Final Fantasy X or XII

[Echo]

Hey Guys!

I am trying to pick between these two for my new game to play!
Which do you prefer and why?

Any reason I should go for one over the other?

Lets hear your thoughts!

 

[Kawaiidevil320]

In my opinion, I perfer X. OUt of the two I think it had the best plot, and the battle system I enjoyed better, you leveled up as you fight. I forget what it's actually called, please don't quote, i think it's called level points (LP). But you recieve them as you go and you build up your grid.

In XII , you have to buy your weapons and magic after you unlock them. Sometime I would forget buy the magic until I need it.

Though I haven't played neither in awhile my dad unhooked my PS2.

 

[greenyxi]

I would personally choose FFX out of the 2. It is typical FF and is considered by many to be the best of the series. There are many reasons why:
Being able to use all of the very interesting characters in every battle that they are in the overall party (that you have found)
Great, atmospheric music
Colourful graphics with hardly any generic dungeons
Interesting sidequests

As for FFXII...it has none of the above. I may be biased, but FF12 has what I consider to be a very boring and slow battle system, with dull characters and nothing good but the ability/stat/equipment building system.

Of course, they are 2 completely different FF games and it really depends on if you are bored of traditional turn based battles or if you think that FF should always be turn based

 

[fenixreaver]

Pretty much agree with the above statements. FFX is one of the best in the series and XII is one of the worst in the series. FFX has much better characters and one of my favorite stories.
Can't go wrong with X, it was very successful. There is a reason they are remaking it

The gameplay, however is different for both games. FFX is a more modern version of turn based while XII is the first time in the series they got away from turn based and made it real time. It was ok, the gameplay of XII was good, maybe better than X, but the lack of story and characters didn't do it any justice. Just my two cents.

 

[Linnaete]

Since 99% of the posts in this thread will probably advocate FFX over FFXII, I'm going to go ahead and suggest FFXII instead and give it a fighting chance. They are two very different games, and you either fall into one camp, or the other. I have seen very few people who profess to equally liking both entries.

If you don't mind some tight linearity with gameplay heavily driven by the plot with a few puzzles and a (dull) minigame, by all means go for FFX. The battle system it offers is perhaps the most comprehensive version of turn-based battling there is. If however, you want a world that is significantly larger and more alive, with greater opportunities for exploration, an array of bustling cities and locales and a more up-to-date JRPG combat system with no random encounters, FFXII would be your best bet.

When it comes to story, a lot of people will prefer FFX because of its emotive story and stronger cast. If you fancy something fresh and different, without as much melodrama, FFXII offers a more mature style to storytelling with sophisticated dialogue that is well-written. The downside is would be an arguably weaker cast of characters and the story not being as ubiquitously dominating. Like I said though, FFXII offers a very different experience to FFX, especially to a core audience that is very used to the style of storytelling that previous Final Fantasies have offered.

To give FFXII a fighting chance, you should try it out first, THEN FFX. If I were to grasp at straws and guess, I would suggest that FFXII wouldn't be as poorly remembered by people had they have played it before FFX. So whenever they play FFXII, they would inevitably compare it to the previous game, and lament at all the missing things, like romance, tearful moments and the like.

 

[Lirael]

Since 99% of the posts in this thread will probably advocate FFX over FFXII, I'm going to go ahead and suggest FFXII instead and give it a fighting chance. They are two very different games, and you either fall into one camp, or the other. I have seen very few people who profess to equally liking both entries.

If you don't mind some tight linearity with gameplay heavily driven by the plot with a few puzzles and a (dull) minigame, by all means go for FFX. The battle system it offers is perhaps the most comprehensive version of turn-based battling there is. If however, you want a world that is significantly larger and more alive, with greater opportunities for exploration, an array of bustling cities and locales and a more up-to-date JRPG combat system with no random encounters, FFXII would be your best bet.

When it comes to story, a lot of people will prefer FFX because of its emotive story and stronger cast. If you fancy something fresh and different, without as much melodrama, FFXII offers a more mature style to storytelling with sophisticated dialogue that is well-written. The downside is would be an arguably weaker cast of characters and the story not being as ubiquitously dominating. Like I said though, FFXII offers a very different experience to FFX, especially to a core audience that is very used to the style of storytelling that previous Final Fantasies have offered.

