Final Fantasy XII

 PlayStation 2
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1542 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,062 out of 1542
  2. Mixed: 214 out of 1542
  3. Negative: 266 out of 1542
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  1. MichaelA.
    Jan 3, 2007
    6
    I did really enjoy this game. The new style of character management felt odd at first, but I really started to get in to it. Hence the rating of 6 I have given it. This rating also has to do with the greatest cinematography and general landscapes ever made for a game. I have played all the SE games and countless RPGs. However, I did place the controller down about halfway and looking back I did really enjoy this game. The new style of character management felt odd at first, but I really started to get in to it. Hence the rating of 6 I have given it. This rating also has to do with the greatest cinematography and general landscapes ever made for a game. I have played all the SE games and countless RPGs. However, I did place the controller down about halfway and looking back at that moment, I'm not sure if I will ever pick it back up. The moment I decided to place/throw the controller down, I spent multiple hours refining my experience in the game, increasing my equipment, leveling up, and conquering the gambit system. Low and behold, after about halfway thru the game (about 50 hours of game play) the story line never grabbed me or took me to my "Final Fantasy" world I come to love over the years. The story is lame and sorely needs cliff notes to understand it as it happens. There are times when a cut scene is over that I… Expand
  2. RileyF.
    Oct 9, 2007
    5
    I want my 90 hours back. I have no idea how I managed to drain 90 hours of my life into this game. Its hard to even call this a final fantasy. The plot has you running across MMORPG like planes and killing the same monsters with your rabbit woman, or you 12 year old girl, or your whore girl who has a 7inch spandex dress on. The storyline absolutely blows, The beginning was the best and I want my 90 hours back. I have no idea how I managed to drain 90 hours of my life into this game. Its hard to even call this a final fantasy. The plot has you running across MMORPG like planes and killing the same monsters with your rabbit woman, or you 12 year old girl, or your whore girl who has a 7inch spandex dress on. The storyline absolutely blows, The beginning was the best and last. Once Vaan hits the scene its all over. The towns are cool and so are the dungeons, but I don't care if I have to save some pig thief by going into a crappy waterway and killing some flan to get some stupid item only to be rewarded with some other stupid item. Wait, i've played this before, O YEAH ITS LIKE A MMORPG.....BUT WITH OUT THE MMO, which is the only reason people play MMO's Think of WoW you control 3/6 people who have pretty much same stats and skills. I would call it more like a stupid step cousin of final fantasy.… Expand
  3. ChrisC.
    Feb 5, 2007
    6
    If FFXII were called anything except 'Final Fantasy' it wouldn't be receiving nearly as rave reviews. What seems inventive about the battle system at first quickly grows incredibly repetitive and tedious, as all you're usually doing is watching your characters hack at enemies who are stupidly easy despite having way too high HP.
  4. BobG.
    Apr 8, 2008
    5
    I'm a FF fan but this gammbit system sucks like hell, materia system was awesome. If you are playing well you can leave the controller on the floor and do nothing and still beating the mobs. What the hell.
  5. [Anonymous]
    Nov 2, 2006
    6
    Although i'm sure it's a very good game i can't get over the fact that they've completely changed the battle system! why fix something that wasn't broken! i personally feel that the game is too much of a mix between star ocean, knights of the old republic, and maybe a SCRAP of the old final fantasy games. as much as i used to hate random battles, i'm kind ofAlthough i'm sure it's a very good game i can't get over the fact that they've completely changed the battle system! why fix something that wasn't broken! i personally feel that the game is too much of a mix between star ocean, knights of the old republic, and maybe a SCRAP of the old final fantasy games. as much as i used to hate random battles, i'm kind of starting to miss them because of ffxii's boring "i hit you, you hit me back" battle system. i just hope that in future ff games they bring back their origional methods of gameplay. but it's still pretty good.… Expand
  6. MikeM.
    Jan 14, 2007
    6
    My problem with this game is how incredibly boring it is. I played this game for 30 hours, hoping it would get fun and exciting, but no avail. Now I haven't touched it in 2 months, and will probably just hock it off for some store credit at a local game shop. Most of the time you aren't even fighting. Once the Gambit system has lost it's thrill, you will find that most of My problem with this game is how incredibly boring it is. I played this game for 30 hours, hoping it would get fun and exciting, but no avail. Now I haven't touched it in 2 months, and will probably just hock it off for some store credit at a local game shop. Most of the time you aren't even fighting. Once the Gambit system has lost it's thrill, you will find that most of the time your characters will kill everything on the screen for you, leaving you to pick up loot, and fill up their license points. The only good fights are bosses who aren't nearly as hard as they could be. On top of this, non of the characters (besides Balthier and Fran, a Han Solo and Chewie ripoff) are really that interesting, and the droning story of two kingdoms going to war isn't that interesting to me either. I suppose this game was made for fans of newer online RPGs since it bears similarities to them. I would have more fun playing FF on my SNES or Playstation though.… Expand
  7. MarkT.
    Mar 23, 2007
    6
    Final Fantasy 12 diverged in a lot of ways from past episodes of the series. The most glaring flaw in it that I can see is the story. Aside from FFX-2, which never was designed to present an ideal story in the first place, the story in FF12 has to be the worst since FF5. Don't get me wrong -- the story had enormous potential, and in itself, the plot wasn't that bad. It's Final Fantasy 12 diverged in a lot of ways from past episodes of the series. The most glaring flaw in it that I can see is the story. Aside from FFX-2, which never was designed to present an ideal story in the first place, the story in FF12 has to be the worst since FF5. Don't get me wrong -- the story had enormous potential, and in itself, the plot wasn't that bad. It's the execution that was terrible. The final fantasy series is supposed to consist of roleplaying games. How can you 'roleplay', or better phrased, dive into the roles of the characters in question, when you receive virtually no background information about any of the characters? CGIs, which have always been an important tool for conveying character backgrounds and moving the story forward, are so sparse that they are hardly even noticed. This is in stark contrast to FFX. After completing FF12, I had 60 hours logged. If I were to estimate it, i'd say that only 20 minutes of that was spent watching CGI movies that propel the story forward. Is this really what an RPG game is supposed to be like? The story lacked all of the usual plot twists the most FF games have, and most importantly, it lacked the epic scope of most FF games. At the end of the game, I was sad to realize that I didn't really care what happened to the main characters. Balthier was probably my favorite since he was the most well developed and unique, but even that character was barely developed enough to warrant an RPG. FF12 actually closely resembles an online MMORPG than a console roleplaying game. So much so that the painstaking 'level grinds' and repetitive game play are enough to put you to sleep. Espers, another staple of the recent FF series, are all but useless. The same is true for magic. The 100 level tower toward the end of the game that must be climbed level by level is absolutely horrible. It consists of 50 floors, yes, 50, which all look identical and consist of nothing but slaying the same monsters and walking the same path to get to the next one. This is simply inexcusable in a console game. All in all, FF12 had enormous potential, but it no where near lived up to the hype, especially considering that it spent 5 years in development. The battle system was monotonous and boring, the characters were bland, and the story when it was understandable was so loosely thrown together that it leaves a person shaking their head in confusion. I'm giving the game a 6 merely because of the amazing graphics -- this was the game's only true saving grace.… Expand
  8. JesusC.
    Oct 9, 2007
    6
    If you lack the reading comprehension to read through a much better Final Fantasy (See 7--which is only incomprehensible if you are NOT paying attention) then FFX-XII are probably great games. However, in my opinion, those titles are popular entirely by their character design. Hey, we know you guys like to fap, but that doesn
  9. quacker
    Nov 18, 2010
    6
    Good things first.
    + The story is adequately complex with a number of turns, and it goes with the whole style of the game. Without going into detail, I think Square came up with something exceptional here.
    + You better believe the aesthetics were brilliant, cutscenes no exception. Square's usual originality was apparent in the world of Ivalice - the sandsea, for instance, or the Giza    Good things first.
    + The story is adequately complex with a number of turns, and it goes with the whole style of the game. Without going into detail, I think Square came up with something exceptional here.
    + You better believe the aesthetics were brilliant, cutscenes no exception. Square's usual originality was apparent in the world of Ivalice - the sandsea, for instance, or the Giza plains becoming a swamp/marsh. Besides Penelo, who I thought was a bit flat, the voice acting was superb. I liked the royalty obvious in Ashe's voice, the down-to-earth quality of Vaan's voice, and I fell in love with the uniqueness of Fran's voice. Going from FF10 to FF12 there is definitely more graphical detail and polish all around.
    + The gameplay was not what I was expecting, which is a good thing in general. It has more elements than most games: Multiple types of magick, many technicks, quickenings/summonings, and gambits. There are 5 things each character can equp, and each combination has advantages or disadvantage, such as a ninja sword versus a dagger/shield. The six characters can potentially use any weapon and gain any ability with the License Board, much like the Sphere Grid in FF10, but where the Sphere Grid forces you to differentiate the characters first (ie: LuLu learns black magic, Yuna learns white magic, Tidus gains strength/speed, etc.) the License Board lets you change up their weapons and abilities at virtually any point in the game. Not better or worse - just new and different. The fighting system is a fresh update as well. While the gambits could automate the fighting entirely, you have the option of turning them off, so no complaints there. Where FF10 had a passive, turn-based fight system, FF12 has an active, real-time fight system. Again, no worse or better. Both are refined.

