One of my reasons for laying off the blogging for a bit was to finish Final Fantasy XII. Now, at 10:40pm, I’ve got a little bit of breathing room before I tackle my next game, Final Fantasy XIII. (my order has been delayed).
So what of this 3-year old Playstation 2 game? To sum it up, I think Final Fantasy XII is “Final Fantasy Done Right”. I’m not going to go into a review or anything, but more like pick out the concepts that made XII one of the better games in the series.
So why did I choose to play FFXII now? When I first got the game 3 years ago, I played about 38 hours of it before I was suddenly stopped and never got back to it. Now, with FFXIII on the horizon, I figured that I needed to get to it and beat it. Otherwise the HD graphics of FXIII would surely dampen my enjoyment of FFXII. When I had put FFXII higher on my priority list, one of the things I committed to was “Any new game purchase immediately gets top priority”. I was in the midst of completing Muramasa, and FFXII was on the list right after Assassin’s Creed II. AC2 took longer than I thought, and between then, I purchased Zelda Spirit Tracks, Silent Hill Shattered Memories and Bayonetta. Never before had I been playing games like a fiend for the sake of completing them as my priority as opposed to enjoyment; though enjoy them I did. So why do I choose to blog about FFXII? I like it that much.
The thing I found incredibly compelling about FFXII is the combat system. Square Enix completely did away with random encounters, and opted for a very MMO-like combat engine derived from FFXI most likely. While FFXI was severely lacking, FFXII’s offline MMO engine was very well polished, simplified, and worked incredibly well.
The AI-control was very customizable, and rarely strayed from what I had programmed it to do. It’s much more advanced than the silly AI control for Tales games, and saved my ass more times than I can count. There are some flaws though – the Gambits were somewhat simplistic. There were some tasks I wanted to automate, but wasn’t able to because the game didn’t have gambits like that. It wouldn’t have been too complicated to implement either. I would have liked a more if>then>else system, or more special gambits to program the AI NOT to do certain things (like “Foe: Absorbs Fire, don’t cast Fire”, coupled with Foe: Any, cast Fire.” a “Foe: Has no item, do not steal”)
Overall though, the Gambits served their purpose fairly well. I did find myself turning them all off for the last battle though.
The abandoning of random encounters was a welcome change. No longer did combat seem like a chore, or a grind. In fact, I’ve never had so much fun grinding in an RPG.
Overall, the gameplay was fantastic, the boss fights were epic, and the world was vast to travel in.
The other thing that I liked about FFXII was the world. The very atmosphere and premise fit so nicely with what I believe should be the Final Fantasy theme. Ivalice is quite different in style than most of the other Final Fantasy games, drawing only to Final Fantasy Tactics, and its predecessor – Vagrant Story. The old 16-bit games don’t really count because the styles were a bit more ambiguous.
While Final Fantasy’s Japanese title literally translates to Space Warriors, FFXII’s world was very medieval, but still had just the right amount of technology – it was industrial-like with rough edges, unlike the ridiculously impractical looking FFVIII technology, or the overly industrial FFVII. Both FFVII and FFVIII conflicted with the idea of swords coexisting with guns as practical weapons, where as in FFXII, the guns were 1800’s style and worked well. Seeing where FFXIII goes into the FFVIII style technology makes me cringe. I really want more Ivalice.
The story of Final Fantasy XII is simple – a princess backed by a resistance group attempts to overthrow the empire and stop them from taking over the world. Sound familiar? That’s because it was started in 1977 with Star Wars.
Take a look at this humorous youtube video:
[pro-player]=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp62xCxPwF8[/pro-player]
Someone took various footage from FFXII, and spliced it together to fit with a scene from Star Wars.
It’s surprisingly close!
Let’s take a look at some of the characters of Star Fantasy XII:
Vaan – Pretty much the first character you play as. It seems at the time that he’s the main character, living a fairly normal life, dreaming of bigger things. Parents are dead of course. He later gets thrust into a crazy adventure that he didn’t plan on, and ultimately plays a part in saving the world. He even gets a mentor along the way! You’d think that he’s Luke Skywalker, but unfortunately, his role as the main character pretty much disappears as soon as his big adventure starts. He just ends up along for the ride.
Penelo – I can’t really say who Penelo represents in terms of a Star Wars character. Maybe C3P0 fits the bill, as she’s Vaan’s companion throughout the adventure. She does require saving at some point, much like how C3P0 gets rescued. Her character is fairly flat, with no real special personality traits. Like Vaan, she ends up being just along for the ride.
