Post by Yuutsu on Feb 27, 2007 23:36:42 GMT -6
Story:
The characters in the story don't have the same quality as the ones from other Final Fantasy games, but that's my opinion. The story was engaging at first, but near the middle, I kinda lost interest. As it neared the end, my interest level was back up.
The story, which many have rightly likened to the Star Wars series, is arguably deeper and more involving than anything that Lucas ever fleshed out on his jotter pad. This is high-fantasy with a heavy political slant. Attempting to summarise the story is futile (not to mention a joy-killer for fans), but revolves around a street-smart young boy, Vaan, and his desire to do his bit for the good of the nation. A nation which, as fate would have it, is sandwiched between two other warring territories and is about to be thrown into chaos. Your regular assortment of sideshow freaks, slick rebels and positive female role-models join Vaan early on.
Gameplay/Battle System:
When you look at the clock, see 90+ hours of play, then look at your party level and see level 50 average, you know something is wrong. You spend too much time running and fighting for the results you get. Most of the fights wont require you to do nothing but press the attack command (until you get used to gambits). The espers are too, too weak. But on the other hand, quickenings are way too strong. Things are not balanced. If this was a PC game, things would eventually come to good terms, but that isnt the case...
Since combat no longer pulls you onto a separate screen, enemies are scattered around open plains and inside dungeons, fully visible. This means you can be as selective as you wish to be when it comes to picking your battles. Approaching an enemy prompts them to attack you. Doing so will cause a thin glowing line to project out of your character's head in an arc, connecting you to your target and vice versa. This is the first tentative steps towards a new fighting system. Tapping X brings up your traditional FF menu system governing your actions.
Since combat no longer pulls you onto a separate screen, enemies are scattered around open plains and inside dungeons, fully visible. This means you can be as selective as you wish to be when it comes to picking your battles. Approaching an enemy prompts them to attack you. Doing so will cause a thin glowing line to project out of your character's head in an arc, connecting you to your target and vice versa. This is the first tentative steps towards a new fighting system. Tapping X brings up your traditional FF menu system governing your actions.
Graphics:
In-game graphics could've been a lot better than it is, But those movie graphics goes to overkill. XD
This is a great-looking game. Cities, desert townships, grimy dungeons and verdant forests are rendered with care, mimicking the pre-vis artwork and demonstrating many real-world cultural influences, such as Mediterranean and Arabic fashion, mixed with the heavy arms of the dark ages and high-art of the Renaissance.
Sound:
Too few dialogs when compared to FF 10 (and if you think about KOTOR, then OMG!) but the voices are generally very good, although the compression ruined the overall quality.
Some of the familiar themes are here also, along with lots of original compositions that fit the mood and the setting very nicely.
Some of the familiar themes are here also, along with lots of original compositions that fit the mood and the setting very nicely.
Overall:
This is a moving game with an amazing ending that you couldn't guess in a thousand years. Improvement is largely noticeable, and is almost never disappoints... Final Fantasy XII gets an 8 out of 10