To give FFXII a fighting chance, you should try it out first, THEN FFX. If I were to grasp at straws and guess, I would suggest that FFXII wouldn't be as poorly remembered by people had they have played it before FFX. So whenever they play FFXII, they would inevitably compare it to the previous game, and lament at all the missing things, like romance, tearful moments and the like.

This 'aint a bad analysis of the two games, although some people really like the Blitzball in X...It's the one thing in the game I never got into.

I would recommend playing both, but I personally would play X first...

Here's my personal pros and cons list for each game.

Final Fantasy X Pros

• Beautiful story.
• A varied cast of believable characters, each with their own backstory.
• Emotion-filled dialogue.
• Some of the content is very thought-provoking, as it deals with corrupt leaders, the meaning of religion, self sacrifice, the importance and beauty of loyalty and compassion... I also felt it touched upon the connections between all people and the differences we can make to those around us.
• The world is gorgeous! Some of the towns feel Asian. The colours used are beautiful.
• To quote Fleur, 'the battle system it offers is perhaps the most comprehensive version of turn-based battling there is.' You can manipulate the sequence of turns by choosing a defensive instead of an offensive move, and can switch characters in and out of battle without losing a turn (which makes it easier to level your team up equally!)
• The Sphere Grid allows you to develop your team according to your preferences. It took me a little while to get to grips with the Sphere Grid, but as soon as I understood it, I loved what it had to offer.
• The FMV sequences. They are the best in any Final Fantasy game.
• The music. Go and listen to To Zanarkand. Now!

Final Fantasy X Cons

• Clumsy dialogue - you gotta be able to see past this to the beauty of the underlying message/what's being said.
• (I didn't mind the game being linear)
• There is a lack of freedom and a lack of minigames. I didn't enjoy Blitzball and the Cloister of Trials became tedious.

Final Fantasy XII Pros

• The world is absolutely beautiful and the game certainly gives you the chance to explore. It's possibly the best designed world of any FF game... (Am I really saying that!? It's kinda true though. )
• Balthier, Bashe and Fran are awesome.
• The Gambits system is easy to get to grips with and you can choose to disable it if you want more control over you characters.
• The levelling up system offers some choice and is a little easier to understand than the Sphere Grid.

Final Fantasy XII Cons

• Practical discussions... I felt there was very little emotion in this game. The characters have a mission and they consider what's happened and/or discuss their next steps.
• The story is lacking. :/
• The final few hours (between 3 and 4) are so dull. :wtf:

 

[ribbit]

Gonna go with Fleur here. Though, I happen to be one of the few people that enjoyed both equally.

XII starts a bit slow, and may take more time for you to get into it, but it's well worth it. Compared to X, there's a lot more to do in the game, what with all of the hunts, etc. I personally enjoyed its story, and although the battle system is different than what FF players are used to, it's not bad at all. Not enough people give XII a chance, and they're missing out on a great game. Play XII first, if you don't like it, go play X. They're both great fun.

 

[Tucker]

I like them both a lot. However, story-wise I like 10 much better.

Battle system wise, Definitely 12.

If you are wondering which you should play...

12 is more kingdom-like, ya know what I mean? A bit medeival with futuristic qualities.

10 has a big love-story. Are you a romantic type? Then you'll like 10, because 12 has no big real love story between the characters.

Random Battles or Actually seeing the enemy you will face? 10 has the former while 12 has the ladder. (Or is it, "latter"? I can never remember.)

12 has gazillions of sidequests.

12 is known to have a lack of character progression and depth, while 10 you become very close with the characters.

I personally like 10 better, but 12 is still great

 

[ribbit]

Random Battles or Actually seeing the enemy you will face? 10 has the former while 12 has the ladder. (Or is it, "latter"? I can never remember.)

It's latter


Also, if you want really great voice acting, play XII It's so damn awesome and I loved the voice acting Also, the Judges are amazing

 

[greenyxi]

It's latter


Also, if you want really great voice acting, play XII It's so damn awesome and I loved the voice acting Also, the Judges are amazing

I thought most of the voice acting in 12 was very monotone. I mean, they had quality mics by the seems of it (the voices sounded different to usual), but the acting itself was very bland, I found.

