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[Flyinmunky]

Last week I was looking for something to watch and long story short ended up watching a 6 hour movie version of FF12

Never played it when it came out, was one I just skipped over. Boy do I regret that now.

Found the characters, story, music and dialogue to be great. The character models look so good and still look great 17 years later.

Obviously cant comment on the battle system so not sure how well that aged but glad to see staff who worked on this are on FF16.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

I played through this recently on the Switch and really enjoyed the port/the game. While I did not like XII particularly when it launched, still have my Ps2 steelbook, going back a few years ago I found that I did like it overall. Maybe that's because I didn't enjoy games that came later and that gave me further perspective, or perhaps I just didn't give it enough of a shake the first time around. Either way, in the end, I like XII.

 

[Yoshichan]

Every single time I play FFXII, it climbs the ranks of my Final Fantasy list.

One or two more playthroughs and it should be up there with VII and X, it's fucking crazy.

#teamdustiafarm
#fuckseitengrat

 

[Myths]

No surprise necessary! Top 3 FF for me, although FFV beats it out.

Its script and VA is perhaps the absolute best I’ve heard in any RPG out of SE, among the best period. Matsuno must be protected!

 

[Cert.in.Death]

“I slew your king! I slew your country!”

Also Fran is the only furry I can endorse fetishizing. A healthy degree removed from Playboy bunnies.

 

[Flyinmunky]

“I slew your king! I slew your country!”

Also Fran is the only furry I can endorse fetishizing. A healthy degree removed from Playboy bunnies.

I loved Frans voice acting. I think the voice work for the game is excellent.

 

[semiconscious]

replayed it several months go. as gorgeous & enjoyable as ever. here's to montblanc!...

 

[Flyinmunky]

Every single time I play FFXII, it climbs the ranks of my Final Fantasy list.

One or two more playthroughs and it should be up there with VII and X, it's fucking crazy.

#teamdustiafarm
#fuckseitengrat

X soundtrack is so good but I think if I ignored that part of it XII would be just as good. I have too many good memories of 7 to rank it above that but its def moved into at least joint 2nd favourite. I will have to do a full playthrough soon.

 

[kunonabi]

I hate the battle system and license board so I've never been able to stick with it more than a few hours. A shame because I love everything else.

 

[Patrick S.]

Back when it came out on PS2 I was super hyped for it, but I just couldn't get used to the inverted horizontal look you couldn't change, so I stopped playing soon after I got to the open world.

I bought all the Final Fantasy games on switch, and now that the camera works as god intended, I finally started to play this again after all this years, with the intention of maybe, probably not, finishing it this decade.

P.S. Man are physical Nintendo prices insane, btw. I paid €70 for a sealed copy of Final Fantasy IX that actually came with a cart. And there were copies priced a hundred bucks on ebay, too... The regular "physical" version is just a code in a box... what a waste, man...

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

I very recently replayed and completed FFXII for the 1st time since it launched. I was 16 years old when I first played it and 32 when I replayed it.

How foolish the 16 year old me was. The game was so ahead of its time on the PS2 and my 16yo chimp brain back then didn't appreciate how incredible the world they crafted is, as well as the writing, battle mechanics and much more.

I was part of the FFX was the last great new mainline FF brigrade, but now think it was XII (never played XIV and know its meant to be up there with the rest before some of you jump on me). Now I'm very excited for XVI considering the respect the dev team have for Matsuno and staff crossover from XII.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

Back when it came out on PS2 I was super hyped for it, but I just couldn't get used to the inverted horizontal look you couldn't change, so I stopped playing soon after I got to the open world.

I bought all the Final Fantasy games on switch, and now that the camera works as god intended, I finally started to play this again after all this years, with the intention of maybe, probably not, finishing it this decade.

P.S. Man are physical Nintendo prices insane, btw. I paid €70 for a sealed copy of Final Fantasy IX that actually came with a cart. And there were copies priced a hundred bucks on ebay, too... The regular "physical" version is just a code in a box... what a waste, man...

Gotta get the Asian carts, the code in the box is such absolute bullshit, I agree. I almost bought a MegaMan collection the other day for Switch, but when I started reading the back of the box, only one of the games was on the cart, the other was download. I did not buy it.. such nonsense.

 

[adamsapple]

The writing and script for the English localization has definitely aged very gracefully.

Better than the vast majority of stuff that comes out today, even.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

The older I get, the less tolerance I have for infantile shounen anime writing and the more appreciation I have for FF XII. It’s so refreshing having a JRPG where the characters act like grown ass adults with functioning brains.