Balthier – He’s got an interesting “Ladies Man” personality, is a sky pirate, and flies one of the fastest ships this side of the galaxy. He’s also got bounty hunters after him. Right from the get-go, his closest match is Han Solo. Just like Han, money is his thing. Anytime there’s treasure involved, he’s up for it. He does however, take up some of the other roles from Star Wars characters, especially in the latter half of the game. One such is his hatred for his father who works for the Empire. He ends up confronting him late in the game. And then he’s also Vaan’s mentor, though this role was rarely emphasized. Out of all the male characters, his was probably the most developed.
Fran – Balthier’s partner in crime and co-pilot, she left her home to learn about the world. She’s your Chewbacca. Her kind, the Viera, live in trees, with architectural design so similar to the Wookies, you’d think they hired Wookies to build it. Their weapons of choice include bows and crossbows, they are a tribe, and they exile/banish those who do not follow their way of life or leave the tribe never to return. Chewbacca’s growls of “I have a bad feeling about this.” is even similar to Fran’s “The mist here is thick…” Honestly, the only difference between the Viera and Wookies is that Vieras are damn sexy. Their god obviously knew what they were doing when they created them.
Ashe – Princess Ashe’s objective is to stop the Empire, and bring peace back to her homeland. After her home was invaded, she had no choice but to flee. Rumors spread that she was dead. Vaan, Balthier and Fran rescue Ashe early on in the story, and from that point on, everything that happens revolves around her. She seems to show some affection towards the male characters, but not so much of a romantic one.
Basch – Rumored to have killed the king of Dalmasca, and died, he was imprisoned and tortured. His charge after being rescued was to protect Ashe. Near the end, he faces against his former colleague Gabranth, in a duel to the finish. He’s your Obi-Wan, except he doesn’t train Vaan to any effect. His character is just as flat as Penelo, as he doesn’t have any other motivation than protecting Ashe.
Gabranth – Works for the Empire as a Judge. He gets sent out on certain high-profile tasks by Vayne. In the finale of the game, Gabranth fights Basch, and after that, defects from Vayne’s side in order to protect Larsa. He’s pretty much Darth Vader.
Cid – Balthier’s father, he plays an integral role in putting the wheels in motion for the story. He’s basically the cause of the war. Balthier’s face-off with him could be considered Luke and Darth Vader’s battle, but unlike Darth Vader, Cid never waivers from his objective, and remains evil. To that effect, and his role in the story, he’s a lot more like Emperor Palpatine.
Vayne – He inherits the throne to the Empire, and pretty much runs martial law, dissolving the senate, and taking full control. In more ways than one, he’s the Emperor Palpatine. Outside of the political actions, he’s not much more than that.
Other similarities:
The Bahamut – unlike other Final Fantasy games, the summon names are actually names of ships. The Bahamut being the ultimate big one. It’s basically the Death Star, complete with big-ass death beam. It takes its time and approaches the city of Dalmasca as everyone tries to stop it. (Well, it’s not quite like that. More like Dalmasca ends up being the battlefield between the Resistance and the Empire).
The Strahl – Balthier and Fran’s ship. The Millenium Falcon. Enough said. Even its take-off is ripped off from Star Wars!
Sky City Bhujerba – Cloud City rip-off. Both were promised neutrality and freedom from the Empire for their “resources” if the best was given to the Empire. And both were back-stabbed, and ended up helping the Rebels escape in the end.
Does this mean FFXII is a rip-off of Star Wars? Actually no. While the higher levels of the story seem very similar, and there are even similarities between characters, it’s quite a different story because of the way the game plays it out. You’ll laugh and enjoy the similarities though.
Overall, I’d have to say that FFXII is one of the best Final Fantasy games I’ve played in a LONG time. The atmosphere is amazing, the world is well imagined, the style is perfect, the characters are stylish, and the combat is outstanding. FFXIII may have a tough time topping this one, in my opinion.
K, midnight. Time to sleep.
In closing, more lolz:
[pro-player]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1NY9Y4WfDk[/pro-player]
[pro-player]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3G430tShXY[/pro-player]
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I never finished FFXII, I got stuck in the eternal JRPG trap of “finish every sidequest and story item before beating the game.” Thus, the last thing I remember doing is sitting outside the final dungeon looking to see what hunts I’d be able to do… XD
lol! I chose not to be a completist this time around, as I have heard the side-quests could take your hours well over 100. It was bad enough that I finished at 76hrs.
Interestingly, the final dungeon wasn’t much of a dungeon at all, consisting really only of one floor. Safe to say that you’re only an hour from finishing the game.
That exactly happened to me with FFX – was at the final dungeon, and literally got BORED. It wasn’t until a year later that I decided to just finish it. Interestingly, I was still able to follow the story because it was so bloody simple and boring. O_o
Take some time out and finish what you’ve started!
