[PS2] Final Fantasy XII

Ooh, illustrations and concept sketches. Now I'm interested. You said Wal-Mart has this guide the cheapest?

I was speaking idiomatically.

I'm still undecided in purchasing the guide or not. If the DVD has about the same artwork as the guide will, then I don't see the point; that's the only reason I'm interested in it, anyway, since I tend to avoid guides or FAQs for major releases, since I like to try and figure things out on my own.

Next week some guys are coming over to remove all the upstairs carpeting and replace them with wooden tiles. My room is up first, and by sheer painful coincidence, they're scheduled to arrive on Tuesday. This means no access to my room for a day, possibly more. And even if they finish, I'll have to move my giant TV and other equipment to a new mega-shelf my parents are planning to get for me this weekend.

So with all that in mind, I think I might end up using HD Loader to play this game early. Possibly today. In like a few minutes. Waiting until the official release is one thing, but I'll be damned if I have to wait past that.

I'll get back to you on my decision.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

So I suppose I should check with my GS tommorow then, just in case. For the record, I was all set up to try the game today, but the folks came in literally at the last second, and I ended up painting the rest of my room instead. What is this, Tom Sawyer?

FELIPE NO

I called mine today, but they still aren't budging. Monday night at midnight is the earliest they'll allow, no exemptions.

I almost had the chance to play it earlier today, but my sister was taking a nap after her 5am run-a-thon, so I decided not to. Maybe it's a sign to wait until the official release, but those guys are changing the carpets that day, so I just don't know what'll happen.

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Did you beat FFXII yet? If not, you can't say it isn't.

He has, and hasn't stopped complaining about it since. I was almost certain this would be the one FF where everyone would unite in aggreement to its awesomeness, but I guess that isn't the case.

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

It seems fortune smiles upon me. Those carpet guys have rescheduled for Saturday, so I can take it easy for the next few days, and should be able to enjoy FFXII first thing tommorow.

I might pick the game up on midnight, since the store is a bit out of the way from work.

Also, I was hoping someone would handle my FFXII avatar/sig request in the aforementioned thread. Anyone got any illustrations for the game that haven't been used as an av/sig here yet?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, I was more hoping for Basch, Balthier, or a Judge/Judges, but I don't have a real preference. I tried to convert a ping image once as a sig, though, and the results weren't very good. Also, I was hoping more for drawn illustrations, something that hasn't been seen much here. Maybe I'll wait for the bonus DVD and rip whatever artwork is present.

Also, I haven't seen the LE guide on Amazon, just the standard one.

http://www.amazon.com/Final-Fantasy-...e=UTF8&s=books

I am interested in buying it, but I really want to save my cash for the coming onslaught in 3 weeks.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

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Maybe the scan of this book can satisfy you. It will cover more than hundred illustrations with comments.

God YES. Is that out yet? I can't wait to see all the non-spoilerartwork.

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I'm off to work in 15 minutes which means this will be my last post before getting the game! Man, I haven't been this excited and pumped for an FF title since FFVIII.

I'm off work in 2 hours. It'll be another 30 by the time I get home, but I think I'll avoid this thread for a while. I want to go in fresh.

And I'll go further than your excitement by saying I haven't been this excited for an FF since FFVI. I really hope this game will rekindle the feeling of wonderment I experienced when I first saw Terra plow through the snowy plains to the tune of her excellent theme.

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

First 2 hour impressions.

Spoiler:

God DAMN!

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

Most of the praises I have so far have been reiterated in this thread, so instead I'll just list the minor gripes I have so far.

1. It copies a LOT from FFXI: This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but after years of development to the point of hospitalization, I figured Matsuno would work on creating his own thing instead of copying most of the battle system from another game. Auto attacks, monsters linking, Chocobos with a time limit, magic aggro, and other elements give me a strange case of deja vu.

2. It doesn't copy FFXI's First Person View: This game was begging for a first person camera angle. There's so many knicknacks and details to view, but instead I'm constantly rotating the right analog stick in a vain attempt to catch it all. This is my biggest letdown so far, since the feature was promised a while back.

3. Voice Compression: The voice audio has a tiny bit of compression. It's especially noticable whenever Penelo talks. Again, this isn't a big deal, but since I recently tried FFX again, I can confirm that the voices were a lot clearer in that game. I guess this is due to fitting everything in one disc, but would it have killed Square to spring for dual layer?

4. It's Hard: Not hard enough to frustrate me; On the contrary, I welcome the challenge. But I bet it will frustrate newbies or anyone who wasn't well versed in FFXI (monsters linking=not a good thing). Although I do with there was an auto-targeting option (where after you kill one monster, you automatically attack the linked monster; in this game you target it, but you have to manually set attack again).

5. No customizable controls: The controls for the camera are reversed to how I usually have them, and there's no way to set it to my preference. I can adjust, but I wish you had the option.

And now some misc comments.

1. I like how even though the game doesn't have progressive scan, it's one of the highest res PS2 games I've ever played.

2. Vaan is definetely not like Tidus. He's more cynical than I thought.

3. Is it me, or do Chocobos sound more like horses in this game? I could swear I heard one of them "neighing" in the opening.

