FF12 tidbit and thoughts

[LightPhoenix]

http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q1-2004/022804a.html

As for Final Fantasy XII, Wada mentioned that the developers of the title are not content with the traditional format of walking, watching cut scenes, fighting, and getting special items. Instead, the developers are attempting to create a more interactive game. Wada promised that this new trend would be applied to future Final Fantasy titles.

You know, it's been a pretty long time since I've been really enthusiastic about a console game. Hell, the last game for any platform I was enthusiastic about was NWN, back in 2001 (I think) when I first heard of it. I haven't been enthusiatic about a Final Fantasy game since, well, I would say FF7 - it was what spurred me to get my first job, washing dishes under the table for a country club. Ah, memories.

Almost everything I hear about FF12 gets me more excited when I hear about it. That quote above makes me absolutely giddy. Sure, I'm still a bit skeptical about the game. I think the riddance of the walk-watch-fight-repeat formula that's been so prevalent in the series is one of the best things to happen to FF12. It assauges a great many of the reasons I still was leary of a new Final Fantasy game, especially one that promises to be fairly complex story-wise, given FFT and Vagrant Story. My biggest worry was that it would continue the trend toward interactive movie, and this seems to hint it won't.

Now, all they need to do is not base the story around summons and get rid of random encounters, and I'd buy this game no questions asked, right now.

 

[Creamsteak]

I'm really hoping FF12 is a redeemer of the series. FF6 began the classless almost cinematic style, FF7 upped the graphics and made people who were not traditional console RPGers happy, but while FF8 was playable, FF9 and 10/10-2 were just boring for me. FF11 was an MMORPG, which I always hope for more than I'm given. Final Fantasy Tactics and some of Squarenix's other games were great. They even made a fantastic shooter (einhander), and I know the company has the ability to do incredible things... but they keep making their sacred cow more and more boring.

 

[RangerWickett]

I view the recent Final Fantasies as action games with storylines, not roleplaying games. They're action games with very high production values, which is always great, even in such games like Metal Gear Solid 2 where the plot was incomprehensible. And I've been content with Final Fantasy's mixture of story and action, even if I can only control the latter. (Plus, Yuna's a cutie in the black mage outfit.) But I am intrigued by this possible new direction. Here's hoping it's good.