I never finished FFX either… mostly because I watched my friend go through the final dungeon, and also because I HATED THE SPHERE GRID WITH A PASSION.
That being said, I haven’t gotten totally annoyed by the Crystal thingie in FFXIII yet. The thing that bothers me is that there’s an artificial level cap imposed at each stage of the game. 🙁
Oh man, the Sphere Grid. I hated it so much that I gave up on it and used a cheat device to give me grid points multipliers to speed it up.
I don’t know what this Crystal thingie in FF13 is just yet, but from what you’re implying makes me a little bit afraid. O_o
We shall see, I suppose! Hope you’re enjoying FF13 more now! 😀
Nice read! Enjoyed the similarities with Star Wars indeed ^^ Would have expect a little drawing though. Why not Ashe in a Leia outfit?
Cant remember why Ive put this game on hold in the middle of the story… but I guess I was getting too bored of this princess/rebel/empire stuff, even if FFXII has a great part of originality. And I saw this on many games recently, like Magna Carta 2 which I wearily beat.
Well, it can’t be helped. Most of rpg have a main character who is a (not for long) secret heir/god/noble who has escaped/left his environment for some reasons ^^
Or maybe I just did not manage to get into the characters of this episode, or the universe. I liked Ashe and Fran though. I tend to prioritize female character with “strong personality” since I am into Japanese pop culture hehe ^^;;; Like Tifa/Yuffie in FFVII, Rikku for the Xth, or Sheena/Presea and Rita for the “Tales of” games.
I should give it a new try, but will be a bit hard now I think. 2D games are still ok somehow, but with 3D, games are losing their looks.
Anyway, next games on my list are FFXIII (started a bit) and Resonance of Fate, and I have big hopes in this last one ^^
I would definitely have drawn something if I had the time. Quite a while ago, I did draw my own anime version of Fran, which I should simply post here. Thanks for reminding me!
I can’t believe that Vaan and friends literally discover that Ashe is the princess (in astonishment and surprise!) like Star Wars. The non-story was definitely boring. I mean, all this “epic” stuff going on, but the main characters aren’t really a part of it; doing nothing but fetch quests leading from point A to point B to point C. It became a little monotonous. However, the combat was so compelling that it continued to urge me through.
When I picked up from where I last left off, I simply flipped through the guide to refresh my memory, and re-watched the last cutscene I was at on youtube. It was a little bit clunky trying to get back into the fighting engine after having not touched it in so long, so I started off with simple enemies again, and re-familiarized myself with the gambits. It didn’t take long. You really should go back and finish FFXII. While 3d games don’t age well compared to most 2d games, FFXII still holds up very well.
Fran is definitely my favorite female lead. While she’s somewhat flat in personality, she has the right kind of attitude. I like that she’s sexy, but doesn’t flaunt it. In fact, I like that nobody in the game even acknowledges it, as if it’s just everyday life. And the English dub of her is awesome.
I can’t wait for Resonance of Fate. Unlike FFXIII, my preorder has been paid in full!
I did much the same as you. Only recently finished XII (Saturday 6th March actually, and the UK release date of XIII was the 9th :P). My reaseons were different though, mainly wanting to savour the experience of a new Final Fantasy game so much that I put off playing it for 3 years :P. I’ve vowed not to do that with XIII though. I never noticed the similarities between XII and Star Wars, which is odd, considering that I’m a big fan of both series. The again perhaps not, because I don’t often look for deeper meaning in stories, and usually take them at face value without thinking about or trying to find similarities. I thoroughly enjoyed XII, especially the unlikely group of friends banding together to fight evil sort of theme it had. I really wanted to finish all the hunts and sidequests before I finished the game, but then when I’d reached level 99 on Saturday morning I realised I didn’t have time before XIII came out and decided just to finish the game instead. I personally wouldn’t call XII my favourite game in the series (check here: http://gabbling-geeks.blogspot.com/2010/03/final-fantasy-retrospective.html for the equivalent of a 3 and 1/2 page word document on that very subject :P) but it definitely ranks in the top few. Enjoyed reading your thoughts on it anyway (and also glad to know I’m not the only one who put off XII till the last minute :P)
The release of FFXIII is world-wide. My online order hasn’t arrived yet is all. So while I wait, I have a bit of time to blog more again.
When I first got FFXII, I didn’t play it either. I let it sit for a good several months before I started. In fact, it wasn’t until I got my PS3 did I start playing it at all! At first, I was turned off by how incredibly pompous the game was, in the way the dialogue was written and spoken (GOD I hated the Marquis’ way of pronouncing words, like a bad East Indian accent!), and how complex they emphasized the political side of things.
