Alright, my brother just so happened to have imported the twelfth game in the opulent Final Fantasy series, and it was my distinct pleasure to have the first run through the game.
What caught me by surprise at first was the opening. Full CGI, with the beautiful Prelude piano playing in the background. Just a simple selection of "New Game" and "Load Game" not too obvious located, lest it distract one from the gorgeous visuals.
You've heard or read of the new fighting system, so I won't go into too much details. No more transitions from adventure to battle screen, and no victory music after the conclusion of said battle (although it still plays it after a boss fight). Characters are no longer limited to a certain weapon archetype, so the main character, who typically wields a long sword and shield, can also wield a crossbow, magic rod, or even a two-handed mace.
I'm about 30+ hours into the game, although this is a bit misleading since most of it is spent farming for money. Yes, I said farming, since certain monsters drop valuable loot and respawn (although in limited numbers). Almost every action except traversing on foot and basic fighting needs to be bought, from weapons and items to even special moves and magic spells.
That axe look appealling on your character? Well, assuming you have the money, your character will still be unable to use it unless he has a license for it. Licenses are bought using license points, which you earn through defeating monsters (thankfully enough). All the skills you need, as well as general stat buffs (such as 10% less energy spent on magic), magic spells, and weapon and armor proficiencies need to be bought through licenses.
Another interesting twist to the battle sequences is something called "Gunbit". This is basically the AI of the members of your party you do not have direct control over (this includes guest characters that occasionally join your party). You can actually, in a very simple manner, program your partymates how you want them to act in a battle situation. For example, you can tell a healer to cast a cure spell on an ally whenever his HP goes below 50% of his max. Another is when "blind" is cast on an ally, either use an item or cast the appropriate spell to cure the blindness. I even have a setup where I have an ally attack another ally who is under the effects of "sleep".
And for the last bit, the story. For those of you who have played Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced, FFXII is set in the same universe. Even with 30+ hours invested, it seems there's still quite a bit to explore, and I don't think I've even explored a tenth of what this game offers. I'm surprised they even fit all this content on a single disc (seeing as Xenosaga III took up two discs), and I'm excited to see what else there is. The story itself isn't so much romance, since the main character already has a girlfriend at the beginning of the game. The story is more focused on personal ambitions and vendettas toward the beginning, and becomes much broader as it goes along.
Whew, well there's my bit of extrapolation. I'll answer any questions I can, and I hope it wasn't too confusing of a read.
What caught me by surprise at first was the opening. Full CGI, with the beautiful Prelude piano playing in the background. Just a simple selection of "New Game" and "Load Game" not too obvious located, lest it distract one from the gorgeous visuals.
You've heard or read of the new fighting system, so I won't go into too much details. No more transitions from adventure to battle screen, and no victory music after the conclusion of said battle (although it still plays it after a boss fight). Characters are no longer limited to a certain weapon archetype, so the main character, who typically wields a long sword and shield, can also wield a crossbow, magic rod, or even a two-handed mace.
I'm about 30+ hours into the game, although this is a bit misleading since most of it is spent farming for money. Yes, I said farming, since certain monsters drop valuable loot and respawn (although in limited numbers). Almost every action except traversing on foot and basic fighting needs to be bought, from weapons and items to even special moves and magic spells.
That axe look appealling on your character? Well, assuming you have the money, your character will still be unable to use it unless he has a license for it. Licenses are bought using license points, which you earn through defeating monsters (thankfully enough). All the skills you need, as well as general stat buffs (such as 10% less energy spent on magic), magic spells, and weapon and armor proficiencies need to be bought through licenses.
Another interesting twist to the battle sequences is something called "Gunbit". This is basically the AI of the members of your party you do not have direct control over (this includes guest characters that occasionally join your party). You can actually, in a very simple manner, program your partymates how you want them to act in a battle situation. For example, you can tell a healer to cast a cure spell on an ally whenever his HP goes below 50% of his max. Another is when "blind" is cast on an ally, either use an item or cast the appropriate spell to cure the blindness. I even have a setup where I have an ally attack another ally who is under the effects of "sleep".
And for the last bit, the story. For those of you who have played Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced, FFXII is set in the same universe. Even with 30+ hours invested, it seems there's still quite a bit to explore, and I don't think I've even explored a tenth of what this game offers. I'm surprised they even fit all this content on a single disc (seeing as Xenosaga III took up two discs), and I'm excited to see what else there is. The story itself isn't so much romance, since the main character already has a girlfriend at the beginning of the game. The story is more focused on personal ambitions and vendettas toward the beginning, and becomes much broader as it goes along.
Whew, well there's my bit of extrapolation. I'll answer any questions I can, and I hope it wasn't too confusing of a read.
), but are there still some form of "classes" of characters or some specificity to each beyond the weapons, or can they all follow the same template? Also, is the number of Licenses limited or can you just buy everything? And are the fights more fast paced/dynamic in regard to the changes you hinted at? It's real time and not turn-based anymore?
It sounds refreshing anyway, breaking away from the other overused patterns.
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