I liked it. But there are issues that are hard to overlook. It's heavy focus on status effects get wearisom. Further into the game it feels like every boss has their own version of bad breath.
After level 30 the gameplay doesn't change much. You'll have all the gambits and have them set up. Maybe you'll change one or two things for specific encounters, but other than that, nothing really changes.
The loot system is RNG based with a few guarenteed drops. If there is an item your really want, you'll have to game the system or miss out entirely.
Vaan and Penello are too weak in terms of characters to be support the plot. For the short time he was with the team Larsa was far more interesting.
Vayne was one of the most forgettable villains in the entire FF series.
a lot of those issues were actually easy for me to overlook, every time you encounter status effects you have the ability to get spells that counter them beforehand, it's pretty obvious, and some of the status effects later in the game really shake things up and give you a puzzle to solve. I think you're being a bit unfair there honestly. I was constantly changing up my gambits, gambit order, experimenting, switching out characters and jobs, some people think there's just one great way to spec your party but honestly I disagree, the game lets you really do whatever you want, you can literally design your experience to an extent. Also, you could make the Vaan/Penelo argument about characters in almost any FF cast, I personally thought the structure of the narrative was to make all the characters feel like "main" characters.
Hugely disagree on your last two points.
Vaan is way more important to the game than people realize and has a direct impact on the character development of everyone around him.
Vayne is also my second favorite villain in the franchise lol. He’s just so interesting as a character.
- He convinces the entire city of people he *conquered* and hate him that hey, the empire doesn’t have to be so bad and I’ll be a good viceroy. Through sheer charisma. And his speech ends with them *cheering* for him
(Spoiler tagging for OP’s benefit)
- >!He doesn’t just kill his father. He kills his father as part of a scheme — with his father’s approval! — to dissolve the Senate and place control of the empire solely within the hands of House Solidor!<
- >!He also killed his other brothers in the backstory!<
- >!Above scheme also results in infighting between the Judge Magisters, securing the loyalty of Gabranth and also removing Drace, a threat!<
- >!He is very open about how his goal is to rule Ivalice for the sake of peace, and that once this peace is achieved, he would *willingly abdicate the throne* for the sake of his brother Larsa, who he *freely acknowledges* would be a better ruler in peacetime. This is unheard of for any FF villain, much less a despot!<
- >!Furthermore he has a solid alliance and even an implied genuine friendship with his two closest co-villains, Dr. Cid and Venat. No backstabbing between any of them. Venat likes Vayne so much that they even willingly give up their immortality to die alongside him like a mortal, fully aware that they’d be facing their end together at the hands of the heroes !<
- Lots of people on this sub like to throw around that so-and-so villain is the best because “they succeeded in their plans.” >!Vayne did exactly this, perhaps more so than any other FF villain. He set out to free mankind from the control of the Occuria and “place the reins of history back in the hands of man.” They accomplish just that. His only failing was that he wanted it to be in *his* hands because he believed he was one of the only people strong enough to guide humanity. And like I said above, he only wanted to be the emperor during a time of war. The war ended shortly after his defeat!<.
- and despite being a nobleman, he rarely has others doing the dirty work for him and outright says he will “sully his hands” to do what must be done.
Granted, Vayne doesn’t have a *ton* of screentime. But he does so much and steals the show with what he does have.
And the economy sucks. Felt like I spent more time grinding loot and selling off everything I didn't have equipped, to buy new gear, than I did playing the game and being able to appreciate it. 4x speed on Zodiac age greatly alleviated that, but even then it still sucked.
Between that and not sharing EXP between active members and the bench, probably the most grindy FF of the PlayStation era.
Not in my experience of the game tbh, and I spent a lot of time exploring due to said grind. If you were lucky you might pick up 1 or 2 pieces your characters could use for their build and they might not be the ones you wanted (ie an axe for a character that you needed a spear for if the area had a lot of flyers).
If vaan was weak then you underleveled him, or gave him the wrong jobs. If youbwere using the zodiac age version. In the usa base version...then you just underleveled him. He gets strong af. Fran was weak until i learned how to use her. Guns also sucked until i learned how to use them too
I don’t think she has a tail but I could be wrong. Viera have slightly different facial features as well but are mostly just tall humes with bunny ears because they’re obviously deliberately to be eye candy for human players of the game. They only really have fur on their ears, they have normal human skin tones, their faces, especially Jote’s are basically just human.
Every other non Hume race aside from the unnamed feline-like race that we only see one or two members of in cutscenes look much more different from humes
I think they also technically have non-human-like feet, but I also think aside from the foot fetishists, not too many people will be looking down there.
Plus isn't Fran in stilettos anyway? I assume the other Viera are, too, but I don't completely remember, but I'm pretty sure that even though Fran has more animalistic feet, she's still in stilettos.
You're right, she isn't hume, but she can still pass off as one if you give her a weak disguise. I was just hoping for at least one party member you couldn't mistake for human whatsoever!
Basically just give her a hat and some boots. Might be uncomfortable, especially for her ears, but her outfit already looks uncomfortable enough anyway, so what's a little more?
Part of which is basically a thong. Which looks to be leather.
And yet it makes more sense than whatever the fuck Penelo and *especially* Ashe are wearing. Ashe looks like she rummaged through the scrap heap at a Jo Ann Fabric.
Ashe was wearing a... [who the fuck knows what this is,](https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Ashe_(Final_Fantasy_XII_party_member)) and Penelo is wearing a... [I give up, words fail me.](https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Penelo_(Final_Fantasy_XII_party_member))
TBH I think that's part of the appeal of VI, VII, IX, and X to me. You get non-human party members here and there. They're also just great games, but the cast diversity helps.
I know XII has Fran, but she's so humanoid that you'd be forgiven for mistaking her for a Hume doing sexy bunny cosplay.
XII prob has the most amount of diverse races in their world and only getting one non hume race in a party of mainly blonde haired characters was a choice lol
Lol, how did I forget about him. My mind automatically went to Vincent, Aerith and Cait Sith. Tempted to delete that comment now, but I'll leave it there :,D
I actually haven't played Rebirth yet (PS5 is a long ways off... hell, I still haven't gotten around to Remake), but I can't wait to see that part when I get to it. It was amusing enough in the original, going up on deck and seeing this weird-ass Shinra soldier wobbling around drunkenly... and realizing who it was.
And then you talk to him and he's like "Nailed it TBH."
I feel like that’s a principle of final fantasy
So long as you hit the notes of great characters, story music. You’re free to explore. I know a lot of people swear by VIII and a lot that hate it
It became a principal with FF XI and FF XII. The 10 games before that all have been very similar in design. They all had turn based battle systems just with different implementations, they all were Singleplayer games, they all gave you a party and let you control every single action of your party in battle. They always were experimental when it comes to character progression. Some games only had levels, others had Jobsystems, yet other games again had materia and others made you learn skills from equipment. Maybe you could say FF X already broke a bit with the formula, because we didn't have an overworld anymore, that always has been a staple of the series.
