People who hate the story are forgetting the primary purpose: GAMEPLAY

[Kuja Las Vegas]

When I hear criticisms of FFXII (one of my favorite games) the main critcism is about the story. That there is no story, or the story can be summed up in one word: Nethicite. People don't play Final Fantasies solely for the story. If you want story, play a point-and-click adventure game. Final Fantasies are not adventure games. They are role-playing combat simulators. The whole point of the game is to fight monsters, battle, and level up. What keeps you going is that there's a reason why you're fighting, i.e. to bring down the Archadian Empire. That's what separates it from a Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter fighting game, that there is a reason to keep going. Who cares if the story's not convoluted and messed up on drugs? Personally I prefer a straightforward story that I can understand the first time through.

How many times can you re-play FFX before it becomes boring as shit? Don't get me wrong, FFX was awesome as hell when I played it the first time. But after the second and third playthrough, I have yet to pick it up again. I have to date played through FFXII about five times from beginning to end. I pick it up once every six months, never gets old. You wanna know why? Because of the gameplay.

It's called a video game, hence the gameplay aspect, what makes a fun game, should be the primary focus.

People complain how they didn't even realize how or why Vayne was a villian in the end. In the real world, there is no clear cut black and white, good versus evil. In the real world, no one is inherently good or inherently evil. The real world is shades of grey. And in everyone's opinion, someone who is a hero could be regarded as a villain by others.

Here's why Vayne is a villian: as military commander, he masterminded the invasion of Nabradia and Dalmasca in order to obtain the deifacted nethicite. Due to his actions, Nabradia was completely destroyed. Under his command, Judge Gabranth assassinated King Raminas and slew Reks Ratsbane (Vaan's brother). He killed his father by poisoning, dissolved the senate, and became a dictator. So what if he didn't have that much of a personal presence in the story, like Kuja or Sephiroth? So what if you don't chase Vayne across two continents like you chased Sephiroth? That wasn't even the real Sephiroth! So what if Vayne didn't have a personal history with Vaan like Cloud and Sephiroth did. Their names are kinda similar (Vaan and Vayne). Isn't that enough?

You want the same shit each time over and over? You want the same sappy cliches and love stories over and over? It's been overdone, men.

Main series Final Fantasies are not sequels to each other (except actual sequels FFX-2 and Revenant Wings). Each installment in the Final Fantasy main, numbered series is its own separate game, taking place in a separate, self-contained world or universe. The only thing they have in common are elements like Chocobos and Moogles and airships and shit. People keep expecting the next FF7 or the next FFX every time a new Final Fantasy is released, people will be disappointed.

FFX = 90% Story, 10% LINEAR gameplay

FFXII: 10% Story, 90% NON-LINEAR gameplay

FFXII and FFX are basically diametric opposites of each other. If Square Enix didn't reinvent the wheel each time, people would get tired of their games and stop playing them because it'd be the same shit over and over. Despite peoples' disappoints with this game, it did well in sales, and people who are actually above Eighth grade level and can understand how to program a Gambit system with IF-THEN-ELSE conditions, and understand a political story where there is no absolute good or absolute evil (such as people who write Game Magazines for a living) gave this game good scores. It doesn't matter if you didn't like it or you didn't understand it so you say it's a disappointment. The only thing that really matters is Square Enix making sales with this game, and I applaud them for making a good game.

[Kurai Warrior]

There is no evil in the world?
So the peeps killing and beating people in Iran are perfectly fine then?

Sorry I didn't bother to read it all. Because honestly this game has come and gone, and your just an idiot for bring this shit up again.
Your not going to change anyone's mind. You're just going to piss people off.

[Living Tear]

FFXII and FFX are basically diametric opposites of each other.I agree. That is why FF 12 in my opinion was bad. It simply didn't appeal to me, and it didn't provide me a solid story.
The gameplay however, was just *okay* in my opinion. It felt repetitive and... In a long shot, it got boring.

But in the end... FF 10 was my first FF game. It had EVERYTHING. Deep & Emotional storyline, great characters, wonderful music and of course addicting gameplay.

But I must admit, I've gone through FF 10 so many times that I'm bored of it... =/

PS; Didn't read all of your first post.

[Astraia]

Sorry I didn't bother to read it all. Because honestly this game has come and gone, and your just an idiot for bring this shit up again.
Your not going to change anyone's mind. You're just going to piss people off.

.....i...uh...i wanted to say the exact same thing. :aldo:

[Hitoshura]

I didn't bother reading your wall of text, FF12 is shit, end of story.

