Final Fantasy XII: The Beauty of Final Fantasy's Underappreciated Masterpiece
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ค. 2022
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We explore the struggles and hardships that surrounded the development of Final Fantasy XII and the circumstances around it's less than stellar reputation at release. From consideration as one of the weaker titles in the franchise to a meteoric redemption that has seen it praised as one of the best. Final Fantast XII is a complex, messy and beautiful masterpiece.
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#FinalFantasy #FFXII #FF12 - เกม
This game blew my mind when i first got it back in 2006. I had the demo of it from dragon quest viii and played it often. I'm playing the original again on my ps2 in 2024 and it still holds up to this day. Amazing rpg in every way
I'm so glad that this game is getting praised lately, it's has been misunderstood and underrated for quite a while, this game is a Masterpiece it's should have been the one of top tier best FF games
Just began this game this morning! Can’t wait to see what it’s all about. Love FF but got out of it after 13. 15 rejuvenated my interest in the series so I’m playing the ones I missed or didn’t give a chance to . brilliant
@@Sammsy1126 well, I’m telling you the first few hours will be pretty fun, exploring the world around and not knowing what to expect and then when you get the whole party to play with.. it’s fun to play with each character and have the desire to keep levelling up and getting stronger and equip new weapons and armors and the hunt quests are awesome and challenging and yet completely optional
@@Sammsy1126The optional content is really worth it
Famitsu was ahead of its time, they already realized it was a masterpiece right away. First and only final fantasy to receive 40/40 until the release of XIII-2
FFXII is my comfort game. I was also 14 when it released and my little brother bought it because we were both such huge fans of the franchise. He couldn't get into it, and stopped playing within a couple of weeks. He gave it to me and, even with the obvious flaws, I loved it. I've since replayed it countless times, and it's the only one of the series that I own on every major console. This has been such a validating video after years of defending it from naysayers, so thank you for that. :)
It took some time for me to appreciate XII but the more time I spend with it the more favourably I view it and the higher up my list it goes. Honestly think it slots just behind X for my favorite of all time, and I could easily see a world where if I started with XII it would be #1 vs X
Dude! Great comment. People like you got me wondering about this game. When it released I was much younger and the free camera really took me out of it for some reason. Played for a week and Never touched it again. Now in 2023 I am doing a proper play through and only just started this morning. A bit dated, but man this is such a blast from the past with the mechanics!! I feel like it paved the way for future installments
I loved ff 12 as a kid.
Awesome gameplay, beautiful world, epic voice acting.
BUT
The story is super cliche, the character development is non existent and so could never compete with ff 10.
Of course it's filled with typical Japanese sexism.
Look at what Princess Ashe is wearing. Is it a mini skirt? NO
It's literally to small pieces of cloth barely held together by a belt on top.
Utterly revolting what these freaks do to their female characters.
I told my mom I wanted FF7 for Christmas when I was younger and she ended up buying me FF12. I was so bummed out that it wasn't the game, so I just popped it in and tried to play it. I fell in love with it, I also have it on every one of my consoles.
Facts should make a mod for it.
I can say this - in most Final Fantasy games it feels like game's world is created to support the main story.
But only in XI, XII and XIV (of which two are MMOs) it feels that world had existed before and story happens IN the world.
FFXII is a very special RPG in my heart, with all of its shortcomings it has most fascinating setting where I believe I could have lived if I was a normal citizen of this world.
I love gameplay of XII as well. It's a really good looking and fun game in my opinion.
It has probably strangest case of soundtrack that I can't name a single song, but I know that "Yes, this song IS from Final Fantasy XII", unlike FFXIV where OST is great but let's be clear, "Fiend" doesn't sound like it's from Final Fantasy at all and "Scream" reminds me more of Persona 3 rather than Final Fantasy while "Dedicated to Moonlight" or "Return to Oblivion" would fit Eurovision rather than end of the raid. For those who don't know - those are fantastic songs and I love them, XIV has beautiful soundtrack and many songs are memorable and in many cases lyrics tell part of the story along with visuals. However, where XII lacks on distinctive sound for each of its song, it makes up on consistency of the style, and you can say quickly that each song fits XII amazingly.