    Now for the critiques.
    - The characters themselves were great. They were obviously deep people with complex pasts and stories to tell. That much was clear. But those stories never came to light. 30 hours into the game, I was still meeting new characters, and I was still expecting guy/girl to hook up or someone to reveal some shocking truth. There could have been a flashback, a description of some special memory, anything, please! Before the final battle, I was still waiting for something to happen. Then the game was over. Nothing happened. My favorite character was Fran. Why? You get to see the village she's from, you meet her sister, find out why she's with Balthier. Besides that, Ashe is a princess, Vaan's a citizen of Rabanastre, Penelo is a friend of Vaan's (or a sister? Idk!). And that's all you need to know about them.
    - I know I said the story was good, and it is, but not entirely. FF12 really piles it on at the beginning with cutscenes and a guy reading paragraphs, which is incredibly rushed. Then it's Dalmasca this and Nethicite that...and Nethicite this and Nethicite that. It's like Star Wars in many ways. Brilliant, but it makes you wish you had a friend there so you could whisper, "Uh...what's going on again? ... Oh, so nothing's happened still?"
    - I felt like I was fighting the same monsters over and over, just with different colors with different names in different places.

    Why a 6?
    The main reason I give FF12 a 6 and not higher is that after about twenty hours of playing, part of me wanted to quit. I'm putting 50 hours of my life into this game, basically spending 50 hours with the characters. I don't do that just to see the next beautiful city or a cutscene of old men talking around a table. I want to be immersed in it. Nobody spends 50 hours reading the Harry Potter series just to look at the pictures she puts at the start of each chapter. They want to know the characters, how they react to situations, how they came to be. Harry Potter is an example of good character development in addition to original and stunning surroundings. FF12 has the aesthetics, and it has good characters, but you never get to know them and it fails to bring you into the story.
    Besides that, I have few complaints. The gameplay is great, although it can become mostly automated, further disconnecting the player from the game. The visuals are great, and the music was good, though I expected more. FF12 is not your typical Final Fantasy, even if it does carry on features from previous FFs. It's a different style (think knight-era) which refreshes some of the same old typical things in Final Fantasy.
    Bottom line, it's worth a play through. But start playing this and then start playing FF10 and you'll see where FF12 is lacking (you'll also see spots where FF10 is lacking).    … Expand
  10. Molly
    Jun 2, 2007
    6
    I found FFXII's battle system a little difficult to get used to at first, but later on, it felt really natural and easy to use. I love the gambit system. One of the most annoying things about these kinds of games for me is to keep having to click on monsters to kill them - this cut that out, but did not get rid of strategy, since I could essentially program my character's I found FFXII's battle system a little difficult to get used to at first, but later on, it felt really natural and easy to use. I love the gambit system. One of the most annoying things about these kinds of games for me is to keep having to click on monsters to kill them - this cut that out, but did not get rid of strategy, since I could essentially program my character's actions. I also love the inventory system and the fact that you can get loot, steal loot, or poach monsters to collect items to sell. I like the collecting aspect of games. However, I do not find the storyline to be rewarding at all. It is convoluted and confusing. I'm over half-way through the game and have absolutely no idea what's going on. I went to wikipedia.com to read up on the storyline, hoping that it would engage me some more (since I put so many hours into this game and would LIKE to enjoy playing it) but there are too many characters, too many obscure political plot points that I still just don't get it. I wish they had gotten the storyline better; the battle system is so great that it deserves a better story! Lastly, the music - I don't like it. The theme song reminds me of graduation music. Definitely not the best in FF's history, in my opinion.… Expand
  11. Lev
    Aug 20, 2008
    7
    I found this FF to be an enjoyable one, and while it's still not that amazing I think it's a decent game, and reminds me more of a 'western' rpg than a Japaneses one. I didn't have a problem with the characters, and I guess I'm among the few people who prefer Vaan over Cloud, Squall or Tidus. The story could also have been worked on, but I guess it's not I found this FF to be an enjoyable one, and while it's still not that amazing I think it's a decent game, and reminds me more of a 'western' rpg than a Japaneses one. I didn't have a problem with the characters, and I guess I'm among the few people who prefer Vaan over Cloud, Squall or Tidus. The story could also have been worked on, but I guess it's not that bad, although I don't really agree with the fact that it's 'very political', it wasn't that complicated. I found the battle system to be good, with the gambits you can actually get a chance to customize how you want to play, and you can also move around which gives you more interaction with battles. Many people prefer ATB, but I think that system also has it's own faults, it was far from perfect. ( I think it worked best in FF9) I have to add that I really liked the soundtrack, even though I'm not that into epic fantasy music, it was very enjoyable for me, I generally like Sakimoto's work. All in all this game does have an 'experimental' feel to it, but judging from the looks of FFXIII they will be back to the old track that 6, or rather 7 started, but I hope we get to see more Ivalice stuff too, since I prefer that.… Expand
  12. AnsonG.
    Dec 9, 2006
    5
    This game was too difficult and frustrating. Well Im a big fan of "Final Fantasy" series but something go awry about battle system. Ok, look, the Final Fantasy XII was a great looking game. The begining was nice but at least they have saved the game by created the perfect story and plot. All the characters was amazing. And the battle system, oh well.....ok look, when starting the u got This game was too difficult and frustrating. Well Im a big fan of "Final Fantasy" series but something go awry about battle system. Ok, look, the Final Fantasy XII was a great looking game. The begining was nice but at least they have saved the game by created the perfect story and plot. All the characters was amazing. And the battle system, oh well.....ok look, when starting the u got alot characters around you, which u will make easier to fight against the enemy. You have to click by pressing X button, to go into Command menu, you have only have 3 command= Attack, magics&technics and items. I click "Attack" and then select one of the enemys when got closer to enemy. You need to wait the AP gauge to start the action. Even though i try run away from them when my character HP low but after that they still hit me. Well all you have to do click the Command menu and then click the "Attack" to the enemy far away from you for first strike, I advise you. So please take care and remember to see 1st how the battle system it is then only you buy this game. I hope the "Final Fantasy XIII" will save the day.… Expand
  13. CHinkaC.
    Feb 29, 2008
    6
    Sadly, as good as the graphics were, this game did nothing for me. It was boring and confusing. I liked the 3D aspect to the dungeons, but at the same time this seemed to make production think the dungeons should be bigger, longer, and more painful. Plus the only reward to completeing these dungeons were long cutseens that moved the plotless plot along farther. The only reason I kept Sadly, as good as the graphics were, this game did nothing for me. It was boring and confusing. I liked the 3D aspect to the dungeons, but at the same time this seemed to make production think the dungeons should be bigger, longer, and more painful. Plus the only reward to completeing these dungeons were long cutseens that moved the plotless plot along farther. The only reason I kept going was that I was clinging to the shred of hope that the ending would be good. As are all Final Fantasy endings thus far It wasn't.… Expand
  14. ZennykerZ
    Apr 5, 2009
    7
