Final Fantasy XII from a non-FF fan's perspective.

[Atari Master]

Okay, so to begin I've really never played a Final Fantasy game. Well, I did for a short time on an emulator (VI), but emulators just aren't the same. Anyway, I decided that XII would be a nice one to try out, since it's getting pretty good reviews and whatnot. And I figured some would find it interesting to hear the opinion of a non-FF fan on the game, so I went out and rented it today.

 

I have to say that the cinimatic in the beginning made me quite sad. Not that it was a bad cinimatic, on the contrary, it was beautiful. But the story did touch me a little bit, and I felt bad for the princess who lost her husband.

 

Now, one thing caught me, and I'm wondering if anyone else felt the same. The cinimatic, with it's ships, voice acting, etc, sort of made it feel like a mix between Star Wars: Episode I, and the movie Gladiator. This isn't a bad thing, just not what I expected. I suppose I expected more of a magical, fantasy tale rather than a Star Wars, Gladiator with technology and ships kind of story. Again, this isn't bad, just isn't what I expected.

 

I've only played for a few minutes, but I got through the first battle and I'm now playing Vaan. The battle system is different. Normally when I think Final Fantasy, I think of the old battle systems from the SNES RPGs that Square made. This apparently uses a system where you sort of pause, choose your attack, and wait for him to swing. Not bad really, it adds more action to the game. I can't say I don't miss the old school battle system, though.

 

Continued...

 

Okay, so I'm out doing an errand right now in the desert. A buddy of mine played the game and told me a few things about it. So basically, right now I'm chain killing wolves for experience and money. Not exactly the most fun thing on the planet, really.

 

Anyway, the desert is a pretty nice place. One thing that irks me, though, is the invisible walls that sometimes seem kind of random. I always hated those walls, and this game really could have done without them. It's not game breaking, but it would have given a better sense of freedom, in my opinion.

 

Continued...

 

I'm doing another errand for some creepy old guy. Now I seem to have the gambit system. I have to give them credit for not dropping everything on me at once, but easing me in. That's always the best way to go.

 

So far I've bought two licensed abilities for Vaan. Problem is, one doesn't seem to do anything. Geeze, I'm hoping I don't have a limit or something, because mistakes could ruin me if it does.

 

Continued...

 

Okay, so I've put a few more hours into it. Quite an adventure so far. I've unlocked the gambit system, and so far (so far) it's kind of like a group in EverQuest. You can set it to different HP percentages, and when you hit it, a partner can heal you, etc.

 

I'm now in the dungeons, along with an english fellow, a bitchy girl, a bitchy RABBIT girl, and myself. I need some sleep, though.

 

Continued...

 

Okay, so I woke up, ate, and started playing again. I'm trying to get the hang of everything, which may take a while. So far, the game is pretty good. It's not the end all of games like many people make it out to be, but so far it's a good story based game, with good combat, etc.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I fought he most awesome flaming horse last night. Very cool stuff.

 

Continued...

 

According to my memory card I've been playing for four hours. Feels a lot longer than that, but I suppose I explored quite a bit.

 

Right now I've escaped the dungeon, and I'm now fighting electric spiders, or "mimics." The dungeon was very pretty when it lit up.

 

One complaint I do have is the outfits of some of the female characters. Don't get me wrong, I like sexy too, but a girl that joined my group earlier had a skirt that I could probably wrap around my forehead as a banner. Seriously, if a warrior is a warrior, she or he should have leather armor at LEAST. I don't want to see every piece of skin in a fantasy game.

 

And God have mercy on the bunny girl. She's running around in a thong. I bet it's drafty...

 

More to come as I get further through!

Edited November 4, 2006 by Atari Master

[spacecadet]

Now, one thing caught me, and I'm wondering if anyone else felt the same. The cinimatic, with it's ships, voice acting, etc, sort of made it feel like a mix between Star Wars: Episode I, and the movie Gladiator. This isn't a bad thing, just not what I expected. I suppose I expected more of a magical, fantasy tale rather than a Star Wars, Gladiator with technology and ships kind of story. Again, this isn't bad, just isn't what I expected.

 

Welcome to Final Fantasy.

