Great to see FFXII getting some love. This is a great analysis. I love the gambit system and wish it showed up in other FF titles. The espers, on the other hand, I found largely redundant.
Final Fantasy 7 rebirth actually implements the gambit system in one of the minigames it has. its more of a triple tower defense. but its there. i was surprised they brought it back a bit.
This is the last Final Fantasy game that I really enjoyed. Combat was fun, exploration is the best in the series, graphics were really good for the time, and while the story and characters were not spectacular, it wasn't bad per se. I 100% agree this is the last true FF game. From XIII, nothing really appealed to me the same way the old games in the series did. I kept trying, but after FFXVI, I think I'm done. I don't know what that game is, certainly not a main entry FF.
Agree. I played 16 and it was just ok. A one and done for me and really wasn't a true FF IMO. All other FF I have played multiple times,even 13. 16, no desire to revisit it.
you explained the story better then the game ever did. i played it like 6 times and never understood the story. queen lady wants revenge for dead hubby, and an adventure party gets put together to do it. thats all i got out of it.
How the fck does this channel not have a hundred thousand subscribers?? Its super informative, from a generalized perspective, and is mighty enjoyable to agree with many of the points and explanations.
Ok so for those complaining about Vaan and Penelope. They are NOT the center focus of the game's story, they are the witnesses. White Knight Chronicles also did this where your custom character is not the main protagonist, only difference is they were silent the whole time. Vaan and Penolope play the role of the player where they are literally strung along for the ride.
It was the right choice to include them, Vaan especially makes for the most compelling protagonist, but they were weak characters. Vaan has a clear and obvious motivation to stick with the party, and yet the writers chose to have him openly ignore it. When Vaan finally gets to confront Gabranth it falls flat on its face. Rex hasn't been mentioned for hours of playtime and Vaan is never given the setup to actively pursue Gabranth. Penelo's motivation is also similarly ignored, I think in total she has one line that acknowledges it? Vaan is all she has left, together they would have formed a strong commentary on vengeance, much better than what we got out of Ashe.
Just because you explain it doesn't suddenly make bad writing acceptable though, Tidus had the role of the player introduced to Spira too and was simultaneously integral to the story its not either/or.
@@WorthItNowGaming I've been complaining about that for years and years. In so many games, companions are actually a hindrance so I leave them at the base. Running into traps, ruining your stealth, getting in front of your sniper rifle, the gambit system is an easy solution for stupid AI.
This is way underrated. It's not even disliked like II and XIII, just overlooked and doesn't get much attention. It really is an awesome game and I love that you specify Zodiac Age because from what I understand of the original, Zodiac Age (which I have played) is far superior. And gil farming is a lot easier than in FFXIII. My biggest complaint about it is enemies becoming immune to damage for too long (mainly the Trickster and the Undying), which is pretty small compared to my complaints about other FF games, including my top two favorites and fourth (VII, VI, and XIII). I love the levels, soundtrack, characters (especially Balthier), story's pretty good, the whole Star Wars resemblance (including Rabanstre resembling Naboo), and unlike some games like IX and XIII, not terrible with areas becoming unrevisitable, all the coolest areas stay. Third favorite FF game, and 24th favorite game altogether.
A lot of people do not know the Gambit system was brought back recently in Final Fantasy 7 rebirth in one of the the minigames called Gears and Gambits. I was surprised by this and could tell this was a nod to 12. Meaning Square has not forgotten the system, just possibly looking for the right time to bring it back.
Square choosing to move further and further away from the gambit system instead of building on it has been the most disappointing aspect of the series. Being able to plan out exactly how your party would respond in battle was so cool, it felt like you were discussing tactics with them. Combined with the job system it really captures the "role playing" part of rpg.
I know it's a dumb take from me, but the prelude OST has been watered down in each Final Fantasy since 13. I can't play without my harp intro, it's just a different JRPG without that song.
Definitely underrated. I still think this was the best combat system. On release, I didn’t like that all the characters look the same, I didn’t like the summons or the overdrives. But combat, exploration and story pulled me through the game. The graphics still wow me. Taking away nostalgia bias, a recent playthrough of the early games revealed this game to be the best; at least to me. I do prefer to OG version, as the zodiac job classes limits combat potential. It was a lot easier to freely equip weapons in the original.
Solid 10/10 game. The best loot system ever, every area has enemies with amazing loot. Grounded and realistic characters. Great story about the war instead of focusing on lovebirds. Gambit System is the best system to control party members (FF7 Remake/Rebirth is sooooo shit, they literally do nothing).
im not buying remake ff7, i was hoping for a remaster not a remake, at least include creative materia combinations. Its basically a movie now, I can just watch it gg.
@@wiseguy240Winston i played the first one and it was underwhelming. Something about old materia was more magical and cool. Like a shiny object to a crow but also had magic in it, so had power to it like Fire irl or something. It was cool. Coolest part was prolly Jenova fight. But I didnt feel that pizzazz or whatever for the materia. It was more like a means, not something magical.
I liked the world, the battle system, the endgame, and even the sidequests. What I didn't like was the story. It was just painfully bad, to me. Gabranth was the only interesting antagonist. I don't even remember the name of the final boss. In all, I feel like the storylines kinda died with FF10. FF16 did good, but fell off around the middle as well, IMO.
FFXII was the last FF game I actually liked, but IMO, FFX was the last true FF game, last epic one, even -- the last one with Sakaguchi involved (producing, anyway), & the last one that evolved the turn-based battles a bit. I like XII, being connected to FF Tactics & all, but X is the last FF game I actually loved.
My first game ever was FF7, and played 8, 9, and 10 before this. I didn't like the storytelling, and really disliked the areas which seem grandiose, but empty at the same time. Endless hallways without nothing to interact with. Doesn't mean that any game in series had more, but with more space, it feels emptier. Also for me the Gambit system was lackluster. It's like basic programming for bots, but I don't think it goes deep enough and getting those gambits feels stupid, they should be open from the start. I think there could be something like "Expert" version on it so you could say "IF x happens DO y". it's almost that but heavily neutered, like what I mean is that in the game there's option "If someone blinds you, cure that blind" but it should be "if blinded, use hastega" for example so you could prepare for boss battles and their phases better. It was half of a good system. Also it was a big bummer that boxes give you some items on random, like the box for Ribbon, best item on game has 0,5% chance. Remember getting it, then dying before I survived back to save point, then never getting it again after hundreds of tries. Also some ultimate items can be known only if you read guides, like the ultimate spear you get early and break the game, if you DON'T touch 4 distinct boxes in the early game, and instinct is to open everything and there's no prompt or dialogue to say anything about those random boxes out in the nowhere. It doesn't feel rewarding, you won't get that on normal playthroughs.