The composer is called Hitoshi Sakimoto. He also composed the soundtrack for the other Ivalice Alliance games: Vagrant Story and FF tactics. All three are set in the same universe.
Totally agree. I'm a The Legend of Dragoon fan, more than a Final Fantasy fan, and FF12 ended up being my absolute favorite among the Final Fantasy games i've played. Even above FF7 or 9
The songs sets the atmosphere without stealing attention
I love that Vaan isn’t some special guy, he’s literally just a guy that’s going along for the ride
I'm actually replaying it right now
I have started it again today! After trying twice on ps but couldn’t get into it! How did it go for u
This was my entry point into he franchise in the PS2 era and it was perfect
Agreed! So perfect in fact that when i played the other FF games none of them quite reached FF12 in my eyes. FF12 was still the best to me.
for me no other installment can match the world building of final fantasy xii, the game mechanic was perfect, open world, the stories is heavy, it has diverse culture, many new installment isnt as good as ffxii even new one like fvii remake and xvi. FFXII was the best game that carried final fantasy atmosphere.
When XII came out, i was already a huge FF fan since the SNES days, i was 25 years old and i despised the game for i saw the story boring and how different it was from the classics i adored. Then recently, a few years ago i picked up the Zodiac Age and gave the game a second change and holy cow, the story, characters, world, tone, music and gameplay is absolutely awesome, i as an adult now with a different mindset see how the game really was and is a masterpiece, and it instantly became one of my favs.
Back when we still young and didn't understand anything. When we're adults everything starts to make sense.
So different than me, i never liked old school FF games, they were too cheesy
for me, this one was just right. From gameplay and story perspective to world and music. I played FFX remaster in 2018. and it was so boring for me.
It’s my favourite FF!! I’ve played it on the BBC PS2 2X, on the PS4 1x and playing it on the switch for the 3rd time now 🙈. Every time is different and I’m still discovering new secrets.
I'm only now as an adult realizing how much the world design was clearly influenced by Star Wars because I never saw those movies as a kid
And the music sounds like John Williams (Star Wars composer).
the gambit system alone makes this the best FF ever. Period.
Exactly!
Gambits are awesome, but its Music and Job System for me. #1
But but.. I never get past "cure on low health ally > attack closest enemy" Before my brain shuts down. I think i'd need a coach, to sit along side me and guide me through learning it, explain why certain choices are made, stuff like that. Looking it up I usually make it 20% of the way at most through the story and hit the point I put the game away.. for years lol. Tried to play it like 4 times now.
@@udalix Maybe look for gambit setups for different party members. And you can copy those and you star getting the hang of it.
@@udalix Gambits do require you to know your abilities and visualize situations. What would you do first in X scenario? Then you order them so they're prioritized in the most efficient way. _That being said,_ keep in mind this game has Wait Mode where the action freezes while in menus. It can be played by directly controlling the actions of every character-even to the point of never using Gambits at all, or limiting them to a simple setup and taking manual control for important or context-sensitive actions. I always thought the Gambit system was an awesome premise, but personally I played in Wait Mode and did every single action manually for my party because that's the experience I wanted.
Not just the best ff title but my most favourite game of all time. So much great memories playing it on PS2 back in the day. Uncovering all secrets,all hunts and beating yiazmat is still the best gaming experience i ever had. Game was WAY ahead of its time
You really nailed something I appreciate about Vaan that I’ve never really been able to articulate. He’s not a super memorable character (and possibly a bit of a prick), but his curious personality, zest for adventure, and lack of worldly experience really play well with thr player’s experience of the map. I think that position he’s in gives you an element of innocence when it comes to exploring; depending on the type of player you are, in some games the main character’s narrative/demeanor might induce a sense of urgency to push on in the main quest. With Vaan wandering around cities you don’t feel that as much, if at all. Like, if Basch was the main character like he was originally supposed to be, do you think he’d be the type of person to chat up random socialites to collect social currency in Archades (not my favorite required side quest, but you get my point)?
Out of the 13 FF's I have maxed out (platinummed or whatever), this is probably my all time favorite single player FF. I often dream of a new FF expanding and polishing this amazing game, world and gameplay. This game actually first released on PS2 is absolutely nuts.
