Final Fantasy Tactics Review

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(More customer reviews)There are many indications of whether a game is good. Final Fantasy Tactics has at least two of those indications. 1) Although the Playstation 1 is in its Dark Ages, many last-second RPG's are using the Final Fantasy Tactics battle system. 2) The game had to be reissued, due to popular demand.
GRAPHICS: Grade of "A". Yes, they do look like they can be done on a Super Nintendo, but this game isn't TRYING to be graphically intense. Does Tetris need great graphics? Most certainly not, because it's a puzzle game. Likewise, FFT doesn't need good graphcis because it's a strategy game, where too much detail would possibly get in the way and be a distraction.
MUSIC: Grade of "A". Some people will tell you that the FFT soundtrack is the best videogame soundtrack ever. I don't know if I'd go that far, but I must say, the music fits PERFECTLY with the game. There are tons of battles in this game, but there is a LOT of variety in the music. Best of all, the music actually puts you in the MOOD to whip out that sword and cream those foes. Germinas Peak, Sweegy Woods, Back Fire, Boss Battle themes, are among my favorites.
GAMEPLAY: Strategy games can sometimes be synonymous with "difficult". And believe me, this game IS difficult. BUT NOT TO LEARN! Someone definitely had their hat on right when they made the intuitive battle system. Move, Act, or Wait are your three primary commands, and they become second-nature within an hour. Also, one can equip their characters with many pieces of equipment. This sounds tedious, but there is a nice feature called a "Fitting Room" that makes all the boredom of "Buy, Exit Menu, Equip, Go back to store, Sell" so much simpler. But what makes the game difficult are the battles. Some are ridiculously easy, but others will require some leveling up in the field, first. FFT brings back the Job system that was in FF5, allowing for a more-than-generous amount of customizability.
STORYLINE: This is where the game could use a little help. For one, the translation has speling errors, wordssmashed together punctuation problems, and sometimes I just don't understand what is going on. Materia-like crystals play a vital role. One thing that I found amusing was that nearly every between-battles sequence involves a death. To me, the storyline is just a peripheral. If you understand it, fine. If not, fine. You're here to fight battles and listen to the music, mostly.
FINAL: I'd give it 4.5 stars out of 5. One thing that this game has, though, is REPLAY VALUE. You can beat it in 30 hours, but you can probably play it another 30 times, no problem.

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In Final Fantasy Tactics you must guide your nation through a revolution while defending it from otherworldy forces!

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Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Review

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(More customer reviews)I'd like to implore you to NOT compare this game to the FFTactics for the Playstation.For just a moment, weigh this game against itself.Evaluate it for what it IS, and not what it isn't.
People may be upset because this is not like the original.But for that reason I am very thankful.Not to say that the original Tactics wasn't wonderful; it remains one of my favorite FF titles to date.What I mean to say is that it's different.I know that the story is not as mature as the first one.I know that the music is not quite as bombastic as that of the original (From what I've heard so far, anyway).But Final Fantasy Tactics Advance presents its own story, its own set of characters and its own battle system, which in my opinion is just as good as that of the first Tactics.
The Job system has been redesigned, and takes into account what race a character is.While it's true that both a Human and a Moogle can obtain the Thief job, there are differences in stats and abilities due to their racial diversity.There are five different races, and each one has advantages and weaknesses, along with several Jobs that are unique to that particular race.This new concept is amazing and innovative, and results in very different, customized characters.
Abilities are obtained through the use of specific items, much like the ability system of FFIX.Many items boast abilities for multiple classes, and each ability takes a certain amount of AP (Points received at the end of battles or side quests) to fully learn.Once a character completely masters an ability, they no longer need to have the item equipped to use that skill.Needless to say, this interesting system will lead to hours upon hours of gameplay.
Concerning the story, I do not understand everyone's complaints.While it's a fact that the original FFTactics had a much more serious storyline, that does not mean that this one is not just as entertaining or creative, because that is exactly the type of plot Tactics Advance offers.That said, I must admit that so far (I'm about six hours into the game) there is not as much CONTENT storywise, but what's there certainly shines.Three young people who have grown tired of the cruel, boring life of the norm awaken mysterious writings within an ancient volume of unknown origin.The book morphs their world into the realm of Final Fantasy, one that they have all longed for.Differences emerge when the three attempt to decide whether to go home or stay in the adventure.
From whatever angle you look at it, this game is undeniably exceptional.Consider the fact that this is a GBA game, and you MUST commend SquareEnix for this masterpiece.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the store to get a ton of batteries.

