[PS2] Final Fantasy XII

Japan Release: March 16th, 2006
North American Release: October 31st, 2006
Europe: February 23rd, 2007

As war looms on the horizon, the might Archadian Empire begins a campaign to subjugate its neighbors.
The small kingdom of Dalmasca shares their fate, and it is here that our tale begins.

Two years after the fall of Dalmasca, the citizens are without guiddance and direction.
In the captial city of Rabanastre, the people gather and await the appointment of the new consul from Archadia.

To Vaan, a young man living on the streets of Rabanastre, the Empire is a hated enemy who took the life of his brother, the only family he had left. In an effort to exact revenge, Vaan hatches a plot to break into the palace and steal from the occupying Imperials.
In the events that follow, Vaan gets rather more than he bargained for when he runs into Princess Ashe, sole surviving heir to the Dalmascan thrown.

Together, the two will embark on an incredible journey through Ivalice, tracing the mysteries behind the Archadian Empire's invasion.
They choices they make will determine the very fate of the world.

The Cast of Final Fantasy XII


Vaan
"A boy who would be a sky pirate."
17 years old. Hume Race.
Living in the Rabanastre slums, Vaan maintains an air of hope even under the oppressive rule of the Empire. But he longs for more: a life without borders or authority. He dreams of one day becoming a sky pirate, free to go where he will.

Ashe
"A princess. When all is lost, she builds it anew."
19 years old. Hume Race.
The only child of King Raminas and sole heir to the Dalmascan throne, Ashe is believed dead following the invasion. She meets Vaan and the others under the most unlikely of circumstances. Ashe knows all too well she lacks the power to right the wrongs committed against her and her kingdom, but she will not allow herself to admit defeat.

Penelo
"A girl who wants peace."
17 years old. Hume Race.
Like Vaan, Penelo calls Rabanastre's Lowtown home. She watches over Vaan, trying to keep him from getting into too much trouble. Though she lost her family in the war with the Empire, Penelo is ever cheerful, making her way by doing odd jobs in and around the city. She enjoys the light side of life, but Penelo is not alotogether unfamiliar with battle.

While she remains untested in a true fight, her brothers, who belonged to the Order, taught her the fundamentals of combat. Penelo believes that in perseverance, there is hope.

Basch
"A loyal knight who becomes a traitor."
36 years old. Hume Race.
A captain in the Order of the Knights of Dalmasca, Basch achieves reknown as a gallant and brave hero credited with countless victories on the battlefield. He is a man of justice who cannot abide inequity. Unlike the other captains chosen from the aristocracy, Basch is of common blood and enjoys the love of the people, until he inexplicably murders the King on the eve of a treaty-signing with Archadia. He is led away in chains.

What could drive so loyal a man to slay his oathsworn liege?

Balthier
"He flies the skies of Ivalice. The sky pirate."
22 years old. Hume Race.
He would describe himself as a noble thief, stealing only from those who deserve it. He goes where he pleases, swearing fealty to no one. While roaming the skies of Ivalice with Fran, his viera partner, he still makes time to charm the ladies with his silver tongue and put wrongs to right-grinning all the while.

Fran
"She wields any weapon with ease."
Age Unknown. Viera Race.
A viera warrior, Fran is as much at ease with a sword as she is with her bare hands. Her proficiency with a blade is matched only by that with a wrench, as she also handles the maintenance of Balthier's airship, the Strahl. The lifespan of the viera is far greater than that of humes, and many secrets lie hidden in her long history. Yet, the divide of race does nothing to diminish the bond of trust between her and Balthier.

Vossler
Age Unknown. Hume Race.
A member of the Order of Knights for Dalmasca, Vossler fought alongside Basch during the Archadian invasion of Dalmasca. Vossler now acts as protecter of Princess Ashe, the only living heir to the throne of Dalmasca.

___________________________________

Emperor Gramis
Age Unknown. Hume Race
Ruler of the Archadia Empire which invaded and now rules Dalmasca and other regions in Ivalice. Little information is known about Gramis at this time.

Vayne
27 years old. Hume Race.
Vayne Carudas Solidor is the eldest son of Emperor Gramis and next in line to the throne. Though he wields a considerable amount of authority, Vayne does not abuse his power; rather, he maintains that the welfare of the people is his foremost concern and tries hard to foster a positive relationship with the conquered Dalmascans.

Larsa
12 years old. Hume Race.
Larsa Ferrinas Solidor is the younger brother of Vayne and the 4th son of the Solidor family. It is said that he is second in line to throne of Arcadia after Vayne. He holds great respect to his brother and father, and wishes to be recognized like them.

