Gaming Final Fantasy XII

[Ashura]

From the looks of things, with the health being displayed outside of battles, this might be the end of random battles. Also, with seeing enemies on screen before you battle them, this may mean that if you can manage to stay away from them, you could avoid battles, Pokemon-style. Hmm...

[Semjaza]

[url]http://v.isp.2ch.net/up/cdecbad91930.jpg[/url]

Images of a new character. Her name is Pannero.

The game seems to have ditched the horrid circle shadows that were shown in older shots.

[Sandy]

OH WHEEEE!!! Do you know how good you made Sage feel now, Semmy?! EXTREMELY GOOD! I mean, WRITING-IN-CAPS GOOD!

I've been waiting for a new character to show up for SOOO long, and I'm a total sucker for characters!!!!

Alright, let's try to calm down now... *breathes slowly* Hmm, Pannero... I don't know if I like the name, but I reckon it will slightly change once the "true form" is revealed, like to Panerot or Pennelot or I don't know what.

Well, whatever her name is, obviously she's the Relm/Yuffie/Selphie/Eiko/Rikku of this game. ;)

[B]EDIT:[/B] I read from Rpgfan that Pannero/Pannelo is actually [spoiler]Vaan's quarreling girlfriend[/spoiler]! So the good news is that there's hardly going to be a [spoiler]romance between Ashe and Vaan (although how much of a gigolo the protagonist is)[/spoiler], but the bad news to me specifically is that [spoiler]Vaan's not gay after all - no matter his cutesy looks[/spoiler]! :bawl:

The site also said that Pannero/Pannelo is a singer/dancer. Maybe she uses similar techniques as the FFX-2's songstress dress-sphere had? Those abilities were pretty innovative, I must say...

[Charles]

Here are some new scans I saw floating around. They effectively show the intense realism of the engine's facial expressions. The nice touch is that they're subtle and not over exaggerated. The braided hair even looks wonderful.

I've also always been fond of the architecture in this game and we get to see a bit more of that here (although a lot of the locales, you've probably seen before in the released media).

[url="http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040423201529.jpg"]http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040423201529.jpg[/url]

[url="http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040423201554.jpg"]http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040423201554.jpg[/url]

[url="http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040423201612.jpg"]http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20040423201612.jpg[/url]

[Semjaza]

[url]http://www.ffxionline.net/forum/stuff/munba/ff12/ff12_music.zip[/url]

Music sample from the game. Hitoshi Sakimoto is doing the music this time around. Probably best known for the FF Tactics (and, I believe, Vagrant Story) music.

[satan665]

Is it just me or is the male main character getting fruitier and fruitier every time around?

At least clothing wise...I liked Tidus but he definitely was the wussiest main character so far.

[Sandy]

It's not just you; that is a fact. ;)

Of course there are us who don't think "fruity" is a bad thing at all. :toothy:

I reckon the main reason FF-series doesn't have macho musclemen-type heroes is that the game designers are doing their best to avoid stereotypes - although FF-heroes are beginning to be a stereotype of their own. If you haven't noticed, all the main heroes have quite a personality (at least in the beginning of the games), and even features that aren't that likeable (such as Tidus being a whiner, Cloud being a heartless biatche, Squall having this "I don't care if the world explodes"-attitude...). But hey, isn't that what makes them so appealing? ;)

Who can say what our newest friend Vaan will turn out to be?

[satan665]

Yeah I like the difference form the cliche super-character, and I've liked all the characters too. The outfits though...Cloud was simple and tough looking, Squall was still mostly cool looking but had more jewelry and a furry coat. Zidane was goofier, but that fit the character and the game's look entirely. Tidus was really dressed fruity, even though it worked because he was a glitzy blitzball player from the past. Its definitely a progression. The new guy (Vaan) really looks super feminine though. They've pulled it off to this point with every character, so I imagine he'll be cool.

