Active Users:363 Time:17/06/2025 08:12:56 AM
Opinion mine: 12 was a great game, and a terrible Final Fantasy. Aemon Send a noteboard - 25/09/2009 05:03:28 AM
It felt like an MMO. For good reason I imagine, since I believe the team that made 11 was tasked with making 12. Something like that. Yeah though, it definitely felt like an mmo. Lots of gear to get, monsters to beat, and points to earn. Carrots were dangled left and right; it was just like an MMO. I didn't mind that because, well, I like MMOs. That sort of collect-a-thon, incemental reward gameplay appeals to me, for whatever reason. True to form, I got all the licenses, the best gear, beat Yiazmat (something I don't recommend doing >_< ), etc. I put quite a bit of time into the game, really. So in that sense, the game was successful. I played, I enjoyed. . .whoo.

On the other hand, it felt NOTHING like a final fantasy. Final Fantasies, to me, have three primary positive qualities.

1) An epic storyline of good vs evil, underdog vs overwhelming menace. It's cliche, and I understand people wanting FF to branch out, but it's a cliche for a reason. A lot of us really like it. 12's storyline though. . .who cared? A bunch of boring political maneuverings. In the worst case scenario, if you were utterly defeated, power would have shifted in a few countries. There was no sense of urgency, impending doom, importance...none of it. Heck, most of the bosses were judges. Random, humanoid assassins. I want my demonic angels, giant whale monsters, undead dragons, and steampunk craziness back.

2) A vibrant, colorful world, full of quirks and mysteries. 12 was pretty in some areas, but for the most part it was drab, and overly textured. It didn't have that mystical simplicity of the other games. And the quirkiness? None. Listen to this: 12 made me dislike moogles. MOOGLES. I hate it for that alone. :P Really though, in the other games, the next town was likely to lead you inside a summoners temple, or a sorceress' lair, or a cavern with a mysterious wind, or. . .I don't know, but I've always been excited to go new places in FF games. 12? Not so much. Relatively uniform city, desert, and cave. That's all you got.

3) Characters to care about. FF characters have always been likeable. Some have been annoying, and there are people who can't get past that, but for the most part they've been unique, entertaining, and just plain good. I can find you a dozen people who love Tidus in five minutes, in spite of how irritating he sometimes was. I don't know that I've EVER come across someone who loved Vaan. Think about FFX. An otherworldly star of an underwater sport, a suicidal sorceress, a blue wolf-unicorn, etc. Unique, interesting, weird, you name it. And 12? Two street urchins. A soldier. a princess. There are some unusual things (fran, for one) but for the most part, they were regular people doing regular things for regular reasons. Final Fantasy is not about regular people doing regular things for regular reasons.

TLDR: FFXII had satisfying gameplay, but lacked any sort of emotional or sensory engagement. I tried to define it in solid terms above, but the easiest way to say it is just that 12 lacked the spark, the magic, the wonder, of Final Fantasy. I liked playing in the world, but I didn't CARE about any of it. And that's really what FF is all about.

