Game: Final Fantasy XII
- Thread starter Patrick
- Start date
Looking back at FFXII, I have mixed feelings. From a technical perspective, the twelfth entry pushed the capabilities of the PlayStation 2 well beyond its limits (if anyone recalls, people made comparisons between FFXII emulated and FF13 back in the day). The stores are exquisitely detailed, almost as wasteful as they were indulgent; FF12 tries quite hard to convince you that this is a fully-realized and fully-lived in world.
Yet, for all its material bluster, it's a shame that Vaan is a tag-along in his own story. In fact, the plot seems overly comfortable to sideline your playable character for lofty yet ill-realized conflict between divine intervention free will, and spooky ghosts only Cid can see. What's that, Vinah? The Occuria wire-tapprd reality and run the main stream media? Delightful!
Mechanically, FF12 commits the unforgivable sin of allowing your entire party to become automated plate-wearing healbot tanks with ninja swords. The gambit system leaves a good impression, at least at first, but over the course of 40 hours, the gameplay reverts to a kind of middling, optimized mediocrity. Content with leaving the player out of the game, FF12 lets you copy and paste winning strategies across all six heroes. This makes Myo sad.
FF12 is a difficult game to hate, but it's also a hard entry to love. It's an utterly impressive technical accomplishment (they still use that font in FF14), but it lacks the engagement that earlier entries had. I've tried a few times to replay through FFXII, but every time. I get stuck along the way. Much like its own troubled development, much of my nostalgia for the game is ultimately a non-starter.
Yet, for all its material bluster, it's a shame that Vaan is a tag-along in his own story. In fact, the plot seems overly comfortable to sideline your playable character for lofty yet ill-realized conflict between divine intervention free will, and spooky ghosts only Cid can see. What's that, Vinah? The Occuria wire-tapprd reality and run the main stream media? Delightful!
Mechanically, FF12 commits the unforgivable sin of allowing your entire party to become automated plate-wearing healbot tanks with ninja swords. The gambit system leaves a good impression, at least at first, but over the course of 40 hours, the gameplay reverts to a kind of middling, optimized mediocrity. Content with leaving the player out of the game, FF12 lets you copy and paste winning strategies across all six heroes. This makes Myo sad.
FF12 is a difficult game to hate, but it's also a hard entry to love. It's an utterly impressive technical accomplishment (they still use that font in FF14), but it lacks the engagement that earlier entries had. I've tried a few times to replay through FFXII, but every time. I get stuck along the way. Much like its own troubled development, much of my nostalgia for the game is ultimately a non-starter.
- Nov 10, 2003
- 8,937
- Admin
- #11
I never liked this game very much. Took me a billion tries from when game released on PS2 until I finally mustered the will to play longer than 5 hours after getting the remaster on PS4.
The gameplay was ok, but I couldn’t have cared any less about the story. Vaan sucks the big one and he could have been completely absent and it changes nothing story wise. I’d maybe play it again on PC if it was like $5.
The gameplay was ok, but I couldn’t have cared any less about the story. Vaan sucks the big one and he could have been completely absent and it changes nothing story wise. I’d maybe play it again on PC if it was like $5.
Ultima9999
lolz mog
- Nov 10, 2003
- 169
Despite the lackluster story, I must give credit to the vibrant voice talent that nearly convinces you that the story of Vana'diel is worth telling. The top tier localization effort is as inventive as it is creative, because the Shakespearian verse is absolutely not present in the rather stateful and straightforward Japanese script.
- Thread starter
- #13
So when I made this topic it looks like I was 40 hours in, I got to 80 because I levelled up all my characters equally. Got to the end and never beat it.
Played it years later, just sticking with leveling up half the group. Got to the end at like 40 hours in, then went through doing all the extra stuff. Got burned out, again, and never beat it. So 120 hours+ of gameplay and I never finished the game either time.
Played it years later, just sticking with leveling up half the group. Got to the end at like 40 hours in, then went through doing all the extra stuff. Got burned out, again, and never beat it. So 120 hours+ of gameplay and I never finished the game either time.