Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
PlayStation 4
Nostalgia Factor:
Let me get this out of the way immediately: I had a miserable time with this game. I don't know what happened. I first played Final Fantasy XII back in 2006, the year it first came out, and I really liked it.
Keep in mind that I haven't played the game in any form since then. It's now 2024. That means that 18 years have passed since my last playthrough. I was a different person back then, living a completely different life. I remember I bought this game as a present for my ex-girlfriend Jessica. We were living together at the time, and she was just as big a gamer as I was. In fact, she was a massive Final Fantasy fan, and she often dedicated the time to completely 100% each of the games she played. Even I didn't do that. I usually just play for the story and then I'm done with the game.
We were both playing through FF XII on our own separate save files. She was much deeper into the game then I was. In fact, she was nearing the end of it. But then something bad happened. I knocked over the PS2 as I was playing, and the laser must have scratched the disc. It started skipping and became unplayable. Oh no. I went out and bought the collector's version of the game and started a new playthrough. Jessica, who had been much, much farther in the game than me, was furious. I don't remember if she ever started the game over again. But I remember playing the game and beating it. And then when we broke up later on, I kept the collector's edition of the game and left her with the unplayable original copy. I was a jerk for doing that.
Ah memories.
But my memories don't stop there. In 2008, way back before I started this blog, I ranked my top 100 games of all time on the message board Survivor Sucks, and Final Fantasy XII came in ranked at #18. Here is what I had to say about the game back then:
"Let me just say that I really love this game. I know that it might not be one of the most popular among hardcore Final Fantasy fans, but I think it is great.
This game is very cinematic. The cutscenes, graphics, and voice acting are all very well done. At many points in the game, the action is so intense it feels like a real movie. The music is awesome, as is usual for Final Fantasy games. The graphics have taken the "next step" in the series, and are no longer so cartoonish and fake looking.
The thing that is most controversial about this game is the combat system. As opposed to being turn based, like your typical FF game, this one takes place in real time. Instead of random encounters, you can see your enemies out on the field and decide whether you want to attack them or try to avoid them. While most die hard FF fans might not like this, I enjoyed the change. I like the option of whether or not you should fight someone when you're out on the field. You can also move around on the battlefield while fighting, which you can use to your advantage.
One unique feature of this game is the License Grid. As you gain experience, you gain License Points, which allow you to give your character experience in certain areas. If you want to be offensive minded, use all your LP on offensive stuff. Or you can go the magical route. You can really go any direction you want with the characters at your disposal.
The complaints I have heard about this game are that it is too linear (which I don't agree with. The world in this game is HUGE and there is so much to see and do) or that they don't like the combat (but I do) or that the storyline is not very good. I do agree with this last statement. While the cinematics and graphics are stellar, this game is lacking in character development and just overall involving storyline of other great Final Fantasy games, like VII.
This is an excellent, deep, and involving game. You can waste hours and hours doing things, exploring, leveling up, etc. And the massive world and breathtaking scenery is epic! But the only thing keeping this from being a top tier Final Fantasy games is the story. If it had a better one, this could possibly have been the greatest game of all time."
Wow. That's pretty high praise for this game, which is why I had such lofty expectations coming into Zodiac Age for the PS4. This version of the game is supposed to be even better than the original - with improved graphics and "quality of life" features, like an enhanced leveling system and the added ability to speed up time.
I was super stoked to play through Final Fantasy XII again. Much to my chagrin, however, I quickly discovered that the game has aged like fine milk. What went wrong? How could I go from ranking this as the 18th best video game of all time to absolutely detesting it? Guess you got to read this review to find out.
Story:
I hope you didn't come here looking for a detailed plot synopsis, because I don't have one. This game's storyline is an absolute mess, and I completely gave up on paying attention to it just a few hours into the game. It's easily the worst storyline I've ever experienced in a Final Fantasy game. FF8's orphanage subplot looks like a work of absolute genius compared to anything you experience here.
I'll try to give a rough outline of what I *think* was going on. So there's this little country called Dalmasca that is stuck in the middle between two warring nations: Archadia and Rozarria. Archadia invades Dalmasca and takes control, subjugating its citizens to their rule. A young thief named Vaan gets caught up in a rebellion against Archadia, involving Sky Pirates, disgraced warrior named Baasch, and the Princess of Dalmasca, Ashe, who is believed dead.
This ragtag group of warriors travel the world collecting powerful baubles in order to defeat the Empire. At the end they fight the Empire and win, and everything ends happily.
I'm glossing over some major plot points, I'm sure (like Baasch being framed for murdering the Dalmascan King), but honestly, none of it really matters. The characters are flat and lifeless. There is no personal development whatsoever. I didn't find myself caring for any of these characters whatsoever. Nor did I care about the rebellion or taking down the Empire. The whole game consists of just moving from one location to another, in order to advance the so-called storyline. Go here, collect this, get chased away, go there, collect that, oops - you're captured, you escape, you go somewhere else, you collect something, ope - captured again, nevermind you escaped, go somewhere else, collect another thing, blah blah blah.
