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[duckroll]

Okay I've put about an hour into it so far... here are some thoughts:

- Let's get this out of the way first: S-E, next time you try making a RTS-ish game, know that it's a retarded idea to deselect all units everytime a command is issued! It's annoying and stupid!

- Graphics are nice, music is nice, sprite work is great.

- If you didn't like FFX-2's story style, you probably wouldn't enjoy this. I loved FFX-2 so the story's pretty good. It's random fun with silly humor and offbeat stuff. Tons of tongue-in-cheek self parody.

- Gameplay's rather simplistic, there aren't a lot of options, so it doesn't really feel very engaging but it isn't offensive or boring.

- Tons of FMV.

- Did I mention there's tons of FMV?

- On a plus side the manual is a nice full color 42 page booklet! I love packaging! :lol

 

[manzo]

I thought you hated FFX-2.

 

[Jonnyram]

So no horrible pathfinding yet?

 

[Duderz]

- If you didn't like FFX-2's story style, you probably wouldn't enjoy this. I loved FFX-2 so the story's pretty good. It's random fun with silly humor and offbeat stuff. Tons of tongue-in-cheek self parody.

Expected, but I'm still disappointed.

So much for this. :/

 

[duckroll]

I thought you hated FFX-2.

I love FFX-2, wtf? It's FFX that I'm not really fond of.

So no horrible pathfinding yet?

The pathfinding seems decent, but that might be because the mission maps so far aren't really complex. They're not really big, but I haven't had any problems seperating my units to open chests, mine materials, and attack enemies at the same time. And when I needed to I could still get them back together rather quickly.

 

[manzo]

I love FFX-2, wtf? It's FFX that I'm not really fond of.

Oh yeah, wrong way.

 

[Pachinko]

Wait this games an RTS ? huh ? I thought it was the same battle system as before just not it was isometric 3d with sprites instead of full 3d.

 

[Tabris]

- If you didn't like FFX-2's story style, you probably wouldn't enjoy this. I loved FFX-2 so the story's pretty good. It's random fun with silly humor and offbeat stuff. Tons of tongue-in-cheek self parody.

Why can't either SE side games, or DS games have serious stories? (if you can give me an example of an JRPG on the DS with a serious story, please let me know so I can go buy it)

 

[Matsuno]

How are boss fight?

 

[Pureauthor]

- If you didn't like FFX-2's story style, you probably wouldn't enjoy this. I loved FFX-2 so the story's pretty good. It's random fun with silly humor and offbeat stuff. Tons of tongue-in-cheek self parody.

Hey, not bad.

Hope it's not too cheesy, though.

Why can't either SE side games, or DS games have serious stories? (if you can give me an example of an JRPG on the DS with a serious story, please let me know so I can go buy it)

Well, most 'serious' jRPG storylines have this unfortunate tendency to collapse under the weight of their own bloated pretentiousness, so I'm not sure why the DS having less of them is a particularly bad thing.

(And just to clarify, what's your minimum bar for 'serious'?)

 

[grandjedi6]

Why can't either SE side games, or DS games have serious stories? (if you can give me an example of an JRPG on the DS with a serious story, please let me know so I can go buy it)

Well to be honest very few games have truly serious stories, especially in the handhelds

That said Etrian Odyssey does come out next month

 

[Eteric Rice]

There are very few games on consoles with serious stories.

I hate serious stories anyway, they take themselves to serious. Give me a mix of story between Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy... Or at least the comedy from Dragon Quest.

 

[john tv]

It's RTS-like?

 

[Fio]

Talk to us about the gambit system and summons.(are they useful ?).

 

[Tabris]

Well, most 'serious' jRPG storylines have this unfortunate tendency to collapse under the weight of their own bloated pretentiousness, so I'm not sure why the DS having less of them is a particularly bad thing.
(And just to clarify, what's your minimum bar for 'serious'?)

I like bloated pretentious JRPG stories though. It's the reason I play the genre.

An example of a portable game with a 'serious story' is Tactics Ogre: Knights of Lodis.

