into 2007, I'm sure most of you have had the chance to play FF12 at some point or another.

We waited quite some years for this one to come out, and there was definately a lot of buzz about where Square was going to take this game.

So, I have a simple question for you guys. Having had the chance to play this game, hype aside, how did you feel about it? Was it really the best in the series, or did you find that it didnt stack up quite as well against the previous titles.

The months leading up to the release of FF12 were tense. So I passed the time by playing through FFVII, VIII, and X thoroughly. When I finally played through the first 10 hours, I noticed that things were definately different from the last few titles, so it was sort of a breath of fresh air. But as the game dragged on, I found myself a little detacted from the overall experience. The story really wasn't drawing me in, and the characters weren't a whole lot interesting. On a whole, I found myself confused about what was going on really, and most of the time I found myself moving from location to location fighting boss to boss.

And needless to say, FF12 is freakin' hard... I mean it is tough, that is one tough game. And I thought the fight with Yunalesca in FFX was hard. FF12 had me literally slamming the controller down in frustration after depleting stock after stock of hi-potions and phoenix downs (which don't come cheap). Gil was incredibly hard to come by.

It was also then, that I truly wished leveling up was as easy as FFVIII (remember how it only took 1000 exp for every level after 30?)

And lastly, the limit breaks (or overdrive, or trance, whatever you want to call it) is something I missed the most. I think SE really butchered the whole experience with that stupid Mist system... I don't know about anyone else, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to chain mists, not to mention the drain on MP.

FFXII wasn't a bad game... It was just a lot of poorly-executed gameplay gambles. For every new innovation, there's a problem. I didn't mind the un-randomed battles, but I didnt like getting mauled by 7 red bats in the caves.

Sad to say, the days of FFVII-X seem long gone, as SE is taking the FF series in what looks like a very grim dark path.

uhhhhhh....yeah...maybe stick to the atelier iris series...

XII isnt "one tough game", its what you make it. If you want to low level challenege, its gonna be a tough ride. Same deal if your only going to heal with pots, its quicker than casting, but you are gonna run out some time. As for gil being hard to come by...I have played every FF through and through, and by far XII's "chain" system was the easiest way to make gil early on in any FF.

Im afraid the only "poorly-executed gameplay gambles" were on you part here friend. XII is by far the most customizable console rpg out there, it truly is for everyone. If your having troubles with the difficultly try lowering the game speed, putting it on wait mode, or maybe even healing with some magic (i know crazy).

A little side note to everyone arguing over the best FF title, your favorite FF doesnt mean/make it the best FF. My favorite FF to date is still VII, but that doesnt mean i dont realize that XII IS A WAY ALL AROUND BETTER GAME, NOT TO MENTION THE BEST FF EVER.

I am playing it now, and honestly. I think it's fantastic. Everything about it is done very well, story, characters, graphics, style. It's a fantastic game in my opinion.

The gameplay was fabulous, the sound was good, the voice over were great (just a bit "inside a can") but I never saw any story in the game... That's the bad point. Still, for a 1st, the gameplay can overcome the story lol.

This game was definately worth the wait but so far i have enjoyed previous titles, the graphics are superb and squeeze all the power out of the PS2.

I love the fact you can just wonder off, get lost and explore the absolutely huge environments (without referring to the map) in Ivalice. This is also a way of levelling up if you get bored :)

So far i'm about 20 hours through the game, and i'm a little disappointed with a few aspects. Firstly the soundtrack. Although it's good quality, some tracks do get repetitive when exploring through a dungeon. In addition, no tracks so far have stood out for me, or are a joy to listen to compared to some excellent tracks in FFX. Character development is also lacking so far in the game which so far, mainly focuses on the complex storyline.

The character design is also unoriginal, with characters such as Ashe, Vaan and Penelo having blonde hair, grey eyes and are visually similar. I would have expected SE to include a range of characters with different personalities and features, as shown in FFVII where this is most successfully illustrated.

This is a long game with lots of side quests to experience if you need a break from the less impressive, complex storyline compared to the games predecessors. Definately worth playing, and one of the best games to be released on the PS2 this year.

Now SE have a new battle system to work with, i am very much looking foward to FFXIII where the summons return. FF Versus XIII also looks an impressive Action RPG for the PS3.