 

The series has never made any secret of its influences, one of the biggest of which is Star Wars. It doesn't sound like you've yet found the characters in FFXII named Biggs and Wedge (neither have I), but no doubt they're in there - they're in every FF game. Same with airships. Every FF since I think FF2 has prominently featured airships. As for technology, I don't think it really played a big part in the early games, but since somewhere around FF4 or so, the world has always been a mixture of advanced technology and ancient magic. It's part of what separates FF from other fantasy series. (Some people don't like it, but there are plenty of other "pure" fantasy games to satisfy those people.) And it's *very* Japanese - Japan itself is the same mix of ultra-new and ancient.

 

Anyway I also thought the first cinematic was like watching the end of Episode I. The hand to hand combat stuff doesn't make me think so much of Gladiator, though, and its style is actually a little new for the "proper" FF series. The producer of FFXII previously worked on FF: Tactics, so it has that European influence that most other FF's have lacked. The FF series has in the past relied a lot more on Asian style hand to hand combat (which I think I prefer, but whatever - I'm not against changing it up once in a while).

 

I've only played for a few minutes, but I got through the first battle and I'm now playing Vaan. The battle system is different. Normally when I think Final Fantasy, I think of the old battle systems from the SNES RPGs that Square made. This apparently uses a system where you sort of pause, choose your attack, and wait for him to swing. Not bad really, it adds more action to the game. I can't say I don't miss the old school battle system, though.

 

So far I'm not into the battle system. It's sort of a hybrid between a turn-based and real-time battle system and so far (and I'm only about 2 hours in) it feels like the worst of both worlds. If I have to wait for my attack to take place anyway, I really would rather just have a separate "battle stage" where everybody's standing around taking turns, like every other FF game. Because then it's just all about the strategy. The FFXII system seems to want you to forget about strategy in the heat of battle (instead relying on gambits you set up ahead of time) and it ends up just being you running around making sure you've got the high ground. Everybody says it gets better later, but so far I'm not that into it.

 

Anyway, the desert is a pretty nice place. One thing that irks me, though, is the invisible walls that sometimes seem kind of random.

 

No way around that, really. FFVII had some areas without walls and you could literally get so lost that you couldn't find your way back. You'd have to just reload a saved game.

 

Of course, the only way to do that at all is to have a basically flat, featureless area. Otherwise you're asking developers to create objects and textures for places only a few people might ever go. (Unless you just repeat stuff, but that's really no better than going featureless.)

 

Also, there's only so much storage space on a DVD. There may be more freedom in the world in FFXIII on the PS3; kinda doubt it though.

 

So far I've bought two licensed abilities for Vaan. Problem is, one doesn't seem to do anything. Geeze, I'm hoping I don't have a limit or something, because mistakes could ruin me if it does.

 

There's nothing in FF that doesn't do *anything*. You just haven't figured out how to apply the license yet, or gotten the weapon/accessory you need to use it.

 

Okay, so I woke up, ate, and started playing again. I'm trying to get the hang of everything, which may take a while. So far, the game is pretty good. It's not the end all of games like many people make it out to be, but so far it's a good story based game, with good combat, etc.

 

You can't make a judgement on any FF game until the end. They are like really good books; they don't always immediately draw you in (and FFXII hasn't grabbed me yet) but often by the end you'll find you feel almost empty when it's over. The best FF games almost become a part of your life while you're playing them. And not in the EQ way, where you feel like your character is an extension of yourself; FF always presents itself as a narrative, so it's a sort of parallel world you feel you're following. I like that better than EQ, which always feels more like a second job than anything fun.

 

According to my memory card I've been playing for four hours. Feels a lot longer than that, but I suppose I explored quite a bit.

 

Consider the fact that most FF games take 100+ hours to finish even close to fully. To finish *all* the side quests (and this has become unrealistic on the past couple FF's, all of which have some ludicrous time sinks for side quests) would take 200+ hours. So any way you slice it, you've still got a ways to go.

 

It is possible to blast through most FF games in 40-50 hours, but that's not the most fun way to do it.

 

One complaint I do have is the outfits of some of the female characters. Don't get me wrong, I like sexy too, but a girl that joined my group earlier had a skirt that I could probably wrap around my forehead as a banner. Seriously, if a warrior is a warrior, she or he should have leather armor at LEAST. I don't want to see every piece of skin in a fantasy game.

 

Well, some of us do

 

One thing about FF games is that since around FF8, they've taken a lot of influence from real-world Japanese street fashions and hair styles. I guess it helps ground them in reality for the Japanese, and probably helps attract some female gamers there too.