    Sincerely, the game is very beautiful, the soundtrack is good, and the gameplay works well for what is proposed. Still, the world is so big, that sometimes you'll get yourself bored by all of the distance necessary to go from point X to Y. And you don't feel motivated to do so, because the story don't looks like a Final Fantasy. They cutted the fantasy part for half, at Sincerely, the game is very beautiful, the soundtrack is good, and the gameplay works well for what is proposed. Still, the world is so big, that sometimes you'll get yourself bored by all of the distance necessary to go from point X to Y. And you don't feel motivated to do so, because the story don't looks like a Final Fantasy. They cutted the fantasy part for half, at least, in the storyline. And, for teleporting from place to place, you need an item or a money payment (for the Airship transport). Couldn't it be, like, Kingdom Hearts? The worlds can be very big, but still, you don't feel bored, if you wanna go to someplace, all you have to do is enter at the point of the world that you prefer. The characters have some problems too. Sometimes, don't seem to demonstrate personalities. They look all the same!… Expand
  15. AlexW.
    Jan 7, 2007
    5
    Who knows why the critics acclaimed this title. It completely strips the "Final Fantasy" mood from my senses whenever I play this game. Don't get me wrong, the game is okay, but its so close to being bad. When I first popped this game in Christmas morning, I was slowly drained of my Final Fantasy high as the beginning text/scene droned on...and on... and on... I got the premise after Who knows why the critics acclaimed this title. It completely strips the "Final Fantasy" mood from my senses whenever I play this game. Don't get me wrong, the game is okay, but its so close to being bad. When I first popped this game in Christmas morning, I was slowly drained of my Final Fantasy high as the beginning text/scene droned on...and on... and on... I got the premise after the first minute for Christs sake! After the awful beginning scene was finished, I started playing and was shocked at how awful the camera was, not to mention how annoying it was to move. Later on I finally got to my first batte (if you coul call it that) and my allied killed the guy before I could touch him. Fun? Certainly not. Finally, I get to a point where I can kill someone and I am deeply bothered by the TERRIBLE battle system. I can't believe the critics praised this excuse-for-fun battle system! S-E has completely abolished the main engredient in games: FUN. They've packed it with gimmicky engines and a lackluster storyline and missions. Jesus Square Enix, first Dirge of Cerberus and now this? Get your heaed in the game!… Expand
  16. Qman
    Mar 25, 2007
    5
    Great game. Oh wait, did I say great? I meant boring. Sorry, I must've zoned out after hacking and slashing my way through 900 monsters only to be confronted with a cutscene that informs me where the next 900 are. Lots of potential. Poor execution. Try adding a story Square-Enix. Go on, take it back to the lab. If you add some plot I'll bump it up to a 6. Promise.
  17. J.S.
    Jul 14, 2009
    7
    The weakest game in the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XII shows a complete lack of storyline and gameplay. The gameplay is very tedious: the critically aclaimed 'liscence system' is an extremely simple choice of passive abilites.. All combat is automated, and every room is infested with monster after monster. You can simply set your characters to heal eachother when The weakest game in the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XII shows a complete lack of storyline and gameplay. The gameplay is very tedious: the critically aclaimed 'liscence system' is an extremely simple choice of passive abilites.. All combat is automated, and every room is infested with monster after monster. You can simply set your characters to heal eachother when someone is below 50% health, walk into a group of monsters, then go take a nap. The graphics are sub-par for its time and especially for a Final Fantasy game. This sacrifice was done so that the ridiculous action-RPG system could be implemented. It seems like the game was aimed at those comming off from MMORPGs. All the negatives aside, the 2 hours of storyline that managed to find their way into the 70+ hours of tedious gameplay were actually very enjoyable. The plot was very cliche for the genre, but it was done better than I've seen it before. This game brings all the flash and ambiguity of a hollywood blockbuster to the console; simply slapping the words 'final fantasy' on the box.… Expand
  18. ChrisM
    Mar 3, 2010
    6
    This is the first Final Fantasy that I repeatedly put down for weeks before being motivated to continue. I still need to prevail over the final boss. The reason for it being far from the best, primarily, is the characters. I mean, seriously, the characters were worst cast in the entire franchise. I had no connection with most of them; and only had a minimal connection with Fran and This is the first Final Fantasy that I repeatedly put down for weeks before being motivated to continue. I still need to prevail over the final boss. The reason for it being far from the best, primarily, is the characters. I mean, seriously, the characters were worst cast in the entire franchise. I had no connection with most of them; and only had a minimal connection with Fran and Balthier. Besides that they were so forgettable. It is key that a inal Fantasy has a solid group of protagonists and XII failed spectacularily in that department. I cared more for some of the villains than I did any of them. It's quite sad, tbh. The story was ok, but nothing too great; but the way it was told and the voice work was beautiful. The voice cast did an immense job on this game. The world f Ivalice was lovely, the battle sstem was good (I do understand people's qualms with it, though) and it had some gorgeous musical scores (although the OST, overall, was forgettable). One of the greatest things about the game was the Hunts sidequest. Loved that.… Expand
  19. rawrnerozero
    Mar 3, 2012
    6
    I have played this game and overall the graphics were pretty good, the storyline was not as bad as I thought(still not good though), the characters weren't really engaging and I did not really care for any of them, also the music was just average for me too. I would like to add that the battle system is also not too bad since I like to avoid monsters when I don't want to fight, I like theI have played this game and overall the graphics were pretty good, the storyline was not as bad as I thought(still not good though), the characters weren't really engaging and I did not really care for any of them, also the music was just average for me too. I would like to add that the battle system is also not too bad since I like to avoid monsters when I don't want to fight, I like the turn base system since I kinda hate waiting while I want to defeat certain weak monsters as soon as possible without the need for spamming though I would like to point out that I kinda hate the License Point since most of them were pretty bland but overall i'll just wrap it up and say it's a decent game though not really worthy to be called Final Fantasy title but atleast it's not the worse Final Fantasy title(Final Fantasy XIII or -2) .… Expand
  20. jelio1004
    Jun 1, 2013
    6
    Story is the hallmark of the final fantasy games. This game, however, does not have any. The characters do not have any personality. Only character with a personality is Balthier, rest is just there to fill up the screen. There no is character development. There is nothing to make you care about the characters you are playing. The only redeeming quality is that this game is really big. IStory is the hallmark of the final fantasy games. This game, however, does not have any. The characters do not have any personality. Only character with a personality is Balthier, rest is just there to fill up the screen. There no is character development. There is nothing to make you care about the characters you are playing. The only redeeming quality is that this game is really big. I mean really big. You have a lot of stuff to do. You have dungeons to explore and side quests to accomplish. The game mechanic has a mmorpg feel to it without being an actual mmorpg, which in my opinion is a bad thing. So if all you care about is game play and customizing your character with tons of equipment and abilities, go ahead and pick it up. If you have played any other previous final fantasy games, you will find yourself glaring at your screen and gritting your teeth as the computer fight your battle for you.… Expand
  21. Rox22
    Sep 11, 2013
    7
    FF 12 is perhaps my least favorite FF game. It isn't bad, just rather generic and forgettable.