I *really* need to pick up this version, as I recently did a complete playthrough of the original on my PS2 and forgot how fun it was, particularly customizing the characters' equipment to better fit their stats (my current team is Ashe as a "sword-and-board" frontliner with high strength and max magick, Fran with a bow and max speed, and Penelo with max magic and the "Rod of Faith" for boosted MP, raining down "thundaga" on foes). 😅 If only I had considered doing that *before* playing through the tougher side quests! Maybe it's just 'cause I'm older, but I've found the Gambit system to be significantly easier to use than before (even though I mainly use it defensively), although I *do* wish that elements on the License Board were grouped together better - i.e., all guns as one group, all ninja swords as one group, all white magic as one group, &c. I figure that would've made it easier to divide the cast into "classes" pre- _International Zodiac Job System/Zodiac Age._
This was the last solo player mainline ff that i enjoyed. 13 i beat but more out of obligation and 15 and 16 bored me so much i dropped them half way through
FFXV killed the franchise stone dead for me. Never even tried FFXVI or the FFVII remakes because FFXV disappointed me so much. You have my utmost admiration for lasting halfway through it. I've started it probably 5 times now. And get about 2 hours in and just go "nope.."
Apart from the somewhat irritating battle system which is entirely dependent on your ability to dodge hits like you are some kind of bunny, FFXVI is masterclass FF through and through. The characters, the story, the exploration are all right on the money. I was praying for a story like this after I finished FFVIII so long ago, but the stories just got more and more fairy tale like and less weird and “manga” like. FFXVI is a true return to form.
I get the appeal, but I prefer it where characters are specialized in more than just their limit breaks. It's cool both versions exist but everyone being everything just doesn't appeal to me.
You've earned yourself another subscriber! I played XII back in the day but couldn't get into it as I was too immature to understand the story and compute the Gambit system, but it's on my backlog now!
This game was hard to get into, but once past 6 hrs and the game and the world starts to open up , I realized this game is awesome. The most advanced game on the ps2 by far, towards the end of ps2 some awesome games came out
Im at the end of the game, enjoying the game overall. World is pretty big and i like being able to travel and explore. Need to brush up on the story though, hard to keep track bc i put the game down for days and play, I forget whats happening. Greay video ❤
No, absolutely not. FFIX was the last masterpiece, yes. FFX was the last good old style game. The last games that were good have been FFVII Remake and Rebirth, and FFXVI.
@@bort_hill 16 is a massive step in the right direction regarding quality. You may dislike the action style gameplay but its miles better than 13 or 15. Also 16 story is solid, it's been years since I could recommend an ff to a friend who isnt into the niche narrative and character aspects of jrpgs.
FFXII was one of my favorites for several years, and still top 3 in the series. I have started FF XI: ZA recently and there are some nice things I like about the change, but I wish it also could give me the old license board as well. I never saw the openness of the original board a problem. I know people were complaining "everyone is the same" at the time of release, but that's not true. The game was about weapons and what skills you used. The Gambit system allowed you to make your "class" basically for each character. ZA fixes some things, but I still prefer the original board and it makes a world of difference IMO. I still haven't unlocked a "second" job for each character yet, so I guess maybe then it will help, but it was so nice to see Gambits being your "class" mindset with the weapons, so anyone could be a white mage, black mage, etc.
Regarding the graphics, this game is the proof that art trumps graphics. It still looks amazing even all these years later. There are many games out there with technically better graphics, yet look far more dated or boring due to lacking or generic artistic direction.
Yeah ive been thinking on this for a bit now, its the last FF game i truly enjoyed and i always seem to come back to this game, i loved ff13 for different reasons, but ff12 i truly loved, just thinking on the Gambit system and the variations you can have, just getting lost and exploring every corner of the map, the summons were excellent, and the zodiac editions options just added more depth to its systems and as far as i remember its the only ff game with a new game plus options too, and i love its music and sound design, i tried so hard to like ff11 and 14 but i absolutely hated online ff, im 100% looking forward to picking up the new fantasian neo? I think thats what its called, im totally on board with the original ff7 designers on that game, ff to me was always at its best as a single player story but i do remember ff9 had an option as 2 players, but i never tested it, maybe it was modded ill have to look it up as i dont remember too well, thats going back a few decades, and i appreciated ff16 for trying something different but that devil may cry final fantasy i liked for diffrent reasons again, i absolutely loved intergrating doggo combat into my combo's, and clives voice performance was excellent, some of my favourite voice actors are in that game, but come what may ill forever be a final fantasy fan.... here's to ff17 and beyond
I think 9 was the last 'real' FF game (with 8 being rather questionable) but 12 is still a great RPG on its own merits, with unfortunate corporate meddling seemingly holding it back from being as coherent and impressive as Vagrant Story.
the last Final Fantasy and Best Option quest Best Open Zone Best Battle System Very Difficulty Zodiack Yaszmat Omega Unique Battle Play The Game For Thhings Not Like Thous Days Iplay ff15 The Whole Game Are Empty And Every FF Series After 12 Are Play For Nothing Before Die and This Made In 2006
I prefer the International Zodiac Age Version or the OG FF12. Zodiac Age made the game too easy with 2 Jobs and Autosave. Also you can now bring equipment from the trials to the main game breaking it even further.
Best final fantasy, loved the freedom. Sadly it was incomplete, or more like it never got the vision it had behind in it's conception since they changed directors mid game. Waste of potential.
10 was the last true Final Fantasy. 12 was an Ivalice game and was even less Final Fantasy than Tactics. Which is totally fine! And, it's a great game!
@@specialnewb9821 Yeah... It's a lot different, for sure. Hell, when 8 came out, I didn't play it, because after 7 already being quite a departure, I felt it was no longer true Final Fantasy anymore. Even 9 didn't convince me. But after I loved the hell out of 10, I went back and replayed 7, then finally played and loved the hell out of 8 and 9 too.
I've played every Final Fantasy except the online ones. This is by far at the bottom of the tier list. This is the only one I never completed. I picked it up again a few years ago for PS4 and still couldn't finish it. I feel like I stopped around the same place as I did the first playthrough, maybe even earlier.
FF series need to go back to its roots with multiple job/class and characters. I know squeenix won't make another turn base mechanic for the sake of modern audiences, so a combat mechanic like FF12 and a little bit tweak of gambit system-like is the safest bet to please this nowaday audiences. Or just make it Xenoblade-like, I believe casual audiences will still like it.
Great review, I just disagree about the graphics, when they released this game on ps2 this was the most impressive game at the time. Today with the Zodiac the game is still pretty, it's not realistic of course, but has a style that aged well.
