I know people who have quit

XII doesn't lack a good story, it just lacks a strong emotional influence (like a running love subplot) that the FF titles usually have.

If you stand back and look at the whole of XII, it really is an epic storyline, with epic characters... it just so happens that the main character (and his sidekick) has little reason to be there as he sorta just got thrown into the mix. But with everyone else having dramtic histories that ahve lead them where they are, it still pushed the story forward, and brings about a great plot...

I would say the only problem with the storyline is that it feels like its just the final couple acts of an epic play... or the last installment of a wider trilogy... seriously, think about it.

The first part of the trilogy was basically told very quickly with the prologue, which included the intro FMV and the Reks tutorial storyline. The second part was esentailly tossed out the window and only referenced by characters, it being the whole REistance thing with Ashe, Vossler and what not... and then the third part is what the game is actually made of.

It may seem like bad storytelling, but regardless, that doesn't mean it is... flawed maybe, but not exactly bad. The story is still grand, and epic... we just don't have all the build up.

It would be as if FF7 had begun with Cloud in the mental hospital, and everything before that was just mentioned or shown in an FMV... or if FF8 had started with Galbadia and Balamb Gardens preparing to go to war with each other, and everything before that was shown through FMVs and a playable tutorial (which would've likely been the Edea assassination attempt).

What I'm trying to say is... it tells a whole story, theres just a big chunk of between the opening and the introduction of the main character tha isn't directly shown.

If you can look at it like that, you can see the whole story, and appreciate it for what it is. Like I said, it doesn't have the emotional strength other FF
titles have, but that doesn't mean its a bad story. I though it worked just fine... was absolutely brilliant with the lack of love, and everything else, such as gameplay made up for what it lacked in good build up.

And ultimately, regardless of what fanboys (like you or I) say or think, the fact of the matter is that FF12 was the best reviewed FF title since FF7, which tells the gaming industry that FF did something right, and tells Square Enix that they made some good calls in their decisions... whether we agree with them or not, the fact is still simply that, as far as reception and the gaming community en mass is concerned... FF12 was a great game.

But there is no accounting for personal opinions, thus the flack it gets from some FF fans.
 
I didn't like the story to FFXII... It seemed too much of a Star Wars rip-off, in my opinion.

I also didn't like the fact that you had to travel for so damn long. Places such as the Nam and Ogir-Yensa Sandsea, and having to travel EXTREMELY far to places like Giruvegan and all, it just got way too tedious. And, the characters weren't all that great. Only characters on it I could say I really liked were Basch and Balthier...

I still haven't gotten round to completing this game yet. I just decided I couldn't be bothered when Balthier described the path to Giruvegan. I didn't wanna go through all that, so. :neomon:
 
I played it for several hours and quit. Gave the game to someone who may appreciate it more than I do. Everything in that game felt like a chore to me. The characters were bland and the story was dull, in my opinion.

Besides, I got Gears of War shortly after buying FFXII. Even if I loved the game as much as, say, FFVII or FFX, it still would have taken the back seat to other games.
 
I quit at Tiamat, I just got so bored of it, the battle system isn't that great. You can set it up so you do nothing for the entire of the battle. The characters were dull, I couldn't get into them at all.

Sure it was shiny, but that's it.
 
When I just got the game I gave up at the part when you have to run around in Leviathan with Imperials after you. It was really funny actually. My boyfriend came over and I wanted to show him how much pissed I was at the game. So I was running around and somehow I managed to complete my mission. Since then I haven't given up once.

Now I can't find that bloody sword that Ashe needs. I followed the directions but I couldn't find it. I haven't played FFXII since last week.
 
I got really far in this game, but got to a point where I just couldn't be arsed going through all the traveling I had to at that point.


And, the Leviathan part was a right bore, also. >_<;
 
I believe that what people did not like was the amount of political elements present in the storyline, which is something quite fresh in modern FF games. Still, it is not the first time this political concept was introduce, because VIII also had a politics theme in their storyline. Remember Galbadia, Dollet, Balamb and all those towns? They had their own government and heck, even the leader of Galbadia is called a "President".