The Judges
___________________________________

The Archadian Judges are the supreme enforcers of Archadian law in the world of Ivalice. Each wields extraordinary legal power in his or her own right over lower-ranked Archadian officers. In addition to functioning as legal administrators, they are also charged with the task of guarding the royal family.

• Judge Master Gabranth: The leader of the Judges. Seems to have some history with Basch and also has a close relationship with Vayne.
• Judge Ghis: Responsible for guarding the young prince Larsa and supervising his actions.
• Judge Drace: The only female Judge. She, too, is charged with guarding Larsa but also acts as his personal advisor and makes it her goal to secure his future and help him develop to his fullest potential.
• Judge Zargabaath: A strictly military man who absolute loyalty to both the Empire and the emperor.
• Judge Bergan: The most autocratic of all the Judges in both word and deed. He answers to Lord Vayne and is an outspoken advocate of turning Dalmasca into a complete military dictatorship under Archadian rule.

NPCs & The Races of Ivalice

Humes are the dominant race in Ivalice, representing about 40% of the population. Obviously, Humes have a great cultural diversity depending on their origins. They tend to get along fine with races of equal intelligence like Viera, but extend domination on the less bright species, which are often used for menial labour, like the Bangaa and the Seeq.


The slender Viera have a longer life expectancy than humes, and can be either dark-skinned (Rava Viera) or light-skinned (Veena Viera). Viera tended to stick to their woods until the hume wars threatened their homelands about 25 years ago. Since then, the Viera have more or less reluctantly started getting involved in hume affairs. The offspring of mixed Rava and Veena origins were the fastest to adapt, while the pure-blood have tried to retire to more remote forests.


The nimble Moogles are also among the smarter races. They are well integrated into the Hume society, while still having their own capitol. Their small size gave them advantages working on machinery, a task the race excells in. Of course, not all of them are techies, and they hold a variety of professions. They also tend to make excellent mages.


The Bangaa come in four major varieties depending on their scales' colours. The live a bit longer thane humes, and their overall lizard-evolved toughness makes them fit for soldiering roles. Humes, however, tend to limit their advancement opportunities. Finally, the race isn't really fit for magic except the most basic spells - there are exceptions, though: a handful of Bangaa have mastered advanced and Bangaa-specific spells.

The barbaric, pig-faced Seeq are a tough and brutal race, mostly used as cannon-fodder, prison wardens or any other position where agressive strength is required. Severely lacking intelligence, they barely speak the Hume language, and are generally considered as the scum of society.

Links
Official Final Fantasy XII Website [English]
Official Final Fantasy XII Website [Japanese]
FinalFantasy12.org [Japanese Fansite. Updated Frequently]
Final Fantasy XII.Net [English Fansite]
GAF's 'Official Final Fantasy 12 NA' Thread]
GAF's 'Official Final Fantasy XII (JPN)' Thread

Reviews
40/40 Perfect Score (Japanese version)
Famitsu

8.5|9.0|9.5 - Gold Awarded & Game Of The Month
"A daring departure for role-playing's grandest franchise"
Electronic Gaming Monthly

10 out of 10 - Game Of The Month
"A fantastic PS2 send off. To date, it's the best Final Fantasy on the Playstation"
Official Playstation Magazine

9.2 | 9.5
Edge Magazine

10 out of 10
PLAY Magazine

92.5 out of 100 - Game Of The Month
"Where this game shines the brightest is in the new path is blazes, not the traditions it revisits"
Game Informer

9.5 - Genius & Incredible
1UP.com & IGN.com

______________________________________

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Raijin

Ahhh, at least this game is coming! Phew, It was time! Cant wait to play it. Looks awesome and the box art for the OST is great! Btw, It seems the OST will contain around 100 tracks but Sakimoto said he composed 130 musical pieces for the game, so I wonder if we will get a second OST release? Maybe 'ala' FFIX?

Well there's over 100 tracks plus additional music that never made it into the game too that's on the OST.



Some new scans from V-Jump provided by duckroll at GAF:


Some other information from the scans includes..

• MP is regained as you walk.
• Gate Crystals act as save points.
• You can use 'Teleport Stones' to transport between each Gate Crystal locations.
• Mogxi (Mog Taxi) can warp you around the city capitals for a price, not on the World Map, for a price but considering how large the cities are supposed to be in FFXII it might be wise to pay the fee if you want to cut down on travelling.