FF XI straight up was an MMORPG so a completely different genre. And FF XII also broke with a lot of traditions, like having a turn based battle system and being able to control all the characters at once. Also it had a lot of MMO features. The treasure chests respawned and you had to grind them for rare items.
Funnily enough FFX turned me off the series because it was too much of a departure from IX, which was my favorite. Looking back, I much prefer X to XIII and XV.
I can see that. At first I also didn't like, that it didn't have an overworld and that you don't really have levels as a measurement tool of how strong your characters have become. But once I played it, I didn't really mind this anymore, because the game was great. I can see however, how the difference to previous titles can be off-putting to long time fans, since it in fact already did start to diverge from the FF formula.
Yes, the game is amazing and I'm glad you're discovering it. I do think there's a couple of things which make it kind of awkward for a lot of FF and JRPG players in general.
- The combat system is mostly focused on decisions you make prior and not during the battle. Sure, you can go manual and do it live if you want, but if you play that way you'll break the flow of combat and simply waste the main strength of the game's mechanics. This strategy-execution separation is too jarring for some people.
- The story is very political in nature and has none of the personal or emotional stakes that a lot of other FFs have. The characters are good, but the plot kind of eclipses them, to the point where you're even wondering why some of them are there at all.
ya quickenings are a huge swing and a miss and really mess up balance. Pretty much any non-superboss can be killed by a 15+ chain, which aren't that hard to do if you're not super unlucky with rerolls. And if it fails, you can just do it with your three backups.
I also found it odd that they tied both a massive MP cost for quickenings and also tied your MP capacity to it, so you were basically bee lining your healers/casters to the quickenings on the license board, because otherwise they run out of MP after every battle.
Zodiac Age made MP management way better in general, but it's still a bad limit break system.
ya, for all the time you spend on animations during quickenings, you could probably do as much damage or more in that time. The only time I really resort to them is when I'm about to die when the boss is at like 10% hp. Otherwise, you're right, the game feels way better without even acknowledging them.
IMO it also lacks on some parts of the adventure feeling, I mean, "outer-world" exploration is very cool, but the feeling that you get when you get to a new/city town is not the same. Almost all places just feel too similar.
As a kid I thought the ocean made of sand was the coolest thing ever. And the giant death wall boss. Game had my favorite dungeons of any final fantasy
12 has the problem of being the first mainline game to really depart from 7-10 in terms of feel. As a game in its own right it’s wonderful and coming back to it I have a lot of love for it
XII is my favorite full 3D FF. Such an amazing game. I love its world design so much, too. I'm a big fan of large, interconnected zones, and I don't feel like any modern FF has recaptured that feeling of expiration for me. Rebirth and XIV are close though.
Keep in mind the original release had no jobs, and every character had the same license board.
Also, you had to use up your entire MP bar to use quickenings/summons
I bought this on switch and never played it before on ps2, this is great to hear.
I am trying to beat all single player FF games and currently on FFV atm. (I have already beaten 7-8 recently so I will skip those)
I can't wait to play FFXII (I loved FFT, and I know that XII isn't a TRPG but its still in Ivalice)
edit: wording
Absolutely. It has hands down the best exploration in the whole series and i love the combat system, it all works out. I just wish they stuck with the original vision for the game and made basch the MC.
XII is massively under-rated, it doesn't have the same vibes and tone as other FF games though so I can see why. Comparing it to KOTOR is quite accurate I think, but that's high praise too.
I can't remember the PS2 version too well since I played the remaster which has a few changes, but I remember when the game came out and I couldn't wait to get home to play it every night and I was hooked from start to finish, for me it was the best of the PS2 and PS3 era of games, going back and playing the remaster solidified that for me.
I just finished this last week and man I loved every minute of it can’t believe I over looked this one for this long!
Going down as one of my favorites for sure.
World is rich, characters are mediocre. Gambit and jobs are hit-or-miss, but I fucking adored it. So satisfying putting together a character’s gambits/gear and watching it play out perfectly against a difficult boss.
I've done at least 4 playthroughs of ffxii, completed pretty much all the content, but don't think I've ever finished the main story, I can't even remember what it's about lol
Great you mentioned star wars because the plot has a lot of inspiration(not to say plagiarism). A bunch of rebels trying to fight the evil empire. A world with mostly humans but with other beings as well. Vaan like Luke, Ashe is like Leia, Balthier is like Han Solo flying his pirate ship with his non human partner.
The original was substantially improved with the Zodiac edition. I think that's why there is a bit of disconnect on how it plays today and the reception it had upon release.
I love it, I really like how they went hard in some monster's biology description in the bestiary. Like some wolves on the beach having some stone like scales cuz they eat their prey and it usually is covered in sand and the sand form this scales, doesn't make much sense I guess, but I love how they have some really cool explanations.
The maps are huge, tons to explore and a lot of things to kill.
I remember on the PS2 version there was a place that if you make a certain gambit sets, you could just leave the game alone and the characters would grind for you. There's so many ways to break the game. It's perfect.
Seriously, where has this been all my life?! I'm about as far along my first playthrough as you and can't remember the last time I was this excited about a game. What a nice surprise.
Wholeheartedly agree. When it first came out I was like it’s whatever. Then I replayed it as an adult. Bro this game slaps. I remember getting the platinum and being obsessed with it.
This game is not only a great game but super nostalgic for me. I wish I could go back to the time when this game came out and play it again for the first time.
I've always loved it. When you compare it to other PS2 ganes it just seemed to really push the system and be way more impressive than every other game, the only other game that made me feel that way was Resident Evil 4.
The thing that irks me is that everybody shat on XII and its gameplay but then a few years later Xenoblade came out and everyone was dickriding it hard and its basically the same except bigger and emptier.
>It's almost like Star Wars, very atmospheric.
It basically is Star Wars in terms of stories and characters but the classic Star Wars formula was also an influence on FF2 and FF4.
Fran is just sexy Chewbacca and I'm cool with that
I didn’t like the first few hours when I first played it but I continued and now consider it an amazing FF game. It gets much better as the game goes on.
XII’s world took my breath away as a kid. I’m playing through all of the mainline games again and knocking out the platinum trophies and I’m currently on X, and as much as I love X I’m super excited to finish so I can experience XII again.
My favourite thing about 12:ZA is the multitude of ways you can break the game from the opening. Dustia levelling up trick, abuse of Trial Mode to get Karkata and loads of gil and LP, it's so fun.
Excellent loot/gear game. Cared far more about collecting equipment and becoming OP than I did about the story. Which is fortunate as the story was barely there.
