FFXII: Love It or Hate It?

A) You do not need a license to wipe your ass. You are unable to wipe your ass in the game :)

B) I can tell the difference between each character just fine.

C) That is very subjective. Final Fantasy XII focuses more on grande scheme than it does on individual emotions, like many Final Fantasies of the past. I don't discount your opinion, but I would like to know why you found it boring.

I'm sorry you weren't satisfied with the game. Was it because you thought the game was bad on its own, or because it didn't fulfill what "Final Fantasy" meant to you?
 
lionheartcs said:
A) You do not need a license to wipe your ass. You are unable to wipe your ass in the game :)

B) I can tell the difference between each character just fine.

C) That is very subjective. Final Fantasy XII focuses more on grande scheme than it does on individual emotions, like many Final Fantasies of the past. I don't discount your opinion, but I would like to know why you found it boring.

I'm sorry you weren't satisfied with the game. Was it because you thought the game was bad on its own, or because it didn't fulfill what "Final Fantasy" meant to you?
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A) You didn't really tackle my point, which I'm sure you grasped. It wasn't that cryptic.

B) Well dur, cosmetically you can tell the difference. Stat and ability wise, however...

C) Nothing seemed to be going on. It basically paralleled 24/7 C-span with occasional adventuring on your part. Politics in video games -can- work, but the focus should be shifted away from it much more often.
 
A- I get your point. But, again, subjective. The license board was a lot of fun for me. It made grinding have a point to it.

B- I agree with you there. I would have liked more defined roles. However, upon inspection, you'll notice that their endgame stats are very different (well, not very, but enough to make a difference.) Vaan is bar none the best character, stat-wise. Basch has amazing HP and Strength, Balthier has great Strength and Speed, Penelo has amazing MP and Magic potential, Ashe is the best magic caster, bar none, and Fran is terrible. I realize you didn't get very far into the game, but you could see this at the end game. Also, you can customize them into whatever role you want using the license board. It was very user friendly and gave you almost complete control.

C) Much more often? This is one of the only Final Fantasies to deal mostly with politics!
 
lionheartcs said:
A- I get your point. But, again, subjective. The license board was a lot of fun for me. It made grinding have a point to it.

B- I agree with you there. I would have liked more defined roles. However, upon inspection, you'll notice that their endgame stats are very different (well, not very, but enough to make a difference.) Vaan is bar none the best character, stat-wise. Basch has amazing HP and Strength, Balthier has great Strength and Speed, Penelo has amazing MP and Magic potential, Ashe is the best magic caster, bar none, and Fran is terrible. I realize you didn't get very far into the game, but you could see this at the end game. Also, you can customize them into whatever role you want using the license board. It was very user friendly and gave you almost complete control.

C) Much more often? This is one of the only Final Fantasies to deal mostly with politics!
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A) I enjoy grinding in RPG's without this, so I viewed it as tedious.

B) I shouldn't have to play to the end of the game for this feeling. They had it right with X, in that you could easily tell the pros and cons of each character, simply with the different aspects of enemies. Given your analysis, you're basically saying that each experience curve is set the same, level by level until you reach endgame content, in which each respective stat mushrooms off into separate directions. Perhaps, if they had lowered this curve, I would have enjoyed it more.

C) I like how IX dealt with political matters, if you can address them as such for that game. Under handed tactics were utilized, plenty of action was seen and at many times, scenes that followed the villain's schemes were shown, just to give you a glimpse of what to expect. However, this is realized much too slowly in XII.
 
lionheartcs said:
Just curious...of those 3 days you had the game, about how many hours did you play?
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I just did acquire Belias, but I'm unsure of how many hours in that is. At about the point in which I got to the first judge, I was more than tired of the game but I forced myself to continue...if not but a little bit further.
 
FFXII was a quality game that did many things swell, but with all of those swell things being abandoned in FFXIII for some stupid-ass reason.

The plot wasn't all that great (It was one big Star Wars rip-off), but the actual game was top-notch. Wide, open environments to explore, a shit-ton of sidequests, abilities with differences that actually matter, a certain level of challenge... none of these things present in XIII.
 
LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!

I especially loved the gameplay, not much for the story, because I actually didn't get any of it really. Of course, it also has great music, but not much people don't think so because it wasn't Nobuo. Graphics are still the best I've seen on the PS2. There were a bunch of brown of blonde haired people on the team, which I found odd, but nonetheless, I love this game
 
Well, I don't love it but I don't hate it. The characters are average, I expected a better OST, the story isn't nothing special but I love the battle system.
 
This game is flippin fantastic. I love all the games but there is something about this one that I really love, the sidequests, the batte system was just great. Im ok on the lines of story and characters...maybe it wasnt "fantasy" enough for me, yet the playability is off the hook.
 
LOVE IT!

many huge n epic map n i like it a lot...that is what i call fantasy...

the battle system is a bit creeping me out...
juz on the gambit and theyll do everything...
aww....that spoil the game....

but so far so good!
 