To answer your question above: I personally would start with FFX (10) or FFVII (7). FFVII is my personal favourite and is a joy to play if you can handle the PS1 graphics with pre-rendered backgrounds and basic poly modelled characters. If you want solid graphics for the PS2 and an easier game overall, i would go for FFX, although they are both great games. Enjoy!

Sad to say, the days of FFVII-X seem long gone, as SE is taking the FF series in what looks like a very grim dark path.

bahamut_032

Now that its well into 2007, I'm sure most of you have had the chance to play FF12 at some point or another.

We waited quite some years for this one to come out, and there was definately a lot of buzz about where Square was going to take this game.

So, I have a simple question for you guys. Having had the chance to play this game, hype aside, how did you feel about it? Was it really the best in the series, or did you find that it didnt stack up quite as well against the previous titles.

The months leading up to the release of FF12 were tense. So I passed the time by playing through FFVII, VIII, and X thoroughly. When I finally played through the first 10 hours, I noticed that things were definately different from the last few titles, so it was sort of a breath of fresh air. But as the game dragged on, I found myself a little detacted from the overall experience. The story really wasn't drawing me in, and the characters weren't a whole lot interesting. On a whole, I found myself confused about what was going on really, and most of the time I found myself moving from location to location fighting boss to boss.

And needless to say, FF12 is freakin' hard... I mean it is tough, that is one tough game. And I thought the fight with Yunalesca in FFX was hard. FF12 had me literally slamming the controller down in frustration after depleting stock after stock of hi-potions and phoenix downs (which don't come cheap). Gil was incredibly hard to come by.

It was also then, that I truly wished leveling up was as easy as FFVIII (remember how it only took 1000 exp for every level after 30?)

And lastly, the limit breaks (or overdrive, or trance, whatever you want to call it) is something I missed the most. I think SE really butchered the whole experience with that stupid Mist system... I don't know about anyone else, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to chain mists, not to mention the drain on MP.

FFXII wasn't a bad game... It was just a lot of poorly-executed gameplay gambles. For every new innovation, there's a problem. I didn't mind the un-randomed battles, but I didnt like getting mauled by 7 red bats in the caves.

Sad to say, the days of FFVII-X seem long gone, as SE is taking the FF series in what looks like a very grim dark path.

bahamut_032

you hit the nail on the hammer, I agree 100% 5 star review.

I thought it was terrible. Bad and overly complicated story line, bad battle system and a stupid system that lets the game play for you. I hope SE does a better job with XIII.

I was very disapointed, and i feel a bit ripped off.

I mean where were the omega's or the incredibly strong bahumuts/phoenix/silva's I had hoped and expected all I got where espers being pwned by creatures "sadly many of them got beat by dark chocobo's wtf?"I had to defeat because it wasapparentthey couldent get the job done.and their was pieces missing, what was the story behind ashe and penelope? how did viese and balter meet? I expect this from ff series because thats what I loved about it, I should not be left saying wtf?

side note they put alot more effort into sidequest then the actual quest.

I mean where were the omega's or the incredibly strong bahumuts/phoenix/silva's I had hoped and expected all I got where espers being pwned by creatures "sadly many of them got beat by dark chocobo's wtf?"I had to defeat because it wasapparentthey couldent get the job done.and their was pieces missing, what was the story behind vaanand penelope? how did viese and balter meet? I expect this from ff series because thats what I loved about it, I should not be left saying wtf?

side note they put alot more effort into sidequest then the actual quest.

fixed*

changeofpace04

I mean where were the omega's or the incredibly strong bahumuts/phoenix/silva's I had hoped and expected all I got where espers being pwned by creatures "sadly many of them got beat by dark chocobo's wtf?"I had to defeat because it wasapparentthey couldent get the job done.and their was pieces missing, what was the story behind ashe and penelope? how did viese and balter meet? I expect this from ff series because thats what I loved about it, I should not be left saying wtf?

side note they put alot more effort into sidequest then the actual quest.

changeofpace04

Did you actually played the game? Ultima, Zeromus, Zodiark can own many if not all the enemies (except for the lvl 60+). Most of the story events you ask are explained in the game. maybe not with flashbacks as it used to be.