It was actually good that the characters didn’t partake in much of the political backgrounds and concentrated on their fetch quests.
Even at face value, the Star Wars rip-offs were right there. I couldn’t help but laugh. It’s just like how Avatar rips off Pochahontas!
A lot of people love FF6 and FF7. I liked them too, but with the advances in RPG formulas in FF12, the old FF’s seem very dated in gameplay. Overall, I’d have to say that FF6, FF7, and FF12 are my favorite FF games so far. I kind of doubt that I’ll rank 13 up there…
Oh god…the Marquis’ voice…I have to say that put me off a little at first. I couldn’t quite place how to describe what I thought of the game, but pompous is as good a description as I can think of. The game just seems to be saying “Look at me! I’m a big boy now! You have to take me seriously!” The story was just a little…weak compared to the other games in the series. Especially X’s in my opinion.
I’ve heard people complain about the gameplay of the older FF games a lot, but I never found that much of a problem with them. Maybe it’s because, even though I did come to the series at VII when it first hit the UK big, it was still a new experience for me, and because of that I don’t mind playing the older ones even 13 years down the line.
Exactly! The game was totally trying to make itself seem sophisticated. They overdid it, in my opinion.
I think the story wasn’t exactly weak, but more like lacking. Not a whole lot of development happened between the characters, and the insights into them were quite two dimensional. It had a lot of potential to be something great. The basis was all set up, and the characters had some interesting backgrounds. They just didn’t flesh it out.
The older Final Fantasy games will definitely hold up even years later, because of the relatively classic gameplay. Some of the stranger ones, probably won’t hold up well (FF8 would be my example there).
I replayed it from the start because I got to 191 hours and never completed the game, defeating only Hell Wyrm and left only the very last mark (Yiazmat), that 50-million HP dude…
I also only had 11 Espers. Not going the complete route, though I am already at 12 Espers (Ultima was a very interesting fight) and can face Hell Wyrm again any time I want. Wcloudxkumo beat Yiazmat the other time, 4 days of saving on and off lol. I just want to complete the storyline and see the end, something I never did as well. 120+ hours and I neglected it for well over 3 weeks already, trying to get some “legendary” weapons.
Wow, that’s quite an amazing amount of time invested! I’m quite sure that it’s got as much investable hours in it as an MMO, and is definitely heaven sent for those who are looking to be completionists.
It’s not necessary at all to do all or any of the side quests, or maxing out your levels (I finished the game at level 48 or so, with nary any of the highest level spells, and just standard equipment purchased from the last town). In fact, I didn’t even have to switch party members during the last battle. Of course, that’s not saying much considering some of the sidequest battles require much higher levels than the final boss.
I may jump back into it sometime just to collect the remaining sidequests and enjoy the game for the game rather than the story, but that may be wishful thinking…
The only games I’ve dumped that much time into are FF7 and Tales of Vesperia. FF7 because I’ve played it so many times (each playthrough had different goals) and ToV was to get all 1000 achievement points. That took bloody forever, not to mention 3.25 playthroughs. One for story, one for speed (under 10 hours), one for completion, and 0.25 for low-level achievement.
Wow! That’s quite impressive! I remember the days when I was younger, and had the time to do stuff like that. Nowadays, I’d be hard pressed to simply play a game once, hoping that it’s a good game.
FFXII is by far my favorite FF game. I loved the story of it and not having to deal with a romance. I love the take on Ashe as the main character of the story. While Rikku will always be the guilty pleasure character of the FF games for me, Ashe is probably my favorite character in Final Fantasy since felt I could actually relate to her.
FFXIII hasn’t really grabbed me. Twelve was kind of a surprise stylistically and substantively (for FF) that it grabbed be right away. I see potential in the world that Thirteen is creating, but so far I’m not excited by it after the 8 hour mark. Hopefully, the game picks up and gets out of the way of the world and story.
Yes, the non-romance was definitely welcome. Seeing that the characters cared for each other on a strictly platonic level was refreshing.
Ashe was interesting in seeing her internal conflicts, and it was quite surprising to see her play such an integral role as a main character. It was certainly unexpected. I had thought that Vaan’s story would have been the main focus, since so much emphasis was put on it in the beginning. It never developed beyond his initial turmoil though. But I suppose there isn’t really much to go on with something as simple as vengeance.
The impressions and reviews of FFXIII have been lukewarm at best, so I’m a little wary whether I should have put money down so quickly and preordered. My limited edition hard cover strategy guide is already on its way and may even arrive before my game is delivered. But I suppose that helps me decide in which game to play first – FFXIII or Resonance of Fate. I am so excited about Resonance of Fate!
