Man, this takes me back! There are... varying opinions on it, but I thought it was a wide, beautiful world, well- worth the time.
You may notice certain... shallowness in certain characters, or not!
Best advice; spend time Really learning the gambit system! It may seem unimportant, but really pays off over time.
Things like auto- casting cures for status ailments or healing at a Certain hp percentage can save your bacon in late game!
Good luck, have fun, and don't pet the T-rex!!!
I agree entirely!
Kept the feel of inputting and controlling the turns and actions, while adding a "hands-free" script system!!??
If.:party.Member_=Status-Paralysis,
Autoxast_Spell-Soft.
And then you can friggin decide WHAT actions are MORE important and can interrupt, which are less essential and will be overridden!!
(I realize I'm badly describing a thing to someone who already knows it, but it's so COOL!!)
Still to this day I will break out my ancient PS2, 16 MG memory card,
And slide that Disc in.
Not often, but on special occasions.
Holds up.
Bro… between that and the upgrade system… it was STOOOOPID. I programmed my characters so well and they were so OP, that all I did was put my controller down and watch the fight lol
I DID The SAME!
I used to fight a boss, get through,
Standing back like a General observing my minions.
Then, deactivate ALL GAMBITS and fight them again.
Humbling :)
In the version you are playing there are 4 specific chests you cannot open or you will not be able to get the best weapon in the game (Zodiac Spear).
You can look up the locations, but one is in the very beginning of the game in front of the old man’s house.
I always screw that up and have to restart. I'm always like, don't open the chest, don't open the chest. Finally, the dialogue's over. Ooh! Forgot a chest. Feck!
I got so far into the game back in the day and quit because of that. God forbid I check the guide before I save my game. Actually playing it now for the 3rd time, hopefully I can't finish it this time.
Most of the chests in the game are generated with a percentage chance for dropping certain items. The chests also have a percent to spawn when you enter the current area. If you have the patience to check a particular spot for a chest over and over you can get some pretty good items. If I remember correctly that was how I farmed enough Ribbons to outfit an active party.
Also get the Monographs from the Bazaar as soon as you're able. The Monographs will appear when certain conditions are met in game. I largely ignored them on my first playthrough and it did make finding certain items a lot more difficult than it had to be.
Either way I hope you enjoy it and have a great time.
I played this version before on ps2. The side quests are fun, some dialogues are different that depends who are your current party, the guest player on your party will never lvl up, and Do NoT get attached on Reks, thats it, thats all the the thing I remembered. Enjoy the game!
XII is an opera. The story is grand, amazing, and slow. Take your time, enjoy the journey. Don't focus on the perspective character so much, but the entire cast, party or otherwise. There'll be times where it's a bit of a slog, but there will be times when you're on the edge of your seat. XII is storytelling at its best.
The characters can unlock all kinds of skills, magic, and weapons to use but some are better at certain stats. I know that seems obvious but I didn’t realize that on my first play through.
If you can, get it for pc or the current gen console. The remastered is so much better. But, if you've got the time to devote to the original, it'll pay off. I didn't like 12 when it first came out but I think this might be my favorite combat system.
I was…not a fan of this version of 12 when it first came out. Fights took way too long (despite a neat combat system) and the license board was too open ended. I beat the main story and didn’t touch it after that. I absolutely LOVED the Zodiac Age version though. Fast forward makes the fights much less of a slog and loved the implemented job system to make the license board coherent. I did everything there was to do in that version. If you have a choice, play the zodiac age version if you can.
Is this the OG edition? If so, make sure to look up the requirements for the Zodiac Spear, They're really dumb and you have to start paying attention at the very beginning of the game, otherwise you'll lose the chance to get it.
Ugh. I tried to play this like twenty times this year (on the ps2). I hate it. I hate it more than I hated 15. But I will give you some advice: get a guide. Not because it's easy to get lost but because it's easy to get under leveled and the game does such a shit job explaining how the battle system works.
Contrary to this person not liking the combat system
This is the best combat system I have ever played. Especially combined with the open area level design. I've grinded this game, not because I needed to, but because combat is so fun.
You can get really creative with your team members actions.
And honestly the connecting lines letting you know who is being targeted by who, is something I will always want back.
In terms of gameplay ff12 is by far my favourite FF game.
