Final Fantasy XII (12) first PS2 game I beat

[Gamerforlife]

Yeah, I think most people knew FF XII had MMO elements, but it was kind of original for the time to have a jrpg incorporate those elements, especially when you consider the vast ocean of differences between PC rpgs and Japanese rpgs

I kind of like the direction combat has gone in with this franchise in recent years. I made some sports analogies with FF XII about how you play coach by giving your party (a.k.a. team) gambits to use (a.k.a. plays). I think FF XIII took this idea and just alternated your role from coach to quarterback, since you were always manually in control of one of your party members, issuing out plays (what the game calls paradigms) to the other AI controlled characters to use while being out in the field in the middle of all the action yourself and contributing to the team effort

[brunoafh]

What's your point?

That "about 90 percent of what you see Xenoblade do as a game is copy and pasted from FF XII" is far from "truth".

[pierrot]

In terms of console RPGs, I see nothing wrong with that statement. FFXII is an emulation of a multiplayer experience in a single-player game. The only thing that the battle system shares with an MMO, is automatic attacking once engaged with an enemie, in real-time battle.

[Xeogred]

Good game, but should've been called Vagrant Story II.

Cracks me up ZeroAX that this was your first time beating a PS2 game, considering this game is freaking long lol. I never finished it because the 10+ hour portions of no story made it drag for me eventually, but I got 50+ some hours in and so overall, I consider it solid. But I agree with bruno about the identity crisis issue. Frankly unless it's brought up specifically, whenever I think of FF this one never really registers in my mind at all. It's case #18329 (which began from FFIX and up) of a game that just simply shouldn't have had the Final Fantasy name tacked on.

It is worth noting that the creative director Matsuno had to leave production a chunk into the game because he got sick or something, so fans sometimes consider that being why the story and some ideas fell short, he himself even came out and apologized I believe. Otherwise this guy usually knows what's up with games, from the Ogre Battle / Tactics Ogre series, FFT, and Vagrant Story, all really good standout stories in the ocean of JRPG's. So it's almost like I want this guy to take another shot at FF if he can stick around for the whole thing.

FFXIII was a LEAP backwards in every sense imaginable. Don't even get me started on how much it pissed me off not being able to set rules for the AI to follow, or even change up the priority of spells, and I'd take no story over explosive melodrama diarrhea. Just had to, lol.

And just no at the Xenoblade comparison, seriously. Most of Tri-Ace's games, Tales, Grandia, etc and 1,000 other JRPG's out there could be compared to both. It was nothing new for either game. So just... STOP.

[Gamerforlife]

And just no at the Xenoblade comparison, seriously. Most of Tri-Ace's games, Tales, Grandia, etc and 1,000 other JRPG's out there could be compared to both. It was nothing new for either game. So just... STOP.

Aside from a few combat quirks and the affinity system, EVERYTHING Xenoblade does is like FF XII. And I've played Tri Ace games, Tales of Symphonia and Grandia I and II. They are NOTHING like FF XII and Xenoblade, so they are irrelevant to the discussion

I am VERY specific when describing games. You guys are making generalizations.

[pierrot]

Frankly unless it's brought up specifically, whenever I think of FF this one never really registers in my mind at all. It's case #18329 (which began from FFIX and up) of a game that just simply shouldn't have had the Final Fantasy name tacked on.

Would you mind expounding on this? Because to me, IX and XI are more deserving of the Final Fantasy name than VI-VIII. If one wants to be a traditionalist, the titles in the series that people espouse as "Final Fantasy" are hardly Final Fantasy.

FFXIII was a LEAP backwards in every sense imaginable. Don't even get me started on how much it pissed me off not being able to set rules for the AI to follow, or even change up the priority of spells, and I'd take no story over explosive melodrama diarrhea. Just had to, lol.

This is hyperbole, and I think it should stop. I can understand not being infatuated with the story, or the linearity of the first half of the game. I can even understand not being comfortable with some of the other standards of the genre the game does away with. These are not reasons to sell the game so short. I do think there are things that could have been done better, but the battles are actually something inventive, and fun, while necessitating tactics, even if uncomplicated through a good portion of the game.

