"FFXII will dazzle you...but not in the way you think it will"

Final Fantasy XII is like a big budget movie with a plot that goes nowhere. First, let's state the high points of the game, just so we can get started:

GRAPHICS – 10/10:
Like almost all Final Fantasy games, the graphics are phenomenal. Whether it is the environment, the FMVs, the characters or the battle animations, they are all extremely well-done. I'll get back to the actual content of the FMVs later, though ;).

SOUND – 10/10:
I know some people complain about the dubbing of the English voice actors, but that's never really something to which I pay much attention. I personally have no problem whatsoever with the voice acting, so for argument's sake let's say that it is extremely well-done. I'll get back to music later on ;).

BATTLE SYSTEM – 9/10:
I actually really like the battle system. I think the Gambits are very innovative, and a clever way to handle fighting. Also, I enjoy using the License Board as I have free-range over what I will learn and when. For those who complain that the License Board is complicated, they could easily take 5 minutes and read a guide on the internet about how it is arranged.

Okay, now that we've got that sorted out. Let's move onto the reasons why this game failed.

GAMEPLAY/PLOT – 2/10
(I would usually not group these two together, but in this case it must be done.)

The gameplay is quite terrible. Also, remember that I LIKED the battle system. However, the way that the gameplay applies the battle system is horrendous. Let us examine the gameplay more.

Okay, let's go through gigantic dungeons that almost always have no significance to the plot whatsoever, while I move my character and let my gambits repetitively kill the same enemies over and over for many hours. Basically this is how the entire game is set up:

1. Enter a new gigantic area

2. Characters banter for 2-3 minutes to summarize what you're doing

3. Fight for 1-2 hours of utterly boring gameplay because you're doing the EXACT same thing over and over

4. Fight some nameless boss near the end of the map (by nameless, I mean there is no connection of this boss to the plot)

5. Characters banter for 2-3 minutes to summarize what you're doing

Talking more about the plot, the premise sounds GREAT. But the actual plot itself is TERRIBLE. There is virtually no character development. For each character there is maybe one or two short scenes which are not even that detailed or exciting or intriguing at all. And, I don't know why Penelo is in your party…I think she's just along for the ride because she has NO character development. Oh, and your main character...besides the fact that he's an orphan and his brother was murdered…you hear NOTHING ELSE about him. He's probably the worst main character ever. Oh, and that's not a spoiler people, because you hear about that extremely early in the game.

The problem with the plot is that there is no depth to it. Like I said the premise sounds great, but there is barely any development of characters or plot lines. The dialogue is sparse and there is NOTHING that grips you whatsoever. On top of that, with the hours of horrendously boring gameplay, you become more detached from the plot and just want the game to PICK UP. I mean, I was 50 hours in the game and I was wondering when it was going to start, then I suddenly find out…oh, that's the end.

Let's talk about side-quests/mini-games. If you choose to do side-quests, like the Mark Hunting game (which you probably should if you want to be near the levels necessary to complete the game events) be prepared to spend much more time on that than the ACTUAL GAME. Is the Mark Hunting game fun? Well, if you like going through gigantic areas fighting monsters repetitively until you find the Mark…then YES. But wait…oh right, this “game” sounds almost exactly like the normal boring gameplay. Honestly, the Mark Hunting game accounts for HOURS of how long this game is, and how long would that game have taken Square-Enix to develop? Almost no time at all…pretty much creating the board for monsters, and then the monsters. Wow, such an innovative side-quest…GRIPPING.

I think Square-Enix has this idea that it doesn't matter what the gameplay is like, just as long as the gamer gets a lot of playing time, then he/she will enjoy it. This would explain why some games have pointless boring times where you run around doing the exact same thing over and over. Now, some games get away with this because they do it sparingly…the problem with FFXII is that THAT IS THE GAME.

So let's summarize this section…the gameplay is horrendously boring, while the gamer does a lot of repetitive mind-numbing fighting. And, the plot is also terrible as it goes absolutely nowhere, and there are no developments of any aspect of it.

MUSIC – 4/10:
The music for this game is completely lacklustre. Usually in Final Fantasy games, there are a few tracks that as soon as I hear them, I have a very good opinion of the soundtrack. That is the kind of music where you can feel the emotions of the scene, where the music adds an entirely new dimension to the game. Sadly, there was no such music in this game. Not only that, but there were maybe 2 tracks that I thought were even slightly respectable. The composition was bland, unoriginal and completely devoid of any attachment to the plot.

With past FF games, you could TELL that the composer KNEW about the plot, the environment, and the very emotions of the characters when composing. With this soundtrack, it's almost as if the person composing had no idea what the game was about, but was told to just compose some generic town music, or some generic adventure music. In my opinion, stick with what works…Yasunori Mitsuda or Nobuo Uematsu.

GRAPHICS (The bad part):
I'm going to use this last section to comment on something that couldn't fit as well in other categories. As I said the FMVs look phenomenal. But I agree completely with other reviewers when they said that they were reminiscent of Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace. It's almost as if the FMVs are not created to further the plot, but for Square-Enix to go...”Look what we can do! Look at how good our graphics are! Isn't this game AMAZING?!”. I mean, I was awed by the FMVs but I was not moved by them whatsoever…my reaction was “Those are good graphics.”

Remember in FF7, the famous scene where Sephiroth looks up…you see his eyes…and then he walks through the flames? The graphics for that FMV are not near the calibre of FFXII, however, that FMV is 10x better than any FMV in FFXII. The FMV meant something. Unlike, in FFXII where the FMVs are usually just to introduce a town, or for your airship to take off or something non-sequitor. This adds to my point that the game is like a big-budget movie with a plot that goes nowhere. They try to dazzle us with special effects, but then completely fail in plot.

OVERALL – 4/10:
Let me ask you a question…what is the feeling you get when you invest a lot of time into something and get barely anything in return? Think about that. That is the feeling you will get through playing Final Fantasy XII. When you realize that you could've just watched the trailer of the game, and enjoyed the only good things it has to offer…that is the feeling you will get. Let me summarize what I've said:

1. The graphics are phenomenal, but they have no relevance to the plot whatsoever and exist just to try and impress the gamer

2. The voice acting is great (and let's be honest…even if they weren't, what self respecting person gives that A LOT of weight…I mean, yes, I could see it being annoying, but it's not significant whatsoever)

3. The battle system is great and innovative

4. The plot is terrible, with none of the characters having any depth. Most of the boss battles have no significance. Even most of the territories of the game have no real significance, except for the towns and the few destinations that you travel to, while passing through countless unimportant areas.

5. The gameplay is repetitive, boring and extremely drawn out.

6. The music is completely dull and lacking any depth

Personally, with almost any game that comes out…I can read the good and bad reviews and usually see where the reviewer is coming from. I'm a person who believes that some people just enjoy different things. But I CAN'T UNDERSTAND how anyone could enjoy the plot/gameplay or enjoy the music in this game. I actually enjoy most Final Fantasy games but this game is just awful.

The only good thing about this game coming out is that I appreciate other Final Fantasy games more now. Like before, I thought FFVIII was an alright, but lacking game. But when I think about it, I would much rather play that game than this one. And games like FFVI, FFVII and FFX are now godlike compared to this game.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 11/15/06