Gilgamesh was fairly easy the second time around for me (I'm taking care of as many hunts as I can while I have Reddas in my party); he took around 15 minutes to finish off.
Fafnir, OTOH, took 45 minutes to beat, and I used up nearly 30 Phoenix Downs. Never had to tap into my "B-team" (Basch, Ashe, Penelo) at all during the fight.
Now I'm up to 36/40, with 4 more standard hunts and 4 more elite marks. Yiazmat, of course, won't even be considered by me for another 20 levels or more (I'm around 55-56 right now).
[quote name='mykevermin']Gilgamesh was fairly easy the second time around for me (I'm taking care of as many hunts as I can while I have Reddas in my party); he took around 15 minutes to finish off.
Fafnir, OTOH, took 45 minutes to beat, and I used up nearly 30 Phoenix Downs. Never had to tap into my "B-team" (Basch, Ashe, Penelo) at all during the fight.
Now I'm up to 36/40, with 4 more standard hunts and 4 more elite marks. Yiazmat, of course, won't even be considered by me for another 20 levels or more (I'm around 55-56 right now).[/quote]
Oh yea, the monsters before him have really nice stuff you can steal. I cant remember exactly what it was... but the bats give you a demon sheild, I think. The skeletons give you some kind of armor and theres a hidden area filled with mimics that you can steal Aegises (Aegi?) from. An aegis is a sheild with about 45 magic evade, but 0 phys evade.
Silly question, but I wonder why they made the whole bottom of the screen skew to a darker color-it sort of makes the character info stand out better, but I wonder why they did it for the space to the right of the character info too?
I'm close to 62 hours in now, and loving it more than ever. I'm getting more and more into the plot.
So far I'm still having no trouble at all with bosses. My last one I did have to change strategies a bit, but thanks to my various stat boosts, I left the battle at almost full power (despite casting Curaga all the time). I love how they seem to have balanced it so far in that regard.
So far the only crazy hard battles have all been hunts, and those are optional technically, so that's not so bad.
EDIT: recently got armor that has a permanent Protect status effect for all my characters. Nice!
ive read over this entire thread finally.
i picked ff12 during the tru sale and started playin.
ive put in 24 hrs in 3 days, and LOVE this game.
i dont like mmo's at all and honestly didnt expect to like this game much but thats not the case.
i had a question in addition to my comments but its left my mind, ill edit later.
thanks to all whove posted in the thread its been helpful and enjoyable.
[quote name='paz9x']ive read over this entire thread finally.
i picked ff12 during the tru sale and started playin.
ive put in 24 hrs in 3 days, and LOVE this game.
i dont like mmo's at all and honestly didnt expect to like this game much but thats not the case.
i had a question in addition to my comments but its left my mind, ill edit later.
thanks to all whove posted in the thread its been helpful and enjoyable.[/QUOTE]
I agree with the MMO elements. FFXI is the only MMO I tried, and I tried so hard to like it; it has too many massive flaws that make it a boring, yet deep, MMO, and an embarrassment to the Final Fantasy series. Of course, they could still change the game for the better (the biggest thing they could do is make it easier to level up, as I don't find any enjoyment in spending two months of rigorous gameplay to get to the highest level - 75 - particularly fun or entertaining. The game becomes "work" around level 35, and just didn't do it for me. Yet, as a fan of the FF series, I want to like it.
Anyway, that tangent aside, my comment was supposed to be something along the lines of "imagine how great FFXI would be if it had FFXII's gambits and gameplay mechanics!
I played it for about 2 months and got to level 39.9999.
I thought the game was fun, the world was interesting, the combat was awesome... the only big problem I had with it was the fact that you had to litterally wait hours to get a party that didn't wipe on the first mob. Japanese groups kicked insane amounts of ass, but were very weary of Americans as most of them just said, "wai willnt u talk american!>?" Even my remedial Japanese got me a lot of respect for at least trying.
[quote name='mykevermin']I agree with the MMO elements. FFXI is the only MMO I tried, and I tried so hard to like it; it has too many massive flaws that make it a boring, yet deep, MMO, and an embarrassment to the Final Fantasy series. Of course, they could still change the game for the better (the biggest thing they could do is make it easier to level up, as I don't find any enjoyment in spending two months of rigorous gameplay to get to the highest level - 75 - particularly fun or entertaining. The game becomes "work" around level 35, and just didn't do it for me. Yet, as a fan of the FF series, I want to like it.