For gameplay theres a few things I would loooove to see:
- Gambits profiles swapable on the fly (gambt set A, B, C)
- Steal would actually be bypassed when item is stolen
- Gambits menu available by touch of a button (not have to go through menu)
- Same as above for equipment menu
- If a 2/4x modifier, include it for CS, espers etc too
- A new game+ which actaully carries over items/gear etc
...to name a few. Still. Best game ever.
This is an absolutely fantastic retrospective. You should have more subscribers for sure. FFXII was an incredible game. To think the devs managed to squeeze everything on to a PS2 disc is mindblowing. I was absolutely enthralled with the world and production values. The OST and the script was so high level it felt like a novel written by a celebrated author. To follow up after X - a game which I never thought could be bested - with XII which stood side by side with it in terms of quality, originality and scope is testament to the greatness of the game. The last great FF title for me. All others since have felt vacant in comparison.
It couldn't have been explained any better ,this is the game that always came back to my mind after palying it, because is like a real life experience that was being witnessed , the details , emotions, characters, the graphics ,this combination nailed it down, now we dont know if we'll ever see some other game like this one🎉
People never acknowledge the writer for FFXII died prematurely - so the story was never complete.
I FELT every ward I heard. What a beautiful experience this game was. And from a 7 years old child prospective (at the time, 2006, I already loved it) Vaan was simply... Me, exploring a beautiful world, with some SPECTACULAR OST that I still return listening (Seeking Power, To the Place of the Gods, Realm of Memories, The Forgotten Capital).
I remember hearing about "Cid" being an antagonist and had perceived this game without finishing as crap when it first came out. I finished the game today and I have a much greater appreciation for it. Its an amazing political thriller, accepting loss, and addictive gameplay.
Man I loved this game very much! I got the original on release the day I moved to my first house. I was going through a rough break up, and this game took me away from that. I got the Tournesol, which to me was a big achievement. I also beat Yiazmat, it took me forever. Great video.
Amazing video, I just started this game after playing FFX as my first Final Fantasy game
Ff12 was my first ff game as a kid and i loved it the world and the music were my favorite parts of the game
I absolutely loved this game - it’s one of my favorites. I loved the battle system.
I think a big thing about this time period too was oblivion and western rpgs starting to get big then by Skyrim it wasn’t the biggest rpg.
Really enjoyed your video and perspective! Also your audio is fantastic. Far too many “professional” TH-camrs have inexcusable amateur audio recording and as an engineer it’s incredibly frustrating to sit through!! Yours on the other hand is top notch and I applaud you sir.
As a 14 year old I thought the game was a tad boring I didn’t care about the side characters and stories I played the remaster and holy was I fuckin wrong and this game to this day is my fav ff game of all tome
One of my favourite games. I'm not a FF fan or the like. I'm always surprised when I hear FF fans saying it's not good. Like, at the very least you might think it's not good, but to say it's bad is such an injustice to the game.
Hehe, it WAS my first FF, and it has a special place in my heart, so it is funny to hear it should not be an intro to FF, since I haven't found anything that compares in terms if battlesystem, it is a head of its time
I think that Vaan feels much better in the story when looked at as a side character.
Initially playing as him also let’s you experience life in Rabanastre in a way that would not work with any of the other characters. It gives space for connecting and exploring the world in a grounded way, which couldn’t be done as a sky pirate, ‘traitor’ knight, or Princess.
Vaan also represents the player cause they are also interested and re going along with the story and the world like Vaan and player are relatable and they experiencing these events for the first time
Who do you think would be a good fit for the main if not Vaan? He always looked like a little gay boy but now I appreciate the look as I’m a gay boy as well
@@Sammsy1126 Wtf? No.. he doesn’t look like gay boy just because he is shirtless blonde dude, also.. You’re gay??! lol
@@Omega-jg4oq who’s asking eh?