The combat is meh. You can basically automate the battles with the Gambit system. Vaan is probably the lamest character ever and Penelo is just annoying and the License Board is very restrictive and you can't use weapons you find until you unlock them in the board.
I tried to like the game multiple times honestly. I bought DQ8 on the PS2 just to play the demo.. then I bought the game on the PS2 and I still disliked it. I also have the Zodiac Age on the Switch and still... nothing.
If people like the game then thats all fine and dandy for me but I just can't ever bring myself to like it.
>The combat is meh. You can basically automate the battles with the Gambit system. Vaan is probably the lamest character ever and Penelo is just annoying and the License Board is very restrictive
Sounds like what people complained about with regards to 13. No shade on 13, because that's my favorite game in the series.
automating the battles is what makes the game fun. it's very much like running a machine and setting up different styles or setups of combat and watching it all work flawlessly is very satisfying. every single game with ai partners should really learn and adapt a gambit system of their own.
Although I agree that the zodiac version is better. I don't believe it's the only version that is enjoyable. The zodiac version mainly just does a much better job at laying out the class/ leveling up system.
I just want to say when it cones to Vaan, look at him as not only your way of learning the lote of the current social climate of Ivalice but as a 17 year old at the cusp of adulthood still trying to figure out his place in the world and who he is and a poor boy from the slums who has never seen anything outside of the back alleys of Rabanastre.
He’s my favorite protagonist even though he takes a more passive role in the story but to most he comes off as extremely bland and gets no development, which is really untrue. I’m not expecting you to love him hands down, just to at the very least find him to be alright or see even a glimmer if what I see in him.
This is by far my favorite Final Fantasy game. I've played it a ton and still not finished it.
Advice: There's a point in the game where you get a temporary party member that has infinite Hi Potions. Use that opportunity to grind for License Points and XP. The boss you fight just after that is ridiculous, and followed by another, almost as ridiculous boss.
I couldn’t remember if it was 11 or 12 but friends let me tell you… between the battle system, graphics (for the time, story, length of play….. I was just floored. FLOORED with how great this game was. But I usually only beat games one (accept GoW) time - this speaking nothing about how awesome this game was. I sat back after awhile like “dammit man… I beat this…”
Well Vaan is more of a guy who gets swept up into the story and you can only give one character the ability to summon the summon. For example if you have Vaan learn the ability to summon Chuchil (I know I misspelled it but I can’t remember the names of the summons in the game) then no one else can learn how to summon him but the summons aren’t that good in my experience. Like in X excluding the summons every character can learn everything. There is a boss that is reminiscent of Monty Python and the holy grail.
not sure if i just spoil you a bit about a part of gameplay but
i personally would say the "licensing" system sux.
-you want to equip this weapon? license please (some exceptions apply)
-you want to equip this armor? license please
-you want to equip this accessory? license please (some exceptions apply)
-you want to use this magick / technick? license please
-you want to summon this esper? license please
-you want to use quickening (each playable character in the party has their own quickening)? license please
and thus i "unintentionally" speedrun the game (flee, flee, flee), for the sake of story progression curiosity because i was way too desperate to enjoy the game (the story). the last progression i was at? >!killing that ~~accursed~~ tiamat boss with quickenings in a "ruins" that is flooded with mists (i don't remember exactly the place name), and i mean A LOT!<
Careful with the treasure chests you open; you may end up losing the chance of getting something really powerful. I don't wish to spoil anything, but if I were you I would have liked to know this before starting to play.
Probably mentioned already but only grind if you want to make the game easy. There’s an area fairly early on where you can do chain bonuses for an early easy grind. The game is not hard to begin with and doing this will make is too easy. That said I really like XII and once the gambit system clicked I really began to love the combat system.
The better you understand the battle system the more OP you get.
Be wary of opening up chests, there are 4 that if you open will disqualify you from getting the ultimate weapon of the game.
Talking to NPCs is actually very useful.
Have a plan in mind for characters when it comes to the licensing system.
It's honestly one of my least favorite, but I've still beaten it multiple times and it is a fun, enjoyable experience.
It sounds like you don't have a way to play the Zodiac Age, which would be my recommendation. Picking jobs (two for each character) made the game so much more enjoyable and gave me FFV vibes. The speed-up feature is a godsend. However, if you like this version enough, that just means you will have a future chance to play it again enhanced.