Anyway, that tangent aside, my comment was supposed to be something along the lines of "imagine how great FFXI would be if it had FFXII's gambits and gameplay mechanics![/quote]
I'm 76 hours in now, and just hit an (optional?) boss in the Barheim Passage I couldn't quite beat with my normal tactics (it keeps sleeping all my characters, sometimes is immune to my attacks for no apparent reason, and I have to kill it in 4 minutes).
Anyway, I thought I'd activate Quickenings and give them a spin. Gave three to each of my three main characters I'd be using, started out the battle with them...
and they did MAYBE 1/4 damage to him. I'd gotten him down 75% just with regular attacks (and with my magic left over).
Soooooo what's the point with quickenings? Maybe I just don't know how to use them.
[quote name='Wolfpup']I'm 76 hours in now, and just hit an (optional?) boss in the Barheim Passage I couldn't quite beat with my normal tactics (it keeps sleeping all my characters, sometimes is immune to my attacks for no apparent reason, and I have to kill it in 4 minutes).
Anyway, I thought I'd activate Quickenings and give them a spin. Gave three to each of my three main characters I'd be using, started out the battle with them...
and they did MAYBE 1/4 damage to him. I'd gotten him down 75% just with regular attacks (and with my magic left over).
Soooooo what's the point with quickenings? Maybe I just don't know how to use them.[/QUOTE]
Quickenings aren't as good in the latter parts of the game. They're much better for early/mid game since it takes a good chunk out of the bosses' HP.
With Quickenings you have to use a bit of strategy and chain as much as possible. When fighting later Marks, if you cannot get atleast a 14 hit it is a waste. In the final few battles I did not even use them.
I bought Dragon Quest VIII used for half the price. I loved it, truly an excellent game. It came with a demo of FFXII and I hated it. I am glad I made the choice I did.
[quote name='The Omniscient Lemon']I bought Dragon Quest VIII used for half the price. I loved it, truly an excellent game. It came with a demo of FFXII and I hated it. I am glad I made the choice I did.[/QUOTE]
Don't be too sure. I hated the demo too, but I LOVE the game. It doesn't really give you a feel for it.
[quote name='Over easy']Quickenings aren't as good in the latter parts of the game. They're much better for early/mid game since it takes a good chunk out of the bosses' HP.[/quote]
Quickenings are great boss killers for most of the game, and they're useful at particular moments against a few late bosses. One boss, for instance, puts up an invincible shield once he's at about 1/4 HP. The magic shield comes down every minute or two so he can faith, reflect, or bravery himself, and the physical shield comes down for a split second every 5 minutes or so. If you can hit him with a good quickening there, you can end it. If you can't, you have to dispel him and squeeze a flare or scathe in before the shield goes back up. Using the magic approach takes a long time and you'll take a whole lot more abuse.
[quote name='The Omniscient Lemon']I bought Dragon Quest VIII used for half the price. I loved it, truly an excellent game. It came with a demo of FFXII and I hated it. I am glad I made the choice I did.[/quote]
:lol: I tired the demo of DQ8 and hated it, but I bought it anyways for the FFXII demo.
[quote name='keithp']Don't be too sure. I hated the demo too, but I LOVE the game. It doesn't really give you a feel for it.[/QUOTE]
Indeed. I thought the demo showcased the new direction for the series somewhat well, but it didn't give a very accurate representation of the finished product.
[quote name='defiance_17']Indeed. I thought the demo showcased the new direction for the series somewhat well, but it didn't give a very accurate representation of the finished product.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I'd agree with that 100%. A shame really, because all the demo did was give you a feel for the combat, but even that was dumbed down. Or maybe it was just too early in the development cycle.
Okay, I'm ticked off. I'm fighting off Marilith right now...but there's NO POSSIBLE WAY I could have found it without consulting a FAQ. I searched for HOURS. You have to randomly hang around one section of these caves for 5 minutes before it shows up-NO indication of that without a FAQ.
Stuff like that and those chests make me think games are getting designed now for those stupid strategy guides. I have not and will not ever buy one. Sorry Square ( (Okay, even a strategy guide isn't the same level of sleeze as EA, but still)
EDIT:
Wow, I'm hunting Orthros now...and it requires a team of three specific characters just to spawn. That's not lame at all.
To be fair, they do tell you a lot of that crap when you accept the mark.