4. That Penelo sure is a cutie.

5. I've spent at least 2 hours in Robanastre, and my mouth still hangs open. It has the massive size of Bastok, but with far more detail and an excellent placement of NPCs (thank god you don't have to talk to all of them).

5. Vaan's ribs are freaky looking.

6. Do you need to buy a license for every single piece of equipment in the game?

7. Are there any early spoilers in the bonus disc? If so, when's a good time to watch it?

That's it so far. I'd rave more about the opening, but I wouldn't be saying anything that hasn't already been said. When that guy way back said that the story was "so good that the previous FFs should be ashamed of themselves", he wasn't kidding. Not that I would dare forsake the last 11 games, but right from the start you know that they're taking FFXII seriously. No spikey haired heroes, space whales, or moon aliens here. This is a story of War, and what it does to people. I know everyone is crazy for Balthier, but I seriously love Basch for the moment in that he represents the maturity of this new story (he's not afraid to get his hands dirty if he feels he's doing the right thing).

I was speaking idiomatically.

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It was pretty interesting, but some words/names mentioned in it were totally not what I've been pronouncing all this time, like Mako and Bahamut (Bahamoot? What???).

Are you serious? That's just crazy, especially since the dragon was parodied in Super Mario RPG (a rather silly looking beast called "Baha-Mutt"). That'll probably be the first feature I'll be watching, though.

"Me? I'm the leading man."

Damn. It looks like Balthier is going to live to the hype. Although he seems to channel James Bond more than Han Solo (the british wit).

Also, I hope there are more boss battles like the ones against the soldiers and the flans.

I was wondering, since the soundtrack lovingly recreates music from previous Matsuno works (notably FFT:A's clan theme), are there any songs that pay homage to Sydney's theme from Vagrant Story? I absolutely loved the creepy faux-chorus ("Da duh duh duhduhduhduhduh da duh"), and it would be awesome if a similar motif was used here.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

The anime BASTARD!! had an Ifrit/Efreet.



And I always said Teedus since the narrator called him that in the Spirits Within trailer, but it got changed to Tyedus in Kingdom Hearts 2.

I've also mispronounced Seifer (Sayfer, when it's actually Saifer), Vivi (like Vivian, but it's Vee Vee), and now recently Ashe (I thought the e at the end would make it Ashay, but no). This is why all RPGs should require voice acting.

I refuse to call him Bahamoot, though, no matter what.

Most amazing jew boots

I always thought the E before I meant the name would be pronounced as "say" not "sai", just like Fei in Xenogears. Also, despite the soccer player's name, I still call him Zidane (like great dane).

"Before I can open this door, I need you to fetch my tools. Doesn't sound very exciting, does it?

Spoiler:

Ha ha, I'm just kidding, I have the tools right here."

Good one.

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

I dunno, the game says to go ahead and sell all the loot, but I was wondering the same thing as you. One friend did stress to me the other day NOT to sell any of the items you receive during the hunts.

Feh, now I figured out that the weapons/armor slots are in the bottom left of the license board.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I haven't really noticed any jaggies. Maybe you need to set the filter on.

Speaking of which, what exactly is the shake option for? The only time I saw a camera shake effect (at least I think I saw it) was in the beginning when

Spoiler:

Basch stabs Recks

. I wonder why it's default set to Off?

I watched the History of FF portion of the bonus disc, and it was pretty well done. While I'm not a fan of the dramatic deep voice many game retrospectives use, it was fun watching the entire series summarized in order (I especially like how he keeps track of Cid's roles in each game as well as the first appearance of a certain keynote in the series, although he failed to mention that the Moogles first appeared in FFIII, as we could clearly see). Some things worth noting though;

1. Strange how they don't use any footage from the DS FFIII. You'd think it would make for a good promotional material, but they don't even acknowledge its existence (NA release is listed as N/A).

2. Go figure, Summons first appeared in FFIII. I always figured Rydia started the trend, but I guess not. Also, the original logo is hideous. What the hell was that?

3. "See-sul"? Nuh uh, son. His name is dorky enough as is, I'm sticking to "Se-sul".

4. FFV: "You can travel in Airships, ships, and Y-Burns"

Are you freaking kidding me? Ha ha ha ha.

5. I don't recall the Empire in FFVI being called the "Gestahl Empire" (after the emperor). I remember "The Empire" and "Vector".

6. "Bahamoot, Neo Bahamoot, and Bahamoot Zero"

No, no, and no. Bad touch.

7. They just couldn't resist promoting the Compilation of FFVII. Too bad they don't show anything at all for Crisis Core (and it seems they're still intent on bringing BC over).

8. FFVIII is the only one that didn't play the prelude. Then again, I don't remember if it even played in the game or not.

9. Yes, they used my pronounciation for Zidane!

10. I wonder which version of FFXI they used for the footage, because it was sharper looking than the PS2 version. Also, I chuckled when they said installation of the game was "simple".

11. Glad they didn't show much of FFXII. I would've been pissed if anything was given away (like Cid's role).

12. Dammit, I got all excited when they mentioned FFXIII. I thought they were going to show a hi res version of the E3 trailer.