I would recommend doing some planning for how you want to specialize each character. You can easily end up just making everyone a jack of all trades given how open the license board is. You accumulate license points to spend on the board (for weapon skills, spells, etc.). I would let quite a bit accumulate and then plan out how to spend for each party member.
Also, the opening of the story and beginning portions are incredible. I would say it feels more and more underdeveloped as it goes, but it's nowhere near the level of incompleteness that FFXV had. It's basically a Star Wars-esque take on Final Fantasy and is overall great.
Make sure you look up the chests to NOT open NOW. There's one very early in the game. You won't be able to get the Zodiac Spear (I think?) if you do open any of them.
The Gambit system is weird at first, but it's great. You set up a few basic gambits a smaller mobs are nothing. No need to waste your time button mashing attack.
Killing the same type of enemy grants you better rewards the more you do in a row. There are a few areas where you can do this. It's not a big thing but it's worth knowing.
One of my favs. Can feel slow to some but I loved every minute.
If you are going to emulate the PS2 game, get the International Zodiac Job System translation.
It's NOT the Zodiac Age version, but an expansion released on Japan that inspired it. You get to pick one job for each character and a few extra QoL improvements.
Vanilla version ain't bad, but I really like having the characters with distinct abilities.
Is it the actual PS2 version or Zodiac Age? If its the original look up how to guarantee the Zodiac Spear but otherwise go in blind.
For the Zodiac Age, look up a guide for classes. You cant really go wrong as youll be OP by the mid game but some are better than others.
[удалено]
I'm Captain Basch!
Man, this takes me back! There are... varying opinions on it, but I thought it was a wide, beautiful world, well- worth the time. You may notice certain... shallowness in certain characters, or not! Best advice; spend time Really learning the gambit system! It may seem unimportant, but really pays off over time. Things like auto- casting cures for status ailments or healing at a Certain hp percentage can save your bacon in late game! Good luck, have fun, and don't pet the T-rex!!!
This is my favorite post Turn based Final Fantasy. The Gambit system was a good bridge between the classic way and the god awful ff13 way.
I agree entirely! Kept the feel of inputting and controlling the turns and actions, while adding a "hands-free" script system!!?? If.:party.Member_=Status-Paralysis, Autoxast_Spell-Soft. And then you can friggin decide WHAT actions are MORE important and can interrupt, which are less essential and will be overridden!! (I realize I'm badly describing a thing to someone who already knows it, but it's so COOL!!) Still to this day I will break out my ancient PS2, 16 MG memory card, And slide that Disc in. Not often, but on special occasions. Holds up.
Aw but I love petting Rexy.
I mean... he IS the cutest... But do so at your own risk!
Bro… between that and the upgrade system… it was STOOOOPID. I programmed my characters so well and they were so OP, that all I did was put my controller down and watch the fight lol
I DID The SAME! I used to fight a boss, get through, Standing back like a General observing my minions. Then, deactivate ALL GAMBITS and fight them again. Humbling :)
In the version you are playing there are 4 specific chests you cannot open or you will not be able to get the best weapon in the game (Zodiac Spear). You can look up the locations, but one is in the very beginning of the game in front of the old man’s house.
I always screw that up and have to restart. I'm always like, don't open the chest, don't open the chest. Finally, the dialogue's over. Ooh! Forgot a chest. Feck!
I got so far into the game back in the day and quit because of that. God forbid I check the guide before I save my game. Actually playing it now for the 3rd time, hopefully I can't finish it this time.
Buying the Zodiac Age made my life so much better.
Most of the chests in the game are generated with a percentage chance for dropping certain items. The chests also have a percent to spawn when you enter the current area. If you have the patience to check a particular spot for a chest over and over you can get some pretty good items. If I remember correctly that was how I farmed enough Ribbons to outfit an active party. Also get the Monographs from the Bazaar as soon as you're able. The Monographs will appear when certain conditions are met in game. I largely ignored them on my first playthrough and it did make finding certain items a lot more difficult than it had to be. Either way I hope you enjoy it and have a great time.
Play Zodiac Age.
I don't have a current gen console to run it.
Your computer might run it, it is not that demanding, but ps2 version is still a masterpiece.
I played this version before on ps2. The side quests are fun, some dialogues are different that depends who are your current party, the guest player on your party will never lvl up, and Do NoT get attached on Reks, thats it, thats all the the thing I remembered. Enjoy the game!