And people say Sonic fans are difficult to please.

And just no at the Xenoblade comparison, seriously. Most of Tri-Ace's games, Tales, Grandia, etc and 1,000 other JRPG's out there could be compared to both. It was nothing new for either game. So just... STOP.

That's a hard sell, I think. There may be some small commonalities, but the battle system in FF XII is very clearly meant to evoke characteristics of MMORPGs, not turn-based RPGs with freely moving characters.

[MrEco]

FFXIII was a LEAP backwards in every sense imaginable. The gameplay actually tried something new instead of playing it safe, and I don't like change. And the story had the same melodrama as all of them since VII, but it gives me something more to complain about and those ones had nostalgia attached to their stories. Just had to, lol.

Oh, so you have the same well thought out complaints as half the internet?

[Xeogred]

I'm just tired of you guys always having to bring up Xenoblade in a FFXII discussion or vice versa. I only see it here, seriously. So yeah I'm pointing fingers. Xenoblade is more comparable to all those games than FFXII though, I'll give you that.

I beat FFXIII and played enough to take down those giant dinosaur things eventually and just had to grind more for trophies if I wanted to keep going. So I'd say my issues with the game are sound considering I completed nearly all of it, I guess it was one of those cases of not having anything else to play at the time. But can you guys honestly tell me you never once died due to someone being healed instead of the main character? It irked me to no end that I could not edit the order of buffs/debuffs being cast among many other things. Sorry for the shot at the story or whatever, but gameplay wise I stand by my statement and think it was a step backwards in many ways. The flashiness was shallow in the long run.

Would you mind expounding on this? Because to me, IX and XI are more deserving of the Final Fantasy name than VI-VIII. If one wants to be a traditionalist, the titles in the series that people espouse as "Final Fantasy" are hardly Final Fantasy.

I meant to type FFXI. At the very least FFXI should not have been included in the main line and FFXII shouldn't have been either. But hey, slap the name on everything and it sells. The echoes of the Final Fantasy name popping up used to be a huge event, now I just wish it'd go away.

And that's my story for this thread. I'll go away now, already posted my thoughts on FFXII above. Maybe I'll replay it and finish it someday. I wish we got the international version though, the job system being thrown in it sounds pretty weird.

[Jmustang1968]

I enjoy this game as well. I like the more serious and political story and most of the characters.

I enjoy the gameplay. It has some 'similarities' to MMO gameplay, but also very different from it as well. Playing a game like FFXI and WoW is a much different experience than playing FFXII. I think I have this ranked 5th in my FF rankings.

[pierrot]

But can you guys honestly tell me you never once died due to someone being healed instead of the main character? It irked me to no end that I could not edit the order of buffs/debuffs being cast among many other things.

Yeah, I honestly never died from that. I only died a handful of times, and it was always from being in the wrong paradigm, or fighting turtles / giant cactaur. You're not supposed to use the same character as the leader at all times.

Would you mind expounding on this? Because to me, IX and XI are more deserving of the Final Fantasy name than VI-VIII. If one wants to be a traditionalist, the titles in the series that people espouse as "Final Fantasy" are hardly Final Fantasy.

I meant to type FFXI. At the very least FFXI should not have been included in the main line and FFXII shouldn't have been either. But hey, slap the name on everything and it sells. The echoes of the Final Fantasy name popping up used to be a huge event, now I just wish it'd go away.

I don't disagree that XI and XII (and XIII) would have been better received by fans if they weren't numbered, but should that really mean anything? The naming should be no merit/demerit on the game itself. XI is a wildly popular MMO, anyway, though. It's mostly people who have never played it who feel like it's such a let down. I understand not particularly caring for MMORPGs, but i maintain that XI is not that out of place in the numbered series. I also won't disagree that they could have just as easily called it "Final Fantasy Online." Either way, I don't think it really matters.