That's what I'm looking for on the DS, not Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Anything like that yet as it looks like FFXII: RW won't be it?

 

[Pureauthor]

It's RTS-like?

john, have you ever entered the trailers thread for FFXII:RW? :lol

I like bloated pretentious JRPG stories though. It's the reason I play the genre.

An example of a portable game with a 'serious story' is Tactics Ogre: Knights of Lodis.

That's what I'm looking for on the DS, not Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Anything like that yet as it looks like FFXII: RW won't be it?

Then wait for Etrian Odyssey or St!ng to develop something and Atlus to bring it over. There's a Bioware RPG coming for the DS too.

And while you're at it, get Yggdra Union for the GBA.

 

[Jonnyram]

It's RTS-like?

I've heard of putting yourself of media blackouts to not spoil a game, but this is something else

 

[duckroll]

Okay, I cleared chapter 2... it's getting a little more fun... maybe. The game feels highly geared towards a much younger audience and as a result is rather easy. It seems pretty much impossible to screw up so badly that you would lose a mission since there are a gazillion ways out of any situation. The gameplay isn't really grabbing me, and as far as Japanese RTS stuff goes Grim Grimoire is waaaay superior. The characters are fun though, and the scenario is pretty interesting. I have to say, there's something strangely appealing about massing an army of FF monsters in sprite form and just watching them tear enemies apart. I guess that's going to be the main appeal of FFXIIRW - a charming humorous FF fangame in a mix of JRPG and RTS.

 

[Error]

Tabris: there is Xenosaga Ep1 and Ep2 on DS :d

fits your "pretentious and 'serious' storyline" criteria.

 

[Tabris]

Then wait for Etrian Odyssey or St!ng to develop something and Atlus to bring it over. There's a Bioware RPG coming for the DS too.

And while you're at it, get Yggdra Union for the GBA.

I just looked up Etrian Odyssey and it looks like a true throwback to those very old FPS PC RPGs. I don't see any evidence on the story though. I'll wait for feedback/impressions. Has it been released in Japan? duckroll, bebpo, any impressions?

Tabris: there is Xenosaga Ep1 and Ep2 on DS :d

fits your "pretentious and 'serious' storyline" criteria.

That's a port though, I mean an original game. Plus I don't know japanese since it wasn't released here. I know you were just trying to insult me but I thought I would respond to it seriousely..... excuse the pun.

 

[Thoren]

- If you didn't like FFX-2

Oh sweet jesus

 

[duckroll]

Talk to us about the gambit system and summons.(are they useful ?).

There isn't really a gambit "system" at all. Calling it a system would be way too generous. The "gambits" in FFXIIRW are simply on/off switches for any skill that the character has learnt. Turning it on means the character would automatically use that skill, turning it off means you have to manually use it all the time. It's just a dumb AI toggle.

 

[Sho Nuff]

How do you think this compares to Heroes of Mana?

 

[vareon]

It's easy?

But thanks for making this thread. I still have a mixed feeling about this game though, so I'll wait for more impressions.

 

[iifu]

I just looked up Etrian Odyssey and it looks like a true throwback to those very old FPS PC RPGs. I don't see any evidence on the story though. I'll wait for feedback/impressions. Has it been released in Japan? duckroll, bebpo, any impressions?

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=132692

There isn't really a gambit "system" at all. Calling it a system would be way too generous. The "gambits" in FFXIIRW are simply on/off switches for any skill that the character has learnt. Turning it on means the character would automatically use that skill, turning it off means you have to manually use it all the time. It's just a dumb AI toggle.

How about character leveling/acquiring abilities? I read that this game uses something called the License Ring? How does it compare to the License Board? (Yes, I'm afraid to ask.)

 

[Shouta]

So I take it the game kind of plays like a point and touch Growlanser duck? I've seen the videos but the only ones I saw were kind of fast and I couldn't get a full idea of how everything worked.

 

[Alex]

FFX-2

...:lol

Request company name change to Douche Bags & Enix.

