The UK has always had a very unique taste in games, never comparable exactly to either the U.S. or Europe. As such, Japanese role-playing games have never been very successful here, even such worldwide blockbusters as the Final Fantasy series. No matter how fancy the graphics, most Britons just can???t be having with the tedious, randomly initiated, turn-based combat. So it???s a bit of a shock to find that Square Enix has finally come around to our way of thinking, because this game completely ditches the usual battle system for a semi-automatic design that actually has you looking forwards to fights rather than dreading them. Although you can still take manual control of a character the game invites you to set-up a series of tactics and rules for your allies before a fight, so you only have to intercede directly in combat if something goes wrong.

Character customisation is also much less regimented than before and the storyline has none of the teen angst emoting that made previous games so hard to stomach for some. In fact the only major feature remaining from the other games is the stunning graphics (and they really are stunning too ??? probably the best ever seen on the PlayStation 2). So thorough has Square Enix been in revamping and refining every aspect of the series??? formula that the only people not likely to enjoy it are die hard fans of the originals. Other than that the only real criticism you could level against it is that it doesn???t exactly rival Wii Sports in the accessibility stakes, but with a game of this length and depth that???s a small price to pay.
HARRISON DENT

There had been some negative reaction to the new battle system that replaces the traditional Final Fantasy random time battles. But when you get used to it, you will find that the new system works very well and is much faster, less repetitive and overall better than the old method.

On top of the refined battle system and improved graphics, the game is absolutely massive. The average player will probably need to put in at least 60 - 70 hours to get through, but to fully explore the world of FFXII and complete the numerous optional side quests and hunts will take over 150 hours.

While the game play and graphics have evolved from the previous Final Fantasy games, it FFXII's story that surprisingly is its biggest weakness. The plot itself isn't actually bad, but it is too much to take in and keep track of over the course of play.

With so many different characters, names and places appearing in such a complex plot, it's easy for a gamer to get confused. You often spend so long away from the actual storyline that you forget what is going on as any momentum or excitement built up by the plot gets lost as you level up and pursue hunts and side quests.

The developers have gone to great length to create a spiralling world and populate it with so many varied characters. The problem is that the storyline seems to be designed to take you through every location and squeeze in as many characters as possible. The result is that you don't appreciate the places you visit as many of them seem un-necessary, while too many characters come and go without actually contributing very much. The other big problem with trying to squeeze so much in is that there's simply no room left for character development. Over the course of the game you don't really get to know the characters you control and as a result you don't really feel anything for them. This does diminish the interest in the plot and is ultimately disappointing for a game franchise that has prided itself on building characters that the gamer can relate to and care about.

Overall FFXII looks good, feels epic and it terms of actual game play is arguably the best FF game so far. The game is so big and there is so much to do that you certainly get value for money. But the over complication of what could have been a great story combined with cramming in so much other stuff at the expense of character development, really lets the rest of the game down.

With its game play and graphics FFXII genuinely had the potential to be the best of the series so far. But it's ultimately the storyline and main characters that define a truly great game. Unfortunately in this instance it feels like the writers and developers have tried to be too clever for their own good and have unfortunately fallen short.

If you are willing to look past these faults then FFXII is an enjoyable gaming experience, but it won't give you the same satisfaction or emotional rollercoaster that previous Final Fantasy games have done in the past.

It had to happen eventually - just as the previously faultless Pixar stumbled with Cars, so Squaresoft stumbled with Final Fantasy XII. However, it's still the best role-playing series out there.

Looking at it, it seems to fulfil everyone's expectations. You've got an epic introduction with beautiful graphics and characters, and are thrown straight into the action as a young soldier storming an enemy castle with other troops. You can select if, when and who you want to fight - there are no more separate "battle" sequences - and the game is completely in 3D.

Once you get into the game, you can wander around huge areas just as you like, getting lost in the streets of Rabanastre or chased by wolves in the desert. There are also side quests, for instance you can take on hunting assignments for villagers and increase your hunter's rank. All the elements of the previous games seem to be included, so what's the problem?

For some reason, this game lacks the usual addiction factor. The main character of Vann just isn't as interesting as his predecessors, and your party changes so frequently it's hard to get into any of the characters - random guests join and then disappear, and at times you feel bewildered trying to remember who has which move or gambit and who has unlocked which weapon or spell. Despite their graphics, the levels don't seem to have any depth either - the small village of Besaid in Final Fantasy X is more involving than the whole of the Rabanstre city level in this game.

The character level system is also a bit restrictive. As usual, you need experience points to raise your level and learn certain spells, but now you also need them to wear different kinds of armour. For example, you can buy as many broadswords as you want, but you won't be able to use it at all until you've unlocked the node. What's more, all the nodes are blanked out until you activate one next to it - so you have no idea which weapon node is where on the grid. This makes things much more complicated and fiddly.

In the other games, the control and level up systems were introduced slowly enough for you to get to grips with them and still enjoy the game, but Final Fantasy XII seems to throw everything at you at once.

The fact that you can move around in a 3D environment and actually pick and choose which foe you battle with is great, and there are some beautiful visuals, but this game isn't as addictive as the others.

I think the main problem is that this title doesn't live up to its expectations, so fans of the series will be disappointed, and any newcomers, although impressed by the visuals, will be scared off by the complicated fighting and level up systems. This is a great shame, because this is excellent as a game in its own right.

