Platform: Playstation
Developer: Konami
Completion Time: 6 hours 8 minutes 36 seconds
Percentage: 80.3%
This is absolutely one of my favorite games of all time. It belongs at least in my top 10 if not the top 5, it is just lovingly crafted to total perfection. I saw it on the Playstation store on my PS3 and had to score it for a steal of a deal at $10! I wanted a really quick playthrough before I tackled anything else, so I only did the first castle/Richter ending. I'll play this gem many times however, I am certain of that.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Final Fantasy 12
Platform: Playstation 2
Developer: Square Enix
Completion Time: Around 75 hours
Final Fantasy 12, hereafter referred to as FF12 is a MSORPG or massively single-player offline roleplaying game. It bears a strong resemblance to the Star Wars saga as observed by my heterosexual life partner and myself. In it, androgynous heroes combat the forces of politics in a dramatic tale full of Shakespearian dialogue. An explanation of what FF12 is probably doesn't serve as a blog however, I would be surprised if you weren't familiar with the game or at least the franchise. Let me rant a bit about the quality of the game rather than its identity.
I really like FF12, I really do. The only reason I'm just finishing it after over a year of being released is mainly due to the dread juggernaut World of Warcraft which I am hopeful I have rid myself of, but can never be sure. FF12 is a masterpiece of a console RPG at the very least. I would go as far as to say it is a masterpiece of gaming in general, worthy of a spot in the Valhalla of sweet electronic entertainment.
FF12 and I have a long history, at least I think we do. It is entirely possible I am hallucinating, but for some reason I'm inclined to believe I remember seeing early screenshots of FF12 before I even had a Playstation 2. Back then all I could give the game credit for was "those moogles look pretty sweet". Well, the moogles ended up looking and being extremely sweet as well as the rest of the game. If you've played multiple Final Fantasy games in the past then you probably have come to realize each game changes the formula a bit but the core feel of the series persists. The same is true here even despite the vast departure from turn-based combat. So you've got some stuff to kill and you don't want to push x,x every few seconds then sit back to watch your dudes and dudettes take a swing then repeat until you need to heal or whatever or the stuff is dead. What do you do? Well in FF12 you basically program your characters to act based on certain parameters like who is almost dead, who is poisoned and so on just as a couple of crude examples. At first I had a hard time adapting to the new system but after a slightly longer learning curve I grew to enjoy it.
For character development FF12 managed to innovate an entirely new system which is not easy when you have 10 direct predecessors all with varying systems. You earn license points from killing enemies and then you spend them on a grid for "Licenses" which allow you to equip gear, use spells and abilities, and enhance your party with passive abilities. This was a nicely implemented system and I enjoyed it as much or more than the Materia system from FF7 and the "equip stuff and have its abilities then earn points so you can keep the abilities and switch gear" system from FF9... at least that's what I call it.
The world map was also done differently in this incarnation and more closely resembled Final Fantasy Tactics in the fact that you have a flat representation of the map that looks like an atlas and little icons for the destinations. You can travel either by foot from area to area, teleport via crystals using an item from your inventory, or eventually you get access to your own airship to choose almost any destination for instant travel. It wouldn't be Final Fantasy if you didn't end up with an airship, oh and there's Cid too :)
Overall FF12 was an epic experience that spanned many months for me, it all came together beautifully in the end and I wouldn't change a thing. There is a lot more to be seen and done in FF12 and I may return to it in the future, the gameplay is enticing enough, I'd just like to finish more games first. I have a proper list now for me to refer to, and a strict edict that I must finish 2 games per every 1 that I purchase. It helps that I have been abstaining from World of Warcraft, I hope I can remain vigilant in that regard.
Faram.
Very important fractional Kuni rating: 5/5
Developer: Square Enix
Completion Time: Around 75 hours
Final Fantasy 12, hereafter referred to as FF12 is a MSORPG or massively single-player offline roleplaying game. It bears a strong resemblance to the Star Wars saga as observed by my heterosexual life partner and myself. In it, androgynous heroes combat the forces of politics in a dramatic tale full of Shakespearian dialogue. An explanation of what FF12 is probably doesn't serve as a blog however, I would be surprised if you weren't familiar with the game or at least the franchise. Let me rant a bit about the quality of the game rather than its identity.
I really like FF12, I really do. The only reason I'm just finishing it after over a year of being released is mainly due to the dread juggernaut World of Warcraft which I am hopeful I have rid myself of, but can never be sure. FF12 is a masterpiece of a console RPG at the very least. I would go as far as to say it is a masterpiece of gaming in general, worthy of a spot in the Valhalla of sweet electronic entertainment.
FF12 and I have a long history, at least I think we do. It is entirely possible I am hallucinating, but for some reason I'm inclined to believe I remember seeing early screenshots of FF12 before I even had a Playstation 2. Back then all I could give the game credit for was "those moogles look pretty sweet". Well, the moogles ended up looking and being extremely sweet as well as the rest of the game. If you've played multiple Final Fantasy games in the past then you probably have come to realize each game changes the formula a bit but the core feel of the series persists. The same is true here even despite the vast departure from turn-based combat. So you've got some stuff to kill and you don't want to push x,x every few seconds then sit back to watch your dudes and dudettes take a swing then repeat until you need to heal or whatever or the stuff is dead. What do you do? Well in FF12 you basically program your characters to act based on certain parameters like who is almost dead, who is poisoned and so on just as a couple of crude examples. At first I had a hard time adapting to the new system but after a slightly longer learning curve I grew to enjoy it.For character development FF12 managed to innovate an entirely new system which is not easy when you have 10 direct predecessors all with varying systems. You earn license points from killing enemies and then you spend them on a grid for "Licenses" which allow you to equip gear, use spells and abilities, and enhance your party with passive abilities. This was a nicely implemented system and I enjoyed it as much or more than the Materia system from FF7 and the "equip stuff and have its abilities then earn points so you can keep the abilities and switch gear" system from FF9... at least that's what I call it.
The world map was also done differently in this incarnation and more closely resembled Final Fantasy Tactics in the fact that you have a flat representation of the map that looks like an atlas and little icons for the destinations. You can travel either by foot from area to area, teleport via crystals using an item from your inventory, or eventually you get access to your own airship to choose almost any destination for instant travel. It wouldn't be Final Fantasy if you didn't end up with an airship, oh and there's Cid too :)
Overall FF12 was an epic experience that spanned many months for me, it all came together beautifully in the end and I wouldn't change a thing. There is a lot more to be seen and done in FF12 and I may return to it in the future, the gameplay is enticing enough, I'd just like to finish more games first. I have a proper list now for me to refer to, and a strict edict that I must finish 2 games per every 1 that I purchase. It helps that I have been abstaining from World of Warcraft, I hope I can remain vigilant in that regard.
Faram.
Very important fractional Kuni rating: 5/5
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Seriously?
So I purchased a Playstation 3, just to be different. I actually love it a lot, somewhat surprisingly. I'm playing quite a bit of Oblivion which is extremely rad. I also downloaded demos for Resistance, Devil May Cry 4 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma all of which are rad in their own respects. The real crown jewel of this purchase so far though? Castlevania: Symphony of The Night for $9.99!!! Now what is radder than that folks? Not a lot, that's what.
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