I just bought the XIII 2 days ago and the last one i did was the 8, i never saw or played those between them. But it’s a come back to the kind of game i really love and even if i barely played an hour for now i’m completely satisfied 😀
I think I can understand that jump between 8 and 13. The styles seem to have some similarities. I think that if you did enjoy 8, you’ll most likely enjoy 13.
From what I’ve heard about it, 13 is quite streamlined in the RPG mechanics, doing away with most of the traditional RPG formulas in order to make the experience more enjoyable.
I really hope that’s true. I don’t have time to play games that aren’t fun. 🙂
I played FFXII for an hour before I quit. The battle system just really bugged me for some reason. It’s too late for me to go back and try it again since I don’t have a PS2 anymore or a PS3.
Yeah, some people didn’t like 12 all that much. A couple of my friends found the battle system to be a turn off, or found it just weird or hard to get used to.
So how come you don’t have a PS2 anymore? It’s a shame that backwards compatibility is absent from the newer systems. 🙁
congratulation for finished the game haha I like FF but just follow the story lazy plaing the game because. I retired from gaming already ^^ all money and time for blogging,figures and gunpla
you’ve retired from gaming?! Oh wow! I must say, congratulations! It’s actually good to not play so many games. I’ve let it get the best of me, and the backlog is taking over my life. Sometimes, I wish I could just sell them all and be done with it, but I feel bad about doing that. OMG, I think I’m addicted! How and why did you stop gaming?
Didnt manage to finish FFXII either cos of time issue and well lots of other games came out before i can complete FFXII ^^;;
The story and style do appeal to me compare to the modernize industrial type of FF series. But till now for the new gen (3d) FF series, i still prefer the FFIX for the old school style as Ive grew up with the snes FF series.
For now ill just wait to complete my current game which is Starocean 4 before i go and play FFXIII. Have to discipline myself in finishing one game before moving on the next one >_<
The same thing happened to me. I stopped playing because other games got in the way. I can’t remember which game it was that stopped me from continuing FF12. Might have been Folklore…
I kinda liked FF9’s style. It definitely felt like the most traditional FF, bringing the whole 8-bit and 16-bit style forward. I suppose it just didn’t seem as compelling as the world of Ivalice to me.
FF1 for the NES was probably my first RPG, and oh it was so much fun. Totally got hooked to it not realizing at all what I was getting myself into, as well as RPG’s predecessors (Dungeons and Dragons of course)
Good luck with finishing Star Ocean 4! You really should consider Resonance of Fate as well, since it’s also a Tri-Ace made game!
^^
Will try Resonance of Fate too after I completed FF13, So4 and God of War 3 …
Why must all the good games releasing at the same time T-T
Wow, that will be a looong while.
If my prediction is correct, Resonance of Fate is going to be a sleeper hit like Valkyria Chronicles, which may mean Sega will have under-shipped, and you won’t be able to find it for MONTHS.
T-T
Curious though, what made you stop the first time? Sounded like you liked 12 all the way through.
I remember playing the very beginning of 12, having come out of Kingdom Hearts 2 euphoria – I somehow decided it was the wrong game for me and just stopped playing there. Back then I didn’t have the patience to sit through a Jrpg and learn the mechanics.
Never knew it had deep ties with Star Wars though, lol. Would’ve never thought, seeing how the setting is almost completely different… Though, chances are one will find lots of similar plot devices when comparing stuff to Star Wars; that thing pioneered so many tropes. Or at least, made them prominent. You seemed to have enjoyed them as tropes instead of thinking them cliches though, never thought you would refer to the similarities as a good point. Still, even tropes can be done right.
I’ll be getting my hands on 13 soon – why, I have no idea :/
I think Folklore was the game that stopped me, if I am to recall correctly. Check out this blog post I wrote about it, and how I tie it into the games industry development cycle: http://mirrorsedge.wordpress.com/2008/01/20/folklore-development-process/ yes I liked the game that much.
Ah, Kingdom Hearts… I remember really getting into the first one, right up until Halloween Town. I stopped after I realized that all the worlds’ stories were direct rip-offs of the originals, which of course, made me feel a little bit ripped off. I don’t know why it didn’t bother me until that point (or maybe I didn’t notice?). From then on, I didn’t touch a single Kingdom Hearts game after.
Surprisingly, FF12 felt like the most un-JRPGs I’ve ever played, and that’s a good thing.
I’m also surprised that you didn’t pick up the nuances to Star Wars, considering that you’ve always been very observant to nuances (that’s why I love reading your blog). Lucas definitely did draw from other sources for his story. It was definitely not original. The Jedi ways are almost entirely parallel to the ways of the Samurai, for example.
lol, I hope you enjoy FF13. *snickers*
While we’re still on the rpg line, I’m going through Persona 4 right now – and finding it very good. Partially my Chie infatuation, but.
