Final Fantasy XII

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The Final Fantasy series has built its name on experimentation, constant reinvention and almost universal adulation. No two games are exactly alike, and fans who understand that basic concept have welcomed the changes between chapters with open arms. It's a risky business - taking a formula that's known, loved and praised, shaking things up a bit and waiting to see what effect it has on the overall picture. Sometimes these risks pay off handsomely, as with the materia system in Final Fantasy VII or the junctioning of Final Fantasy VIII. Other times they drag it down, as evidenced by the confusing online play of Final Fantasy XI and the job system of Final Fantasy V. Fans of the series generally have a very clear-cut list of favorites and least favorites - it's easy to write the whole line off after a bad choice, as many did with the aforementioned leap into the MMORPG genre, but if you've been paying attention you should know that sooner or later they'll hit a goldmine and deliver a game that is not to be missed. Look at the amazing jump taken between FFV, generally considered one of the worst of the series, to FFVI, critically acclaimed as one of its best. It's exactly that cyclical nature that keeps me interested in this series and brought me out to the store on FFXII's launch day, $60 in hand. I've scarcely put down the controller since.

The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/reviews/v/final-fantasy-12

[jay15944]

Um, V is considered one of the best of the series gameplay wise. Its job system is almost universally praised as being the best gameplay system of all the FFs(this was before XII though). I have no idea where you're getting this information from........

And I love VIII, probably my second favorite, but the junction system was NOT received very well by the fan base.

[Aaron Robinson]

Sorry, but saying FF5’s combat system is almost universally praised is going way too far. I think every instalment has its fans and it’s detractors, FF5 included.

Nice review by the way.

[jay15944]

Sorry, but saying FF5’s combat system is almost universally praised is going way too far. I think every instalment has its fans and it’s detractors, FF5 included.

Nice review by the way.

It is though. Every major reviewer has the job system as it's main strong point.

But even so, when making a review, when you bring up past games you should go with the population's overall opinion on the game, not your own and then pass it off as the population's overall opinion. V is NOT thought of as one of the worst in the series by the majority, far from it in fact.

The review is good though, it's just that saying V is accepted as one of the worst installments is just dead wrong.

[Dread]

I now know what my wife feels like waling into a comic store...

Good review, even though I haven't played an FF since NES.

[drqshadow]

But even so, when making a review, when you bring up past games you should go with the population's overall opinion on the game, not your own and then pass it off as the population's overall opinion.

Wasn't trying to "pass anything off" but you got the idea. Those were all my own opinions of the games and mechanics in question, bottom line. My intention was to introduce the idea that everyone has their own short list of favorites and undesireables, an idea that's been reinforced in these posts, and then present a few examples from my own lists. The only game I referred to in a semi-universal tone was FFXI, which nobody's taken issue with yet. Personally, I think of V as the all-time low point for the series, and its low quality and strangely divergent gameplay was probably one of the reasons it wasn't released in America until several years later.

Really, if you disagree with my evaluations of those games, chances are good that you won't agree with my opinion of FFXII. Out of curiosity, which would you call your least favorite? I just have trouble imagining a numbered FF (Mystic Quest or X-2 don't count) that's worse than V.

[Missy]

I liked V.

As always, Sean, great review! Any chance you'll review IX, X and X-2 in the future?

[James D.]

I liked V.

As always, Sean, great review! Any chance you'll review IX, X and X-2 in the future?

Ha, I'd love to read a scathing Q review of "Pretty, Pretty Princess Dress-Me-Up". :devil:

[jay15944]

Wasn't trying to "pass anything off" but you got the idea. Those were all my own opinions of the games and mechanics in question, bottom line.

But then:

FFV, generally considered one of the worst of the series

????

Actually I completely agree with your review of XII. It may end up being my favorite of the series. Certainly my longest playthrough(125+ Hours) which may lead me to a different opinion on the story, say if you finished it in the average amount of time in 45 hours, the story will seem much better paced. Me with 125 hours, as good as the story was it just felt so spread out to me. But that was my own fault, not the game's. So I give it a 10/10. LOVE it.

As for the worst in the series. FF's 1-3 are all really bad and don't hold up. FFIV is when everything begins to really click, but it still isn't up to snuff. V's story is archaic by modern standards, but it's gameplay keeps it from being a mediocre game. Surpsrisingly, I hate VI with a passion. I just could never, ever get into it. The characters just didn't click with me at all, and I find Kefka to be a terrible villian. VII is great, damn near my favorite. Still want the speed record though(9:33 is my current time to finish). VIII to me is amazing. As much as it gets ragged on by everyone, the junction system is good in my opinion, the story is just flat out awesome, and the extra card game is ADDICTING AS ALL HELL. Also, best intro movie for its time. Have yet to play IX, actually. Hear good things though. X is in the same boat as VI. Never could get into it. Loved the characters, but the excessive amounts of story and cut scenes in the beginning just keep me from getting into it. 10 hours and I just left it. XI is actually a decent MMO. Lack of PvP really hurts it, and the grind is quite ridiculous, but when things start to pick up after level 20 it is quite fun.

So I'll just order them from favorite to least favorite:

XII

VIII

VII

V

XI

IV

X

VI

3

2

1

[drqshadow]

Wasn't trying to "pass anything off" but you got the idea. Those were all my own opinions of the games and mechanics in question, bottom line.

But then:

FFV, generally considered one of the worst of the series

Ah, that was my mistake then. I missed it in my first editing run.

Personally, I still really enjoy the first two NES chapters of the series, especially FF2. I loved the leveling system in place there, where the game would understand which characters you were instinctively using for which purpose, and would slowly slant their stats and abilities to be further in-tune with that role. It was an incredibly advanced system for its time, and would still be extremely entertaining if it were introduced today. It was also the first chapter to feature a rotating party member, which is a storyline gimmick I'm crazy about. I hate having to choose which characters to level, and really love it when the story dictates which team I'm working with at which point in the story. Only FFIV continued that legacy.

I'm still working through FFIII (I'm about at the 9 hour mark on the DS version) and while I really enjoy the story, I maintain a strong hate for the job system and it's affecting my enjoyment of it.

Yoda - As mentioned above, my next FF review will likely be for FF3, but I do plan to work through IX and X again at some point in the future. I don't even own X-2, but never say never.

[jay15944]

X-2 is supposed to be a love it/hate it game.

And you're the first person I've met to have a problem with the job system.

[Aaron Robinson]

I quite enjoyed X-2. It has it's share of flaws, but the combat system is great, and the storyline is passable if you can stomach the "girl power" aspect.