As many others have said here, the last true Final Fantasy was FFX, although the rot had begun to set in even at that point. There was no world map in X, being replaced for the first time by the cursor map, and there was an obvious sacrifice of exploration to focus on graphics. FFXII is much further on in decline, having a wet storyline that sent you to sleep if you played for more than 45 minutes, and eye wateringly dull characters. Even the characters said to be interesting I find unattractive and dull. The battle system was fiddly and boring. Honestly, FFXVI was way better in every conceivable way.
I think it's a great game. But it is dated, and it does signify and end and a new beginning in the series. It has a weird tone. At the time, MMOs were all the rage, and Square/Enix knowing nothing of how 11 will turn out, figured maybe 12 will be the last game, since from there 11 will be their flagship mmo where FF will live on forever for the company. Of course, they didnt all in on this and held their cards down so to speak. But in the end, 12 seems to fill this weird role and this this weird task of inviting and easing in "non-mmo FF diehards", into mmo concepts such as macros and open world. The game was like an ad, promising full fleshed out story and a bright MMO filled future, for the post-Sakaguchi franchise. It's kind of short, even with 100% farming it out (maybe just feels that way after gacha and modern games.) The credits feature hundreds of names, implying a huge budget, the title being a monument of gaming achievement, rather than a mere game. This was pretty abnormal back then and no doubt it pushed boundries in that respect. It didnt directly answer any of the pressing questions for the fans, but it was highly played and #1 on all online searches for games for many many months after release, I recall. Solid, unmovable #1 search on GameFaqs during the site's prime. I dont really know what "hardcore FF" fans are, or what they think is a real FF or not, and I dont know what they think of this game. I think most of them figured out what nostalgia is and many accepted the direction of the newer games or simply quit. I think a lot of the old school preaching of what is the best SNES rpg is just "internet rust" that no longer applies to the modern world. None of those people of those old online posts, that let's say AI would find, or their views really matter any more. There is probably much more people today that know the name FF by their introduction to it through FF14, than there are some aging nerds that still long for the 90s. FF14 by this point is far and away the highest selling title for the franchise, and that is an MMO. They just didnt let it become the entire focus of the company like Blizzard did with WoW and continued to introduce supplemental FF products and remakes.
I still enjoy playing it because of the awesome Gambit system, but this might be the weakest and least memorable cast of characters in the franchise. Only Balthier feels fleshed out.
The leveling system he mentioned, there's a mod in the nexus mods page that allow exp share between all party members, if you guys are interested, so everyone levels up together and you don't have to do unnecessary grind.
I picked this game up like 3 times and dropped it every time after a few hours in. Its sadly very overrated/overpraised. Its very boring to play, it has no battle music (huge deal for an FF game) aside from boss fights. I do like the art and characters but its just too damn boring to play.
The beginning being clearly way too star wars inspired broke my suspension of disbelief. And the pacing differed with the new mechanics and I lost interest. I really enjoyed the programming allies function tho.
Loved the original game. Dislike heavily the Zodiac Age. The Job System is trash, and completely changes how the original played. Not to mention if you decide to change your job class(es), you have to buy EVERY (or at least nearly every) license over again. The only redeeming factor is the Trial Mode. Would love to be able to play the original again.
I think Final Fantasy IX is the last "TRUE" Final Fantasy. X onwards are different. For starters, X went Linear. I through IX are free roam. For XII, it's the battle system, ! through X is traditional turn base. XIII is too linear, XV and XVI went Action. To be honest though, for me all of them are "TRUE" Final Fantasy. I just don't get why we should label them true or fake.
This game should only be played as a remaster. The original took a thousand years. So many encounters, so much walking around, the battle system was so slow. Not to mention the story was the most confusing thing since final fantasy tactics. Didn't enjoy it at all the first time.
Very much so not a perfect game, but I’d say the last great FF for sure and the last time the series actually felt like an FF game. SE should have taken a look at what didn’t work in XII and fix it, rather than just attempt to reinvent the wheel every release to the point where this series doesn’t even have an identity anymore.
The only numbered (non-MMORPG) FF games I never cared to finish are 7, 12 and 15. So you could say 12 is in the bottom 3 on my list. If only they put some protagonists I actually cared about instead of Vaan and Penelo, and focused more on character drama over the boring political stuff...
It’s really so inferior to FFXVI it can’t be described. So boring compared to XVI. Honestly, if you love the stories in FF, how can you say XII is a better game?? The battle system of XVI can be a bit annoying, but at least it engages with you. I used to fall asleep going round dungeons in XII.
For me, If I have to choose, it's Final Fantasy IX. But let's face it, arguing about this is just silly. Every Final Fantasy is a true Final Fantasy imo.
To my mind, FFXII is a great 30 hour game, with another 20 hours tacked onto the end. It starts out strong, and places like Old Archades are great, but past a certain point it starts going downhill, and places like the Great Crystal are just a slog to get through.
I get WHY they did it... but I will say I don't love the change to the zodiac job system.... I know on release too many players couldn't resist optimizing the fun out of the game, as gamers we are wont to do... but now it's sad that the unique character builds I made in my first play of the game are locked off to me completely as the skills I had them use are now locked behind three separate boards. For example my dark knight Basch build has this problem. I had him using an axe and shield, so that's the foebreaker job board... he needs the souleater skill so that's knight... so far so good. But I also had him using the Dark family of spells... but that's locked behind red battle mage. This means one of the parts of the identity of the job I built for him has to go. Also I'd argue 12 is NOT turn based combat. It's rudimentary real time combat attempting to maintain turn based in the way that the ATB system in 7 remake is attempting to maintain it. 10 was the last turn based game
Overhyped. It id kibd of boring and it slightly leans into the strong female character that later fully embraces FFXIII saga. FFXV also eliminates the romance pretty much and that has been it for final fantasy. The last Final fantasy was the FFX saga. That one is perfect and I prefer it to FFVII.
15 had romance, it was just extremely done terribly, and 16 has a solid romance with Clive & Jill lol. 12 & 13 are the only 2 of recent without the main protagonist having romance. Lightning was also a female protagonist done right. Her BA female persona and cold personality is addressed in the game and she matures throughout the 1st and 3rd 13 game
12 is an above average-to-good RPG but a weak Final Fantasy. It's got the best battle system the series has ever had but suffers from a dry, C-tier story and a forgettable cast of characters. I enjoyed it for what it was but ultimately wont be coming back to it ever again. I (like many other FF fans) think that the series peaked with the PS1 trilogy.
The first 6 games are based on European themes and settings. 7 is based on America, and so is 8 & 13. 9 is European in setting as well, so what are u saying exactly? Lastly FF2 is easily the worst
There was nothing “true” about the battle system at all. I actually think FFXVI is much better than XII. It has much better pacing, storyline and the battle system is more exciting if equally not “true” to the franchise. XII was often like watching paint dry.
