The Biggest Game Project on this Planet

New Investments

Update? What? Here?

HERE!?

YES! Finally, your prayers have been answered.
Or in other words, I finally got to spend some money yesterday, which had just been burning in my pockets, itching to be spent on GAMES and related articles.

Well, first of all, I was going to need a TV of course, which I have now, but immediately afterwards I went out to celebrate my new aqcuirement by buying even more stuff! Woohoo!

So, what did I get?:

- Rockman X8 Guide (500 Yen)
- Rockman EXE 5 Guide (550 Yen)
- Paper Mario RPG Story (I forget, it's become too complicated) 2 (3200 Yen)
- Final Fantasy *gasp* XII for 7200 *fucking* Yen.

GODDAMN FFXII is expensive. Holy Hell. And this one was cheaper because I got a used one from Book Off, the original price is, like, 8500 Yen or something. INSANE!

Of course FFXII is the only game I've spent time with so far, and it's a lot more enjoyable than I would've expected so far. It's really quite different from previous FF's though, which might not suite everyone's taste, but it might also serve to attract other people.
The promotional blurb for the game said something like "for those who think the last couple of FF games were so-so", which is a hell of a way to promote a game in such a long-running series.

But the fact is right there that this game is wildly different from other FF's, and that's definitely going to put some people off, but like I said before, Square is talented and experienced enough to make a great game out of it anyway, even if it doesn't feel like Final Fantasy.

It's really very much like playing an MMORPG, without the MMO part.
So.
Uh.
I guess it's like playing an RPG :S

But seriously, in terms of mechanics and gameplay it's very much like what you'd expect from an MMORPG, it's just not online, which means you only get to talk to Artificial Intelligence controlled characters who keep saying the same thing, which is actually considerably less annoying than Real Stupidity controlled humans.

The graphics look much better than pictures can show (which seems to be the case with every game nowadays. Maybe we just need better camera's) and the movies, as usual, are astounding. And plentiful.

By far the most enjoyable part, as with most FF games, is the ability system, this time presented in the shape of the License Board.
In the beginning of the game you only have a handful of licenses, but by defeating enemies you will gain License Points (LP), allowing you to open up more space on the board, which in turn grants access to new skills and new equipment.
Most skills and equipment have to be bought separately before you can use them though, so new abilities don't come easy.

So far though, levelling up and earning money seems to be easier than most reviews make it out to be. Enemies never drop money, but they will often drop items which can be sold for a decent price. Kill several enemies of the same kind, and you will form chains, and the higher the chain gets, the more likely an enemy is to drop something, and the more rare the item will be.
It's a good system, and since combat is easy and straightforward and most of all NOT RANDOM, I haven't experienced any trouble or irritation yet.

The only problem is that, like in MMORPG's, there will also be enemies walking around that are WAY out of your league, from the very start of the game, which is kinda stupid if you ask me.

As for the story, we're getting one of those stories where 56 different countries seem to be at war with each other and I'm sure there's going to be lots of back-stabbery and hard-to-remember names. There's a reason this world was based on the Final Fantasy Tactics series.
The story starts out great though, full of drama and action, and people are dropping like flies in the first hour or so, but then you get control of Vaan, the Hero, and the pace starts slowing down considerably, which I guess is good for a breather.

I've spent most of my time so far doing small quests. The game uses a Clan Quest system like found in, again, most MMORPG's, and it's very enjoyable.

I can definitely see this going somewhere, but I'm not expecting it to top Final Fantasy X, by a long shot.

posted by Ingen! @ 4:22 AM