 

FFXII is a lot more European but even in the two hours I've been playing, I've seen a lot of styles similar to some of the popular styles in Japan right now. The whole thing with the high boots/stockings and the short mini-skirts (like Penelo wears) is *really* popular in Japan right now. I think Kumi Koda started the trend (and she was a big part of FFX too, so that all ties back together).

[madhatter667]

Ah....FF gaming input that isn't some random fanboy fellating Squaresoft...very refreshing.

 

FFXII is one that I haven't played a lot of, but I do have it... Square usually makes alright RPG games, but just because it is Square, and FF doesn't instantly mean best game ever. Some of my favorite RPG titles have come from Enix (or at least the Enix side of things now).

[sega saturn x]

Square has out done themselves this time, and by that I mean they have done what people thought impossible. Make a main character even gayer than Tidus, it was a lofty goal but Square was clearly up to the task. But really I've heard the game is quite excellent. The western infulence in the battle system is a welcome change. I sill wish they would drop the fantasy (and metro sexual crap) part though and go full sci-fi. Now there's an idea, maybe they could call it final universe or what have you, make it happen square!

Edited November 5, 2006 by sega saturn x

[Atari Master]

Now, one thing caught me, and I'm wondering if anyone else felt the same. The cinimatic, with it's ships, voice acting, etc, sort of made it feel like a mix between Star Wars: Episode I, and the movie Gladiator. This isn't a bad thing, just not what I expected. I suppose I expected more of a magical, fantasy tale rather than a Star Wars, Gladiator with technology and ships kind of story. Again, this isn't bad, just isn't what I expected.

 

Welcome to Final Fantasy.

 

The series has never made any secret of its influences, one of the biggest of which is Star Wars. It doesn't sound like you've yet found the characters in FFXII named Biggs and Wedge (neither have I), but no doubt they're in there - they're in every FF game. Same with airships. Every FF since I think FF2 has prominently featured airships. As for technology, I don't think it really played a big part in the early games, but since somewhere around FF4 or so, the world has always been a mixture of advanced technology and ancient magic. It's part of what separates FF from other fantasy series. (Some people don't like it, but there are plenty of other "pure" fantasy games to satisfy those people.) And it's *very* Japanese - Japan itself is the same mix of ultra-new and ancient.

 

Anyway I also thought the first cinematic was like watching the end of Episode I. The hand to hand combat stuff doesn't make me think so much of Gladiator, though, and its style is actually a little new for the "proper" FF series. The producer of FFXII previously worked on FF: Tactics, so it has that European influence that most other FF's have lacked. The FF series has in the past relied a lot more on Asian style hand to hand combat (which I think I prefer, but whatever - I'm not against changing it up once in a while).

 

I've only played for a few minutes, but I got through the first battle and I'm now playing Vaan. The battle system is different. Normally when I think Final Fantasy, I think of the old battle systems from the SNES RPGs that Square made. This apparently uses a system where you sort of pause, choose your attack, and wait for him to swing. Not bad really, it adds more action to the game. I can't say I don't miss the old school battle system, though.

 

So far I'm not into the battle system. It's sort of a hybrid between a turn-based and real-time battle system and so far (and I'm only about 2 hours in) it feels like the worst of both worlds. If I have to wait for my attack to take place anyway, I really would rather just have a separate "battle stage" where everybody's standing around taking turns, like every other FF game. Because then it's just all about the strategy. The FFXII system seems to want you to forget about strategy in the heat of battle (instead relying on gambits you set up ahead of time) and it ends up just being you running around making sure you've got the high ground. Everybody says it gets better later, but so far I'm not that into it.

 

Anyway, the desert is a pretty nice place. One thing that irks me, though, is the invisible walls that sometimes seem kind of random.

 

No way around that, really. FFVII had some areas without walls and you could literally get so lost that you couldn't find your way back. You'd have to just reload a saved game.

 

Of course, the only way to do that at all is to have a basically flat, featureless area. Otherwise you're asking developers to create objects and textures for places only a few people might ever go. (Unless you just repeat stuff, but that's really no better than going featureless.)

 

Also, there's only so much storage space on a DVD. There may be more freedom in the world in FFXIII on the PS3; kinda doubt it though.

 

So far I've bought two licensed abilities for Vaan. Problem is, one doesn't seem to do anything. Geeze, I'm hoping I don't have a limit or something, because mistakes could ruin me if it does.