 

[Pejo]

I wish the general public would have been more receptive to the gambit battle system. I would have loved to have 2-3 more mainline games in that style. I liked it immediately since I was a hardcore FFXI player at the time, but I can see why it turned people off that weren't used to just waiting for your auto attacks to happen.

Anyways, I've given up that they'll do a gambit system 2.0 with FFXVI being straight up action and not even having an MP gauge anymore, what a shame. Still XII will always exist and I'm pretty happy with the PC port, so I can play it whenever I want to. Plus it's got some great mods like to remove the IZJS system (that I personally was not a fan of) and make it play like the original PS2 version. Also, the chest mod that guarantees the best items on first open so you don't have to fuck around with savescumming until you get the drop you want.

Also, the most needed change came in the form of a mod:

 

[Captain Toad]

One of the best, for sure. My only issue is the overall plot loses me about halfway through - both in keeping it straight and caring enough to keep it straight.

Most of the characters are great, despite the supposed main character feeling completely unnecessary and annoying.

 

[Boss Mog]

It's absolutely disgusting that there's no 60 fps option on PS4 Pro or even a PS5 patch.

 

[YeulEmeralda]

It's amazing how the turbo function basically saved FF12. Was able to finish the remaster because of it.

 

[wvnative]

I hate the battle system and license board so I've never been able to stick with it more than a few hours. A shame because I love everything else.

This is me, I've tried so many times to play through it, and I always quit at the airship level. I just find it so boring to actually play. I want to like it, but I just don't.

 

[pleaseinsertdisctwo]

I like Final Fantasy XII but the characters and plot have never left much of an impression on me. Everything is quite barebones, though XII diehards will tell you that Fran looking sideways in one cutscene shows the breadth of the sorrow she’s felt since she left Eruyt Village and betrayed her Viera sisters as a result of vying for the freedom that humans take for granted, which is juxtaposed by the tight grip that the Occuria actually has on humanity via inciting bloodshed over nethicite. It could have been much more than what it actually is, and what’s there is lacking in actual substance. The whole experience is largely lacking anything exciting and that includes the gameplay.

Also, XII’s reputation is largely thanks to the Remaster. The original PS2 release is a tedious, slow, pain-in-the-ass.

 

[{insert code here}]

Got this way back around its original release along with Tales of the Abyss and gave up on it about 20hrs in. Booted up the remaster recently and I have to agree with OP that it has aged incredibly well. I have enjoyed it so far. Maybe it's cause I'm older now idk.

 

[Laieon]

XII is the only final fantasy game I've ever enjoyed.

 

[Calverz]

The last good final fantasy game. RIP SE

 

[AJUMP23]

FF12 is one of the best. Great characters and fun story.

 

[adamsapple]

It's absolutely disgusting that there's no 60 fps option on PS4 Pro or even a PS5 patch.

Can I interest you in the Xbox version which does ? Albeit at 1080p.

 

[RaduN]

One of the best games ever made, part of the golden age, along the lines of MGS3, RE4.

The world is so damn gorgeous and it takes you in, arms wide open.

(also the best VA ever, with an absolutely wonderful Shakespeare-like script)

 

[Naked Lunch]

Theres nothing surprising about it at all - it was clearly in a class of its own ever since launch - but the FF7 crowd couldnt handle the changes.
FFXII is still the best FF game next to Tactics.

 

[Graciaus]

I don't think the story or characters were that great. But the game was ahead of it's time. The rebalance mods on pc make it even better.

 

[BryceNobody]

This game was such an unexpected joy to play for the first time. I appreciated how SE took criticism of FFX’s awful dubbing seriously and delivered one of the finest VA’s of the series.

Coupled with a sharp artstyle, beautiful score, and cool battle/gambit system…

 

[SantaC]

dat music though

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

Parts of it aged well like story and dialogue but it does have its awful parts, specifically the extreme late game. You're in a tedious crystal maze where every room looks the same and there's no map, it's pretty messed up

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

the most disappointing game I have ever played because they were so close to making a masterpiece.

 

[64bitmodels]

wow, never heard good things about it until now. Should i play?

 

[NecrosaroIII]

wow, never heard good things about it until now. Should i play?

Final Fantasy XII is excellent game. For me, it's in the top 3 (14, and 7). Wonderful gameplay. One of the best soundtracks in the franchise. I love the setting (get ready for plenty of sand). It has a cool Mediterranean feel that I think is unique.

