I just beat FFXII! Here is my review.

[Blackmore]

Game play 9/10

Fun game, that is all.

Music: 8/10
Had some awesome tunes, like the boss fight, but a lot of filler! Maybe I just prefer Uematsu's melodies to XII's ambient music.

Graphics: 9.5/10
Had a lot of FMV's which were absurdly beautiful. Also, normal graphics were good too, for ps2 (outside of the faces, which looked a bit weird).

World 10/10
HUGE! love that.

Side quests 10/10
Only FF I've done all the trouble of going out looking for yiazmat, ultima and omega kind of bosses.

Difficulty 7.5/10
Can't complain, some tricky parts definitely in the game, especially mid-game. At the end though, Vayne turned out to be a lil' easy, so dissapointed me a little.

Characters 3/10
bfff, This could be one of the only games where the setup and story are interesting, but the characters...aside from Balthier and Basch, I couldn't care less for any of them. And they don't develop really.



General score 7.9/10

 

[Solemn]

My short review for Final Fantasy XII

10/10. One of the few games on my list of what I call "perfect games".

I think everyone who hates this game either gets bored quickly or wants over-the-top, super-colorful, or superhuman characters. Well, too bad. This is the most down-to-Earth Final Fantasy, and it is not bad for it by a long shot.

Vaan is an audience surrogate that acts like a real person. He is the primary playable character BECAUSE he is an audience surrogate. He knows barely more than the player does, so when he learns something about the world, you do too-- so you don't have to be overwhelmed by learning about the game's world and rules all at once. If you don't think that a lack of an audience surrogate or well-paced world-building can be a problem, then clearly you have never played a game like Xenosaga. Even Final Fantasy IX is a game where "the world's rules aren't important. Things just happen-- accept it". That's not good writing. Instead, Vaan is the main character in XII for the SAME REASON that Tidus is the main character in X, and for the same reason Lightning gets stuck with Sazh at the beginning of XIII. Stop complaining about Vaan not being enough of a superhero or not being the real main character.

Final Fantasy XII has the best visuals of the 6th generation, bar none, and they aged very well. Its story progression, dialogue, and voice acting are extremely professional. Every single line of text, every single texture, every single animation is grammar-nazi- and snobby-artist-pleasing PERFECT. This game is a treat for those who love high ambition and extreme attention to detail. No other Final Fantasy game so far is as well-planned, well-made, and well-polished-- not XIII or any of them.

The battle system is seamless and superb. If you don't think about gambits or prepare properly, you will die. It's not auto-play; so ignore people who say that, because they clearly haven't gotten very far. If you play on lower levels and take on some optional bosses, you will experience some of the most intense and satisfying balancing acts you've ever played.

The game is filled to the brim with content and spared no expense. It took nearly six years to make this game (holding the Guinness Book world record for development time), and it shows. There are so many major and minor characters, so many places lovingly-detailed, so many weapons and items and enemies and lore to read. This game serves best those who love details, lore, and expansive content.

Now, this game doesn't have any memorable tear-jerker moments like some Final Fantasy games (except maybe one in the end), and its soundtrack-- while professionally composed and created-- isn't as memorable as many other Final Fantasy games' soundtracks. But those are really the only faults I can find in this game, and they are practically negligible.

Whoever says this game sucks has no appreciate for either scale or details, and lacks the ability to discern well-made content from amateur or pandering content. Or they are die-hard anime fans. This is not an anime-esque game. This game is very mature in its production-- it knows what it wants to be, does things professionally, and doesn't pander. Adults and non-anime-fans are more likely to appreciate this Final Fantasy than teenagers and anime fans.

This game is about as mature and perfect as you can get. The best Final Fantasy to date.

 

[PeaceLoveArt]

I thought this game was okay. But I just didn’t like Van being the main character because at times I felt like he was just there and I felt like the other characters kind of over shined him at times. I liked the cutscenes in the game especially the opening scene. I just thought the graphics and the character development could be better.