[Semjaza]

[QUOTE=Sage]It's not just you; that is a fact. ;)

Of course there are us who don't think "fruity" is a bad thing at all. :toothy:

I reckon the main reason FF-series doesn't have macho musclemen-type heroes is that the game designers are doing their best to avoid stereotypes - although FF-heroes are beginning to be a stereotype of their own. If you haven't noticed, all the main heroes have quite a personality (at least in the beginning of the games), and even features that aren't that likeable (such as Tidus being a whiner, Cloud being a heartless biatche, Squall having this "I don't care if the world explodes"-attitude...). But hey, isn't that what makes them so appealing? ;)

Who can say what our newest friend Vaan will turn out to be?[/QUOTE]

Reading interviews, the main reason the males look so effeminate is simply because Japanese fans like that look. In fact, they've said that the original designs of the main character was even more feminine to begin with.

Given that, I doubt it's some great plan to avoid stereotypes. It's just a consumer based decision.

Anyway -

[url]http://gamespot.com/news/2004/05/06/news_6095732.html[/url]

TOKYO--Square Enix announced today that Final Fantasy XII will be delayed from its originally scheduled summer 2004 launch in Japan. Gamers across the Pacific will now have to wait until sometime between winter 2004 and spring 2005, the new time period in which Square Enix is aiming to release the title.

"We have decided to change the release period in order to improve the quality of Final Fantasy XII so that it will be able to satisfy the needs of our customers even more,' commented Square Enix in a press release.

Doesn't matter to me. Between Baten Kaitos, Tales of Symphonia, Paper Mario, Shin Megami Tensei 3, Star Ocean 3, Phantom Brave and god knows what else, I'm set with RPGs for awhile lol.

[Sandy]

Bleh...

Well, I guess a delay in publishing can only be a good thing, since we get a better game as a result. This goes with the old saying: "when you do something, do it good" (or something like that), meaning that you should give time to whatever your doing, instead of rushing it.

Although this stunt may seem bad for advertising (thinking that fans might get bored of waiting), I think the opposite: now the hype will have more time to grow, and when the game is finally released, it will get sold-out in a minute. ;)

[Semjaza]

People should know by now that I'm not a big FF fan, but I am really looking forward to XII. New previews on the game have really solidified that for me. I can't wait for this game.

[url]http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/rpg/finalfantasy12/preview_6097934.html[/url]

[quote]

Final Fantasy XII Hands-On


Certainly one of the most highly anticipated games on the E3 show floor is Final Fantasy XII, the forthcoming chapter in Square Enix's beloved role-playing franchise. We recently posted new details on the game's plot, but now, we've finally played it ourselves and are here with a full report.

Like most every new Final Fantasy installment, this one introduces an entirely new cast of characters and takes place in a unique setting--though, incidentally, this game does share its setting with the recently released Final Fantasy Tactics Advance as well as the original Final Fantasy Tactics. Longtime fans of Square (before it became Square Enix) will recognize the distinctive art style in the game as resembling that of Square's unusual action adventure game, Vagrant Story--which is entirely a good thing, because that game's visuals were exceptionally good for its time. And, indeed, if only from looks alone, Final Fantasy XII is also very impressive. However, what surprised us wasn't the look, but the gameplay.

This does not play like any previous Final Fantasy games. In fact, you could easily mistake it for an action adventure game rather than a standard console RPG, but don't take that remark the wrong way. All it means is that Final Fantasy XII does away with the awkward, yet ancient, role-playing conventions of random battles and jarring transitions between exploration and combat. Instead, in Final Fantasy XII, you'll never get taken out of the core gameplay experience, except when the game shows you a cinematic cutscene or when you access your status menus.

That means combat occurs seamlessly within the game's fully 3D environments--no screen-shattering, no your-guys-on-one-side-bad-guys-on-the-other-side battle screen, no signature Final Fantasy victory music as you collect you gil and cure potions after you win, none of that. And you know what? We got the distinct impression that this is the best thing to happen to the series in a while. By extension, it may well be representative of a refreshing, new direction for the console role-playing genre to head towards.

Admittedly, that last statement may be a bit over-the-top. The truth is, Square's Vagrant Story actually played similarly, only it featured a weird location-based, rhythm-based combat system, whereas Final Fantasy XII is more by-the-book and lets you command up to three characters at a time instead of just one (and you see all three characters running around in the environment). Basically, the action occurs in real time, but you can always pause to issue new orders. The simplest order is to make all your characters attack a given foe, in which case they'll stand there and dish out the pain as often as they're able to attack, which is fundamentally similar to combat in previous Final Fantasies.

