80°

Final Fantasy XII Review: Bigger and Balthier | Cubed Gamers

Robin takes a look back at what he considers the best (and least discussed) Final Fantasy game.

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cubedgamers.com
ArchangelMike3657d ago

YES FINALLY! I though I was the only one! For all these years, I thought I was the only one who thought FFXII was the best Final Fantasy.

What I wouldn't give for a FFXII PSVIta Port. Man that would be awesome.

Baka-akaB3657d ago

I dont consider it the best per se , but easily the best post-FFVI game of the serie

vishmarx3657d ago (Edited 3657d ago )

i definitely consider it the best ,IN MY OPINION.
OPINION .
most mature cast,no spiky hair.
genuinely interesting characters that arent typical japanese cliches
different than the typical love story,
downright the best world map in a 3d FF so far,
great combat,albeit not too flashy.
and DAT content
the game lasted forever

Baka-akaB3657d ago

OH i love it dont worry , i just still prefer FFVI and FF tactics (its one of Matsuno's biggest masterpiece afterall) over it . Other than than i place it above the rest .

Reibooi3657d ago

XII is my favorite game in the series by far. I loved everything about it. It was so different when compared to the past games in the series and it pulled off pretty much everything it tried to.

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see a HD remaster of XII. The game was a looker back when it came out and if you play it on a emulator today at 1080p it still looks awesome I can't imagine how good it would look if SE put in the extra effort like X.

Sad thing is despite the mention that they might do it they have also said they won't if fans don't ask enough for it and considering for whatever reason most don't like XII I doubt SE will ever do it. One can dream though.

calis3657d ago

I loved FFXII and thought it was one of the best, I didn't like X (or X-2) all that much. It might be my second favourite FF game after VII.

nope1113657d ago (Edited 3657d ago )

nope, you're not alone. FFXII is my favorite FF, it was the setting and characters (except Vaan who doesn't even deserve the MC title since it got stolen by Ashe LOL) that really got me

Also, Basch looks like Brad Pitt.

TM3333657d ago

You said it. A Vita version would be gold!

DCfan3657d ago

They teased it around the release of FFX HD, stating that if FFX HD does well, they'll consider an HD ver. of FFXII

levian3657d ago

XII is honestly my favourite FF game of all time. The combat is great, traditional FF combat with ATB but you can walk around and control your character, no loading screens for battle.

If you knew how to use gambits it was awesome. Sure, you could AFK it but it was awesome knowing you had set up your gambits perfectly to deal with any situation the game could throw at you.

There was so much to explore, find, and do. Areas near the end game you could access near the start if you knew how, or if you explored enough to find the secret. Fun optional content in the form of hunts, finding all the espers, all the optional bosses.

Honestly, every time I play this game my save file is literally at 200+ hours.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3657d ago
Onenyte3657d ago (Edited 3657d ago )

The game has sooooooo much replay value and yes a vita version would be a dream,Such a hard system to master aswell, man this game is so underrated.

DCfan3657d ago

Once you master the gambit system, the game pretty much plays itself.

Imo, its my 2nd fav FF game. My party consists of Balthier, Fran and Bosch.
We can hope for an HD remaster since SE teased it.

ArchangelMike3657d ago

Say what!? When did SE tease a remaster of FFXII?

Jubez1873657d ago

This is an okay game, but it's actually the most outdated to me. The reason being, the turn-based FF's are still some of the best turn-based games (seeing as the system has been stagnant for years). But play FFXII then Dragon Age and just wow, so much better.

FFXII had no jobs or combat abilities or anything. It was just auto-attack/gambits..not the most interesting. I feel like FFXIV is just a better FFXII

Onenyte3657d ago

The game had a job system , stats grew in a certain way with different party members , and depending on what way you went on the skill board determined your job /class/role , its completely what YOU wanted it to be .........

The more I think about it makes me realise how deep the game was , and the game was far from easy lol.

Jubez1873655d ago

If they bring over the Zodiac edition in HD I'll play it again. Overall, I still stand by the fact that the melee classes had no depth.

HeavenlySnipes3657d ago

You probably only played the main story

If you still have the game, replay it and explore some of the other places. There are loads (and I mean loads) of hidden boss battles scattered across the game world that are 100x harder than the story bosses

The amount of content in that game is still unmatched too me (and yes I've played Skyrim and Oblivion which just offer 1000's of fetch quests with a generic daedra boss fight at the end)

nope1113657d ago

My favorite FF game. would love an HD version of this.

TitanUp3657d ago

never played ff12 seen a copy for the ps2 a few weeks ago maybe i should have picked it up.

after reading this i at least want to try the game.

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120°

Final Fantasy 12 Has The Worst Cid, Says Ben Starr

Clive actor Ben Starr plays kiss, marry, kill with Final Fantasy characters, and decides to off Cid from Final Fantasy 12.

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thegamer.com
CrimsonWing693d ago

I’d give it to 8, but whatevs.

mastershredder3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Ew VO actors and their cringe core. Fiverr voice actors could out perform this chump.

150°

Final Fantasy XII Is the Perfect Final Fantasy Game to Play After XVI

Final Fantasy XVI makes big changes to the series. It has a new approach to combat and a mature story, that makes XII the perfect game to play after.

Flawlessmic299d ago

It's always a good time to play ff12. But more importantly absolutely everybody that has a ps5 should be playing ff16!!

What a game yoshi p and his team have delivered, we can only hope they have been handed the keys to next main line final fantasy and they can go back to back!!