    Graphics are beautiful and has some of the prettiest scenery pieces of all the FF games. The combat system was a little rough around the edges, but I liked it and thought it was a bold step changing the tried and true JRPG battle system. The lead character Vaan is as bland as they get and    FF 12 is perhaps my least favorite FF game. It isn't bad, just rather generic and forgettable.

    Graphics are beautiful and has some of the prettiest scenery pieces of all the FF games. The combat system was a little rough around the edges, but I liked it and thought it was a bold step changing the tried and true JRPG battle system.

    The lead character Vaan is as bland as they get and completely forgettable. Side characters on the other hand are a bit more distinguished and have a bit more depth, even if their designs are a little odd and feel a little out of place.

    FF XII has some of the best creature battles of the series. The creatures are rich, varied and extremely challenging.

    Overall:
    Final Fantasy XII is decent enough for a FF game, but also feels like the designers just put the same level of love and care into it as they did with the previous games. Fun to play, but you won't remember too much about it once you're done.    … Expand
  22. oblivion2011
    Jul 3, 2011
    6
    I like the visuals and everything about the game. It's the work put into it that leaves me catching some "z"s. I definitely think there is too much work for too little of a plot to actually spend my 80-100 hours of gameplay on.
  23. firstevil87
    Mar 16, 2012
    6
    Final fantasy 12, the one where I give up on the franchise. Starting with 10 I noticed a decrease in quality but this in particular killed it. Hopefully with 13 and 13-2 the name has been redeemed. Back in topic, the first hours are actually ok, I dare to say enjoyable. Users are introduced to the new battle system that it's actually more interesting that most people give credit for.Final fantasy 12, the one where I give up on the franchise. Starting with 10 I noticed a decrease in quality but this in particular killed it. Hopefully with 13 and 13-2 the name has been redeemed. Back in topic, the first hours are actually ok, I dare to say enjoyable. Users are introduced to the new battle system that it's actually more interesting that most people give credit for. People complain that the game plays itself, but it's not true, it's up to the player. If you choose to focus on attacking the nearest enemy of course that's what the characters will do. People forget that they can manually input commands for each character, but hey! Haters gonna hate no matter what. Areas are also huge to explore, one can literally get lost while traveling with branching paths, hidden paths and so on. So, with a good battle system, good exploration, why I disliked this game? Because of one simple thing:reward. The pacing is awful, you can spend hours when nothing happens and when finally you see a cutscene, most of the time is :" we arrived here, now we're going there". The story is lacking, I felt that the plot was moving forward but the characters had nothing to do with it, it doesn't help that Vaan, the main character, stays in the background during nothing most of the time. With character I couldn't care about, a lacking-story, side-quests relegated to monster-hunting, it's not difficult to understand why I gave up. It was impossible, almost inconceivable that a final fantasy lover like me could do such a thing. I finished the game only because I didn't want to have the feel of having wasted 60 euros on such it. Nothing in this game really stands out, nor the characters, nor the story, nor the music, the most interesting things happen during the prologue. Some may like it, if they manage to stay awake.… Expand
  24. Noin007
    Jan 4, 2015
    6
    The graphical quality, objectively, is high. Though, I personally didn't care for the styling.
    The combat feels like an attempt at making a fake MMO. The first 15 hours or so, where I had to control everything almost completely manually was painfully bad. But then once you're able to give the characters enough automatic commands it gets better, for awhile. Then after about 70 hours or so,    The graphical quality, objectively, is high. Though, I personally didn't care for the styling.
    The combat feels like an attempt at making a fake MMO. The first 15 hours or so, where I had to control everything almost completely manually was painfully bad. But then once you're able to give the characters enough automatic commands it gets better, for awhile. Then after about 70 hours or so, after you've completed the story and are doing extras, it slows down to a crawl as enemies have completely insane hp numbers.
    The story felt really small scale for a Final Fantasy title to me. Every Final Fantasy you're fighting for the fate of the entire world. In XII, you're basically involved in something along the lines of France VS the UK & Spain, but you never see Spain. The gamed ended at what I had expected to be the end of the 2nd act, but there's then no 3rd act.
    It's "okay". Worth a buy if you're looking for a JRPG and can't find anything better.    … Expand
  25. BenH
    Mar 11, 2010
    5
    When I saw that this was the second highest rated FF on metacritic, I couldn't believe it. Its not that this game is bad (unlike the melodramatic dross that was FFX-2), it
  26. ArkonBlade
    Jul 12, 2011
    5
    this FF game just didnt do much for me the story i felt was very weak . the voice acting was ok atleast. the combat system i didnt care much for it was almost like they where tryin to hybred FFXI into this . the summoning magic system sucked . i made it all the way to the final boss area and just got bored with it all and didnt feel like finishing it mainly because the story didnt holdthis FF game just didnt do much for me the story i felt was very weak . the voice acting was ok atleast. the combat system i didnt care much for it was almost like they where tryin to hybred FFXI into this . the summoning magic system sucked . i made it all the way to the final boss area and just got bored with it all and didnt feel like finishing it mainly because the story didnt hold alot of intrest for me and thats so key for me pushing foward. i thinki the only reason i made it that far was i was in denial that the story wasnt very good and wanted to believe it was really gona pick up.… Expand
  27. LeroyS.
    Jun 6, 2007
    7
    There is so much wrong with this game. The sript writers worked seperate from the the game directors.
  28. DanV
    Nov 28, 2009
    6
    Great first impression with great visuals and audio and a higher action combat system, but the excessive time consuming gameplay makes it somewhat of a bore. My initial play tried to take on all the side quests and other optional tasks and I seemed to have trekked all over the place. Explorer-like behavior was rewarded with treasures in urns and chests, but this brought out a glaring Great first impression with great visuals and audio and a higher action combat system, but the excessive time consuming gameplay makes it somewhat of a bore. My initial play tried to take on all the side quests and other optional tasks and I seemed to have trekked all over the place. Explorer-like behavior was rewarded with treasures in urns and chests, but this brought out a glaring peeve of mine... fixed loot tables with randomized/percentage based drop rates. OMG I hate that system so much ever since I tried WoW.… Expand
  29. Tubie
    Oct 3, 2010
    6
    This game starts off slow then after a while you get used to the controls and combat and for a while I was even having some fun but that doesn't last long. This game marks the first Final Fantasy I could not play to the end and I think this is a good indicator as to when SE started to lose their quality in RPG making.
  30. drlowdon
    Jul 22, 2013
    7
    With its overhauled (and improved) battle system Final Fantasy XII is certainly faster paced, and arguably more accessible to JPRG novices, than its predecessors. Unfortunately it also continues the series trend of having increasingly unmemorable characters and story-lines, two things that are of vital importance if you are going to invest 50+ hours in a game. Sitting here now I couldWith its overhauled (and improved) battle system Final Fantasy XII is certainly faster paced, and arguably more accessible to JPRG novices, than its predecessors. Unfortunately it also continues the series trend of having increasingly unmemorable characters and story-lines, two things that are of vital importance if you are going to invest 50+ hours in a game. Sitting here now I could still name every playable character from Final Fantasy VII but couldn't tell you a single one from this game despite it being nearly a decade more recent.

    It's still a good game but not one that'll ever be considered a true classic of the genre.    … Expand
  31. SnowDay
    Jan 9, 2015
    6
    There is something to be said about the graphics and overall atmosphere of the game, but the characters and story are uninspiring and the battle system is about as fun as pushing the cruise control button on your steering wheel.
  32. Ignatius_Reilly
    Jun 29, 2011
    6
    Lots of potential, little follow through. So many missed opportunities for greatness. The problem is that this game had a great set up and the first 20 hours are packed with intrigue and excitement, then after that first 20 hours it simply falls off, and settles into this grindy MMO feel. You'll be traversing miles of game world killing random mobs with little effort for 10 hours at aLots of potential, little follow through. So many missed opportunities for greatness. The problem is that this game had a great set up and the first 20 hours are packed with intrigue and excitement, then after that first 20 hours it simply falls off, and settles into this grindy MMO feel. You'll be traversing miles of game world killing random mobs with little effort for 10 hours at a time, or so it feels. It's tedious.

    The combat system is in some ways brilliant but at other times cripples the game because it will simply play itself with little to no attention from the player. I think a difficulty overhaul would have done wonders, because the game is fun when you have to actually think about what you're doing with your Gambits and such, but for the most part it's just on auto-pilot. Sadly, the game really doesn't offer much past the first 20 hours, and I can't really recommend it to anyone. It also has one of the worst endings in Final Fantasy history, mostly because it comes out nowhere, but that could mostly be attributed to the awful storyline which never really gets you to care about anything, but that's no surprise when you're randomly running around a massive world mindlessly grinding on mobs.