Gotta be honest my least favorite FF game mainly due to the AI battles. Literally did not hold my controlled during final boss and won. This felt like a bad visual novel with grinding instead of a video game due to that.
Final Fantasy XII stands as a masterpiece and, in my view, the last true Final Fantasy game. Its graphics were exceptional upon release and remain serviceable by today's standards, even surpassing some modern games. The game feels like an amalgamation of the series' best elements. Its story is straightforward, incorporating political themes typical of Final Fantasy games and serving as a spiritual successor to side games like Final Fantasy Tactics. The battle system is enjoyable, and I appreciate its design. Most importantly, it offered a complete narrative within a single game, eliminating the need for expansions. In contrast, Final Fantasy XIII disappointed me. Despite its impressive graphics, I quickly lost interest. The story was convoluted and difficult to follow full with mumbo jumbo and jargons like fal'cie, i'cie, pulse etc, the paradigm shift gameplay felt unintuitive, and the numerous sequels seemed unnecessary. I skipped Final Fantasy XI and XIV due to my disinterest in MMORPGs. When Final Fantasy XV was released, I was initially excited. The graphics were undeniably magnificent, the story was acceptable, and the characters were compelling-it seemed like a return to form. However, I soon realized Square Enix's true intention was to milk the franchise. Critical story elements were hidden behind paid DLC, while important narrative beats were relegated to side quests. The ending, which concluded with Noctis's death, felt strange. I later discovered that the "true" happy ending was confined to a cancelled DLC that ultimately became a novel, after the creator left Square. The game's storytelling became increasingly convoluted. Bizarre narrative inconsistencies emerged, such as King Regis apparently forgetting his previous encounter with Ardyn, and the revelation of Bahamut as a villain. The game's experience point system was particularly frustrating-levelling up was only possible at camp, and dying meant losing all accumulated experience points. While I understood the game's attempt to blend fantasy with a touch of realism, this mechanic felt punishing and unintuitive. Final Fantasy VII Remake was perhaps the most disappointing entry. Fans had long requested a graphical update to the classic game, but Square Enix responded by stretching the narrative across multiple games and consoles. The introduction of multiverse storylines felt unnecessary and alienating. The decision to not release Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on PS4 was particularly egregious, effectively abandoning players of the original Remake who played in PS 4. The only redeeming qualities were the impressive battle system and graphics. With limited time for gaming, I've skipped the PS5 and will likely not play Final Fantasy XVI.
Ranks pretty low on my list of final fantasies. The characters, their story, and even the gameplay were really lacking for me. Even the music was a disappointment, which is rare for FF.
Sorry ff12 is not underrated masterpiece, characters Vaan and Penelope are lame just waste of space and other characters so underdeveloped, story is soo simplistic and boring and stupid either potholes, side characters just do not play role in the story. The only saving grace of this game the exploration and combat, and voice acting. Square Enix is living off the glory of SquareSoft hard work.
I mean, they changed directors in the middle of the game. I love ff12, I loved the freedom it gave me, it was like playing a MMOrpg, I still have a save doing main quest with vaan lvl 1. From the new FF, ff12 it's my favourite (since I'm not old enough to have played the pixel ones). Story may be meh for some, but for me it was just, sadly, incomplete. It could have been so much more it's sad.
The only game where I was never bored grinding or farming materials and the job system was perfection
millions of people have beaten the game how is it under rated?
In the Zodiac Age version, cause the weapon systems in the original were weird as hell.
Great to see FFXII getting some love. This is a great analysis. I love the gambit system and wish it showed up in other FF titles. The espers, on the other hand, I found largely redundant.
The gambit system is excellent, I wish more games in general had it tbh.
Final Fantasy 7 rebirth actually implements the gambit system in one of the minigames it has. its more of a triple tower defense. but its there. i was surprised they brought it back a bit.
This is the last Final Fantasy game that I really enjoyed. Combat was fun, exploration is the best in the series, graphics were really good for the time, and while the story and characters were not spectacular, it wasn't bad per se.
I 100% agree this is the last true FF game. From XIII, nothing really appealed to me the same way the old games in the series did.
I kept trying, but after FFXVI, I think I'm done. I don't know what that game is, certainly not a main entry FF.
Yer, from XIII onwards it felt like a different franchise.
But wouldn't VII and VIII also feel like a different franchise under the same scrutiny?
Agree. I played 16 and it was just ok. A one and done for me and really wasn't a true FF IMO. All other FF I have played multiple times,even 13. 16, no desire to revisit it.
@@WorthItNowGaming It's crazy to me that people don't think otherwise.
I'm glad to hear that I don't have to buy anything beyond FF12 because I have yet to try those. Favorite is FF6.
you explained the story better then the game ever did. i played it like 6 times and never understood the story. queen lady wants revenge for dead hubby, and an adventure party gets put together to do it. thats all i got out of it.
How the fck does this channel not have a hundred thousand subscribers??
Its super informative, from a generalized perspective, and is mighty enjoyable to agree with many of the points and explanations.
Thanks for the support! 100k seems a long way off, but you never know.
Ok so for those complaining about Vaan and Penelope. They are NOT the center focus of the game's story, they are the witnesses. White Knight Chronicles also did this where your custom character is not the main protagonist, only difference is they were silent the whole time. Vaan and Penolope play the role of the player where they are literally strung along for the ride.
Anyone complaining about Vaan and Penelo have either not played the game and just repeatings things theyve heard, or they lack comprehension.
Meanwhile Balthier is fully convinced that he’s the main character
It was the right choice to include them, Vaan especially makes for the most compelling protagonist, but they were weak characters. Vaan has a clear and obvious motivation to stick with the party, and yet the writers chose to have him openly ignore it. When Vaan finally gets to confront Gabranth it falls flat on its face. Rex hasn't been mentioned for hours of playtime and Vaan is never given the setup to actively pursue Gabranth. Penelo's motivation is also similarly ignored, I think in total she has one line that acknowledges it? Vaan is all she has left, together they would have formed a strong commentary on vengeance, much better than what we got out of Ashe.
Just because you explain it doesn't suddenly make bad writing acceptable though, Tidus had the role of the player introduced to Spira too and was simultaneously integral to the story its not either/or.
I love the gambit system
I don’t understand why more devs haven’t adopted this over the years. It’s a very good game mechanic.
@@WorthItNowGaming I've been complaining about that for years and years. In so many games, companions are actually a hindrance so I leave them at the base. Running into traps, ruining your stealth, getting in front of your sniper rifle, the gambit system is an easy solution for stupid AI.
@ Absolutely, I am wondering if it's either patented, or a real pain to implement, maybe both, that's why other devs haven't used something similar.
