[.ca] Final Fantasy Tactics

Great game!:
I was a little leery at first about buying this game, it didn't look much like the "regular" Final Fantasy series' games I've come to enjoy so much, but this game is great!! While it retains the title "Final Fantasy" it's a very different game unto itself. If anything, I find it more comparable to "Shining Force"-- a Sega Gensesis game from the good ol' days of 16 bit platforms. As it implies, FF Tactics (tactics being the keyword there) is a game that relies more on strategical movement and combat and offers endless options in developing your own squad of characters-- create a team full of wizards and magic-users; or a team dependant more on physical attacks with knights and archers; and even masters of the martial arts with ninjas and monks-- the combinations are entirely up to the player and one can easily change them at will. Stuck with a low-level healer that's basically no-good in combat? Change their job and they soon become anything else your heart desires, the options are endless. Anyone looking for an RPG that's a little bit different, something other than the norm, and requires a little more brainwork similar to that of chess or, as before mentioned, "Shining Force", should pick this one up. This is definitely a game that will keep you glued to the screen for a while!

a Playstation Masterpiece:
Final Fantasy Tactics is an incredible accomplishment. While bearing the Final Fantasy name, it is not part of the main numbered series. Final Fantasy Tactics brings a new style of gameplay to the Final Fantasy series: strategy. This is a strategy game. The goal of Tactics is not so much to explore the world, but rather to strategically win battles to advance the story. The only exploration comes in finding where the best place on the battlefield is to put your characters in order to attack the most effectively. This is a difficult game to get into at first, but given the chance the game becomes very addictive and soon may be one of your favorite games. It is that good. The game begins slow and is a little confusing at first. You are moved from location to location and given a lot of story (the story in Tactics is the deepest of any bearing the name Final Fantasy). You must fight by moving your characters around the field of battle and placing them so that they can do the most damage while hopefully avoiding getting too injured. Terrain is important. This game features a very well done job class system, so what job class your characters are affects what they can do. Only a chemist can use healing items, only a mage can cast magic, Knights are very strong and can wear armor, and so on. Mastering the job classes and learning what the best way to fight battles is very important and will determine how successful you will be. It seems a little daunting at first, but putting the time and effort into this game is worth it. It is often overlooked, but it is one of the best on the Playstation. For RPG fans, Final Fantasy fans, strategy fans, or just someone looking for a great game and a new experience: Final Fantasy Tactics is the game to get.

Biased? Me? Of course!:
One of Squaresoft's most complex and intricate games ever made, Final Fantasy Tactics just about takes my cake for Best. RPG. Ever. And here's why. 1. The battle system. Yeah, it takes a little getting used to, but once you do (in two or three battles - and the development team saw fit to include a large tutorial and a simple first battle) it clearly shows its superiority. Instead of stampeding through every battle with thumbs blazing through menus, you can take your time to figure out just what you want to do with your five-unit party. Let's face it: Active Time Battle is the product of the coked-up Eighties, when everybody saw time going past as a blur. (Yeah, I'm ranting, so what? My review.) 2. Character creation. Instead of your characters being fated to a single identity (i.e. Cloud's Heavy Physical, Aeris is Healer, Barrett's Heavy Missile...), you can decide for yourself what you want them to do. And after that, if you change your mind, you can make them something else. Or you can mix and match abilities from different classes, allowing you to make just about anyone you want. Warrior mage? Check. Heavy-armored ninja? Yup. Wizard with a gun? Oh yeah. 3. Storyline. Despite the often garbled translation, nit-picked by so many impatient gamers, the plotline is a testament to the tried-and-true Hero's Journey, to the tune of a backdrop of political intrigue, national and religious corruption, and the theme of finding true motives when everything around one is tainted by selfishness and personal agenda. The main character, Ramza, even undergoes change in feelings and goals as the game progresses. Wow, Squaresoft, a dynamic character? Who'da thought they could pull it off? Yes, the plotline is very hard to follow, and there's a lot of characters to keep track of. What do you expect in a game of political intrigue? Play Final Fantasy 7 if you want an easy plot to follow, you won't be disappointed there either. If you want stunning graphics, impressive FMV, rapid-fire gameplay, or a good power-trip, go play Final Fantasy 7 or 8 - they're great too. But if you want some incredible gameplay and an engaging, memorable story, play this. Thinkers come this way.

Still a Great Strategy Game:
Final Fantasy Tactics is a classic game for the Playstation which is still great fun to play in the days of the Playstation 2. The graphics are reasonably good, with three dimensional characters and environments. The church you start out near, for examples, looks like one you might construct out of paper and color the walls of. Very flat with few surfaces, but relatively reasonable for the time. Gameplay involes you and your group of up to 7 friends trying to figure out a war between two halves of the country you're in. Each character has its own strengths and weaknesses, of course, and they gain in skill as they go through battles. Battle is turn based and involves your 3D characters and your enemies on a map. You have to move close to your enemies to fight with them, and figure out who to move in close and who to keep further off. This is different than the Final Fantasy RPG series where in essence your team stands in a line, the enemy stands in a line, and you simply fire at each other. There are of course chocobos, your yellow friends that can carry you around. In this version, they can even lay eggs! You never know what will hatch out of one, and it's a neat way to add new monsters to your group. I will comment that the translations are pretty awful, the letters appear S - L - O - W - L - Y on the screen and the plot is rather complex with names and alliances to keep track of. But that's a minor flaw given how fun the game is. Highly recommended to any Final Fantasy fan, even though it's a bit old. You can usually get it inexpensively, and it's well worth it!

An all-time favorite:
I'm sure this game isn't for everyone, but in my perspective it is the perfect RPG. The job system made you want to play the game over again just so you could try out that class you never ended up using, exciting plot battles and random battles that are always a challenge given that they level up along with your party, and, in my opinion, the most powerful and intense plotline and character developement I have ever seen in a console RPG. Graphics: True, the graphics aren't cutting-edge, but the use of sprites and camera make it easy to see every detail on the battlefield, and also make the spells seem that much cooler graphically. Music: The music fits scenes perfectly. If I saw a soundtrack for it, I would probably grab it right away. Random encounters usually feature a random score of music. Gameplay: Personally, I'm quite happy not to have a little sprite to move around to go to houses and talk to people who say the same things OVER and OVER again. Straightforward main map and shopping. The battle sequences are exciting and often at least slightly difficult no matter where you are in the game. Storyline: I played FFT two times from beginning to end. The reason? To experience the character developement, rich plot, and overall mood of the game. True, it is slightly difficult to follow. But it's there, and it's flawless (this doesn't include technicalities and translation errors). I personally like games with a large dark side, and this game doesn't have too much of a light side. Whoever thought up all the interlocking conspiracies and corrupt organizations is a creative genious. Overall: The perfect game. Don't buy if you are just anyone, however. If you like roleplaying for the sake of what roleplaying games stand for, buy this game. It will keep you going to the end.