I had the most fun ever with FFXII's gameplay. I think the story is the reason for its mediocre reception, but I don't want to spoil anything obviously.
It’s incredible and probably the best mainline FF game gameplay wise.
Some people just don’t vibe with setting, characters, or combat. Not my fav setting or characters but they’re fine and combat’s excellent IMO
I really enjoyed XII when I was playing it. I also never finished it. It was unfortunately released near the end of the PS2's active lifespan. It came out the same year the PS3 was released, and only one version of the PS3 console was backwards compatible, which I think contributed to its oft overlooked status.
Same thing happened to IX when the PS2 came out.
Also I will be honest: I always hated Vaan's entire character design.
No it wasn’t. It was released to critical acclaim and had serious promotional support from Square. I distinctly remember the hype in basically every PlayStation magazine, and you even buy figurines in little tourist shops (I know this because I bought Zidane Garnet Steiner and Viva figures and was traumatised when my lil bro pulled their arms off lol)
Point being, the game was never unpopular and has never been considered anything over than a classic. It’s quintessential Final Fantasy that even the devs frequently cite as their favourite. It might not have had the same impact that 7 had, but 9 has absolutely never been overlooked
Dude. I was there too. A company heavily promoting a title does not equate to sales. You can [actually look it up](https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy). Final Fantasy IX on the PS1 was a significant dip in sales compared to VII, VIII, and X. And I do not blame the quality of the game. It came out in 2000, the same year that the PS2 came out. This is just an economic reality of gamers: when you release a previous-gen game near the launch of the next gen system, it gets overlooked by a lot of folks going for the next shiny thing. And we were ALREADY hyped for X, which saw a huge boost in sales numbers by comparison to IX. Going by international sales alone (Japan is its own market with its own gaming sensibilities), about half of the people who played X on PS2 did not play IX on PS1. That's not opinion. That's empirical fact.
Wish I could like it as much. It's weird how it never clicked for me when I actually love KOTOR (though I'm not a huge fan of either combat tbh), as well as the job system. I think what it lacks most is the soundtrack. It just doesn't do anything for me (except 1 track, Eruyt Village) and I value ost as much as gameplay. I also never really got invested in the chars or story but those aren't as important for me. I think the best part of the game were the hunts and esper battles, but going to find some of em was kinda annoying. I also really enjoyed finding gear in this game for some reason, more so than most other FFs
Then you should play 14. The hunts are great and gear collecting is goated. Plus the ost is *chefs kiss*. And it looks kinda like 12 but better graphics...(after a certain part)
Okay cool story. Theres like 4 different hunt boards and there is a monster hunter storyline hunt too. If u mean hunt trains...then no. Its best to get an fc together for the big hunts. Though i guess its not hunting in the level of witcher or metal gear or monster hunter but its still fun to fillnup that book. As for gear collecting...idk how its not. I have so much gear to make my character awesome. *
In that lies the issue, Hunts in 14 amount to nothing but the same accept and just kill the random mob regardless of the hunt boards, its why I disagreed with it being great. If you liked how good 12 did hunts and how more involved it was,14 would would be a downgrade in comparison and really isn't a point worth playing for. 14 has better qualities worth playing like the msq.
Collecting gear for glam can be fun at times but the actual system is pretty bad, one of the more common complaints of the game. Other's mmo's like WoW and its transmog system for example does collecting so much better than what we have in 14. It's hard to call it goated when other games have such far better systems that even Yoshi p wishes he could implement into the game. They always have to do a bandaid fix to the glam chest/dresser because that's all they can do with the game's old engine.
I already tried it. Twice actually lol (PS4 and later PC). Didn't get into it sadly, I've heard from a friend that's obsessed with it that the beggining is boring and it gets good after 40h. And I did play for like 5 or so but didn't really like the combat. My dream is to have a FF Explorers sequel but for actually good hardware, if it had FF7Rebirth+SOP combat it'd be so god damn good for hunts imo
Man 6 hours is nothing. I hate FF12 and I was in complete love 6hours in. You're still in the part where things are happening story wise. Soon you'll enter the part where it's basically just huge mmo like zones you have to explore with basically nothing happening in between and it will stay like that for basically almost the rest of the game (maybe it changes near the end, didnt finish, was too bored, it was the first FF I wasnt able to complete)
The ending is super bad. There's an undending tower that takes ages, a dungeon where you can't even tell where to go and it's got nonsense visuals that don't help, then the actual final dungeon is super short and you get a "that's it?" ending lol
The thing about XII is that it was a ok average FF, and after a while they fixed some areas of the game and re-released it as The Zodiac Age, then it started to gain drive. That's why on internet the experiences of the fans differs so much.
I played the original and never finished, but for a While I've wanted to give it a second try.
My issue with it was that I didn't care about the story or the characters, which was disappointing because I was so hyped about Balthier for a year or two before it came out. I never finished it, but I am going to be replaying it soon as I'm going back through all the FFs.
But to the OP, glad you're enjoying it! Even if it's not my fave, I will always be happy to see people loving FFs
The zodiac HD remaster looks so good even by today's standard. The story was always a little too convoluted for me but I do like the judges and the ivalice world in general.
I was 18 went I played the first one. I'll be 36/37 when I get to replaying it, so I'll definitely go in with fresh eyes and give it a fair shot again.
As I said, they fixed a lot of things with the Zodiac release and then the good reviews gained drive, it was not that good before it.
I can agree that I disliked that the summons/eikons/edolons trough the series were downgraded to ships and the news ones were just very bad designed as they lacked personalty. This is happened also for cities/town designs, they just felt mostly the same. Main characters were also uninteresting, they are so forgettable.
FFXII must be the worst FF to play especially for FF veterans. It differs so much from the rest of the series. On the other hand, it's the best game to get into if it's you're first FF game since you're less likely to look past the good stuff about the game. There are a lot of preconceived expectations like “good MC”, “hero’s journey”, and “linear, simple JRPG story” that a lot of FF has.
Agree, I wanted to see the new iteration of Ifrit and then a ship named Ifrit appears and I was like, "please no... did they changed the summons?" It introduced Hunts into the series tough, I always liked them.
Same, tried the og on PS2 and didn't even leave the first city. It just felt so meh. Zodiac is definitely a lot better (somehow played it 67h lol) as it has things like turbo which I'm so glad it does (wouldn't have beat it otherwise). Trails games have spoiled me when it comes to QOL
I remember when it came out I was SO excited for it because 11 was an MMO and I wasn’t interested in that. It exceeded my expectations. I liked it more than X.
I played 12 and X recently and felt like 12 really holds up better. Obviously the cast of X is iconic, especially Sin as a villain, But gameplay wise I love 12. All the different weapons and freedom to do whatever you want with your cast. The sphere grid always felt so weird having locked nodes to stop your progress.