However, you can get pretty tactical with this system, and use the physical location to your advantage. You can have your ranged attackers hang back and fire away while your melee fighters suffer the pain on the front lines, for example. The signature spells of Final Fantasy all seem to be here, though we didn't get to try out any summoning spells or anything too spectacular. Still, we felt good about the combat, which comes across as more dynamic and somehow more plausible than in previous games. [/quote]

Awesome. It sounds like it will be taking out the kinks of the Vagrant Story system. The menus in that game were extremely difficult to work through at times. I'm confident that Square will polish up whatever they wind up doing in FFXII though... it's their main series heh.

[quote]It wouldn't be a Final Fantasy without some strange gameplay "system", and this next chapter will be no exception. This time you can assign "gambits" to your characters, which work like tactical orders. The basic gambit determines whether or not members of your party will follow the main character's lead, but other gambits may allow characters to deploy different strategies in battle by default. Such systems tend to be pretty deep, and frankly, we didn't get to explore this aspect of the game in too much detail during our relatively brief time spent with the game.[/quote]

Go read the entire thing. It's worth the time. What I love about everything I've heard so far is that it seems like Final Fantasy is finally attemping to embrace the more "hardcore" ideas of RPGs from other developers (hell, even their own if you count Vagrant Story), rather than just pushing them away. It really sounds like this game will do a lot with the gameplay for once.

Whole bunch of videos: [url]http://www.squarenet.info/main.php?site=sn-news[/url]

[Sandy]

A lot of new information about the game has been revealed during and after E3. I'm sure many of you who are interested in the game already know this stuff, but I'll just do a quick review on them.

Most of the info comes from the sites [U][url]www.square-haven.com[/url] [/U] and [U][url]www.ffxii.net[/url][/U].

I'll start with the characters:
- six playable characters have been announced: [B]Vaan[/B], who is acting as the main character of the game, his [spoiler]assumed girlfriend[/spoiler] [B]Penelo[/B], princess [B]Ashe[/B] and her companions [B]Balthier[/B] and [B]Fran[/B], and the newest character, [spoiler]errand knight/general[/spoiler] [B]Basch[/B] [spoiler]who according to my theory is Penelo's older brother[/spoiler]. If you want more spoilers on them, just visit the two sites mentioned above.

Also many details from the storyline has been revealed, mainly concentrating on the relations of Vaan, Ashe and Basch: they are all linked together by an NPC called [B]Rex[/B], who is [spoiler]Vaan's big brother, Ashe's husband, and Basch's colleague in knighthood. Rex is killed by Basch in the opening sequence of the game because he - along with Ashe's father the king - betrayed the people of Dalmasca. Basch seems to be a man of very extreme methods... Only the creators of the game know how both Vaan and Ashe tolerate Basch's presence in their party - maybe they just don't know...[/spoiler]

Many aspects of the battle system have been revealed as well, such as no separate battle-screens, mobile and intelligent enemies, new branch of magic (called Green, including status enhancements and -ailments), Gambit-system to control the other two characters in battle besides the leading character (I didn't quite get this one yet), weapons that level up (?), and many other quirky stuff you can read from the sites.

To my delight I can say that I'VE SEEN MOOGLES! Yes, those furry guys are coming back cuter than ever! (well, not as overly cute as in Crystal Chronicles, but anyways...) New screenshots show them, as well as members of other races, so check them out!

Lastly, PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES! Loads of new pictures, both FMV and in-game screenshots can be viewed at the two sites I mentioned (and of course in various other sites, but those two have the most).

I know I said earlier I don't want to spoiler myself with this game, but I think I've lost control of myself. But maybe when this game finally comes out in my country after few years I've forgotten about all the spoilers... or not.

Well, I can only spread the FF-fever to others now, so enjoy the spoilers! :smirk:

[Semjaza]

More new pics...

[url]http://www.squarenet.info/main.php?site=sn-news&id=1098[/url]

Worth checking out because they show a decent amount of the world map and some nice angles on the battles.

[Rachael]

(I don't know wiether a thread has already been made for FF12 but anyways....)


