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Thursday 21 February, 2008
Final Fantasy 12
Second Hour
GAMEPLAY
By now the characters in game have developed more than the first two hours. There are a total of six characters that the player is given. I feel that Vaan and Penelo are normal people who are caught in the fire of people with power. Balthier (my favorite) and companion Fran seem like they are just accompanying the party because it benefits them but I know that deep down they are only trying to help and treasure is not first priority. Basch and Ashe are the two that are serious about the party’s goals. They are willing to put their life down and restore order back to their homeland. This is only just the tip of the iceberg though. The characters are one of the things that keep players in the magic circle.
Throughout the game I was wrapped into it. All of my attention was given to the game. I would feel bothered if someone were to talk to me or ask a favor from me. This is a game that requires you to be present throughout the whole game because if your not there you could miss a beautiful cut scene of Ivalice or an important conversation between the characters that is vital to understand the plot or simply, die from a monster.
DESIGN
The game is very innovative compared to its ancestors, especially the battle system. It has more of an online feel than a single player sitting at home. Although the battle system makes it easier on the player to manage, the game still possesses a challenge. From fighting regular monsters to boss battles, the system requires you to be there to watch over the characters actions if you use gambits. The game did a wonderful job of splitting the work between the player and the machine. The player still looks over the artificial intelligence instead of just having the player walk up to the monster and sit idly watching the battle.
The tone of the game world is serious. Their journey start from restoring Princess Ashe to her throne to saving the world from the villain who is planning to take over the world using crystals. Because it is so serious the player becomes so focus that they do not want to miss a thing. The characters rarely talk, most of the time your out in the desert traveling huge maps to the next place. When the characters do talk though it is of most importance that you listen and understand what is going on.
The game doesn’t really have a level design. It is just given that as you progress in the game the monsters become stronger, requiring you to level up in order to vanquish them. The reward structure for the game is satisfying because as you level up you become stronger and you also get to fill up the license board to be closer to your next “quickening”.
The game is really enticing, I would recommend this to gamers who like a good story line with great graphics. A Final Fantasy title never fails to deliver the fun.
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