I'm trying so hard to get into this game, I really am. If I can get to the end of FFXIII, I'm sure I can get into this. It has far more likeable characters (Vaan aside), is far more open, and has a nicer setting in general.
 
I hate it. I don't like the license board. The characters are so lame! I hate the battle system most. I don't like the soundtracks but an exception to the final fantasy main theme. The story is not good neither bad.
 
FFXII will always have a special place in my heart. I never expected it to be one of my favourites, let alone one of the best RPGs you can purchase for the PS2. Its innovation certainly deserves to be checked out, and it does a decent job of maintaining a good blend of innovation and FF traditionalism that we're all familiar with. Okay by no means is it perfect and the favourite of mine, but it's still been one of the best outings by the currently ailing Square Enix in the recent past and for good reasons.

Let me get this out of the way. I. Hate. Vaan. Heck, Reks could have been a potentially superior protagonist in every way and he is only there for how long? 15-20mins whereas Vaan has the whole game to impress me and falls flat completely? This facade of Vaan having some importance at the beginning of the game is immediately crushed the moment Ashe and Basch enter the fray and the story revolves mainly around Ashe's own struggle to restore her homeland and stop Archadian aggression. While Ashe becomes the true main character, Vaan sticks in the sidelines observing events with hardly an ounce of intelligence with virtually zero significance. Perhaps a bit more focus later on for Vaan and Penelo could have helped, but by the end I completely failed to empathise with Vaan or like his character in any way because...there was basically none.

Vaan (and probably Penelo) aside, I enjoyed the rest of the cast. They're not the best and don't tug at your heartstrings as much, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. I like Ashe as a matter of fact. She may fall under the princess trap and get captured in cliché-land, but she is actually a rather strong woman. She isn't demure, she may be cold and angry a lot of the time, but you can understand why considering she has lost basically everything at this young age. She isn't there for ample sex appeal and beauty like other character designs I can think of and she isn't stupid. By the end you really do get the sense that she has bonded with the rest of the party and is tearful that
Balthier is apparently sacrificing himself to stop the Bahamut
. I never thought I was going to like Basch, but quickly I did. His loyal nature and the fact he wasn't the treacherous bastard I had in mind before I got the game being two of his positive qualities. I liked the chemistry between Balthier and Fran as comrades rather than just lovers or something. The focus on Fran is sadly rare outside of the Eruyt Village sidestory, and as for Balthier his witty dialogue and demeanour are just two reasons why I love this Han Solo-inspired guy.

I know many people don't like the story and in some ways I can see why. It has political mumbo-jumbo, too much running into tombs and shrines grabbing swords and bits of stones, some weird Occuria stuff and no real point of the game where it gets emotional ala FFX. Okay yes, the political stuff is not everyone's cup of tea (I myself study Politics and love it in games, sooo..) and the lack of a real love story in a long while as well as the lack of any real emotional scene are all understandable, but I liked the new direction. I liked the freshness. I grew to accept that you can tell a great story of rebellion and war in a FF game and that not everything requires a love story to keep the adventure epic. Politically-driven war stories is not for everyone sure, so this is where I fall into the camp that does love it. I never expected everyone to like it and if you don't that is absolutely fine, I won't attempt to change your minds at all. I love Ivalice. I love the many races and people running around and the feeling that you are in a living and breathing virtual world (despite its offline game nature) when you're standing in cities. Bhujerba and Archades are two of my favourite locations for good reasons. They're both stunning to look at, a pleasure to explore and are just the best examples of towns in the FF series. I wish they can bring this back in future installments. I love the intricate bits of lore and mythology in Ivalice to the point where I actively read up on everything in the bestiary. It really is possibly the most comprehensive and best universe in the FF series yet.

Gameplay is where we fall into two groups again. On one hand, many people like the innovation, the loss of random battles and the strategy you can get out of the Gambits system. On the other hand many hate this new MMO-like approach and how it dully seems to play itself. The Gambits system is pretty neat in that you can choose to use it your own way. If you want a challenge and a chance for the game not to play itself, then turn all Gambits off. If on the other hand like me you want to build up a good deck of strategies against a certain boss that for example likes inflicting status ailments on you, then some extensive tweaking with some Esuna spells and timing could really be advantageous - and ingenius to you in battle. I didn't mind the more realistic approach to battles at all. Dropping loot instead of items like swords and Gil makes sense, though I suppose the downside is I attaining Gil isn't as efficient as it used to be. Now the Licence Board I have to admit, could have been better, which they have done in the International version which we haven't seen outside of Japan. A little bit of variety between them might have been nice but overall I thought it was decent enough. It gave you an incentive to earn more LP to see what kind of equipment or augment you can "unlock" next. The random treasure thing is stupid though.