FFXII is not the usual, heroic storyline of the "cool dude saves pretty girl", or the common "love story" of previous FF games. I really enjoyed the game, mainly due to the role Archadia and the antagonists played in the game, which kind of compensated Ashe's idiocy.

The storyline of FFXII had a great potential, sadly it was spoiled by adding characters with no apparent dept of development, like "Ashe".

The following characters were great:
-Judge Bergan
-Judge Drace
-Judge Gabranth
-Judge Ghis
-Judge Zargabaath
-Judge Zecht-
Reddas
-Vayne Carudas Solidor
-Larsa Ferrinas Solidor
-Emperor Gramis Gama Solidor
-Basch Rosenburg
-Balthier
-Fran


Others were ok, except Ashe :brooding:
 
Julius Argexis said:
I believe that what people did not like was the amount of political elements present in the storyline, which is something quite fresh in modern FF games. Still, it is not the first time this political concept was introduce, because VIII also had a politics theme in their storyline. Remember Galbadia, Dollet, Balamb and all those towns? They had their own government and heck, even the leader of Galbadia is called a "President".

FFXII is not the usual, heroic storyline of the "cool dude saves pretty girl", or the common "love story" of previous FF games. I really enjoyed the game, mainly due to the role Archadia and the antagonists played in the game, which kind of compensated Ashe's idiocy.

The storyline of FFXII had a great potential, sadly it was spoiled by adding characters with no apparent dept of development, like "Ashe".

The following characters were great:
-Judge Bergan
-Judge Drace
-Judge Gabranth
-Judge Ghis
-Judge Zargabaath
-Judge Zecht-
Reddas
-Vayne Carudas Solidor
-Larsa Ferrinas Solidor
-Emperor Gramis Gama Solidor
-Basch Rosenburg
-Balthier
-Fran


Others were ok, except Ashe :brooding:
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Politics are fine in a game, it was just really fucking boring politics.
 
Althea said:
What's wrong with Ashe?
Click to expand...
Reasons for her lack of importance aside from being the daughter of King Raminas:
-Lack of leadership qualities
-Her character is simply dull, lacks deeper development.
-Far more annoying than Rinoa.
-Her motivations to strike down the empire were no better than Vayne's reasons to take down the tyranny of the gods.
-She is most likely a pawn of the Ocurria until she realized their intentions towards humanity.
 
Althea said:
Now I can't find that bloody sword that Ashe needs. I followed the directions but I couldn't find it. I haven't played FFXII since last week.
Click to expand...

The Sword of the King? In the Stilshrine of Miriam up on Mt Bur Omisace?
I can help you... just PM me and I'll tell you what you need to do.
 
Captain Basch said:
The first part of the trilogy was basically told very quickly with the prologue, which included the intro FMV and the Reks tutorial storyline. The second part was esentailly tossed out the window and only referenced by characters, it being the whole REistance thing with Ashe, Vossler and what not... and then the third part is what the game is actually made of.

It may seem like bad storytelling, but regardless, that doesn't mean it is... flawed maybe, but not exactly bad. The story is still grand, and epic... we just don't have all the build up.
Click to expand...

So basically you've just summed up one of my feelings about XII: I love the world of Ivalice, and there is such a rich history presented in XII, not just with humes but with the struggle between the Occuria and Espers. Only problem is, you barely get a sense of any of that because it's learned through the clan primer. The story presented in XII does the entire world of Ivalice a huge injustice.

What I'm trying to say is... it tells a whole story, theres just a big chunk of between the opening and the introduction of the main character tha isn't directly shown.
Click to expand...
That just makes me more annoyed with SE. As a long-time FF fan, I kind of expect to get better storytelling than that.

And ultimately, regardless of what fanboys (like you or I) say or think, the fact of the matter is that FF12 was the best reviewed FF title since FF7, which tells the gaming industry that FF did something right, and tells Square Enix that they made some good calls in their decisions... whether we agree with them or not, the fact is still simply that, as far as reception and the gaming community en mass is concerned... FF12 was a great game.
Click to expand...
No. It shows how biased the industry can be and how a name like SE can make people blind (or they just weren't allowed to give it a bad review). Have the fans given the game a unanimous perfect score? I think not.