[Astraia]

.....the whole game itself contains some kinda sleeping gas. <_<

[Moklin]

Expalin me why ff12 gameplay is better than 10´s.
I found 12 boring as hell not only becaus the story but mainly because the gameplay. I just set up my gambits and walked from point A to B or try to find a hunt while watching my chars atacking the same mosnters over and over again.
FF12´s gameplay sucks, batle system is good but Gambits and its easyness screw it all. Just atack and heal. After you undersatnd how gambits works there arent more chalenges, you didnt have to think just watch. The other problem was there arent jobs, every char did the same, its a big flaw, if there were jobs you had to think , echange your chars depending the situation, set up your gambits according to the specific characters skills.

Now in Final Fantasy 10 its other story, there wasnt exploration or open areas like ff12 but gameplay was really good. I had more fun batleing Yunalesca than any other boss in ff12. There were many diferent batles situations and you had to think and plan your strategy.

I didnt care about 12´s sidequests but i can say that storyline bosses were just big and stronger monsters. Nothing new. It was always the same thing, atacking and heal, use buffs, heal conditions. Every area it was the same thing, it as so reetitive. Soory, i hate ff12. Its not a final fantasy game, its just a non-online mmorpg. Actually i would like to see a mmorpg with 12´s gameplay because you can chat freely with your party without woory about monsters. Just set up your gambits.


People who made final fantasy xii forgot the main purpose of a game: FUN


You should create a blog to post this things.

[Devegas]

like everyone else here, i've played and gone through both and my money goes to 10.
12 was okay but there are so many things people can say about why it go boring that we'd be talking about for 3 days.

10 has got it flaws but the story AND gameplay kept you into it. hell the gameplay of 12 was like you could set it up and the only times you needed to touch anything was when you needed to move them around. there wasn't shitn that made the story interesting either. just things made you wish you got a change from the sorry characters you stuck with and a more hands-on gameplay

all to dude who made this thread you DEFINITELY will have more people telling you the opposite of everything you just posted

[Hynad]

X is the most overrated game in the series.

Even more so than VII.




True story.

[tanton18]

X is the most overrated game in the series.

Even more so than VII.




True story.


Sorry, but NO. FFX is the best game EVER. But that's just my opinion. and FFx13Fanatic story is not important?! WTF? That's my first reason for playing final fantasy. (sorry but i only read the begining of your post)

[Dark Chaos]

Do you guys think FF12 was that bad?...I thought it was pretty good,it has nice voices.good story,castles,mountains,forests,deserts and temples...Maybe 12 was too much action for some people that spend near five minutes just to think what to do in the next turn...

[Moklin]

Do you guys think FF12 was that bad?...I thought it was pretty good,it has nice voices.good story,castles,mountains,forests,deserts and temples...Maybe 12 was too much action for some people that spend near five minutes just to think what to do in the next turn...

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

do you realize what you just said?

FF12 has less action than other final fantasyies. You didnt have to think quicly what to do because it was automatic.

[Henry]

FFX is not overrated!

[KyleSt.Martin]

I enjoyed both...And I just killed another thread...

[Hynad]

Ha ha ha!

So easy to get people worked up over an inconsequential diverging opinion.



Tools!

[Little Miss Scarlett]

I liked the story of XII, but it wasn't very well told at all. While X might have taken its self way too seriously, it was much more accessable and it eased you in to the world and characters slowly so you got to know everything better. Could get a little patronising but it was much easier to get into.

XII, on the other hand just dumped a load of information on you, and expected you to remember at later parts in the game. It was much more satisfying when I pieced some storyline together in my head rather than being told, but whenever they gave you major information it was just too much at once, and in the end I just couldn't remember anyone's name apart from the main cast.

[Sundance Kid]

X is the most overrated game in the series.

Even more so than VII.




True story.
Thank you. They are BOTH so overrated it's ridiculous.

I actually HATED 10 and 7 wasn't all that.

[Subba]

I liked X and XII. I prefer XII's story to X's. I prefer XII's gameplay to X's.
I probably like it because it kinda, sorta, vaguely resembles FFXI in gameplay. I'm a FFXIfag.

I love seeing people get so worked up over this shit.

[Sundance Kid]

I'm also one of the very few who enjoyed XII.

[JmLopez]

I liked XII, but I would have much rather the story from Basch's perspective... I hated Vaan so much

[Astraia]

FF12 has less action than other final fantasyies. You didnt have to think quicly what to do because it was automatic.