 

[Sheechiibii]

X by a mile. Has a great story with in-depth characters and lots of development between them. The world is beautifull and different, totally unique. There are lots of twists in the plot and it's never boring. The leveling system is the best (imo) of the Final Fantasy series and the gameplay and sidequests are awsome too.

XII is good, but it's story is much more wide-scale and not so character-orientated as X. You're also not dealing with an entire world, but basically a small part of a bigger picture. It all seems much less significant. The villain is not near so evil and some of the characters I wonder why they are even there. One good thing about it is the battle system, I liked that, the leveling system wasn't bad, but you couldn't see where you were going which wasn't very good. The word was amazing though, so exensive and beautiful, but it was much more realistic and less fanciful than X.

Xx..xX

 

[Grimer]

I enjoyed X's characters, story, leveling system, design, and soundtrack more.

There is more to do in XII though, and i think the game recieves an undeserved amount of hate. It's different from most FF's and it brings a different type of plot to the table. So even though I like X more, I say go with XII first, because mst people dont give the game a chance and are missing out.

 

[Echo]

Well I have given both a go today.
I will say XII is good and I quite like the changes but I do prefer X it seems more classic FF but with a modern twist

And I have X-2 lol to carry on

 

[AerithG]

X by a long shot. The story is wonderful, the game actually has some likeable characters, and the battle system is just so much smoother. X is a great game, while XII is a disgrace. :\

 

[Martel]

I doubt most people will agree with this, but that's never stopped me from giving my opinion before. So, here is how I see it:

People say FFX’s story is good, but to be honest, it’s nothing new; we’ve seen the same set of feelings, the same set of character archetypes, millions of times before this. It’s not bad, but it’s hardly original or exciting. It’s dull and predictable. The story content in FFX just isn’t enough for a proper, engaging storyline, never mind the fact that none of the content was even remotely new at the time of its release. It was your typical boy-meets-girl, boy-saves-world scenario, no different from anything else on the market, no different from any number of games people criticise for being exactly the same. It hardly differentiated itself from the masses as a game, other than bring the first Final Fantasy on the PS2. Not even the combat was even remotely innovative; if anything, it felt like a step backwards, after the progressive (for its time) ATB system. A new system means updated graphics, but all of a sudden the battle system has to devolve to the generation before it? I’m not saying the system FFX was used is bad, but it WAS inconsistent with the supposed leap forward the series was supposed to make going onto PS2. Nothing about FFX was new.

FFXII, on the other hand, has a story that is not only involving and interesting, but it’s also entirely unique. The world, and not the characters, was what mattered. Why does this make it better? Well, perhaps it doesn’t. But it DOES make it unique, and a positive step forward: the only attempt at innovation in anything other than graphics that Square Enix has attempted with its mothership FF titles since the introduction of the ATB system with whichever FF introduced the ATB system...FFIV, I think. I don't know. I don't care. The point is, you can only do so much with characters, and whatever you do will have been done thousands of times before. But you can do so much more with a world when you focus on it: the ramifications of actions, their impact and effects upon the world at large, is so much more interesting for its variety: you can predict easily what will happen when two characters interact, and how they’ll feel. But when actions affect the world, and that world is the focus, how easy is to predict what will happen? You could literally go anywhere with this and, best of all, it’s not black and white. You, as a player, can interpret it however you please. This lack of finality might be a negative point for some, but I think this is one of the biggest points in XII's favour.

The good vs. evil polarization in JRPGs in particular is stale and boring. If you’ve seen one battle like that, you’ve seen them all. FFXII didn’t have this polarization: yes, Vayne was the villain, but his motivations, like everyone else, were driven by his own personal code of ethics: put yourself in his shoes. What would you do? Can you really condemn Vayne for trying to protect his little brother? His actions do not necessarily speak louder than his words and, whilst there was clearly a point where he crossed that line between morally questionable and “traditional evil” at least by conventional standards, it was done in a believable way and, more importantly, it was done. How many other villains in the Final Fantasy series – or JRPGs as a whole – can claim the same? Very, very few. Good is good, evil is evil, and that is that. It’s BORING. FFXII took the time to properly establish the antagonists, and this in particular makes it far superior to FFX, your average, run-of-the-mill JRPG that did absolutely nothing revolutionary.

