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
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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

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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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