It sucks. All of it sucks. It's dry, it's lifeless, and there is nothing to get excited about. Like I said, I stopped paying attention just a few hours into the game. There is no substance to be found here. How disappointing.
Gameplay:
Final Fantasy XII is known for its gambit system. It's the first single player Final Fantasy game to move away from turn-based combat. Everything takes place in real time. You can simply pre-program in the actions you want the characters in your party to perform. When you are walking around on the world map, you see enemies coming. There are no random battles here. You can either approach these enemies and fight them, or take the long way around them and avoid them. The actions your characters take depend on the gambits you've programmed in. You can have them attack the enemy leader, you can have them go after the weakest enemy, you can have them focus on magic and defense, etc. In theory if you have enough gambits set up you could just put the controller down in the middle of battle and walk away and do some dishes.
You can also stop the action at any time and specifically input what you want each character to do. So if your gambits have your whole party programmed to attack relentlessly, but you have a character that is low on health, you can manually stop the action and have one of the characters use an item like a potion on the injured character. Being a micromanager, I was constantly stopping the action to have them perform the action I wanted them to. Honestly, I didn't mess around with the gambits that much. They're nice to have for very basic enemies, but during boss battles or fights that required different tactics than just hacking away, I found myself taking a more hands-on approach.
As you fight, you gain experience and level up, just like other Final Fantasy games. Each character also has a license board where you use license points earned in battle to give your character special attributes. You gain money in battle as well, which you can use in shops to buy items and equipment for your characters. One thing I don't like about this game is that many spells and pieces of equipment can't be purchased from stores - you have to find them in the wild. I never got my hands on Hastega, Shellga, and many other powerful spells that would have made this game a lot more manageable - simply because I didn't know where to find them.
All this sounds fine and dandy, but to be brutally honest the game is simply just not any fun. The entire game seems to consist of walking through hallways and corridors, fighting endless waves of enemies. The dungeons in this game are so freaking long and repetitive. This isn't as bad as, say, Final Fantasy XIII, as there is a world hub and you can explore things in more of an open-world manner if you choose to do so. There are also side quests and bounty hunts you can join. So you don't have to just focus on the main story. But the game sucks so bad, I didn't bother with any of these things. I just wanted to finish the game and be done with it.
Maybe if this game actually had a compelling story pushing things forward, I would have liked it more. Maybe, maybe not. But holy god damn did I find it boring. I don't know how I liked this so much when I was younger. I was drunk a lot back then, so that might explain things. Maybe I was blinded by wanting to like it just because it is a Final Fantasy game. I don't know. But playing it now in present day, oof. I had no fun with this game. None. In fact, I dreaded turning this game on and playing it, especially knowing there are so many other games out there that are much more fun than this. But once I commit to playing and reviewing something, I have to see it through to the end. I'm doing this for you guys. I hope you appreciate it.
Graphics:
Graphically, this game shines. At least it has that going for it. It looked good on the PS2 back in 2006 and it looks good on the PS4 in 2024. As much as I hated this game, I have to admit that the world building is really nice. The towns and cities are full of citizens busily walking to and fro. There are interesting looking characters all over the place. Really makes the world of the game feel like a big and sprawling place.
The landscapes of the game are beautiful, as are many of the ancient ruins and locales you visit. The cutscenes are very cinematic, almost like something you'd see in a big screen movie,. If only I cared about what was happening in them!
Sound:
This game has great music in addition to great graphics. I constantly found myself impressed as I traversed the world of the game. The orchestral music is grand and sweeping. The title theme is an iconic Final Fantasy song. I've heard it many times in YouTube videos about Final Fantasy, and I didn't even realize it came from this game. It's so good.
Voice acting is fine, too. Character delivery can be a bit wooden and stiff, but it never gets to the point where it is noticeably bad. Maybe if the writing had been better or if the plot was more engaging, they could have gotten something more out of the voice actors.
Overall:
In case I haven't made things obvious enough for you, I didn't like this game. In fact, I might even go so far as to say I hated it. There are things about the game that I liked, such as the music, the graphics, and the world of the game. And I really truly wanted to enjoy myself as I played this. But I didn't. It's just so incredibly dry and boring to me, from the combat, to the repetitive gameplay, to the completely bland and uninteresting characters and story. Every night I would let out a big sigh before I would turn this game on. I didn't want to play it. I knew it was going to be a chore and I wasn't going to have any fun. But I just wanted to finish this game and be done with it so I'd never have to play it again.
In fact, that may be the best thing about the game - the fact that I never have to play it again. It's like a giant burden has been lifted off my chest. I no longer have to play this rotten piece of shit game again. Hallelujah!
Now, if you like Final Fantasy XII, I am not shaming you. I'm glad you like it. My hatred of this game is mine and mine alone. I didn't like it, and that's totally okay. Not everything is for everyone, and this game is REALLY not for me.
If I ever get the urge to come back and play this game again in the future, I need to read this review first and remind myself why that is not a good idea. Future Dan, if you are reading this: don't. You are not going to enjoy this game. You are not going to have a good time. Avoid it at all costs and thank me later.
Now that I'm done ranting, I can finally head out and play something I'm actually going to enjoy.
THE GRADE:
D-
No comments:
Post a Comment