Friday 19 January, 2007

My first entry for Final Fantasy XII is centered around city exploration. In huge RPG games such as this, talking to people and doing side quests are usually just as important as progressing in the story. Wandering around the city Rabanastre can sometimes get overwhelming. It's huge, with many parts to explore and lots of people to talk to. Unlike the main quest, where you are given a direction or perhaps a task to fulfill, there is generally no help when it comes to exploration. Like any good RPG, FF XII includes fun little diversions from the story. Before advancing in the story too far, I did several 'monster hunts' to level up and get rewards. The rewards are not always worth the trouble, but at least the experience of tracking down a specific monster is usually fun. On another note, I really like the art and architecture in this game. Rabanastre is a sprawling city, and its towers and buildings stretch up impressively, giving it a grand scope. The deserts and other areas around the city are not quite as impressive, but the design of the monsters is very inventive, ranging from modifications of real-world animals (Fire Horse, for example) to the extremely fanciful (Death Wall). Another reason for spending a good amount of time in the city is upgrading equipment. Buying a really good sword or shield is very expensive! Selling loot from monsters and treasures picked up along the way are the most common ways to make money. I wish things were not nearly as expensive, as it can take an hour or so just to make enough money to buy one sword. This makes the game experience lag a bit, but not enough to make me stop playing. The music in the city is pleasant but also forgettable. It is a good thing that it is not annoying, because I spent hours in the city - not all at once, but overall, I have spent a good portion of the game simply talking to people in the city, getting quests, upgrading and selling things. One caveat I have with this game are the saving crystals. In order to save my progress, I must find one of these crystals that are spread about. They are usually very easy to locate, but even so, I wish it were not a requirement. I suppose I am spoiled by games like The Legend of Zelda, where you can save at any time. I do plenty of running around in FF XII, and I just wish I did not have to run to a crystal every time I am finished playing. All said and done though, FF XII is an enjoyable game, and my next entry will be more about the story and main characters.

Yeah, this game is a lot similar to FFXI in the sense that the more you put in, the more you get out. The more Mob hunts you do, the better the rweards will be later. I think after you start doing hunts, a couple ranks higher, you will really start to appreciate the rewards. I think this is one of the first FF's where I spent hours in certain dunegons just trying to get gil. I know in some I would find a good area and use it to level my characters up a bit but never would I thought gil as well. But it is good in a way, because at the same time while farming for money, I am leveling up as well and it becomes very easy to maneuver through upcoming dungeons when I go back to doing the story.

Things will get better though ^^

~Naroku