Final Fantasy XII, the latest in Square-Enix's groundbreaking RPG series, and the final game to appear on the PS2, has been a long time coming since the last "true" Final Fantasy game, FFX. Sure, we've had FFX-2 and FFXI, but the former was more of an extension to FFX then a true sequel, and the latter was an MMORPG that divided fans upon its release, and that's just evil. However, since its announcement many years ago, it became apparent that the latest iteration of Final Fantasy would be a different beast to its predecessors; major changes would finally be brought into a series whose gameplay had remained on roughly the same path since its birth.

   I have to admit that as a long-time fan of the series I experienced a slight sense of unease about the direction the series was taking as news of the game trickled in. We were told that the world of FFXII would be based on that of Final Fantasy Tactics, a game usually kept separate from the main games, and would even be directed by FF Tactics creator Yasumi Matsuno. The game would also have a new music composer, following Nobuo Uematsu's departure from the series. Lastly and most importantly, random battles would be scrapped altogether, changing the combat system more than any other Final Fantasy game has in the past.

   Were Square-Enix taking too much of a risk with this new direction, especially seeing as sales of the Final Fantasy games remained as strong as ever, or would this move breathe new life into an already great series? An early demo of FFXII that was shipped with Dragon Quest VIII and gave players the chance to try out the new combat and party system didn't exactly wow the fans, so when FFXII was finally released to the public, the general consensus was that the game would either be a big disappointment, or a huge success. [A truly Sherlock Holmsian conclusion, to be sure - ed.]

   But for the answer to that sweat-inducing question you'll just have to wait until the end of the review, and - wait a second, you've gone and looked at the grade already, haven't you? I suppose it's hard not to when the score is right in your face like that, but still...you could have ignored it or something. Spoilsport.

I've already used the words "Final Fantasy" way too much for my liking.

   FFXII is set in the world of Ivalice, and the story revolves around main character Vaan, a seventeen-year-old orphan who dreams of becoming a sky pirate and naturally gets caught up in a plot that sees him join a party of heroes in a quest to save the world. Maybe you've seen screenshots of Vaan. Maybe you thought to yourself, "What is that? A boy, or a girl?" Now, I challenged people's opinions that Tidus, the main character of FFX, was just a big girl and a sissy; I didn't mind him. But even I have to admit that Vaan looks too much like a bisexual Japanese pop star for my tastes. There seems to be a weird trend happening where the main male characters in the FF games are getting girlier and girlier as the series goes on. It's not that I have anything against effeminate characters per se, but Vaan just looks a bit out of place amongst the heavily-armoured [wait, are those... MUSCLES?! - ed.] civilians.

   The game is more "fantasy" in the traditional swords and sorcery sense, with a medieval setting, matching Shakespearean language [thou DOTH speak Shakespearean, doth thou not? - ed.] and political intrigue. Even though the main plot is of standard fair, the story is still one of the game's major strong points, and the character interaction is interesting enough to stop you from growing bored with the six main characters in the game.

   On a side note, someone over at Square-Enix might have watched one too many Star Wars movies, as the game bears many similarities to them. After all, the plot concerns a dominating Imperial menace that is met by a Resistance force led by a former princess (Ashe), who is helped by a young man who dreams of taking to the skies (Vaan). Vaan is also mentored by an older father-figure Basch who is running from the Imperials much like Obi-wan Kenobi. Finally, when they threw in the cocky sky pirate Balthier and his non-human partner Fran, along with his airship, I almost expected Ewoks to jump out of the bushes in the place of Moogles and offer their help in destroying the second Death Star. Fortunately the similarities just about stop there, and even if this homage to Star Wars wasn't just coincidence, I can't blame Square-Enix too much for borrowing a few ideas from such great movies. Hey, everyone else does it.

   Getting back to the characters, the FFXII world itself also populated with different species, all of which were in Final Fantasy Tactics - you have your Homo sapiens, or "humes", your bunny people, the Viera, Moogles, Bangaa, a reptilian race, and the pig-like Seeq. These different races make Ivalice a much more diverse world than those of other Final Fantasies, but having said that, it is a pity that Square-Enix didn't make the main party more diverse. As it stands, the party is comprised of five Humes and one Viera. If Square Enix went to the trouble of populating the world with interesting races, you'd think that they would have included more of them in the main party. Like a Moogle, for one. A little teddy bear with wings and some funky balloon over its head waving around a sword? Its cuteness alone would melt even the toughest of foes! Rad.

So you're saying I need a License just so I can stab this here monster with my sword?