@Sammsy1126 the game tells you a fair few times that Balthier is the main character. He even says it while looking into the camera 😉
Being completely honest, XII’s charms took a while to grow on me. Of course I loved the world and graphics, and the exploration felt almost Xenoblade-ish, but everything else irked me at first. I didn’t hate Vaan, but I just kept waiting for him to be a compelling or interesting character and he only had maybe three moments of substance. Sure Tidus was similar in his ignorance about the world, but that was intentional and gave both him and the rest of the party good development by gaining new perspectives. The License system was frustrating through and through. Not because of the jobs, but because having to unlock the ability to use your equipment is a really stupid idea. Before I truly got the hang of gambits, the combat felt finicky and micro-managing at best, and uninvolved mindless auto-battling at worst. Even the music didn’t immediately grab me the way IV, VII, and X did.
For all my irritations, I should not have loved this game. And yet I did. And yet I do. By far, it is the most overlooked Final Fantasy game, but also one of the most underrated.
FFXII is my favorite Final fantasy game. My favorite back when it released when I was young and in HS, and still my favorite as an adult. I still have my original PS2/memory card with my fave file. I also have the remastered version on my PS5
Me too. Thats only physical game copy i left after selling PS4 with games.
FFXII is my favorite game in the series for its world-building, music, and art design (including characters as well as environments), and tied up with the beautiful ribbon that is the *incredible* translation and localization. The plot is AAAALMOST there before getting a bit lost in the second half, BUT I would still argue that it has one of the best FF plots for feeling so much more "grounded" (while remembering it's still high, high fantasy).
It's science fantasy, but the plot is much more grounded in realism than the other games which is why it's the only one I take seriously.
Thanks for the video! It's so good to hear people acknowledging this game, because it was misjudged for so many years, imo. I remember being really excited about it back in the PS2 days, and though I liked it, FFX was so fresh in my mind, that I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I could. But playing in the switch again, I started to appreciate so much more, specially now that I'm an adult: feels less anime, more real and as you said, even Vaan being the protagonist and not really connected to the whole story it feels fresh, like the story is not about him, it has been going on before. I think the game is more mature than most of the other FF, which is not a criticism to the others, causa I like them too, but it's nice to see a change of direction and that makes it so special to me ❤️
i played the original, and i honestly kinda preferred the license system to that over Zodiac's job system, but i know that makes me an outlier. main reason was because of the buffs. before a battle, i'd spend time getting everybody fully buffed as would be done in a typical MMO. with the old job system, everybody had access to the same spells, which would make every instance of the same buff on relatively the same timer. more menu hopping, but faster in-game results
on Zodiac, now that everyone is limited to their jobs, it feels like it'd take more time cuz now i'd have to wait on 1 party member to apply every applicable buff one after the other. after looking up the spells and finding they're practically the same, it would've been better if some spells (like Bubble) got an upgrade to affect the whole party, cutting down on wasted time
This game contends up there with 7 and 8 for me. So freaking hard!!!!
It's my all time favorite game. I was about 28 when I first played it and was newlywed. I remember staying awake night after night fascinated by its story. I replayed it a couple of times, each of these completing more sidequests. The only reason I watched this video is because I miss playing it again.
Could anyone walk me through how to play it on android? Thank you in advance and thanks to the channel for the videk.
I have a weird POV of the FF franchise because FFXII was my first ever FF game when I was kid who discovered their older brother's abandoned copy of the game for PS2. I adored this game even if I wasn't playing it with a full understanding of what was going on or the combat systems. Never actually finished but definitely spent countless hours playing.I hope to revisit it through the Zodiac Age version soon!
Thank you for the awesome video. Glad to know I'm not the only one who appreciates it.
Damn that game was difficult. I remember being stuck in that mine level for days fighting these electric spiders
I love FFXII! It was my first FF and it remains my favorite (I rented in 06 or 08 after years and years of avoiding FF on purpose lol, game was calling out to me lol), while I have the original and TZA I do wish we could've seen Rozzaria, so I hope at some point we get a sequel focused on that (revanant wings doesn't count.)