Here are some of the location and town names as seen on the world map scan..

Spoiler:

Top continent = Valentia, Left continent = Ordalia, Bottom continent = Jagd.
Top city = The Imperial City of Archades, Right floating city = The Skycity of Bhujerba.
Middle stuff from top to bottom, left to right = The Nalbina Fortress, Gramsize Waterway, The Dalmasca Eastsand, The Dalmasca Westsand, The Royal City of Rabanastre, The Giza Plains.

10 minute walkthrough of the Rabanastre from Famitsu Wave ripped by duckroll and hosted by BlimBlim from GAF. Your best bet is to go with the torrent:
http://www.gamesmediamirror.com/leech_2238_1_en.html

New scans here:
http://www.jeux-france.com/news14727...-d-images.html

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Check out this excellent TV commercial for the FFXII drink, "Potion"...
http://www.suntory.co.jp/softdrink/FF/index.html

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Shoeless

So the project is finally nearing completion. So many delays. I'm just hopefully that within this year, I can finally play it. It will be interesting how different this game will be from previous FFs.

Well the Japanese version is officially done. There can be no more delays and Japanese gamers only need to look forward to March 16th.

Alexander O' Smith is heading the NA localisation effort so fingers crossed if all things go well then hopefully we'll see a US release on or before August.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Ashram

After seeing that 10-minute gameplay movie, I'm even more exited about the game. It seems that SE is really putting everything they have in this title. Big city's that really give you the impression that you are walking in a crowded area and feels alive and bursting with people. A lot of customization in and outside battles. Great music and graphics. A great story with a lot of politics involved.

Yes, it will be a radical different FF this time around. But I will definitly pick this up when it comes out.

My sentiments exactly. I liked in particular the icons above the different NPCs heads to indicate who you can and cannot talk to as well as the icons for anything of interest, shopkeepers etc. I also liked the little touches with the NPCs who are conversing with other NPC rather than just staring blankly out into nothing. Just those examples of the attention to detail makes the world of FFXII seem alot more "alive".

FF12.org has some information up that the game will take somewhere between 60-70 hours to complete....IF you avoid all sidequests. The bare minimum is 30 hours but that's only if you know exactly where you're going and what you're doing and/or are playing through the game a 2nd time.

Other information includes..:

• No Widescreen support.
• No HDD support.
• 1 DVD.
• The staff hopes players explore the various locations and have a good time
• The audio is very good so they suggest having a good sound setup to fully enjoy it.

Thanks to Bebpo from GAF for the translation.

I was speaking idiomatically.

New information and scans make me happy!

I love the airships, especially Ifrit and Leviathan. The new battle info and Clan System sounds ace!

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by SOLDIER

Double Post:
Oh, and has it been mentioned if the music has improved in quality since the demo, or how many songs are orchestral? The demo music was good, of course, but after orchestral masterpieces like DQVIII and Shadow of the Colossus, I long for the day when SE drops the midi track and gives the FF series the fully orchestral treatment. DQVIII alone proved that an orchestral soundtrack can work smoothly in an RPG, despite the constant excuses Square gives.

How is that up to SE though? I'd imagine the use of synths over a full orchestra is the decision of the composer to which he/she is more comfortable with not to mention time and budget retraints?

I've enjoyed Sakimoto's previous work and to be honest I haven't really heard a bad track or example of his material for FFXII yet. It seems like he went all out for FFXII too by composing around 130 tracks with over a 100 of which will appear in the game. FFXII could be his best work yet.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Motsy

If that's true, then it probably isn't true widescreen in DQVIII, just a stretched image. I'd take it over nothing though.

Just saw that Hope trailer for the first time. SOOO good. I want this game NOW.

Yeah, there's a ton of great new footage in the trailer which only gets me more excited for the game even though it's not due here until...what, August? "Symphonic Poem: Hope" was good too.

BTW I updated my first post to make it alot better and little more like an "official" thread so I included character and race biographies from various official sources like the site, Famitsu etc. So the spoilers are minimum unless you've been dark on the game since 2003...

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Technophile

Awsome FFXII potion drink ad!

http://web-cache.stream.ne.jp/web/se...d=b&player=wmt

Love that commercial. It was already posted on the first page but it's worth posting again for those that missed it.

I guess NCSX actually has the drink for order but it's like $12.50 a bottle...

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by SOLDIER

Where can I find this Hope trailer? I'd like to give it a look.

Right here:
http://www.ffxii.us/news/030306.php

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I guess these are collectible cards you receive with each bottle of "Potion" in Japan...