 

[duckroll]

How about character leveling/acquiring abilities? I read that this game uses something called the License Ring? How does it compare to the License Board? (Yes, I'm afraid to ask.)

Characters gain exp after each mission and gain unique skills/spells as they level up. It's nothing like FFXII at all. The License Ring a Sphere Grid-like system where you use magic stones to earn new summons. It's shared by the entire party, so as long as a summon is contracted anyone can summon it.

So I take it the game kind of plays like a point and touch Growlanser duck? I've seen the videos but the only ones I saw were kind of fast and I couldn't get a full idea of how everything worked.

Maaaaaybe. I guess it'll be like a point and touch Growlanser if the characters in Growlanser could summon monster troops and if each area in the game is broken into RTS map missions in-between cutscenes or accessed from a world map. The entire presentation and flow of the game feels pretty half-assed honestly.

 

[Magicpaint]

Uh oh. This doesn't sound quite as good as I'd hoped. :/

 

[duckroll]

In chapter 3 quite a few new options open up. There are now optional missions available that you can play at any time. The game isn't BAD by any means really, it's just rather disappointing for a numbered FF game especially given the staff behind it. The gameplay is definitely rather shallow and tailored towards beginners and kids, but the scenario is pretty fun and carefree.

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

I'm still playing FFXII (hi PAL gamers) so I did a little media block on this game. Does it have towns or its mission-based? After what I have seen of FFXII story, I don't think I care about its sequel story...so well, the first question, how the gameplay is and how long the game is, thats what I want to know right now.

 

[Chris Remo]

(if you can give me an example of an JRPG with a serious story, please let me know)

fixed lol

 

[Magicpaint]

In chapter 3 quite a few new options open up. There are now optional missions available that you can play at any time. The game isn't BAD by any means really, it's just rather disappointing for a numbered FF game especially given the staff behind it. The gameplay is definitely rather shallow and tailored towards beginners and kids, but the scenario is pretty fun and carefree.

I guess we should have listened to the 'My first Final Fantasy' claims back then. Still disappointing, I might have to skip on this.

I LOVE FFXII, but this sounds nothing like it. I hope this mindset isn't the permanent one Square-Enix is going to adopt when they consider future Final Fantasy games on the DS.

 

[mabuza]

meh. think i'll wait for crystal chronicles

 

[KyanMehwulfe]

They went X-2 on XII? Matsuno must be rolling in his grave coffin of necromantic fury.

I can't say I'm surprised though based on the goofy FFTAesque art style.

 

[Aokage]

Duckroll, kind sir, please reveal where/how you flying getted this game! I know a shop that will sell at midnight the day before release, but three days is extremely enviable

 

[Matsuno]

They went X-2 on XII? Matsuno must be rolling in his grave coffin of necromantic fury.

I can't say I'm surprised though based on the goofy FFTAesque art style.

If Matsuno is still alive with the Ivalice Alleance "YAZZ" seriously risks to die...

 

[vareon]

Is there any exploration, or the exploration is limited on our Airship only? Man, I don't know what to expect anymore now . I understand that this is not a bad game, but I might be expecting a little too much...

 

[Ananaz]

If Matsuno is still alive with the Ivalice Alleance "YAZZ" seriously risks to die...

I'm starting to get the feeling he left Square in the first place because he didn't share the companys ideals of turning Ivalice into a fantastic world of shitty sequels and spin-offs. :/

Such a shame RW turned out like this. Can't say I'm surprised, but I was kinda hoping it would redeem Toriyama in my eyes, but it seems like it's just the opposite. Oh well, I'm a big Ivalice geek, so I'll probably end up buying it anyway. Here's hoping they might tone it up a bit for the US/Euro release.

 

[Zalasta]

I will second the "meh" impression to the thought of a FF title with RTS style of play.

 

[Suikoguy]

You know SquarEnix, not all DS gamers are kids..

 

[mint]

I knew this game would be crap excreted off their milk machine. i laugh at the kids here who thought this game would be great.