Does anyone know the release dates for FF12 for north america?? I can't seem to find it anywhere :p

and while were on the topic [url]www.gametrailers.com[/url] has a new trailer for FF12 incase anyone is interested (there third one is the best so far). I can't wait untill it comes out!!!! the graphics look amazing and the battle system looks awesome.

Anyone else looking forward to FF12??

[color=#4B0082]If you're not sure whether or not a thread has been created about a game, you can use the search function to check. But in any case, I've merged this with the original FFXII thread. - [i]Desbreko[/i][/color]

[ZakuSage]

No specific release dates have been announced for Japan yet, let alone North America. Square Enix has (ugh, you're gonna kill me over this... i know it) Dragon Quest 8 coming out in Japan this winter in November or December, and since they don't want to jam all their best titles so close together, they've pushed back Final Fantasy 12's release date to spring 2005 in Japan. Now for North America it's likely going to be the same order, so if you're looking forward to a release it'll probably be late fall 2005, winter 2005, or even early 2006 at the latest for North America (depending on how quickly they translate).

[TheShinje]

I wish they had picked a better name than Vaan, it makes me think of the vehicle of the same name.


I like what I've seen so far of the Final Fantasy screens, most noteably the random battles taking place in the sandy areas, I'm not a huge fan of random battles, and sometimes find them annoying, however, these bvattles seem to be taking place in much wider spaces. They also look more free, i wonder if you can move your character to a tactical position? (say, the fiend has a weak spot behind itself, so you move your character to a spot where he can attack)

X was my first Final Fantasy game, haven't played XI or X-2 because I'm yet to finish X. I've still got quite a few FF rpgs to get throught before tackling XII, so for me, the wait is of great benefit.

EDIT: Since there are Moogles and Chocobos in XII, I womnder if there will be Cactuars there also?

[Semjaza]

[QUOTE=Sir Auron]
EDIT: Since there are Moogles and Chocobos in XII, I womnder if there will be Cactuars there also?[/QUOTE]

If they are, I imagine they'd be pretty scary. The chocobos look pretty mean to me lol.

As for Vann... I don't mind it. We're talking about a series that names its characters Cloud and Squall. They all stink.

[Guest tzen]

i just wondered is final fantasy XII an online playing game to the ps2 like FF XI was.. ?? :rolleyes:

[Semjaza]

[quote name='tzen']i just wondered is final fantasy XII an online playing game to the ps2 like FF XI was.. ?? :rolleyes:[/quote]

No, XI was more of an offshoot. This is a single player game like all the previous titles.

[Guest tzen]

[quote name='Semjaza Azazel']No, XI was more of an offshoot. This is a single player game like all the previous titles.[/quote]

thank god for that. XI was fun couse it was online.... but after a wile i got unbeateble with my super crew of 5 other players. and after a wile i just had nothing to do..... but now im gonna start a new character and hopefully find more fun stuff to do :) hehehe :D

[Sandy]

Alright, I need to ease my anxiety concerning this game, and what a better place to do that than in here!

Just a while ago Squarenix president Yoichi Wada talked about the company's plans to release one game/month at the next quarter beginning in April. So, out of the unreleased games Egg Hero comes out this month, Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song comes out in April, and Hanjuku Hero 4 and Samurai Legend Mushashi in May. Where does this leave Final Fantasy XII? The earliest possible release date is in [I]June[/I]. Although it would make a fine birthday present for me (who has his birthday that month, in case somebody didn't get it), I have a bad feeling that it will go beyond that, maybe even into September!

I don't know what it is about this game that makes me feel such a fanatic, but I want to play it asap!!! And the earlier it gets published in Japan, the earlier it will arrive here (even though in any case it'll go way into the year 2006 until I get it in my hands).

The worst thing about all this waiting is that there's not even new information about it that would ease the pain! Nine months without any significant tidbits has been a torture... Which is actually strange because I don't want to spoil the game for me too much, I just want to know if it really is as good as it looks and as promised. I have such high expectations on this game that I begin to doubt if they are even possible to make.

Right now I live on the knowledge that Squarenix promised new information "when weather gets warmer". But when does it get warmer in Japan? In Finland it'll be freezing until May! I'm hoping new info before E3, because it's such a long, long time ahead...

