Final Fantasy XII

Guide Note:

Final Fantasy XII is a role-playing game for the PS2 developed by Square Enix. Like Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XII takes place in the world of Ivalice and includes many familiar creatures such as completely redesigned Moogles and Viera (from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance).

Story

The empires of Archadia and Rozarria are waging an endless war and Vaan, a street thief, decides to break into the royal palace during a welcoming banquet for the city's new Consul. As it happens, the Dalmascan resistance decides to take that opportunity to do the very same thing, as does a Sky Pirate (Balthier) and his companion (Fran). Vaan, Balthier, and Fran decide to join forces to take down the empire. There are a lot of secrets and ups and downs in the story, more so than any other Final Fantasy before it.

Fast Facts:

1. Developer: Square Enix
2. Release Date: October 31, 2006
3. Genre: Role-playing
4. Mode: Single-Player
5. ESRB Rating: Teen
6. Platform: PS2

Gameplay

Although the game touts the claim that it's a real-time battle system, the truth remains that it still runs on a turn-based system under the guise of a new system called active dimension battle (ADB). Similar to FF IX, there is an action bar underneath each character that fills up. Once it's full the characters then perform their action. However, rather than waiting a turn, the characters move simultaneously when their action bar fills up. There are still menus to deal with when you are able to perform your actions. There are no random encounters and the camera is free-moving, giving people the impression that the battles are in real-time. When a character or enemy begins to perform an action, target lines connect characters to other party members or enemies; different colors represent the type of action. Players can switch between inactive characters and those that have been knocked out can also be substituted. The enemy AI differs from the normal FF enemies as they will attack in packs, flee when threatened, and use strong magic in order to beat your characters. There is also the addition of the Gambit system where you can customize the behavior of your party members when you are not controlling them. You can program up to 12 different scenarios for each player so that you don't have to worry about the computer AI not healing or not attacking when you want them to. Leveling up is similar to FF X Sphere Grid. Instead of spheres, there is the License Board that allows users to customize their characters as they level up in the exact way they see fit. Everyone starts at around the same point, and winning battles increases your License Points.