Prepare to be ignored

   Some die-hard fans, particularly those who hated FFXI, may be put off FFXII, and may even be wailing for Square-Enix to go back to random battles. I've already stated that I'm not fond of MMORPGs, and yet I love FFXII. As for the lack of random battles, I say good riddance. Random battles were only created in the first place because the old systems didn't have the graphical capabilities to display enemies on the same screen as the main game. Other RPGs have given the boot to random battles long before FFXII, so it's nice to finally see Square-Enix do the same. Random battles were also jarring to the flow of a game: one minute you're walking along the world, and the next the screen fades and you're in a different set up being forced to tap "x" until the thing before you dies. I'm not saying I hate random battles - if you're a big RPG fan you've already learned to deal with them, maybe even love them, but face it, the change was needed. And ok, I do hate them. Live with it.

I summon you, Pikachu! Sorry, wrong game.

   As well as performing Quickenings, players also have the choice of using summons (oh surprise!). This uses up all their MP and replaces the other two party members with the summoned monster, which can't be directly controlled but still has its own moves and a powerful, final attack. Gone are the days where summons were just flashy magic spells that you couldn't control, and it's nice to see each summon fighting alongside you. [Unless you've accidentally summoned a carrot. You are pretty screwed, then. - ed.]

   Also joining your party at times are guest characters, which are main characters who lend their help in fighting off your enemies, but like summons cannot be controlled, so at times you will be walking around with four people in your party. As for controlling your own characters, a system of commands called "gambits" can be assigned to every character, which, if set up right, can get characters to automatically heal themselves when their lives drop too low, or attack any enemy that gets close to them. This way you can sit back and simply watch the action unfold, which is great if you're leveling up and don't want to keep pushing the "x" button every second. Clever devils those Square-Enix dudes, I swear.

Imagine having to end every sentence with "kupo", and you can imagine hell... kupo.

   FFX, released what seems like ages ago for the PS2, has graphics that still look stunning, so it's no surprise that FFXII is graphically amazing. The game pushes the hardware of the PS2 to its limit, and at the same time even in the most hectic of battles there is little to no slowdown. The FMVs are all stunning, and even the cut scenes which use in-game graphics, almost look good enough to be on a next-gen console. The locations of the game vary from bustling cities to deserts and grassy plains, to dark woods and cities in the sky, and all are impressively large. Thankfully, there are many speedy means of traveling from place to place: airships are the primary means of transporting around the world, and Chocobos can be ridden around the land, for example. You can even teleport at certain save crystals back to any area you've already been to. On the negative side, the large areas can still take quite a while to traverse, with a couple of occasions where it could take you an hour or two to move from one save point to the next as you battle your way through minion after minion. So if you lack patience, or are after a game where you can stop playing every half-an-hour or so, you may want to look elsewhere. That means you, mister trigger-happy, make-things-go-boom person. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

   The music of the game is...okay. It suits the locations well, and never gets annoying. I am a huge fan of Nobuo Uematsu's however, and I think I can safely say without too much bias that the new composer(s) don't hold a candle to him. Their music lacks the melodic touches that made his so memorable and enjoyable, so while the music is by no means bad, it just doesn't stand out anymore, which is a shame. Go back and listen to such works such as "One-winged angel" or "Aeris' Theme" and I'm sure you'll agree. Go on. I'll wait for you.

Warriors for hire

   Clans (again from FF Tactics) play a small role in the game, and it is through them, and by checking bills posted around the cities that players can take on "marks", which are bounties that "concerned" citizens want to be taken care of. These nasty beasties vary in rank, with rank 1 being the easiest, and can be taken down whenever you feel like searching them out. Once the mark is felled, you collect your reward from the person who posted the bill, and then move on to the next one, or go back to doing the main quest. Marks make a nice distraction to the main game, and chances are you'll want to hunt down every one just for the rewards, which are usually a lot of gil (the currency used in Final Fantasy) and some good items. Helping out other people around town usually leads to some fun side quests as well, so players are rewarded for their exploration of the game. [If only you could put this down as 'volunteering' on your college application... - ed.]

Back in my day we had to walk through hours and hours of random battles, and we were grateful for the opportunity to do so, you hear me boy?

   When you have a hard time thinking up negatives for a game, you know you're playing something special. If you were a fan of the FF games before this one, you should still love the game. Even if you aren't a fan you might still find this game worth playing through, especially seeing as the random battles are gone, which were one of the main deterrents to the RPG haters who stayed away from the series. The graphics are gorgeous, the storyline epic, and the gameplay addictive, so what more could you want? Apart from a warrior Moogle, of course. A man can dream, though. A man can dream.

       ... Travis Whipps