PlayStation 2 the demo better not be like the final version

[gamerfreak]

alright just got done playing the demo of final fantasy 12 and frankly i am freaked out. the battle system is not even close to being a rpg and there is no rest after a battle the characters just put there weapons away and on to the next enemy. i have enjoyed ff for a long time from 1 to 10-2 even 10-2 was a better ff then this one is shaping up i will get the game cause i collect them but it feels and plays more like final fantasy 11 then a straight rpg that we have all come to love. maybe they we realize this and make a correction but from what i can see is that we are looking at a new ff and it might not be for the better. square enix has taken the time to put it out i mean it has not had a realese date for some time just take the time and make a final fantasy that we can be proud of.

 

[Thermal]

I haven't played the demo, but from the videos I've seen, the combat is more real time. While I loved the original turnbase system, its becoming dated, and glad that their looking beyond simply pressing buttons on a menu and waiting your turn. I just hope they actually let us have control of the airship this time around, the old Final Fantasy X click on a map and teleport made the world feel limited and not massive as prior titles have been.

 

[Gamechamp]

Erm, so, how exactly is the combat done? Something like Kingdom Hearts? Or what? I haven't played the demo and have virtually no idea about how this game will be.

 

[Thermal]

Yeah, judge from the video its very similar to Kingdom Heart. The other characters can be automated and you can give them specific commands. I'll probably rent Dragon Quest 8 and try it myself over winter break.

One thing I've never understood is why has it become standard to only have three characters in your party at a time? Is it to make the game harder, or to simplify the controls?

 

[unrealphantasy3]

This is how the battle system works (it really isn't like KH at all). With direct control over the "Leader' of your party, you venture all across the field, except there are no random encounters, all the enemies are there, interacting with each other and doing what monsters do. When you approach an enemy, you can press x to bring up the command list, which either pauses gameplay or gameplay continues, depending on what mode you're on. You can then issue a command to your character or another. These commands are all the FF classics, like Attack, Items, magic in the form of White, Black, Time, or Green Magic, or summoning. Once you pick a command, the character's battle meter begins to fill, and when it's full, they perform the action. All this time you have free movement control over your character, and you can swap to controlling a different party member at any time. You could position the archer, Penelo, far away so she can attack from a distance and provide party support while Vaan and Basch get up close and personal. There are limitless tactical possibilities, and all the FF stigmas are here as well, such as elemental weaknesses, certain enemies dropping certain items, etc. The system really does feel great and fresh, as well as deep and tactical, because you have free control over all of your party members

 

[unrealphantasy3]

Further, the fact that the enemies are all there in the field opens up even more possibilities. For example, mandragoras and Sleipnirs aren't good friends, and you'll frequently find them duking it out in the field. This is your chance to attack the Sleipnir (while it's distracted) or just slip past unnoticed. Rockeaters (read: T-Rexes) eat mandragoras as appetizers, so you could lure some mandras over to a Rockeater to distract it, position Penelo far back so she can heal the mandragora bait as it is being attacked, allowing Vaan to continuously attack the Rockeater while Basch stands guard against a group of Headless monsters with axes that are coming this way, but Basch is overtasked and needs help, so Vaan goes to help him out, and Penelo takes cover behind a ruined temple wall and attacks the Rockeater herself... You get where this is going. All this is possible because you can assign behaviors called Gambits to each character and you can swap the character you're controlling at any time and freely move them anywhere during battle just like any other game. This systemn is totally kickass and really revolutionizes the series and all RPGs in general with it's depth and complexity, as well as interactivity, yet it feels nothing like FF Tactics. It feels real. And that's what's gonna step up FF12 to being the best FF yet. This totally real, interactive, intense battle system seamlessly joins everything in Final Fantasy together into a true, uninterrupted adventure, compared to random encounters and battles seperate from the rest of the game.