Which is why I found George’s originality suspect and added ‘or at least, made them prominent’ ^^;
I wouldn’t be too surprised; I wasn’t a quarter of the critic I am today back then. I was just a snotty lad after all, I unfortunately accepted everything for what it was… In a way, I was much happier back then. Whether that way was good or bad is debatable.
Even today, I’m the absentminded sort that probably won’t notice if my friends shaved themselves bald. So don’t expect too much of me 😉
I think in all actuality I ended up clinging onto some FF13 bandwagon…
Oh yes, Persona games… I don’t know why, but I’ve never really gotten into them… I think I’m more intimidated by them than not liking it. I bought FES, and it’s still sealed. 80 hours?! *faints*
Since I haven’t opened FES yet, I figure it would be a wise decision not to buy another Persona game.
“snotty lad”? I was under the impression that you were female. Oh well then nevermind, not talking to you anymore. 😛
Being happier back then is in my opinion, bad, because it’s the present that matters, not the past. So try to be more happy. It’s all about attitude anyway. 🙂
I can’t wait to hear what sort of impressions you have about FF13. Seriously, write about it. I want to hear!
Overall I’ve been loving this game, of course we have our share of haters that aren’t gonna love it simply so they can hate it. Square did a good job, it’s awesome!
Are you referring to FF12, or FF13? Since your blog seems to specifically be an FF13 blog?
Maybe you’re just spam… I don’t know. O_o
I’m also in the camp of “Played XII for a few hours, neglected it for a few years”. I still don’t plan on returning to the game soon as I’m focusing on completing shorter games on my backlog list. After a short break I’m back on a roll: Finished three games this week and will soon be wiping out two more!
As for XII, definitely got some Star Wars vibes when I played the game. Not that that’s a bad thing.
Woah! Finished three games in one week!? You’re definitely on a roll! But I suppose that would be easier to do, given the amount of time you’re dedicating to gaming, and the shorter game track. 🙂
Ugh… I got this as a present from my cousin, but sold it in the end… makes me feel bad now lol ^^U (maybe I should buy it again and pretend it’s the same) The problem I had is that I didn’t understand what the hell was going on and what I was supposed to do; my motto nowadays is if it doesn’t suck you up at the beginning (with FF I’d say around 2-3hs) then it’s not thaaaaaat worth the time. I did like the HUGE maps (love exploring!) but the story got me sooo confused… maybe I should give it another try in the future, I kinda got interested after reading your post ^^
Oh dear… the story is surprisingly simple, but the way they presented it was convoluted and confusing. I had trouble understanding what the heck they were saying too. I eventually got the hang of it, and figured out the story pretty quickly (because it was so straightforward). Not saying you’re stupid, more like the story is simple, but is conveyed in such a complicated and hard to understand manner.
Here’s the short version of it though:
Three kingdoms, One is Dalmasca, the other Rozzario, and the third one, Archades. Ashe is princess of Dalmasca. Archades invades Dalmasca, and takes it over. The king is about to surrender, but gets assassinated, by whom appears to be Basche. Vaan’s brother witnesses this, before dying. Vaan spends the rest of his life wanting vengeance and all that. Ashe manages to escape and joins the resistance movement, lead by the marquis. King Solidor dies, Vayne takes over, and dissolves the senate, essentially establishing martial law. The resistance wants to overthrow Vayne. After what Ashe learns is a pointless war, she sets out on a quest to stop the war by using some magical shard that the Archadians are also after (Nethecite).
Along the way, they discover that Archades has man-made nethicite, and it essentially becomes an arms race. Ashe becomes the central character for the rest of the story, but the basis of it is pretty much laid out in a single paragraph. :\
lol so it’s not that special in the end… (it’s ok I can be very stupid at times lol) I’m not that much into cookie cutter stories like these anymore, so maybe I should let the game stay un-played ^^U
Well, the story is lacking, but I did really enjoy the gameplay. If that part wasn’t enjoyable to you, then yeah it would be best. ^^;
Ack, you seriously remind me of having to play and complete FFXII in the summer – my sister is urging me already, and she’s beaten it already o_o;;
For some reasons, FFXII has often failed to motivate me to keep going. The story often feels confusing and I am just trying to be happy-go-lucky about it up until I stalled. How you are free to roam around is interesting, and you can get to appreciate the environment quite a bit too. Combat system is also considered quite ‘unique’ for FF franchise, though I can see why Gambit system can make things too easy at some stages (especially late in game). The combat system and job system are changed slightly for the International version which I play on, and there’s a turbo toggle button so you can hasten any boring fights or just to travel quicker from one place to another.