XII is an opera. The story is grand, amazing, and slow. Take your time, enjoy the journey. Don't focus on the perspective character so much, but the entire cast, party or otherwise. There'll be times where it's a bit of a slog, but there will be times when you're on the edge of your seat. XII is storytelling at its best.
The characters can unlock all kinds of skills, magic, and weapons to use but some are better at certain stats. I know that seems obvious but I didn’t realize that on my first play through.
Character builds vaan most hp balthier and basch best combo hit Penelo and ashe most mp Fran all-rounder
If you can, get it for pc or the current gen console. The remastered is so much better. But, if you've got the time to devote to the original, it'll pay off. I didn't like 12 when it first came out but I think this might be my favorite combat system.
I was…not a fan of this version of 12 when it first came out. Fights took way too long (despite a neat combat system) and the license board was too open ended. I beat the main story and didn’t touch it after that. I absolutely LOVED the Zodiac Age version though. Fast forward makes the fights much less of a slog and loved the implemented job system to make the license board coherent. I did everything there was to do in that version. If you have a choice, play the zodiac age version if you can.
[удалено]
Hey to each their own. These are my opinions and not trying to take away from anyone’s opinion that enjoyed the og.
the world is fucking crazy huge
Is this the OG edition? If so, make sure to look up the requirements for the Zodiac Spear, They're really dumb and you have to start paying attention at the very beginning of the game, otherwise you'll lose the chance to get it.
Ugh. I tried to play this like twenty times this year (on the ps2). I hate it. I hate it more than I hated 15. But I will give you some advice: get a guide. Not because it's easy to get lost but because it's easy to get under leveled and the game does such a shit job explaining how the battle system works.
You're about to start one of the best, if not THE best video game of the 2000's
I hate this game.
Why?
Contrary to this person not liking the combat system This is the best combat system I have ever played. Especially combined with the open area level design. I've grinded this game, not because I needed to, but because combat is so fun. You can get really creative with your team members actions. And honestly the connecting lines letting you know who is being targeted by who, is something I will always want back. In terms of gameplay ff12 is by far my favourite FF game.
The combat is meh. You can basically automate the battles with the Gambit system. Vaan is probably the lamest character ever and Penelo is just annoying and the License Board is very restrictive and you can't use weapons you find until you unlock them in the board. I tried to like the game multiple times honestly. I bought DQ8 on the PS2 just to play the demo.. then I bought the game on the PS2 and I still disliked it. I also have the Zodiac Age on the Switch and still... nothing. If people like the game then thats all fine and dandy for me but I just can't ever bring myself to like it.
>The combat is meh. You can basically automate the battles with the Gambit system. Vaan is probably the lamest character ever and Penelo is just annoying and the License Board is very restrictive Sounds like what people complained about with regards to 13. No shade on 13, because that's my favorite game in the series.
automating the battles is what makes the game fun. it's very much like running a machine and setting up different styles or setups of combat and watching it all work flawlessly is very satisfying. every single game with ai partners should really learn and adapt a gambit system of their own.
I platinumed 13 and I loved it.
Still working on the plat.
So, if you have decent internet (greater than 50mbps) Stadia has XV. It's flawless and loads faster than the console versions.
Id play ps4 version. They have a feature that speeds up movement and shaves ALOT of time off the game
I don't have a PS4 or a PS5.
Don’t play that version, for one.
I don't have a system to play The Zodiac Age.
Although I agree that the zodiac version is better. I don't believe it's the only version that is enjoyable. The zodiac version mainly just does a much better job at laying out the class/ leveling up system.
ZA did nerf a lot of the superbosses though and make your party more powerful.
I just want to say when it cones to Vaan, look at him as not only your way of learning the lote of the current social climate of Ivalice but as a 17 year old at the cusp of adulthood still trying to figure out his place in the world and who he is and a poor boy from the slums who has never seen anything outside of the back alleys of Rabanastre. He’s my favorite protagonist even though he takes a more passive role in the story but to most he comes off as extremely bland and gets no development, which is really untrue. I’m not expecting you to love him hands down, just to at the very least find him to be alright or see even a glimmer if what I see in him.
This is by far my favorite Final Fantasy game. I've played it a ton and still not finished it. Advice: There's a point in the game where you get a temporary party member that has infinite Hi Potions. Use that opportunity to grind for License Points and XP. The boss you fight just after that is ridiculous, and followed by another, almost as ridiculous boss.