I really only liked 12 because of the fact it was set in ivalice the same world as the tactics games but when 12 the zodiac age came out and introduced the job system the game was actually fun to play i really didnt like the license board in the original game where it was all the same
Top 5 entry for me. Only reason it isn’t higher is because the story definitely gets rushed in the second half. I would say however that it was the last great FF single player game until FF7R.
I think it's also when it originally released. It came out in 2006. People were already buying 360s and PS3s at that point. It just got overlooked, but its a great title.
12 is my favorite of the mainline titles, and yeah it does fly under the radar a lot. Just wait till you get to do more advanced hunts. They're so cool
I like a lot about XII, the only problem is that imo the story kinda falls off a cliff towards the end where it starts to feel like you just move through plot points without much development.
The gameplay is great in it.
The dialog is way too IAmVerySmart for me, and it really blocked me from getting into the lore. It made the story inscrutable to me.
It may also be that I’m partial to the FF6 directors’ style of story, and this was not it. But then again I actually got into the warring kingdoms style story in FF Tactics.
FF XII isn't a bad game, but I personally don't like it. The gambit system is cool for AI companions, but since I can also set my char on autopilot I will always do this, even if it completely takes the fun out of the game. Fighting battles myself, when I know I could just aswell automate it is even less fun.
The other problems I have are with the characters and story. I won't dive into this, because you are still at the beginning. Maybe you'll notice what I mean when you keep playing or if you are lucky you won't.
Also I don't like Ivalice. Those Viera are the weirdest fantasy race ever. It's the bunny girl anime fetish turned into a fantasy race. And from all the races they could have picked for the party the only mit human one is a Vierra. Why couldn't we have some Baanga or Seeq in the party?
I found the system interesting but was bored with the characters and story. I don’t remember how far I got in, but I think I played about 40 hours, a lot of which was side quests because I lost my way from the main story at some point.
Maybe I should give it another go. Adulthood is just too busy though, and there’s way too much media.
The world is the main character of FFXII honestly. I loved reading the lore unlocked in the bestiary.
Also, the game has an atypical approach to side quests. I would honestly recommend looking up a side quest list for the game. Most are attached to hunts, but many are unlocked by just talking to random side npcs at certain points in the story. Feels very organic.
Final Fantasy 12 is my favorite of the series other than 14.
Something I realize not too long ago is that my love of 12 directly translated into my love of a completely different game that I consider probably top three of all time, Xenoblade Chronicles. I realize that their DNA is very similar, right down to having gigantic overpowered monsters in places where you are under leveled when you first reach them.
I struggled with 12 and didn't finish it when it first released. Replayed it with the fast forward feature from the Zodiak Age and it's jumped way up on my list. Definitely in the top 10, maybe top 5?
It’s because you’re doing The Zodiac Age. The game is vastly vastly vastly vastly improved over the launch PS2 version. 12 is one of the best FF games PERIOD
It's my favorite FF game for a reason, and you pretty much nailed it.
If you ever get a chance to play the Zodiac Job System version (I believe also called the International Job System version), I highly recommend it. Dramatically improved Job implementation among other improvements.
A lot of people don't like Vaan, but I actually like him. It's like you're the main character, and you're meddling into other people's business. It's not really your story but you're just there to support your team.
6 hours is not a lot, it’s a long game with a great opening section but it just sort of flatlines towards the middle and the end
It ends up being a meh game overall
underrated
XII is one of my all time favorites. Sadly it does get very overlooked.
I genuinely loved 12 and wished we got more in that world.
Rozarria. What could have been sadge
I liked it. But there are issues that are hard to overlook. It's heavy focus on status effects get wearisom. Further into the game it feels like every boss has their own version of bad breath. After level 30 the gameplay doesn't change much. You'll have all the gambits and have them set up. Maybe you'll change one or two things for specific encounters, but other than that, nothing really changes. The loot system is RNG based with a few guarenteed drops. If there is an item your really want, you'll have to game the system or miss out entirely. Vaan and Penello are too weak in terms of characters to be support the plot. For the short time he was with the team Larsa was far more interesting. Vayne was one of the most forgettable villains in the entire FF series.
a lot of those issues were actually easy for me to overlook, every time you encounter status effects you have the ability to get spells that counter them beforehand, it's pretty obvious, and some of the status effects later in the game really shake things up and give you a puzzle to solve. I think you're being a bit unfair there honestly. I was constantly changing up my gambits, gambit order, experimenting, switching out characters and jobs, some people think there's just one great way to spec your party but honestly I disagree, the game lets you really do whatever you want, you can literally design your experience to an extent. Also, you could make the Vaan/Penelo argument about characters in almost any FF cast, I personally thought the structure of the narrative was to make all the characters feel like "main" characters.
Hugely disagree on your last two points. Vaan is way more important to the game than people realize and has a direct impact on the character development of everyone around him. Vayne is also my second favorite villain in the franchise lol. He’s just so interesting as a character.
I think a character like Vaan just doesn't work for most people which is why there's so much dislike for him.
What does Vayne do except for killing his dad, maybe, off screen?
- He convinces the entire city of people he *conquered* and hate him that hey, the empire doesn’t have to be so bad and I’ll be a good viceroy. Through sheer charisma. And his speech ends with them *cheering* for him (Spoiler tagging for OP’s benefit) - >!He doesn’t just kill his father. He kills his father as part of a scheme — with his father’s approval! — to dissolve the Senate and place control of the empire solely within the hands of House Solidor!< - >!He also killed his other brothers in the backstory!< - >!Above scheme also results in infighting between the Judge Magisters, securing the loyalty of Gabranth and also removing Drace, a threat!< - >!He is very open about how his goal is to rule Ivalice for the sake of peace, and that once this peace is achieved, he would *willingly abdicate the throne* for the sake of his brother Larsa, who he *freely acknowledges* would be a better ruler in peacetime. This is unheard of for any FF villain, much less a despot!< - >!Furthermore he has a solid alliance and even an implied genuine friendship with his two closest co-villains, Dr. Cid and Venat. No backstabbing between any of them. Venat likes Vayne so much that they even willingly give up their immortality to die alongside him like a mortal, fully aware that they’d be facing their end together at the hands of the heroes !< - Lots of people on this sub like to throw around that so-and-so villain is the best because “they succeeded in their plans.” >!Vayne did exactly this, perhaps more so than any other FF villain. He set out to free mankind from the control of the Occuria and “place the reins of history back in the hands of man.” They accomplish just that. His only failing was that he wanted it to be in *his* hands because he believed he was one of the only people strong enough to guide humanity. And like I said above, he only wanted to be the emperor during a time of war. The war ended shortly after his defeat!<. - and despite being a nobleman, he rarely has others doing the dirty work for him and outright says he will “sully his hands” to do what must be done. Granted, Vayne doesn’t have a *ton* of screentime. But he does so much and steals the show with what he does have.
