Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions

 PSP
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 41
  3. Negative: 0 out of 41
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  1. Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK
    70
    With this many ways to organise your team and develop abilities, everyone will find something to suit their style. [Nov 2007, p.123]
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  2. PALGN
    70
    War of the Lions is a good game, but players who've never played Final Fantasy Tactics might find it a bit old and cumbersome, while veterans may find the new game a little scant on new content.

Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PSP Game of 2007
1
#1 Most Discussed PSP Game of 2007
2
#2 Most Shared PSP Game of 2007

User Reviews

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User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 456 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 390 out of 456
  2. Mixed: 40 out of 456
  3. Negative: 26 out of 456
  1. Osidius
    Jul 7, 2012
    3
    This game has no value in the modern SRPG field. Issues include:

    1) The worst thing about this game is the AI. You often have guests -    This game has no value in the modern SRPG field. Issues include:

    1) The worst thing about this game is the AI. You often have guests - friendly AI controlled characters - on your team that screw up everything. For instance, one of them ran into a doorway, behind which was almost the entire enemy army. He was a strong fighter, so I positioned my White Mage behind him to heal why he fought. I healed him, it came to his turn...and he used a potion on himself (to restore about 15 of his 78 hit points) and ran away, leaving the enemy army against my White Mage. Horrendous.

    2) You place your characters on grey square tiles before you even get to see the map. Random enemy placement often results in team members being in less than ideal positions.

    3) The camera is horrible. It works off the four angles of the board, so if an enemy is in between walls in the middle of the map you usually can't see them. Worse, you generally have to exit the command menu to actually control the camera.

    4) There's no easy way to check the turn list or AOE on enemies attacks. You have to exit the command menu, bring up another menu, find the character you want and click on them. This really slows games down, as enemies will often charge a spell within two seconds, so you're checking every move to see where you can and can't move and wondering whether they've locked the attack to the unit or tile. The enemy always knows what you've done, but there's no way for you to know.

    5) It's impossible to keep your team alive. Phoenix Downs restore a random amount of health, which is always less than a single hit from an enemy. Trying to restore an ally to health usually results in the death of your healer.

    6) Enemies rank off your highest level character. The game's tutorial suggests you keep a balanced team, but it's impossible when in one mission your entire army dies. You go to town, hire new warriors, find a random battle, and then die instantly because the enemies are 8 levels higher than you.

    I honestly have no idea how this was ever considered any good when it was released, but it certainly isn't any good now. All the Fire Emblem games are basically the same gameplay wise, but they are infinitely better than this. The same goes for Jeanne D'Arc, the Disgaea games and Tactics Ogre.

    I would never recommend this game to anyone. My biggest regret is assuming it would be good and buying it off the PSN, since I can't return it.    … Full Review »
  2. DenverH
    Sep 19, 2014
    10
    Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions hearkens back to a golden age of video game design where a game had to stand largely on the meritsFinal Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions hearkens back to a golden age of video game design where a game had to stand largely on the merits of its gameplay, and the mechanics of this turn-based strategy opus stand the test of time. Not content to simply port a classic title to a newer, portable platform, Square Enix has added beautifully animated, watercolor-style cutscenes complete with fantastic voice acting. These help convey a tale that is complex, dark, and strikingly human in nature. If you're a fan of strategy games and/or good stories, this is a must-play.… Full Review »
  3. CharlieM
    Oct 4, 2009
    10
    Let us see, I have sunk 190 hours into and I am still finding things to do, the replayability borders into the insane, The main story willLet us see, I have sunk 190 hours into and I am still finding things to do, the replayability borders into the insane, The main story will take about 30 or so hours to complete, then level your party to 99 takes quite a bit of time. Finally getting Mastered Dark Knight is one of the greater feats of this game. A level 8 Onion Knight is the other. A master of magics with an Arithimatics special ability.There is just so much to do after you beat the game, there is even an added dungeon called Midlight's Deep where you can learn the fabled Zodiarc summon. A new multiplayer mode with hundreds of great items, some exclusive. Grab a friend and play, or for the extremely hardcore, just get a second psp, maybe you need an upgrade anyways? If you are a completionist this game will keep your plate full for a long long time. Anyone who gives this game an actual zero is just plain ignorant, especially if they claim this game was their favorite game. This was one of my favorite games from the Psone and I welcomed the new victorian english dialogue, it made the playthrough more interesting, instead of guessing every line. I enjoyed 12 as well, props to putting in *Spoilers* Balthier! *Spoilers* Anyways if you give it anything less then like a 4 you are just plain donkey and an attention who.re trying to purposely bring one of the greatests games of all times rating down just because you can.… Full Review »
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