XII doesn't lack a good story, it just lacks a strong emotional influence (like a running love subplot) that the FF titles usually have.

If you stand back and look at the whole of XII, it really is an epic storyline, with epic characters... it just so happens that the main character (and his sidekick) has little reason to be there as he sorta just got thrown into the mix. But with everyone else having dramtic histories that ahve lead them where they are, it still pushed the story forward, and brings about a great plot...

I would say the only problem with the storyline is that it feels like its just the final couple acts of an epic play... or the last installment of a wider trilogy... seriously, think about it.

The first part of the trilogy was basically told very quickly with the prologue, which included the intro FMV and the Reks tutorial storyline. The second part was esentailly tossed out the window and only referenced by characters, it being the whole REistance thing with Ashe, Vossler and what not... and then the third part is what the game is actually made of.

It may seem like bad storytelling, but regardless, that doesn't mean it is... flawed maybe, but not exactly bad. The story is still grand, and epic... we just don't have all the build up.

It would be as if FF7 had begun with Cloud in the mental hospital, and everything before that was just mentioned or shown in an FMV... or if FF8 had started with Galbadia and Balamb Gardens preparing to go to war with each other, and everything before that was shown through FMVs and a playable tutorial (which would've likely been the Edea assassination attempt).

What I'm trying to say is... it tells a whole story, theres just a big chunk of between the opening and the introduction of the main character tha isn't directly shown.

If you can look at it like that, you can see the whole story, and appreciate it for what it is. Like I said, it doesn't have the emotional strength other FF
titles have, but that doesn't mean its a bad story. I though it worked just fine... was absolutely brilliant with the lack of love, and everything else, such as gameplay made up for what it lacked in good build up.

And ultimately, regardless of what fanboys (like you or I) say or think, the fact of the matter is that FF12 was the best reviewed FF title since FF7, which tells the gaming industry that FF did something right, and tells Square Enix that they made some good calls in their decisions... whether we agree with them or not, the fact is still simply that, as far as reception and the gaming community en mass is concerned... FF12 was a great game.

But there is no accounting for personal opinions, thus the flack it gets from some FF fans.

I didn't like the story to FFXII... It seemed too much of a Star Wars rip-off, in my opinion.

I also didn't like the fact that you had to travel for so damn long. Places such as the Nam and Ogir-Yensa Sandsea, and having to travel EXTREMELY far to places like Giruvegan and all, it just got way too tedious. And, the characters weren't all that great. Only characters on it I could say I really liked were Basch and Balthier...

I still haven't gotten round to completing this game yet. I just decided I couldn't be bothered when Balthier described the path to Giruvegan. I didn't wanna go through all that, so.

I played it for several hours and quit. Gave the game to someone who may appreciate it more than I do. Everything in that game felt like a chore to me. The characters were bland and the story was dull, in my opinion.

Besides, I got Gears of War shortly after buying FFXII. Even if I loved the game as much as, say, FFVII or FFX, it still would have taken the back seat to other games.

I got really far in this game, but got to a point where I just couldn't be arsed going through all the traveling I had to at that point.


And, the Leviathan part was a right bore, also. ;