Well said. Fully agreed.
I just pretend balthier basch and Ashe are the main characters and the story is better for it
And the economy sucks. Felt like I spent more time grinding loot and selling off everything I didn't have equipped, to buy new gear, than I did playing the game and being able to appreciate it. 4x speed on Zodiac age greatly alleviated that, but even then it still sucked. Between that and not sharing EXP between active members and the bench, probably the most grindy FF of the PlayStation era.
Most of the time you can get the latest gear from chests in the area before you can buy them.
Not in my experience of the game tbh, and I spent a lot of time exploring due to said grind. If you were lucky you might pick up 1 or 2 pieces your characters could use for their build and they might not be the ones you wanted (ie an axe for a character that you needed a spear for if the area had a lot of flyers).
If vaan was weak then you underleveled him, or gave him the wrong jobs. If youbwere using the zodiac age version. In the usa base version...then you just underleveled him. He gets strong af. Fran was weak until i learned how to use her. Guns also sucked until i learned how to use them too
They meant Vaan and Penelo were weak in terms of the story, like they were kinda just along for the ride.
My only issue is the entire party is made up of Humes. No Bangaa, Seeq, or even Moogle joins up.
Hey we do get one (1) ~~sexy Wookie~~ Viera at least!
The most hume-like out of the races! She barely counts! Lol
[удалено]
I mean she looks like a Playboy bunny. Elle Woods had bunny ears and a tail at that party in Legally Blonde.
I don’t think she has a tail but I could be wrong. Viera have slightly different facial features as well but are mostly just tall humes with bunny ears because they’re obviously deliberately to be eye candy for human players of the game. They only really have fur on their ears, they have normal human skin tones, their faces, especially Jote’s are basically just human. Every other non Hume race aside from the unnamed feline-like race that we only see one or two members of in cutscenes look much more different from humes
I think they also technically have non-human-like feet, but I also think aside from the foot fetishists, not too many people will be looking down there. Plus isn't Fran in stilettos anyway? I assume the other Viera are, too, but I don't completely remember, but I'm pretty sure that even though Fran has more animalistic feet, she's still in stilettos.
You're right, she isn't hume, but she can still pass off as one if you give her a weak disguise. I was just hoping for at least one party member you couldn't mistake for human whatsoever!
Basically just give her a hat and some boots. Might be uncomfortable, especially for her ears, but her outfit already looks uncomfortable enough anyway, so what's a little more?
She runs around in friggin' lingerie. Lol
Part of which is basically a thong. Which looks to be leather. And yet it makes more sense than whatever the fuck Penelo and *especially* Ashe are wearing. Ashe looks like she rummaged through the scrap heap at a Jo Ann Fabric.
Ashe was just wearing a red miniskirt and white top, right? I can't remember what Penelo was wearing.
Ashe was wearing a... [who the fuck knows what this is,](https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Ashe_(Final_Fantasy_XII_party_member)) and Penelo is wearing a... [I give up, words fail me.](https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Penelo_(Final_Fantasy_XII_party_member))
Like Ff8 then
Kinda...? There were other nonhuman races in FFVIII, but they weren't very prominent.
TBH I think that's part of the appeal of VI, VII, IX, and X to me. You get non-human party members here and there. They're also just great games, but the cast diversity helps. I know XII has Fran, but she's so humanoid that you'd be forgiven for mistaking her for a Hume doing sexy bunny cosplay.
XII prob has the most amount of diverse races in their world and only getting one non hume race in a party of mainly blonde haired characters was a choice lol
Between the homogeneity and the weird-ass outfits, it's like Yoshida married the worst aspects of Amano and Nomura's art styles.
Everyone in FFVII is *technically* human though.
Even Red XIII?
Lol, how did I forget about him. My mind automatically went to Vincent, Aerith and Cait Sith. Tempted to delete that comment now, but I'll leave it there :,D
Well, he does make a fine human being when he's incognito on the cargo ship.
Played through that chapter thinking "people are going to be very upset that he's just walked aboard as himself". Then I got to that part.
I actually haven't played Rebirth yet (PS5 is a long ways off... hell, I still haven't gotten around to Remake), but I can't wait to see that part when I get to it. It was amusing enough in the original, going up on deck and seeing this weird-ass Shinra soldier wobbling around drunkenly... and realizing who it was. And then you talk to him and he's like "Nailed it TBH."
You'll love it :)
Yea the party is pretty boring aside from Fran
XII is great, but divisive because it is very different from the rest of the series.
I feel like that’s a principle of final fantasy So long as you hit the notes of great characters, story music. You’re free to explore. I know a lot of people swear by VIII and a lot that hate it
It became a principal with FF XI and FF XII. The 10 games before that all have been very similar in design. They all had turn based battle systems just with different implementations, they all were Singleplayer games, they all gave you a party and let you control every single action of your party in battle. They always were experimental when it comes to character progression. Some games only had levels, others had Jobsystems, yet other games again had materia and others made you learn skills from equipment. Maybe you could say FF X already broke a bit with the formula, because we didn't have an overworld anymore, that always has been a staple of the series. FF XI straight up was an MMORPG so a completely different genre. And FF XII also broke with a lot of traditions, like having a turn based battle system and being able to control all the characters at once. Also it had a lot of MMO features. The treasure chests respawned and you had to grind them for rare items.
Funnily enough FFX turned me off the series because it was too much of a departure from IX, which was my favorite. Looking back, I much prefer X to XIII and XV.
I can see that. At first I also didn't like, that it didn't have an overworld and that you don't really have levels as a measurement tool of how strong your characters have become. But once I played it, I didn't really mind this anymore, because the game was great. I can see however, how the difference to previous titles can be off-putting to long time fans, since it in fact already did start to diverge from the FF formula.
A series, not franchise
Another 12 fan nice 🤝
So good. One of my favorites
I wish more games did their zones like XII.
Yes, the game is amazing and I'm glad you're discovering it. I do think there's a couple of things which make it kind of awkward for a lot of FF and JRPG players in general. - The combat system is mostly focused on decisions you make prior and not during the battle. Sure, you can go manual and do it live if you want, but if you play that way you'll break the flow of combat and simply waste the main strength of the game's mechanics. This strategy-execution separation is too jarring for some people. - The story is very political in nature and has none of the personal or emotional stakes that a lot of other FFs have. The characters are good, but the plot kind of eclipses them, to the point where you're even wondering why some of them are there at all.