I'm also glad the art gallery is comprehensive. I should be able to find a good avatar in there.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

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There are jaggies, you can really see them on an HDTV. You get used to them, but they are definitely there. Filter barely does anything.

I guess I'm just used to jaggies in general on the PS2.

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You've never heard the name Cecil pronounced See-sul? It can go either way, I'm just not sure of the original kana.

I have heard it that way, and while neither name is very manly, Se-sul is the lesser of two evils, so I use that.

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WHY-vern. Long I sound.

Damn, really? I always pronounced it as wivern (like quiver). Please don't tell me Rydia is actually Rye-dia (instead of Rid-iya, which is much cuter). I'll freaking hurl if it's true.

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バハムート = bahamuuto = bahamoot

I honestly don't think I can get used to this one. I've used Baha-mutt for years, and it just sounds cooler.

I'm reading in PA that the voice compression I complained about before is the result of certain receivers not displaying Pro Logic II correctly. The issues they reported are more extreme, though, such as a more filtered voice, as well as voices being too loud or too low. The compression I mentioned is only minor, but they said that setting it to stereo makes things crystal clear. Guess I'll check it out, but I prefer Pro Logic surround.

EDIT: I changed my Receiver from Pro Logic Movie to Pro Logic Music, and it definetely lowered the compression rate of the voices. Sounds much clearer now.

I was also amused how the History feature made special mention of fans' undying (and continiously perplexing) love for Gilgamesh.

And yes, I concur that the Opera House (FFVI) is the single greatest moment in the entire series.

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

That Judge entrance was such a ripoff of Darth Vader, but I don't care. Awesome stuff.

Spoiler:

I was surprised to see Vossler as a Judge. Maybe it was common knowledge in the previews or trailers, but it wasn't something I knew about until now.

Nalbina Dungeon is where the game truly starts. I love the designs and general feel of the dungeon. Matsuno shits atmosphere (made of solid gold).

minor Basch thing:

I also like how Basch is actually fully unequipped, instead of magically having a sword or shield once you free him. And I especially love that he actually looks like someone who's spent years in a dungeon (and probably tortured ad nasuem.

Balthier continues with the awesome lines, but I hope they aren't intentionally stripping the other characters of good lines just so Balthier remains the coolest by default.

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

I'm going to be taking my sweet time with this game. It took a long time to come out, so it would be silly to plow through it. There's a lot to see and do anyway, so it's not like I have to milk it.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I won't debate that here (but that sounds like a journal entry challenge for another day), but I will speak up to those of you saying it's hard to continue after x amount of hours; play it in shorter bursts. I really think a game like this was made to be taken slowly in order to appreciate all the little details and side missions you can do, instead of plowing through the main story as fast as you can. It's worked for me; I've taken extended breaks and ended up needing more before the day is done.

I just entered the Esterlands again after the Mimic Queen fight (this has some of the best boss deaths I've ever seen), and my playtime is 7 hours, so I'm not sure if I'm going too slow or just about right. If it turns out I'm barely 5% done, though, then I'll be very happy.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

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I'm just past the ceremony where Seymor, I mean, the Consul, gives his speech. But I'm on Lvl. 4 and I've killed 7 cockatrices. WATAP.

And I thought I was playing it slow. I just reached the sky city, which is an even nicer looking than Rabanastre (and feels just as big, even though it's a small town). Also, I don't see what the big deal is with that scene with Penelo.

Spoiler:

about the worst thing they do is threaten to pull out her tongue. Unless there's something else later.

Also, did that NPC Moogle just say

Spoiler:

Oh Noes?

I'm enjoying the sheer massiveness of this game. I hope I'm not even 1/4 done.

FELIPE NO

There's a reason I spoiler tagged it, for the anal folk here (that includes me; I know it's NPC dialogue, but still). :/

As for real spoilers, I have a question.

Spoiler:

Basch mentions that Recks was meant to be a witness to his false deed, but how could Recks get the word out if he died? Unless they're implying that Recks didn't die on the spot, and instead lived long enough to get the word out (that would explain the room resembling a hospital in Vaan's dream).

If this actually gets explained later, then please refrain from answering.

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

Quick question, but what was the official theme for this game? I don't mean musical themes, but the themes SE uses to describe the story (previous ones include "Love", "Past", and recently "Bonding" for FFXIII). I think it was "War", but I don't quite remember.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Cool, thanks. Unless something goes horribly wrong (again), I should resume my playing tommorow once the floors are done and the new shelf is installed. Last place I saved was

Spoiler:

after the little minigame where Vaan spreads the word of Basch's survival to the public, then getting access to Ondore's manor

. Naturally, everyone is far and away ahead of me, but I feel no need to catch up and merely enjoy it at my own pace. I'll probably finish it by Feb 2007.

I like how VG Cats is at its funniest when taking jabs at FF (everything else, not so much).



That was the first thought I had when I heard about the license system. In context it is pretty stupid, but at the same time it's surprisingly fun to manage.

There's nowhere I can't reach.