    A true shame really. What could have been...    … Expand
  33. BlacksitePSU
    Oct 6, 2011
    7
    Not necessarily a bad game, if you can ignore the fact that the game has a hard time deciding who we should care about, in terms of the story. That is to say that Vaan was dead weight. The gameplay was surprisingly addicting though. As a dungeon-crawler, it's a really enjoyable experience advancing through the many beautifully-rendered levels, battling all of these amazing creatures inNot necessarily a bad game, if you can ignore the fact that the game has a hard time deciding who we should care about, in terms of the story. That is to say that Vaan was dead weight. The gameplay was surprisingly addicting though. As a dungeon-crawler, it's a really enjoyable experience advancing through the many beautifully-rendered levels, battling all of these amazing creatures in real-time. I certainly think that on a technical level it pushed the PS2 to its limit. Technicalities aside, Final Fantasy XII is like any other Final Fantasy: a new story, battle system, music etc. It just so happens to be a "western" RPG. Not the kind of change I was expecting to see.… Expand
  34. Carlitoxic
    Mar 20, 2012
    7
    This is not a Final Fantasy game. It´s a Star Wars game. The history is bored and slow. FFXII has good graphical, good music and the game play is entertained. As adventure, it is a great game, but as Final Fantasy not.
  35. Malamir7
    Feb 25, 2013
    7
    I am writing this review trying to convince myself that the game deserves a higher mark.....no actually it deserves a lower one but for better or worse I spent 80 hours playing it, therefore I must have loved something right. First of all I am a big fan of FFX, loved the story, the characters (except you know who) even though he was still a much better protagonist than Vaan. I loved theI am writing this review trying to convince myself that the game deserves a higher mark.....no actually it deserves a lower one but for better or worse I spent 80 hours playing it, therefore I must have loved something right. First of all I am a big fan of FFX, loved the story, the characters (except you know who) even though he was still a much better protagonist than Vaan. I loved the magical world.....okay this review is about FFXII, sorry.... The reason I played 80 hours of this game is that I wanted to immense myself in its world, I wanted to have a great Final Fantasy experience. I was trying realy hard all the time to care for the characters, to care about its bizarre and nonsensical political plot....but actually what where they trying to do? A royal Japanese soap opera?! They couldn't move me one bit, except for maybe the relationship between Balthier and Cid, but then of course these two characters were believable, compelling and INTERESTING (Judge Bergan deserves a nod here for the best impersonation in video games of Darth Vader) As many fellow reviewers have mentioned rightfully the game has a terrible pacing, you can so easily forget what the whole point of the story was, why on earth you were going in that direction, what were the characters and the villians motives, etc. I could continue all day but in short the game falls flat on many high expectations and standards created by the magic of previous FF titles. And if we are looking at this game even as a standalone RPG.....well it is going to receive even a lesser mark....Why?
    Well sometimes dear Square Enix, quantity is not better than quality. Even though you guys have created an enormous world, full of many many side activities, many enemies to be slain, many locations to be explored......the game is very repetitive, the player is forced to spent countless hours in the same old killing of skeletons, bats and wolfs, just so he can afford to buy that precious new gear and new magicks, thus unnecessarily prolonging the game to an unimaginable lenght. From those 80 hours I spent, probably in only 20 I was having actual fun, by slaying bosses, by hunting marks, or by losing myself in some dungeon full of overpowered creatures, fighting for my survival One game is NOT measured by the amount of filler time it contains but by the thrilling moments it presents the player with. In this game unfortunately these moments were far too rare and spread unevenly.
    FFX had also shortcomings of course but it presents the player with MANY epic and memorable moments, an engaging and hearth-whelming story, comprised of great characters in a magical world. Unfortunately FFXII lacks many of these key components to feel like an epic and memorable game.
    I am sorry but unlike Vaan when I play a game I am not there just for the journey, I am there for the EXPERIENCE.    … Expand
  36. zeniff
    Jul 18, 2013
    6
    Simply put, this game just leaves you wanting while scratching your head at the end. Starts off great and the combat system was innovative (though annoying after awhile). Story is great in the beginning then just kinda falls flat.
  37. everin
    Oct 1, 2015
    7
    Tier 2
    + Creates a fun new FF universe that feels aesthetically distinct from previous installments
    + Offers a visually impressive open world + Provides a fun new combat system that stands out and streamlines the turn-based genre + Level progression system is a lot of fun and provides nearly endless player customization ? Plot is less far-fetched than previous FFs, but ends up being    Tier 2
    + Creates a fun new FF universe that feels aesthetically distinct from previous installments
    + Offers a visually impressive open world
    + Provides a fun new combat system that stands out and streamlines the turn-based genre
    + Level progression system is a lot of fun and provides nearly endless player customization
    ? Plot is less far-fetched than previous FFs, but ends up being dry and emotionless by comparison
    ? Open world feels somewhat empty and tedious to explore at times
    - Most of the supporting cast are markedly less interesting than other FF games    … Expand
  38. HopelessVoice
    Feb 1, 2015
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The worst Sakaguchi entry in the FF series, but still a decent game. In my mind, FFXII tried to do too much, rather than focusing on improving a single aspect of the game. The combat feels out of place, the customization table/forgot the name feels unfinished, the main character feels like he got lost in all the complex political story and the world felt very forced. Never at one point did I feel that I actually wanted to reach some point in the story or world, as everything roamed on from seemingly similar places to the next, from similar political story cutscene to the next. The game still has optional bosses, featuring one of the hardest in the franchise, and this is perhaps the only thing going for it, as there is no main villain like Kefka, Sephiroth or Kuja in the story. One of the things that turned me off the most were the huge blocks of text in the beginning of the game: I never, in any game, care for these. If you want to deliver a story, do it through the gameplay or have a character dump that information after a boss if you must. Just never give a huge block of text. We're not reading a book here. We're playing.
    6/10.    … Expand
  39. Hackattaque
    Oct 13, 2015
    5
    Bottom line, after 25 hours of play and more than halfway into the game, is that I'm very disappointed.

    I picked this game up a decade after it was released, so was prepared for it to show its age, but actually the presentation, graphics and cut-scenes are the best things about it. I can't even complain about the supposedly 'controversial' changes to the battle system - doing away with    Bottom line, after 25 hours of play and more than halfway into the game, is that I'm very disappointed.

    I picked this game up a decade after it was released, so was prepared for it to show its age, but actually the presentation, graphics and cut-scenes are the best things about it. I can't even complain about the supposedly 'controversial' changes to the battle system - doing away with random battles and going for a more action-y spin on the turn-based combat are great ideas in my view and help bring to life the slightly bland environments.

    No, the real reason I'm close to giving up is the complete lack of interesting story or characters. Now, I get that at the time the big boy in town was World of Warcraft and that with FFXII the developers were trying to approach the feel of MMORPGs after going full-blown online with FFXI. But that's no excuse for front-loading the game with an incredible set of Star Wars-esque battle scenes only to dump you years into the future with a completely unrelated (well, not completely, but always one step removed) set of characters and a totally undefined vague set of political objectives.

    I'm assuming that the developers thought that if they kept the universe and characters just vague enough players would feel more drive to go and explore or hunt monsters instead of driving the plot forward. But at every turn my attempts to explore the game were thwarted by bizarre design choices that seemed to block rather than encourage exploration. A few spring to mind: 1) fast travel requires specific fast-travel stones that are only dropped by enemies or bought in certain locations, 2) as a result, grinding takes way too long and too much effort for too few rewards, 3) you have to have a 'license' for every piece of equipment or spell, so grinding time is dragged out even more, 4) the environments are so bland and the enemies so repetitive that there is little to entertain you after a while.

    And as I mentioned earlier, the story and characters just don't help. Now maybe you don't always need to have a hero or villain to have a good story, but in a game so sprawling in both time and geography it would really help to know who or what we're fighting for or against. The voice actors do a great job and the cut-scenes look great but even now I still have no idea why I should care about helping a small territory in an Empire that frankly looks pretty benign. Star Wars had Darth Vader, the Emperor and a completely clear sense of what they were capable of; this game hinges around the signing of a treaty and local politics and later brings in hints of the mystical with a stone called a "nethicite" (which again is not explained well at all).

    So, yeah. Maybe the game suddenly gets great in the second half but I'm not sure I want to keep sinking my life into it. Best to try before you buy.    … Expand
  40. BobbyJ.
    Feb 6, 2007
    7
    Though the gameplay is enjoyable, I found the story the least engaging so far in the series. The main character has little involvement in the events that happen around him, and the rest of the characters' backstories are contrived and sentimental. Many rare items depend not on your ability to hunt for them, but on arbitrary probabilities. You could potentially go through the game Though the gameplay is enjoyable, I found the story the least engaging so far in the series. The main character has little involvement in the events that happen around him, and the rest of the characters' backstories are contrived and sentimental. Many rare items depend not on your ability to hunt for them, but on arbitrary probabilities. You could potentially go through the game and, because certain items appear only 5% of the time in a given treasure chest, be without any interesting weapons. Thorough completion of tasks also offers little reward.… Expand
  41. Patrick
    Jun 24, 2007
    5
    (This Review Subject to Change - this is initial thoughts) Beautiful game, great CG, etc. etc. etc... but WOW is there a sharp learning curve. With -so many- changes to the 'Standard FF Formula', it definitely would've been handy to have more time to actually get used to it before being thrown into the deep end of the pool so soon. I'm only 9 1/2 hours in, and (This Review Subject to Change - this is initial thoughts) Beautiful game, great CG, etc. etc. etc... but WOW is there a sharp learning curve. With -so many- changes to the 'Standard FF Formula', it definitely would've been handy to have more time to actually get used to it before being thrown into the deep end of the pool so soon. I'm only 9 1/2 hours in, and I've had to stop and reload -several- times already due to frustration, and I've been playing since VII. Vaan is also the -least- charismatic 'lead' in the franchise to date; it seems to me it would have made more sense to let Ashe actually be the Lead, she seems at this point to be the one the story is actually ABOUT.… Expand
  42. AVideoGameCritic
    Jun 5, 2007
    5
    Unfortunately, the excellent gameplay and fantastic graphics and art direction are ruined by a horribly under-developed story and characters, an over-abundance of tedious, time-consuming dungeons, and the fact that you have to go hours between cutscenes. A gigantic step back from Final Fantasy IX and X and it's really unfortunate that we've had to wait 5 years for this disappointment.
  43. SophieB.
    Sep 22, 2007
    7
    A very enjoyable game and with interesting new changes for the Final Fantasy series, but unfortunately I do not like the new battle system, and in my opinion neither the characters or storyline are as appealing - and I don't enjoy it as much as the others. A solid game, one of the better games of the year, breathtaking graphics and can be quite fun - but not as good as the previous A very enjoyable game and with interesting new changes for the Final Fantasy series, but unfortunately I do not like the new battle system, and in my opinion neither the characters or storyline are as appealing - and I don't enjoy it as much as the others. A solid game, one of the better games of the year, breathtaking graphics and can be quite fun - but not as good as the previous Final Fantasys.… Expand
  44. DawnaV.
    Feb 29, 2008
    7
    Despite illustrious graphics and beautifully rendered cut-scenes, this game somehow felt...empty to me. Granted, there are a choice few characters that manage to shine through the monotony of endless dungeons and complicated plot ramblings: Ashe, Fran & Balthier being the only ones I personally found significant. And true, the translation was magnificently done with words bordering on Despite illustrious graphics and beautifully rendered cut-scenes, this game somehow felt...empty to me. Granted, there are a choice few characters that manage to shine through the monotony of endless dungeons and complicated plot ramblings: Ashe, Fran & Balthier being the only ones I personally found significant. And true, the translation was magnificently done with words bordering on poetic due to one of the most well-translated RPGs yet… Expand
  45. AnonymousMC
    May 5, 2008
    7
    The visuals were top of the line 10/10 considering the low poly count. I've never seen textures painted so well in my life.
    The score was forgettable and dissapointing, possibly because Uematsu wasn't there.
    Combat system was a great change although I found it less "epic" than the previous style combat in past FF's also the repetitve "hacking" made the fighting look    The visuals were top of the line 10/10 considering the low poly count. I've never seen textures painted so well in my life.
    The score was forgettable and dissapointing, possibly because Uematsu wasn't there.