Death Scythe is shitty. The guy says he only comes when you're weak. I read in a forum that you have to have 2 people in your party and have them critical. So I had my two people in the red running around his spawn area for about 20 minutes and he was a no show. I found out that you have to to enter the area with them and get all the way to him, which sucks because he's in the middle of a big map of the Necrohol. IE- two people with 300hp is bad.
[quote name='Wolfpup']Okay, I'm ticked off. I'm fighting off Marilith right now...but there's NO POSSIBLE WAY I could have found it without consulting a FAQ. I searched for HOURS. You have to randomly hang around one section of these caves for 5 minutes before it shows up-NO indication of that without a FAQ.
Stuff like that and those chests make me think games are getting designed now for those stupid strategy guides. I have not and will not ever buy one. Sorry Square ( (Okay, even a strategy guide isn't the same level of sleeze as EA, but still)
EDIT:
Wow, I'm hunting Orthros now...and it requires a team of three specific characters just to spawn. That's not lame at all.[/quote]
All right. Anyone have any hints for King Bomb in the Salikawood Forest? I can get him down to about 1/6th of his life bar before he starts his Cry for Help. I don't understand why his life keeps refilling when he does that. I'm going in with Protect, Shell, Haste, and Regen on all six of my dudes but it doesn't seem to really matter. I really don't want to grind for a couple hours just to beat this boss.
First, spend about 20 minutes stealing and running. The money from the items you get is quite handy at that point. Secondly, I think he uses recovery. Cry for help just summons lil bombs. I set my attack gambit to Enemy:lowest HP. That way, all the lil bombs got taken out before they could pop. As for stoping him from healling, beat him down to about 1/6 + a bit and then nail him with a quickening. Or, if your luck sucks at quickening, just beat on him until he runs out of MP. Thats what I did, I just wanted to chain his minions for a while. :lol: Nice xp, LP and loot.
[quote name='depascal22']All right. Anyone have any hints for King Bomb in the Salikawood Forest? I can get him down to about 1/6th of his life bar before he starts his Cry for Help. I don't understand why his life keeps refilling when he does that. I'm going in with Protect, Shell, Haste, and Regen on all six of my dudes but it doesn't seem to really matter. I really don't want to grind for a couple hours just to beat this boss.[/quote]
[quote name='Kayden']First, spend about 20 minutes stealing and running. The money from the items you get is quite handy at that point. Secondly, I think he uses recovery. Cry for help just summons lil bombs. I set my attack gambit to Enemy:lowest HP. That way, all the lil bombs got taken out before they could pop. As for stoping him from healling, beat him down to about 1/6 + a bit and then nail him with a quickening. Or, if your luck sucks at quickening, just beat on him until he runs out of MP. Thats what I did, I just wanted to chain his minions for a while. :lol: Nice xp, LP and loot.[/quote]
Thanks for the advice. Am I doing something wrong with my quickenings? Am I supposed to be pressing something else when I'm in the middle of one?
[quote name='depascal22']Thanks for the advice. Am I doing something wrong with my quickenings? Am I supposed to be pressing something else when I'm in the middle of one?[/quote]
Well, do you know how to chain them? IE- press the button for another person while the first one is going, R2 to shuffle if you get nothing to use?
As a general rule, use anyone with a mist charge first, not only to they get full mist, but it also rerolls the options, so if you want, hit the button twice and they'll go right awa after they get their charges.
[quote name='Kayden']Well, do you know how to chain them? IE- press the button for another person while the first one is going, R2 to shuffle if you get nothing to use?
As a general rule, use anyone with a mist charge first, not only to they get full mist, but it also rerolls the options, so if you want, hit the button twice and they'll go right awa after they get their charges.[/quote]
Well, I'm doing that right. I just don't understand why it seems to do monster damage one time and then I get a massive chain, the Inferno starts up, and then I see the bosses life bar go down less than if I had just chose Attack for all three of my dudes. It seems like a big gamble. You'd think if it didn't do massive damage, the game wouldn't take all my MP but it takes it all no matter how much damage is done by the Quickening.
I tried Quickenings once, and was totally unimpressed (I had saved my game first, so don't have have them activated on my real save file). All that flash and yeah, I did worse than just attacking.
I fought King Bomb a few days ago. I wish I could tell you how I beat him, but I don't remember. I can't remember doing anything special besides just hitting him. You don't have to fight him the first time you come across him though, so you could just wait until later.
