FFXII - Worth Getting?

Aztec Triogal

Aztec Triogal

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Since this topic crops up so much, I figured I'd make a topic and sticky it.

Is this game worth getting? Please post your replies so that people who cannot decide can read this to make their decisions.
 
FFXII is a good game to get if your willing to accept changes, it differs greatly from a lot of the old mechanics used in previous FF games. But its a great game to get just to see how much Final Fantasy has evolved. and its damn fun.
 
Interesting, though the story definitely fades off toward the end, whereas I would've been able to stomach a dry intro for an intense ending, but oh well.

This game is rendered with incredible visual detail, though sometimes it's a little too much attention to frivolous things.

Some highlights are the Mark system, where you basically act as a monster bounty hunter, as well as the innovative battle system.

I loved the first half, but if this weren't a Final Fantasy game, I'd have stopped playing about 3/4 of the way through.
 
Hrmm, this is quite the tough one.

I'd say it's worth getting due to the battle system and some of the characters, I guess.

The character development is not done very well, but it's pretty decent. Story line was done okay-ish, but it wasn't all there for me either.

I absolutley loved the battle system and the armour, magicks, & techniques (although I never used them). The battle system is about the only thing that kept me going.

I hated the Espers within this game. They all sucked except for about 3. They contributed nothing within the game.

Graphics are AMAZING. I love the FMV scenes (Although, I thought there were too few).

All, In all I think it's a good game to have in your collection. Not the best but certainly not the worst.
 
I would recommend this to someone who can handle change.
Alot has changed in this game, the main change was the battle system.
The game makes you walk, ALOT and it gets tiresome.
The story starts strong and fades off toward the end.

I would still reccomend it for it's pretty fun.
 
If you want beautiful graphics, a kick in your face opening FMV, exploration taken to new levels - no longer are you stuck with walking over the same bit of land for hours on end, a massive amount of sidequests and a powerful storyline centered on war, then this is the game for you.

Music in this game may not be peoples cup of tea, but for me it is refreshing, and contrary to popular belief, is not CRAP. Orchestrated music works a treat.

Though money doesn't immediately drop out of a monster now, you can still make money pretty easily, and earn great Bazaar deals by selling loot from defeated monsters - you can buy monographs to increase rare loot dropped by monsters.

Voice acting is brilliant, some voices, a bit off - you can't go wrong with the Judges however, as their voices capture their personalities extremely well.

There are a reasonable amount of FMV's, but there could have been more - some could replace the cutscenes of some more dramatic moments, but the cutscenes did well capturing that special moment.

Get it, or at least rent it. If you are a true FF fan, you'll do your best to try every game, if there are no obstacles in the way.
 
It's worth getting, yes. There's a lot of changes, but it can be a good thing for most people. Personally, playing the game once is enough for me. While I found the graphics beautiful, some of the characters just didn't appeal to me, nor the gameplay overall.

Don't get me wrong...there's a lot of good stuff, such as many sidequests and cool FMV scenes. The espers looked awesome too, although I found them useless in battle. =/

Anyway, I'd still get the game if I were you...

 
Yes, I'd still get the game. There are alot of changes some for the good and some for the worst but, it's still a good game. At least play through it once. It's worth that.
 
I'm gonna be awkward.

I used to like the game, and now I've become bored probably not even half way through, sure it's good for a while, it made me go "Oooh, not bad" however, now I am bored, there is no real development of the plot, or the characters. The whole thing feels very samey, Dungeon after Dungeon after Dungeon, the only time you aren't is when you travel to ANOTHER dungeon.

The characters don't really change, they're all so plain they have no spirit nothing makes them seem real and makes you want to well up inside, or lol at it.

Then again maybe I've changed along with my tastes, it was all a bit 1 dimensional for my likeing.

So no I wouldn't reccommend it
 
It's worth getting, and I love this game.

+ The graphics are visually stunning; look for aesthetic surprises in your surroundings and you'll see really great things absent from the series so far.

+ There's lots of things to do in this game that it's quite hard to follow the storyline (if and when you get bored of the plot :rolleyes: ) what with all the stuff like Mark Hunting and Esper Hunting.

