In Final Fantasy Tactics you must guide your nation through a revolution while defending it from otherworldy forces!
- Turn-based fantasy strategy game
- Introducing the unique “Job” system, allowing characters to train in different character classes
- Over 40 different monsters to encounter
- Incredibly detailed and complex storyline
- For 1 player
List Price: $ 23.99
Price: $ 59.95
FORGOTTEN MASTERPIECE,
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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|An excellent tactical RPG,
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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