What's so wrong with FFXII?

[Andronicus]

The thing I like most about Final Fantasy games is the music. In all past iterations, the music has been appropriate and memorable. You can thank Uematsu for that. In FFXII, they only managed to get one of them right; it was appropriate, but it just kind of floated around in the background, never to be hummed on the way home from school or work again.

The story is very politically-orientated; it all really depends if you're into that thing or not. I don't mind it, but it was a little hard to follow at times.

Really, if you have not finished all the hunts in the game, you have actually not experienced it. Fights like Behemoth King, Hell Wyrm, Omega MkXII and Yiazmat are the reason why the gambit system is there and is shaped like it is. Those fights would be impossible to do in an old FF combat style, they are massive, long, hard and require constant refinement of your gambit strategy, DURING combat.

Doing the hunt quests all depended on whether you could find the bastards first. Some of the higher level ones will only appear if you use certain characters, look in a specific spot, search at the right time, stuff like that, and it was all very annoying. And let's be honest; gambits were bloody useless in boss fights. I only ever used them when grinding, and even then I had to step in every now and again to point them in the right direction. I prefered to have that little bit of extra control anyway.

 

[Jim Grim]

What's this? People have "opinions?"

God help us.

Yes, and look! Someone has asked people the reasons for their opinions, on an internet forum aswell! A medium specifically designed for people to share their opinions!

 

[rokkolpo]

i loved it.

no complaining here,awesome cutscenes now and then.

 

[Carnagath]

Doing the hunt quests all depended on whether you could find the bastards first. Some of the higher level ones will only appear if you use certain characters, look in a specific spot, search at the right time, stuff like that, and it was all very annoying. And let's be honest; gambits were bloody useless in boss fights. I only ever used them when grinding, and even then I had to step in every now and again to point them in the right direction. I prefered to have that little bit of extra control anyway.

It's hardly as bad as you make it sound. Yes, some hunts have a few conditions to be met for the mark to appear, like it needs to be raining etc, but there's really no problem in consulting a guide if you are stuck on a specific hunt. The high end targets are certainly worth all the trouble of getting there, being probably the most brutal tactical and endurance fights in the history of the game's series, and that is because Square used a high-end raiding MMO mentality to design those fights. And yes, let's be honest, gambits were useless in boss fights? This clearly shows that you did not advance enough through the game, maybe you beat the story, but even that I doubt. Damn near half of the optional Espers in the game are gambit based fights, and try to defeat Omega Mk12 without using gambits, try to play it "old FF style", and then post a video of it and I will give you a million bucks myself .

 

[Mirroga]

The thing that put me down is that they storyline and setting felt like it was trying to become Star Wars. Also, the gambits pretty much made the game boring as an RPG. RPGs should also have a rule that enemies reflect to the players' overall levels, thus doing a balance between low levels and high levels thus making decisions and not simply grinding silly.

 

[Syntax Error]

Ok. Alright. I get it. Most Final Fantasy fans seem to really dislike Final Fantasy XII. Why? What's so wrong with it? Why is it considered in such low regard? Seriously.

The main reason I ask is because I saw it as a rather solid Final Fantasy experience. The story was solid (even though Vaan didn't figure into it at all). The gameplay worked. Gambits were a neat feature. Hunts and side-quests were plentiful. The summons were awesome (although I missed Odin).

Seriously guys, what was wrong with Final Fantasy Twelve?

In a word, it was forgettable. Don't get me wrong, it was still a good game, but you don't feel invested with the characters (like you would have in other FF games). Vaan and Penelo are pretty much non-persons. Ashe and Basch (teehee) at least had semi-pseudo backstories and Balthier and Fran are showstealers (the only people with personalities in the game, IMO). That, and according to the GameFAQs boards, it's basically Final Fantasy Star Wars (which could be a good or bad thing, depending on who you ask).

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

For me, it took far too long to go anywhere. I got to the first questing area and had already forgotten why I was there and what I was doing.

FFVII, FFVIII and FFIX kept things very linear and direct 'go here, kill this, come back' FFXII had a nice linear start, then was suddenly 'right, go into the world and figure things out for yourself.'