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Final Fantasy: Tactics Advance brings you into a world of magic and mystery!

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Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions Review

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(More customer reviews)Final Fantasy Tactics was without a doubt one of the greatest Playstation games out there.Starting off as a cult classic it became a big success when it was released later as a Greatest Hits package.Ten years later and Final Fantasy Tactics is still one of the best Final Fantasy games ever made.

Of all the Final Fantasy games, Tactics has arguably the best story out there.It's full of emotion, political intrigue, fantastic characters and it's very deep.If this is your first trump through Final Fantasy Tactics, prepare to be dazzled.It's still one of the most absorbing in the series.To the point where you'll be sad to leave when the whole thing is over.The game is also backed up by a fantastic new translation that out does the original and makes the world of Ivalice come alive.The translation alone may actually warrant Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions worth a buy even for those who played through the original game.

It's the gameplay that makes Final Fantasy Tactics a treat, though.Thanks to the job system, customization is nearly endless.Before each battle you can assign jobs to your characters.Each job has specific traits about them and can greatly affect how you perform in battle.Mages have devastating magic abilities while Knights are strong physical attackers.They also bring their own unique abilities to the table.Because there are so many job classes to choose from, there's a lot of experimentation you can do.As you master abilities you'll also be able to mix and match.You could have a Squire casting white magic, for example provided you've learned some of the white magic abilities.

As battles progress you gain experience.You pretty much gain experience after each and every turn, which is nice.Not only do you gain experience but you also gain job points to help you master the abilities in your job class.It's pretty simple stuff and you'll be surprised at just how fast you can learn abilities here.

Final Fantasy Tactics provides its own challenges, though.Not all your enemies are taken down easily, and if you don't take advantage of the opportunities to improve your characters abilities you'll be overwhelmed before you know it.When they say Final Fantasy Tactics, they're not kidding.Sometimes little simple mishaps in your strategy can cost you a battle.Not only that, but even doing things such as casting spells you must be careful with because if any of your characters are in range, they'll be struck by that spell.You also have to be quick about reviving characters otherwise you lose them forever.If your first plunge into Final Fantasy Tactics was with the GBA version released in 2003 you'll be in for a rude awakening.

There is also a multiplayer thrown in there.You can work with a friend or battle friends.First there are melee battles where you can battle up against friends and then there's the Rendezvous Battles where you'll team up with a friend.These let you get some rare and hard to find items that are otherwise unable to be obtained.

While Final Fantasy Tactics is a great game, it certainly doesn't do as much in the technical department as it does in the gameplay.The game itself doesn't really look any different from the game released ten years ago.There's little, if any, enhancement to the graphics at all.For the pleasure of story, however, there are some pretty cool cutscenes thrown in that are incredible looking.These cutscenes are truly artistic and in depth.While those cutscenes are beautiful, it's a shame Square-Enix did little to update the games other visuals.Despite the cool cutscenes, though, there are some slow down issues in battle.

Music wise, though, Final Fantasy Tactics easily has some of the best music in the series.It's still memorable to hear and can still give many video game soundtracks a run for their money.While the voice acting isn't as good as other video games, they add a lot of depth to the cutscenes.

Surprisingly, there are quite a few differences outside of the translation to Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions.New characters such as Balthier appear.There are new missions exclusive to the PSP version as well as the multiplayer aspect of the game.While there aren't a huge assortment of new items and abilities, you'll find War of the Lions takes a much longer time to master than the original.

Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions is a great re-release of a great classic.While it's still a good game a bit more could've been done to update it.The technical issues will probably annoy some fans, but for the most part you're getting a good game.Even if you have the original, this one is worth a look.

Pros:

+A fantastic storyline
+Beautiful soundtrack
+New job classes
+Good cutscenes
+Addictive gameplay
+Tons of customization
+The New Translation is far better than the original, making even the experience of the story completely different for those who went through before.This alone makes the game worth a purchase for those who already went through it and enjoyed it once before

Cons:

-Will be difficult for newcomers
-Some technical issues with the graphics and sound
-Not much of a graphical update at all, it looks just like the original Playstation version

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Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions PSP

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