Final Fantasy XII

In Square-Enix's most ambitious title of their ongoing franchise, Final Fantasy XII satisfies in more ways than one. It pushes the PlayStation2 to its absolute limit producing some of the prettiest graphics seen on the system, and on such a large scale, that it could only leave fans wanting more as the series graciously bows out of this generation. The game pursues a very much inspired story, which sold at face value, is simpler than it may seem. It involves a great group of characters all well-met through the game's intricate plot, which holds a subtle deepness. Some of the more important characters consist of Ashe - a princess who had lost everything, Balthier - a dashing sky pirate, Fran - the master of weapons, Basch - a loyal knight now branded traitor, Penelo - Vaan's Friend, and Vaan - A boy who seeks freedom in the skies. Although the world they live in may be fantasy, these characters reproduce some of the realist personalities and emotions seen in a Final Fantasy game.

Square-Enix has allowed their players to 'grow up' with the series because of the mature rolls and stance the characters manage to take on throughout the game, which does end up making for better storytelling. The tale beings with the fall of Dalmasca, when peaceful negotiations fail and his royal majesty, the king, is murdered, who's death Basch is held responsible for. With Princess Ashe, the heir to the throne believed to have committed suicide, Basch put to death for high treason, and the Dalmascan's loss of their military fortress, the small kingdom of Dalmasca has no choice but to surrender to the Archades Empire. Vayne is sent by the empire to now restore the state of Dalmasca under his rule, who gains the respect of the people of Dalmasca, unbeknownst to them his true motives. Vaan holds the empire and Basch accountable for the death of his older brother and plans to break into their palace and reclaim whatever spoils they've retained from previous conquest. He gets more than he originally bargained for when he runs into the Princess and two more unlikely characters, Balthier – the sky pirate, and his partner Fran. Things quickly get out of hand and Vaan figures he is now in too deep to stop his adventure. As many plot twist quickly unravel, a minor quest for revenge turns into an epic calling for peace and the restoration of prosperity to Dalmasca.

The plot is very gripping from the beginning, with one of the first twist revealed in no more than the first hour of playing time. Players must be aware, however, a lot does tend to go on behind the scenes and some of the finer details may go overlooked and may offset that the characters emotions never seem to run at an extreme high. Vaan and company each have their own motives when deciding to partake in the events that create Final Fantasy XII. Admittedly, as you progress, the game does at certain points seem to lose sight of that. An object only known as nethicite plays an integral role and ultimately becomes the entire motive. The nethicite is said to contain an unbelievable amount of power and those under the influence of the empire are discovered developing their own manufactured version of this crystal. Princess Ashe seeks to destroy it along with the empire so that she may reclaim her kingdom and her throne. The characters do end up using their special bond of friendship to help the princess in need. It doesn't seem so at first, but the characters aren't lacking the depth of previous Final Fantasy characters. They do share their most personal feelings with one another, but never really get to have that special moment where everyone bask in their love for each other. Instead they manageably sprinkle it over the course of the game. As fore mentioned the cast is a group of more matured peoples; predominantly adults. With little time to show or express emotions they take their problems and foes head on; they haven't the time or the place for any canoodling.

You'll find not only the attitude, but a number of other features in game were introduce or had changed, which seem to be Square's modus operandi this time around. A new gambit system was coupled with a modernistic real-time battle system. If anything, this new battle system is even better if not just as good as the turn-based combat system. Each character has a license board from where the player may decide what type of skills and equips they may benefit from. These skills will translate to what gambits you are capable to set. The gambits practically automate the use of your characters, even those under the player's control. It holds the player less responsible for what decisions your fellow party members make in the midst of combat. The licenses required to acquire these gambits are only gained through the defeat of the many monsters and creatures that inhabit the world of Ivalice.

