RPGoodness
I haven't bought a Final Fantasy game at retail since Final Fantasy VIII hit store shelves some seven odd years ago when I was just a wee sophomore in high school. At the time I was expecting something along the lines of a clone of VII in terms of gameplay and was disappointed both in the junction system as well as what seemed (at the time) to be a convoluted plot full of more holes than the Bush administration's justification for invading Iraq.
I've since repented of my sins. I played VIII again a couple of years ago in college, going in with no preconceived notions about what would make a good RPG experience, and found myself liking it even more than VII or any other (offline) RPG I'd played to that point. Of course by then FF9 and FF10 had been on the market for several years, I wasn't about to get involved in another MMO (11) with Warcraft on the horizon, and XII was being perpetually delayed. I picked up 9 and 10 at the used game store but never got around to playing them seriously.
Fast forward to last night. Final Fantasy XII finally hit the shelves after years of anticipation. I read reviews and found that it was scoring high on all of the major sites. The reviews ranged from the cautious optimism at IGN because they had a few issues with the combat system to the downright sycophantic ravings of an RPGFan editor whose prose gave the impression that Square can do no wrong. So I went out and picked up a copy at Wal-mart. It was even on sale for $40 instead of $50, score.
So far the game seems to kick serious ass, though I'm not far in so that's just an initial impression. The combat system is reminiscent of MMOs, which is a nice change. Being able to see monsters that are about to attack you rather than waiting on random encounters is also a plus. So far I have to say kudos to Square for a good solid RPG. Not to mention the graphics are incredible. They're really pushing the PS2 to the point that it makes me wonder why we need a new generation of consoles.
I've since repented of my sins. I played VIII again a couple of years ago in college, going in with no preconceived notions about what would make a good RPG experience, and found myself liking it even more than VII or any other (offline) RPG I'd played to that point. Of course by then FF9 and FF10 had been on the market for several years, I wasn't about to get involved in another MMO (11) with Warcraft on the horizon, and XII was being perpetually delayed. I picked up 9 and 10 at the used game store but never got around to playing them seriously.
Fast forward to last night. Final Fantasy XII finally hit the shelves after years of anticipation. I read reviews and found that it was scoring high on all of the major sites. The reviews ranged from the cautious optimism at IGN because they had a few issues with the combat system to the downright sycophantic ravings of an RPGFan editor whose prose gave the impression that Square can do no wrong. So I went out and picked up a copy at Wal-mart. It was even on sale for $40 instead of $50, score.
So far the game seems to kick serious ass, though I'm not far in so that's just an initial impression. The combat system is reminiscent of MMOs, which is a nice change. Being able to see monsters that are about to attack you rather than waiting on random encounters is also a plus. So far I have to say kudos to Square for a good solid RPG. Not to mention the graphics are incredible. They're really pushing the PS2 to the point that it makes me wonder why we need a new generation of consoles.