As of right now, I still owe my readers four Final Fantasy reviews. FFXII, FF, FFX, and FFIV. However, I've also completed, and will add to the list FFVII, possibly FFIX (I'm still in the middle of it), and FF Tactics, so...here's what I'm gonna do, abbreviated reviews of the first four below, open the floor to questions about them, and most likely come back to the games later in "The Fantasy Strikes Back".
Anyway...FFXII. I love this game...I love Ivalice...there is not a truly bad game in the sub series to be found. A2 and Revenant Wings leave a lot to be desired, but they're much, MUCH better than some of the sub-series games...Dirge of Cerberus.
FFXII is Square Enix's love letter to the original Star Wars Trilogy. Robot Chicken and Family Guy think they put on wonderful...let's call them homages...to those three films, but seeing it done in high fantasy rather than in comedy still takes the cake in my book.
Anyway...FFXII. I love this game...I love Ivalice...there is not a truly bad game in the sub series to be found. A2 and Revenant Wings leave a lot to be desired, but they're much, MUCH better than some of the sub-series games...Dirge of Cerberus.
FFXII is Square Enix's love letter to the original Star Wars Trilogy. Robot Chicken and Family Guy think they put on wonderful...let's call them homages...to those three films, but seeing it done in high fantasy rather than in comedy still takes the cake in my book.
Music is wonderful, and the acting is far superior to its predecessor. Every single character has a place...yes, even Penolo...on the team, and nothing is wasted. Gameplay isn't the richest experience, though...as once you've completed the initial areas...the game becomes little more than an exercise in walking around. It's far too easy, especially when you run across the glitch that allows you to unlock the ENTIRE LICENSE BOARD, as I did.
Good game overall, and you would be remiss to look it over in lieu of other RPG's, even in the Final Fantasy series.
Final Fantasy, the first game in the series, was a major change in all of gaming, but...I didn't play it til Dawn of Souls, so, I couldn't see first hand how much it effected gaming til roughly, 2006. That said, it's a great game, with one of the best stories in gaming. Sadly...the lack of any real characterization on the part of the party leaves a lot to be desired. I really wanted to check out 4 Warriors of Light and see if it did what FFIII DS did for FFIII's party, but I already know that they changed a large part of the story...hmmm...maybe one day.
FFX is right up there with FFIV and VII in terms of gameplay for me. The fact that their gameplays are absolutely identical could play a major part in that. I think this game has the best of the sub-games of any in the series...Blitzball, and actually has a few interesting plot elements I wouldn't have expected them to take (not because they're really stupid, well...some are...but because they add some real depth to the world).
Don't worry though, I haven't lost my mind, Tidus pisses me off just about as much as Cloud most of the time, but I still give him a little praise for what he is and what he does in the story. Unlike Cloud, who's guilty for what he did, and just wants to clean up his mess, Tidus, is literally dead, and having absolutely nothing better to do, decides he'll run around with this merry little band of guardians and their sacrifice, who he gives his all to save, both from themselves and their situation. That's actually pretty admirable.
Finally, FFIV will definitely get a review down the road...the thing is, and the reason the FF series games are being delayed for the time being, is I want to play The After Years and the in between story first. Having played through the Ivalice Alliance, I've actually gained a lot of respect for FFXII. Alternatively...FFVII has actually lost a little after Dirge of Cerberus. Until then though, FFIV gave us Active Time Battle, revolutionized RPG's, and told an amazing as hell story nearly twenty years old now. The Final Fantasy Series is still trying to emulate what it, Final Fantasy V, VI, and VII did successively for the series and gaming in general. IV really opened the door to the following three, and did it really well. If you haven't played it, stop whatever you're doing...go buy it for whichever system you have that it's available for, and enjoy.
So, if you have any questions about the games mentioned here, my feelings on them...please ask away...I promise I'll get into more concrete reviews later, and have fun gaming.
Final Fantasy, the first game in the series, was a major change in all of gaming, but...I didn't play it til Dawn of Souls, so, I couldn't see first hand how much it effected gaming til roughly, 2006. That said, it's a great game, with one of the best stories in gaming. Sadly...the lack of any real characterization on the part of the party leaves a lot to be desired. I really wanted to check out 4 Warriors of Light and see if it did what FFIII DS did for FFIII's party, but I already know that they changed a large part of the story...hmmm...maybe one day.
FFX is right up there with FFIV and VII in terms of gameplay for me. The fact that their gameplays are absolutely identical could play a major part in that. I think this game has the best of the sub-games of any in the series...Blitzball, and actually has a few interesting plot elements I wouldn't have expected them to take (not because they're really stupid, well...some are...but because they add some real depth to the world).
Don't worry though, I haven't lost my mind, Tidus pisses me off just about as much as Cloud most of the time, but I still give him a little praise for what he is and what he does in the story. Unlike Cloud, who's guilty for what he did, and just wants to clean up his mess, Tidus, is literally dead, and having absolutely nothing better to do, decides he'll run around with this merry little band of guardians and their sacrifice, who he gives his all to save, both from themselves and their situation. That's actually pretty admirable.
Finally, FFIV will definitely get a review down the road...the thing is, and the reason the FF series games are being delayed for the time being, is I want to play The After Years and the in between story first. Having played through the Ivalice Alliance, I've actually gained a lot of respect for FFXII. Alternatively...FFVII has actually lost a little after Dirge of Cerberus. Until then though, FFIV gave us Active Time Battle, revolutionized RPG's, and told an amazing as hell story nearly twenty years old now. The Final Fantasy Series is still trying to emulate what it, Final Fantasy V, VI, and VII did successively for the series and gaming in general. IV really opened the door to the following three, and did it really well. If you haven't played it, stop whatever you're doing...go buy it for whichever system you have that it's available for, and enjoy.
So, if you have any questions about the games mentioned here, my feelings on them...please ask away...I promise I'll get into more concrete reviews later, and have fun gaming.
-Sara
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