If they had stuck to the sphere grid system from the previous game, Final Fantasy XII would have been much more enjoyable. I would recommend renting this title before buying it.

FF XII is really frustrating. At first I was worried about the new battle system, gambits & the lack of random encounters. However, the new system actually works very well & generally makes the gameplay more enjoyable. In a game as big as this, it would take forever to navigate around if you had to deal with endless random enemies. I actually think it's too big & the game lacks focus as a result. I almost quit playing halfway through because it got repetative & the story is dull & confusing to the point where I didn't know whose side I was on or what I was meant to be doing.

On the positive side:
There are loads of different kinds of weapons & the Bows & other ranged weapons are good fun. I really like being able to change characters during battle. The Viera rabbit eared people are a genius idea. Selling loot to earn Gil & unlock rare Bazaar items is very satisfying & is a feature I hope to see in future games. The license board (similar to FFX) works well & lets you develop characters to your own liking. Clan Centurio Hunts and Phon Coast Hunts are a good idea.

On the negative side:
The characters are rubbish & one dimentional. Most are lifted directly from other FF games. I think the game developers spent too much time making FF XII look pretty, thinking up different environments & just making it big. A lot of the ingenuity from previous instalments has gone. Subgames are a big element in FF games but they got a bit lazy with the Game Hunts. I really enjoyed the hunts but it wasn't a proper subgame like Blitzball in FFX or the card game in FFIX, more of a sidequest where you fight mini-bosses. Sadly, the Boss fights are not very well thought out & most are very easy by FF standards. Each boss should be a different challenge requiring different tactics but most of them can be dealt with by selecting 'attack' & letting your gambits do the work. They try to make the Bosses tough by just giving them a huge amount of hit points but that just makes them boring. I actually found myself wandering off to make a cup of coffee & then flipping channels on the TV during one battle. Bosses need to be complex, have varied attacks and look menacing but most FFXII bosses are just lame. Gilgamesh is great but that's the only really good one.

The most annoying thing is that you have to use a guide if you want to get some of the best weapons / items. If you don't it is actually impossible to work out how to get things & it's often a matter of pure chance whether items / chests will appear. Maybe they're trying to get extra money by forcing everyone to buy a guide. I just don't find it entertaining when I have to run back & forth countless times to get a chest to appear or stand motionless by a wall for 5 minutes so a door will open. Finding weapons & unlocking all their abilities was hugely enjoyable in FFX but it's hugely tedious in XII. If they just brought back the Materia system from FFVII everyone would be happy.


In conclusion: Some improvements have been made to the FF format but too many things have been lost. It's not really a proper Final Fantasy game anymore. Too much time has been spent making the general 'running around the world map' bit better & the storyline & main battles have seemingly been forgotten about. FFX is a far superior game.

This game is very, very good!

First of all, don't buy into people saying that the fighting system is poor. That couldn't be more wrong. You're more free, it's faster and it's more fun! There are now no random battles. You can see the enemy, and you choose whether you'd like to fight it or not, again adding to the feeling of freedom. As with this whole little chapter of freedom. The world in which you're situated is a lot more open, you are now not limited to one path, it's a much larger space, of course you have the similar objective, get from one place to another to complete a challenge.

The story will need some working out, which some FF fans may be unused to. But, once you grasp the idea, you will realise that it's very well thought out.

The graphics are truly lush, probably the best on the PS2 as they are so crisp and colorful.They push the PS2 capabilities to the limit, and dare I say it, they could rival a next-gen game!

I've come to the conclusion that people who are giving this game bad reviews just do not like change. If they took the time to get past that, they would find a very enjoyable game. I hope all Final Fantasy games continue to use this format, because, I myself, can't get enough of it!

When I played this for the first time I didn't really see how this game was good. I've played many of the other Final Fantasy games and so at first I was disapointed with how the battle system was layed out and I know that a lot of people don't like this game because of the battle system. Thats where I come in. I'm just here to tell you to just play it for a few hours(about 10-20). It may seem like a lot but if your an RPG fan then all you need to do is play this game for about that length of time and you won't be wanting to come off of it. And the best part is...this is the most time consuming Final Fantasy game of them all so if you like long games and you can manage to get into this then you'll be spending over 200 hours on it. If you want to complete the game 100% then I'd probaly say 220 hours (I'm not to sure cause I havn't yet completed it 100%). Another good thing is...if you like a world that is big then Final Fantasy XII will probaly be the biggest world you'll find on a Playstation 2 console. Some people have said that it's a bit too big but personally I think they should make the next Final Fantasy game a lot bigger. Final Fantasy XII has a total of 21 side-quests. Some of these side-quests you'll have to keep up with throughout the entire game and won't even be able to complete a couple of them until the end of the game. If you do get well into this game then you probaly will at some point think 'when the hell is this game coming to an end'. You do however have to fight a lot of monsters in order to gain levels but if your a person who is into RPG then that shouldn't be much of a problem for you. Going up in levels doesn't just raise your stats, there's also all sorts of weapons, shields, helms, armour and accesories to obtain however in this game to equip an item (any item) you'll need to purchase the licence for it. Every item you can aquire in the game will appear on the licence board and you have to spend licence points (LP) on each square to unlock the licence to use a weapon. Even then you have to buy the weapon but it's still very fun and very addictive. Like I said if your aiming to complete this game then be prepared to spend about 200 hours on this game. Sorry if I spelt any words wrong in this review. I'm writing this at 1:58am and can't keep my eyes open.