Final Fantasy XII for PlayStation 2 Reviews by Gamers

Having played every Final Fantasy title save 5 and 14, this title was instrumental in putting the franchise in a state of decline.

The last great Final Fantasy was 10 (some would say 9.) This game seems to be heavily influenced by 11. The battle system is very similar and exp grinding is prominent like in 11. This gets very dull and tedious. Because of the license system, there really is no such thing as job classes. As you progress through the game, you will unlock almost, if not the entire license board. No black mage, no ninja, no paladin, no summoner......everyone is the same. The only customization is you can assign Espers to certain characters and only they can summon the Esper.

Storyline wise, this FF has the worst storyline since FF 8. Balthier and Basch are the only two semi-interesting characters. Vaan is the worst main character of any Final Fantasy title. Cut scenes can be few and far between and are often confusing and full of in-game jibberish. I finished the entire game without really knowing or caring why I was continuing onwards on the journey.

On the plus side, the graphics are great. The game play is fluid and the game can be fun at parts. The monster hunts were the funnest part of the game for me.

It's not a terrible game, but I wouldn't call it a good game either. The gambits, coupled with the exp grinds, make spell casting secondary. You will get through battles much quicker by simply making your characters very strong physical attack characters and gambiting cure spells. This makes the game little more than a hack and slash.

This Final Fantasy got a lot of recognition and praise simply because it was Square and it had the Final Fantasy name attached to it. But many long time fans of the series and even the creators themselves acknowledge FF 12 as a rather weak installment in the series.

First off, this game's story was outstanding and by far a better in the series. What set me back the most in this game was the license system. I know this was a knew element and it was meant to be exciting, but i spent more time fighting weak enemies to gain license points. Next, The combat dropped the turn-based random encounter and added on screen enemies which added open world and mmorpg game elements. Its not a bad thing, just not something expected in a main series Final Fantasy. As well as the Gambit system and summonings which tried to help pace the game and keep it easy. The audio on some of the characters wasn't to well either, it sounded as if there was something in the way while the voice actor was speaking. Overall, the game keeps you drawn to the screen with an interesting story and many quests that keep the game lasting. Lastly, this is not the worse Final Fantasy, but could have been done in a better matter