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jess's Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
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| [January 19, 2007 04:59:25 PM]
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I decided to spend some more time farming for this session, as there is a sword I was really hoping to get for Vaan, my main character.
Something I didn't mention in my earlier log is the vast improvement on grinding in this FF--the chaining system. If you kill only a certain type of monster, the more you kill, the better loot you get off of them. They do this by a series of chains: after you kill 2 of the same type, it says "chain-2" and the number goes up with each creature you kill; eventually you get a "chain level" which is very obvious because the bags of loot the creature drops get much larger, and they start dropping more gil and better items. Each chain level is an improvement upon the last, until you are getting really nice items and a significant amount of gil. This system really cuts down on the time spent grinding, which was a complaint I had with previous Final Fantasy games.
Another great time saver in FF12 is the port system. After you discover an area, you will find a crystal somewhere around. Touch it, and you can save, and port to any crystal you have already been to with the use of a teleport stone (which drop quite frequently at higher chain levels, I am happy to note). They also have a port system within the large cities called a Moogele porter. The Moogles are a small, rabbit-like race that operate this port system to take you to different sectors of the city, again really cutting down on the run time.
Final Fantasy 12 has all the great parts of the other Final Fantasys--great characters and an interesting and compelling storyline, both of which have a depth that I find other RPGs often lack. The combat system is improved in a way, although I know a lot of fans (myself somewhat included) miss the very Final Fantasy combat screen. For the long-term playability and continued ability to bring in new fans, I think the real-time combat was a necessity, and a well-executed one at that. The makers of FF really worked on improving the areas that needed improvement (such as grinding and running time) and the result is another great Final Fantasy.
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| [January 19, 2007 04:48:29 PM]
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Sorry this wasn't posted earlier--my intarwebs were down.
I've nearly finished FF12 now, but my boyfriend got an Xbox 360 so I stopped for awhile to immerse myself in Halo 2 and Fable. I came back however, not just for this Gamelog but because I really like the Final Fantasy Series, and FF12 is a great example.
I spent this game session grinding gil, which is the currency in the Final Fantasy series; experience points, which are needed to level up; and license points, which are used to purchase licenses which allow you to use armor and weapons or perform special abilities.
The new combat system in FF12 is somewhat of an improvement in that it allows for continuous action, although I miss the battle music (they did keep the classic victory music for after boss fights, which I thought was a nice touch). It allows for real time action and micromanagement of all of the characters in your party. They instituted a system of gambits which automate each of your characters actions seperatly, such that they will heal if anyone gets below a certain health percentage, of attack a flying creature with spells or ranged weapons. It makes the real-time combat system work; without the gambits, it wouldn't be possible to keep track of all of your characters' actions and you would waste valuable time sorting it out everytime you started a fight or killed a monster in a multiple-monster fight--you would otherwise have to individually direct each of your characters to attack.
The license system seems like a good idea, and would be if I didn't farm so much just to be able to afford the very best weapons and armor available. It requires you to make decisions concerning the focus of each of your characters, be it healing magic, damage magic, melee weapons, ranged weapons, or type of armor. Unfortunately because I farm so much gil and make LP (license points) along the way, all of my characters have nearly everything on the board.
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jess's Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Wednesday 1 November, 2006
GameLog closed on: Thursday 1 November, 2007 |
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