Ironic

No doubt some of you remember I used to hate this game, the battle system was impossible for me to use. Well, I picked it back up a couple weeks ago and I can't stop playing it. I found out the real reason why I failed so hard at it, I had rushed through it on my first play through, now I'm taking my sweet time, overleveled for every boss fight and spending most of my time leveling up my characters and dominating the License Board. I got the Zodiac Spear even, long before I should've and I'm absolutely crushing this game.

I've found it absolutely pitiful I wrote this game off as terrible. Worse yet, I made the battle system much harder than it is. I've found the story to be absolutely captivating, not as much as previous FFs, but it is definitely worth giving a second chance. Of course I learned my lesson for rushing, I'm actually going overboard with my leveling up. I'm just now entering Archades and my characters are all around level 45 with fantastic equipment and I also have only one Monograph left to obtain.

So, yeah. I regret not fully experiencing this game. Of course, some things bother me, like when the characters have to withdraw and sheathe their weapon after every battle, it's a total time waster and a cripple when fleeing. so, this game is moving up my favorites list. Any others that share my story?

i for one, have never hated ff12, sure it had a few flaws, but most games do, for me it is #13 on my all time list, so pretty good i would say

It certainly made me wish at least Ashe was in Dissidia. Still don't find Vaan interesting. His VA just bugs me after watching the shows he was in as a kid.

he is annoying i do have to agree, so annoying that i never used him in my party. And good job on getting the zodiac spear early...as i did as well ^^ not fun running through all the sht though to get to it though.

you know what erel, maybe the game hates you as well...just maybe lol

=P

I use Penelo the least of all my party. My main party is Ashe (LUV), Basch and Vaan. They all use a sword and shield combo and they all have every spell up to that point. I'm behind in Technicks, though.

@Leon, I found a pathetically easy way through the Necrohol. Use one person and if they die, switch out one more. Then when you enter a new area, revive and heal everyone. I only had to use Vaan, Balthier and Fran to get through a couple areas. Beating the Bomb King was stressful, had to spam mist techniques.

The Zodiac Spear isn't particularly strong at this point, sadly. All my characters' strengths are pretty much the same, all have augments. They all do about 1500 damage average. The Zodiac Spear adds another 1500.

whether u believe it or not, that is quite a bit added damage...and really helps. and i never tried that method goin through the necrohol << gotta do that sometime if i make a new file lol. The bomb king ran out of mp for me, so he couldn't use renew anymore xD

It's the equivalent of two characters hitting at once, it is a lot, but I have Haste on all my characters for boss battles, and the Swiftness Augments, so I attack pretty fast. The Bomb King used Renew like, twice, then he just ran and kept making more Bombs. I pulled out Fran and Balthier for range and Berserked them both.

I got so close to the end and just stopped playing it. Haven't been back to it since. Maybe I should actually finish it.

I want to get this game again so bad. I have an itch to play it again

i guess i don't really know what ppl hate about it so much

i'll tell you the main parts people hate

battle system, story, character developement

basically the whole game

The battle system hate is hilarious, because it's mainly people arguing either about gambits (You can turn them off if you want), or saying it sucks because it's real time (Which it isn't.)

The story gets flak because people were expecting the same sort of story as previous games, when it's really a different genre of story. Instead of realising this, they bash it because of it not being same-old.

The characters are also misunderstood a lot of the time, Vann *isn't* the main character of the story, he's the narrator so to speak. So stop treating him like the main.
Penelo isn't a useless character - she's a citizen who's been brought into this war, hence why her perspective seems a bit simple compared to that of Ashe or Balthier.
For character development, well you're in a war. There really isn't much time for some huge OMG REVELATION OF THE GODS development. Instead, the characters *do* develop if people actually pay attention, but instead they say there isn't any development because that's easier than using their heads.


Unfounded hate on games is funny.


And at the moment, Im' playing the International Zodiac Job System of the game. Much improved on the original IMO with the class system, and other little features that make gameplay a bit nicer.

