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I beat FFXII last night :D (84 hours, and I'm still planning to go back for the rest of the hunts).
Final thoughts? I loved it. There were a few things that kept it from being TOTALLY MIND-BLOWING GAMING EXPERIENCE, OMG!!!! But overall it was better than I expected (given my luck with Square games lately) and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit it. Balthier was my clear favorite early on, but I also really liked Larsa and Gabranth (aka Wiegraf 2.0) and by the end just about everyone had grown on me. I can't think of a single character I disliked (unlike the last couple FF's - Zell, Quina, Eiko, Lulu etc etc).
One shot from the credits even choked me up. Can you guess which!? (Need artbook ASAP).
So in short, the game looks fantastic, the music was great, the voice acting was some of the best I've heard in a video game, the liscence board was addictive, the gambit system was great once I got the hang of it, and the story kept me going up through the end. The various FFTactics and Vagrant Story references made it even better.
Is it the best FF I've ever played? HARD TO SAY. Now that I can't bear to look at FFVII and my interest in FFIX fizzled soon after I beat it, I think it definately earns a place as best "numbered" FF game. But Tactics has been my favorite game ever for a long time, and even now that I've had it for nearly 10 years it's still the game I replay most often. I started a new file of it just this past summer getting ready for the return of Ivalice. If I pick it up for another 80 hour run sometime several months from now, then I'll know.
But of course, I still have some issues with it XD
My only real complaint is that all the reviewers for FFXII talk about how political and complex the plot is, but I didn't find it to be AS political and complex as Tactics was. I often felt like there were chunks of the story missing. Especially part of the middle - between Raithwall's Tomb and Mt. Bur-Omisace it felt like nothing important really happened. Every event felt like, "We can't help you - try this person." And then the looooooooong march to Salikawood! It wasn't until Balthier busted out with some backstory on the coast that I felt the game started to reclaim the momentum it lost after the first trip to Bhujerba.
And for as detailed as the beastiary is, there were some character details I would have liked to learn instead. We know WHEN Fran left her village, but we don't know exactly why. We know WHY Balthier left home, but we don't know exactly when. We don't know how the two met up. We don't know how or why Vayne killed his elder brothers. We know virtually nothing about Rozaria. We don't even know why Venat betrayed his/her own kind (I think she was female?).
To be honest, I didn't even realize Venat was supposed to be sentient until Ashe brought it up in Giruvegan. ^^;;
Some parts of the story were excellent. Larsa defying Vayne in the end, Vaan charging him out of nowhere - there were a lot of great points. But I still feel the story could have been tighter. As a main character Vaan did very little except during the beginning and end, and though I liked him, there wasn't much to be excited about. Same with Penelo. She was adorable, but...underutilized. I would have liked more character interaction, more background with the Judges (poor Drace!), more of Larsa, Reddas introduced earlier...
Tighter. As much as I enjoyed the story, that's what it could have been.
And then, the little irks:
1. The different races. They made kind of a big deal about the five main races of Ivalice (Hume, Bangaa, Seeq, Moogle, Viera). But the Viera are the only non humans that really play a role in the story. Migelo and Ba'Gamnan are the only Bangaa characters. Montblanc is the only moogle. There might as well have not been any Seeq. And there were several races the home page never mentions, like the Nu Mou still being around, and the Garif, and that kitty-furry-man who hung out with Omdore, and Reddas's bird-man friend. Other than making the city scenes more interesting to look at, there might as well not have been races other than Hume and Viera, for all the difference it made.
I really wanted a Bangaa on my party :(
2. Gambit system still needs some tuning. If you give a character "Ally: Any - Haste" he'll caste Haste until it sticks, and then stop casting it. But if you give him, "Foe: Any - Steal" he'll keep stealing even after the foe is empty handed. I used steal a lot, so it was irritating.
3. Gabranth. Loved him, loved the way everyone said his name (it's fun to say!). He reminded me of Wiegraf, one of my favorite Tactics characters. But by the end it felt like they were trying too hard to make him tragic, and I was disappointed they gave him the obvious death. The up side - Basch looks twenty times hotter in the ending movie because of it. Rawr.
4. Zodiac Spear. How the hell was I supposed to know you can't take certain treasure!?
5. There's going to be a crappy, cutsey sequel. Square dumbfounds me. What goes through their minds? "People like Ivalice games because they're darker, more political, less romance-oriented, and over all a bit more mature than the usual Squeenix emo. LET'S MAKE AN ADORABLE SUGAR COATED SEQUEL WHERE VAAN IS 12 AND PENELO A CRYING BELLY-DANCER W T F." And apparently it's not even the same team making it...? Fuck, I have a DS now, I'll have to get it. I like the Ivalice games too much not to.
Wish me luck :(
Though, those are small complaints in the grand scheme of things. You can say "I wish it was even better" about just about any game. Except for RE4, maybe. Leon's as hawt as it gets. Rawr.
And now I'm playing Vagrant Story again! With my old save it's my 7th time time through, and it took my just over 3 hours to get to the halfway point of the game. I'll beat it tomorrow. Oh Ashley, how I missed you and your assless pants!
I've wanted to do an Ivalice crossover fic for the longest time - maybe it'll happen this time, if I think of anything (not until One of Every Color is finished and up, I promise!). But I think if I put Delita, Guildenstern, and Balthier in the same place I'd explode from successive cranial orgasms.