...after setting up the gambits, all i ever did from then on was moving analog stick. :shifty:

[freyja]

I personally like all FF games be it X or XII. I play FF3, 4 ,7 ,ff7cc, 8 , 9 , 10 , X2 n even 12.I also try my hand at Dirge of cerebus and Dissidia even crystal chronicles. Its all about preference.

[Whiplash]

Couldn't this have gone in one of the other rants-about-XII threads?

[jojujo007]

Thank you. They are BOTH so overrated it's ridiculous.

I actually HATED 10 and 7 wasn't all that.

what was your favorite ff??

[Sundance Kid]

Probably 6. I liked the Tactics ones a lot also.

[Azure Presul]

I liked XII better. Still play it even today. Plus the Gilgamesh mark is epic.

[Dark Chaos]

I really liked the huntings they were challenging and entertaining...

[Ayane]

When I hear criticisms of FFXII (one of my favorite games) the main critcism is about the story. That there is no story, or the story can be summed up in one word: Nethicite. People don't play Final Fantasies solely for the story. If you want story, play a point-and-click adventure game. Final Fantasies are not adventure games. They are role-playing combat simulators. The whole point of the game is to fight monsters, battle, and level up. What keeps you going is that there's a reason why you're fighting, i.e. to bring down the Archadian Empire. That's what separates it from a Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter fighting game, that there is a reason to keep going. Who cares if the story's not convoluted and messed up on drugs? Personally I prefer a straightforward story that I can understand the first time through.

sorry i couldnt go further than this...what a bullshit? i play games ONLY for the stories they have to tell, no its not that in every video game the "primary purpose" is gameplay and fun of fighting monsters, at least not for everyone i dont agree with your oppinion, why do you even bother people with it by making a thread? you could just go to a FFXII general or something and say it all there, besides arent there already a bunch of threads about liking/hating FFXII?
and btw. FFXII story is very good (especially at the begining and end) IMO

[Hynad]

It you play a game just for its story, you must get bored like hell playing cards with friends or family members (yeah yea... "but I don't play cards!!! ). :P

In any case, playing a video game just for its story is like going for only half the fun. There are plenty of games with great story, but gameplay sucks so much you can't be arsed going through all of it. If you take a game like the Marios and Zelda, the stories are always shit, yet the gameplay is so good you keep on playing and playing because its so much fun.

If you play games just for their story, you'd be better off sticking to movies and TV series.


Seriously. Playing games ONLY for their story... :wtf:

[Ayane]

im not saying gameplay is not important but if a game has shitty gameplay and great story i would still play it but if it has no story at all and even the best gameplay in the industry it would still bore me like hell, but maybe i put it in wrong words cause in case of Zelda for example theres an atmosphere of a game that matters, and the fact that i was obviously exaggerating...
but anyway wtf? this is my oppinion isn't it?

and true, i dont play cards (mario neither)

[meteor]

Gameplay and story goes hand in hand i think.

[Moklin]

There are games who can have a crap story and a good gameplay and still be masterpieces ( zelda;mario)

But.....Final Fantasy with a crap story is sheet even if it has the best gameplay in the world.

[Sodedicated]

Final Fantasy's dynasty is mostly based on it's legendary storylines and characters

People don't know about FFVII's gameplay, but they damn sure know Cloud

And just because they're not familiar with VIII, they do recognize Squall

It was a good game, but I really don't agree with the TS

[GalvanizA]

There are games who can have a crap story and a good gameplay and still be masterpieces ( zelda;mario)

But.....Final Fantasy with a crap story is sheet even if it has the best gameplay in the world.

That's some retarded view you've got there.

[Shuryn]

I agree. That is why FF 12 in my opinion was bad. It simply didn't appeal to me, and it didn't provide me a solid story.
The gameplay however, was just *okay* in my opinion. It felt repetitive and... In a long shot, it got boring.

But in the end... FF 10 was my first FF game. It had EVERYTHING. Deep & Emotional storyline, great characters, wonderful music and of course addicting gameplay.

But I must admit, I've gone through FF 10 so many times that I'm bored of it... =/

PS; Didn't read all of your first post.
FFX was also my first Final Fantasy game!
I loved it and it's still my favorite!

Right now, I'm playing FFVII. It's good, but I feel like I can't appreciate it like others have in the past due to [now] unappealing graphics, and boring battling.

Anyway, that was off topic.

My opinion about FFXII was that the story was indeed confusing, but I like that Square Enix tried something totally different with the real-time battle. And now that it is out of their systems, and that we've finally experienced it, I feel that it was beneficial to know what FF fans really like. In other words, I'm glad that the real-time, gambit-steered battle was implemented, because it was indeed interesting at times. Although it eventually got boring, it was for the better, because if FFXII was just another "you hit me, I hit you" type battle (don't get me wrong - like I said, I love FFX) I think fans would get pissed and want something else.