I actually liked the game ^^ I have played it for 2, maybe 3 times,lol.
I got to agree with tyrrie though ; Vaan isn't really the main character. Balthier , Bash and Ashe are maybe even more important for the story (which is good, since I don't like Vaan, haha)

The gameplay is just different, that's all I can say. I actually liked it, since I'm too lazy to fight more than I have to,lol.

i agree with tw on most of those points

I never considered Vaan the main, I just figured like with preevious FFs, I'd be stuck using him and/or one other character for a portion of the game and I wanted to well round everyone so I don't get stuck in a spot because I can't kill anything for EXP.

I hated this game simply cause I couldn't beat it, typical temper tantrum, but I've grown up and I'm ownin' foolz. Got my favorite Esper, so I'm back to the story, 70 hours atm.

@TW, agreed with all, my man. I noticed pretty heavy character development, it's subtle, but if you pay attention, it's pretty obvious.

honestly the basch, and gabranth story is my favorite in the game, especially the ending--i won't spoil anything

I still think the whole game is crap but if you like it, whatever. No skin off my nose. Cookie cutter characters, the story was too boring and predictable (there hasn't been an amazing twist in story since VII, maybe X if you count Tidus and Auron) and even though the hunts are my all time favorite FF sidequest, it's not enough to make me like this game.

Cookie Cutter characters?

This is Final Fantasy. Name a character from any of the games which ISN'T cookie cutter.

Story boring is opinion I guess.
And FF games don't do twists. Dunno what twists you're talking about really.

Josef, Kain, Rubicante, Gilgamesh (Based on the Legend but his own character), Celes, Ultros, Tifa, Reno, Laguna, Cid Kramer, Vivi to name a few.

Come on, in VII when the gang finds out that they had been following not Sephiroth, but Jenova changed in his form. Then when its revealed Cloud is a Sephiroth Clone and didn't follow him for the purpose of stopping him, but because Jenova was calling his cells? You can't tell me you saw that coming. There were subtle hints given through the story, (Biggest of course is when Cloud gives Seph the Black Materia) but you don't really notice the smaller ones until the second playthrough. Same with X when Auron is actually an unsent (there are hints of him being unsent like when the gang visits the farplain or whatever its called and you see him fighting the pyrflies off) or the whole world of the Zanarkand Tidus came from was created by the Faith, that was surprising.

Gilgamesh and Laguna I'd agree with.
The rest... not really, personally.

Good, yes, but not what I'd call an amazing *twist*. FFVII had hints to it, same with X. It's shown between the lines.
More of a great revelation, which yes it is.

FFXII also had a revelation - the entire fact of the Occuria orchestrating the entire war.

FFVIII had the Time Kompression, FFIX had the second world - they all follow a big revelation that's hinted at. Usually quite well done.

Saying FFXII didn't have one isn't true in the slightest.

A good *twist* I'd say would be Star Ocean 3. Great twist there.
Or Digital Devil Saga 1 + 2.

To hell with 4D beings. Honestly, I've never worked so hard to slay a green Valkyrie in my life. x_x I exploited the game and still lost.

Anyway, I have to agree with both of you gusy to a point, the story of XII didn't strike me as hard as others, biggest "holy fuck" moment I had was all the ex-judges in your party. Ffamran and Zecht? O_o

Strangest thing that hit me about when I got the airship was how much it reminded me of the first FF, just the world map got me thinking about how FF was set up, somewhat middle ages world with tons of technology in a war era. So, nostalgia was present through a good number of the game.

I have to say, that the final boss was the hardest I've fought up to date, haven't finished very many FFs, sadly. I've yet to beat him, I get him about 25% down and he goes invulnerable and whips out a regular paced attack that wipes out half my health bar in one shot. I may be underleveled, but I'll get back to him after I get all my marks, can't wait for Gilgy!

Freya's easy =p.
I like solo-ing her, my best one was Peppitta solo .

(I used to be one of the top vets with peppy).

I killed the Undying on this in a matter of seconds =/.
And I was underlevelled apparently.