 

There's nothing in FF that doesn't do *anything*. You just haven't figured out how to apply the license yet, or gotten the weapon/accessory you need to use it.

 

Okay, so I woke up, ate, and started playing again. I'm trying to get the hang of everything, which may take a while. So far, the game is pretty good. It's not the end all of games like many people make it out to be, but so far it's a good story based game, with good combat, etc.

 

You can't make a judgement on any FF game until the end. They are like really good books; they don't always immediately draw you in (and FFXII hasn't grabbed me yet) but often by the end you'll find you feel almost empty when it's over. The best FF games almost become a part of your life while you're playing them. And not in the EQ way, where you feel like your character is an extension of yourself; FF always presents itself as a narrative, so it's a sort of parallel world you feel you're following. I like that better than EQ, which always feels more like a second job than anything fun.

 

According to my memory card I've been playing for four hours. Feels a lot longer than that, but I suppose I explored quite a bit.

 

Consider the fact that most FF games take 100+ hours to finish even close to fully. To finish *all* the side quests (and this has become unrealistic on the past couple FF's, all of which have some ludicrous time sinks for side quests) would take 200+ hours. So any way you slice it, you've still got a ways to go.

 

It is possible to blast through most FF games in 40-50 hours, but that's not the most fun way to do it.

 

One complaint I do have is the outfits of some of the female characters. Don't get me wrong, I like sexy too, but a girl that joined my group earlier had a skirt that I could probably wrap around my forehead as a banner. Seriously, if a warrior is a warrior, she or he should have leather armor at LEAST. I don't want to see every piece of skin in a fantasy game.

 

Well, some of us do

 

One thing about FF games is that since around FF8, they've taken a lot of influence from real-world Japanese street fashions and hair styles. I guess it helps ground them in reality for the Japanese, and probably helps attract some female gamers there too.

 

FFXII is a lot more European but even in the two hours I've been playing, I've seen a lot of styles similar to some of the popular styles in Japan right now. The whole thing with the high boots/stockings and the short mini-skirts (like Penelo wears) is *really* popular in Japan right now. I think Kumi Koda started the trend (and she was a big part of FFX too, so that all ties back together).

 

I noticed the Star Wars feel right off the bat, and I'm not even a Star Wars fan!

 

The battle system is getting better now. It's not in the "strategic" mark yet, but I still have a ton to go before I unlock it all.

 

As for freedom. I didn't mean freedom where you get lost. I meant more like Zelda: OOT, where you could run around and explore. I think FFVI (the one I emulated) was the same way. You could run around and really explore the map, getting lost sometimes.

[shadow460]

I got hold of Final Fantasy in 1993. The second title that I played in the series had me building a space ship and traveling through time.

I'm not surprised by the technology/ancient magic mix at all.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Another great thing about the Final Fantasy style of games is that most of them, do not rely on any previous story knowledge of previous FF games. They are almost always their own story with different characters. Except for Cid of course...

 

I also like the idea that the FF games never really give away an exact era in time they take place in. FF7 was more sci-fi than any others I have played in that regard. I do prefer the turn based battles overall. just used to it I guess. I haven't picked up FFXII but I will eventually. Based on what I reading into the battle system, is it similar to that used in the StarOcean: TEOT on the PS2? I have to say that batlle system really confuses me to know end, and was the reason I haven't really given that game any chance yet. That and I'm still trying to beat Okami...hehe..I have over 60 hours logged into that one and still don't have it beaten.

[spacecadet]

I also like the idea that the FF games never really give away an exact era in time they take place in.

 

I think the idea is that they all take place pretty much completely outside of our timeline. They're parallel universes, rather than a lot of pure fantasy-based games that are supposed to be basically grounded in our universe and so are bound by the same styles, the same weapons, etc. that you would have seen 1,000 years ago - just with the addition of magic. A lot of fantasy games are based on real-world legend; some people like that. Personally, I like the way FF is not bound to medieval trappings; the designers are always free to feature both machine guns and sword fighting in the same game; advanced computers and science alongside magical spells. A lot of other Japanese RPG's have now gone that route too, but I don't think any other series really blends everything together quite as well.