There's also a Yahoo auction up for 2 promotional posters:

http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h34136098

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Metal Sphere

FFXII's title screen:

Simple yet stylish looking.

It almost looks like the background within the logo could be an animated movie or something to that effect.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Metal Sphere

Thanks for letting me now SOLDIER, I just assumed everyone knew Basch's backstory. It's definitely missing a lot of details that the game will fill us in on, but that's the gist of it I think. IMO, he's redeemed himself in her eyes especially if he's able to explain why he did what he did (Delita greater good deal) as well as fighting alongside her SO.

Yeah I'm aware of Basch's backstory too and you pretty much deal with those events at the beginning of the game in the prologue, hence why we know about them to begin with.

Still I kept some of the character's biography and motivations in the first post as vague as possible as not to spoil it. If it's plot information and screenshots not released by Famitsu/Jump etc during FFXII's pre-release then I'm steering clear of them and I won't be posting them in this thread. Impressions are fine be it your own or via others but just spoiler mark them for god's sake as there's no real need for 2 threads.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Andrew Evenstar

don't know if this has been posted, but an awesome ffxii potion drink commercial!!!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hg9bQPoUf_4

It only marks the third time it's been posted. Someone at GAF tried the stuff. Apparently it tastes like Red Bull only it's blue rather than yellow.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Andrew Evenstar

do you know if there's a downloadable version anywhere?

Yep, GameTrailers just put it up:
http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=1684



FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Jagged

In Penelo's Profile you should change "best friend" to girlfriend" since that's what is stated on th Official Japanese site. Also nice Avator and Sig.

Here is some info on FFXII's Limit Break System (Mist Knacks/Skill) that has come up from FF12.org:
http://finalfantasy12.org/log/000311.php

Translations and Info from GameFAQs.

The Limit Breaks can be combed with each other.

Well I wasn't 100% sure. I thought they were together but then alot of the articles and character biographies only had them as best friends rather than a couple.

That's some nice info about the 'Mist Skill' but you might want to spoil code some of it including how many there are in total and their names just to be on the safe side.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

^^ Cheers. It's just some are on a total blackout on the game and even little bits of gameplay information might be too spoilerish for them

There's some favorable impressions on the game from 2ch boards that were posted and translated at GameFaqs. Apparently the player has clocked in something like 20 hours so far and reports the following...
*The information deals only with gameplay and nothing is mentioned about the plot but I figured I'd spoil code it anyways.

Spoiler:

The game is balanced and challenging, but it's easy to escape from battle, and the save points fully heal, so there aren't any places where you will get stuck because of the difficulty. (Note: So far, when the character's levels are still around lv10)
-At first he thought that it'd be really action oriented, but it seems its rather similar to ATB, and likes it personally.
-Someone had asked if there were any powerful weapons you can buy that you can't equip during early parts of the game, and he said no.
He says they (probably) keep looping the title movie if you leave it on during the opening screen;
-You can wonder around quite a bit even early in the game, go to a lot of optional places, but the enemies are strong so you'll most likely die or have trouble if you wander too far off.
You can skip FMVs (but not pause them). No idea about normal cutscenes yet.
-He hasn't learned any "Mist Knacks" yet. He can, but don't want to waste LP.
-So far he had 2 FMVs and 8 cutscenes, and apparently real-time cutscenes look very good.

Credit to khalahaley for the translation and Supremeknight for posting them.

Some of the information above mentions the Save Points and the fact that you can skip FMV sequences.

I guess Dengeki's review is out and while none of the reviewers gave it a perfect 100 griping about "No auto run feature even though areas are huge" and "can't change the camera controls", their overall impression is good. The game still has that FF touch and a strong sense of adventure.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

It looks like the new Famitsu out now reviewed FFXII and their score...:drumroll:
10/10/10/10 - 40/40




Dengeki is also believed to of reviewed FFXII and scored it around 95/100.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by soulsteelgray

Holy crap. That's all I have to say. Holy freakin' crap.

FFXII+Vagrant Story= Matsuno FTW!

So that means FFXII joins other perfect score titles such as LOZ: OoT, Soul Calibur, Vagrant Story & LOZ: Wind Waker. It'll be interesting to read their writeup and get Dengeki's final score.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by SOLDIER

Thank God. I honestly would've been very disappointed if this game got anything less than a perfect 10 after such a long development time. I really hope Square USA makes an official announcement soon.

They probably won't announce anything until E3 especially with the release of Kingdom Hearts 2 and Advent Children within 2 months.