I have progressed to the Tomb of Raithwall so I've seen a decent chunk of the game. It has its good points and bad points but on the whole it's well done. I personally prefer FFIX for characters and story and FFX for gameplay but I do like some of what XII offers more than others in the series.

Visually it is the most impressive release though I find fault with some of the presentation style but it's all minor, nitpicky stuff so I will leave that out.

I utterly love the music, I can't express how much I enjoy boss battles on the music alone. The game system is decent and doesn't really spoil my enjoyment but it's kinda bland. It's like a decent piece of chain pizza, good, but not the same as the original thing.

The voice acting is better than in Final Fantasy X and much less annoying.

All in all, it's a good game, though not as good as others in the series.

i think the reason most gamers dont like this game is because it has the most mature stroyline the FF series has yet seen, which means that it doesnt appeal to younger audience.boybrushdred

I voted for "Not really, Not bad, but kind of disappointed."

It was decent but I think it was the worst main installment in the Final Fantasy series to date (not counting sequels and spin-off games, or Final Fantasy XI because I don't consider it to be a part of the main series).

That being said, it is still a good game but it is nowhere near as good as the older Final Fantasy games, not by a long shot.

It had a decent story and tilt but it was the most frustrating game till now, I dont know why do square Enix made the game so hard when it is an Rpg. It almost takes insane time to level up (and u cantprogress without level no matter how much goodyou play), and even if u try to beat the game leaving side misson it will easily take 80-85 hours and out of this 50-55 hours of your time will be spended on level up which is damn frustrating, andI wassaying Lost odyssey would be frustrating. If you are new and wanna try this game then get ready to have 120 hours of time and be able to bear a lot of frustration.

[QUOTE="bahamut_032"]

Now that its well into 2007, I'm sure most of you have had the chance to play FF12 at some point or another.

We waited quite some years for this one to come out, and there was definately a lot of buzz about where Square was going to take this game.

So, I have a simple question for you guys. Having had the chance to play this game, hype aside, how did you feel about it? Was it really the best in the series, or did you find that it didnt stack up quite as well against the previous titles.

The months leading up to the release of FF12 were tense. So I passed the time by playing through FFVII, VIII, and X thoroughly. When I finally played through the first 10 hours, I noticed that things were definately different from the last few titles, so it was sort of a breath of fresh air. But as the game dragged on, I found myself a little detacted from the overall experience. The story really wasn't drawing me in, and the characters weren't a whole lot interesting. On a whole, I found myself confused about what was going on really, and most of the time I found myself moving from location to location fighting boss to boss.

And needless to say, FF12 is freakin' hard... I mean it is tough, that is one tough game. And I thought the fight with Yunalesca in FFX was hard. FF12 had me literally slamming the controller down in frustration after depleting stock after stock of hi-potions and phoenix downs (which don't come cheap). Gil was incredibly hard to come by.

It was also then, that I truly wished leveling up was as easy as FFVIII (remember how it only took 1000 exp for every level after 30?)

And lastly, the limit breaks (or overdrive, or trance, whatever you want to call it) is something I missed the most. I think SE really butchered the whole experience with that stupid Mist system... I don't know about anyone else, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to chain mists, not to mention the drain on MP.

FFXII wasn't a bad game... It was just a lot of poorly-executed gameplay gambles. For every new innovation, there's a problem. I didn't mind the un-randomed battles, but I didnt like getting mauled by 7 red bats in the caves.

Sad to say, the days of FFVII-X seem long gone, as SE is taking the FF series in what looks like a very grim dark path.

changeofpace04

you hit the nail on the hammer, I agree 100% 5 star review.

its definitely worth it. it showed a lot improvement. it has great graphics with the addition of the new gambit system and licensing. and also a rotatable camera which is not present in ff x & x-2. i think the reason most gamers dont like this game is because it has the most mature stroyline the FF series has yet seen, which means that it doesnt appeal to younger audience.boybrushdred

Personally, I hated it. VinnoT

I'd just like to add one more thought.

To me Final Fantasy XII didn't really "feel" like a Final Fantasy game. All of the other regular numbered games have more or less "felt" like Final Fantasy (except Final Fantasy XI). When you played it you thought to yourself, "yeah this is Final Fantasy". When I play Final Fantasy XII I feel like I'm playing a completely different RPG that just happens to be named Final Fantasy.