    Combat system was a great change although I found it less "epic" than the previous style combat in past FF's also the repetitve "hacking" made the fighting look stupid.
    Storyline wasn't that interesting, and characters weren't that great or deep.

    The licence board was dissapointing because it was nowhere near big enough.
    Sidequests had the typical flaw of Square, without a strategy guide or the internet you would never find out half the sidequests existed.

    Although there's alot of flaws, the game is definately worth buying and is enjoyable, although I don't think I'll be replaying this game annually like I do with FF7 and 8.

    jiyasa@hotmail.com    … Expand
  46. ArielK
    Nov 6, 2009
    5
    I had a terrible experience with this game. About an hour into playing, I put the controller down. I couldn't bring myself to play anymore. Did you ever read Eragon? I thought the same thing as I did when I read that book - why the hell bother? It's one of those LotR facsimiles with the bizarre name scheme that's overly reminiscent of Celtic and English folklore. It's I had a terrible experience with this game. About an hour into playing, I put the controller down. I couldn't bring myself to play anymore. Did you ever read Eragon? I thought the same thing as I did when I read that book - why the hell bother? It's one of those LotR facsimiles with the bizarre name scheme that's overly reminiscent of Celtic and English folklore. It's everything I hoped Final Fantasy would not become - a stereotype of the fantasy genre with a male stripper as the lead character. Of course, Vaan isn't really a stripper. That's just the first thing I thought of as he walked around with a few buckles for a shirt, proclaiming "Someday, I wanna be a sky pirate!" No set of characters lacked so much depth since Final Fantasy I. Yes, I played FFI. The story seems obvious from the first hour of gameplay. You are a resistance faction fighting against two warring kingdoms squashing out the little guy. No matter what you add to it, no matter what debauchery the characters engage in, the plot is that basic. No plot twists, no huge discovery that you've been fighting for the wrong cause. The overarching plot, and motive of the villains - whoever they may be - is obvious from the first level. Also, I like English people, but does every frigging government official and soldier have to have an English accent? It screams LotR ripoff. Cough cough, Eragon. Now I didn't totally hate this game. Besides its plot being about as interesting as overcooked white meat, the game does have its merits. For the first time (for a single player FF) the ATB system has been dropped in favor of an all-out melee approach. This is a welcome and refreshing new way of gameplay. Sure, it could be refined, but as a foray into a little-tested system, executes well. The graphics are gorgeous. I am honestly impressed with SE's work with the graphics. However, it's not like they outdid themselves. Final Fantasy has a history of gorgeous scenery, and if you pay attention to all the field maps, you'll realize you often are walking through a barren terrain with some features and a unique skyline. Good, but a little repetitive. The music is also repetitive - but tends to complement the game appropriately. No epic scores here, certainly nothing the likes of One Winged Angel or even Eyes on Me, but it's good enough to keep the sound on the whole time and whistle to while you gain LPs. Overall, I was disappointed by this game. It had introduced some firsts, and unique systems, but all of that just wasn't enough, for me, to overlap the absurdly lacking plot. I wish that in the future, SE writes up a fantastical, unique world like Midgar or Spira, not this bland copy of Middle Earth. Overall, 5 / 10.… Expand
  47. JohnT
    Feb 23, 2009
    7
    How did this game get such a high rating??? I saw one dude mention that this was the best game in the series; are you freakin kidding me? Look, if you're looking for a graphics intensive game then this one is "O.K.". If you're an actual RPG fan then chances are you expect a little more story line; which was total garbage. The game plays nothing like the previous games in the How did this game get such a high rating??? I saw one dude mention that this was the best game in the series; are you freakin kidding me? Look, if you're looking for a graphics intensive game then this one is "O.K.". If you're an actual RPG fan then chances are you expect a little more story line; which was total garbage. The game plays nothing like the previous games in the series. Try to imagine a MMORPG, now imagine playing it by yourself. That's the exact same experience you'll get out of this; Square Enix put so much into making this into a single player FF11(also trash!). 10 was a good game, 9 was ok(opinions vary), 8 was pretty damn good and 7 was amazing(the absolute best; hands down), Tactics was freakin great. This game; was a piece of shit. Nuff said.… Expand
  48. AmbushC.
    Nov 21, 2006
    7
    OK, been playing FFXII for about twenty hours now and while I'm well aware that there's a lot of stuff to unveil and do, I can pretty much say that I already have a well formed opinion about the game. The game is huge and incredibly well done in any way imaginable. But, as I already read somewhere else, 'well done doesn't mean fun'. Ok, it is fun. But, for me at OK, been playing FFXII for about twenty hours now and while I'm well aware that there's a lot of stuff to unveil and do, I can pretty much say that I already have a well formed opinion about the game. The game is huge and incredibly well done in any way imaginable. But, as I already read somewhere else, 'well done doesn't mean fun'. Ok, it is fun. But, for me at least, it doesn't even get close to the sheer feeling and awe experience that was for me to play FFX. Hands down. Forget it. If you think that this game will have that moving story, compelling characters and unforgettable moments, you will be disapointed. If feels a lot more like a MMORPG... and that's a shame. I played FFXI, and it didn't worked for me. I prefer story driven games like FFX. To give you an idea, with FFXIII feel more like playing Diablo than a FF game.… Expand
  49. CaptainU.
    Nov 5, 2006
    7
    1. Character AI+movement when gambited = Horrible 2. Espers story battle wise = Useless 3. License Board = Crap (sphere grid is much better) 4. Story = so-so and unexciting 5. Battle System = More interesting than previous FFs 6. FMV sequences = Long and purrty 7. Characters = Ok except for vaan
  50. PaulD.
    Dec 12, 2006
    7
    For those of you looking for the next FFVII, or the next FFX, heck even the next FFIV or FFVI and dive into FFXII, expect to feel the same way you do when jumping into a cold pool. Nearly every aspect of the game has been reworked from its non-MMORPG brethren from combat to character development. Some is good, other parts however will leave you wanting to dust off an old copy of FFVII and For those of you looking for the next FFVII, or the next FFX, heck even the next FFIV or FFVI and dive into FFXII, expect to feel the same way you do when jumping into a cold pool. Nearly every aspect of the game has been reworked from its non-MMORPG brethren from combat to character development. Some is good, other parts however will leave you wanting to dust off an old copy of FFVII and kill Sephiroth all over again. The graphics of this game are exactly what we have come to expect from a premier game developer in this day and age. While there are some small problems from time to time, mainly characters appearing from thin air right after a map load, they are for the most part forgivable because the rest of the world looks so freaking... cool. The cut scenes are by far the best so far in the series, the best in most series actually RPG or not, and the opening sequence will leave you eager for battle. And that is where the shock occurs. The battle system has been completely revamped and will take some serious getting use to. Add this to a camera that seems made to frustrate a player(although with time and practice this changes) many players will put down the game before they even start, which would be a shame as their IS fun to be mined here but you will have to work for it. If you have ever played a MMORPG you will know what to expect and there is some obvious influence from the previous online installment in the series. Gone are the random battles in the past, you will be able to see your foes and if you want to fight them, simply walk up to them and start attacking. The ease of this is at first a breath of fresh air to a series that seems at times to be stuck in the past, after a while though it turns into a chore. Another side effect of the new system is that the fear of being jumped at any moment while in hostile territory is gone, and this hurts the experience a lot more than one might first expect and after finally getting down the pre-battle command gambit system included with the game it seems to almost play itself. In fact it is quite simple to wade into a group of foes and then... put the controller down and take up knitting. Seriously, knitting. You will find that in most instances your input into a battle is not required, in fact even the toughest of foes will have you pressing a button only on rare occasions. The second, although less drastic change is the character development tool. The new system involves gaining LP which you can spend to unlock abilities, magic, traits, and the ability to use armor and weapons. The entire set up at first feels like the old sphere grid from FFX, but that is where the similarities end. Unlike the character oriented sphere grid the new "grid" is much more open ended. Any character can become... anything. Want your pirate to be a healer? You can do it. Want your princess to become a sword swinging tank that can take down the toughest foe? Done. While this freedom might sound nice at first the end result is that by the end of the game you inevitably unlock nearly all of the grid for each character and they become simple cookie cutters off each other. Perhaps most unforgivable is that simply learning a spell or ability on the grid does not mean that you can use it. You must then go purchase that spell or ability (often at a hefty price) from a vendor. This is annoying at best and infuriating at worst as you will inevitably spend money on a skill you cannot yet use or LP on a skill that you cannot yet use and feels often like selling you a nifty clock and then charging you extra for the batteries. The story in this installment is another change for the series. While the previous games have centered on the story of a main character the "main" character this time around is for the most part just their. In fact most people will be hard pressed to understand why the others even suffer his presence. While the story is good this lack of a centralized theme means that the player simply isn't drawn into the game, and hence the world it is set in, as fully as in the past. Indeed the stories biggest failing is the lack of a main villain, expectably early on. You simply don't know who the bad guy is. While this is not really a failing from a story telling stand point it is yet another thing that helps to stop the character from really wanting to climb the mountain and slay the demon, a mentality that was crucial in the previous installments. Don't let all of this deter you however, FFXII is a good game though it is a far cry from what some critics are hailing it as and for most it will be a love it or hate it relationship. The best advice that I can give you is to rent this game first, if you are able to look past its faults you will find a little nugget of gold. If you can't, well there is always FFVII sitting on the shelf to remind you of the series heyday.… Expand
  51. BrianM.
    Dec 2, 2006
    5
    It feels like I'm playing on auto battle the whole game, and the mist charges almost put me asleep I waited years for this game, and ended up dissapointed.
  52. AllistairP.
    Oct 31, 2006
    6
    So after a total of 5 fetch quests, minimal story, and a dull battle system I feel like things aren't going to get much better. It's the first FF game that doesn't begin with an absolutely mindblowing 3-hours. FF7 had the unbelieveable Reactor scenario, FF6 had the mood setting investigation in Terra(I think that's the name), and FFX had a very epic, vague storytelling So after a total of 5 fetch quests, minimal story, and a dull battle system I feel like things aren't going to get much better. It's the first FF game that doesn't begin with an absolutely mindblowing 3-hours. FF7 had the unbelieveable Reactor scenario, FF6 had the mood setting investigation in Terra(I think that's the name), and FFX had a very epic, vague storytelling aspect. This one feels like you just started an account on FFXI and need to do some level ups and fetch quests. I'm going to play it for a couple more hours, but I'm not going to waste 60 hours of my life "waiting for things to get good". A major dissapointment, and I expected nothing to begin with. Just my thoughts.… Expand
  53. TitaniumDragon
    Nov 23, 2007
    6