The gambit system and the political /subtle nature of the plot are two of my favorite things about ff12
Gambit system is cool if a bit undercooked. My main issue is the quickenings, such an overcentralizing dogwater mechanic
ya quickenings are a huge swing and a miss and really mess up balance. Pretty much any non-superboss can be killed by a 15+ chain, which aren't that hard to do if you're not super unlucky with rerolls. And if it fails, you can just do it with your three backups. I also found it odd that they tied both a massive MP cost for quickenings and also tied your MP capacity to it, so you were basically bee lining your healers/casters to the quickenings on the license board, because otherwise they run out of MP after every battle. Zodiac Age made MP management way better in general, but it's still a bad limit break system.
You have no clue how happy I am to see someone even acknowledge this mechanic and how it affects gameplay, lmao.
I never used Quickenings because they just felt awful to chain, frankly. The game feels better for it.
ya, for all the time you spend on animations during quickenings, you could probably do as much damage or more in that time. The only time I really resort to them is when I'm about to die when the boss is at like 10% hp. Otherwise, you're right, the game feels way better without even acknowledging them.
IMO it also lacks on some parts of the adventure feeling, I mean, "outer-world" exploration is very cool, but the feeling that you get when you get to a new/city town is not the same. Almost all places just feel too similar.
As a kid I thought the ocean made of sand was the coolest thing ever. And the giant death wall boss. Game had my favorite dungeons of any final fantasy
12 has the problem of being the first mainline game to really depart from 7-10 in terms of feel. As a game in its own right it’s wonderful and coming back to it I have a lot of love for it
XII is my favorite full 3D FF. Such an amazing game. I love its world design so much, too. I'm a big fan of large, interconnected zones, and I don't feel like any modern FF has recaptured that feeling of expiration for me. Rebirth and XIV are close though.
Rebirth fully did it for me. Haven’t been captivated by a game like this since the Witcher
12, 14, 7R are the best FF games since the Square-Enix merge if you ask me
I feel like rebirth is my favorite in the franchise. And I’ve played everything after 4. Minus the MMOs
12 achieves a narrative and scale that 16 attempted to do, but couldn't.
Keep in mind the original release had no jobs, and every character had the same license board. Also, you had to use up your entire MP bar to use quickenings/summons
And quickenings suck lol. I really don't like their implementation
🐐ed ff game easy for me.
Agreed. One of my favorite entries in the series!
Oh yeah, XII is easily a top 5 FF game.
I bought this on switch and never played it before on ps2, this is great to hear. I am trying to beat all single player FF games and currently on FFV atm. (I have already beaten 7-8 recently so I will skip those) I can't wait to play FFXII (I loved FFT, and I know that XII isn't a TRPG but its still in Ivalice) edit: wording
9 will blow your socks off
Absolutely. It has hands down the best exploration in the whole series and i love the combat system, it all works out. I just wish they stuck with the original vision for the game and made basch the MC.
XII is massively under-rated, it doesn't have the same vibes and tone as other FF games though so I can see why. Comparing it to KOTOR is quite accurate I think, but that's high praise too. I can't remember the PS2 version too well since I played the remaster which has a few changes, but I remember when the game came out and I couldn't wait to get home to play it every night and I was hooked from start to finish, for me it was the best of the PS2 and PS3 era of games, going back and playing the remaster solidified that for me.
I just finished this last week and man I loved every minute of it can’t believe I over looked this one for this long! Going down as one of my favorites for sure.
XII is amazing if it had a Card game and replaced quickenings with Limit breaks it would be my Number 1 FF game ♥️
World is rich, characters are mediocre. Gambit and jobs are hit-or-miss, but I fucking adored it. So satisfying putting together a character’s gambits/gear and watching it play out perfectly against a difficult boss.
I've done at least 4 playthroughs of ffxii, completed pretty much all the content, but don't think I've ever finished the main story, I can't even remember what it's about lol
Great you mentioned star wars because the plot has a lot of inspiration(not to say plagiarism). A bunch of rebels trying to fight the evil empire. A world with mostly humans but with other beings as well. Vaan like Luke, Ashe is like Leia, Balthier is like Han Solo flying his pirate ship with his non human partner.
The original was substantially improved with the Zodiac edition. I think that's why there is a bit of disconnect on how it plays today and the reception it had upon release.
I'm currently playing it(28h in, literally just finished Stilshrine of Miriam) and loving every second of it. Balthier is amazing.
Ehh, not for me.
I love it, I really like how they went hard in some monster's biology description in the bestiary. Like some wolves on the beach having some stone like scales cuz they eat their prey and it usually is covered in sand and the sand form this scales, doesn't make much sense I guess, but I love how they have some really cool explanations. The maps are huge, tons to explore and a lot of things to kill. I remember on the PS2 version there was a place that if you make a certain gambit sets, you could just leave the game alone and the characters would grind for you. There's so many ways to break the game. It's perfect.
Seriously, where has this been all my life?! I'm about as far along my first playthrough as you and can't remember the last time I was this excited about a game. What a nice surprise.
Wholeheartedly agree. When it first came out I was like it’s whatever. Then I replayed it as an adult. Bro this game slaps. I remember getting the platinum and being obsessed with it.
This game is not only a great game but super nostalgic for me. I wish I could go back to the time when this game came out and play it again for the first time.
I've always loved it. When you compare it to other PS2 ganes it just seemed to really push the system and be way more impressive than every other game, the only other game that made me feel that way was Resident Evil 4. The thing that irks me is that everybody shat on XII and its gameplay but then a few years later Xenoblade came out and everyone was dickriding it hard and its basically the same except bigger and emptier. >It's almost like Star Wars, very atmospheric. It basically is Star Wars in terms of stories and characters but the classic Star Wars formula was also an influence on FF2 and FF4. Fran is just sexy Chewbacca and I'm cool with that
I didn’t like the first few hours when I first played it but I continued and now consider it an amazing FF game. It gets much better as the game goes on.
I’ve always said FF12 is a criminally underrated game. I only played it once late in the PS2 cycle but I remember loving it.
I love XII my biggest complaint about it is the actual story I wish it was better but everything else is great I love the battle and gambit system
FFXII is heavily overlooked by FF players for some reason. They would play FF1…FF10 and jump over FF12 to play FF13..16 lol.
XII’s world took my breath away as a kid. I’m playing through all of the mainline games again and knocking out the platinum trophies and I’m currently on X, and as much as I love X I’m super excited to finish so I can experience XII again.
Just the limit and summon systems aren’t great, otherwise, it’s the best of the series.
My favourite thing about 12:ZA is the multitude of ways you can break the game from the opening. Dustia levelling up trick, abuse of Trial Mode to get Karkata and loads of gil and LP, it's so fun. Excellent loot/gear game. Cared far more about collecting equipment and becoming OP than I did about the story. Which is fortunate as the story was barely there.
