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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FORGOTTEN MASTERPIECE, October 13, 2001
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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38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent tactical RPG, May 9, 2002
I may be somewhat prejudiced, but Final Fantasy Tactics remains one of my favorite games, despite the fact that I am not generally a fan of tactical games. Final Fantasy Tactics follows the adventures of a young soldier who discovers that the simple world he believes in is far too complicated; his best friend turns against his family and friends, and trustworthy figures transform into monsters. Along his journey of discovery, civil war, and heroism, he is thrust into many battles and must learn, along with allies and friends he gains along the way, to be a master of tactical warfare. The latter, of course, is really YOUR task, given that the poor schmuck is just a programmed drone under your command. FFT, when released, had what may have been the most awe-inspiring introductory CGI ever made, and even today it's pretty darn spiffy. The music is quite simply gorgeous; I bought the CD collection and don't regret it for a minute. While following the main plotline, you can also take on other adventures and jobs, gaining little perks along the way, and (if you're sharp-eyed) finding in-jokes and references to other SquareSoft games. (You can end up getting Cloud Strife from FFVII in your party, and meet Aerith of the same game at one point). The SD ("SuperDeformed") versions of the characters that you see most of the time are pretty -- very nice character design -- and for the most part you view them in tactical mode, in an adjustable-angle 3-d display. By today's (2002) the view isn't amazingly detailed, but it plays out well; the characters can develop skills in a wide variety of professions, ranging from wizards to monks and straight-up fighters, each of which has its own peculiar talents and powers. Each individual character also has his or her own special talents, and as they gain experience can be built up in a myriad of different ways. Overall, it's a really fun game with a nice plotline, gorgeous music, and smooth, well-thought-out gameplay. Anyone who likes tactical games should enjoy this one.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Timeless Classic--Still Addictive after Seven Years, February 18, 2005
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Strengths: Involved and complex story, addictive gameplay, beautiful graphics
Weakenesses: Poor camera control, dead-end savepoints
Final Fantasy Tactics is one of those rare console games that you can return to again and again and yet always find it to be enjoyable, immersive, and incredibly addictive. For a seven-year-old game that will take most gamers over fifty (that's right, five-zero) hours to complete, this is quite an accomplishment.
FF Tactics' two most brilliant virtues are its intricate plot and a unique gameplay experience which is the result of a nearly perfect integration of three-dimensional, turn-based combat and the familiar RPG strategy of guiding the advancement of the characters in your party through various jobs and skills. The elegant and involved gameplay element of FF Tactics is ultimately it's love-it-or-hate-it attribute. In addition to developing characters in between battle sequences (by upgrading abilities, purchasing new weapons and armor, sending characters on adventures, etc.), you also command parties of up to five characters in 3-D battles by maneuvering to gain tactical advantage (attacking from the sides and behind is always more effective) and executing attacks or other actions.
Gameplay is quite complicated and, as a result, the learning curve for FF Tactics is relatively high. Square (the game's publisher) graciously includes a tutorial mode (accessible via the game's main menu) that provides newcomers to the game a firm foundation upon which to begin experiencing the game. Be warned, however: it will take you one to two hours to progress through all of the included tutorials. Despite this significant time requirement, I would highly recommend that gamers who are not familiar with similar games (such as Vandal Hearts for the PSX) take the time to look at some of the tutorials.
The story is even more enveloping than the gameplay. The carefully-written plot will always leave you in suspense, anxiously looking forward to the next twist or turn in the storyline. The events of the story are subtly (sometimes ambiguously) unveiled with an elegance that is rarely found in literature and film, let alone in video games. As with gameplay, however, the complexity of the plot can sometimes work against itself. I will frequently find myself having to go back several cutscenes to try to piece together what's going on. Fortunately, Square planned for this as well: you have access from within the game itself to every cutscene that you have viewed as well as summaries of all the characters (even minor ones) and their involvement with the plot thus far (yes, these summaries are updated as the game progresses).
The graphics are another of the game's many virtues; they are beautiful and have worn quite well considering the age of the game. You won't find any flashy 3-D effects (the landscapes are colorful and attractive--although low-resolution--3-D models while the characters are 2-D animated sprites), but the artwork present throughout the game--from battles, to cutscenes, to menus--is just that: artwork.
Despite its excellent gameplay, plot, and graphics, however, FF Tactics does have its share of weaknesses. Most frequently annoying are the camera angles that are available in the battle sequences. More often than not, the 3-D landscapes obstruct your view of the characters and action, and the limited camera control makes it difficult to find a good angle from which to view most of the action. The result is a lot of switching from view to view throughout the course of a battle (or even throughout a single turn). Occasionally, this makes it virtually impossible to even see a particular character, but this is admittedly rare.
A less-frequently occurring but even more frustrating element of the game are the opportunities it provides to paint oneself into the proverbial corner. There are several points in the game (usually at the end of each chapter) where you will play through several battles back-to-back, with no time in between to develop your characters. Since battles can last as long as 30 minutes (sometimes more), the game provides you with the opportunity to save your game in between these battles. Good, right? Not necessarily. The problem with this setup is that if your characters aren't adequately prepared for the subsequent battle(s), then you may get stuck in a situation in which victory is impossible to achieve. Unfortunately, the only way out of this situation is to restart the game---a serious annoyance if you've already racked up, say, forty-four hours of gameplay time. The moral of the story: reserve more than one memory card slot for your saves so that you can create a savegame file both before and during such a series of battles. On the upshot, however, this was one of the few games that I found just as entertaining and addictive when re-playing the first 44 hours (yes, this happened to me).
The verdict: Final Fantasy Tactics is a great and timeless game that I'll be returning to again and again over the years, and I hope you will too.
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