    While a somewhat fun game, it is an RPG. The reason you play an RPG is for both the battle system and the story. This game is somewhat lacking in both. This game is basically a really monotonous movie dressed up in RPG form. I love the gambit system (though it could have been much improved) but on reflection I realized that while the gambit system was cool, it was covering for a major While a somewhat fun game, it is an RPG. The reason you play an RPG is for both the battle system and the story. This game is somewhat lacking in both. This game is basically a really monotonous movie dressed up in RPG form. I love the gambit system (though it could have been much improved) but on reflection I realized that while the gambit system was cool, it was covering for a major flaw in the game - the gameplay was highly repetitive and by going through areas you were essentially grinding en route. While this is a tried and true RPG method, FFXII's sprawling levels, while beautiful, are far too long. The older square games had much shorter dungeons precisely because they get monotonous after a while, and it turns out the pacing of FFXII is all off. The story is fine, but it comes so very slowly that it feels absent oftentimes when you're off in the middle of the desert or forest killing random animals for experience while you try and get to the next plot point. The extreme length of the game caused me to lose interest it in towards the end of the game, and the sidequests were frustrating rather than a source of enjoyment - its very easy to kill a 10 million hit point enemy, but if there's no user input involved because you just have your gambits set up why even bother giving it such a large number of hit points? All in all, the game fails because the monotony between story points is too long and the system itself is not engaging enough - all the characters are essentially the same. It feels like they took all the bad parts of MMOs, put in botting to make it tolerable, then put in a story that MMOs lack and made it into a game. While its a tolerable game, every other final fantasy game made for the playstation and the PS2 were superior to this one, as were many other RPGs. Only fans of the series should play this, and even then I wouldn't say "should" so much as "can". And if you're looking for gameplay, look elsewhere; this game has very little real gameplay.… Expand
  54. JohnJ.
    Jan 14, 2007
    7
    AM one of the greatest fan of Final Fantasy. The graphics are great but the story is not very intriguing. Something is missing in that game. The game is okay. Not as good as the X and VII and VIII. Common Square Enix plz do something good next time. We waited so much for this release.
  55. UnknownUnknown
    Dec 21, 2007
    7
    This game has a wonderful world and graphics and interesting new gameplay but also lacks many of the qualities that make a Final Fantasy or a great RPG. Its battle system resembles one from an MMORPG which is fine but it also has a few downsides one such being the gambit system. Though the gambit system is great and fun to play around with, you'll eventually find yourself setting up This game has a wonderful world and graphics and interesting new gameplay but also lacks many of the qualities that make a Final Fantasy or a great RPG. Its battle system resembles one from an MMORPG which is fine but it also has a few downsides one such being the gambit system. Though the gambit system is great and fun to play around with, you'll eventually find yourself setting up certain gambits that will probably be used for the whole game which ends in you watching the game play itself rather than you yourself playing it. Gameplay also becomes severely monotonous as you find yourself grinding through similarly structured long dungeons which lost my interest pretty quickly. RPG games should contain a great story with great characters which XII did not. Its story was weak with weak characters, namely Vaan, Penelo and Fran. Vaan goes along the journey to avenge his brother and... thats it. Penelo comes along because Vaan is going while Fran goes along because Balthier is going. Balthier at first doesn't have much depth either at the beginning but it later grows making him one of the tolerable characters along with Basch and Ashe who had importance concerning the story. The story wasn't compelling but not bad. In a more positive note the graphics however are amazing and its gameplay can be enjoyable. However looks and ok gameplay at best alone isn't enough to make a great RPG. Final Fantasy XII is worth it if you tend to dismiss the story and tend to prefer the gameplay itself but if you were hoping for a wonderful RPG you will most likely be disappointed.… Expand
  56. OliverC.
    Feb 16, 2007
    6
    Can someone explain to me the high marks this game gets? Everyone i know who has played it finds the same problems, most importantly that the story is totally non-existent. The fighting is new, this is true, it's also completely autonomous and devoid of strategy. I guess critics nowadays think its fine to rate a game after playing the first few minutes and looking at screen shots. Oh Can someone explain to me the high marks this game gets? Everyone i know who has played it finds the same problems, most importantly that the story is totally non-existent. The fighting is new, this is true, it's also completely autonomous and devoid of strategy. I guess critics nowadays think its fine to rate a game after playing the first few minutes and looking at screen shots. Oh look, it's change, give it a 100! (Long live ffx!)… Expand
  57. RicardoR.
    Aug 12, 2007
    6
    Final Fantasy to me always was about the story and characters. I couldn't care less about that in this game. The characters and the story are incredibly vulgar. Vaan is the worst lead of all Final Fantasy games. I only gave it a 6 because everything else works. But to me the most important doesn't. I don't want to spend my time with these characters because they have no Final Fantasy to me always was about the story and characters. I couldn't care less about that in this game. The characters and the story are incredibly vulgar. Vaan is the worst lead of all Final Fantasy games. I only gave it a 6 because everything else works. But to me the most important doesn't. I don't want to spend my time with these characters because they have no personalities whatsoever nor reason to maintain together throughout the story. It's like watching a History channel documentary, or worse, sitting thru History Class.… Expand
  58. GerryD.
    Aug 14, 2007
    6
    The license system annoyed me, I really cannot see the possible point in it. As soon as it was metnioned I knew I was going to have problems with it. Graphics are extremely good and voice acting is pretty decent. Plot is intruiging but not as goos as FFVII Decent game, not up to the class final fantasy standatds though.
  59. WillS.
    Jan 13, 2008
    7
    Not the best game ive played on the PS2, but it does look nice and did keep me active. The gamestyle is not too bad either, and at least you are getting a chance to move around now compared to the last games. Having said that i did find that after eleven games that have came out (not incudin FFXI) that you dont get to actually see your character wearing the armor you set on them. Still a Not the best game ive played on the PS2, but it does look nice and did keep me active. The gamestyle is not too bad either, and at least you are getting a chance to move around now compared to the last games. Having said that i did find that after eleven games that have came out (not incudin FFXI) that you dont get to actually see your character wearing the armor you set on them. Still a pretty average game, and I only kept playing it so i could finish it.… Expand
  60. GaryM.
    Nov 11, 2006
    5
    '5' is mainly for the graphics, which are awesome. However, when you get into battle mode, you just wish you could just skip it and watch some more FMVs or do something else instead. What a pity. Hope FF XIII comes to save the day when it's released.
  61. mdzN^^
    Dec 23, 2006
    5
    Stacey said it all. I don't mind changing the gameplay, I really found it fun. However the story development sucked hard. I could sometime ask myself what the hell I was leveling up for...In FFX that was completely different. I actually didn't like the battlesystem, but that doesn't matter. The story went round the main characters and I was really interested to see what was Stacey said it all. I don't mind changing the gameplay, I really found it fun. However the story development sucked hard. I could sometime ask myself what the hell I was leveling up for...In FFX that was completely different. I actually didn't like the battlesystem, but that doesn't matter. The story went round the main characters and I was really interested to see what was really going to happen. The story made FFX my best choice, not its weak gameplay.… Expand
  62. Kai82
    Dec 8, 2020
    7
    After all the years I still don't know if it is a great game that I did not appreciate enough or a weaker game in the Final Fantasy franchise. It has a great story, many remarkable characters and an interesting world I liked to explore while getting rid of random encounters. However it has also some weaknesses as I dislike that you have no direct control of other party members (Liked theAfter all the years I still don't know if it is a great game that I did not appreciate enough or a weaker game in the Final Fantasy franchise. It has a great story, many remarkable characters and an interesting world I liked to explore while getting rid of random encounters. However it has also some weaknesses as I dislike that you have no direct control of other party members (Liked the Gambit system first but it became annoying after a while), the license board / character development system is uninteresting and the protagonist Vaan has not that much purpose after the set up of the story (He even mentioned this himself in the game and it is sad as I liked him). Also there is an incredible annoyance with treasure chests. The game is set in the world of Ivalice (A few games from Square-Enix are set here like Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy Tactics but these are not related). The Kingdom of Dalmasca is one of a few smaller countries set as buffer state between two larger powers. When one of them Archadia invades another smaller country a war seems unavoidable as there is no response from the other great power. Two years after the events of the intro we follow the protagonist Vaan who dreams to become a sky pirate using an opportunity to infiltrate the royal palace. From here on the story gains momentum. There is far more to the attack on Dalmasca then it seems. You will face political plots, schemes, moral dilemmas and adventures. The twist are great and after some you will reevaluate your opinions as the world and some characters are not black and white. Sadly the protagonist Vaan is the least awesome character in your party. Ashe, Basch or Bathier with Fran were far better choices as main characters. Their stories are immersive and enjoyable. There is also more to them than it seems. The world however is impressive. I liked to explore it as the world is colorful and full of variety. There are also many interesting characters in this game. So far it looks really good but there are downsides. Lets start with treasures. There are some you have to avoid at all cost to get a really awesome weapon that is not obtainable otherwise. This is nowhere told outside of a guide and I think this is a no go. Also some chest contains good stuff only at a low chance (The guide gives you a percental value here). Then there is the Gambit system. There are no random battles or a battle screen. When you are near enemies a battle starts if they are hostile (Warning in some areas there a stronger enemies you should not attack early on). You have however only control of 1 character in a party of 3. For the others you have to set gambits. First are priorities 1 = highest priority, 2 second highest etc. Then you have to set them. Example: 1: Heal character when < 20% HP and 2: Attack enemies. With this you attack and heal when your HPs are low. If you do it in reverse you will never heal as it is never a priority. This is just the beginning as you should add to use an MP potion when the MP for healing are low at an ever higher priority. As you progress you get more options and can even buy some later on if I remember correctly. This was fun and exciting first but became a burden and uninteresting later on. As you battle you get License Points to spend on the License Board. There you can unlock spells, techniques, new items you are allowed to use (You can have them before but are not allowed to use them until unlocking) or status buffs. It is acceptable but not great. Downside is that you can only link summons to 1 character (This prevented me from using them). There is also a system of special Limit Break like attacks called Quickenings also learnable on the License Board. These can be chained for powerful combos. As per Final Fantasy standards there are many sidequests, additional content and bonus dungeons. Overall this is an excellent game where I disliked the battle system and have some other problems with. It could not win me over completely but it has some great moments and a good story (Sometimes it remembered me of Star Wars with a certain battle;-).… Expand
  63. nervioso2009
    Jun 30, 2019
    5
    Un Final Fantasy diferente que intento cosas nuevas, como el sistema de combate, que a mi no me acabaron de convencer. Primero mitad del juego a nivel argumental bastante buena, aunque después, debido a los problemas que tuvo su director, se siente acabado con prisas. Los personajes tampoco me parecen demasiado memorables la verdad, y en ningún momento sentí que la banda sonora destacase.