This is way underrated. It's not even disliked like II and XIII, just overlooked and doesn't get much attention. It really is an awesome game and I love that you specify Zodiac Age because from what I understand of the original, Zodiac Age (which I have played) is far superior. And gil farming is a lot easier than in FFXIII. My biggest complaint about it is enemies becoming immune to damage for too long (mainly the Trickster and the Undying), which is pretty small compared to my complaints about other FF games, including my top two favorites and fourth (VII, VI, and XIII). I love the levels, soundtrack, characters (especially Balthier), story's pretty good, the whole Star Wars resemblance (including Rabanstre resembling Naboo), and unlike some games like IX and XIII, not terrible with areas becoming unrevisitable, all the coolest areas stay. Third favorite FF game, and 24th favorite game altogether.
A lot of people do not know the Gambit system was brought back recently in Final Fantasy 7 rebirth in one of the the minigames called Gears and Gambits. I was surprised by this and could tell this was a nod to 12. Meaning Square has not forgotten the system, just possibly looking for the right time to bring it back.
Square choosing to move further and further away from the gambit system instead of building on it has been the most disappointing aspect of the series. Being able to plan out exactly how your party would respond in battle was so cool, it felt like you were discussing tactics with them. Combined with the job system it really captures the "role playing" part of rpg.
What a coincidence. I just started playing this on Switch. Great game! Thanks for the vid
I know it's a dumb take from me, but the prelude OST has been watered down in each Final Fantasy since 13. I can't play without my harp intro, it's just a different JRPG without that song.
So you hate Final Fantasy 9? :(
I love FF12, I stand by my assessment of it as Fantasy Star Wars. Fran is my favorite character, just wish she had a bigger role.
I like FFXII but nowhere near as much as say FFX or FFVI. But Fran is actually my favourite character in the entire Final Fantasy series.
she has a great design
@@frankbrodie5168 I'm the opposite. I tolerate 10, but I love X-2. I Just hate the entire second half of FFVI.
What do you mean by "Fantasy Star Wars"? Star Wars IS Fantasy!
@@StoneyWoney No, it's science fiction
Definitely underrated. I still think this was the best combat system. On release, I didn’t like that all the characters look the same, I didn’t like the summons or the overdrives. But combat, exploration and story pulled me through the game. The graphics still wow me. Taking away nostalgia bias, a recent playthrough of the early games revealed this game to be the best; at least to me.
I do prefer to OG version, as the zodiac job classes limits combat potential. It was a lot easier to freely equip weapons in the original.
Basch Fon Rosenburg carried it for me.
Solid 10/10 game.
The best loot system ever, every area has enemies with amazing loot.
Grounded and realistic characters.
Great story about the war instead of focusing on lovebirds.
Gambit System is the best system to control party members (FF7 Remake/Rebirth is sooooo shit, they literally do nothing).
im not buying remake ff7, i was hoping for a remaster not a remake, at least include creative materia combinations. Its basically a movie now, I can just watch it gg.
@@mimszanadunstedt441clearly didn't play the game from the sound of it
@@wiseguy240Winston i played the first one and it was underwhelming. Something about old materia was more magical and cool. Like a shiny object to a crow but also had magic in it, so had power to it like Fire irl or something. It was cool. Coolest part was prolly Jenova fight. But I didnt feel that pizzazz or whatever for the materia. It was more like a means, not something magical.
I liked the world, the battle system, the endgame, and even the sidequests. What I didn't like was the story. It was just painfully bad, to me. Gabranth was the only interesting antagonist. I don't even remember the name of the final boss. In all, I feel like the storylines kinda died with FF10. FF16 did good, but fell off around the middle as well, IMO.
FFXII was the last FF game I actually liked, but IMO, FFX was the last true FF game, last epic one, even -- the last one with Sakaguchi involved (producing, anyway), & the last one that evolved the turn-based battles a bit.
I like XII, being connected to FF Tactics & all, but X is the last FF game I actually loved.
My first game ever was FF7, and played 8, 9, and 10 before this. I didn't like the storytelling, and really disliked the areas which seem grandiose, but empty at the same time. Endless hallways without nothing to interact with. Doesn't mean that any game in series had more, but with more space, it feels emptier.
Also for me the Gambit system was lackluster. It's like basic programming for bots, but I don't think it goes deep enough and getting those gambits feels stupid, they should be open from the start. I think there could be something like "Expert" version on it so you could say "IF x happens DO y". it's almost that but heavily neutered, like what I mean is that in the game there's option "If someone blinds you, cure that blind" but it should be "if blinded, use hastega" for example so you could prepare for boss battles and their phases better. It was half of a good system.
Also it was a big bummer that boxes give you some items on random, like the box for Ribbon, best item on game has 0,5% chance. Remember getting it, then dying before I survived back to save point, then never getting it again after hundreds of tries. Also some ultimate items can be known only if you read guides, like the ultimate spear you get early and break the game, if you DON'T touch 4 distinct boxes in the early game, and instinct is to open everything and there's no prompt or dialogue to say anything about those random boxes out in the nowhere. It doesn't feel rewarding, you won't get that on normal playthroughs.
I *really* need to pick up this version, as I recently did a complete playthrough of the original on my PS2 and forgot how fun it was, particularly customizing the characters' equipment to better fit their stats (my current team is Ashe as a "sword-and-board" frontliner with high strength and max magick, Fran with a bow and max speed, and Penelo with max magic and the "Rod of Faith" for boosted MP, raining down "thundaga" on foes). 😅 If only I had considered doing that *before* playing through the tougher side quests!
Maybe it's just 'cause I'm older, but I've found the Gambit system to be significantly easier to use than before (even though I mainly use it defensively), although I *do* wish that elements on the License Board were grouped together better - i.e., all guns as one group, all ninja swords as one group, all white magic as one group, &c. I figure that would've made it easier to divide the cast into "classes" pre- _International Zodiac Job System/Zodiac Age._
This was the last solo player mainline ff that i enjoyed. 13 i beat but more out of obligation and 15 and 16 bored me so much i dropped them half way through
FFXV killed the franchise stone dead for me. Never even tried FFXVI or the FFVII remakes because FFXV disappointed me so much. You have my utmost admiration for lasting halfway through it. I've started it probably 5 times now. And get about 2 hours in and just go "nope.."
Apart from the somewhat irritating battle system which is entirely dependent on your ability to dodge hits like you are some kind of bunny, FFXVI is masterclass FF through and through. The characters, the story, the exploration are all right on the money. I was praying for a story like this after I finished FFVIII so long ago, but the stories just got more and more fairy tale like and less weird and “manga” like. FFXVI is a true return to form.
The best combat system of the whole series. I hope someday SE launches an RPG with this system.
I hope so too!
