The plot's not such a strong point, borrowing from Star Wars even more shamelessly than Star Wars borrows from its own inspirations, but I found myself not really minding. That system kind of ruined the similar one in Path of Exile for me, so basically what I'm saying is don't play Final Fantasy 12 if you want to be able to enjoy other games. Leveling up is great fun too, with new abilities chosen from a massive chessboard web thing, each new choice unlocking similar abilities around it. Jody: Wes is spot-on about the combat-it's so good it ruined the similar system in Dragon Age: Origins for me.

A voice cast of British stage actors are a vast improvement over familiar anime voices.

Smith and Joseph Reeder, which gives FF12's dialogue far more flavor than your typical JRPG. It's like a strategy game layered on top of traditional JRPG combat, and just one of many ways Final Fantasy 12 is brilliant.Īnother way: an all-time great localization by Alexander O. It's way more satisfying to put together intricate rulesets that tell your party members to cast haste when there's MP to spare, heal when you drop below a certain HP threshold, and target the enemy you know needs to go down first. Wes: Don't listen to the naysayers who claim Final Fantasy 12 plays itself-its combat system is brilliantly customizable, letting you take precise control over your party in critical moments and automate the busy work with super specific AI commands. I wish more games let me buzz through the nonsense to get to the good stuff-in this case, a combat system that allows for a ton of experimentation and whole deserts full of T-Rexes to test it on.īasically what I'm saying is don't play Final Fantasy 12 if you want to be able to enjoy other games. The fast-forward command in Zodiac Age is a blessing too. That would be dumb, probably, but the point is I’m free to make my own bizarre mistakes and break the game in cool new ways. I can develop a team of four attack mages if I want. I can arm Vaan with a greatsword and watch him get pummeled forever on the front line of every fight. I love RPGs that allow any character to become anything you want. That’s the main reason I persisted long enough to properly engage with the gambit system and, oh boy, it’s a beauty. What do you mean Vaan is an earnest, irritating child and the plot makes no sense-have you met Tidus from Final Fantasy 10? I’ve never really been into Final Fantasy for the plot anyway I’m in it for the spectacle, and I love Final Fantasy 12’s world and the weird band of heroes you assemble.

Tom S: The best Final Fantasy, obviously.

Pc action role playing games