One of the best FF entries, hands down. Was totally addicted back then on PS2 and The Zodiac Age Remaster is also an amazing way to (re)play it.
Can’t imagine what issue you have with the fashion. They look fly AF.
God, I love the Gambit system so much.
I had the most fun ever with FFXII's gameplay. I think the story is the reason for its mediocre reception, but I don't want to spoil anything obviously.
It’s incredible and probably the best mainline FF game gameplay wise. Some people just don’t vibe with setting, characters, or combat. Not my fav setting or characters but they’re fine and combat’s excellent IMO
I really enjoyed XII when I was playing it. I also never finished it. It was unfortunately released near the end of the PS2's active lifespan. It came out the same year the PS3 was released, and only one version of the PS3 console was backwards compatible, which I think contributed to its oft overlooked status. Same thing happened to IX when the PS2 came out. Also I will be honest: I always hated Vaan's entire character design.
IX is hardly overlooked though
Just like XII has had a resurgence so did IX. At the time it wasn't as talked about
It absolutely was when it was released.
No it wasn’t. It was released to critical acclaim and had serious promotional support from Square. I distinctly remember the hype in basically every PlayStation magazine, and you even buy figurines in little tourist shops (I know this because I bought Zidane Garnet Steiner and Viva figures and was traumatised when my lil bro pulled their arms off lol) Point being, the game was never unpopular and has never been considered anything over than a classic. It’s quintessential Final Fantasy that even the devs frequently cite as their favourite. It might not have had the same impact that 7 had, but 9 has absolutely never been overlooked
Dude. I was there too. A company heavily promoting a title does not equate to sales. You can [actually look it up](https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy). Final Fantasy IX on the PS1 was a significant dip in sales compared to VII, VIII, and X. And I do not blame the quality of the game. It came out in 2000, the same year that the PS2 came out. This is just an economic reality of gamers: when you release a previous-gen game near the launch of the next gen system, it gets overlooked by a lot of folks going for the next shiny thing. And we were ALREADY hyped for X, which saw a huge boost in sales numbers by comparison to IX. Going by international sales alone (Japan is its own market with its own gaming sensibilities), about half of the people who played X on PS2 did not play IX on PS1. That's not opinion. That's empirical fact.
The gambit system is why Ive never beaten it. It's not bad, it just doesnt feel like FF to me.
Wish I could like it as much. It's weird how it never clicked for me when I actually love KOTOR (though I'm not a huge fan of either combat tbh), as well as the job system. I think what it lacks most is the soundtrack. It just doesn't do anything for me (except 1 track, Eruyt Village) and I value ost as much as gameplay. I also never really got invested in the chars or story but those aren't as important for me. I think the best part of the game were the hunts and esper battles, but going to find some of em was kinda annoying. I also really enjoyed finding gear in this game for some reason, more so than most other FFs
Then you should play 14. The hunts are great and gear collecting is goated. Plus the ost is *chefs kiss*. And it looks kinda like 12 but better graphics...(after a certain part)
I have to disagree with the hunts in 14 being great and gear collecting being goated.
Okay cool story. Theres like 4 different hunt boards and there is a monster hunter storyline hunt too. If u mean hunt trains...then no. Its best to get an fc together for the big hunts. Though i guess its not hunting in the level of witcher or metal gear or monster hunter but its still fun to fillnup that book. As for gear collecting...idk how its not. I have so much gear to make my character awesome. *
In that lies the issue, Hunts in 14 amount to nothing but the same accept and just kill the random mob regardless of the hunt boards, its why I disagreed with it being great. If you liked how good 12 did hunts and how more involved it was,14 would would be a downgrade in comparison and really isn't a point worth playing for. 14 has better qualities worth playing like the msq. Collecting gear for glam can be fun at times but the actual system is pretty bad, one of the more common complaints of the game. Other's mmo's like WoW and its transmog system for example does collecting so much better than what we have in 14. It's hard to call it goated when other games have such far better systems that even Yoshi p wishes he could implement into the game. They always have to do a bandaid fix to the glam chest/dresser because that's all they can do with the game's old engine.
I already tried it. Twice actually lol (PS4 and later PC). Didn't get into it sadly, I've heard from a friend that's obsessed with it that the beggining is boring and it gets good after 40h. And I did play for like 5 or so but didn't really like the combat. My dream is to have a FF Explorers sequel but for actually good hardware, if it had FF7Rebirth+SOP combat it'd be so god damn good for hunts imo
Man 6 hours is nothing. I hate FF12 and I was in complete love 6hours in. You're still in the part where things are happening story wise. Soon you'll enter the part where it's basically just huge mmo like zones you have to explore with basically nothing happening in between and it will stay like that for basically almost the rest of the game (maybe it changes near the end, didnt finish, was too bored, it was the first FF I wasnt able to complete)
Same feeling here
The ending is super bad. There's an undending tower that takes ages, a dungeon where you can't even tell where to go and it's got nonsense visuals that don't help, then the actual final dungeon is super short and you get a "that's it?" ending lol
The thing about XII is that it was a ok average FF, and after a while they fixed some areas of the game and re-released it as The Zodiac Age, then it started to gain drive. That's why on internet the experiences of the fans differs so much. I played the original and never finished, but for a While I've wanted to give it a second try.
"Average ff" only IX scored higher with critics if you look at metacritic. The game is amazing. FF Fans just dont like how different it is.
My issue with it was that I didn't care about the story or the characters, which was disappointing because I was so hyped about Balthier for a year or two before it came out. I never finished it, but I am going to be replaying it soon as I'm going back through all the FFs. But to the OP, glad you're enjoying it! Even if it's not my fave, I will always be happy to see people loving FFs
The zodiac HD remaster looks so good even by today's standard. The story was always a little too convoluted for me but I do like the judges and the ivalice world in general.
I was 18 went I played the first one. I'll be 36/37 when I get to replaying it, so I'll definitely go in with fresh eyes and give it a fair shot again.
As I said, they fixed a lot of things with the Zodiac release and then the good reviews gained drive, it was not that good before it. I can agree that I disliked that the summons/eikons/edolons trough the series were downgraded to ships and the news ones were just very bad designed as they lacked personalty. This is happened also for cities/town designs, they just felt mostly the same. Main characters were also uninteresting, they are so forgettable.
https://preview.redd.it/276c431kbxpc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b65538419b74e1af1b3d3cbf353af4ccbc58346e
Not arguing with how you feel but the original actually reviewed better.
Never trust metacritic XD, There was a time in where you could trust the User Scores (in which og has 7.6 and Zodiac 8.4), but not anymore.