I can’t understand how people can’t appreciate FFXII. Especially considering the popularity of sandbox games these days, games which are designed so that players can have an impact upon the world they’re in. Here is a JRPG that does exactly the same thing within the limits of the genre. In fact, it even does it better than some sandbox games, because it gives you an actual story to play through, something that the likes of the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series have never really done successfully, sacrificing storyline for freedom. By the end of FFX’s story, the characters have merely saved the world, which has been done so many times before it’s cliché. By the end of FFXII, the characters have changed the world, and this is much, much more realistic, interesting, and open to interpretation. Who is to say that Ivalice will be better off under the new government? That lack of iron-hard certainty in FFXII, that THIS-IS-HOW-THINGS-ARE-DONE-IN-JRPGS that FFX clings to, is what makes it infinitely superior. It might not appeal to some people’s personal taste, but “different” does not equate to “bad”.

People don’t seem to like FFXII because of the lack of emotion in the cast, but this is easily one of the best parts of it. It refuses to prioritize the emotions of one or two people and instead focuses on what really matters: the story itself. This is something that no other Final Fantasy game has ever done successfully; the story gets totally obscured once the two lead characters realise their feelings for one another, and it always takes the same, predictable turn. FFX became boring and very predictable once it ceased to be about the journey and entirely about how Tidus and Yuna were pining over one another, like any other couple at that age. Yuna lost that strength of character she had when she began and turned into yet another meek, Disney Princess-esque character. Ashe, by comparison, never lost that strength: from beginning to end, she was an admirable, interesting and very focused character.

I will never understand how people can think of FFXII as a disgrace; it is the only Final Fantasy game that really tries to change beyond the boundaries of the genre. Square Enix fell into a comfortable, predictable pattern after the success of the original Final Fantasy, and again with FFVII to IX, and that leap from 2D to 3D. X was a throwback to the series’ roots and, whilst I can’t fault it for sticking to the formulae, it’s a very mediocre and predictable video game as a result. FFXII is the only FF game that is truly different from the rest: no longer do we have the same shitty love plot dominating what was a promising story beforehand. The ATB system has been upgraded significantly, and the world of Ivalice, which had already been detailed in some small part through the Tactics series, has been expanded significantly. It adheres to the standards of graphics for the time, so people can’t bitch about that petty detail, and it represents a step forward for the JRPG genre, and the Final Fantasy series. Yet people criticise it for being different. I fail to see how a shift in focus from character stereotypes we’ve seen a thousand times over to a richly complex and diverse world can be a bad thing. It is initially difficult to empathise with the characters, yes. But there is MORE to FFXII than just its cast, and that is something that can’t really be said of any FF game. Outside of the cast – stereotypical archetypes ripped straight from the JRPG history books, one and all – what is there about FFX that is even remotely appealing? Spira is nowhere near as developed as Ivalice is, nor does it have as rich a history. The battle system? You can find its like in many JRPGs double FFX’s age.

FFXII also represents a step forward in terms of the battle system. From turn-based, to active-time, to a system that is almost real-time. FFX, by comparison, is a step backwards, being a traditional turn-based system. There is nothing wrong with this. But at the same time, it deserves no praise for it. I don’t see how anyone can whine about the Gambit System either, not when it is more than complete enough to allow you to effectively set up your own AI. It’s as interactive as you want it to be, and this degree of freedom and convenience it offers hasn’t been duplicated in any FF game, before or after. If you want to dictate every move, then you can do so. If you don’t want to, you can set it all up and watch the game play itself. The Gambit System in FFXII is designed to cater to the needs of the individual player and, if you had problems with it, that was only due to your own incompetence to design an effective strategy. You could tinker with it, set it up on basic commands and then ignore it, or ignore it entirely. FFXII toed the line between active-time battle and real-time battle, and it did it very well. The License Board was, perhaps, a little stale, and the one criticism I would level at the game, but the Zodiac Job Board in the International version fixed this problem by making the game more diverse. Unfortunately, the West didn’t see that version, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was implemented to make the game more satisfactory…and, ultimately, the Sphere Grid system was little better once you had maxxed it out. The two systems are more or less on par with one another, really: they both allow you some degree of customization, but are a step backwards from having pure job roles, as such.

