Installment I
Prologue: I’m a huge Final Fantasy fan, ever since the days popping the original into my NES and hearing the tinny tones of the theme echo through my barely usable TV. So since times of FFVII I have preordered every FF game that has launched (with the exception of FFXI *insert evil face here*) and have taken the day off of work, (or back in the days it was school) to spend the entire day playing the title. So it was with almost automaton like response that I preordered Final Fantasy XII Collector’s edition from EBgames, marked my calendar, preceded to ignore any and all information regarding the game in an attempt to play the game with no preconceived notions and impatiently waited for October 31 st to arrive. The following journal will have no spoilers and as such may seem very vague, that is completely on purpose in hopes you too will be eventually picking up this title, if you haven’t already. Day 1 After packing my son Zach into the car I eagerly head to EBgames to snag my copy. Anticipation builds; passing traffic and a milk cup on the other hand easily entertain Zach. Box looks shiny and shiny is nice…..oooo…..shiny. Alas I am stuck just oogling the cover art, have to spend the evening with the family. Trick-or-Treating with the boys takes precedence you know, couple that with the wife going out as a rather umm risqué female pirate and well no game time for me tonight *blush*. Day 2 Popped in the disc and made it through the really long intro. Very much reminds me of the beginning of FF tactics with a little Starwars tossed in for good measure. Damn, very few companies do CG like Square Enix. Voice acting seems fine so far. Play through the tutorial, which happens to be integral to the story..so pay attention! Took me a second to get a handle on the combat. Not being a player of MMORPGs it took me a little bit to realize that my character wasn’t attacking instantly as soon as I chose the command, kept hitting the attack choice and not letting my character actually attack. Guess I am a wee bit impatient, made it through the tutorial even though I feel like I didn’t contribute a whole heck of a lot to the battle. Start walking around the city of Rabanastre and it’s absolutely beautiful and enormous. There are so many people to talk to I don’t even know where to start. (All people you can speak to appear as green dots on your map). One thing that is bothering me though are the jaggies that appear in the game. I’ve never been one to harp on Sony about this with their system. But the shimmering is driving me nuts. Anyway I look around the city exploring the different shops and such for a while till I realize I have to wake up for work…(ugg)… damn you responsibilities! Day 3 I make my way out of the city (after running some errands) to go on a monster hunt in an effort to make some cash. (As cash does not just fall from most enemies you meet, you’ll find that most your money comes from selling items dropped by monsters, treasure chests and taking jobs eliminating monsters.) I’m making my way through Estersand, a desert outside of the city, tracking down my fugitive. Monsters are pretty varied, some you’ve seen in other FF games, others that are new. Getting a hang of the combat, I feel as though I am actually in charge of it now and it’s actually enjoyable. One problem I see is that the steal ability requires you to re-choose it after every failed attempt. One would think you’d want it to keep trying until you steal an item or you manually change your mind. (As is the case with the attack feature) After successfully completing my mission and making my way back to the City another cut scene emerges. Again I can’t stress to you how nicely they are done, it really puts FFX to shame.I then put some time in learning the license system (how you learn abilities and how you can equip better items) the gambit system (fighting presets in which you can set up your characters to do things automatically, though I’m not a fan and do no use them) and equip my character. I then put some time in learning the license system (how you learn abilities and how you can equip better items) the gambit system (fighting presets in which you can set up your characters to do things automatically, though I’m not a fan and do no use them) and equip my character. Now I’m off to break into the palace after having to fetch a few things in the Giza Plains. The Giza Plains hold a bevy of monsters some weak, others insanely strong. I should have equipped the ability to tell the difference, though you’ll have a hunch. It almost cost me my party. Combat with a partner is definitely different. Takes some practice, especially if you are like me and refuse to use the gambit system. After completing my task and losing my partner, I make my way into the underground passage to the palace. Time to call it a night.
Jeremy Mravlja Gamer's Perspective Want to talk about it? Click here to discuss in the Gamers’ Perspective Forums. |
