Final Fantasy XII was the best written FFXII ever, by far. - Edit 1
Before modification by Cymbaline at 26/09/2009 05:45:45 PM
None of the other ones even compare. The dialog was actually awesome by any standards, not just video games standards. Dictionary words in a video game? By god! Well used, and not gratuitous? Astounding. I felt - for the first time with a Final Fantasy - that it didn't suffer from translation, and may even have flourished during the process. Whoever got a hold of that script worked magic.
The problem is:
Average FF plot :: Soap Opera AS FFXII :: Classic Novel
If you're expecting all the stale, trite melodrama of Final Fantasy 1 through 10 (roughly), you're going to be disappointed. You don't have amnesia, you weren't created in a lab, there's no laughably evil madman bent on destroying existence because he's angsty, you do not kill god, you do not watch a vagabond teen fall in love with a beautiful princess (and vice versa), you do not do anything "Final Fantasy Epic". You actually do something new and different for once, and are confined to the delightful boundaries (actually not being sarcastic) of political maneuverings and occupational forces. The kind of shit that we actually see in the world today, and that is far more interesting once you're out of high school.
I'm not suggesting that the plot is classic novel quality, though I am suggesting that standard FF fare is soap opera quality. FFXII's plot isn't super compelling, and it isn't without flaws, and it's not absolutely brilliant or incredibly moving. It is, however, subtle and nuanced without being incomprehensible, and it's relevant and interesting without being a trite rehash of the same shit we've seen for the last twenty years.
I, for one - if you can't tell by now - think it's fucking great, and I hope they do more games like it. I got tired of killing god years ago, thank you very much.
Balthier? I am prepared to say that if you didn't think Balthier was awesome, you have no soul.
Also, Fran's voice is hot as hell.
As for the game, it has flaws, like the gambit system going from useless to far too useful, and the reprehensible "you must buy the strategy guide" stupidity of unlocking that one ultimate weapon. Overall, though, I thought it was pretty great.
I don't know if FF magic has dulled on me, but the storyline for FF 12 was boring as hell.
The problem is:
Average FF plot :: Soap Opera AS FFXII :: Classic Novel
If you're expecting all the stale, trite melodrama of Final Fantasy 1 through 10 (roughly), you're going to be disappointed. You don't have amnesia, you weren't created in a lab, there's no laughably evil madman bent on destroying existence because he's angsty, you do not kill god, you do not watch a vagabond teen fall in love with a beautiful princess (and vice versa), you do not do anything "Final Fantasy Epic". You actually do something new and different for once, and are confined to the delightful boundaries (actually not being sarcastic) of political maneuverings and occupational forces. The kind of shit that we actually see in the world today, and that is far more interesting once you're out of high school.
I'm not suggesting that the plot is classic novel quality, though I am suggesting that standard FF fare is soap opera quality. FFXII's plot isn't super compelling, and it isn't without flaws, and it's not absolutely brilliant or incredibly moving. It is, however, subtle and nuanced without being incomprehensible, and it's relevant and interesting without being a trite rehash of the same shit we've seen for the last twenty years.
I, for one - if you can't tell by now - think it's fucking great, and I hope they do more games like it. I got tired of killing god years ago, thank you very much.
I didn't care for any characters and thats saying something for a FF game. What am I missing here?
Balthier? I am prepared to say that if you didn't think Balthier was awesome, you have no soul.
Also, Fran's voice is hot as hell.
As for the game, it has flaws, like the gambit system going from useless to far too useful, and the reprehensible "you must buy the strategy guide" stupidity of unlocking that one ultimate weapon. Overall, though, I thought it was pretty great.