As has been mentioned, FFXII also has considerably more to do, as well. FFX did not really encourage exploration. FFXII more than encouraged it. FFX had the Monster Arena, which took up more hours to finish, but FFXII’s marks were far more satisfying to track down and eliminate. It’s not a major point, but you couldn’t cheat with Zanmato in FFXII either. Although you COULD leave the battle against Yiazmat at any time to heal, which defeated the point of having a superboss with over fifty million health…

FFX is a solid game. But that is all it is. It’s the safe option, but it’s mediocre as a result. It’s a by-the-book JRPG, and you can’t really flaw it as a result…but it would be a mistake to praise it when its like had been around for decades before its release. FFXII is a bold step forward, and one that more than pays off if you don’t immediately switch off just because it doesn’t have an effeminate teenage boy pining over his newfound love and totally destroying the story. FFXII represents the direction Square Enix should have continued in with their development of JRPGs. Alas, that didn’t happen, and we got stuck with FFXIII, which is even more of a throwback than FFX is, but at least FFX had a storyline to go with its shamelessly recycled cast.

FFX is just another JRPG. FFXII is a masterpiece, that deserves far more recognition that what it gets. That's how I see it, take it or leave it.

 

[Starships]

Final Fantasy X

- Better storyline & character development. There was not a single ounce of character development in FF12, most of the time it seemed like the characters were following each other " just because they could "

Also the storyline in FFX is amazing and well written and just triggers all these emotions. FF12 just felt dull and flat & like it had no emotion whatsoever. FFX left me feeling happy, feeling silly, and in tears. FF12 left me feeling bored.

- Better music. Suteki na de, Someday the dream will end, Yuna's theme, Auron's theme, Seymour's ambition. All wonderful tracks. FF12's music just felt so quiet and well, dull.

- Better Characters. Vaan is dreadful and while Tidus had his annoying moments, you could still relate to him and cheer for him, also he was brought into a new world without warning so you can understand why he acts the way that he does. Vaan ? I wanna be a sky pirate..... that's it.

- Better battle system. opinion... but FFX has the best battle system in the whole Final Fantasy series and the best leveling up system. The sphere grid is just so addictive FFX has a great system because you can always summon any character you want during battle, but it still stays true to the original Final Fantasy battle format.

While FF12 breaks away from that tradition in a disappointing change. They should bring back the sphere grid and FF10 battle system for FF15

 

[AerithG]

^Couldn't have said it better myself, Blue Heartilly.

 

[ribbit]

I doubt most people will agree with this, but that's never stopped me from giving my opinion before. So, here is how I see it:

People say FFX’s story is good, but to be honest, it’s nothing new; we’ve seen the same set of feelings, the same set of character archetypes, millions of times before this. It’s not bad, but it’s hardly original or exciting. It’s dull and predictable. The story content in FFX just isn’t enough for a proper, engaging storyline, never mind the fact that none of the content was even remotely new at the time of its release. It was your typical boy-meets-girl, boy-saves-world scenario, no different from anything else on the market, no different from any number of games people criticise for being exactly the same. It hardly differentiated itself from the masses as a game, other than bring the first Final Fantasy on the PS2. Not even the combat was even remotely innovative; if anything, it felt like a step backwards, after the progressive (for its time) ATB system. A new system means updated graphics, but all of a sudden the battle system has to devolve to the generation before it? I’m not saying the system FFX was used is bad, but it WAS inconsistent with the supposed leap forward the series was supposed to make going onto PS2. Nothing about FFX was new.

FFXII, on the other hand, has a story that is not only involving and interesting, but it’s also entirely unique. The world, and not the characters, was what mattered. Why does this make it better? Well, perhaps it doesn’t. But it DOES make it unique, and a positive step forward: the only attempt at innovation in anything other than graphics that Square Enix has attempted with its mothership FF titles since the introduction of the ATB system with whichever FF introduced the ATB system...FFIV, I think. I don't know. I don't care. The point is, you can only do so much with characters, and whatever you do will have been done thousands of times before. But you can do so much more with a world when you focus on it: the ramifications of actions, their impact and effects upon the world at large, is so much more interesting for its variety: you can predict easily what will happen when two characters interact, and how they’ll feel. But when actions affect the world, and that world is the focus, how easy is to predict what will happen? You could literally go anywhere with this and, best of all, it’s not black and white. You, as a player, can interpret it however you please. This lack of finality might be a negative point for some, but I think this is one of the biggest points in XII's favour.