I love this video, yes ff12 was really a victim of the constant troubles SE kept facing suring development, it played a huge role shaping this game, to a point where you can't review this game without first giving context on what happined before release, otherwise you wouldn't be just in your review, tho even with all the things that happened, after 17 years since i first played it, i stil think that it's the most artistic game I've ever played, i used to think that no game was as artistic as vagrant story, until ff12 came out, but to this day nothing toppedvff12, especially with the release of the zodiac age which only reiforced it for me.
The zodiac age was a dream come true to me. Yeah thats probsjust me because i got somethifor that art style. But damn. It's just so beautiful.
Personally I played FFXII on release day.. I was 10 back then and the best friend of my father was and still is to this game a huge gamer himself and a fan of Final Fantasy as a whole, so he got it for himself and me [which was super lovely of him]
And I remember that.. I was just blown away by it, to be honest I had never played a Final Fantasy game before this one.. [pretty much all of them later tho] and it felt.. so pure, in it's delivery.. the writing, the voice acting.. so believable as if I was to truly step into another world..
Yes Vaan is a terrible protagonist -but- an amazing stand-in for the player as a side-character.. caught up in something bigger and along for the ride!
And I loved that... visiting these places for the first time and what seemed to be a genuine reaction from Vaan and Penelo to all of them, similar if not exactly the same how I reacted behind the screen.
It took me approximately 200hours [not counting the times I died and got reset to the saving gem] to fully finish the game.. and to this very day, Yiasmat.. Omega MKXII and that god damn fishing mini-game stick with me.. earning the Wyrmhero sword was just an insane feeling.. I knew back then that I will never use it as getting it meant that I pretty much did all there was to do in the game.. but it was a sign of accomplishment and one I hold dear!
Then again the version I played had the license board where every character had the same with no direct job system but honestly.. I did not care.. i did not know jobs existed and having that level of freedom.. that level of choice of what and how to do it. got I am getting goosebumps
@Lord High Summoner
Thank you, for making such a wonderful video about my personal favourite game of all times.. yes it isn't perfect.. far from it actually, but I do not care.. it holds a special place in my heart
Hey yea. Iv'e heard alot of people say that Vaan is a useless character, could just not even be there, plot remains the same ect... The idea that hes just a standin for the player, to react to the cast and be "along for the ride" is actually a pretty cool take.
I loved this game when it first came out. As a developer at the time, I found the gambit system to be very interesting. A lot of people felt like the game was too automated but what they forget to mention is that the automation was completely at the control of the player. I thought it was a great evolution of the ATB system where I can pre-define the actions of each party member which I would normally do in the original ATB system. The game design also ensured that the player would require to adjust the gambit system depending on which area they were exploring. There was a sense of accomplishment when you saw your party performing optimally. Definitely one of my favorite Final Fantasy games.
I love FF12. Recently started replaying. I'll be doing 100% this time. All hunts, rare game, bestiary, inventory, superbosses, etc
Great video 🔥
Thanks for this!
Fantastic video :)
This was my first Final fantasy game and JRPG, and I absolutely loved it. I wonder if not having played the earlier games or any other in the genre, basically not giving me anything to expect out of the game helped my experience. The version I played was even the OG PS2 one. If I had a lot of free time to experience something I will definitely go back and play this fully.
The MC of this game is basically a tag along character and I actually like it.
Princess ashe doujins got me through some dark times
new sub! loved this video
FF12 was a game ahead of its time
FF12 is my favorite game period.
Great video!
FFXII has top tier art direction and voice acting plus my absolute favorite rpg combat system! I love iterating on ides of how to program Gambits as your party progresses and gains new abilities. I’ll die happy if we ever get another FF that reintroduces the a Gambit system.
I wish they would make a sequel to 12
Loved your video, you deserve more subscribers :)
I LOVE this game. Easily top 5 favorite of all time. Great memories system world everything
The more time I spend with XII the more I love it and the more nostalgic I get for it. X will always be special to me by damn if XII isn't right behind it these days
Uff... Thank you, thank you very much sir, time to replay for the 4th time 🙄
12 is the best FF game, prove me wrong
X2 was my first ever ff game, and it got me into the series. I remember i bought ff12, but accidentally returned the disc to Blockbuster instead of a movie I'd rented
if there's no overdose action with bloods and killing, almost everything is underrated or underappreciated on US.