Even When Boost Up Texture Still Great Because In First Place Made The Best
one of my favorite games. but i do prefer the original, where everyone has access to all the licences.
I get the appeal, but I prefer it where characters are specialized in more than just their limit breaks. It's cool both versions exist but everyone being everything just doesn't appeal to me.
You've earned yourself another subscriber! I played XII back in the day but couldn't get into it as I was too immature to understand the story and compute the Gambit system, but it's on my backlog now!
Thanks for the Sub, I hope you enjoy revisiting Ivalice!
12 was the last one I did immediate new playthroughs when I finished it, because it was so damn fun. FF4 through 12 was an amazing run of great games.
Incredible, this is one of my most hated games that I have finished and it gets 9/10
This game was hard to get into, but once past 6 hrs and the game and the world starts to open up , I realized this game is awesome. The most advanced game on the ps2 by far, towards the end of ps2 some awesome games came out
Yeah. You absolutely need the "Struggle For Freedom" mod (SFF) + AND MAKE SURE YOU CHOOSE the "Rebalanced 12 Jobs" option.
Wow, that looks like a pretty extensive mod, I will have to check that out.
th-cam.com/channels/HeJDi_Bc4ymcAMkUhMVOxw.html
00:00 Story
04:40 Graphics
06:07 Gameplay
13:05 Audio
14:20 Value
15:12 Overall
Underrated gameplay. It was fun and probably the best job/class system. Storywise it was meh.
I felt the same way about it. I throughly enjoyed the gameplay but the story just didn't hook me.
Im at the end of the game, enjoying the game overall. World is pretty big and i like being able to travel and explore. Need to brush up on the story though, hard to keep track bc i put the game down for days and play, I forget whats happening. Greay video ❤
FFXII was the last good FF, FFX was the last great FF, FFIX was the last masterpiece FF.
1000%
No, absolutely not. FFIX was the last masterpiece, yes. FFX was the last good old style game. The last games that were good have been FFVII Remake and Rebirth, and FFXVI.
FFXVI and FF IX are easily the worst of the series
@@herodotus6235 FFXVI😂
@@bort_hill 16 is a massive step in the right direction regarding quality. You may dislike the action style gameplay but its miles better than 13 or 15. Also 16 story is solid, it's been years since I could recommend an ff to a friend who isnt into the niche narrative and character aspects of jrpgs.
Fun fact, i play and finish this like 10th times, and always i miss to play it again
FFXII was one of my favorites for several years, and still top 3 in the series. I have started FF XI: ZA recently and there are some nice things I like about the change, but I wish it also could give me the old license board as well. I never saw the openness of the original board a problem. I know people were complaining "everyone is the same" at the time of release, but that's not true. The game was about weapons and what skills you used. The Gambit system allowed you to make your "class" basically for each character.
ZA fixes some things, but I still prefer the original board and it makes a world of difference IMO. I still haven't unlocked a "second" job for each character yet, so I guess maybe then it will help, but it was so nice to see Gambits being your "class" mindset with the weapons, so anyone could be a white mage, black mage, etc.
Regarding the graphics, this game is the proof that art trumps graphics. It still looks amazing even all these years later. There are many games out there with technically better graphics, yet look far more dated or boring due to lacking or generic artistic direction.
Not my cup of tea, i can understand if others loved it, but it wasnt for me
Great retrospective review!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Now I need to play it again. One of my favorite Final Fantasy games!
Yeah ive been thinking on this for a bit now, its the last FF game i truly enjoyed and i always seem to come back to this game, i loved ff13 for different reasons, but ff12 i truly loved, just thinking on the Gambit system and the variations you can have, just getting lost and exploring every corner of the map, the summons were excellent, and the zodiac editions options just added more depth to its systems and as far as i remember its the only ff game with a new game plus options too, and i love its music and sound design, i tried so hard to like ff11 and 14 but i absolutely hated online ff, im 100% looking forward to picking up the new fantasian neo? I think thats what its called, im totally on board with the original ff7 designers on that game, ff to me was always at its best as a single player story but i do remember ff9 had an option as 2 players, but i never tested it, maybe it was modded ill have to look it up as i dont remember too well, thats going back a few decades, and i appreciated ff16 for trying something different but that devil may cry final fantasy i liked for diffrent reasons again, i absolutely loved intergrating doggo combat into my combo's, and clives voice performance was excellent, some of my favourite voice actors are in that game, but come what may ill forever be a final fantasy fan.... here's to ff17 and beyond
One of my fave FFS. Miles better than 15 and 16.
I hated 13 when it came out. I was wrong. 13 is not only the last true FF, one of the best
FF12 is my 2 favorite FF game after FF7 but the original not that half assed remaster.
If we're going by narrative and style, the last true Final Fantasy is Final Fantasy IX.
I think 9 was the last 'real' FF game (with 8 being rather questionable) but 12 is still a great RPG on its own merits, with unfortunate corporate meddling seemingly holding it back from being as coherent and impressive as Vagrant Story.
10 was the last to feel like a FF game to me but I did still really enjoy 12.
I'm Captain Basch fon Ronsenburg of Dalmasca! Don't listen to Omdore's lies
the last Final Fantasy and Best Option quest Best Open Zone Best Battle System Very Difficulty Zodiack Yaszmat Omega Unique Battle Play The Game For Thhings Not Like Thous Days Iplay ff15 The Whole Game Are Empty And Every FF Series After 12 Are Play For Nothing Before Die and This Made In 2006
And Unique Art Style And Magic Effects
I prefer the International Zodiac Age Version or the OG FF12.
Zodiac Age made the game too easy with 2 Jobs and Autosave. Also you can now bring equipment from the trials to the main game breaking it even further.
Yer true, it did make it easier. Still an excellent game though.
@@Xeakerr definitely! I love the Job system.
@@Xeakerr this convo is making me want to replay this classic!
This game is meant to be played on the struggle for freedom mod
The identity died with VIII. IX tried to salvage it but then X came out.
Best final fantasy, loved the freedom. Sadly it was incomplete, or more like it never got the vision it had behind in it's conception since they changed directors mid game. Waste of potential.
10 was the last true Final Fantasy. 12 was an Ivalice game and was even less Final Fantasy than Tactics. Which is totally fine! And, it's a great game!
When X was released we debated whether it was a true Final Fantasy on message boards.
@@specialnewb9821 Yeah... It's a lot different, for sure. Hell, when 8 came out, I didn't play it, because after 7 already being quite a departure, I felt it was no longer true Final Fantasy anymore. Even 9 didn't convince me. But after I loved the hell out of 10, I went back and replayed 7, then finally played and loved the hell out of 8 and 9 too.
Single Player Final Fantasy went downhill from here.