But damn, I'd die happy.
Final thoughts? I loved it. There were a few things that kept it from being TOTALLY MIND-BLOWING GAMING EXPERIENCE, OMG!!!! But overall it was better than I expected (given my luck with Square games lately) and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit it. Balthier was my clear favorite early on, but I also really liked Larsa and Gabranth (aka Wiegraf 2.0) and by the end just about everyone had grown on me. I can't think of a single character I disliked (unlike the last couple FF's - Zell, Quina, Eiko, Lulu etc etc).
One shot from the credits even choked me up. Can you guess which!? (Need artbook ASAP).
So in short, the game looks fantastic, the music was great, the voice acting was some of the best I've heard in a video game, the liscence board was addictive, the gambit system was great once I got the hang of it, and the story kept me going up through the end. The various FFTactics and Vagrant Story references made it even better.
Is it the best FF I've ever played? HARD TO SAY. Now that I can't bear to look at FFVII and my interest in FFIX fizzled soon after I beat it, I think it definately earns a place as best "numbered" FF game. But Tactics has been my favorite game ever for a long time, and even now that I've had it for nearly 10 years it's still the game I replay most often. I started a new file of it just this past summer getting ready for the return of Ivalice. If I pick it up for another 80 hour run sometime several months from now, then I'll know.
But of course, I still have some issues with it XD
My only real complaint is that all the reviewers for FFXII talk about how political and complex the plot is, but I didn't find it to be AS political and complex as Tactics was. I often felt like there were chunks of the story missing. Especially part of the middle - between Raithwall's Tomb and Mt. Bur-Omisace it felt like nothing important really happened. Every event felt like, "We can't help you - try this person." And then the looooooooong march to Salikawood! It wasn't until Balthier busted out with some backstory on the coast that I felt the game started to reclaim the momentum it lost after the first trip to Bhujerba.
And for as detailed as the beastiary is, there were some character details I would have liked to learn instead. We know WHEN Fran left her village, but we don't know exactly why. We know WHY Balthier left home, but we don't know exactly when. We don't know how the two met up. We don't know how or why Vayne killed his elder brothers. We know virtually nothing about Rozaria. We don't even know why Venat betrayed his/her own kind (I think she was female?).
To be honest, I didn't even realize Venat was supposed to be sentient until Ashe brought it up in Giruvegan. ^^;;
Some parts of the story were excellent. Larsa defying Vayne in the end, Vaan charging him out of nowhere - there were a lot of great points. But I still feel the story could have been tighter. As a main character Vaan did very little except during the beginning and end, and though I liked him, there wasn't much to be excited about. Same with Penelo. She was adorable, but...underutilized. I would have liked more character interaction, more background with the Judges (poor Drace!), more of Larsa, Reddas introduced earlier...
Tighter. As much as I enjoyed the story, that's what it could have been.
And then, the little irks:
1. The different races. They made kind of a big deal about the five main races of Ivalice (Hume, Bangaa, Seeq, Moogle, Viera). But the Viera are the only non humans that really play a role in the story. Migelo and Ba'Gamnan are the only Bangaa characters. Montblanc is the only moogle. There might as well have not been any Seeq. And there were several races the home page never mentions, like the Nu Mou still being around, and the Garif, and that kitty-furry-man who hung out with Omdore, and Reddas's bird-man friend. Other than making the city scenes more interesting to look at, there might as well not have been races other than Hume and Viera, for all the difference it made.
I really wanted a Bangaa on my party :(
2. Gambit system still needs some tuning. If you give a character "Ally: Any - Haste" he'll caste Haste until it sticks, and then stop casting it. But if you give him, "Foe: Any - Steal" he'll keep stealing even after the foe is empty handed. I used steal a lot, so it was irritating.
3. Gabranth. Loved him, loved the way everyone said his name (it's fun to say!). He reminded me of Wiegraf, one of my favorite Tactics characters. But by the end it felt like they were trying too hard to make him tragic, and I was disappointed they gave him the obvious death. The up side - Basch looks twenty times hotter in the ending movie because of it. Rawr.
4. Zodiac Spear. How the hell was I supposed to know you can't take certain treasure!?
5. There's going to be a crappy, cutsey sequel. Square dumbfounds me. What goes through their minds? "People like Ivalice games because they're darker, more political, less romance-oriented, and over all a bit more mature than the usual Squeenix emo. LET'S MAKE AN ADORABLE SUGAR COATED SEQUEL WHERE VAAN IS 12 AND PENELO A CRYING BELLY-DANCER W T F." And apparently it's not even the same team making it...? Fuck, I have a DS now, I'll have to get it. I like the Ivalice games too much not to.
Wish me luck :(
Though, those are small complaints in the grand scheme of things. You can say "I wish it was even better" about just about any game. Except for RE4, maybe. Leon's as hawt as it gets. Rawr.
And now I'm playing Vagrant Story again! With my old save it's my 7th time time through, and it took my just over 3 hours to get to the halfway point of the game. I'll beat it tomorrow. Oh Ashley, how I missed you and your assless pants!
I've wanted to do an Ivalice crossover fic for the longest time - maybe it'll happen this time, if I think of anything (not until One of Every Color is finished and up, I promise!). But I think if I put Delita, Guildenstern, and Balthier in the same place I'd explode from successive cranial orgasms.
But damn, I'd die happy.