298d ago Replies(1)
GhostScholar297d ago

He turned final fantasy into a 3rd person action game. A good one for sure, but not final
Fantasy.

Flawlessmic297d ago

What is final fantasy?

If your telling me it's turn based/party then people aren't actually final fantasy fans they are mechanic fans of turn based games not final fantasy.

I could point to 20 different reasons why this is a proper final fantasy but going off everyone opinions apparently what makes a final fantasy is the mechanics and nothing else lol.

I guess final fantasy hasn't been final fantasy since X-2.

GhostScholar297d ago

I’m not saying just the turned based aspect makes a game final fantasy or not. It’s not that it’s not turn based only. I don’t like the combat at all in 16. It’s better than 15 for sure, but it just doesn’t feel like a final fantasy game. It reminds me more of the Witcher 3 than final fantasy. The setting, the look of the world. No sci fi aspects.

Flawlessmic297d ago (Edited 297d ago )

i still have to disagree dude, final fantasy games are made up of so much more, they have a certain heart & soul to them that make them easily identifiable and this game has all that heart and soul of a FF game as well ff staples below.

- the music
- chocobos
- moogles
- summons - Super heavy influence
- a grand epic story/ ps. they have done medieveil before like with ff9
- crystals - Super heavy influence
- cid

I mean the fact this game is basically all about crystals and eikons is about as FF as it gets, throw in the rest and i get it being action game may be weird but this is FF game through and through.

in terms of Sci fi, id say your probably still very early on in the game.

This is coming from an old school FF fan.

Terry_B299d ago

I also recommend Devil May Cry 3-5 if you liked FF16 a lot.

MrNinosan298d ago

Played them all, and no... Not at all like FFXVI except parts of the combat

Gardenia297d ago

I don't know if this is serious or sarcasm, but it says a lot of what Final Fantasy has become.

lucian229298d ago

ff12 was the worst ff imo; no character was unique because of the class system, so in cutscenes no character had an assigned weapon; they were all different skins of one another; the game played itself, the main character wasn't the main character and it was just a big eh

Nacho_Z298d ago

I think I preferred 12 to 13 but I agree with your assessment. It was very bland and not much fun to play.

lucian229298d ago

i liked 13 combat wise, and i think story wise, but then i really liked the 2nd game, and lightning returns was....odd but i liked it.

MrNinosan298d ago

Sounds like you were late to FFXII and only played Zodiac edition.

FFXII is a great game, still today, and with Zodiac, it became even better.

lucian229296d ago

nope lol i got ff12 at launch

GhostScholar297d ago

Final fantasy 7 remake is better than 16 in every way

lucian229296d ago

not at all; while i love my ff7, ff16 is epic constantly; no game has epic battles the way this one does

Tapani3d ago

The Zodiac edition was absolutely superb. Top 5 final fantasies, up there with 4, 6, 7 and Tactics.

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MadLad298d ago

Still the last one I really enjoyed.
Series is just all over the place anymore and, while people like the new arpg gameplay, it doesn't do anything for me.

goldwyncq298d ago

The world is the real star of XII. I didn't care about the character nor the story but the worldbuilding was excellent.

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180°

Final Fantasy XII director shoots down 17-year rumor about the game's main character

First, the rumor itself. When Final Fantasy XII originally launched in 2006, plenty of players were left disappointed by protagonist Vaan, who many deemed to be dull and apathetic. From this, a rumor sprang forth than companion Basch was originally meant to be the protagonist of Final Fantasy XII, but was switched out of the role at the last minute.

This rumor has gained traction ever since, to the point where multiple outlets have reported it as fact, and Final Fantasy XII’s Wikipedia page (opens in new tab) even mentions it as part of the game's development. Now though, years after the rumor originated, original Final Fantasy XII director and scenario writer Yasumi Matsuno has stepped in to quash the rumor.

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gamesradar.com
Hofstaderman363d ago

I'm still convinced Vaan and Penelo were placed in the game as a last minute decision.

-Foxtrot363d ago (Edited 363d ago )

It does feel like that tbh

It's why even though the theory has been shot down I can see why people came up with and believed it.

It makes sense

Vaan was there for the younger audience and to me that seems like a last minute development decision.

gold_drake363d ago (Edited 363d ago )

ok that doesnt change the fact that Vaan is the least intresting and biggest waste of a main character in the franchise.

like Penelo and Vaan are literally just there, to be there. any other character has more purpose haha.

Becuzisaid363d ago

We all know Balthier and Fran were the mains the whole time lol.

FinalFantasyFanatic363d ago

The characters and writing for this game, just wasn't good, I have a hard time believing that there wasn't some major changes at some point (do writers just not leave notes for each other if one of them gets sick or leaves?).

SegaSaturn669363d ago

I enjoy the gameplay a lot but tend to agree, the soundtrack was not memorable to me at all, either. Which is weird because the composer also did FFT which was tremendous.

FinalFantasyFanatic362d ago

I always think of Uematsu when I think of the FF franchise, but most of his music is pretty iconic, unfortunately I didn't get to play FFT (hopefully it ends up with a Steam release in the near future).

RedDevils363d ago

Back then I like the gameplay, but I just don't like the story enough to enjoy it as X.

GoodGuy09363d ago

It was obvious Vaan was of little importance. His brother or Balthier should've been the MC. They've already told us that Vaan was chosen just so the game can appeal to younger audiences. But well that's square for ya, always trying to appeal to the masses rather than just do what they really want to do and favor core fans.

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