I like FF12 more than any of the others I have played as far as combat systems go.
This game is what made me love RPG. Play this with my sister, she's picking a random PS2 game for us to play and voila, a Masterpiece game we have ever played. Kinda miss those moments.
My personal top 3 FF's
1 FF VII
2 FF I (Personal nostalgia)
3 FF XII :)
Thanks for the vid:)
12 has an amazing storyline
I never got to play ff12 as a kid since my family went broke around when ps2 came out. Finally got as an adult for zodiac age on steam and love almost everything about it. My big criticism is the loot and low-spawn chests for ultimate weapons and armor. I'm not even counting the invisible ones, i just opted out of those cause i don't want to break the game. But those on the actual license board that are obviously meant to be the ultimate weapons and armor really bother me how you first have to know where they spawn or what monster has the super low rate materials to make it (making guides basically necessary), but it kills a lot of the fun of the bulk of hours spent in late game.
I think it would have been nice if the zodiac escutcheon was a reward for beating the hell wyrm, that would make sense: engage in a long and challenging battle, use strategy, tweak gambits, find the monster's weaknesses and protect from its strenghths and be rewarded with the best shield... makes sense. Instead i spent like half an hour beating the hell wyrm, felt accomplished at the end of the battle even though i only got a bit of gil from cat ear hoods on my reserve party, then decided to try to get the shield... the next couple of hours have been incessant anticlimactic entering and exiting a room to be frustrated to find nothing there. Needless to say the satisfaction of having beat hell wyrm is long faded and i'm just frustrated at an "ancient door" now, lol...
I really don't want to resort to rng manipulation but it's making it hard not to consider it. At this point i feel like the game turned into a gacha and the more frustrated i get the more i want to keep trying since i've already lost long hours of my day going in and out of a door :(. I'd much rather have to do a big challenge and having had spent those hours fighting an even harder monster or something...
Aaaalll that aside, everything else about the game is great and i love it very much, which makes this so much more frustrating haha.
That Fran intro
~My favorite game of all time.
This game is excellent, and I think it paved the way for games like xenoblade chronicles that are ironically more "final fantasy" than final fantasy is this days, as they went with a lame "hold button down" combat system in XV and devil may cry in XVI. After the mess of Final Fantasy XIII (alright games, but definitely a low point for this franchise), FFXII looks a lot better in hindsight. It's probably the last FF games I truly loved.
These days, they are not events for me anymore. I don't even care about Final Fantasy and I just haven't got a PS5 to keep playing them. That's how much this series doesn't impress me anymore. Xenoblade Chronicles has basically taken over as the front-runner for this type of JRPG.
Great video man. I'll go to my grave saying the gambits make this game top 3 FF of all time
Missing Gambit:
IF [enemy has item] THEN Steal.
I loved JRPG's as a kid, and over time progressed to things like Elder Scrolls because they seem to create richer experiences. But THIS game. Sublime in it the depth of its gambit system. A complex clever and endlessley satifying system - even when you are just watching your guys rip through a new area. Where you can still intervene if you want to. But also It's art and lore inspired by the ancient Near East , Buddhist and Hidnhu scripture. It's a ten for me just for the incredible design of the creatures and Espers. So original! And don't get me started on the amount of different spells and items compared to other entries. And then you have the voice performances of characters like engimatic Fran and Baltheszar.
Lastly, it's massive world wih so many secre,ts and optional dungeons and hunts, and bloody seasons! It blows my mind. Especially for the PS 1 era.
It's easily a contender for my best game of all time.
For me this game was and still is masterpiece! Why? Well, i like political story, geopolitical drama, praetorian guards (Judges), Gambit system, world of Ivalice... everything about this game is superb and much better than any of the FF games before and after!
I have over 60 platinum trophies and XII Zodiac Age is still my favorite one. Just a true RPG with a lovely world. Optional Espers were epic,gambit system is awesome... Best FF!
As a kid, I tried to play this game several times and always ended up dropping along the way as I got bored or preoccupied by other new games during those times. I got bored before because I am used to playing jrpgs where the main story revolves around the protagonist, and I didn't feel it with Vaan, like he is not too cool for me or uninteresting. Not only Vaan, but the entire story for me before is uninteresting as there is too much political aspect in the game.
