[PS2] Final Fantasy XII

I just saw the scan of the new Cid. I love it, it has that Jack Sparrow feel to him.

I hear there won't be widescreen support. Is this confirmed? If it is, it's a major dissapointment.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Think there's a chance the US version might have one or the other, or is it not even worth hoping for? If I had to choose, I'd pick the widescreen, since the visuals seem high res enough.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

This is just bullshit. They've had plenty of time (and then some) to implement both progressive scan and widescreen in their game. The only reason they don't have either is laziness. Dragon Quest VIII has widescreen, and looks beautiful because of it.

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

I'm not positive myself, but I'm told the japanese DQVIII didn't have widescreen support. So maybe there's still hope for the US after all.

I don't want to get into a thing on defending FFX-2, but I will fight you tooth and nail over FFXI. I've been playing it since 2004, and it's probably the only game where I make sure to get on every single day. It bugs me whenever sites call FFXII the last "true" FF since FFX (though that is partly true) while failing to mention that FFXI has some of the best writing ever seen in the series.

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.

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

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

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Thanks.

That was a nice trailer, alright. And I really, truly hope that a good amount of the soundtrack is orchestral, because it's all too rare for midi-inspired music to match up to what was playing in the trailer. I hope they at least make like FFIX and have orchestral music in every single FMV.

It's amazing, however, how very little of the FFXII world we've seen throughout all the previews. I could count all the locations with one hand; a large city, a desert, a beach, and another city. I'm not even sure how many cities we've seen so far, or if they're all from the same city, since the buildings look so similar. I admit this has me a little worried though. One of the many things I expect to see in FF's is a gigantic, diverse world. I'm hoping SE has been witholding more than half of the total locations from the public.

My other gripe is that it looks like the cast list is final. It's the smallest group ever for an FF, and it doesn't live up to the promise of a diverse cast of different races. The only non-human is Fran.

And again, this would've been an excellent game to have in widescreen. Please, Square USA, toss us hi-def users a bone.

Anyway, I truly hope this lives up to the gigantic expectations we all have. Just being another great FF won't be enough for me, this needs to be a giant step forward in the series, as big a step as FFVII was.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Where's the option menu? What if I want to watch the opening FMV with 5.1 enabled? Dammit Square.

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I think I'll be joining him. Don't want ANYTHING spoiled in FFXII for me.

Same. I know very very very little about FFXII's storyline, and I'd like it to stay that way. I know we aggreed on not making a seperate spoiler thread for AC and KH2, but I still think FFXII might need one.



Sometimes I think SE wants to make an FF Beach Volleyball. It's a good pic though, but why is Basch included? Considering what he did, you'd think he'd be the last guy Ashe would want to frolick around with...

FELIPE NO

That's exactly what he did. And it's significant because

Spoiler:

the King is Ashe's father.

Vaan has a bone to pick with Basch as well. This, consequently, makes him the most interesting new character. I'm hoping for shades of Delita here (willing to make any sacrifice for the greater good. Needs of the many and all that.)

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

Yeah he did. You should mark those as spoilers. Yes it was publicly released info, but it also isn't that well known (I certainly didn't know the bit about Basch and Ashe's fiance). Just saying we should start marking things now. :juggler:

Jam it back in, in the dark.

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.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

You could always download it, but personally I'm going to try and resist the temptation. It's just no fun playing a huge game like this if you can't understand the language.

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

The voice acting is going to have to be extraordinary. Aside from the fancier dialogue, they have original languages used as well (think Al Bhed, but more). I won't settle for the standard dub cast SE has been using (as good as they are), we're going to need actors who can sound like LOTR extras.

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Hey, that's neat. Is Vaan kicking that creature? His hair looks drastically different too (probably a motion effect?)...

Why does the middle shot look like it's taking place in a space hangar? :/

I was speaking idiomatically.

Probably a long shot, but does anyone think they can translate the text in the options menu?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I hope that doesn't mean the game might be short, or have sparse dialogue. Perhaps it's because there's a smaller amount of FMV.

Has anyone read any reviews in regards to story? I'm curious if Matsuno succeeded in creating a dark story akin to FFT, full of betrayal, deaths, double-crossing, triple-crossing, and so on.