I can't remember what level I would have been either-I'm 47 now, and might have been 35-40ish at the time?
Oh, and despite 83+ hours in, I'm enjoying this game less than pretty much every other FF game. Certainly less than 6-10. It's good, but it doesn't have the soul of an FF game. I hope that Lost Odyssey does.
[quote name='depascal22']Well, I'm doing that right. I just don't understand why it seems to do monster damage one time and then I get a massive chain, the Inferno starts up, and then I see the bosses life bar go down less than if I had just chose Attack for all three of my dudes. It seems like a big gamble. You'd think if it didn't do massive damage, the game wouldn't take all my MP but it takes it all no matter how much damage is done by the Quickening.[/quote]
Are you doing a lot of level 1s? Quickenings generally wont do too much damage unless you trigger the special attacks at the end.
3 level ones is inferno. 7 level ones is cataclysm? 2 level 1s and 3 level 2s is torrent. theres another for 2/3/4 level 1,2 and 3 attacks. Black hole (4 of each level) does about 50-60k.
I haven't used quickenings a lot, but they are nice to have for when your mages are running on empty, you have no life left, you just used your last pheonix down and the only person with full MP is your tank and the boss only has 5% hp left, which can be about 20k or more later on.
How the heck did you find out about all that? I have no idea how to use Quickenings, since there's nothing in the manual OR the game about them. IMO it's yet another thing that reeks of "BUY THE STRATEGY GUIDE!!!!".
Thanks for that info Kayden! I'm like Wolfpup and refuse to buy or use strategy guides, at least until I finish the game once by myself.
I was wondering what the different ones meant. I've only gotten one Cataclysm for over 10k damage, but I'm only in my 20's.
[quote name='Wolfpup']Oh, and despite 83+ hours in, I'm enjoying this game less than pretty much every other FF game. Certainly less than 6-10. It's good, but it doesn't have the soul of an FF game. I hope that Lost Odyssey does.[/QUOTE]
I'm wondering why people feel this way. I don't agree with you, but I don't necessarily disagree with you either.
It's surprising to me that, despite spending more time on this than any other FF game, the characters seem paper-thin. I don't think they spent as much time discussing Fran's background, Balthier's story seems rather cliche and slapped-on, I don't know much about Vaan (I didn't know he was an orphan until the book told me), Penelo is, storylinewise, the most expendable character this side of that weird hermaphrodite chef thing from FFIX. Basch I get, and also Ashe.
Despite the abundance of this deus-ex-machina nonsense (dynast-king, occuria, etc. all replace storyline consistency and logic), I can appreciate the Star-Wars like story. However, the game has done nothing to make me despise the main villain. They've *alluded* to a lot of the murders they committed, they've sort-of shown the results of that...but I'm just not sold on this person's status as a genuine Final Fantasy all-time bad guy. Put them up against Kefka, Sephiroth, Edea, Sin/Jecht, X-Death (alright, so FFV was paperthin on plot too), or Golbez/Zeromus, and they fail every time. I'm just not convinced of it. Was story sacrificed at the expense of gameplay? If so, I suppose I can't complain too much, as this game is far deeper than it seems, and the sidequests ample, graphics gorgeous, and all that glory and praise. The plot just ain't there, but it had the potential to be, I suppose. I want to like it because it tries to be so different, yet similar, to the FF franchise. It just doesn't always pull it off.
I started off this thought wondering if, ironically, the storyline wasn't reeling in macho-male-gamers because of its lack of romance. There's nothing between Vaan and Penelo, Ashe and Vaan, or Balthier and Fran. Not a hint of it. Perhaps Larsa and Penelo, for about a moment...but FF has always had those romantic elements. These elements helped make some awesome game moments, like Aeris' death in FF7, the overall feud b/w Seifer and Squall in FF8, and it simply made the entire game of FFX. Moreover, I'm approaching the last 5 or so hours of the game (save for finishing up hunts and espers), and I'll be more offended if they try to drop some romance on me at the last minute. I haven't seen any of it (well, forgive me, except for Ashe and her dead husband) in 70 hours of gameplay, so I don't want to be treated like a fool and have it happen in the end.
Overall, don't get me wrong, this game is an absolute joy to play. I was just curious what other people took issue with in the storyline; the paper-thin plot/characters, lack of any romantic element, or the poor character alignment of the antagonist? Or, something else entirely?
Those are all really great points. And I have to preface any complaints with the fact that I *AM* really enjoying this...