The good vs. evil polarization in JRPGs in particular is stale and boring. If you’ve seen one battle like that, you’ve seen them all. FFXII didn’t have this polarization: yes, Vayne was the villain, but his motivations, like everyone else, were driven by his own personal code of ethics: put yourself in his shoes. What would you do? Can you really condemn Vayne for trying to protect his little brother? His actions do not necessarily speak louder than his words and, whilst there was clearly a point where he crossed that line between morally questionable and “traditional evil” at least by conventional standards, it was done in a believable way and, more importantly, it was done. How many other villains in the Final Fantasy series – or JRPGs as a whole – can claim the same? Very, very few. Good is good, evil is evil, and that is that. It’s BORING. FFXII took the time to properly establish the antagonists, and this in particular makes it far superior to FFX, your average, run-of-the-mill JRPG that did absolutely nothing revolutionary.

I can’t understand how people can’t appreciate FFXII. Especially considering the popularity of sandbox games these days, games which are designed so that players can have an impact upon the world they’re in. Here is a JRPG that does exactly the same thing within the limits of the genre. In fact, it even does it better than some sandbox games, because it gives you an actual story to play through, something that the likes of the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series have never really done successfully, sacrificing storyline for freedom. By the end of FFX’s story, the characters have merely saved the world, which has been done so many times before it’s cliché. By the end of FFXII, the characters have changed the world, and this is much, much more realistic, interesting, and open to interpretation. Who is to say that Ivalice will be better off under the new government? That lack of iron-hard certainty in FFXII, that THIS-IS-HOW-THINGS-ARE-DONE-IN-JRPGS that FFX clings to, is what makes it infinitely superior. It might not appeal to some people’s personal taste, but “different” does not equate to “bad”.

People don’t seem to like FFXII because of the lack of emotion in the cast, but this is easily one of the best parts of it. It refuses to prioritize the emotions of one or two people and instead focuses on what really matters: the story itself. This is something that no other Final Fantasy game has ever done successfully; the story gets totally obscured once the two lead characters realise their feelings for one another, and it always takes the same, predictable turn. FFX became boring and very predictable once it ceased to be about the journey and entirely about how Tidus and Yuna were pining over one another, like any other couple at that age. Yuna lost that strength of character she had when she began and turned into yet another meek, Disney Princess-esque character. Ashe, by comparison, never lost that strength: from beginning to end, she was an admirable, interesting and very focused character.

I will never understand how people can think of FFXII as a disgrace; it is the only Final Fantasy game that really tries to change beyond the boundaries of the genre. Square Enix fell into a comfortable, predictable pattern after the success of the original Final Fantasy, and again with FFVII to IX, and that leap from 2D to 3D. X was a throwback to the series’ roots and, whilst I can’t fault it for sticking to the formulae, it’s a very mediocre and predictable video game as a result. FFXII is the only FF game that is truly different from the rest: no longer do we have the same shitty love plot dominating what was a promising story beforehand. The ATB system has been upgraded significantly, and the world of Ivalice, which had already been detailed in some small part through the Tactics series, has been expanded significantly. It adheres to the standards of graphics for the time, so people can’t bitch about that petty detail, and it represents a step forward for the JRPG genre, and the Final Fantasy series. Yet people criticise it for being different. I fail to see how a shift in focus from character stereotypes we’ve seen a thousand times over to a richly complex and diverse world can be a bad thing. It is initially difficult to empathise with the characters, yes. But there is MORE to FFXII than just its cast, and that is something that can’t really be said of any FF game. Outside of the cast – stereotypical archetypes ripped straight from the JRPG history books, one and all – what is there about FFX that is even remotely appealing? Spira is nowhere near as developed as Ivalice is, nor does it have as rich a history. The battle system? You can find its like in many JRPGs double FFX’s age.