In addition to me feeling confused about FFXII’s story, I don’t find some of the characters very interesting. Vaan feels like a passer-by than a protagnonist (is he even one?), Panello is like the other passer-by. Other characters such as Basch and Balthier are more interesting in terms of character and backstory. Apparently for English dub each character’s accent denotes where they are from. For example the Archadians all sound rather British etc – something my sister found out and read up to find out more about the voice acting. Speaking of my sister playing it, she felt that there’s a lot of potential for this game, but it kinda felt short of things at the end. Things like how Basch’s story is concluded etc came short of her expectation (I do not know what it is yet), as well as many others she wanted to know more. When she was about to finish the game, she left me a message “I think I’m going to finish FFXII soon – but i feel the story hasn’t really developed… the bits that I’m really interested in don’t seem to have much weight at all…” Well, at least she’s completed it, and she’s looking forward to buy a PS3 Slim along with a localised Traditional Chinese version of FFXIII which is to be released in May.
I am still on my way (pilgrimage?) to Archades. That’s where I am stalled once again. Just have to wait ’til summer when I have the time to get it done. Meanwhile I am currently playing Fable: The Lost Chapter – a linear game that’s pretty enjoyable IMHO.
You’re right about FFXII’s story seeming very confusing. It’s very political, especially scenes from within Archedes. A lot of it really is just foreshadowing of what will happen to Ashe and friends. They’re kinda behind the scenes and as an end result isn’t all that important.
You’re also right about Vaan not being the main character, and others like Basch and Balthier seem underdeveloped. Something happened, and I think a lot of stuff got cut. I think that they were going to make this game far more epic than what was presented. The latter half of the game definitely felt rushed, as they tried to tie up loose ends as quickly as possible.
I do like that they put in accents in the English dubs. Archades has a British accent, Dalmasca has North American English, Rozzaria had a Spanish one, and Bhujerba had a really fake East Indian accent.
Pilgrimage to Archades? So you’re past the Phon Coast, and on your way to visit Dr. Cid? You’re getting near the end, my friend. There are a few more (like 3) dungeons after, and it’s done. Mind you, one of them is an incredibly long dungeon.
FFXII is not one of my favorites from the series at all, but I can see how it would be the favorite of others. It was nice that they took a step back and stopped having the characters entangled in love stories that took over the whole game, but I still could have used more story about the characters than what I got. I didn’t feel much of a connection from the characters aside from admiring their designs (not Vaan’s design though…wasn’t a fan of looking at him…). I was intrigued by the hunts, but I didn’t end up doing many of them. I just started pushing/forcing myself to finish by the end. FFXIII is shaping up to an improvement for me, I’m not very far in yet.
I was a tad bit disappointed with the character development too. It seemed like it just got cut short, and the whole thing turned into an MMO with a thin veil of a story to progress the character along.
The game had serious potential in becoming one of the best Final Fantasy games. The combat and difference from the other FFs made it so much more compelling to play. It’s really too bad about the fetch-quest-like story.
The hunts were mostly pointless, but I guess it’s “moar FFXII” so to speak, as some of them are supposed to be in and of itself very challenging and fun.
My FFXIII is still sealed at this point. I’m not really looking forward to how linear the game is compared to FFXII. But we’ll see.
I think I was only interested in the hunts because my first encounter was pretty far into the game and after grinding through the same types of mobs over and over, I really jumped when I saw something new. Just that slight difference probably excited me more than it should have.
I wouldn’t mind if Square did something like FF12 again but added a bit more character connection via the story, and made it feel a bit less like an MMO. Ironically I had JUST finally forced myself to separate with my first MMO right before I started playing FF12. I had been playing WoW exclusively for 2 years, and I went to play FF12 all happy to go back to my console gaming roots. And was disappointed with how much it felt like an MMO. But that was just all timing on my part, as a result I might be a bit biased against the game because it wasn’t what I was looking for at the time I played it.
Well, to each their own I guess… maybe you weren’t disappointed about it being MMO-like, but you were disappointed that you went from one MMO to another one, but without the online multiplayer aspect. 😛
You should probably try to go back to it again sometime and see if you’re still biased about it. 🙂
i’m very happy to see another FFXII fan out there. most people only enjoy Nomura’s FFs, and it was rather sad that the medieval ones are often disliked.
I think it’s a trend thing. Nomura’s character designs are definitely a lot more modern, and identifiable than Amano’s style. Plus Nomura’s additions of chains and other accessories makes it very easy for people to accessorize themselves in similar styles. It really does reach out with a touch of fashion.