Changing from the well-known turn-based combat system in past Final Fantasy games, the player is now much more involved in the way things play out through battle, through the license board, active or wait and battle speed configurations. The result is a deep rooted combat system. To elaborate on the gambit system, there are others that are not obtained through the license points of a given character. Vendors, as you'll find, will sell them, as there are many specialty shops in the game. These purchasable gambits usually consist of what to target, who to attack first, and consider status ailments, amount of HP, the amount of SP, and more specific conditions of any given ally, foe, or yourself. These make it easy for the player to have party members use healing and beneficial items, or spells, you may be too busy thinking about your next move to execute. Whether you like doing everything yourself or have this conveniently constructed A.I handle some of the work, the different combinations of do-it-yourself and the gambit system you can make are capable of accommodating all players. It is an excellent change of pace for Square-Enix.

Even more impressive than the new combat system is they manage to pack it and other game content all into one beautiful package. The game is truly a sight for sore eyes. For those of you who have been jumping into the next-generation, you might want to fall back. After seeing the visual capabilities of Final Fantasy XII, owning this game is bragging rights. The edges are ideally smooth, the non-playable characters look good enough to be main ones, and the environments and settings are nothing short of beautiful. You really feel like you're worth something when you actually walk by any given NPC who isn't already engaged in conversation and they give you a glance (some may even stare). The world feels so much more vibrant when you see other non-playable characters enjoying a laugh, possibly arguing or as one speaks and two more appear to be listening attentively. The world these people inhabit is also one of change, in terms of weather. The plains periodically rain, the desert an occasional sandstorm, the mountains a snowstorm. It is during these moments in time the visual quality of the game really shines through. The snowstorm isn't just white polygons constantly falling from the sky it's actually a white haze featuring strong wins blowing snow all over. Rain is sometimes more light than heavy. Sandstorms provide a somewhat grainy effect. Your characters appeal more real as their clothing and hair shift with the wind. As the weather effects bring the world to life, they also spawn certain creatures. This tends to be a condition of hunts.

There isn't a role-playing game without side quest. Leveling could get the better of some, or maybe a task incapable of said player's doing right away (making it daunting), there's nothing like tackling a side quest while you're at it. Along with your typical side quest consisting of random acts of kindness, etc., there is a new hunting system. The bounty hunter of monsters galore, you're able to visit locations where petitioners may have posted a bounty on a problematic monster, referred to as a mark or an elite mark. Sometimes these marks may only appear under certain conditions, such as an all female party, or the current state of weather, but most of the time easy to access. Taking on these bounties can really lengthen your total amount of game hours, increase replay ability and add in a positive way to the experience. You will be rewarded generously for your trouble by those who request your help.

But enough about the game play, and graphics, or what have you, most people just want to know what the game sounds, correct? The Final Fantasy XII soundtrack is what players have come to expect from Final Fantasy. It can be said that not every track is as memorable as some of the battle music in the past, but it all fits well into its place. Another question some may ask themselves is if they'll be able to play through the game again, once finished. This is a role-playing game, and role-playing games aren't tremendously known for their replay value as much their very linear stories. That said, aside from side quest and hunting relieving some of that linear experience, referring back to the license board and gambit system it is capable of adding a great deal of replay value, it just depends if the player is willing to go though the story again, which they should have no problem in doing so. The license board does allow you to build up your characters in which ever way you please. Make Penelo a white mage type; provide her with white 'magik' spells, and mystic armor. Pull Balthier from his trigger and turn him into a knight, providing him with license to use shield and sword. If you haven't caught my drift yet, you can turn your characters into whatever you want them to be in combat.

At the end of it all you will find Ivalice is not a place you want to leave behind. Square-Enix had created a masterpiece in developing their last Final Fantasy on the PlayStation2, and what a way to go out. This game will more than likely be collecting dust with your other classics and PS2 years from now (it'll probably be the only reason you still have one). Final Fantasy XII provides a truly unforgettable experience at no expense. You'd be only fooling yourself if you don't believe you need to go out and purchase this game.