FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE

Personally, this is the best Final Fantasy game for me. I've finished this game four times in my life, starting back when I was in 5th or 6th grade. Back then, I played a pirated copy because I couldn't afford to buy the original. Now, years later, I'm finally able to buy the game legitimately and experience it all over again from start to finish. Thank you for making The Zodiac Age version of this amazing game and bringing it to PC. It really means a lot to be able to revisit a game that has been such an important part of my childhood. Such an amazing game!

致命的なエラーはいて一生落ちるからそもそもゲームができない。

[h2]TLDR:[/h2] A somewhat middling entry for the franchise, FF12 innovates combat mechanics but little else. [h2]GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW:[/h2] Final Fantasy XII (hereafter, FF12) opens with an interrupted wedding as the nations of Archadia and Rosaria threaten war, and the implications for the small nation of Dalmasca lodged between them. Battle leaves Princess Ashe widowed, Dalmasca conquered, and a dark future for the continent. FF12 is a semi-open-world JRPG following the standard group of disparate party members as they seek to restore balance to the continent of Ivalice and undo the sinister forces stretching across the land. If there is a protagonist, it is arguably the orphan thief Vaan, a teenager from the Dalmascan capital. Eventually up to six characters join the party, three of which can be in the active party at any time. Each character can chose a class, defining their base abilities and opening skills on that class's license board (essentially, a skill tree). After a point, characters can open a second license board, so it makes sense to pick a complimentary class, such as pairing a melee class with a caster, to take advantage of the former's heavier armor and latter's spells. Some characters are better fits for specific classes but unless a player is interested in mix-maxing for the most difficult content, pretty much any character can do anything, and if one is just following the story, just pick what feels right ... and classes can be reset and reassigned should a player later change their mind. As expected, combat is a major part of the game. Unlike previous franchise entries, where random encounters occurred without warning, in FF12, foes litter the landscape and fighting takes place in real time on the main scene, without going into a sub-scene. This means the player can flee in real time or other enemies can wander into the fight. Combat pauses as one issues orders to each of the characters, though players should make extensive use of the gambit system. Gambits are the most innovative part of FF12. Essentially, gambits are prepared lists of commands for each character that will execute as soon as a given condition is met. For example, a healer can have a gambit set up that will cast a cure as soon as an ally is inflicted with poison, or to attack any foe that targets a specific character. Gambits can be stacked in priority and the system is relatively intelligent, as a character set to provide buffs to others will only do it when those buffs expire, rather than casting the same buff over and over. The gambit system has a TON of flexibility and can save the player an enormous amount of micromanaging. Each character can have three sets of gambits set up. I kept one set for general adventuring, and arranged a fresh one when I encountered a major boss. Tinkering with the gambits and fine-tuning for max effect kept me invested in the gameplay longer than anything else. It's FF12's standout feature. Unfortunately, while the gambit system is great, other aspects of the game are less so. Character levels add a little health and spell power, but the license boards and equipment make much more of a difference for a character's power. Though it's a functional system, it's flat and kind of lifeless. Combat also gets very repetitive very quickly, and not in a good way. Status effects (poison, blindness, confusion, etc.) are manageable early but the longer the game goes, the more the player's characters are inflicted with multiple, numerous debilitating effects in a single strike—not just from bosses but also regular mobs that are fought over and over. And yes, while some negative effects can be exploited through certain strategies and equipment/spell combos, the player is unlikely to stumble on these in a first playthrough, making dealing with those twenty-ish effects tedious and annoying. There is a decent amount of optional content and questing in the game, most of which centers around the "hunts" for various monsters and foes. Many of the hunt targets are only spawned under specific conditions, such as changes in local weather or by the player not attacking any mobs on entering an area. For someone who's really enjoying the game, the hunts provide enough extra content to extend the game's life, but none are necessary to finish. Sadly, I made it probably 90% of the way through but couldn't be arsed to complete the game. I think I was just bored with the combat and (per below) I didn't really care about the outcome, so my playtime just kind of dwindled to the point I didn't want to open the game anymore. That's not an indictment of the game but that I personally burned out on the repetition. [h2]STORY / WORLDBUILDING:[/h2] This is a "mileage-may-vary" situation but for me, this is where FF12 really falls down. The general story is filled with political intrigue and the struggles between the various nation but none of it struck me as anything other than background noise. Similarly, the characters are generally okay but none of them were charasmatic or interesting enough to keep me invested. Collectively, the party never demonstrates the chemistry or likability as the groups of other FF games, and the main antagonists were forgettable. Without being able to sympathize with the characters or the ultimate story outcome, it was hard to invest beyond the idea of fighting and collecting loot, which only lasts so long. This will honestly be an issue of personal taste, and will separate those who like the game from those who don't. The world of Ivalice is pretty boilerplate, with various human nations sprawled across the land. The player can more or less freely move between most areas, though some are gated behind story actions or are, uh, "meat-gated" behind foes of various difficulties. Differences between areas and nations is basically cosmetic; aside from a village of viera (tall bunny ladies), the same races populate everywhere, speaking the same language. Masses of NPCs crowd cities but aside from a select few, most don't have anything interesting to say or provide much interaction. It's all fine, just unremarkable. [h2]TECHNICAL ASPECTS:[/h2] In terms of audio and video, FF12 is acceptable. The music is all right, though I didn't find it as good as its peers (FF10 or 13). Voice acting is passable but bland. Getting this port to run was difficult. Playing right after install resulted in stuttering cutscenes and unsynced audio. I tried recommended numerous fixes, all of which crashed or froze the game. Finally, after over an hour of fighting with it, I found that forcing the game into Borderless Window mode finally allowed the game to play as normal. That's an unacceptable amount of thrash to make the game work and it's clear Square Enix tossed this port on Steam, forgot about it, and has let it languish since. Steam achievements are a chore. About half will be collected by completing a playthrough but the others require quite a bit of grinding. Maxing out requiring completing numerous difficult optional hunts, the max level in trial mode, and collecting every skill and ability. [h2]FINAL WORD:[/h2] Despite innovation in combat, FF12 didn't resonate with me. I'll give it a borderline recommend, just because the gambit system is cool. Fans of other entries in the series should give it a try and see if they like the story and characters better than I did. [h2]SCORE: 6/10[/h2]

Crashing on start up constantly. Tried all the Nvidia fixes posted and it fixed nothing. Bummer! Was really excited to try out this game.

Lo mejor

Peak FF. Period.

I've played the original version while I was kid and loved it. Now it's better

I loved this game when it first came out and I love it still to this day and I believe its one of the best final fantasy games to this day.

Esse é o meu FInal Fantasy favorito da saga, mundo sensacional, história envolvente, trilha sonora impecável como de costume. O sistema de combate é um modo de turnos um pouco mais evoluído pelo sistema de gambits que automatiza algumas ações e deixa mais fluido em comparação ao combate por turnos tradicional da franquia. Ótimo remaster com gráficos bonitos e boa performance, único ponto negativo é o preço que a Square faz questão de meter a faca, mas fora isso é um jogão, pra mim é o melhor da franquia.