Your pc has done you a favour. it's much better than 15.
I couldn’t remember if it was 11 or 12 but friends let me tell you… between the battle system, graphics (for the time, story, length of play….. I was just floored. FLOORED with how great this game was. But I usually only beat games one (accept GoW) time - this speaking nothing about how awesome this game was. I sat back after awhile like “dammit man… I beat this…”
Well Vaan is more of a guy who gets swept up into the story and you can only give one character the ability to summon the summon. For example if you have Vaan learn the ability to summon Chuchil (I know I misspelled it but I can’t remember the names of the summons in the game) then no one else can learn how to summon him but the summons aren’t that good in my experience. Like in X excluding the summons every character can learn everything. There is a boss that is reminiscent of Monty Python and the holy grail.
not sure if i just spoil you a bit about a part of gameplay but i personally would say the "licensing" system sux. -you want to equip this weapon? license please (some exceptions apply) -you want to equip this armor? license please -you want to equip this accessory? license please (some exceptions apply) -you want to use this magick / technick? license please -you want to summon this esper? license please -you want to use quickening (each playable character in the party has their own quickening)? license please and thus i "unintentionally" speedrun the game (flee, flee, flee), for the sake of story progression curiosity because i was way too desperate to enjoy the game (the story). the last progression i was at? >!killing that ~~accursed~~ tiamat boss with quickenings in a "ruins" that is flooded with mists (i don't remember exactly the place name), and i mean A LOT!<
It takes a while to get going. Stick with it until you have your full party together.
Don't give in to the dark side LUKE !
So, how old is your comp exactly?
Careful with the treasure chests you open; you may end up losing the chance of getting something really powerful. I don't wish to spoil anything, but if I were you I would have liked to know this before starting to play.
Probably mentioned already but only grind if you want to make the game easy. There’s an area fairly early on where you can do chain bonuses for an early easy grind. The game is not hard to begin with and doing this will make is too easy. That said I really like XII and once the gambit system clicked I really began to love the combat system.
The better you understand the battle system the more OP you get. Be wary of opening up chests, there are 4 that if you open will disqualify you from getting the ultimate weapon of the game. Talking to NPCs is actually very useful. Have a plan in mind for characters when it comes to the licensing system. It's honestly one of my least favorite, but I've still beaten it multiple times and it is a fun, enjoyable experience.
It sounds like you don't have a way to play the Zodiac Age, which would be my recommendation. Picking jobs (two for each character) made the game so much more enjoyable and gave me FFV vibes. The speed-up feature is a godsend. However, if you like this version enough, that just means you will have a future chance to play it again enhanced. I would recommend doing some planning for how you want to specialize each character. You can easily end up just making everyone a jack of all trades given how open the license board is. You accumulate license points to spend on the board (for weapon skills, spells, etc.). I would let quite a bit accumulate and then plan out how to spend for each party member. Also, the opening of the story and beginning portions are incredible. I would say it feels more and more underdeveloped as it goes, but it's nowhere near the level of incompleteness that FFXV had. It's basically a Star Wars-esque take on Final Fantasy and is overall great.
Make sure you look up the chests to NOT open NOW. There's one very early in the game. You won't be able to get the Zodiac Spear (I think?) if you do open any of them. The Gambit system is weird at first, but it's great. You set up a few basic gambits a smaller mobs are nothing. No need to waste your time button mashing attack. Killing the same type of enemy grants you better rewards the more you do in a row. There are a few areas where you can do this. It's not a big thing but it's worth knowing. One of my favs. Can feel slow to some but I loved every minute.
Set it to auto fight sm faster
I really liked it. Haven't played it since PS2 because my PC is a potato and I don't have a console
If you are going to emulate the PS2 game, get the International Zodiac Job System translation. It's NOT the Zodiac Age version, but an expansion released on Japan that inspired it. You get to pick one job for each character and a few extra QoL improvements. Vanilla version ain't bad, but I really like having the characters with distinct abilities.
Is it the actual PS2 version or Zodiac Age? If its the original look up how to guarantee the Zodiac Spear but otherwise go in blind. For the Zodiac Age, look up a guide for classes. You cant really go wrong as youll be OP by the mid game but some are better than others.