I've played every Final Fantasy except the online ones. This is by far at the bottom of the tier list. This is the only one I never completed. I picked it up again a few years ago for PS4 and still couldn't finish it. I feel like I stopped around the same place as I did the first playthrough, maybe even earlier.
FF series need to go back to its roots with multiple job/class and characters.
I know squeenix won't make another turn base mechanic for the sake of modern audiences, so a combat mechanic like FF12 and a little bit tweak of gambit system-like is the safest bet to please this nowaday audiences.
Or just make it Xenoblade-like, I believe casual audiences will still like it.
Great review, I just disagree about the graphics, when they released this game on ps2 this was the most impressive game at the time. Today with the Zodiac the game is still pretty, it's not realistic of course, but has a style that aged well.
12 had brilliant gameplay..... but my god, the closer attention you pay to the story, the worse it gets.
i wont say masterpiece especially with the protagonis tbeing a figurant characters but this game certainly better than all the newer FF games
As many others have said here, the last true Final Fantasy was FFX, although the rot had begun to set in even at that point. There was no world map in X, being replaced for the first time by the cursor map, and there was an obvious sacrifice of exploration to focus on graphics.
FFXII is much further on in decline, having a wet storyline that sent you to sleep if you played for more than 45 minutes, and eye wateringly dull characters. Even the characters said to be interesting I find unattractive and dull. The battle system was fiddly and boring. Honestly, FFXVI was way better in every conceivable way.
It really feels like IX was the last real one. X and XII are weird middle grounds to the new style of games.
I think it's a great game. But it is dated, and it does signify and end and a new beginning in the series. It has a weird tone. At the time, MMOs were all the rage, and Square/Enix knowing nothing of how 11 will turn out, figured maybe 12 will be the last game, since from there 11 will be their flagship mmo where FF will live on forever for the company. Of course, they didnt all in on this and held their cards down so to speak. But in the end, 12 seems to fill this weird role and this this weird task of inviting and easing in "non-mmo FF diehards", into mmo concepts such as macros and open world.
The game was like an ad, promising full fleshed out story and a bright MMO filled future, for the post-Sakaguchi franchise. It's kind of short, even with 100% farming it out (maybe just feels that way after gacha and modern games.) The credits feature hundreds of names, implying a huge budget, the title being a monument of gaming achievement, rather than a mere game. This was pretty abnormal back then and no doubt it pushed boundries in that respect. It didnt directly answer any of the pressing questions for the fans, but it was highly played and #1 on all online searches for games for many many months after release, I recall. Solid, unmovable #1 search on GameFaqs during the site's prime.
I dont really know what "hardcore FF" fans are, or what they think is a real FF or not, and I dont know what they think of this game. I think most of them figured out what nostalgia is and many accepted the direction of the newer games or simply quit. I think a lot of the old school preaching of what is the best SNES rpg is just "internet rust" that no longer applies to the modern world. None of those people of those old online posts, that let's say AI would find, or their views really matter any more. There is probably much more people today that know the name FF by their introduction to it through FF14, than there are some aging nerds that still long for the 90s.
FF14 by this point is far and away the highest selling title for the franchise, and that is an MMO. They just didnt let it become the entire focus of the company like Blizzard did with WoW and continued to introduce supplemental FF products and remakes.
I still enjoy playing it because of the awesome Gambit system, but this might be the weakest and least memorable cast of characters in the franchise. Only Balthier feels fleshed out.
I think Ashe is pretty well displayed too... but poor Penello.... she's got zero development
Balthier is not a good character. His only personality trait is Han Solo.
The leveling system he mentioned, there's a mod in the nexus mods page that allow exp share between all party members, if you guys are interested, so everyone levels up together and you don't have to do unnecessary grind.
Nice. Thanks for sharing.
I picked this game up like 3 times and dropped it every time after a few hours in. Its sadly very overrated/overpraised. Its very boring to play, it has no battle music (huge deal for an FF game) aside from boss fights. I do like the art and characters but its just too damn boring to play.
The beginning being clearly way too star wars inspired broke my suspension of disbelief. And the pacing differed with the new mechanics and I lost interest. I really enjoyed the programming allies function tho.
Loved the original game. Dislike heavily the Zodiac Age. The Job System is trash, and completely changes how the original played. Not to mention if you decide to change your job class(es), you have to buy EVERY (or at least nearly every) license over again. The only redeeming factor is the Trial Mode. Would love to be able to play the original again.
I think Final Fantasy IX is the last "TRUE" Final Fantasy. X onwards are different. For starters, X went Linear. I through IX are free roam. For XII, it's the battle system, ! through X is traditional turn base. XIII is too linear, XV and XVI went Action.
To be honest though, for me all of them are "TRUE" Final Fantasy. I just don't get why we should label them true or fake.
Going MMO was one of the worst things Final Fantasy ever did.
Didnt like it at first, like, really didnt like it. It grew on me over time and is a top 5 FF game for me.
Played with Japanese Audio and... it is far better.
And why the footage on the videos looks like over saturate?
Don't believe Ondore's lies!
This is my favorite entry and so far none of the games after have been good. Ff13 sucked major balls, 15 was awful, 16 was a movie with shit gameplay
This game should only be played as a remaster. The original took a thousand years. So many encounters, so much walking around, the battle system was so slow. Not to mention the story was the most confusing thing since final fantasy tactics. Didn't enjoy it at all the first time.
I loved every Final Fantasy game. Put thousands of hours into each one Lmao.
Very much so not a perfect game, but I’d say the last great FF for sure and the last time the series actually felt like an FF game. SE should have taken a look at what didn’t work in XII and fix it, rather than just attempt to reinvent the wheel every release to the point where this series doesn’t even have an identity anymore.
We need this FFXII rebirth in PS5 Pro 😊
The only numbered (non-MMORPG) FF games I never cared to finish are 7, 12 and 15. So you could say 12 is in the bottom 3 on my list. If only they put some protagonists I actually cared about instead of Vaan and Penelo, and focused more on character drama over the boring political stuff...
ffx was the last true final fantasy imo
this game was far from being a masterpiece, but is the last good FF game in my opinion,
Agreed. The dry story and forgettable cast held it back.
It’s really so inferior to FFXVI it can’t be described. So boring compared to XVI. Honestly, if you love the stories in FF, how can you say XII is a better game?? The battle system of XVI can be a bit annoying, but at least it engages with you. I used to fall asleep going round dungeons in XII.
This the best FF. Just love there is not much lovey dovey romance stuff
Nah, the last TRUE Final Fantasy game was FF10
yeah, it still had Uematsu and Sakaguchi
For me, If I have to choose, it's Final Fantasy IX. But let's face it, arguing about this is just silly. Every Final Fantasy is a true Final Fantasy imo.