FFXII also represents a step forward in terms of the battle system. From turn-based, to active-time, to a system that is almost real-time. FFX, by comparison, is a step backwards, being a traditional turn-based system. There is nothing wrong with this. But at the same time, it deserves no praise for it. I don’t see how anyone can whine about the Gambit System either, not when it is more than complete enough to allow you to effectively set up your own AI. It’s as interactive as you want it to be, and this degree of freedom and convenience it offers hasn’t been duplicated in any FF game, before or after. If you want to dictate every move, then you can do so. If you don’t want to, you can set it all up and watch the game play itself. The Gambit System in FFXII is designed to cater to the needs of the individual player and, if you had problems with it, that was only due to your own incompetence to design an effective strategy. You could tinker with it, set it up on basic commands and then ignore it, or ignore it entirely. FFXII toed the line between active-time battle and real-time battle, and it did it very well. The License Board was, perhaps, a little stale, and the one criticism I would level at the game, but the Zodiac Job Board in the International version fixed this problem by making the game more diverse. Unfortunately, the West didn’t see that version, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was implemented to make the game more satisfactory…and, ultimately, the Sphere Grid system was little better once you had maxxed it out. The two systems are more or less on par with one another, really: they both allow you some degree of customization, but are a step backwards from having pure job roles, as such.

As has been mentioned, FFXII also has considerably more to do, as well. FFX did not really encourage exploration. FFXII more than encouraged it. FFX had the Monster Arena, which took up more hours to finish, but FFXII’s marks were far more satisfying to track down and eliminate. It’s not a major point, but you couldn’t cheat with Zanmato in FFXII either. Although you COULD leave the battle against Yiazmat at any time to heal, which defeated the point of having a superboss with over fifty million health…

FFX is a solid game. But that is all it is. It’s the safe option, but it’s mediocre as a result. It’s a by-the-book JRPG, and you can’t really flaw it as a result…but it would be a mistake to praise it when its like had been around for decades before its release. FFXII is a bold step forward, and one that more than pays off if you don’t immediately switch off just because it doesn’t have an effeminate teenage boy pining over his newfound love and totally destroying the story. FFXII represents the direction Square Enix should have continued in with their development of JRPGs. Alas, that didn’t happen, and we got stuck with FFXIII, which is even more of a throwback than FFX is, but at least FFX had a storyline to go with its shamelessly recycled cast.

FFX is just another JRPG. FFXII is a masterpiece, that deserves far more recognition that what it gets. That's how I see it, take it or leave it.

Everyone needs to read this in its entirety, dammit All of you XII haters

 

[Starships]

^Couldn't have said it better myself, @Blue Heartilly.

Oh ! Thankyou Aerith G !

Everyone needs to read this in its entirety, dammit All of you XII haters

I don't know if anybody else who dislikes FF12 read it, .... but I did and disagreed alot. To be honest I stopped reading when it said " FF12's story is involving and interesting ".

Also FF12 is a masterpiece and FF 10 is just another stale JRPG ? No way, disagree, disagree....

 

[Martel]

Everyone needs to read this in its entirety, dammit All of you XII haters

I'm used to having my opinions ignored. Pay it no mind. Haters gonna hate~



I could list dozens of characters that are EXACTLY the same as the cast in Final Fantasy X, and could make direct comparisons to the storyline (or what passes for it) and battle system. FFX IS mediocre and average, because it stays within the confines of the genre. It does nothing new, nothing exciting, and nothing at all that is even remotely original. Does this make it a BAD game? No. Does it make it a game that is unworthy of praise? Yes. How can you praise that which has already been done millions of times over? What makes it worthy of praise?

ORIGINALITY is what is praiseworthy. FFXII strives for originality. Therefore it is praiseworthy. FFX does not attempt to distinguish itself from the masses, and therefore it deserves to be forgotten with the rest of them. Outside of personal preference, looking at FFXII in an objective light, I have yet to see a single real criticism for it. I have yet to see why FFXII is such a bad game. It corrects the mistakes made by the majority of JRPGs - the retarded angsty drama which always controls the direction of the story being the biggest example - and those that it doesn't correct it cannot be criticised for any more than any other game which makes the same mistakes. All I ever hear is "this is boring" or "this is not as good" when in reality it is actually "this is different from your standard Final Fantasy game, and therefore not to my personal taste" and nothing else.

I suppose I find it disheartening that people are so close-minded to the change FFXII represents. FFX was, in every way, a step backwards.