It's really hard for me to figure out what my problem is with the story. It really has it's moments, but it just dosen't FEEL like a Final Fantasy game. I think FF games are romantic in the true sense-not just in the man/woman sense, but in the larger, super-heroy sense, and they have a certain feel to them (really evident in FF6-10 and Chrono Trigger).
FF12 doesn't have that for me.
And it is a bit odd how it shifts to being Ashe and what's his name-and at that point, there's little or no motivation for the other characters to keep tagging along. I think they might in real life with no major motivation (I would-I think a lot of people would just because you're already involved and can't just set it aside and go back to a normal life). But it is sort of thin compared to most Final Fantasy characters (aside from people like weird chef guy, yeah )
I think the word we're searching for is "Epic." FF games should be like The Aeneid. While FFXII follows the "vast and expansive, while following something that changes the course of life for an entire empire" quality of most epics, there's just something missing, I agree.
I think a big 'problem' with the story is that when you go from point a to point b you can also spend 10 hours getting side tracked with marks and such. You get the info at such a spread out pace that the story starts feeling tenuous.
Most FF games where fly through the game and then, at the very end, all this shit opens up for you to do before the final bosses. FFXII throws that same amount of 'endgame' content at you between every story segment.
[quote name='mykevermin']
Overall, don't get me wrong, this game is an absolute joy to play. I was just curious what other people took issue with in the storyline; the paper-thin plot/characters, lack of any romantic element, or the poor character alignment of the antagonist? Or, something else entirely?[/QUOTE]
All of the above... I just never felt ANY ties to the characters whatsoever. They were there, I controlled them, but I don't care about them in any way at all. The whole cast could die at the end of the game and I'd just say "Oh well, that sucks".
IMO, they did a shitty job on the character development.
Hey guys I just started playing this game and it's been awesome so far. I'm loving the "lazy-boy" battle system, but I've got a question pertaining to the license board and ranged weapons:
If I were to buy the augment "Battle Lore" (increase physical attack damage) for Fran, who is using a bow, will it help increase her damage output whenever she fires an arrow? I know bow damage is based on STR, SPD, AR, and the stats on the bow/arrow itself; but I'm not quite too clear if physical attack damage is related to ranged weapons in anyway. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I would have chosen to read through the thread, but I'm afraid of taking a chance and running into spoilers. Thanks in advance.
I'm not sure, but I say yes. It says "physical damage", not melee. There is no way to increase str/agi/mag on the license board, with the exception of "when critical". To increase STR, wear heavy armor. Mag is increased by cloth armor. Leather armor increases AGI.
Additionally, not all weapons use just STR for damage. Katanas use STR and MAG. Ninja swords use str and speed. Poles use str and mag, but hit the magic defense instead of physical def. Theres a lot to the game that isn't said in the game or manual.
[quote name='Ma12kez']Hey guys I just started playing this game and it's been awesome so far. I'm loving the "lazy-boy" battle system, but I've got a question pertaining to the license board and ranged weapons:
If I were to buy the augment "Battle Lore" (increase physical attack damage) for Fran, who is using a bow, will it help increase her damage output whenever she fires an arrow? I know bow damage is based on STR, SPD, AR, and the stats on the bow/arrow itself; but I'm not quite too clear if physical attack damage is related to ranged weapons in anyway. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I would have chosen to read through the thread, but I'm afraid of taking a chance and running into spoilers. Thanks in advance.[/quote]
i didn't realize how good those "when critical" or "when HP is full" augments were until i was fighting Yiazmat. Although the functions are very limited, damage goes up by like 50% when you meet the criteria. Pretty cool stuff
[quote name='TahoeMax']i didn't realize how good those "when critical" or "when HP is full" augments were until i was fighting Yiazmat. Although the functions are very limited, damage goes up by like 50% when you meet the criteria. Pretty cool stuff [/QUOTE]
hmmm. im going to have to get those i skipped them because im never critical, i havent fought much though im only about 30 hours in.
im at the jungle but im trying to get a bunch of the hunts done before i lose larsa.
I have a question about the demonsbane and deathbringer.
at the point im at (level 35) should i bother getting the demonsbane or just go for the deathbringer? ive tried a bunch of times to get the demonsbane but its never in the chest i just get a holy mote.