I think I've mainly covered most of what I wanted to say. In addition, I want to say that I loved the ye-olde Shakespearean kind of English. It really gives Ivalice its own distinct character and I know this baffled a lot of people but I was strangely interested in it actually. I even managed to bulk up my vocabulary a bit with some dialogue I attained from the game. :olivia:

Oh yes, I nearly forgot about the villains. I like Vayne. He isn't the next Kefka or Sephiroth or Kuja yes, but he's more realistic than his predecessors. He doesn't want to destroy the world because he doesn't have to. He can simply conquer it and wrest Occurian influence away from man. Strangely enough you can perhaps sympathise with what he wants in a similar way that in politics you sympathise with what a particular political ideological stance you support do. The Judges are just some of the best villains for me. Fantastic voice acting particularly from people like Simon Templeman (Zargabaath) and they are all distinct from each other in their own ways though I'd have wished we could see more of some of them, Drace and Zargabaath being two.

:tl;dr:
 
I have not compleated Final Fantasy XII only because the start is boring most of the people who like the game have compleated it and most the people who hate it have not compleated it mostly because of the start. I am guessing the end is really good and some day I might find out and compleate it. :)

If I had to choose between hating it and loving it I would choose love. :)

But the truth is I don't, but I don't hate it either.:gasp:

I can't understand why some people hate it. Yes it is boring at times but is'nt all games at times;)), but there are other reason's why people hate it but I think it's mostly because it's boring.:yawn:
 
I loved XII, I really liked the story, characters and battle system it's a great Final Fantasy title.

THe only thing I didn't like was the license board, I really wish the international version was released world wide and I could have used the zodiac job system.
 
Loved FFXII. The characters had issues, but the story of war and politics was rather good. I loved the liceense board system and the free wander, as well as the summons and battle system. The freedom is excellent, and it is always a thrill to go through a Quickening chain and cause all kinds of pretty explosions on the screen.
 
I hate it, it's the only Final Fantasy that I really whole hearty dislike. I'm not fond of XIII, but at least it has some loveable and emotional characters like Sazh. XII just bored me from the beginning. The opening adventure was traveling around to find some stone, or some kid or something that I didn't really care about fo the 1st hour into the game. XII just doesn't feel like a exciting storyline adventure, it doesn't really pull you in into a new and thrilling world. The whole feeling and emotion of XII is dry and lacking energy. There's nothing colourful about it.
Another reason why I dislike this game is because the towns are just too big for me. It takes me hours just to find some item place, and it just feels so legathic and time- wasting, it feels like a big giant chore. I feel like during the time I've been searching just for one place , if I was playing a different Final Fantasy, I could of escaped the evil forest, saved Vivi, fought the Black Mage, and endure in the Festival of the hunt. It just sounds like one big task.

Also another reason why I dislike this game is the characters feel like cardboard cutouts. I don't mind Vaan actually very unpopular opinion, but everybody expect Vaan and Basche feel so plastic. Bathier or whatever his name is, he's just a rebel who flirts with woman, we've seen that already in IV, VI, VIII, and IX. It's not original, and there isn't much detail to the XII crew compared to other Final Fantasies. You could chop out all of the XII crew, and the storyline in XII would be just the same, expect for the ending. They don't hold much impact. Also I hated Ashe. I thought that she was cold, rude and snobby. She could of felt like the true main character of the game, but all she did was just make me hate the game even further because of her selfish attutide.

XII I would avoid it, unless you can handle what I dislike about it.


 
contrary to you i love the scale of the game. the size of the maps creates a sense realism within the world. The constantly changing weather patterns, giving a surprise every time i entered a new area. The first time i entered the phon coast the beauty and serenity the atmosphere gave off blew me away.
The great variety of art styles i would say complement the theme of the game.
The license board was evolutionary. i felt as if i could customise my character into what ever i wanted them to be, e.g. i made Basch a caster (even though it was smarter for basch to be a tank and not a caster).
Even if I got bored there were always past times like side quests and hunts for me to finish.
Also the gameplay, even though it was not traditional Final fantasy ATB or turn based, it brought a sense of MMO into it. Also no more random encounters when i'm running to a save station / point / crystal, when i've only got one active party member remaining. I can just hold R2 and flee. no more chance of a failed run. The ability to chain quickenings was excellent. a brief moment to watch the characters spells take place. (even though the best i could do was 9) it was still a good watch.




On the other hand the game had too much grinding. and the characters and story for some reason i couldn't connect to. I was mostly confused in who the main story line was revolving around. Was the story about Vaan or was it about Ashe's quest to resolve the war? Also this was a completionist's nightmare. the amount of rare game you had to hunt. And dont forget Yiazmat a bitch to kill and an excessively long battle.
 
Love it. I believe that the battle style was fresh and the characters were unique...except for Vaan of course. I personally liked the hunts and rare-game aspect of FFXII. Not to mention the large open areas to explore with realistic scenery and such. I also like hunting down the Espers because it's kinda fun :P.
 
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