Uh, I'm turning into a whining pile of mushed fanboy now... So, I'll just stop now. Please, share my pain by telling your take on this issue.

[Guest Hidetsugu]

Wow I must say FFXII looks freakin awsome. I'm downloading the trialer right now. I can't wait til this game comes out. I'm such a FF freak. :animeknow

[Mia67]

Heh I'm looking forward to another Final Fantasy, Problem is I gotta beat the two I didn't beat yet before I get another!

[Sandy]

[quote name='Mia67']Heh I'm looking forward to another Final Fantasy, Problem is I gotta beat the two I didn't beat yet before I get another![/quote]


Actually, you don't really have to, since as you know Final Fantasy series consists of individual games that have little to no links to each other (minus FF X and FF X-2, but that's obvious).

Anyways, much new info has been released since I last posted in this thread. Let's see...

[U]CHARACTERS:[/U]

[URL=http://ffxii.net/image.php?view=images/magscans/mag27.jpg][B]Vayne Kaldas Soridor[/B][/URL], the second oldest of the three princes of Archadia, he became the counsil of Dalmasca after the invasion. He is also the head of the judges, but is said to lack arrogance and pride. [spoiler]He is potentially the main villain.[/spoiler]

[URL=http://ffxii.net/image.php?view=images/magscans/mag43.jpg][B]Ramon[/B][/URL], noble preteen boy who has ties to the mysterious Demon Stone. He joins the party, but perhaps only temporarily. [spoiler]He is rumored to be Vayne's younger brother, thus a prince of Archadia as well.[/spoiler]

[U]SUMMONS:[/U]

Two summon monsters have been revealed:

[URL=http://www.ffxii.net/image.php?view=images/magscans/mag31.jpg][B]Velius and Hashmurim[/B][/URL], both of Final Fantasy Tactics fame. Velius, the upper one in the scan, is a fire-elemental ram with two heads, while Hashmurim (or Hashmalum), the one below, is an earth-elemental beast with huge metal arms.

Apparently any character can summon any summoning monster, but only after certain unknown conditions have been met (I don't know if it's a bar that has to be filled or time elapsed or what). When a character summons a monster, it replaces the two AI-party members, but it can't be controlled automatically. The remaining character can probably give commands to the summon, but they will both fight side-by-side.

Also, when one summons, the screen gets a dark tinge to its colors, and the summoners statistics get a boost. The summons are very powerful, so it is wise to spare them for harder monsters.

After certain amount of time has elapsed, the summon vanishes and the other two party members reappear.

[U]BATTLE SYSTEM:[/U]

New features have been implemented to the Active Dimension Battle System.

[B]Chain System:[/B] if you keep attacking monsters of the same type without killing others in between, your chain counter increases and you get better and rarer items from the enemies.

[B]Multi-Hit Combo:[/B] while attacking, all characters have a chance of making a combo of multiple hits (kind of like critical hits). Chances of this happening increases as the character gets better with the weapon s/he is using.

[B]Shield Block:[/B] same as the multi-hit combo, but on defensive side. The character has a small chance of completely blocking the enemy's attack with his or her shield, and the better the shield is, the better the chances are of this happening.

[B]Monster Feud:[/B] the many monsters who you encounter on your journey will not only attack the characters but monsters of different types as well. It is known from the S-E Party demo that the cuddly vegetoid Mandragoras and the horse-like Sleipnirs have a never-ending feud between them, and will attack each other on sight.

[B]Monster Classes[/B]: much like in FFXI, some monsters in this game have "jobs" as well. The aforementioned S-E Party demo had a monster that varied in monk, fighter and red mage jobs.

[B]Attracting Monsters:[/B] some monsters and enemies encountered in the field won't attack you unless you do something specific, like cast magic near them (this goes for example to elementals).


Well, I think I've been drained out of all the info released now. Gotta say that this game just keeps getting more and more intriguing, although I thought it couldn't be possible. ;D

Now, to finish things up, the [B]official release date for Japan[/B] revealed at the S-E Party is [B]3/16/2006[/B]!

[emmanuel_xavier]

hm..when will this game comeout...i wait and wait....i hope square enix will make this one is better than last one.....PEACE :animesmil