I say go straight for the Deathbringer. It's higher attack and potential 1-hit KO ability is great. Try and get at least 2, if you can. Far better than the Demonsbane.
i think ive grown out of rpgs in general, see i was so excited for this, but when i actually plopped down the $60 in total for the reserve...and i picked it up, popped it in, i just got totally bored with it (What made matters worse was when the $10 price drop for both editions came about like 2 weeks later), i seriously fell asleep while running around in some field and i dont even have the urge to pick it up anymore, im about an hour or so after that dungeon with the living walls...and wtf the first city, rabanstre i think, what kind of a damn set up is that, i keep getting lost in that place!
[quote name='greydemise']i think ive grown out of rpgs in general, see i was so excited for this, but when i actually plopped down the $60 in total for the reserve...and i picked it up, popped it in, i just got totally bored with it (What made matters worse was when the $10 price drop for both editions came about like 2 weeks later), i seriously fell asleep while running around in some field and i dont even have the urge to pick it up anymore, im about an hour or so after that dungeon with the living walls...and wtf the first city, rabanstre i think, what kind of a damn set up is that, i keep getting lost in that place![/QUOTE]
i felt the same way, ive loved rpgs since my snes got me hooked.
over the last couple years though ive had trouble getting any rpg to keep my interest (other than ToS) ff12 has me hooked though, i rarely play GoW anymore because i cant pull myself away from ff12.
i think im at 31 hours and ive played it for a total of 4 days.
I beat the game a couple nights ago. I just wanted to get it over with. I was intent on doing all the hunts, espers, sidequests, etc, but I just got tired of all the running around and battling. I was doing a hunt that I was like 20 levels over, and it was kicking my ass. Physical damage wasn't doing it, magic was barely doing it, and forget about quickenings. Maybe I just horribly suck, but that doesn't make any sense. Also when I was fighting an esper(the one where you can only use items, not magic) I was getting owned, but my friend who fought the esper like 15 or more levels below me, had a breeze with the fight. He didn't even know why I was getting killed so bad when for him it was like nothing. Do the enemies level with you or something?
And what is the point of quickenings? They barely do any damage. You must have to string together like 2 30 combos or something to make it worthwhile. maybe because for the most part I used them on boss fights, but to me they were pretty useless.
I clocked in 60 hours. I can't imagine my time if I had finished all the hunts and such. One thing I wish this had was like a cool sidequest thing(maybe it did and I missed it). You know, liike past FF games had a card game or blitzball.
The last stretch of the game was great though, I loved it. Movies were great. The boss fights didn't really pose a problem. The cutscenes were incredible. But whoever said this, your right, I didn't really feel attached to the game. It seemed like some of the characters didn't even need to be in the game(Vaan, Penelo). Overall the ending really brought things together.
[quote name='Blackout542']I beat the game a couple nights ago. I just wanted to get it over with. I was intent on doing all the hunts, espers, sidequests, etc, but I just got tired of all the running around and battling. I was doing a hunt that I was like 20 levels over, and it was kicking my ass. Physical damage wasn't doing it, magic was barely doing it, and forget about quickenings. Maybe I just horribly suck, but that doesn't make any sense. Also when I was fighting an esper(the one where you can only use items, not magic) I was getting owned, but my friend who fought the esper like 15 or more levels below me, had a breeze with the fight. He didn't even know why I was getting killed so bad when for him it was like nothing. Do the enemies level with you or something?[/QUOTE]
[quote name='mykevermin']I'm wondering why people feel this way. I don't agree with you, but I don't necessarily disagree with you either.
It's surprising to me that, despite spending more time on this than any other FF game, the characters seem paper-thin. I don't think they spent as much time discussing Fran's background, Balthier's story seems rather cliche and slapped-on, I don't know much about Vaan (I didn't know he was an orphan until the book told me), Penelo is, storylinewise, the most expendable character this side of that weird hermaphrodite chef thing from FFIX. Basch I get, and also Ashe.
Despite the abundance of this deus-ex-machina nonsense (dynast-king, occuria, etc. all replace storyline consistency and logic), I can appreciate the Star-Wars like story. However, the game has done nothing to make me despise the main villain. They've *alluded* to a lot of the murders they committed, they've sort-of shown the results of that...but I'm just not sold on this person's status as a genuine Final Fantasy all-time bad guy. Put them up against Kefka, Sephiroth, Edea, Sin/Jecht, X-Death (alright, so FFV was paperthin on plot too), or Golbez/Zeromus, and they fail every time. I'm just not convinced of it. Was story sacrificed at the expense of gameplay? If so, I suppose I can't complain too much, as this game is far deeper than it seems, and the sidequests ample, graphics gorgeous, and all that glory and praise. The plot just ain't there, but it had the potential to be, I suppose. I want to like it because it tries to be so different, yet similar, to the FF franchise. It just doesn't always pull it off.