I am still very intrigued by the world of Ivalice though. I read up on Ivalice on Wikipedia, and it’s a much larger universe than I first thought, spanning through other games in the series to coexist in the same universe.
I want more Ivalice!
Congrats on finishing the game. I have the desire, but no patience. It takes way too much to level up. I think you’re one of the few I know/read who finished!
lol! That’s kinda interesting to hear! I have to admit, the latter parts of the game felt a bit too much drag, but it might be because I was closed to finishing it, and just wanted it to be over.
I kinda want to go back to this as well, especially for Fran… I barely finished the first dungeon for FFXII and then suddenly I just stopped playing. Perhaps because I was annoyed by its automation. It almost felt like I didn’t have to do anything. Oh and perhaps I was still knee-deep in WoW back when this came out. I don’t know if I’ll ever come back to it though, but if you could, then I should give it another try.
I highly recommend you jumping back into FFXII. As you can tell from my post, I enjoyed it thoroughly. 🙂
It helped that I had the strategy guide too, so that I could get to where I wanted to without needing to meander or sidetrack.
Can I just ask you please….you mentioned that you’d put a good few hours into the game 3 years ago but then went back to finish. Well, did you start from the beginning again or just carry on from where you left off? It’s just that I have a FFVII (yes…the PS1 game!) save point with 40+ hours gameplay that is about 3 years old, and I wish to return to finish it. Trouble is, I’m tempted to start afresh as I’ve forgotten what I was doing and most of the story.
I’m very much like you though….in fact I’ve put off even buying a PS3 yet as I had FFVII, FFX, FFX-2 and FFXII….and Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence, all sat winking at me from my shelf. I fear if I buy a PS3 I will start playing PS3 games and miss out on all these great stories or, like you say, that when I see the HD graphics I won’t be able to even look at the PS1 and PS2 games again. I just sat down the other night to MGS3 and I’ve nearly finished already (it’s amazing)….then it’s FFVII next. Then either FFX, FFX-2 or FFXII after that. Although after reading your great piece here….I may just jump straight to FFXII.
Thanks for any forthcoming advice on the above question.
Hi Matthew!
For me, I had the FFXII guide book. So I just basically re-familiarized myself with the story by recalling sections in the guide book. Then I watched a video clip of the last cutscene I got to in order to get me rolling back into it. I spent about an hour or so re-familiarizing myself with the combat system by fighting weaker enemies, and I was back into it very quickly! There’s no real need to play the game from the beginning again.
I remember having MGS3 sitting on my shelf for a while, and I didn’t play it until after I bought MGS4. It was good to play though.
Actually, I find that going between HD and PS2 graphics isn’t all that bad. You might feel a little bit weird at the start, but you quickly adjust to it soon after, and the gameplay becomes the core element to your enjoyment (which is as it should be, really).
I wholeheartedly agree about the graphics/gameplay thing. I mean come to think about it, I still play PS1 and PS2 games side by side, and even still play N64 games now and then. I was just worried the novelty of HD would last a little too long and I’d neglect the games I’ve already spent good money on.
Thanks for the advice…I just finished MGS3 tonight, so I’ll take your advice and finish off FFVII without wasting the 40 hours I’ve put in already. After that I’m going to skip FFX and FFX-2 and go straight into FFXII…..based on reading what you had to say about it. I’m really excited for it now. 🙂
Thanks!
XII was shocking. Boring un-epic story, average music, annoying characters, (Balthier excluded) battle system just isn’t FF, the only good things were the equipment, levelling & licence board. And seriously someone liked the none romance? Boring loser, 7 8 9 10 all had very beautiful poignant moments which had the potential to make you shed a tear, they need to bring back turn based random battles, Nobuo Uematsu, Hironobu Sakaguchi, epic stories, characters who aren’t annoying, towns, a Cid. I mean if you put random battles & more characters in 12 you have a good game… sigh oh
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. And yeah, some people didn’t like 12 for the reasons you’ve stated, while some people like it because they found things in it that they liked that you didn’t, or hated the things you liked.
Personally, I liked Balthier and Fran. I liked that they went totally away from the constantly re-hashed FF formula (if I want to play the same game, I’ll play FF6 instead!) I disliked the license system for being an unnecessary layer.
I find it refreshing that FFXII isn’t about romance (and so far, all the FF romances have been half-baked at best).
It sounds to me like what you want to do is play some FF6.
this story maybe not for romance, but power and conquer.. i like this story.. but you’re right, no romance=boring.
personally, i like archadian armor..
nice game……………………^_^b
its never too late to play a great game like this. much better than ff13. just re bought it on ebay
nice game..! i finish this game with no cheat..
my character lvl all below 90..
i like that ending story when balthier go to bahamut to
save rabanaste.