All in all, I appreciate FFXII for what it is, but rather not see anything like it again.

[Hynad]

I wonder why many of you would think FF XII felt more repetitive than any other game in the series.

The battles are handled in the same way than in every FFs. The only difference being the imput commands, not the actual flow of actions taken in any given situations.

[Moklin]

I wonder why many of you would think FF XII felt more repetitive than any other game in the series.

The battles are handled in the same way than in every FFs. The only difference being the imput commands, not the actual flow of actions taken in any given situations.

In theory its the same than other ffs. In praticse no.....it lost final fantasy feeling.

[Hynad]

Oh yeah, that feeling... The one between the "what the hell, I say stupid things" one and the "I'm too dumb to elaborate" one.

[GalvanizA]

Being a FFXII fan, this is the best topic I've seen on this board.

[Kuja Las Vegas]

I suspect that when a new FF comes out, there will always be some die hard fans of previous FFs who will hate the latest one. So when FFXIII comes out, 90% of the people will love it while a vocal 10% will start whining about certain aspects. It all depends on what FF you first played. I first played FF7, so a few years later as I lived through FF8 and FF9 I was expecting "another FF7" with giant Weapons that fly in the sky, another Sephiroth, etc. But since "another FF7" never happened, I gradually realized that each FF is different in its own way, yet hearkens to the roots of the series. So basically, each FF after FF1 may be viewed as a "tribute" to FF1, the original. Tributes with vast improvements, I must say.

It is fallacy to keep expecting "another FF7" or "another FFX" because the games are not true sequels to each other, they're simply games in a series which use the same name "Final Fantasy" and similar elements such as Chocobos and Moogles and Airships and Firaga and Espers and stuff.

Because let's face it, it would get boring if every single FF had the Sphere Grid or the Gambit System or the Junction System over and over again. Square Enix has the unique predicament of having to reinvent the wheel each time, create new battle systems, while staying true to the roots of the series. IMHO, FFXII stayed true to the roots of the series.

I remember when FFX first came out, people were whining about how FF1 through FF9 were the real "original" ATB systems, and anything after FF9 (i.e. FFX and beyond) were no longer "real" Final Fantasies, they were just science fiction games that had the name "Final Fantasy." The same could be said for FF7 and FF8, more sci-fi than anything else. FF9 tried to remedy that perception by returning to the medieval roots of the series and containing references to each previous FF game before it (which was very satisfying as an FF fan).

The gist of it is, there'll be haters, people who liked it, people who loved it, people who went "meh." All a matter of personal taste.

[meteor]

I liked XII better. Still play it even today. Plus the Gilgamesh mark is epic.

I hope they do the marks in XIII again.(only different marks)

[Sodedicated]

Gameplay-wise, FFXII was the best yet.

They just need to tone it down a bit with the dungeon crawling.

[Sodedicated]

I noticed that, but I enjoy setting things (or in this case gambits) in motion and letting my characters unleash hell like mind-controlled puppets.

[Hynad]

Yeah... right...

You just don't need to input all the repetitive commands like you have to in the older FFs. But I guess hitting the X button over and over again is A LOT more fun... :rolleyes:

And if you think you can't control anything... your Gambits must be shit as hell.

[Shanana]

but FFXII you had to grind or you'd die

If you had to grind in FFXII, I gotta ask

how shit at the game are you?

[Shanana]

If you aren't adequately levelling while progressing through the story, you're not doing something right.

Yer jes not. You have to stop for even an hour, something's wrong.

Or maybe I'm just better at games than I've been giving myself credit for all these years.

[Sodedicated]

I never said you had to grind a lot, but a rush would be impossible (ff9 you could beat in under 9 hours if you were good enough)

Dustia-trick>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Shanana]

You do know that killing every monster on every map is grinding, if you just B line for your destination every time and only kill the monsters in your path in FFXII you will be way too level to continue

I think I just went where I was told. Can't really remember, but you seem to know the personal method I chose a lot more than I do, so I'll go with what you say. Makes sense.

grinding doesn't make you a good gamer infact it's the opposite it's taking the easy way out

Glad we're talking opposites because I actually said the opposite of what you're implying I said. Brilliant.

[Devegas]

part of what i didn't like in ff12 was the fact that exp reduces with the addition of active party members playable or guest. so everytime i had to kill larsa vossler and reddas and keep it at one character each time which drove to hell and back again because it took so long and you needed all of them to be at a high level to get through shit easier