I started off this thought wondering if, ironically, the storyline wasn't reeling in macho-male-gamers because of its lack of romance. There's nothing between Vaan and Penelo, Ashe and Vaan, or Balthier and Fran. Not a hint of it. Perhaps Larsa and Penelo, for about a moment...but FF has always had those romantic elements. These elements helped make some awesome game moments, like Aeris' death in FF7, the overall feud b/w Seifer and Squall in FF8, and it simply made the entire game of FFX. Moreover, I'm approaching the last 5 or so hours of the game (save for finishing up hunts and espers), and I'll be more offended if they try to drop some romance on me at the last minute. I haven't seen any of it (well, forgive me, except for Ashe and her dead husband) in 70 hours of gameplay, so I don't want to be treated like a fool and have it happen in the end.
Overall, don't get me wrong, this game is an absolute joy to play. I was just curious what other people took issue with in the storyline; the paper-thin plot/characters, lack of any romantic element, or the poor character alignment of the antagonist? Or, something else entirely?[/quote]
Awesome, thought I could be one of the few who thought this way. Now, I haven't discussed FF12 with anyone, here on CAG or anywhere. But, I assumed the general opinion would be I was wrong if I said FF12 wasn't that great.
Gameplay wise, it's really a blast, and I spent the most time on it then any other FF (80+ hrs). Character wise, yes it was an absolute dud. The best character was Cid, and HE should have been the main villian. He's the best Cid yet too.
I've always been afraid that I love FF6 just out of sheer nostalgia and fanboyism, but now looking back on it and thinking things through, I'm more confident in that. *FF6 SPOILERS*
I've always thought the end of the world near the middle was just amazing, and thinking about it deeply is even better. There is just a huge sense of despair and being lost. Also, the fact that, let's say everyone lost to Kefka and died. It wouldn't be the end of the world, for all we know another group could have came to the tower and killed Kefka days later.
[quote name='Kayden']I think a big 'problem' with the story is that when you go from point a to point b you can also spend 10 hours getting side tracked with marks and such. You get the info at such a spread out pace that the story starts feeling tenuous.
Most FF games where fly through the game and then, at the very end, all this shit opens up for you to do before the final bosses. FFXII throws that same amount of 'endgame' content at you between every story segment.[/QUOTE]
That's true too. I normally can't bear to do to much extra stuff though 'cause I need to know what happens next (I remember being up past 3am going after Seperoth).
[quote name='paz9x']hmmm. im going to have to get those i skipped them because im never critical, i havent fought much though im only about 30 hours in.
im at the jungle but im trying to get a bunch of the hunts done before i lose larsa.
I have a question about the demonsbane and deathbringer.
at the point im at (level 35) should i bother getting the demonsbane or just go for the deathbringer? ive tried a bunch of times to get the demonsbane but its never in the chest i just get a holy mote.[/quote]
I used Deathbringer as my third sword for most of the marks. Paired with the Zodiac Escutcheon it was pretty useful. I finally replaced it once I got Ragnarok (no Zodiac Spear for me ), but it's quite effective until then. Go get it. You should be able to handle the monsters in Barheim at 35.
[quote name='TahoeMax']I used Deathbringer as my third sword for most of the marks. Paired with the Zodiac Escutcheon it was pretty useful. I finally replaced it once I got Ragnarok (no Zodiac Spear for me ), but it's quite effective until then. Go get it. You should be able to handle the monsters in Barheim at 35.[/QUOTE]
thanks.
what level do the zertiman caverns require? i got a good way into one way and then got my ass whupped.
is it necessary to go through there or is it just a tough dungeon?
i walked in one side, dont remember my level, but i start fighting one thing and im doing fine then about 6 other things come cast a bunch of status ailment and start dropping everybody, havent been back that way since.
My guys are all in the mid-30s and I don't mess with the Zertiman Caverns. I've had to go back and grind a little before I fight King Bomb again. If I still can't beat him when I try again, the ing game's getting thrown out the window.
( (Okay, even a strategy guide isn't the same level of sleeze as EA, but still)
ing game's getting thrown out the window.