The Welsh Paddy said:
I also didn't like the fact that you had to travel for so damn long. Places such as the Nam and Ogir-Yensa Sandsea, and having to travel EXTREMELY far to places like Giruvegan and all, it just got way too tedious.
Click to expand...

Thus why people like to call it a single-player MMO. I'm all for exploration, but XII just plain overdid it. Even with the teleport crystals there was still a ton of ground to cover, and probably half of the crystals you came across in the game weren't capable of teleportation.

Julius Argexis said:
I believe that what people did not like was the amount of political elements present in the storyline, which is something quite fresh in modern FF games.
Click to expand...

God I absolutely love it when XII fans make that argument, cuz then I can just mention Tactics and that completely shatters the argument. Tactics had a better told political story, a much more engaging plot, excellent characters and development, AND it even managed to fit a little love element in there too.

"What? All that in a game revolving around politics, you say? That cannot possibly be so!"
Why yes, good sir, it's hard to believe but it's true! Go play the game, come back and compare it to XII's miserable excuse for a political storyline. Then you'll see why Tactics has the best storyline of any FF in my opinion, and why XII fails in comparison.
 
I had the same problem as you and many others. When I first got the game, I was really excited, but within about 3 hours I was not into the game as I was with the previous ones. After about a total of 10 hours playing, I stopped for about 4 months. I went back to it, and ended up playing it to the end. For me, it didn't really start getting interesting until about 15 hours in, but then after that I did enjoy.

Try playing again when you are in the mood for it, but don't force yourself as you'll just end up hating it.
 
The beginning is boring as hell, up until about where Captain Basch said.

I've been playing this game on and off for six months, and still haven't beaten it... You just have to be in the mood to play it, I think.
 
I know a few people who have said this same thing, and what I tell them is to not put it down for a long time. If you start it up, put it down and ignore it for a few weeks or months, you won't get back into it since you now have a break in the story.

For me it really picked up when i got to Phon Coast. There is a small cut-scene that switches to Balthier and you learn a little bit more about his past and who he really is. That part got me definitely more hooked on the game and I rode that high out until the end of the game.
 
Yaaay, Mikeuk and I share the same opinion. :D

But really, chug through a little more to see if you like it. For me, I loved the intro FMVs, but it was a slow start for me as well once you go and hunt your first mark. It picks back up a bit though, but you have to get through some battling stuff for the 'storyline' to continue on.

Really, I had lost interest by Phon Coast, but I plugged through the entire game with some apathy just so I could see if the ending was worth it, and it was. Give the game a couple more gameplay hours before deciding whether or not to throw it back onto the rack to collect dust.
 
I just cannot understand why the thoughts on XII are so divided. =S

For me, the game only gets better as your time clocks up and I could barely think that's possible. What more can you ask for from a game? An unbelievably hooking story? Nah, got that. A (relatively full) cast of characters of whom you can easily become a fan? Woops, look what else we've got. A revamped battle system AND an upgraded levelling system from the flawed Sphere Grid? Oh my lord, SE included that, too!

You see where I'm going with this. :wacky:

The only bad word I have to say against XII is how utterly useless Vaan was to the story but you can see my other thread for that.
 
The way you're playing the game might be affecting your enjoyment. On my first playthrough I didn't get too engaged either, because I only had time to play it in very short bursts; consequently the storyline didn't connect as well as in my second playthrough, where I was able to play in longer installments.

The gameplay also kind of creates this same disjoined effect with the plot - I feel like I had to stop so often to level up that I would forget what was going on in the story, which is definitely frustrating. It's way too easy to be under-leveled in FFXII - sometimes I'd be sick of training and just run through the dungeon/field avoiding monsters so I could advance the plot. But of course, this would screw me over as the plot would then come to a complete standstill while I'd be trapped on an airship, unable to defeat anything.

As for the actual script, I do think that the lack of a definite traditional "hero/heroine" hurts some of the game's ability to connect to players. In addition, the story kind of peters out towards the end. I really wish they'd just stuck with a mainly political plot; the supernatural aspect of it with the gods and whatnot (and especially Vayne's last form) just seemed extremely forced.
 
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