|
Final Fantasy XII (PlayStation 2)
 Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Square Enix Genre: RPG Release: 2005
Many years of Final Fantasy, and many, many great games... we now approach the
12th installment of this noble series. What’s become a tradition of great RPG gaming has developed into something
so complex and diverse when compared to the original games. It’s amazing to see a series come this far.
The games have always combined in-depth character
development with amazingly dramatic stories to create the ultimate RPG experience. Since the very beginning, FF has managed
to dominate the market for RPG games. Something about the style, humor, action, and art is very addictive and keeps the players
coming back for more and more, and it has kept them coming back for seconds for 16 years now.
Welcome to Ivalice
Along with a new FF game comes a new brilliant FF location. This time
we’re not exactly going to a new location, but rather one that’s only semi-new. Ivalice: the land where Tactics:
Advance took place. In the original Final Fantasy Tactics game, the game all the kids were playing was this very same game:
Final Fantasy XII. The territories definitely look different than in previous games though, and this is all new stuff. It’s
really just the name and references that keep it from being something entirely new.
In all the screens you see many different types of landscapes. From beautiful Metropolises to stunning
skies, and even to the open seas: the variety doesn’t quit. Everything breathes with a newfound style that hasn’t
been seen before in any other game.
Meet the New Crew Before we get to the story of the game, you might want to get to know the characters of the
game, and read a little of their back-story. Say hello to:
Vaan: The pretty boy protagonist. He will be the “Cloud”
of this Final Fantasy, if you will. Only thing is he’s nowhere near as cool as Cloud. Square’s got a pension for
making whiney, girly, effete main characters these days. Gone are the days of Squall, friends. His brother was killed two
years ago from where the game starts. He starts out as a wannabe pirate, but eventually gets thrown into resistance fighting
against the Archadians.
Penello: Vaan's cute friend. She’s a very adorable character in
this game. Some are saying she’s Vaan’s girlfriend but we can’t find anything to confirm, nor deny that.
I guess we’ll have to see, but a little advice for you, Penello honey: go for Basch. He’s a real, and quite
handsome man.
Ashe: The game's pretty-faced heroine. She’s a very tough girl,
especially for being a princess. While remaining a strong character, she’s also an equally gorgeous girl.
Balfear: The dude with a cool gun. Not much is known about this man.
He looks like an interesting character though, carrying a gun, and often seen with the attractive Fran (see below).
Basch: A tough-guy general. He was in the battle that Vaan’s older
Reks was killed in. He went on to find out that the king was going to sell the people of Dalmasca out, so he killed him. Reks
being horrified by this, reacted to Basch as a traitor, and then was stabbed by him. Reks dies whispering his older brother’s
name: “Vaan” as Basch regretfully informs him of his intentions.
Fran: A strangely sexy bunny girl. This is another character that little
is known about. She’s seen many times with the aforementioned Balfear, and something is oddly attractive about her,
though she resembles a bipedal rabbit.
A Dark Story of War and Drama The latest game will take on a darker feel, as it has a new
producer involved: Yasumi Matsuno (Vagrant Story). Now the game’s story will be more intense and dramatic than ever
before.
It all has to do with war between two countries. In the game’s plot, Archadia invades and seizes
Dalmasca, and all Hell breaks loose. Now factions are starting to take the country back, and that’s where you come in.
Other than that, little is known about the story. Be sure that us here at GameWire will give you more
details, as they are available.
Not Your Daddy’s Final Fantasy
As mentioned before, the game is under new
management. At the helm is Matsuno, the man behind Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy Tactics. Especially in the
battle system department, the game looks more like VS than anything. With a real-time system it’s hard not to think so. It won’t control like the last games at all.
Gone are the ATB/CTB systems, and in is this new more MMORPG-ish one.
You control Vaan with the left analog stick setting attacks or spells while the other two characters
are controlled by AI pre-sets. You can switch these pre-sets during gameplay to keep things fresh and strategic. It really
makes you stay on top of your characters and what they are doing.
Not only that, but there is no “end of battle”. All gains-- in gil, exp points, or otherwise--
are received during the battle as you attain them. There isn’t even the same switching between field and battle screens.
It’s all intertwined.
How will the fans welcome such changes? While the jaded and hardcore Square fans will be stuck in the
past, the change is looking really, really good. While most FF games change only minimal things, this one might just revolutionize
the series and the entire genre of RPG-gaming, as we know it. We’ll have to see come next year.
                       
Preview
Written by: Chris "CBN" Nimmo
|