But now, as I grow older and became matured and wiser compared to my childhood, I decided I am ready to pick it up once again. And voila, I am having a blast with its gameplay and also with its story as I can now fully appreciate everything it has to offer. It really is just a matter of perspective I guess.
I loved FFXII and it's one of my favorite FF games although I play FFXIV which is really good.
I was 18 when it was released. Ive played all the previous FF games so when 12 came out I was struggling to like it. It felt different. Almost quit and sell the dvd but I gave it a chance. How I was almost regretted my decisions. It became my fav ff of all time. Even beat 13 and 14 imho. Everything about the game is great. I love the combat and the city designs. Even the npc has great dialogs. Also the devs just know where and what to place the npc to make me go and talk to them.
FFXII feels like Square's version of Grandia, but with a serious tone.
One of the most under rated games ive wcer played and i played that game to death amazing video :)
This is the game that really want to play but don't have back in the day of ps2. Growing up playing ff 3 or 6 whatever the version you have 4 5 7,8,9,X. my friends says 12 its not good it has flaws its not like this or not like that. I don't care. As long as you enjoy the game, you love the game. Hey its a good game in my book! And i finally got my copy literally yesterday and youtube knew your video just pop out in my feed. Great video keep it up!!
I didn't complete 12 when it 1st came out (I cannot remember why), I even purchased the metal case for it, too.
But now I play 12 International Zodiac Job System (translated) on PS2 emulator
On the side note..... I had to start over after attaining Mateus (Espir) because certain jobs I assigned to the characters, I later to find out the Zodiac Age was the only release to have double jobs (after attaining Belias).
Sucks that I had to start over, but I'm able to cleanly do hunts & side quests in a timely manner.
FFXII is still my favourite game in the franchise. I also played it when it released and look at that i was also 14. But i liked it from the start and today i ask myself why. I think the reason for that was, that the game let me play it the way i wanted to play it. You see, the thing with FFX, for example, was that no matter how many times i played it, it always felt the same. Sure, with the pro grid, you could change things up, but they were always detrimental to your experience, because the characters were simply not built to use other classes. If you wanted to play Lulu as a brawler for example, her overdrive became useless. But with XII you could change things up. You could try new weapon types, play almost with no magic at all or with almost only magic. There were so many areas the game didn't NEED you to explore in order to complete the game. So many optional areas to invest time in and the LORE?! The lore was incredible. I LOVED reading the monster encyclopedia. And then there were the sidequests... i LOVED the sidequests, especially, of course, the monster hunts. I love XII so much... even after all these years. Granted, the story went far over my head as a 14 years-old, but without english as my native tongue, i think i REALLY appreciated this vastly different version of the language, i before never heard. I LOVE the dialogue writing in this game. I quote some characters even today sometimes.
I am not a fan of Final Fantasy yet,
Final Fantasy XII the Zodiac Age is in my top 3 best games of all time.
Vagrant Story is another game that I heard sucked so I never touched it until recently. It's a great game. I'll have to try FF 12
in middle school me and my friend play this in PS2, we rent it for hour and hour, but cannot finish the game, in 2016 when I had PC at work, I finish it using emulator, and 2023 had my own PC buy it on steam and finish it 100% achievement, still can't really understand the story because some fancy English they use.
Yeah I mean I had a few discussions with a few people on discord about how FF after 9 arguably suffered from a case of an identity crisis because every FF after 9 always changed up the gameplay which for some people makes the series feel unfocused but despite that I liked FFX and honestly much prefer it's battle system over the ATB system of 4-9 and for XII although I have heard couple of people despising it but I did get myself a PS2 copy of it as I was told that it's worth playing as much as FFX and DQ8 as PS2 RPGs are concerned and also I see videos like this praising XII so it's best to give it a go and think for yourself
I've always been on the other side of people's arguments, to them one of those games is the best, to me, it's always been XII, no questions asked and tbh in a category all of it's own isolated from the rest, there's just no world-building in any other FF game that compares to FF12, the whimsical nature of it, the star wars feel to it all, the fact it all feels alive and real, it's really a masterpiece and i'm one of those whose first FF game was 7, so even with the nostalgia i have for 7, XII is better, way better and i thought this even when i first played it as a teenager myself, the world was just compelling beyond belief and the graphics floored me, by graphics i mean the graphical design of everything, it's just so creative and impressive
I would've prefered turn based combat but i don't absolutely loathe what they ended up going with, i guess the fact i'm also a fan of star wars influenced me loving FF12 so much, as i kinda sense a similar feel to both, not saying they're the same but they have the same feel to me in terms of their world-building.