FELIPE NO

I'll let you decide whether we need a seperate spoiler thread or not. If not, I hope everyone takes great care not to give anything away. Like I said before, I know absolutely very little of the actual plot, and I'd like it to stay that way.

Simo, is that pic in your avatar official? Looks like Balthier is one of the "ladies man" type of characters (Edgar, Zidane, Irvine).

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

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Yep it's official. It's one of 2 posters for the game with the one in my avatar showing how much of a pimp Balflear is as he's got a nice hold of Ashe while Fran is piloting the vehicle in front.

Amazingly, she doesn't seem to mind. :/

On that note, I feel it's worth mentioning that according to FFVII Ultimania Omega, Vincent was originally going to be one of these "pimp" characters. It was said that as soon as he emerges from his coffin, he immediately hits on Tifa and Aerith. As hard as that would be to imagine, I have noticed that FFVII lacks the pervert type character that's practically a regular in most FF games.

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As for spoilers, I don't mind impressions on the gameplay and such but any plot talk and story spoilers should remain strictly to using the spoiler code thanks.

Actually, people need to be careful with gameplay info as well. I don't want the names of any unknown areas, and I especially don't want to read any boss names.

"Sup I'm stuck on Vaan's zombie brother any gameplay tips?"

One question I do have regarding the story is the romance subplot. I remember reading how Vaan and Ashe's relationship wouldn't be a typical love story, but instead an "other kind of love". And I do like the concept of Vaan and Penelo having a relationship before the game starts (an idea that hasn't been done since Cecil and Rosa in FFIV). They do look cute together, too. So does Matsuno make good on this promise, or does it become the typical love triangle concept that's starting to get old?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Ashe with Basch is just all kinds of weird, and disturbing.

I like it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

So how many tracks are orchestral? And is the quality of the existing songs any better than the songs from the demo, or is it about the same?

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

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At the Shibuya Tsutaya Final Fantasy XII launch event, when Square Enix president Yoichi Wada was asked about the existence of a Final Fantasy VII remake on PS3, he smiled and mentioned that such remake is likely to happen with a large demand, but it is very difficult, the company is currently examining the possibilities.

-Magic Box



Now for the bad news. I truly hope to God that SE USA isn't possibly stupid enough to release FFXII in November. Not only is that a much longer wait from the proposed Summer date, but launching it around the same time as the PS3 is just all kinds of retarded. One of the best looking of PS2 games of all time will suddenly look out of date when compared to a PS3 launch title (well, the ones that aren't just 360 ports). I don't care if it means the game will get some special hi-res boost while playing it on the PS3, it isn't a good idea, just like releasing Zelda:TP along with Revolution is similarly retarded.

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Even so....it's a long wait.

I know I've asked this plenty of times before, but I still keep wondering; Why doesn't Square begin localization while the game is being made? Why do they wait until after the game is finished to begin translating? It's an archaic process that results in an annoying gap between US and Japanese releases (3 months if we're lucky, 6 or more if we're not). I just wish they acted more like Konami or Nintendo. The only games I've ever seen get a simultaneous release were Kingdom Hearts: CoM (or did we get that first?) and the FFXI expansions.

I was speaking idiomatically.

....Ahem.

Anyway, there's always a chance that FFXII will have a feature that will enhance its graphics if played on the PS3. Look at FFTA, it had an option to play the game if you were using it on the GBA SP (and it was released a little bit before the SP). Maybe FFXII will do the same.

I suppose the PS3 won't have an option to turn all the PS2 games widescreen. Probably impossible.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

If it's taking until November to get here, it damn well better.

FELIPE NO

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Well I'm not naming locations but there is a "snowy terrain" but the character's attie don't change or anything. In terms of the weather change though there are moments in the game, not a plot related location or anything just weather specifics...

You would think JUST ONCE an RPG would come along and finally do something about this tired old cliche. Most RPG characters wouldn't survive 5 minutes in the freezing cold wearing what they wear.

Just once I want an RPG where the characters grow a brain and realize "it's too cold to continue onward in our current attire. Let's head to the nearest shop and buy some warmer clothes!"

How about the old "lock the characters in a tiny dungeon without confiscating any of their weapons?" I just witnessed this brain-dead moment in DQVIII, but that's not the only game to do this.

:: puts handcuffs over Barret's gun-arm::

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

Well at least one RPG got it right.

Jam it back in, in the dark.