Fingers crossed we get it on or before August 1st.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Metal Sphere

Guys, what the fuck are you guys cheering about? Square-Enix is made of nothing but moneybags, which is exactly what they shipped to Famistu in exchange for that BS score. [/hater]

Damn, a perfect 10 from Fammy and 95/100 from Dengeki? GAF must be shitting Potion turds right about now. Anyway, this is just going to make staying away from spoilers that much harder now that this is out there.

Heh. Of course Famitsu's scores are garbage but it's hard not to smile at the thought of it getting a perfect score and joining the few Famitsu has awarded perfect scores in the past.

Yeah, GAF dropped potion turds and then some.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Metal Sphere

Still, maybe a few moneybags were passed around since this was wholly unexpected. I was thinking maybe a 32 or 35, not an perfect score. Damn, I can see myself now, running around several maps in the most profitable loop, tearing enemies open and picking up trade items to get ridiculous sums of gil.

I don't think the moneybags flow that often to Famitsu anymore especially after their Dirge of Cerberus score.

I never expected a perfect score either to be honest. I figured 39 tops on par with DQVIII & KH2 but not 40/40. The wait is going to be unbearable...

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Metal Sphere

Well, I said maybe because IIRC, they also gave Vagrant Story 40/40 and Matsuno and Sakimoto were behind that one too, no?

BTW, in bad news, apparently Matsuno no longer works at Square-Enix thanks to his sickness that knocked him out of production for a good bit and pissed off his bosses in the process. Man, this could be the last Matsuno FF.

That's a shame but understandable. Ultimately FFXII may of been too ambitious and while it looks like the new direction and change has paid off, Matsuno has suffered a great deal as a result. At least his legacy at SE will live on and his final title seems to be leaving a lasting impression.

Quote:

Still there's questions that I'd like to get answered, like how long does it take for enemies to respawn, or do you just leave the area and come back and how exactly do you move across the map.

Is there an artbook of any kind available for this? From what I've managed to scrape up, there seems like a ton of material for one.

Not sure about the "respawning" question but the Dengeki review mentions that if use "Escape" or run away from battles the monsters will still be there. In terms of the map...World Map you mean? It's pretty much like FFXI or DQVIII. When it comes to using an airship it'll be like FFX, IE an overview of the world map and then point and clicking to the destination you wish to go to.

Artbook wise...I know there was the "World Preview" book just released that's around 112 pages and details the gameplay and battle system, characters and more. I'm not sure if there's any artwork in it but I'd like to know myself. Play-Asia has it in stock for only $9.90:
http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-...n-70-17tj.html

I've got some artwork and various scans including some of the promotional booklet that was handed at last July's SE Party. No doubt posted in the last FFXII thread but I can post them again if necessary.

FELIPE NO

The scores are in for Dengeki PS2 - 90・95・90・90
http://finalfantasy12.org/log/000317.php

It's not actually a review but rather their first impressions since it seems only 1 of the 4 "reviewers" actually managed to complete the game and did so in around 100 hours while another reviewer was over 51 hours into the game and still nowhere near finishing.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Here's a translation of the cross review for FFXII from Famitsu:

Quote:

First reviewer:
"As always a grand story and the ever slightly changing battle system pulls you in more and more. The large maps that you battle in especially can make you lose track of time because of its appeal. It's amazing that a single player game can make you feel like you're playing with team mates!"

Second reviewer:
"It may feel awkward at first for FFX players since the battle system takes ques from the FFXI battle system, but the Gambit system will make getting used to the system a smooth transition. The freedom that can be achieved is great, even if the gamer's skills are limited. The story is great as usual and the acting is impressive."

Third reviewer:
"A very generous game in how it's built. The story is rock solid but offers a great sense of freedom. The battles are a joy to play once you're used to the transitionless nature. There are times when you may just die instantly, so caution is to be taken at all times. This nervousness also makes the game a lot more exciting and fun."

Fourth reviewer:
"Visuals that take your breath away, a complicating lking yet easy to play system, a balanced experience that fits all playing styles -- there are no faults in this game. You'll somehow get really into the game at one point and won't be able to stop. Even compared to the classic FFs, this can be ranked right alongside of them."

Translation courtesy of palf91 at GameFaqs.

I'm going to see if I can pick up one of those "Potion" drinks tomorrow since there's a store in downtown Ann Arbor that deals in anime, manga etc as well as Japanese confectionary and drinks.

Jam it back in, in the dark.