I will say the original version could be somewhat frustrating at times with the grinding and slow pace, they definitely improved it considerably in the Zodiac versions and that one to me is the best final fantasy game there is, period, plus it runs on Switch so you can play it anywhere now, makes the grinding far less annoying than before
Cant count how many time i replay this game
Ffxiv is my favourite, very high replay value
Never understood why ppl hated it back then even pre zodiac, it was a fun balance between old rpg elements and action based. FF should have stayed at this balance glad FF7 remake took to it.
Game is easily in my top 5.
Yes, i agree. Thx for the video and memories. It was the last FF Game that started under Hironobu Sakaguchi as executive Producer, he even choose Matsuno to make the Game and refused to play it till the end because Matsuno wasnt finishing it. They are still closes friends.
I was also 14 when the Game came out, in europe and i loved it from the beginnig. But it took me some time to love as much as FFX. And i still think that the Story gets faster and sometimes weaker towards the end. For me FF XII is a unfinished masterpiece. The Plot about the Occuria and some Charakter development was just not finished in my opinion, or at least not deep enough, especialy in comparason to FF IXs in some ways similar story.
My conclusion is that like Lord High Summoner says in the beginning, FF XII was the end of an Era of FF games and the number 12 the best way to end a series like Final Fantasy. FF XIII, XV... feel more like reboots of something that already finished. Back then in 2006
The only great mainline Final Fantasy game. I know, very controversial, but it's really the only one without any major flaws.
17:25 it's that a scene from the remaster?
I believe it is!
@@LordHighSummoner What's that about?
@@davidemontalbano658 not sure I understand the question
@@LordHighSummoner I mean what's the context
@@davidemontalbano658 I believe the cutscene is there to show off the Sand Sea, I forgot the name of location.
i love FF12, the Gambit is just like coding, if/then/else statements.
I really liked the combat system in FF XII - if you were smart enough you could make a party that can battle both normal enemies and bosses autonomously - removing the tedious part of selecting commands all the time when level grinding.
Now it may sound weird but even though I really liked the game overall theres some things that really annoyed me:
First of all the story of FF XII is just underwhelming after the ones like 7,8,9,10. All those have this "mind blown" complex lore that you can't even imagine when starting the game blind and learning as you go.
The gambit system - I mean why do we unlock the gambit options slowly in game - they should be unlocked right away since the whole game si suppose to play out bit like mmo.
That RNG weird item finding thingie where you have to wear the armlet and then you have like 1 in 99999 chance of getting something from this specific chest/pot etc. Secrets and rare drops and stuff should be doable by just playing a lot, checking every nook and cranny and for example fighting every enemy until you get all their droppable items etc. Putting things in game that are impossible to find unless you cheat, use specific guide or RNG manipulation etc. is retarded.
How some bosses work. I like when the bosses in the game play by the same rules as the player - meaning that they have same stats - maybe just better of maxed out, they have HP - just lot of it etc.etc. Now in XII they throw in a dick move with some of the bosses like having the attack bar all the time full, having some completley BS "at some point I'm invincible for long time" thingie etc. Good example would be Zodiark fight. Its not hard because you have to play clever, because he's just strong and you have to gear out smartly - its hard because they pull dick moves.
The problem with Vaan being as unimportant as he is, is that the game is only a 6 party team, and 3 of them aren't as polished or story related as the other 3. So he feels even less special.
It was definitely the worst time to be released.
I’m curious what could have happened if Final Fantasy 12 was released on the PS3.
Would it have been better/longer?
Optional content included, it's the most content in all FF except MMOs.