To my mind, FFXII is a great 30 hour game, with another 20 hours tacked onto the end. It starts out strong, and places like Old Archades are great, but past a certain point it starts going downhill, and places like the Great Crystal are just a slog to get through.
Of all Final Fantasy games between 12 and 13, 12 is easily the best. That said, I really didn't like it.
"I'M CAPTAIN BOSCH!" - shut the hell up, Van.
As a game it's pretty good. As a story... not so much.
final fantasy 12 is already too far from what i know final fantasy to be, i think final fantasy 10 is the last final fantasy like final fantasy
It's Fantasian now! This video aged poorly 🤣
still best auto battler FF
I get WHY they did it... but I will say I don't love the change to the zodiac job system....
I know on release too many players couldn't resist optimizing the fun out of the game, as gamers we are wont to do... but now it's sad that the unique character builds I made in my first play of the game are locked off to me completely as the skills I had them use are now locked behind three separate boards. For example my dark knight Basch build has this problem. I had him using an axe and shield, so that's the foebreaker job board... he needs the souleater skill so that's knight... so far so good. But I also had him using the Dark family of spells... but that's locked behind red battle mage. This means one of the parts of the identity of the job I built for him has to go.
Also I'd argue 12 is NOT turn based combat. It's rudimentary real time combat attempting to maintain turn based in the way that the ATB system in 7 remake is attempting to maintain it. 10 was the last turn based game
Overhyped. It id kibd of boring and it slightly leans into the strong female character that later fully embraces FFXIII saga.
FFXV also eliminates the romance pretty much and that has been it for final fantasy.
The last Final fantasy was the FFX saga. That one is perfect and I prefer it to FFVII.
15 had romance, it was just extremely done terribly, and 16 has a solid romance with Clive & Jill lol. 12 & 13 are the only 2 of recent without the main protagonist having romance. Lightning was also a female protagonist done right. Her BA female persona and cold personality is addressed in the game and she matures throughout the 1st and 3rd 13 game
@wiseguy240Winston The only thing solid in FFXVI is Jill face and the voice actor of the guy from the settlement.
My most fav FF
No way. It's X or 9
12 is an above average-to-good RPG but a weak Final Fantasy. It's got the best battle system the series has ever had but suffers from a dry, C-tier story and a forgettable cast of characters. I enjoyed it for what it was but ultimately wont be coming back to it ever again. I (like many other FF fans) think that the series peaked with the PS1 trilogy.
@ericrhodes5174 maybe but I dislike exactly Battle system
12,13 and 16
Are the worst. They share the same one aspect "westren European themes"
The first 6 games are based on European themes and settings. 7 is based on America, and so is 8 & 13. 9 is European in setting as well, so what are u saying exactly? Lastly FF2 is easily the worst
There was nothing “true” about the battle system at all. I actually think FFXVI is much better than XII. It has much better pacing, storyline and the battle system is more exciting if equally not “true” to the franchise. XII was often like watching paint dry.
Gotta be honest my least favorite FF game mainly due to the AI battles. Literally did not hold my controlled during final boss and won. This felt like a bad visual novel with grinding instead of a video game due to that.
Agree. And the story was just boring. Not the weird unsettling stuff you would expect from FF at all.
Final Fantasy XII stands as a masterpiece and, in my view, the last true Final Fantasy game. Its graphics were exceptional upon release and remain serviceable by today's standards, even surpassing some modern games. The game feels like an amalgamation of the series' best elements. Its story is straightforward, incorporating political themes typical of Final Fantasy games and serving as a spiritual successor to side games like Final Fantasy Tactics. The battle system is enjoyable, and I appreciate its design. Most importantly, it offered a complete narrative within a single game, eliminating the need for expansions.
In contrast, Final Fantasy XIII disappointed me. Despite its impressive graphics, I quickly lost interest. The story was convoluted and difficult to follow full with mumbo jumbo and jargons like fal'cie, i'cie, pulse etc, the paradigm shift gameplay felt unintuitive, and the numerous sequels seemed unnecessary. I skipped Final Fantasy XI and XIV due to my disinterest in MMORPGs.
When Final Fantasy XV was released, I was initially excited. The graphics were undeniably magnificent, the story was acceptable, and the characters were compelling-it seemed like a return to form. However, I soon realized Square Enix's true intention was to milk the franchise. Critical story elements were hidden behind paid DLC, while important narrative beats were relegated to side quests. The ending, which concluded with Noctis's death, felt strange. I later discovered that the "true" happy ending was confined to a cancelled DLC that ultimately became a novel, after the creator left Square.
The game's storytelling became increasingly convoluted. Bizarre narrative inconsistencies emerged, such as King Regis apparently forgetting his previous encounter with Ardyn, and the revelation of Bahamut as a villain. The game's experience point system was particularly frustrating-levelling up was only possible at camp, and dying meant losing all accumulated experience points. While I understood the game's attempt to blend fantasy with a touch of realism, this mechanic felt punishing and unintuitive.
Final Fantasy VII Remake was perhaps the most disappointing entry. Fans had long requested a graphical update to the classic game, but Square Enix responded by stretching the narrative across multiple games and consoles. The introduction of multiverse storylines felt unnecessary and alienating. The decision to not release Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on PS4 was particularly egregious, effectively abandoning players of the original Remake who played in PS 4. The only redeeming qualities were the impressive battle system and graphics.
With limited time for gaming, I've skipped the PS5 and will likely not play Final Fantasy XVI.
Was quite non plussed in 2007. Played again a few years ago and found it slightly better.
Nothing I disliked but nothing really stuck with me.
The only good thing about it is the zodiac editions fast forward option, so the awful combats are over quicker.
Ranks pretty low on my list of final fantasies. The characters, their story, and even the gameplay were really lacking for me. Even the music was a disappointment, which is rare for FF.
Sorry ff12 is not underrated masterpiece, characters Vaan and Penelope are lame just waste of space and other characters so underdeveloped, story is soo simplistic and boring and stupid either potholes, side characters just do not play role in the story. The only saving grace of this game the exploration and combat, and voice acting. Square Enix is living off the glory of SquareSoft hard work.
Your not sorry
I mean, they changed directors in the middle of the game. I love ff12, I loved the freedom it gave me, it was like playing a MMOrpg, I still have a save doing main quest with vaan lvl 1. From the new FF, ff12 it's my favourite (since I'm not old enough to have played the pixel ones). Story may be meh for some, but for me it was just, sadly, incomplete. It could have been so much more it's sad.
My guy, Vaan is one of the few FF MCs that got with his girl, Penelo, and has a happy life in the end (NDS sequel).
Can’t argue when it comes to those potholes man, I hate driving thru em.
@andrewscalf lol good one