Sometimes I want a directed game experience.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

They thought it was too different? I liked it, Gambits are neat, and we actually have pseudo real-time battles now (finally). Now if only we had a proper large ham, rather than just Balthier with his "I'm the leading man" shtick.

 

[The_Jott]

Personally my problems with the game were the characters, i just didnt find them particularly likeable. as such i had no interest in what happened to them, balthier was the only charatcer to show a personality and did seem to be the main character even though he was meant to be a support character. My favourite of the series is 9 largely because of the characters, there was a good dynamic within that group and the interactions seemed much more genuine. I honestly cant remember a moment within 12 that has stook with me. As such the desire to replay the game just isnt there which is a shame because the gameplay mechanics are quite good, reminds me of playing baldurs gate where you can have as little or as much input as you want.
Now i could read that essay and have it show where there were developments etc but if i didnt see it first time round then maybe it should have been changed in a way to make it more enjoyable. For example fight club makes much more sense the 2nd time you watch it BUT its enjoyable to watch the first time that you dont mind watching it again to pick up on the things you have missed, with FF12 i just didnt get that feeling to play it again.


The skills i found irritating, in the end everyone could be the same as each other with no real difference aside from damage done which is my problem with most FF games i like having to adjust to what my characters are able to do, not adjust the characters skills to what i want to do. it just makes all the characters seem replaceable in the end, while 9 makes it very clear that each character has a limit on what they are able to do and so you choose accordingly. The superhero characters also annoyed me in 10 where if you set it up right lulu could do more physical damage than auron, whats the point in designating someone as a mage and then allow them to do more damage than a fighter.........thats probably an argument for another day lol

Also i found the hunts more enjoyable than the actual story, even though i never finished the hunts(personal preference i dont enjoy grinding to high levels just to beat 1 enemy, if i can do it at a low level i get a greater sense of accomplishment rather than just being at the right level that it is inevitable that i will win) they were more interesting and compelling than the plot. they are the reason i racked up 80hours on that game rather than stopping once i had done the story.

 

[DuplicateValue]

What's this? People have "opinions?"

God help us.

Mine is the only one that counts, though.

And so, Final Fantasy blows.

There's a couple of million people around the world who think otherwise.

And they have bats. >

 

[The_Jott]

Personally my problems with the game were the characters, i just didnt find them particularly likeable. as such i had no interest in what happened to them, balthier was the only charatcer to show a personality and did seem to be the main character even though he was meant to be a support character. My favourite of the series is 9 largely because of the characters, there was a good dynamic within that group and the interactions seemed much more genuine. I honestly cant remember a moment within 12 that has stook with me. As such the desire to replay the game just isnt there which is a shame because the gameplay mechanics are quite good, reminds me of playing baldurs gate where you can have as little or as much input as you want.
Now i could read that essay and have it show where there were developments etc but if i didnt see it first time round then maybe it should have been changed in a way to make it more enjoyable. For example fight club makes much more sense the 2nd time you watch it BUT its enjoyable to watch the first time that you dont mind watching it again to pick up on the things you have missed, with FF12 i just didnt get that feeling to play it again.


The skills i found irritating, in the end everyone could be the same as each other with no real difference aside from damage done which is my problem with most FF games i like having to adjust to what my characters are able to do, not adjust the characters skills to what i want to do. it just makes all the characters seem replaceable in the end, while 9 makes it very clear that each character has a limit on what they are able to do and so you choose accordingly. The superhero characters also annoyed me in 10 where if you set it up right lulu could do more physical damage than auron, whats the point in designating someone as a mage and then allow them to do more damage than a fighter.........thats probably an argument for another day lol

Also i found the hunts more enjoyable than the actual story, even though i never finished the hunts(personal preference i dont enjoy grinding to high levels just to beat 1 enemy, if i can do it at a low level i get a greater sense of accomplishment rather than just being at the right level that it is inevitable that i will win) they were more interesting and compelling than the plot. they are the reason i racked up 80hours on that game rather than stopping once i had done the story.

People can beat the game at the bare minimum levels. Levels have never meant anything compared to equipment and this is true for ANY final fantasy game.

