Geek Alert!
Over the last few years, my video game geekery has slowly been superseded by slightly more socially acceptable indie geekery. However, I am still an unashamed Final Fantasy aficionado and so naturally, I spent a considerable chunk of the last weekend playing the latest instalment, the long-delayed numero XII. And so far, I gotta say it’s certainly looking to be up there with the very best of the series. The only fantasy I’ve ever really cared for (in any media) is that where it is clear that the creator intimately ‘knows’ the world he or she has created; the feeling that the world exists outside of what is required for the story. Hence my love of Discworld, His Dark Materials, Harry Potter, LOTR e.t.c. I’ve always loved Matsuno’s games for the sheer amount of incidental detail he puts in, and FFXII is no different. Not only is it filled with fascinating trivia about the world of Ivalice and extremely geeky in-jokes, but there’s a number of nods to Vagrant Story and FF Tactics that can’t help but gratify my inner nerd. It’s a credit to Square’s principal translator Alexander O. Smith that the accomplished, often witty script is one of the, if not the, best I’ve seen in any RPG; a whole world away from the often ludicrous dialogue of FFVII. Saying that, the plot itself isn’t as gripping as some earlier instalments (and owes more than a little to Star Wars) but I’m not that far in yet- it’s got lots of time to improve. Some of the voice acting is also a bit suspect, but still of a higher quality than the vast majority of games; Balthier (officially the most pimpin’ character EVER) and Basch are both perfectly cast.
As for the much vaunted gameplay revolution, I think it’s brilliant, giving the series’ rather tired battle system a big ol’ kick in the rear. They’ve finally got rid of random battles (HOORAY!), and instigated a far more fast-paced and involved way of going about your daily monster-slaying. ‘Gambits’ (automated AI scripts that you can program your characters to perform in lieu of manual control) don’t threaten to take control away from the player as many have feared, but actually add a strategic edge to the game that makes a nice difference from FF tradition. You can, and will need to still do things manually; but with battles moving at a far brisker place, the option to get characters to follow pre-set commands is a HUGE relief. Be warned though- the game is probably the most difficult Final Fantasy since FFV. If you’re not careful, or fail to get a grasp on the Gambit system, the ‘Game Over’ screen will become a depressingly common feature of your existence. Another change for the better, in line with FFXII’s focus on making Ivalice seem like a living, breathing world, is that there’s a far greater degree of freedom than in its predecessors. If you’re not actually in the middle of a story sequence, you can (within reason) do whatever the hell you like. Compared to the rigidly linear FFX, it’s a godsend- you’re actually allowed to explore, rather than going where the game wants you to go.
My major criticism so far is that some of the areas are needlessly large- a problem compounded by the scarcity of savepoints. There’s nothing more annoying than running around for almost an hour only to run into an overpowered bastard T-Rex and get smashed into a bloody pulp. The camera is also bloody irritating on occasion, especially when walking about towns. But neither of these are game-breaking and 10 hours in, the pros heavily outweigh the cons. I think I know what I’ll be doing in between gigs…