It suffers from the usual Matsuno problem though. He's fantastic at setting up a world and plot, but the ending feels rushed to the point it feels a bit unsatisfying. It's also a fairly grounded game. Much more low fantasy then the rest of the series, though still pretty fantastical.

I also enjoy the cast. People have weird hangup about Vaan and Penelo, but I enjoy them. More so Penelo than Vaan, but both aren't bad. It's a weird situation where you play as a perspective character rather than the main character (Ashe, Basch, and Balthier) but I think it works. It's an interesting dynamic.

Villain-wise, I think Vayne is... fine. I think his motivations are interesting, and it's fun to think about how genuine he is. There is room for analysis on if he's really a villain or not, which is cool. They were intentionally vague regarding specific points of his plans and goals.

 

[Supple]

The older I get, the less tolerance I have for infantile shounen anime writing and the more appreciation I have for FF XII. It’s so refreshing having a JRPG where the characters act like grown ass adults with functioning brains.

Agreed. I’m glad SE has moved past Nomaru era Final Fantasy with FFXVI.

 

[Fbh]

It's one of those games I disliked when it first came out but upon replaying it many years later I really enjoyed it.

Worst part about it is trying not to think too much about how much better it could have been if they hadn't felt like they needed some stupid generic teen main character

 

[Sgt.Asher]

A bit of a tangent. I don't know why any turn based or atb system didn't do ffx (best battle in my mind) quick party switching. At least with 12 you could switch out via the menu, a simple button press would of been good. 13 was especially bad with a paradigm system that didn't swap party members, stupid.

Back on topic. Really enjoyed 12, great art, story, voice acting, music.
Vaan never bothered me, he was a vector for the player. The story is not about the player or vaan.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Theres nothing surprising about it at all - it was clearly in a class of its own ever since launch - but the FF7 crowd couldnt handle the changes.
FFXII is still the best FF game next to Tactics.

Same crowd now throws a hissy fit about 16.

 

[GymWolf]

Never played outside of a demo and that was enough to make me hate the combat.

Also after hearing that the ending is abrupt and not satisfying i never even bothered with it.

Maybe i'm gonna try it when i have absolutely nothing to play.

 

[TMLT]

I replayed 7 through 12 (the Zodiac version which i'd never played before) a few years back and 12 ended up being my favourite of the bunch. As much as I love FFX and think it has a better story and characters, theres a strong contrast going right from its linearity and turn based battles to the big open world and battle system of XII.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Obviously cant comment on the battle system so not sure how well that aged but glad to see staff who worked on this are on FF16.

Battle system is one of the best in the series.

 

[RaduN]

Never played outside of a demo and that was enough to make me hate the combat.

It becomes so damn addictive, the more you play. Not to mention the amazing atmosphere and world design. Best there is.
I can't wait to fully replay it (it would be my 4th playthrough i think), as soon as i finish a few other games i have on my list.

Also, the story is better than some would make you believe. I mean, the script and VA are simply out of this world, but the actual narrative threads are really good once you take the time to understand the characters and their (very down to earth) motivations and struggles.

I highly recommend giving it a second chance.

 

[Kaachan]

FFXII is fucking amazing! And dare I even say pretty much the last great mainline FF game

 

[drganon]

Im about 70 percent or so through the story, but can't bring myself to beat it. I hate the license and gambit systems. The combat, story and characters aren't particularly good either.

 

[Kev Kev]

I played it again few years back after only making it a handful of hours upon release. It was fantastic. I don't know how I didn't love it the first time around. I think I was still bummed that they ditched traditional turn based combat. I was surprised how political the story was and how much fun I had with the gambit system. I dumped 100+ hours into it and it jumped several positions in my favorite FF games list.

 

[Tarnpanzer]

Currently for sale on Steam for 25$.

4K/60 on PC

 

[Patrick S.]

Currently for sale on Steam for 25$.

4K/60 on PC

It's kinda crazy how every one of the older Final Fantasy games regularly go on sale for between €7-€11, but FFXII has NEVER dropped below €24.99 yet.

I finally grabbed Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition for PS5 and Switch the other day, because the game is on sale for the first time since its launch. I'll getting it for PC as well when it's on sale again, because buyer's remorse will hit me hard if I triple dip now haha

 

[hemo memo]

Battle system is one of the best in the series.

Is it though?

 

[KrazyKrelian]

The only really great things about this game are the battle system and music. The characters and dialogue are pretty low quality. A lot of the actions the main party take to escape the enemy are completely ridiculous.

 

[HoodWinked]

They even made the mandatory JRPG sewer level tolerable.