    5/10
  64. mugsy
    May 9, 2020
    5
    This game feels like some MMORPG rather than a single player Final Fantasy game. You travel through the huge but empty world killing everything in sight to rack up experience. Story is boring.
  65. ArcCoat
    Jun 12, 2019
    7
    If you look at this game as a final fantasy title, it's a 6. If you look at it as a normal title, it's a 8. But I chose to give it a 7, because this game does not feel like a final fantasy game.

    imo, a final fantasy game is about the turn based system, the adventure, the great music, the amazing story and the wide range of characters. This game has the turn based system (I will get    If you look at this game as a final fantasy title, it's a 6. If you look at it as a normal title, it's a 8. But I chose to give it a 7, because this game does not feel like a final fantasy game.

    imo, a final fantasy game is about the turn based system, the adventure, the great music, the amazing story and the wide range of characters.
    This game has the turn based system (I will get into that later) and the adventure, but it doesn't have any of the rest.

    FFXII is a game you play for its game play, not for its story. Luckily, the game play is amazing, while it gives you the illusion of not being a turn-based battle system (no random encounters and free movement of characters), it actually totally is a turn based system in its mechanics. Which is a balance that I really enjoyed with this game, FFXII also brings you the type of exploration that you would see in a MMORPG.

    But what truly breaks the game, and it's a tragedy, is the boring, bland and mediocre story. There's not much I can say about it, it's honestly something to sleep over, luckily the game keeps it short and tends to focus more on the game play, like it's conscious of how bad the story is. The characters are generic and have nothing special about them, you can barely tell the main character is one at all.

    The music is also mediocre, but this is something I would have been willing to look over if the story had been at least interesting.

    To conclude, this games is an offline singleplayer MMORPG. Fun game play, bad story...    … Expand
  66. MoofiaBossVal
    Dec 26, 2021
    7
    The cutscene direction, the English localization, and the voice direction makes the story REALLY enjoyable to watch. Sadly most of the main party you're stuck with comprises dry, unemotive characters. Vaan is the only character who is allowed to emote, and if he wasn't there I don't think I would have made it through the game.

    Aesthetically, the game looks great. The soundtrack is okay.    The cutscene direction, the English localization, and the voice direction makes the story REALLY enjoyable to watch. Sadly most of the main party you're stuck with comprises dry, unemotive characters. Vaan is the only character who is allowed to emote, and if he wasn't there I don't think I would have made it through the game.

    Aesthetically, the game looks great. The soundtrack is okay. A little too noisy for my liking but nothing particularly bad.

    The gameplay is meh. I liked the open zones, but I'm not a fan of the MMO combat. It's not as fun as the turn based battles with the cinematic camera shots and stuff. If you do like the battles, then thankfully there are a lot of optional bosses for you to fight.    … Expand
  67. aaronnmp96
    Jan 30, 2023
    6
    and sorry for what happened in the development of this game, it could be much better, and the difficult one is a bit broken, thank goodness they improved it for new generations

Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PS2 Game of 2006
1
#1 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2006
2
#2 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2006

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
92

Universal acclaim - based on 64 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 61 out of 64
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 64
  3. Negative: 0 out of 64
  1. GamesRadar+
    80
    The story soars, but not so often. The dungeons are long and meandering. The gameplay is effective, but not engrossing. It's a staggeringly well-made game that throws more at you than any other RPG on the PS2... but well-made doesn't necessarily mean "fun."
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  2. eToychest
    97
    This is absolutely my favorite Final Fantasy title, a claim I probably would have laughed at two years ago when rumors about the game’s battle system began to circulate.
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  3. Gaming Age
    91
    One of those rare games that can be appreciated by both hardcore and casual fans alike, Final Fantasy XII may very well be Square's last great adventure, and a fitting sendoff, for the PlayStation 2.
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