Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age (PS4)

The original FFXII was met with mixed reactions, some people loved it, others hated it. I was very much in the former, and so was very excited to get stuck back into Ivalice in this remaster. There is something special about FFXII; sure it has its flaws, but so does every FF game. However the strengths more than make up for the weaknesses. Where FFXII shines it does so with a grandeur so perfect it has never been equalled. From the superb scripting to the beautiful complexity of the gambit system, this game is an absorbing, wonderful experience that can easily take over most of your free time.So what has changed in the remaster? Well, obviously there’s been a graphical overhaul, and it does look gorgeous, which you’d expect really. The cutscenes look amazing, though for some reason there’s a huge black border at the bottom of the screen during these. I can’t remember if this was in the original, and it’s a bit odd, but it disappears for the actual playing.The sound too has been redone, with full surround available. You also have the options of setting the language to Japanese or English, and the music to original or reorchestrated.You have the option to speed the game up too, simply by pressing L1. This is amusing, watching your character (and all NPCs too) move around at double or quadruple speed, but it will come in handy for the grind sections.The biggest change, and one I’m not certain of yet, is the change to the licence grid. The remaster incorporates the system from the previous, Japan only ‘international’ version. This splits the system up into twelve separate classes, each with a grid specialising in a style eg knight, black mage, archer etc. and you have to assign each character a class, which you cannot change. Later on, you can assign a second class, but still this inability to change things forces you to put each character into a role before you’re sure if they fit it. And if they don’t, tough. I get the idea of it, but in the original I enjoyed sending each character off in separate directions, knowing if they didn’t suit the path I’d chosen, I could adjust it, or having a laugh watching tiny Penelo fight with a ridiculous greatsword. Then once I was at the end-game, hunting the most powerful marks, I could really fine tune each character to the role I preferred them to have. What’s more is that there is no option to choose which system you want to use, you have to play it this new way.That uncertainty aside, this is still the amazing game it was, redone for the PS4. And, as with all games now, you are rewarded for your efforts with trophies. It’s not an easy trophy list, and I can’t say I’m particularly looking forward to fighting Yiazmat again, but it’s something to really get stuck into. Fortunately I’ve still got the amazing Piggyback guide, which is invaluable for figuring out some of the hunts, though apparently some of the tasks listed in the book are different in this version of the game...great... The one and only thing I never achieved in the original, and for which there is a trophy, is completing the bestiary. That is going to take some doing, given how awkward the conditions needed for some of the elite monsters are, but I still reckon this game is far less of a grind fest than the huge time sump needed in FFX to complete the sphere grid.All in all, I have most of the summer off work, and this is going to take up a good chunk of that time, especially when it’s raining. A wonderful game, for me one of the best Final Fantasies, and I am revelling in every nostalgic moment of it.

I have played this up to lv26 for Van and absolutely love it, great RPG! I won’t talk about the story as not to spoil its enjoyment but after a fast paced intro which reminds me of a mix of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, you set off on your adventure. Usual FF mechanic of baddy attacks peace loving neighbour, hero steps in to save the day :-)Graphics are good, reminds me a bit of Fable with that 'glow’ effect that makes the world vibrant. Music is excellent and voice acting as well in 5.1. Areas are small but load times between areas is short so no problem. Enemies can been seen wandering about and the colour bar above them indicates their aggression level, green is ok, yellow a few levels higher and red very hard (thanks to S Potter). Slowing tough enemies usually works well.Initially combat is the usual fare of physical and magic attacks via the menu, but then I worked out how to use Gambit and most fights are automatic! This is a set of rules you setup per character. So Foe-Any, Attack is self explanatory but you mix in other ones above this like Ally-HP <50%, Cure so your health can be replenished. This system makes the tedium of grinding a joy as you zip around automatically crushing mobs and picking up loot.Also I go round in 2x speed mode. As you gain XP your characters level up but also gain 'License points’. These are like skill points and you can spend them to get extra buffs like Swiftness (increased action speed) and Magic Potency (strength of magic spells). Grinding early on I made my party strong so even a basic Fire spell does a lot of damage.You can also spend License Points on 'Quickenings’ which are a special attack per character. These can be chained together from the 'Mist’ menu and are useful to take on bosses or a tough mob.A nice touch is party members can be swapped in and out of combat, especially useful against a tough boss like Demon Wall ;-p I have 6 characters and 4 is the max party size. Small negative is camera is 'wobbly’ and it's better to lockon a target in combat sometimes.All in all a VERY enjoyable RPG with a complex Gambit system for battles, great story and different environments with original level design (Ogir-Yensa Sandsea), buy it RIGHT NOW and enjoy its Gaming Goodness! :-D

Got to lvl 20 pretty solid game my bigest problem is with the gambit system I personally think it's a good idea to adjust the way the ai plays but if you don't like that type of thing and just wanna leave them to it they literally do nothing with out you setting the gambits, the issue i have is with the classes other than mage it can be a little boring to play till later game and havin to buy spells and tactics since it kinda makes leveling feel less useful I would of rather unlock skills on the board and be able to use them but instead you have to unlock them on borad then buy them at the shop.