+ Battle System is quite good if you like change. It allows greater freedom and ease but at the same time stems away from the you-control-it party.

- Character Voice-Acting, though obviously better than X's, some of the voice actors did a poor job (Vaan :monster:) but otherwise, I'm on the fence about this topic. :\

- Storyline. It just moves at such a fast pace.
 
Even though the plot and characters are more drab than exciting, it is definitely worth getting. The gameplay is absolutely amazing and I loved the size and grandeur of the battles. Despite all the complaining I do about this game it is worth the money. I don't regret the purchase at all. Neither will you if you pick up this title... hopefully.
 
Pros and Cons:
​

+ Great battle system, it's nice to pick and choose enemies to fight (helps with chains, leveling, etc)...dont avoid battles altogether though, that's bad

- Takes fucking forever to level up, enemies dont give enough EXP

+ Story moves fairly slow, but has some highlights to it such as Dr. Cid and the Occurians

- Character development is non-existent. Balthier, Basch, and Fran have decent backstories, but throughout the game the characters in your party just act like estranged acquaintances

+ Locations are some of the most gorgeous i've seen in any game

- A few locals seem rehashed, like how the Paramina Rift resembles Mt. Gagazet too much

+ Huge weapon/armour variety, can change or mix "classes" at any time

- Weapons/armour cost too much, plus you have to buy technicks and magicks now too

+ Bazaar system is a great way to get some awesome items (like the bubble belt which doubles HP)

- Bazaar can also be needlessly complicated, finding items for recipes is tedious

+ Tons of sidequests to do, mainly the hunts and hidden espers but there are some more thrown in there

- Some things you will not be able to complete unless you follow a guide from the very beginning (the Zodiac Spear and July the Streatear sidequest come to mind)

+ Voice acting is superb, much improved over X

- Summons are completely useless, as in, they're pretty to look at but suck

There's plenty of things in this game to love, and plenty to hate. I'm very bipolar with this game, one moment i'm loving it, the next i'm yelling at it. I do recommend getting it, but dont buy it until it drops to about $20, it's not worth any more than that.
 
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VengefulRonin said:
Pros and Cons:​



+ Great battle system, it's nice to pick and choose enemies to fight (helps with chains, leveling, etc)...dont avoid battles altogether though, that's bad

- Takes fucking forever to level up, enemies dont give enough EXP

+ Story moves fairly slow, but has some highlights to it such as Dr. Cid and the Occurians

- Character development is non-existent. Balthier, Basch, and Fran have decent backstories, but throughout the game the characters in your party just act like estranged acquaintances

+ Locations are some of the most gorgeous i've seen in any game

- A few locals seem rehashed, like how the Paramina Rift resembles Mt. Gagazet too much

+ Huge weapon/armour variety, can change or mix "classes" at any time

- Weapons/armour cost too much, plus you have to buy technicks and magicks now too

+ Bazaar system is a great way to get some awesome items (like the bubble belt which doubles HP)

- Bazaar can also be needlessly complicated, finding items for recipes is tedious

+ Tons of sidequests to do, mainly the hunts and hidden espers but there are some more thrown in there

- Some things you will not be able to complete unless you follow a guide from the very beginning (the Zodiac Spear and July the Streatear sidequest come to mind)

+ Voice acting is superb, much improved over X

- Summons are completely useless, as in, they're pretty to look at but suck

There's plenty of things in this game to love, and plenty to hate. I'm very bipolar with this game, one moment i'm loving it, the next i'm yelling at it. I do recommend getting it, but dont buy it until it drops to about $20, it's not worth any more than that.
Click to expand...

Lovely info you have there, Venge. I would really base my opinions off that.

Anywho, If you're a first time player, this is sooo not the game to get. If you are a FF fan and you just want to play this game I suggest you rent it.
 
If you liked FF VII - X then yes this game is worth buying and beating. I think this game was the weakest of the main serries, but still fun for any hardcore FF fan. The only thing about the game that is a drawback imo, is the fighting system. It's much different from the original style of fighting.

Come to think of it, I also dislike the Class system. (been a while since I played, i can't remember what it's called) Instead of having one character that's a warrior, or a healer, or a mage. You can choose whichever class you would like for your characters to be. I just made them all hardcore warriors and gave them all the best armor and weapons.