Think about that for a second before you talk about how you feel no accomplishment from simply leveling up.

And before you claim impossible, it's on youtube, there are no cheats. Be amazed that sometimes it takes strategy and preparation (lots and lots of preparation) to win.

And that's really all i got to talk to you about. Then again this is just a common mistake that 90% of people make "high levels are the only way to win" when levels are useless compared to equipment.

i never said it was impossible, and like you said it takes lots and lots of preparation which is essentially the same thing when you break it down. either spends of lots time leveling up to beat an enemy or spend lots of time coming up with tatics to beat an enemy either way its not fun.

my mate has got save files from FF8 where is well into the final stages of the game at ridiculously low levels so i know setting up your equipment is important(or magic as the case may be) but he spent so long on that game he knows it inside out, and thats something im just not prepared to do. which is why i put in the phrase PERSONAL PREFERENCE.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Well, its one of my top 3. With #1 FF8 and #2 FF10.

It's great. The combat system is nicer, and the gambits are kickass. The only issue is the stupid license board.

 

[caprisun]

For me it was that there wasnt one big epic story(at least not a clear one). the entire game was kinda broken up into smaller stories, what you were aiming for wasnt clear. the gameplay was amazing, didnt like it as much as the gameplace in 10 but it was still great, but you cant have a final fantasy without a great story

 

[Doug]

Uh, well, if you're asking me personally, I'd have to say "It's a JRPG."

This. JRPGs == Evil.

Games == Evil.

Satan == Evil...no, wait, that one is absolutely true. Hmm.

 

[Zeromaeus]

The thing that put me down is that they storyline and setting felt like it was trying to become Star Wars. Also, the gambits pretty much made the game boring as an RPG. RPGs should also have a rule that enemies reflect to the players' overall levels, thus doing a balance between low levels and high levels thus making decisions and not simply grinding silly.

Actually, I'm almost completely opposed to leveled enemies. Leveled enemies are the reason you can beat Oblivion without really doing anything. It also breaks the unwritten "don't go here, you'll die" rule of high level enemies in areas important to the plot. I actually found the Vault under the car shop (the on with the simulator) before I ever even talked to the bartender guy in MegaTon. That would have broke the game if I hadn't recognized the Vault number from a picture on the internet. Plus, if challenges like Omega MK 2 or Sephiroth (KH or FF) were levelled to you, they wouldn't be near as challenging as they're supposed to be. The whole challenge behing Omega is that its the only level 99 monster in existance.

 

[Sanguinius- The Angel]

I dunno if this has been said, but mostly because of how incredulously lame Vaan looked. He looked.. Like a transvestite. And I hate how the turn based system is gone, leaving a clunky gambit + run around like a chicken with it's head cut off combat system in it's wake. Not to mention the storyline:

Spoiler

I MEAN HONESTLY. TWINS? WTF.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Problem I found with it was that License Board like the Sphere Grid led to a lot of unnecassery grinding that could of been avoided with just a level system.

The characters for the most part for quite bland only ones I like were Basch, Gabranth, Balthier and the Rabbit thingy(I can't even remember her name).

The story although all Final Fantasys usually share a similar plot line "Evil Corp, Empire, etc" and yous "Good Vigilante" but it seemed a bit too copy & pasted a tad boring and didn't draw me in like the other storys.

It did have good points like although I said the License board was a bad point but it is also a good point as it adds versatility but it needs to be balanced though with the grinding.

 

[Trivun]

I have it and I'm a massive Final Fantasy fan. And personally, for me, FF XII is the best I've played so far. I like turn based combat, but in FF XII the real time stuff was done brilliantly. The seamless transition between the environment and the actual fighting was great. I actually liked the characters. And I felt the story was pretty solid and good. So, yeah, I liked it. Feel free to lynch me for daring to have an opinion.

 

[oliveira8]

FF XII is meh. The story was very poor, the combat system was abit of hit and miss for alot of people(miss here), the music was blerg, alot of characters were just uninteresting and theres probably other stuff I can't remenber.

Still better than that train wreck that is FFVIII.