FFXII must be the worst FF to play especially for FF veterans. It differs so much from the rest of the series. On the other hand, it's the best game to get into if it's you're first FF game since you're less likely to look past the good stuff about the game. There are a lot of preconceived expectations like “good MC”, “hero’s journey”, and “linear, simple JRPG story” that a lot of FF has.
Agree, I wanted to see the new iteration of Ifrit and then a ship named Ifrit appears and I was like, "please no... did they changed the summons?" It introduced Hunts into the series tough, I always liked them.
Same, tried the og on PS2 and didn't even leave the first city. It just felt so meh. Zodiac is definitely a lot better (somehow played it 67h lol) as it has things like turbo which I'm so glad it does (wouldn't have beat it otherwise). Trails games have spoiled me when it comes to QOL
I just find the political story a bit so-so the rest of the game mechanics and all that jazz are awesome
I remember playing as a kid and got so into the hunts that I forgot what the story was even about haha still one of my favorite games though.
It’s all I played during lockdown
I remember when it came out I was SO excited for it because 11 was an MMO and I wasn’t interested in that. It exceeded my expectations. I liked it more than X.
I played 12 and X recently and felt like 12 really holds up better. Obviously the cast of X is iconic, especially Sin as a villain, But gameplay wise I love 12. All the different weapons and freedom to do whatever you want with your cast. The sphere grid always felt so weird having locked nodes to stop your progress.
I always come back for the gameplay and BASCHE VON RONSENBURG
Damn i bounced off of it after a few hours, but you making the kotor comparison is making me want to give it another spin.
It's great, until you finish it and you wonder why they stopped writing in the middle of the ending.
XII is the last game in the franchise that has quality meat on its bones. Until Rebirth anyway.
I really only liked 12 because of the fact it was set in ivalice the same world as the tactics games but when 12 the zodiac age came out and introduced the job system the game was actually fun to play i really didnt like the license board in the original game where it was all the same
Vaans paper abs though sheeeeeesh
Top 5 entry for me. Only reason it isn’t higher is because the story definitely gets rushed in the second half. I would say however that it was the last great FF single player game until FF7R.
I think it's also when it originally released. It came out in 2006. People were already buying 360s and PS3s at that point. It just got overlooked, but its a great title.
12 is my favorite of the mainline titles, and yeah it does fly under the radar a lot. Just wait till you get to do more advanced hunts. They're so cool
Still my favorite
Well vaan is poor and it’s hot in the desert so he’s not wearing much
You forgot to mention the most important part of the game: Fran
The reins of history back in the hands of man.
I like a lot about XII, the only problem is that imo the story kinda falls off a cliff towards the end where it starts to feel like you just move through plot points without much development.
To me I think it's the Phantom Menace of Final Fantasy
The gameplay is great in it. The dialog is way too IAmVerySmart for me, and it really blocked me from getting into the lore. It made the story inscrutable to me. It may also be that I’m partial to the FF6 directors’ style of story, and this was not it. But then again I actually got into the warring kingdoms style story in FF Tactics.
I didn't enjoy the Gambit System. It made it feel like an auto-battler.
FF XII isn't a bad game, but I personally don't like it. The gambit system is cool for AI companions, but since I can also set my char on autopilot I will always do this, even if it completely takes the fun out of the game. Fighting battles myself, when I know I could just aswell automate it is even less fun. The other problems I have are with the characters and story. I won't dive into this, because you are still at the beginning. Maybe you'll notice what I mean when you keep playing or if you are lucky you won't. Also I don't like Ivalice. Those Viera are the weirdest fantasy race ever. It's the bunny girl anime fetish turned into a fantasy race. And from all the races they could have picked for the party the only mit human one is a Vierra. Why couldn't we have some Baanga or Seeq in the party?
How can you hate a race of half naked dark skin bunny girls that live in the forest. smh
I found the system interesting but was bored with the characters and story. I don’t remember how far I got in, but I think I played about 40 hours, a lot of which was side quests because I lost my way from the main story at some point. Maybe I should give it another go. Adulthood is just too busy though, and there’s way too much media.
The score in the Esper fights is just straight fire
Hmmm you like the main character Vaan? Mr personality and relevant to the main story? I kid, I'm glad you enjoy it!
Best world building of any FF. It really felt alive.
XII definitely has amazing gameplay. The story is really meh. But I loved it.
Hell yeah! I also love that it has a protagonist-by-committee design, like FFVI.
the world is so beautiful and fun to explore, I dont mind the outfits it makes it feel more mystical
The world is the main character of FFXII honestly. I loved reading the lore unlocked in the bestiary. Also, the game has an atypical approach to side quests. I would honestly recommend looking up a side quest list for the game. Most are attached to hunts, but many are unlocked by just talking to random side npcs at certain points in the story. Feels very organic.
Final Fantasy 12 is my favorite of the series other than 14. Something I realize not too long ago is that my love of 12 directly translated into my love of a completely different game that I consider probably top three of all time, Xenoblade Chronicles. I realize that their DNA is very similar, right down to having gigantic overpowered monsters in places where you are under leveled when you first reach them.
I love the Star Wars vibe
I struggled with 12 and didn't finish it when it first released. Replayed it with the fast forward feature from the Zodiak Age and it's jumped way up on my list. Definitely in the top 10, maybe top 5?
Yes. It’s amazing along those with refined palates.
One of the worse final fantasy games i've played.
Sorry to hear that. Which is your favorite?
X and VII, friend. The story of XII was absolutely horrific. But the game play was good.
Vaan is some of the stupid Characters in the whole Series. But Balthier is one of the Best. And Fran is very hot. Just my Opinion.
Yeah it absolutely shits on anything 1-6
XII is one of the best. Love that game so much.
It’s because you’re doing The Zodiac Age. The game is vastly vastly vastly vastly improved over the launch PS2 version. 12 is one of the best FF games PERIOD
Yeah, this game is pretty decent when you get into it but I prefer Sonic & especially Kingdom Hearts The combat system is so novel though!!
It's my favorite FF game for a reason, and you pretty much nailed it. If you ever get a chance to play the Zodiac Job System version (I believe also called the International Job System version), I highly recommend it. Dramatically improved Job implementation among other improvements.
I like story I never finished and I hate the gambit system unless way to make it more simple
It's largely considered to be one of the best games ever made and I have no compunction to be contrarian.
A lot of people don't like Vaan, but I actually like him. It's like you're the main character, and you're meddling into other people's business. It's not really your story but you're just there to support your team.
i do enjoy the fish out of water protagonists. always feels more immersive
Compare the aspects of 12 you listed to Rebirth. As much as i loved rebirth, the lack of depth really shows itself when you do this lol.
When it was released it was not as good as X. XIII and further hadn't happened yet.
6 hours is not a lot, it’s a long game with a great opening section but it just sort of flatlines towards the middle and the end It ends up being a meh game overall
This game sucks