 

I do prefer the turn based battles overall. just used to it I guess. I haven't picked up FFXII but I will eventually. Based on what I reading into the battle system, is it similar to that used in the StarOcean: TEOT on the PS2? I have to say that batlle system really confuses me to know end,

 

I've never played Star Ocean, but if the battle system is confusing then I can't see how it's similar to FFXII's. FFXII's system is almost too simple; the only somewhat difficult part is prioritizing your gambits (not something I've run into yet, but I've read a lot about it in the strategy guide). You basically have to set up what you're going to do in battle ahead of time. Then you kind of just watch it play out. You can take over manually at any time if you want, but if you do that, then you're back to the sort of frustrating hybrid between real-time and turn-based, where you can run around the battlefield in real-time but clicking "attack" forces you to sit there and wait for your meter to fill up. So far that's driving me crazy, because every time I think I have the high ground and hit attack, I have to sit there and endure multiple enemy attacks before going on offense and half the time the enemy has moved by then anyway. I just can't get used to running around in real-time but not being able to attack in real-time.

 

But once I get further in and start dealing more with complex gambits and harder monsters (and build up my own speed a bit), maybe it won't be an issue for me.

Edited November 6, 2006 by spacecadet

[figgler]

Every FF since I think FF2 has prominently featured airships. As for technology, I don't think it really played a big part in the early games, but since somewhere around FF4 or so, the world has always been a mixture of advanced technology and ancient magic.

 

There was definitley an air ship in FF1, but it became very important in FF2 because the enemies had a huge airship dreadnaught thing that was tormenting the world.

Generally I don't like the newer FFs because I find there are too many cinemas and whatnot, and I just prefer the old school RPG set up. However, I may pick this one up, partially because it looks really great and there is supposedly an FFXII game coming for DS, that is I think an epilogue to this story. I'm sure it's completely different gameplay-wise, but FF on DS is a must buy for me and I'm thinkin I'd like to know the story details from the main game going in

[MCHufnagel]

There was definitley an air ship in FF1, but it became very important in FF2 because the enemies had a huge airship dreadnaught thing that was tormenting the world.

Generally I don't like the newer FFs because I find there are too many cinemas and whatnot, and I just prefer the old school RPG set up. However, I may pick this one up, partially because it looks really great and there is supposedly an FFXII game coming for DS, that is I think an epilogue to this story. I'm sure it's completely different gameplay-wise, but FF on DS is a must buy for me and I'm thinkin I'd like to know the story details from the main game going in

The latest issue of Nintendo Power says that the FF XII for the DS takes place prior to the PS2 storyline.

[spacecadet]

Ah....FF gaming input that isn't some random fanboy fellating Squaresoft...very refreshing.

 

We were all new to FF at some point. My first FF game was FF7, and I had some of the same reactions as Atari Master initially. I wasn't quite sure what to think; heck, I wasn't even a big *RPG* fan. By the end of it, though, I didn't want to stop playing. The only reason I did was because more than not wanting to stop playing, I couldn't wait to see the conclusion of the story. I've been hooked ever since.

 

"Random fanboys" don't become fans for nothing. We all had a period of our lives before we were FF fans And we became fans because we liked the games, not because we felt any allegiance to Square. Why would we feel allegiance to Square in the first place if we didn't know/like Final Fantasy? Because of "Driving Emotion Type S"? Or "Racing Lagoon"?

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I don't know that I would call myself a FF fanboy per se. But FF7 was the first real Final Fantasy that I played all the way to completion. I got about 50% through FF3 (US Version), and then lost the save file and didn't go back to it again. I have FF2 but only played about 2 hours into it before I set it down and haven't picked it up again either.

 

Truth be told..there a quite a few RPGs that I have begun and yet to finish. Phantasy Star3, Landstalker, Light Crusader, Sword of Vermillion, FF2, Xenosaga, Panzer Dragoon Saga, FF3, and I'm sure a few others. That is just what I remember off the top of my head. Most of those I would have to restart as I can't remember the story lines anymore or where I left off. The though of starting a game over just makes me ill.

 

Never fisnished DQ8 for the PS2 either now that I think about it, and I was just about to finish that one. Crap! I never finished Metroid Prime either!!! I gotta stop...I'm starting to depress myself too much.

[Tempest]

If you've ever played FF XI, XII will look REALLY familiar. They've basically taken the the FF XI engine and tweaked it a bit for single player. They've also added some nice improvements like aggro lines (those little red and blue lines you see when you attack). I'm not too far into the game yet, but it's really like a beefed up version of FF XI so far.