Last complaint: I want to kill whatever designer let the "pause for a half second to take out/ put away your swords before/after battle" thing. I swear that had me about ripping my hair out by the time I was done with the game. I understand that it could be there to mask some background technical stuff, but that's just no excuse. I found it incredibly frustrating.
Reply to message
So being a FF fan and never having played FF 12... - 24/09/2009 10:25:44 PM 958 Views
The story in FF12 leaves much to be desired - 24/09/2009 10:41:28 PM 931 Views
I love FF but I didn't even bother to finish 12 *NM* - 24/09/2009 10:45:55 PM 375 Views
Videogame stories suck the big one, with VERY few exceptions. - 25/09/2009 12:29:39 AM 805 Views
FF7?!?! You're a nutcase! - 25/09/2009 01:50:16 AM 750 Views
It was still good though - 26/09/2009 03:06:12 AM 633 Views
Fair enough. Maybe I'm proving my own point. - 26/09/2009 06:46:26 AM 794 Views
I will have to disagree with this... - 26/09/2009 08:20:46 AM 705 Views
Exactly. When I think story here, I think of the individual stories as well as the whole. - 26/09/2009 07:13:24 PM 815 Views
Still, it's good for a videogame story. - 26/09/2009 07:54:01 PM 740 Views
I agree, with caveat. - 26/09/2009 11:54:25 PM 844 Views
New games do not feature the storytelling prowess of good TV, films, or novels. - 28/09/2009 01:03:46 AM 753 Views
I disagree. Maybe you're playing the wrong games. *NM* - 28/09/2009 04:51:48 AM 363 Views
What is the videogame equivalent of The Godfather, The Wire, or Great Expectations? *NM* - 01/10/2009 03:31:37 AM 389 Views
Ah, I see. *NM* - 03/10/2009 08:02:28 PM 404 Views
Say what? - 04/10/2009 02:21:01 PM 703 Views
"Ah, I see" means "You haven't answered because there is no satisfactory answer." - 05/10/2009 07:06:03 AM 724 Views
So you expect me to reply within two days when it took you three? - 05/10/2009 10:29:27 PM 654 Views
I've used that escape from a debate I was losing, too. It's a good one - 06/10/2009 09:21:31 PM 777 Views
I... don't think you understand how this works. - 06/10/2009 11:41:12 PM 716 Views
Anything of worth? - 09/10/2009 03:24:42 AM 698 Views
Cymbaline is right. Some games have excellent stories. - 29/09/2009 10:44:16 AM 693 Views
And yet so many people claim to play them for their stories... - 25/09/2009 03:06:44 AM 805 Views
The extras lower peoples' standards, but I DO think it's still the story. - 25/09/2009 04:34:30 AM 697 Views
That's basically what I meant. - 25/09/2009 05:05:19 AM 676 Views
Yeah I understand. - 25/09/2009 05:18:34 AM 762 Views
You are correct. But it sounds like semantics to me, since in practice... - 25/09/2009 06:00:41 AM 712 Views
I suppose it is, at that. - 25/09/2009 01:58:25 PM 758 Views
Well said. - 26/09/2009 06:48:10 AM 719 Views
I enjoyed 12 more than most of those you mentioned... - 25/09/2009 12:55:56 AM 692 Views
I agree. *NM* - 25/09/2009 02:44:08 AM 472 Views
The grid was fine, but didn't scale well. - 25/09/2009 04:35:57 AM 693 Views
I'll agree with this point, but I also agree with most of the thoughts of the GP - 25/09/2009 05:26:18 PM 780 Views
I am glad that at least one person here is with me on this. - 26/09/2009 05:53:42 AM 721 Views
It's interesting.... - 26/09/2009 06:55:18 PM 760 Views
Plot doesn't kick in until later on, sadly - 26/09/2009 07:27:55 PM 703 Views
I partially agree with LoS, and I partially disagree with you. - 27/09/2009 12:07:07 AM 802 Views
Opinion mine: 12 was a great game, and a terrible Final Fantasy. - 25/09/2009 05:03:28 AM 766 Views
I didn't like it and didn't finish *NM* - 25/09/2009 05:34:42 AM 365 Views
i finished it recently and i found it allright - 25/09/2009 11:30:36 AM 988 Views
Final Fantasy XII was the best written FF ever, by far. - 26/09/2009 05:47:27 AM 768 Views
I agree with this. - 26/09/2009 08:22:40 AM 750 Views
LOL... FFXII was the best FFXII ever? - 26/09/2009 03:43:11 PM 725 Views
That was juvenile, TMJ. Also, he said best written FF. *NM* - 26/09/2009 06:58:12 PM 398 Views
Yes, it was funny on a juvenile level. - 26/09/2009 07:11:12 PM 718 Views
Ah, I must have missed the typo. - 26/09/2009 08:32:51 PM 778 Views
So much confusion everywhere! - 26/09/2009 11:48:32 PM 797 Views
Some of us --I'd even say MOST of us-- like that, though. - 26/09/2009 07:20:55 PM 761 Views
Agreed, I want to get into a magical whale's belly and fly through the air ... - 28/09/2009 05:03:14 AM 960 Views

Reply to Message