Other than that, all in all, It's an enjoyable game.
 
Hayate said:
Lovely info you have there, Venge. I would really base my opinions off that.

Anywho, If you're a first time player, this is sooo not the game to get. If you are a FF fan and you just want to play this game I suggest you rent it.
Click to expand...

I thought i stated things fairly well *shrugs*

And the game is WAY too long to be a rental.
 
Key:
Pros in Green
Cons in Lavender

I personally am a little bit torn between both sides on FFXII. I thought the gameplay was absolutely amazing, and it's very interactive and fun.!

The game starts off rather slow; it takes a while to get the hang of things. The first city is actually really big; I got lost quite a few times in Rabanastre during my first play! The good thing about this game though, is that you aren't confined to any specific area during any point in the game. You can travel the world map virtually any time you want; even within minutes of starting the game.

What bothered me the most however, was that the story was too compact. If you're in it for the story, this might not be the game for you. It's much more sci-fi/realistic than it is Fantasy. They gave the game sort of a Star Wars meets Lord of the Rings mix. "The Empire", the flying ships, the political parties...it's all a very boring mix if you ask me. Not to mention that the game is too rushed. There are a few different points in the game in which the plot is compacted into a 5-10 page summary that you have to read! That's right! You have to read what happens in the story, instead of playing through the events like you would in any normal game!

The gameplay and graphics are breathtaking. There are some points in the game where you just have to stop and peer over the edge of a cliff to take in the beauty. If that's not your thang, then maybe the gameplay will capture you. It's very hands on and fun in my opinion, but some people do think otherwise.
You can control the camera angle at all times, no matter where you're at, by using the right analog stick.
You can choose to avoid or approach enemies because they're visible on the screen at all times; no "SPSHHHHHhh dun dun dun!" random battles.
The battle system ensues the whole traditional "ATB" feature. The perk is that you can literally guide your character anywhere on the battlefield at any time. Battles are almost completely first person.

There are a few different "iffy" factors here and there about this game. Some people think it plays too much like an MMORPG. It does actually...it's very much like an online roleplay, but...it's just not online, that's all! XD
Another "iffy" factor involves the character interaction, and character development. The characters don't have much personal interaction with one another. You don't really see any personal, friendly, or romantic relationships grow in this game. In fact, I think they only talk to each other when necessary, and they're only traveling together because they have to...kind of...maybe? I'm not sure why they're traveling together actually.
One more thing.
There is no main character. I'm not quite sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing really. This aspect really didn't have any impact on me whatsoever. I thought that the characters were so non-interactive and dull that I didn't really care who the main character was. You can literally play with any character that you want throughout the entire game.


Overall, I give FFXII a 6.8/10 for good effort.
 
I think it is definately worth the buy. I just recently picked it up, and I put down. I love the battle system, mostly because it reminds me so much of KOTOR1 and 2. The lisence system also works for me, it reminds of the sphere grid.

I just love the game period. I cant wait to see how the story unfolds.
 
Here's my experience with FFXII.

I'm at the end of the game. I don't know why Van is even in this game. I don't see a point. I'm struggling for a reason to care at this stage. I'm tired of hack and slashing and I don't want to go explore everywhere I haven't been cause, knowing this game, the stages will be gigantic and it will piss me off imensely. I could attempt to find all those other summons, though I don't need them. The side quests! There we go...no, I don't need anything else, I'm basically ready to get this over with.

So, do I go to the Bahamut, build levels, or just explore and do all the side shit?

None of the above. I sell the game to buy 3 packs of smokes.

I now fear that Final Fantasy is ruined forever. FF isn't about hack'n'slash. I should want to beat the game. I should be inspired about the characters and actually give a shit about what's going on. Bring me back the good ol' turnbase, shitty graphics, and some of the best damn games ever created.
 
+ It has a great (mature) storyline. The voice acting is superb. There are tons of sidequests as well as entertaining mini-games. Finally, the battle system and gameplay are thoroughly enjoyable to use.

 - The character development/interaction lacks, some important elements to the storyline go unanswered and ultimately the ending fails to deliver for such an epic opening to the game.

 In short, it’s still a great game and definitely worth getting.
 
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