 

Tempest

[shadow460]

"Random fanboys" don't become fans for nothing. We all had a period of our lives before we were FF fans And we became fans because we liked the games, not because we felt any allegiance to Square. Why would we feel allegiance to Square in the first place if we didn't know/like Final Fantasy? Because of "Driving Emotion Type S"? Or "Racing Lagoon"?

 

I knew allegiance to Square from Rad Racer. I never knew as I sat down at a table with my Game Boy on a cold December night in 1993 that I would be up until the wee hours beginning the first in a series of sleep depriving adventures.

As I sat down with the Final Fantasy Legend, I couldn't help but note the similarities between it and Dragonstomper. But then it became so much more than the venerable 2600 RPG was. It just sort of drew me in, and I remember guiding my party of mutants through trials and tests, getting the King's armor, defeating Sei-Ryu, stopping the terror in the World of Sky, and later defeating the flying Su-Zaku.

I thought at first the game was a little slow paced, then I looked at my watch and realized it was 3 AM.

It was enough of a sell that when FF7 came out years later and I had a PSX, I went ahead and got that game based solely on the Final Fantasy name. The three Legend titles weren't quite enough to persuade me to put down Shining the Holy Ark for FF7, but I did play FF7 after I finished the Shining Force title.

I've been hopelessly hooked ever since. I hate strategy RPG's myself--the only one I ever finished was Shining Force II. But I even survived a few rounds of FF Tactics, then went on to play FFVIII, FFX, and FFX-2.

Every single Final Fantasy I've played has featured a gripping storyline. Ya know, I really started to care for that party of mutants. I wanted Arthur and co. to build that ship, and I really got into SeeD and what the Garden was all about.

 

To me, either a franchise has got it or it ain't got it. The RPG's that got it are Shining Force, Final Fantasy, and Dragonstomper. (need a series here, though...)

[spacecadet]

I knew allegiance to Square from Rad Racer. I never knew as I sat down at a table with my Game Boy on a cold December night in 1993 that I would be up until the wee hours beginning the first in a series of sleep depriving adventures.

As I sat down with the Final Fantasy Legend, I couldn't help but note the similarities between it and Dragonstomper.

 

Thing is, the Legend games aren't even real Final Fantasy games! They were just called that here. They're actually a whole different series - part of the SaGa series of RPGs. I never played them so don't know how similar or different they are from other Final Fantasy games, but they're definitely not actual Final Fantasy games. It'd be like if Square released Dragon Quest 9 here and instead called it "Final Fantasy XIV" or something - it's still not really Final Fantasy!

 

I've been hopelessly hooked ever since. I hate strategy RPG's myself--the only one I ever finished was Shining Force II. But I even survived a few rounds of FF Tactics, then went on to play FFVIII, FFX, and FFX-2.

 

It's kinda weird how nobody ever talks about FFIX anymore. I have to admit it's the only one since VII that I have not finished. It got great reviews at the time but I found it INCREDIBLY frustrating, to the point that I literally threw down the controller one day and just disowned the game completely. There were so many little annoying design quirks about that game; it was no one thing, just a lot of things that added up to me not enjoying it in the slightest.

 

I do think that FFIX and even FFVIII are examples of how reviewers do sometimes turn a blind eye to any FF game's shortcomings. To some extent, I think that's because they assume the hardcore fans are going to find nuances where they didn't, and they're afraid of looking like fools and the angry emails that's going to generate. But it does seem like pretty much every FF game scores in the high 90's percentage-wise, even though some are definitely better than others.

 

On the other hand, there's so much to any FF game that some people may just latch on to different aspects more readily than others.

 

I'm getting a bit more into FFXII myself now; it's starting to feel a little more familiar even with the different system and visual style. It's still got a lot of the series trademarks and playing it's been pretty breezy so far - not too easy (I did die once) but it doesn't have those same sorts of design quirks like FFIX had that can just make a game too frustrating to enjoy. I like being able to pick and choose my battles, for one thing - though I did understand the point of the random battles in previous FF games (it was more like traditional pen and paper RPG's). FFIX just took it to a ridiculous extreme, though, with constant random battles on the freakin' world map! I could never even figure out where I was going. FFX and X-2 finally ditched that convention but it's a refreshing change to feel like I can go at totally my own pace now.

Edited November 7, 2006 by spacecadet