"If you've been looking for a solid RPG title for your PS2, this is it."

It's been in production for 5 years and finally it's here. Final Fantasy XII. Many have waited patiently for another Final Fantasy entry ever since Final Fantasy X. Final Fantasy XI was a disappoint for many, some may even say that XI shouldn't be a "Final Fantasy" at all. However, XII should satisfy the most hardcore Final Fantasy fans. You are being warned though, if you are into romance type of role playing games then XII will most likely let you down in that department. Even if you aren't a Final Fantasy fan, rather, a casual gamer of role playing games, Final Fantasy will bring to the table that many role playing games dare not touch. If you've been looking for a solid RPG title for your PS2, this is it.

Graphics- Is this considered Next-Gen or what? Nearing the end of the PS2's life cycle and it's making the console go out with a WOW! Kameo on the Xbox 360 can't touch Final Fantasy in graphics, and it's Next-Gen! Let's get serious. The graphics in XII are beautiful. Shading and texture on characters add a sense of realism. About the hair, you have got to love the movements on the character's hair. It's just simply convincing. As expected from Square, the CG scenes are always top notched and has that WOW factor. I can see why Square didn't implement much CG in this game because in game cut scenes already look gorgeous. Character movements in game are flawless. There are no glitches or bugs in this game. Final Fantasy XII is a graphical power house in every aspect. Square's developers were not lazy in this department, nor any department for that matter. 10/10

Game play- This is the big chunk of the game and it's probably the most controversial aspect of the game as well. Many of the Final Fantasy fans may be surprised in the sudden change of the battle system. The transition from "Screen breaks, enemies appear, stay in position, and select commands" are no longer present in this game. Well, not really. The only feature that isn't present is the "Screen breaking" act. Battles in XII are all seamless now. Very fluid battles and very addicting. When you think about it, the game play is no different from a turn based Final Fantasy game, since XII still uses the ATB even though you can freely move about in battles. There are also Gambits in this game. The gambit system is a way for you to set up your characters in battle. How you want them to attack, when you want them to attack, when you want them to use a certain spell or item. It's very smart. You can always turn your gambits off, Square doesn't force you to use them, but it's highly recommended. This way, you don't always have to select a command for each of the three characters on your screen. By the way, you can switch characters in battle as long as you aren't targeted. So plan strategically. Casual gamers can't possibly stray away from this trend, but do not fret, all of the important elements of a Final Fantasy are still here; Commands: Attack, Flee, Magick, Technick, Espers (summon) and character development through levels and the License Board. The License Board is similar to Final Fantasy X's Sphere Grid system. Every enemy you kill gains 1 License Point (LP) and tougher enemies give you more LP. Bosses give you 10-255. You can use these points on the LB to augment certain abilities and to learn magicks, tecknicks, and to unlock a defeated Esper for one character only. You also need to expend LP for usage of your equipment as well, this may sound irritating but it all works out well when you get used to LP grinding. There are also Quickenings in this game (Limit Break, Trance, Overdrive etc.). Every character has 3 quickenings and can be unlocked via License Board with LPs. Just like Final Fantasy X, the summons join you in battle, but they have gambits set on and you can't control them. They act based on their gambit set up. The espers also trigger their Final Attack based on the situation. The gameplay aspect in XII is absolutely fun and addicting, controversial or not, it's still worth a try, even if you are afraid of change in the Final Fantasy series. 10/10

Story- If you're looking for a teen love story, please don't read this part. I can assure you that there is no romancing in this game. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's more about an Empire wanting to expand more and more, trying to be a dominant mark in the nation. This empire, is the Archadian Empire. You join a cast of characters that are in the middle of this war, and are trying to prevent the Archadian Empire from causing anymore pain and suffering. One character that stands out from all would most likely be Balthier. He could be considered the "Auron" of the group. He's just that awesome. If not Balthier, then many will sure to love Fran. Who doesn't like a tall woman with bunny ears? There isn't much character development story wise. Final Fantasy XII doesn't do a very good job in presenting the character's background and thoughts that much. It's about the only flaw in the game. It seems that the characters in Final Fantasy XII would like to be known more because there is potential in their development. Overall, the characters in XII bring the politically charged story to life. 8/10

Extras- There are tons of things to do in this game. Doing Rare Monster Hunts and taking on Marks (similar to a hunter's guild). There are message boards in taverns where you can look to see if there are any Marks available to hunt down for a petitioner. Once you take on that Mark, you will need to find and speak with the petitioner. After you speak with the petitioner, he/she gives you direction as to where that Mark can be found. Once you vanquish the Mark, you will be rewarded by the petitioner. Rare Monster hunts are quite different since there is a specific monster type you have to kill for that rare monster to appear in the specific area. Those rare monsters drop trophies for you to give to certain characters to unlock items and such. There are also side quests that you can take on by initiating a conversation with a certain character. Make sure you speak to everyone! 10/10

Value- $49.99 price tag. It's a Final Fantasy game, but is it worth? Well let's look at some aspects of the game. The storyline itself is 40-50 hours long. Doing all of the hunts and marks can add another 40 hours to that. Extra tidbits and sidequests can add an additional 20 hours to that. Is it worth $49.99? You decide for yourself, but just take into consideration the quality of this game as well as the presentation. 10/10

My thoughts- Personally, Final Fantasy XII is my favorite Final Fantasy in the series. Square really molded an epic Final Fantasy and I'm sure it's a dynamic entry at that. At first, I was quite surprised with the battle system, but I caught on to it, and hooked me. It wasn't repetitive at all. I'm surprised I didn't get bored with it one bit. The Espers in this game were a big disappointment. They were useless, but their animations are nice to look at though. Chaining quickenings was also quite fun, it gets boring watching them since you can repeatedly use them in one turn and then triggering a concurrence to obliterate a foe. It's quite nice. This gaming experience was truly an enjoyable one and will most likely mark it as my greatest PS2 experience. Let's hope that Final Fantasy XIII does the same for the PS3.

By, Earvin Cunanan

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/04/06