 

[Haunted]

Do I need to have played FFXII to understand the story in this one? Are the characters introduced properly or is it assumed that the player knows them already from XII?

 

[tebiro boy]

GAF Tokyoites: where/what day of the week can I get a DS Lite? I stupidly gave mine to my little sister thinking they couldn't possibly still be hard to get hold of in Japan... but I can't find one! I've heard rumours at work that you have to queue up early on Saturday morning...

I've found some rip-off places in Akihabara selling them at a mark-up, but I don't buy from such places as a matter of principle.

...but I really want to play Revenant Wings.

 

[Amir0x]

- If you didn't like FFX-2's story style, you probably wouldn't enjoy this. I loved FFX-2 so the story's pretty good. It's random fun with silly humor and offbeat stuff. Tons of tongue-in-cheek self parody.

dun.

dun.

duuuun.

As a big fan of the world they created in FFXII, this is pretty terrible to me!

I mean at least FFX-2 had the nice battle system going for it, but you don't sound too happy about the FFXII RW battle system either.

 

[duckroll]

Is there any exploration, or the exploration is limited on our Airship only? Man, I don't know what to expect anymore now . I understand that this is not a bad game, but I might be expecting a little too much...

Exploration is so far limited to the airship and walking from point A to B on the world map. There's no exploration in towns, cities or dungeons. Every mission is a small to medium sized SRPG style map.

Do I need to have played FFXII to understand the story in this one? Are the characters introduced properly or is it assumed that the player knows them already from XII?

You don't need to have played FFXII to understand the -story- because it's brand new, but they do expect you to already know all the characters so they're not introduced at all.

As a big fan of the world they created in FFXII, this is pretty terrible to me!

I mean at least FFX-2 had the nice battle system going for it, but you don't sound too happy about the FFXII RW battle system either.

FFXIIRW's gameplay is all over the place. Whenever it's fun, I don't even feel it has anything to do with the quality of the gameplay but instead because it's kinda cool seeing an army of FF monsters fight another army of FF monsters. Great concept, not so hot execution. :/

 

[RevenantKioku]

Wait, "mining materials" wtf? This sounds way more RTS-like than I was expecting.
PASS.

 

[duckroll]

Wait, "mining materials" wtf? This sounds way more RTS-like than I was expecting.
PASS.

It's not really the RTS aspect of mining, or I would have said minerals. Basically on the mission maps there are optional materials (wood, bone, random shit) that can be "mined" optionally. At the end of the mission you get the items you find in chests and those you have mined. The materials from mining can be used later in the game to make and upgrade equipment.

Also, chapter 3 had a rather interesting set of missions. It's still easy and largely phoned in, but there's slightly more variety than before. The manual also talks about mistknacks and stuff which still aren't available to me, so hopefully it continues to pick up until it gets really interesting even if the gameplay remains simple. Hoping for the best!

 

[John Harker]

So a unique DS game set in the FF12 world, where the main characters (Vaan, arguably Penelo) actually don't take themselves seriously? They are just kids, so I think it'll be refreshing to see them lighthearted and 'humerous' - Basche, Ashe, and Fran were always the serious ones, and accetably so. Vaan and Penelo, they are the main focus of RW? That works for me then, since they have always been just a bunch of kids caught up in a struggle thats way over their head - I can accept a tonality change in the story if it centers on them. Balthier always had a cuastic wit, so that could work in this univerise.

I'm interested in trying a new gameplay approach in my FFs, so as long as it isn't disgustingly easy... you've sold me.

 

[Cosmonaut X]

Also, chapter 3 had a rather interesting set of missions. It's still easy and largely phoned in, but there's slightly more variety than before. The manual also talks about mistknacks and stuff which still aren't available to me, so hopefully it continues to pick up until it gets really interesting even if the gameplay remains simple. Hoping for the best!

Any ideas on the total number of chapters? From what little I’ve seen of the early stages of the game, it does seem rather basic, but if further options become available and the battles become more complex as you progress, I could forgive the “tap yourself, tap your enemy, WIN!” battles in the opening levels.